What are you reading?

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Loughe
Date: January 30, 2026 at 10:59 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/what-are-you-reading.13301/

Nubbynubb76 said:
These stories that hold a little truth or your truth or someone else's truth about you are amazing. I'm not even being sarcastic. I don't think anyone else could pull this off or would even attempt to or even think like this to be able to translate their story into something so amusing. Sorry I forgot you hate getting your butthole blown while receiving a reach around. Brick fixen to give us a warning about hijacking the thread.
Click to expand...
What's funny to me....is the sheer amount of years one had to bite they own testicles off to never utter a word of that s--- to me....or the fact none of what it's said i would be doing or will do,....even remotely resembles words i actually typed.
and everything i've typed, i've done, and yet....my presence is proof of that time the 'cool' was not contained, and a mf lost his god damn mind.
gilliganisms, you might call it.
oh, how important a website is...when somebody who honestly details the hurt...heals up, and that s--- bothers somebody.
not any actual gripe, greivance or issue, mind you...just all these 'blow ups' in my proverbial face.
all under an assumed name...so as to not actually be this oddball clone, lol, never that.
i honestly think everybody should enjoy at least a day being this despised. it opens up the comical pores, if i do say so meeself
orale...holmes

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Nubbynubb76
Date: January 30, 2026 at 11:08 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/what-are-you-reading.13301/

Loughe said:
What's funny to me....is the sheer amount of years one had to bite they own testicles off to never utter a word of that s--- to me....or the fact none of what it's said i would be doing or will do,....even remotely resembles words i actually typed.
and everything i've typed, i've done, and yet....my presence is proof of that time the 'cool' was not contained, and a mf lost his god damn mind.
gilliganisms, you might call it.
oh, how important a website is...when somebody who honestly details the hurt...heals up, and that s--- bothers somebody.
not any actual gripe, greivance or issue, mind you...just all these 'blow ups' in my proverbial face.
all under an assumed name...so as to not actually be this oddball clone, lol, never that.
i honestly think everybody should enjoy at least a day being this despised. it opens up the comical pores, if i do say so meeself
orale...holmes
Click to expand...
Oral to you too.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Loughe
Date: January 30, 2026 at 11:26 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/what-are-you-reading.13301/

Mexican Sushi Chef said:
Órale, cabrones, lemme tell you about this neurotic chinchilla named Chino from the back alleys of Torrance—bro thought he was the emperor of fluff, but really he was just a grudge-hoarding furball with a wheel for a brain and a mouth that never shut.
Chino would latch onto the tiniest slight, like the time a squirrel borrowed his sunflower seed and forgot to say thanks. Instead of letting it slide, he'd spin in furious circles on his little wheel, kicking up dust clouds so thick the whole burrow looked like a Tijuana sandstorm. "That nut-thief's out to get me!" he'd squeak, projecting his own pettiness onto everyone while the dust blinded his neighbors and made the hamsters sneeze for days. One night, during a burrow party, Chino overhears a mole whisper something about his "overdramatic spins," and boom—off he goes again, whirling like a possessed dryer, creating a dust tornado that knocks over the acorn bar, spills the fermented berry juice, and leaves everyone coughing and covered in grime. "See? You all hate me because I'm too real!" he'd yell, still spinning, convinced the chaos was proof of a grand conspiracy against his "brilliance."
But the real kicker? Chino kept vowing to "leave this toxic wheel forever" every time his grudges blew up in his face, packing his one seed and stomping off dramatically… only to spin right back two hours later, kicking up fresh dust and whining about how "nobody appreciates a chinchilla with depth." He'd accuse the squirrels of being narcissists for not centering the party on his spins, project his own endless loops onto the moles as "stuck in the past," and ruin every friendship by turning casual chats into grudge-fueled dust storms that choked out the fun.
In the end, Chino's still there, spinning in the same damn spot, dust clouds so permanent the burrow looks like a perpetual fog machine concert. He learned nada, still thinking the world's spinning against him when it's just his own *** creating the whirlwind. Moral? Some chinchillas are allergic to letting go—they'd rather kick up dirt forever than admit they're the storm.
¡Pinche chinchilla ciclónico, qué risa!
Click to expand...
i have a confuse....am i from Paramount...or from Torrance? if i'm the one with these grudges...why was i not the instigator of said grudge....nor the one carrying one at the current? how does one own the entirety of the blame, and then details the history of a thing so as to learn from it....and yet dodge responsibility? mf goes so far to curry anti-favour....doesn't have the testicular fortitude to stand by who he is to the 'community'.
how am i chill with ducks, the ONLY mf i ever had the sniff of a true issue with....yet i'm allergic to letting go?
legit questions, i'm kinda high key impressed with what i've been able to accomplish through the 'eyes' of an elevated consciousness such as yourself. i wish i could see s--- the same way. off to spin some more....i love spinning. spin spin spin

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Mexican Sushi Chef
Date: January 30, 2026 at 11:27 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/what-are-you-reading.13301/

Loughe said:
What's funny to me....is the sheer amount of years one had to bite they own testicles off to never utter a word of that s--- to me....or the fact none of what it's said i would be doing or will do,....even remotely resembles words i actually typed.
and everything i've typed, i've done, and yet....my presence is proof of that time the 'cool' was not contained, and a mf lost his god damn mind.
gilliganisms, you might call it.
oh, how important a website is...when somebody who honestly details the hurt...heals up, and that s--- bothers somebody.
not any actual gripe, greivance or issue, mind you...just all these 'blow ups' in my proverbial face.
all under an assumed name...so as to not actually be this oddball clone, lol, never that.
i honestly think everybody should enjoy at least a day being this despised. it opens up the comical pores, if i do say so meeself
orale...holmes
Click to expand...
I'm not who you think I am, maricón.
But keep guessing

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Mexican Sushi Chef
Date: January 30, 2026 at 11:40 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/what-are-you-reading.13301/

Loughe said:
i have a confuse....am i from Paramount...or from Torrance? if i'm the one with these grudges...why was i not the instigator of said grudge....nor the one carrying one at the current? how does one own the entirety of the blame, and then details the history of a thing so as to learn from it....and yet dodge responsibility? mf goes so far to curry anti-favour....doesn't have the testicular fortitude to stand by who he is to the 'community'.
how am i chill with ducks, the ONLY mf i ever had the sniff of a true issue with....yet i'm allergic to letting go?
legit questions, i'm kinda high key impressed with what i've been able to accomplish through the 'eyes' of an elevated consciousness such as yourself. i wish i could see s--- the same way. off to spin some more....i love spinning. spin spin spin
Click to expand...
Órale, you’re spinning so fast you’ve turned your own dust cloud into a personal weather system, chinchilla.
One minute you’re “done forever,” the next you’re back whining about how nobody gets your “depth.” Bro, the only thing deep here is the hole you dug with the same grudges on repeat.
Keep circling that wheel, king—eventually you’ll either figure out it’s a treadmill or just wear a groove so deep the burrow collapses on your head.
Either way, I’ll be over here with my rice and my peace. Spin on.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Loughe
Date: January 30, 2026 at 11:40 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/what-are-you-reading.13301/

Mexican Sushi Chef said:
I'm not who you think I am, maricón.
But keep guessing
Click to expand...
i don't really care, unless it's some real man type mf who tries to keep it cool with me while clowning me at the same time....but is just too 'man' to admit to me, or anybody else, who they is. that's an odd flex, but i don't kink shame playuh
whoever you are...you have a solid gimmick....and without a single fact, land more than you miss...kinda. all the power to you. i give a few fucks.
but if you are somebody i never interacted with, then it becomes a non-issue. you couldn't matter less to me, your words or assertions even less. not a single thing i say or do....is to disprove a thing you cling to, shiiiiiii, i'll even lean into most of it....i spent the better part of 2 decades with a hater of the likes you could never hope to turn into ....you beyond light work dunny.
if me wondering who you are is something you think exists....if somebody emailed me right now, it'd change nothing in my day to day. no retribution, no airing out, not a mf whisper....you the one running my G. a truth as old as time when it pertains to me and my 'haters'

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Loughe
Date: January 30, 2026 at 11:48 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/what-are-you-reading.13301/

Mexican Sushi Chef said:
Órale, you’re spinning so fast you’ve turned your own dust cloud into a personal weather system, chinchilla.
One minute you’re “done forever,” the next you’re back whining about how nobody gets your “depth.” Bro, the only thing deep here is the hole you dug with the same grudges on repeat.
Keep circling that wheel, king—eventually you’ll either figure out it’s a treadmill or just wear a groove so deep the burrow collapses on your head.
Either way, I’ll be over here with my rice and my peace. Spin on.
Click to expand...
post that post where i said i was done forever. post where i didn't simply lament about s--- i was battling, avoiding all words and actions that even remotely exhibit a 'rage quit' type moment...post where i ain't claim losing this community wasn't a huge gaping hole in the side of the person i was working on being...and then post why, even if i did say that, then come back to where i thought i had a home, WHY that would be some s--- to rub my proverbial nose in, HAD YOU HAD THE TEMERITY TO ACTUALLY STAND BY YOUR WORDS and not be a sucka *** coward takin strays from the sidelines....
i posted proof of my 'homie' playing it one way for you all to see...and another when it was just us two...i'd love to be on the other end of that spectrum...simply for the growth of character being a sucka *** b---- for a change would do me as i overcome such a faux pas

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: LoneCowboy
Date: February 04, 2026 at 12:48 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/what-are-you-reading.13301/

Portuguese Dragoons, 1966-1974: The Return to Horseback by
John P. Cann
This is part of the Africa at War series (small big format books, high gloss, lot of pictures, about 70 pages, double columns. They could easily fit 2 or 3 books worth of stuff into one book, but then you would only buy one book). There is very little material avaialble in English on the Portuguese in Angola or Mozambique and honestly most of them are in this Africa at War series. Portugal is (was) a TINY country, and Angola and Mozambique are huge, and they were being fought at the same time. In Angola, they used horseback riders to pretty good effect, not only is much of the land highveld but it's sparsely populated and very flat with great distances with 6 foot high grass covering it, and horses were actually a great way to cover the area, drive the insurgents out and patrol the villages and see and track insurgents. . It's quite interesting and they even made it mixed race unit. Although apparently the blacks had, of course, never seen horses and had to learn from scratch. They tried it later in Mozambique but it didn't really work, the climate and terrain isn't suitable for horses except in a very small area and they didn't have buy in from up above. They didn't function as cavalry (mounted charges) but as mounted infantry (dragoons). Interesting that in the 1970s horseback was still a super effective way in limited areas to make war. (I know the SF did this in Afghanistan too).
anyway, that led to
The Equus Men: Rhodesia’s Mounted Infantry: the Grey’s Scouts 1896-1980 by
Alexandre Binda
​
Which is a normal sized book of intricate detail of the Grey's Scouts. (with a decent amount of pictures). Most of Rhodesia is highveld and so suitable for horses. There are the initial Grey's Scouts formed in the first Rhodesian war (1896/87) and other horseback mounted groups and it covers that, and has decent maps. Then they were disbanded after the war and not until 1976 as the Bush War (Rhodesian war) intensified they were looking for "cheap" solutions to cover great territory (Rhodesia is slightly bigger than Montana for comparison sake). Of course having no real calvalry tradition, they actually started with horse trainers and guys who played polo and did dressage. They found later that didn't work when taking volunteers, because they had their own idea of how to ride, which was not what they wanted them to do. (had to unlearn bad habits). It is intricately detailed (take that as you will) with descriptions of their operations and such. Considered a special forces (like SAS or Selous Scouts) and thus had a selection program. One of the more interesting things was they didn't put their rifles in a scabbord, they held them with one hand, THE ENTIRE TIME, they found it took too long to get out and if they were ambushed (which happened) the horses would run away and then you were there on the ground sans rifle. This is bad. So their typical posture is as in the picture below. That looks exhausting.
I don't think it worked as well as they hoped (or this book tried to portray). They basically had to invent how to use the horse and even went thru multiple kinds of saddles (settled on a US Calvary copy) trying to find one that worked and didn't tear up the horse while still allowing them to carry enough. They didn't really use it for patrolling kraals or keeping in touch but more for covering bigger areas and they tended to get caught in ambushes and lost more horses than the Portuguese. Much of it is terrain. Also a mixed race unit and unlike in Angola they had to be shoed, so they soon learned that the farrier had to go with the patrol to keep the horses shoed. (otherwise, one horse would lose a shoe and then the whole patrol had to end) (in Angola the ground was soft, in much of Rhodesia it's rocky). Interesting concept, a patrol could cover 50 km a day for up to 5 days, water being the key factor. That's a lot more territory than a man.
Only good for autists interested in post colonial Africa.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Brick
Date: February 12, 2026 at 09:33 AM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/what-are-you-reading.13301/

War of the Twins
and
Test of the Twins
, by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis. The second two books of the Dragonlance Legends trilogy, continuing the story of twins Cameron and Raistlin Majere in their battle against (or for; alliances are pretty fluid here) pure evil and dominance of the world. Pretty good reads still, I'm glad I revisited the trilogy on a whim after 40 years or so, but it didn't quite hold up to the memory of the quality. Writing isn't great, and dialogue is pretty abysmal. The male characters all seem to cry (literally) about something or other every 50 pages or so throughout the series, lol. Has more of a YA feel than I remember, but probably because I was a YA on my first readthrough; for example, no bad language, no sexy-time, and even though there are tons of fights the violence is very sanitized and non-graphic (compared to, say, Abercrombie). So, glad I went back, but not feeling the need for any more strolling down memory lane with the other books in this world.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: LoneCowboy
Date: February 12, 2026 at 10:00 AM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/what-are-you-reading.13301/

The Gun Man Jackson Swagger: A Western
by Stephen Hunter
A new saga in the Swagger series. (Bob Lee, Earl, Charles), which is basically a prequel since he's written himself out of those other characters. (they have died off/been killed off/out of history). You either like Stephen Hunter or you don't, but it's good enough entertainment and it works. This is very much a western on all levels, even with the allegories of the weather. It's towards the end of Jackson's life so he's left himself plenty of room to fill in other stories/eras, alluding to them in his backstory. Very much near the end of the western era, not quite to The Wild Bunch time but you can see it coming from this book. I've got all the rest of the Hunter books so had to fill in with the newest.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Nubbynubb76
Date: February 12, 2026 at 11:26 AM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/what-are-you-reading.13301/

LoneCowboy said:
The Gun Man Jackson Swagger: A Western
by Stephen Hunter
A new saga in the Swagger series. (Bob Lee, Earl, Charles), which is basically a prequel since he's written himself out of those other characters. (they have died off/been killed off/out of history). You either like Stephen Hunter or you don't, but it's good enough entertainment and it works. This is very much a western on all levels, even with the allegories of the weather. It's towards the end of Jackson's life so he's left himself plenty of room to fill in other stories/eras, alluding to them in his backstory. Very much near the end of the western era, not quite to The Wild Bunch time but you can see it coming from this book. I've got all the rest of the Hunter books so had to fill in with the newest.
Click to expand...
I read Dirty White Boy's in 95 and loved it. Told myself I was going to start reading his books but have never got around to reading anything else by him. Watched the Mark Wahlberg movie though.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: LoneCowboy
Date: February 12, 2026 at 12:20 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/what-are-you-reading.13301/

Nubbynubb76 said:
I read Dirty White Boy's in 95 and loved it. Told myself I was going to start reading his books but have never got around to reading anything else by him. Watched the Mark Wahlberg movie though.
Click to expand...
Dirty White Boys only partially sits in the Swagger Universe. I like the Earl Swagger ones the best, the Charles ones are solid, the first couple Bob Lee are good but then he wrote himself into a corner and got a bit trapped. But they still work. They roll along nicely and entertain.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Nubbynubb76
Date: February 12, 2026 at 05:34 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/what-are-you-reading.13301/

LoneCowboy said:
Dirty White Boys only partially sits in the Swagger Universe. I like the Earl Swagger ones the best, the Charles ones are solid, the first couple Bob Lee are good but then he wrote himself into a corner and got a bit trapped. But they still work. They roll along nicely and entertain.
Click to expand...
Yeah it's listed as a stand alone but also says read before Black Light.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: osubuckeye4
Date: February 14, 2026 at 10:43 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/what-are-you-reading.13301/

Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits
by Jason Pargin (aka David Wong)
Book 1 in the Zoey Ashe series
I enjoyed this one. Pargin steps away from the cosmic horror he created with John Dies at the End, and creates into a completely new sci-fi/dystopian future world with new characters.
The interesting thing about this one is that it was written in 2015 and suppose to be set in the 2050s... but a lot of the stuff being written about as 'futuristic' is pretty damn similar to what we have today.
In particular, they have the "Blink" network which is essentially live streams from all over the world that people can view and which get ranked and broadcast based on population.
Like... we have that...
Any who, it's a fun shut your brain off gonzo page turner that sneaks some insightful social commentary and some solid quotes in when you're not expecting it... but, it's all very absurd and full of humor/zaney, almost cartoonish bad guys/flawed heroes.
As far as where it ranks compared to other Pargin works? I enjoyed it more than the first 2 John Dies at the End books, but less than books 3 and 4.
I'll definitely jump right into book 2,
Zoey Punches the Future in the d---
next.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: LoneCowboy
Date: February 17, 2026 at 04:34 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/what-are-you-reading.13301/

Sharpe's Storm by Bernard Cornwell
The 23rd and newest book in the Richard Sharpe series. It's like book 13.5, it fits in right before Sharpe's Siege, winter 1813, the invasion of southern France. I enjoy the Sharpe series (honestly just found them a year or two ago) and it fits right in and reads right along and actually comes to a conclusion. This newest book fills a hole in between two books since he already concluded the series. One of the neat things about all these books is they are based on real battles, real units, real situations, and he spends the very last chapter of every book explaining what really happened and where he did (or didn't) take liberties. Which I find very interesting from a history buff point of view.
It's not where you would start in the Sharpe series, but it's a good solid addition to it.
now, back to Africa. Seriously it was a little odd at the beginning of the book trying to get my mind right, no, we're in France in the Napoleonic wars, get it right on your mental map, no Congo, no Rhodesia, etc.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Brick
Date: February 24, 2026 at 08:31 AM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/what-are-you-reading.13301/

Brick said:
Binti,
Nnedi Okorafor. Set in the unspecified but far future, a young woman leaves her African tribe on Earth to travel to another planet and attend a university, against the wishes of her clan (she basically runs away from home). Her transport is set upon by hostile aliens, and the adventure starts from there. A pretty good tale, with some refreshingly new ideas for a sci-fi book. Won the Hugo and Nebula awards for best novella when it came out.
Click to expand...
Binti: Home
and
Binti: The Night Masquerade
, the second two books of the Binti trilogy. I think it's safe to say the first one was the best of the bunch. After the traumatic events in the first book, Binti returns home to Earth and her African tribe, but does not get the welcome she expected. Much drama ensues. A bit too emo for me, and more family/relationship drama compared to the good sci-fi story in the first one. If you happen to come across the first award-winning novella, I'd say you can read and enjoy that one and stop there and not be missing much.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: osubuckeye4
Date: February 24, 2026 at 09:20 AM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/what-are-you-reading.13301/

Zoey Punches the Future in the d---
by 'David Wong' (aka Jason Pargin)
Book 2 in the Zoey Ashe series, last book that 'Wong' released with his fake name.
Synopsis:
In the futuristic city of Tabula Ra$a, Zoey Ashe is like a fish so far out of water that it has achieved orbit. After inheriting a criminal empire, the twenty-three year-old finds herself under threat from all sides as a rogue's gallery of larger-than-life enemies think they smell weakness.
On the eve of the world's most lavish and ridiculous Halloween celebration, a steamer trunk-sized box arrives at Zoey's door and she is shocked to find that it contains a disembowelled corpse. She is even more shocked when that corpse, controlled by an unknown party, rises and goes on a rampage through the house. Speaking in an electronic voice, it publicly accuses Zoey of being its murderer. This is the kind of thing that almost never happened at her old job.
The city was already a ticking time bomb of publicity-hungry vigilantes with superhuman enhancements and Zoey knows this turn of events is unlikely to improve the situation. Now, she and her team of high-tech tricksters have to solve this bizarre murder while simultaneously keeping Tabula Ra$a from descending into chaos.
Released in 2020, has a lot of themes that are arguably more relevant today than 5-6 years ago. Much like the first novel, it's a goofy/absurd at times surface read but underneath it is an oftentimes clever satire on where we're headed (some might argue already are) as a society. I liked the antagonist better in this one than the first one... first one was a bit too one dimensional, this bad guy has some layers and works more in the shadows.
I would say that overall this book is on par with the first one, maybe a bit better. If there's one gripe, it's that the biggest curveball is pretty easily identifiable hundreds of pages in advance. There are enough swerves to where the end is still interesting though, and I think Pargin does a good job of keeping the story at the forefront, and keeping the social commentary 'lectures' lightly sprinkled in (though sometimes they are a bit heavy handed).
I do like how he continues to add additional layers of depth to Zoeys team of 'suits'. A lot of authors will keep everything centered around the main character, Pargin does a good job of farming it out to the team and keeping them in the mix so that it's not non-stop dumbass Zoey making bad decision after bad decision.
I have book 3 on deck, going to begin it shortly.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Nastycrow
Date: February 28, 2026 at 09:47 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/what-are-you-reading.13301/

Dan Simmons, the prolific author best known for Hyperion and The Terror, has died at the age of 77.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Eranys
Date: February 28, 2026 at 09:50 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/what-are-you-reading.13301/

Nastycrow said:
Dan Simmons, the prolific author best known for Hyperion and The Terror, has died at the age of 77.
Click to expand...
I'm just about done with book one.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Joben
Date: March 01, 2026 at 01:23 AM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/what-are-you-reading.13301/

Eranys said:
I'm just about done with book one.
Click to expand...
Just finished "The Stand." Long as f--- but solid. Now I have to go check out the TV show they made years ago. See how it translates.