Tyler Roney (Bangkok)

Bangkok’s #1 West Virginian. ME with @coconuts for @bkmagazine. Bad moods with @ForeignPolicy, @Diplomat_APAC, etc. Mekong with @DialogueEarth_.

[Tyler Roney (Bangkok) @TylerRoney]

Times they are a changing.

[Tyler Roney (Bangkok) @TylerRoney]

HHH….TIER

You Weren't Meant to be Human
Yeesh. Yeeeh. There was a lot to like. I may have liked this if it was more about the complexities trans life in rural WV rather than a cult worshipping a refrigerator full of rotten meat. And that final scene. Yeesh. Just yeesh.

[Tyler Roney (Bangkok) @TylerRoney]

The Demon Overlord’s Retirement Plan
Initiallyl amateurish, I was genuinely interested at this monster who solves problems with caring. And turnips.

Where the Axe is Buried
Good thoughts, good writing, but crowded. Government by AI, surveillance state, spy thriller. Loads.

[Tyler Roney (Bangkok) @TylerRoney]

Love Politics and Other Acts of War
Demon overlord comfort read.

COULD BE BETTER TIER

The Wreck of the Mentor
Hardwired to love a story about an American whaling ship crashing and the crew getting abducted. Almost seemed like the author didn’t like writing this.

[Tyler Roney (Bangkok) @TylerRoney]

The Employees
I…I don’t even know what happened. Like…space madness and office politics and getting horny for some sentient cubes. It’s a weird one.

We Are Legion (We Are Bob)
Big silly nerd fun. It's a perfect palate cleanser book after a dense read. Will read more.

[Tyler Roney (Bangkok) @TylerRoney]

PRETTY FUN TIER

The City in the Autumn Stars
Honestly, it’s a bit of a disappointing follow up, but well-written.

The Tainted Cup
Kaijus. Kaijus for days. But I found the mystery elements a little cloying. It was super enjoyable throughout. Probably just me.

[Tyler Roney (Bangkok) @TylerRoney]

Snake-Eater
Roadrunners are evil, apparently. Meep meep.

Angel Down
Some people eschew the gimmick. But I can’t deny that the prose might be the overall best I’ve read this year. Like Raymond Chandler with PTSD. Angel gets shot in WWI. Horror ensues. Pretty cool.

[Tyler Roney (Bangkok) @TylerRoney]

The Wisdom of Crowds @LordGrimdark
French Revolution in a fantasy universe. Yes.

Buffalo Hunter Hunter
Vampire Native American. “Oh, it’s a meditation on colonialism and Western expansionism.” It’s about a Blackfeet dracula and it's great. Read it and shut up.

[Tyler Roney (Bangkok) @TylerRoney]

Children of Strife @aptshadow
There’s a prawn that can punch your head clean off your body.

The Trouble With Peace @LordGrimdark
I am full on in love with both Rikke and Savine. They are both angels and I will excuse every war crime they commit. Even that one.

[Tyler Roney (Bangkok) @TylerRoney]

Pretenders to the Throne of God @aptshadow

Wizard hookers, werewolf that tells the future, demon nepo babies, OP gay warlock, squid pope, ghost in a jar, octopus walls, dead crab god, strategic poetry ordinance, puka shell armor, and fish that make honey.

[Tyler Roney (Bangkok) @TylerRoney]

FRICKIN GOOD TIER

The Great Derangement
Incisive environmental writing. This book is not for everyone. It’s only for smart people like me.

I Will Kill Your Imaginary Friend for $200 @brockway_llc
I laughed, I cried, I nearly shat my pants at a cartoon. Good stuff.

[Tyler Roney (Bangkok) @TylerRoney]

A Little Hatred @LordGrimdark
I can fix Rikke. We're meant to be together.

Yesteryear
I identify with a trad wife more than I thought I would. That ending, regardless of what anyone says, was a stroke of genius.

[Tyler Roney (Bangkok) @TylerRoney]

The Necromancer’s House @buehlmeister
The most powerful wizard in America going to AA because he summoned a demon while drunk. I got emotional.

Wolf Worm
In early 20th century North Carolina, bugs drink blood and live in your skin. It’s pretty funny and heartwarming.

[Tyler Roney (Bangkok) @TylerRoney]

The Hexologists: A Tangle of Time
My two favorite detectives fight time itself and do a lot of boning and violence.

The Lost City of Z @DavidGrann
America’s greatest nonfiction author on adventure, cannibals, and discovery in the Amazon (the jungle, not the evil bookstore).

[Tyler Roney (Bangkok) @TylerRoney]

ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT TIER

A House with Good Bones
I am now afraid of ladybugs. They didn't do anything in this book, but I'm still scared.

The Lathe of Heaven
Guy has dreams that define reality, psychiatrists are all evil.

[Tyler Roney (Bangkok) @TylerRoney]

GOD TIER
What We Can Know
Climate change apocalypse, bad poetry, and people be bonin'.

Raising Steam
It's my second to last Discworld for me. I will read the last one on my death bed.

A Short Stay in Hell
Genuinely gave me nightmares about math.

[Tyler Roney (Bangkok) @TylerRoney]

I normally do this at the end of the year, but parts of my template are already full, so here's 31 books from the first six months of the year.

I hate this website and the person who owns it. But, for books, I will do anything. Books ace.

[Yann Bigant @yannbigant_]

Thanks to the editors @DialogueEarth_ esp @TylerRoney, @anticorruption 🇰🇭, voices Emiel de Lange at WCS, Ding Li Yong @BirdLife_Asia, Bou Vorsak at NatureLife Cambodia, Yoganand K, ex-WWF Greater Mekong along everyone who shared info and of course @vuthasrey

[Dialogue Earth @DialogueEarth_]

"The new act will turn the clock back, bringing us back to the bad old days."

🇹🇭 Protesters are scrambling to prevent proposed rollbacks to environmental and labour protections in Thailand's Fisheries Act.

✍️ @TylerRoney reports:
https://t.co/1q2dcOc8pj

[Tyler Roney (Bangkok) @TylerRoney]

An absolutely huge piece spanning three countries from the inimitable @antonldelgado, who had a hell of a time while this was going on. This one is worth your time. https://t.co/Dm2TreANza