Friday Reads on Saturday 7/25/2026
So this week has been chaotic, to say the least. But I am finally getting around to a Friday reads post. I do plan to have some reading time, unless something unforeseen happens. I know what happens when we make plans.
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - I almost wasn't going to even put this one in here, because I'm waiting for a copy to come in at the library so I can read the 63 missing pages. Then, I checked the website, and it is headed my way. It should be here by Tuesday. So I do plan to read this in the next week.
Who is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service by Michael Lewis - This is really interesting. It's not actually all written by Michael Lewis, but some is. Each chapter is about someone who works for the federal government in some unknown capacity. The first chapter is about a guy who worked in coal mines before he went to college and got a degree in underground engineering. Now he works for the government making sure coal mines are dug properly to prevent cave-ins. He created an entire equation to ensure the columns are right to stop cave-ins. The second chapter is about the guy in charge of all the national cemeteries. These are all people no one has heard of outside their specific sphere of influence, but who are stand-up folks.
The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee - I grabbed this from the library to meet a challenge prompt for the r/Fantasy bingo I'm working on. It happens to meet a challenge or two for the HRCYED challenge also, so win-win. This is a sci-fi book set on another planet. Isako is a "contractor", which means her job is to protect a certain person and do odd, unpleasant jobs for them. Her client is the Director of a sect of the government that recently lost a war with a different sect of the government. The book starts off with her finishing the list of 200 people she has to tell are being let go. Except in this world, if you resign, you are sent out into the cold, cruel world outside the settlement. You literally die. And everyone watches you walk as far as you can and then collapse. As she's standing on the observation deck watching, her client resigns in protest and walks out with all the others and dies. So now she doesn't have a job. Before he died, the client transferred her contract to the Director of the winning governmental sect, who won't let her resign until she does one last job. So that is the last contract in question.
Immortal Game by Allison Saft - This is my latest audiobook. It is about a girl who is a chess grandmaster. Her sister was taken away by the King of the Fairies and she wants to play him in a chess match to win her sister back. The problem I don't think she has registered yet, is that the sister may not want to come back. The sister willingly chose to go when she left. Our girl Shae, the main character, is extremely intense. She definitely needs to lighten up. But honestly, so far, none of these characters is less intense. I'm literally only 10% in, so hopefully we'll come across a character with a sense of humor.
And that's it. That's a lot, really. 4 books. Yeah, nothing is getting finished soon, I think. Isako is over 400 pages. I have about 150 pages left of The Name of the Wind. Government isn't very long, but I don't get to read it in long sections. And Immortal Game is over 11 hours, which translates to 400 pages.
Tomorrow is pretty open unless someone makes me leave the house. The projected temperatures this weekend are 100+, so I don't really WANT to go anywhere. Monday is beauty day; I have nails and hair back to back. I will be exhausted after that.
What are you reading this weekend?