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So I've been reading and listening (audiobooks) the sci-fi series The Expanse. After many years of hearing about it, and watching a single episode of the TV series I finally decided to read it. I should mention that I'm mostly consuming books in this way, in this order:

• Libby e-pub (using my local Montreal libraries, the McGill University library and the Hamilton, Ontario, public library)
• Libby audiobook
• Kobo e-pub

Since I'm mainly using libraries my timing of what I read and when is dictated by availability. Which is interesting since this fosters a patience that I haven't really had to experience much in the recent-ish eras of piracy and now streaming.

Using the library via Libby is a generally pretty good experience although the main caveat is that I think that while in competition with awful Amazon, my library is also in competetion with lovely local bookstores - and they're the main ones losing out. If only there was a way to engage easily with both ideally via a single app ... 🤔

Libraries aside, I've been reading in general a lot more lately and The Expanse series (I'm on book 3: Abaddon's Gate) has been quite compelling. Again since my pace or format is at least somewhat dictated by the library I mean 'reading' in the sense that I'm both reading in the true sense and 'reading' in that I'm listening to an audiobook sometimes as well. I find it sort of frustrating and interesting that we don't yet really have a word to describe these ways of consuming a book and yes, I do believe these are both valid ways of 'reading'. Audiobooks are oral of course, but not like ancient Homeric verse or sit-around-a-campfire-spooky-story oral experiences.

The editions of The Expanse I've read via audiobook have narration that I've really enjoyed and since I started the first book that way it was somewhat jarring to continue on reading the epubs to myself. Of course I got over that and I'm churning through faster than ever.

I don't know if I would recommend either format over the other, but I think mixing formats for a series like this is actually quite interesting in itself.

Since I'm not done the series - there's thousands of pages left to go - I'm can only review what I've read 3 book in. So far - so good! Pretty much as advertised, if you enjoy sci-fi and you also enjoyed Game of Thrones you'll probably enjoy The Expanse. At times there's a few too many similarities and the authors have a professional relationship with George R. R. Martin but let's chalk that up to 'homage'. The Expanse series tends to cut to the chase, which to further compare to GRRM, is refreshing. I love the food descriptions in A Song of Ice and Fire but obviously GRRM tended the garden a little too long for almost everyone's taste and the tangents and sub-plots clearly have got in the way of finishing the series. The Expanse doesn't seem to have that problem and keeps the adventure moving across the solar system at a good brisk pace.