L Y N N’s
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(group member since Nov 10, 2018)
L Y N N’s
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from the Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge group.
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Sep 08, 2021 11:40AM
To start, introduce yourself and what genres you usually read.I read a lot of mysteries, literary fiction, historical fiction, SFF, classics, some romance, and always intend to read way more nonfiction than I actually get read! 😁
Wow, Theresa! To work that long on one case. I'm not sure whether that would prove to be more frustrating to me or I would be gung-ho to get even more detailed, etc. I imagine you enjoy your work overall. I sure hope so! Those are teaching hours! 🙂
I am a self-proclaimed 'displaced teacher' with a degree in Elementary Education who has worked as an administrative assistant within higher education institutions for almost 25 years now. I've also worked as a substitute teacher (Which I loved!), teacher, librarian, bookseller for the last five years Borders was in business, admissions assistant, middle-manager, home-based case worker and mental health advocate, farm wife running parts and feeding field workers, and as a real estate broker. Quite a diverse work life. I also was a full-time stay-at-home mom for 13 years before returning to college to complete by BA. But, if I had had the time and money, I could easily have been a perpetual student! I LOVE to learn, which is, I imagine, much of the reason and motivation for my dedication to reading.
Reading status: How far are you?
I have yet to obtain a copy of this, so I haven't yet begun! Actually, I stopped at a Half Price Books last week, looking for a copy (they didn't have one) and discovered a copy of Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary for half price and purchased it to also read this month for another group's monthly group read!
Glad to know it prompted a lot of discussion in your groups, Theresa! That bodes well!
Has anyone else already read it? When and why?
Nope.
Is this a genre you frequently read? If not, what made you pick it up?
I imagine you are referring to fantasy. I actually just rediscovered SFF when I began participating in reading challenges 3 years ago. And am so glad I did!! I read quite a bit of Science Fiction as a pre-teen, but never read much fantasy before now. I am rather careful about the books/authors I select to read, because I do not like violence with grisly details.
I was mainly interested because I really enjoyed A Darker Shade of Magic and hope to read A Gathering of Shadows before this year ends...
Have you read any other V.E. Schwab?
As mentioned above, the first installment in the Shades of Magic series. And I am anxiously anticipate reading the second and third!
What prompt are you using it for?
I don't know. I always list every prompt a book can fulfill and then plan to select one book per prompt at the end of the year. I didn't quite get that far last year, so perhaps 2021 will change that for me! I currently have 43 of the 50 prompts fulfilled, so I have high hopes for completing the challenge in November and then can sort out which specific book for which prompt in December! 😁 I am ever the optimist!
What format are you reading?
Almost always a real-life book that I hold in my hands. Either hardcover or paperback. Rarely an audiobook or ebook, usually only when the real book is not easily obtained or nonextistent, as with Our Harlem: Seven Days of Cooking, Music and Soul at the Red Rooster which I just listened to this past weekend since it is only available on Audible.
Oh, that's such great information about the illustrations! How neat that there will be a special edition published. Is it out yet?
One last question: besides checking off a PS prompt and participating in this discussion, what led you to read this now?
Mainly the discussion, but also the fact that I enjoyed A Darker Shade of Magic, and the positive reviews I've seen. Also, the GR rating of 4.26 is none too shabby!
"A special treat: A spotify playlist to listen to while reading! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7mu...
Full disclosure - I did not create this, it was posted by someone in January I believe who was reading it then, possibly in this group even, with permission to all to enjoy it."
That's interesting!
"Let our journey begin! We are in Villon-sur-Sarthe, France, and it is July 29, 1714...."
Oh, my! I didn't realize this was set in the 18th Century! That means it fulfills a prompt for a completely different reading challenge and I hadn't yet selected a book for that one! Cool!
Shannon wrote: "Work is still so busy. I'm pretty convinced this is just how it will be from now on--it used to ebb and flow throughout the year. There are three of us in this role and one just got promoted and the other got a job in another department (both very deserved and I'm happy for them) which means that I'm going from being the least experienced to the most experienced learning specialist. Which is, quite frankly, terrifying, since the majority of my time in the role has been during the pandemic and not on campus..."Oh, my! That sounds VERY busy! Sending you coping energy! 😊
"Also, I'm still unpacking, so I'm just exhausted in general."
Understandable...
"Finished:
Proof by Dick Francis - I'm swapping out "book with a family tree" for the 2015 prompt "A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet." So that's where this is going. I couldn't find a single book on my 800+ tbr list that had a family tree (as far as I could tell), so...I'm cheating lol."
I do not think of this as cheating, but rather adapting the challenge to your needs. 👍😁
"I enjoyed this! I love a male main character who struggles with feeling like a coward and who is actually dealing with guilt and sadness over his wife's death (she didn't die as part of a plot driver; it happened before the book started). A man in a thriller who has emotions other than anger?? Gimme it!"
Agreed!
"Currently Reading:
How to Listen to and Understand Great Music - "currently reading" is a strong term. I honestly might slot this into "longest book" and call it a day. I still want to read what I had picked out, but it requires me to read the other books in the series first and...I'm just so tired."
Again. Whatever you need to do...
"QOTW:
Only one author comes to mind and it's not for being problematic in any way, I just ABSOLUTELY HATED the one book of his I read. And it made me sad because I like him so much as a person! But The Fault in Our Stars was so hellishly pretentious that (view spoiler). So even though some of his other plots sound interesting, I have no desire to read anything else by him."
Ack! 😵 One of my all-time favorite reads! LOL But there is no one book that satisfies every single reader. 😊
"I do wonder if I'd read it in high school if I would have liked it more, but I honestly don't think I would have. The teen lit I read in high school is stuff I still like today (give me all the Laurie Halse Anderson, please!)."
She is an author I plan to read next year...
Milena wrote: "Seems like today is the first day of school for a lot of kids in the Northeast. It is a gorgeous day in New York, as Nadine has already said. We have a leak that only came to our attention with Henri, but it seems to be minor. Not too much further damage from Ida."Thank goodness!
"Finished:
Practical Magic Really good book, but. Most of it takes place in Nassau County on Long Island, which is where I live. The town is never mentioned. But the book often refers to The Turnpike. What is that? There's the LIE, the Northern State and the Southern State. There's Hempstead Turnpike and Jericho Turnpike, but I have never heard either of those called The Turnpike. Any other Long Islanders here? This is really bothering me."
I just read my first Alice Hoffman book and vow that it will not be my last! 😊
"War and Peace Best update ever! I finished it! And I really liked it. I usually read one long classic a year. I think in 2022 I will go for something just over 500 pages, instead of 1400."
I am soooo impressed! And so glad you enjoyed it! 👍👍
"The Heart Principle This book was different from Helen Hoang's others for me. Much less romance, and much more focus on family, etc. Her note at the end of the book helped explain why."
I really enjoyed the first two books.
"QOTW:
I am rarely put off all of the author's works, but I can think of a few recently.
Paul Tremblay I read A Head Full of Ghosts and was very disappointed in the author's overly sexual treatment of the supposedly possessed teenage girl. It just seemed very stereotypical, made worse since it was written by a man. Ick.
Rumaan Alam Similar problem to the first author. The way he described the bodies of the teenage son and daughter was just completely unnecessary, and seemed like it was purely for shock value.."
These both sound like I wouldn't like them either...
Heather L wrote: "Lynn — I managed to finish One Hundred Years of Solitude when I read it for a group read a few years ago, but I did not enjoy it and have no desire to read anything else by him. I also tend to avoid the horror genre, but do like the occasional psychological thriller. Go figure."Glad to know it is not JUST me with GGM! 😉
"Allie — Luckily for you and your dog, it sounds like the coyote was more curious than intent on going after your dog, but I would definitely be more aware of your surroundings. I never listen to books or music while walking primarily because I want to be able to hear anyone coming up behind me, especially if I’m on the bike path. There are wooded stretches where it would be too easy for someone to grab a person from behind. Plus, I like to hear the birds, the rippling of water, and the wind through the trees. Communing with nature helps me destress, and I missed not being able to walk most of this summer."
I love to just enjoy the sounds of nature as well. I'm just grateful the coyote was evidently not very hungry...
Mary wrote: "Happy Thursday! This hasn't been the most successful week for reading for me, but I'm hoping that changes. I have been teaching a class on Digital Boundaries to teenagers and teaching the class and really exploring the concepts made me realize that I need to set better digital boundaries for myself, so I decided that I will set a goal for the month of September to only stream 2 episodes of a show per day. No more binge watching. I think that will help me be more productive and increase my time spent reading."Funny how that works, isn't it? 😋
"In other news, the roads flooded so bad where I live that I could not make it home from work yesterday and had to sleep on my sister's couch, leaving me tired and looking like a mess today, but I have a 4 day weekend to recuperate."
Oh, no! I'm so sorry that happened to you! But...I am both jealous of you and grateful that you have 4 days off!! 👍
"I finished:
Gone for Good: I am feeling like I'm on the cusp of becoming a pretty big Joanna Schaffhausen fan. This is the second book by her that I have read and I think I will continue to check out her books."
I don't know. This looks like it might be a bit too creepy for a wuss such as myself...
"QOTW:
In general, I find anything to do with robotic people or body parts (cyberpunk) to be really unsettling for some reason, so I do my best to avoid any of that. This happens with authors a lot though. There are so many books and so little time that I probably too often judge an author from one or two books. The example that comes to mind is Fern Michaels. I read a book by her that was so terrible, I can't imagine a circumstance that would make me pick up another by her."
I think everyone has at least one author like that in their experience. We all have our own preferences and triggers! 😁
Heather L wrote: "I’m loving the autumnal weather of the last few days. The air has been cooler and easier to breath on evening walks, and I even like the fact I needed a light sweatshirt last night. My favorite time of year!"I'm with you mainly because of the lack of pollen!! 👍
"Finished: Only two books since last week, but one was 600 pages, and I had headaches everyday."
600 pages is a rather long book, at least for me! And those headaches! UGH! 😢
"* A Sprinkling of Murder by Daryl Wood Gerber"
Oohh...there's an author I should try!
"Question of the Week:
There are a few authors I’ve stopped reading, for a variety of reasons. I stopped reading one cozy mystery series after book three because the author had a habit of beating a motif to death. In one book it was pumpkins. In another it was geese. Making these a part of a story is one thing, but not if you’re clobbering the reader over the head with them in every chapter."
Ha! Ha! That could do it!
"I read one book a few months ago that had so many plot inconsistencies that it ended up being my lowest rated book this year, and I will not read book two in the series. Luckily, these issues did not affect the outcome of the murder mystery, but they very well might have. I also thought the heroine too stupid to live."
Are you willing to name it? I am curious...
"And then there’s MaryJanice Davidson. I loved the Queen Betsy books up until book nine. Then the books took (IMO) a ridiculous turn that put me off the rest of the series, as well as any other book by her."
That's a new author to me.
"There are also a couple authors I stopped reading not so much for their writing, but how they treated people. If you treat readers badly, especially in a public forum, you don’t deserve their support."
Oh, agreed!
Melissa wrote: "Hello! My parents were in town for a baseball game, as we'd bought tickets back in May before we realized both teams were going to be bad this year. But it turned out one of my favorite players is on my mom's favorite team, and it was so great to see him play again, even if he had the outfield assist that ended my team's only scoring chance. So the game was fun, kind of? I did not get as much reading done with my parents in town, however."Nice to be able to get together again! 👍 I'm just curious, did you mask to go to the ballgame? I'm wearing a mask any time I'm in public, and of course, at work, though our University has mandated mask-wearing when inside a building through September 30.
"Finished This Week:
Once Broken Faith by Seanan McGuire. Next Toby reread. I've always really liked this book as the unplanned story that announced itself as necessary because of events of the prior book. Seanan seems like she has this series plotted out pretty far, and I like knowing she's adaptable to what the story tells her it needs. Not for prompt."
I own the first in this series and hope to read it next year...
"The Rescuers by Margery Sharp. I discovered while looking up something else that the Disney movie about the mice who saved a kidnapped girl was based (loosely) on a book series. This is the first book in that series. There's nothing remotely from the Disney movie in this one, except the mice are named Bianca and Bernard. They're joined by Nils, the Norwegian mouse, and have an adventure to free a poet from a prison. It was a nice escape from everything. I'll probably track down the next one in the series, since that's supposedly closer to the movie (but still really not). Not for PS prompt."
Well, I'll be! This definitely interests me!
"My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor. I needed a Latinx memoir for Read Harder, and thought this one sounded good. I knew of Justice Sotomayor, but couldn't tell you anything about her. This tells the story of her life, stopping when she became a judge. I also learned a lot about Puerto Rico, where her family on both sides was from. Using for Read Harder #15, a Memoir by a Latinx author."
That sounds very interesting. I don't really know anything about her either! And now I would definitely like to!
"Currently Reading:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. May need to start over again."
Made me chuckle!
"QOTW: Have you ever read a book that's so bad and/or problematic that it's spoiled an entire series, genre, or everything else by the author for you?
I got massively fed up with Chick Lit back when it was popular because all of the women were idiots who made bad choices. I hated Confessions of a Shopaholic and refused to read any of the other in the series, despite how popular it was. Chick lit isn't around as much anymore, but it's rare that I find anything in the genre I like. I do keep trying though."
You might try Marie Bostwick, especially the Cobbled Court Quilts series. I also enjoyed her Too Much, Texas series.
"Author wise, I hated Riptide by Catherine Coulter so much when I read it last year that the goodwill I had for the author for one of her older books was completely erased, and I'm unlikely to ever read anything by her ever again."
I'm almost certain I would not enjoy her books...
"Most of the rest of the authors I've blacklisted are for reasons separate from the writing itself."
You are not alone in that! 😊
Allie wrote: "I have been making an effort to get out with the younger of my two dogs in order to take him for a walk, since he is rather "active", and I was hoping to wear him out. I decided to extended the walk from 3 miles to 5 miles. But to do that before work, I need to get up around 4am. When its very dark. And very...quiet. So yes, I am taking that time to listen to a book. Which might account for why I did not notice that twice now, the dog and I have been followed by a coyote."Yikes! That's a bit scary! Maybe you need a "rear-view" mirror! LOL 🙁
"Currently Reading:
CSI: Body Of Evidence They say the show is returning, and I do love this show"
One of my good friends loves the show as well! I didn't even know there were books!
"The Only Good Indians This has gotten good reviews, so we will see"
This is one I intend to skip.
"All the Young Dudes I was going to use this for a fan fic prompt, but this is a "Siriusly" long book and SO good. I'm trying to just read a little so I don't get swept up"
Almost 1800 pages?!? Ugh. I sure hope you enjoy it!!!
"Love in a Nutshell- I'm not a huge fan, but its okay so far"
I actually own this and The Husband List and have yet to read either one! 🤭
"Finished:
Catherine House- meh. This just didn't do it for me"
Sorry that didn't work for you!
"Hope Never Dies- political thriller"
Not sure why, but I've enjoyed both of those books!
"QOTW: While I agree that sometimes a book will make me put that author's books to the side, I have very few books I will not read. I did recently read a novel that was a Christian retelling of a fairy tale and there was some questionable scenes that made me think, "oh, that's potentially problematic thinking"."
Now you have piqued my interest! 😉
Sheri wrote: "Hi all, just posted on...Sunday? so don't have a lot new to report. Quiet week, headache yesterday but feeling mostly better today."Ugh. Hope that headache stays away for a very very long time!
"This week I finished:
When Dimple Met Rishi - i'd asked for this back when it was new at the library, only just now got it. I thought the author did a pretty good job making it easy to read, i liked both dimple and rishi, but there were too many things that annoyed me plot wise to really LOVE it."
I have an ARC of this that a friend gave me and have yet to read it!
"The Starless Sea - audio re-read"
I might enjoy this on audio!
"QOTW:
I mean there's genres I don't tend to read, for reasons of not liking particular aspects of it, but that's rarely because of a singular book or author."
That seems to be the general consensus!
"However if I find a book particularly problematic, I'll probably not be super keen on reading more by that author. Or if it's an author that I already enjoyed but start finding it problematic, I might kinda keep reading out of habit to see if it improves before finally accepting they won't. People already mentioned Piers Anthony and Laurel K Hamilton, both authors that fall into this. I kept reading Anita Blake for probably too long after i stopped not really liking them any more. I guess hoping that they'd eventually go back to the style I liked better. Eventually gave up and all her books are currently in my garage waiting for me to figure out where to get rid of them. For Piers Anthony I still have the xanth series, but I did just try to read one of the more recent ones as my "Longest on TBR" book and wow, it was cringe. He might be next in my "accept that you're over this author" purge."
Well, I wish you luck with Anthony! You could always take the books to a used bookstore to see if they would either purchase them or grant you store credit for them. Plus, I have a friend who lives in a subsidized apartment complex and they have a library and are happy to receive donations...
Milena wrote: "Nadine wrote: "Happy Thursday! I just spent the last three hours thinking it's Wednesday. What a pleasant surprise to discover it's Thursday!!It's finally starting to cool off here, but it's still awfully hum..."
I enjoyed reading your authors to never read again list. As expected, some of my favorite authors are on your list:
Amor Towles
Fredrick Backman
Donna Tartt
Jhumpa Lahiri"
Uh-oh. I'm kinda glad I didn't look at that shelf! I LOVE 3 of those and really enjoy the fourth! LOL 😂
Nadine wrote: "Happy Thursday! I just spent the last three hours thinking it's Wednesday. What a pleasant surprise to discover it's Thursday!!"Ha! I've been so busy and overwhelmed this week I was afraid I would forget to post on Thursday morning! I got up 30 minutes earlier just to make sure I remembered!
"It's finally starting to cool off here, but it's still awfully humid. Well, as of Wednesday it was humid. Maybe today I can finally open my windows again!"
Actually, I am always grateful for the first frost because some of my worst plant allergies are at the end of the growing season!
"read some great books this week, two for this Challenge, so I am now 39/50."
Whoo! Whoo! Gettin' there!
"American Elsewhere by Robert Jackson Bennett - this was one of the books I had on my "must read in 2021" list, and it was fantastic!!"
Yikes! That was long! And HORROR! 😵 Glad you enjoyed it!
"Sometimes it takes a few books before I finally decide I'm done with that author....(Tessa Dare is SO COOL on Twitter, too, so it pains me that I don't like her books.)"
That made me laugh!
"I've never written off an entire genre based just on one book, though. But sometimes, if I read book after book after book in a certain sub-genre, and I continuously dislike them, then I'm unlikely to read that sub-genre again. Paranomal romance, for example, gets major side-eye from me now."
That sounds reasonable!
"And sometimes authors write things on social media that are just so awful that I no longer want to read that author, even if I've liked all of her books. "
That can be a tough call.
Doni wrote: "Since abandoning my longest TBR, I actually made some progress with some other books. Yay!"Sounds as if that was a wise decision!
"Finished: Make Anything Happen: A Creative Guide to Vision Boards, Goal Setting, and Achieving the Life of Your Dreams A light, shall I say, fluffy read? Pretty pictures except many of them are the same one taken from different angles."
Wow. Is that a lazy way to add pictures to a book? LOL
"Dead Wednesday again."
Ooohh! A new Spinelli book! YES!
"Down to Earth The interaction between the characters was charming."
Sounds charming! 👍
"Started: Uncommon Sense Teaching: Practical Insights in Brain Science to Help Students Learn"
That definitely looks like a valuable resource!
"Qotw: I can't remember which one, but I was trying to read all of E.L. Doctorow's works, but some of his sex scenes were just too disturbing! I gave that project up."
I had to chuckle at that! I have marked one of his books that I might be interested in reading but rather assume he might not prove to be an enjoyable author for me!
Ashley Marie wrote: "Happy Thursday! Gotta remember to pack tonight because I'm staying overnight tomorrow at my mom's, and my sister's wedding is on Saturday. Eeek! September is my BUSY month, so I'll make sure to fill y'all in on the goings-on every week :D"Excellent! I will plan to live vicariously through you! 😁
"The Romanov Empress: A Novel of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna - 3.5 stars. I think I'm overfull of Romanov history, because this was good but I wasn't enthralled. And I found the audio narration disappointing. Maybe if I take a break from Romanov books for a few years I'll want to come back and read the last couple on my TBR."
Sounds as if you may have reached the saturation point! 😋
"Currently reading:
Circe - I DNF'd the audio a few years ago, but I'm enjoying the print version this time around."
Not sure I would have enjoyed an audiobook of this nearly as much as reading it. But then I'm not a huge fan of audiobooks... Hope you enjoy it throughout. I thought it was excellent!
"The Rise of Wolf 8: Witnessing the Triumph of Yellowstone's Underdog - about the wolf reintroduction program at Yellowstone in the '90s. Sometimes it feels like I'm reading Rick's field diary and other times he'll go into more detail. Super interesting!"
This looks so fascinating. So, of course, you have added to my TBR listing yet again! LOL
"Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents - A must-read. Very straightforward, well-researched."
Hope to get to this one next year!
"QOTW: (from Kenya) Have you ever read a book that's so bad and/or problematic that it's spoiled an entire series, genre, or everything else by the author for you?
I've definitely never had something spoil an entire genre, but there are definitely authors I'll avoid -- SJM is a prime example. I found Throne of Glass laughably bad and haven't touched anything by her since. It's amusing to see people go off about how bad either the later books in the series are or how much they don't like the ACOTAR/Crescent City books, like "join the club!""
I admit I've never felt compelled to try her books...
Sherri wrote: "Good Morning All, I finished three books for the week.The Lending Library by Aliza Fogelson for a book about a subject you are passionate about. This was my last prompt to complete for this challenge. My goal was to complete all three challenges I was doing this year by the end of August. I met my goal."
Wow. I am so impressed!! Good for you! And The Lending Library is now on my TBR listing!
"Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries, #2) by Martha Wells. 5 stars. I enjoy this series."
Ditto!
"Grey Mask (Miss Silver, #1) by Patricia Wentworth. 3 stars. Cozy mystery. This book was originally published in 1928. It has held up pretty well."
Oohhh...this is new to me but is now on my TBR listing!
"Question of the Week:
(from Kenya) Have you ever read a book that's so bad and/or problematic that it's spoiled an entire series, genre, or everything else by the author for you? YES x 2 I have. I read the third book in the Amelia Peabody series. It was problematic & will probably not read further on."
I am curious. I do plan someday to read the first in this series to determine my interest.
"I also read two of Ann Patchett earlier books & have decided not read her again for awhile. This is a shame because Bel Canto is one of my all time favorite reads. I haven't read The Dutch House & now I am afraid too."
I read my first Ann Patchett last year, The Dutch House. I really enjoyed her writing style and although the plot was rather depressing Patchett made me laugh off and on throughout. Her dry wit was impressive, IMO! I plan to read Bel Canto this year, so glad you liked it!
Kenya wrote: "Going in for my second vaccination this weekend. Wish me luck, folks. I know the second shot is supposed to wipe you out... I ended up trying to schedule my vaccines so I had Labor Day weekend to recover, but we'll see how it goes..."I'm hoping this goes well for you!
"Books read this week:
Exhalation -- short story collection. These are phenomenal!
The Scarlet Pimpernel -- I admit, I was curious about this book after hearing it was apparently the inspiration for many other “masked vigilante” stories, including the Batman comics. And while not as action-packed as I was expecting, this was still an enjoyable and even suspenseful story."
I have both of these on my TBR listing!
"Dragons in a Bag -- cute kid’s fantasy chapter book. And in all honesty it’s great to see a kid’s fantasy novel with BIPOC characters."
This looks adorable and is now also on my TBR listing!
"Currently Reading:
All Creatures Great and Small"
Herriot is great!
"Starship Troopers"
I have yet to read a Heinlein...
"The Hidden Girl and Other Stories"
Oh, yeah! Ken Liu!
"QOTW:
Aaaaaah, I'm flattered that my question was used! Hehe..."
And I'm so grateful it was there! 😋
"There are a couple authors I've had to drop because I was skeeved out or just irritated with something they'd written. I refuse to read another Piers Anthony book despite loving his Xanth series in high school because of some icky content in one of his non-Xanth books, Tatham Mound. (Spoiler warning up for content warning.) (view spoiler)"
I totally agree with you! Ugh. I swore to never read (view spoiler)
Katy wrote: "QOTW: Tough question. Definitely not a whole genre. But, yeah, if it were a series, I doubt I would finish it if I had an issue with one of the books in it. Nor would I probably seek out more books by that author. I don't think I've ever read a book that I'd already read multiple books for that author and found it problematic. So, it's hard to say. Plus, I probably find different things problematic than everyone else does."Exactly! We all have unique preferences! 👍😁
"As for bad, I loved all of John Grisham's early books and find him hit or miss with his later ones. But, since he does still occasionally hit one out of the park, I've not given up on him yet."
I haven't read many of his, but really liked the ones I have read. And I adore his Theodore Boone juvenile series!
Ellie wrote: "Allie wrote: "I stopped reading/listening to her books when I found myself fast-forwarding past all the stupid/questionable sex scenes. Okay, werewolf, werelion, weretiger. But the weretiger is und...It was so bad. I'm pretty surprised to see the Anita Blake series is still going! Some people must like them..."
I think there is an audience for virtually any book published since we are all very unique and individual in our preferences!
Kenya wrote: "Lynn wrote: "Thank goodness some of you contribute questions to be used for QotW! I was stumped this time around! Thanks to Kenya who rescued me! LOL"AAAAAH! Thank YOU for using my question! I'm glad I could help! Though now you make me nervous to read My Best Friend's Exorcism... what didn't you like about it?"
Honestly, I really didn't like the book much at all even without the (view spoiler)
Ellie wrote: "I'm currently tackling my longest book so not much to report on this week.Well, I hope you are enjoying it!
Finished:
Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune for review. This was so disappointing, and it didn't help that the blurb gave away most the plot... I guess I'll still give Cerulean Sea a go when it comes out in the UK, since so many of you love it, but this just wasn't for me.
Oh, no! I am so anxious to read this new one! If you do give Cerulean Sea a try I sure hope you enjoy it. It is a favorite of mine!
QOTW:
I don't feel it's particularly fair to write off a whole genre because of a bad apple or two.
I would agree. Although this is all totally subjective and each of us will have our own criteria.
I stopped reading Laurell K. Hamilton's books when they stopped having plots and just became vampire porn, but I'm actually quite excited about the idea that vampires are back in fashion."
You made me laugh with "vampire porn"! I'm glad the vampires make you happy! 😊
It is quite different to have students (and faculty!) back on campus! Quite the energy source! I remember what I do love about my job! But I am older and it exhausts me at the same time. 😊ADMIN STUFF:
It's a new month and a new Monthly Group Read:
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab discussion for September is here.
And don't forget to post the book(s) you've read to fulfill prompt #11 A book forgetting which was #2 in the selection poll here.
And for anyone (like me) who didn't quite finish up the discussion of Catherine House for August, both August threads are now in the 2021 Monthly Group Reads folder and will remain open for further comments.
WE NEED JUST ONE MORE DISCUSSION LEADER FOR THE VERY LAST 2021 MONTHLY GROUP READ IN DECEMBER!:
December: #1 A book published in 2021
(Because it’s the end of the year!)
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
There is need of a "gifted guide" to lead this discussion!
Message either Nadine or myself to volunteer!
Thank you to Allie for volunteering for October’s discussion of Anxious People by Fredrik Backman.
Question of the Week:
(from Kenya) Have you ever read a book that's so bad and/or problematic that it's spoiled an entire series, genre, or everything else by the author for you?
Thank goodness some of you contribute questions to be used for QotW! I was stumped this time around! Thanks to Kenya who rescued me! LOL
The one author who comes to mind immediately for me is Gabriel García Márquez. I was so anxious to finally read his books and then I was so disappointed! Although I persevered and finished reading Chronicle of a Death Foretold it was one of the most dissatisfying books I’ve read. Then I started One Hundred Years of Solitude and after about 100 pages couldn’t take it any longer and DNF’d it! Not too long ago I pulled my copy of Love in the Time of Cholera out and decided if I don’t try reading it this year, I’ll hope to try it in 2022. Honestly, I have no hopes that I will enjoy it at all, but perhaps I’ll be able to tough it out to the end…though I seriously doubt it. This is one of the very first times I have disliked an author’s writing so intensely. If Love in the Time of Cholera wasn’t regarded as such a classic, I wouldn’t even bother! Ugh.
I typically avoid anything labeled “horror” because I despise being scared. But I relented and read Grady Hendrix’s My Best Friend's Exorcism (Trigger Warning: murder of a companion animal by the owner!) for a book club and literally threw the book across the room at one point. I then went ahead and finished it a few days later just because…But I will never attempt to read one of his books ever again!
Though I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Catherine House although (currently) 326 users have classified it as "horror" and that is the third most popular label! Interestingly, I found the underlying theme to be horrific, but this book didn’t scare me with the depiction of that theme… Fortunately for me, it wasn't depicted so much as implied...
How about you? Is there one book you can remember that answers this question?
Popsugar: 42/50
ATY: 48/52
RHC: 14/24
Reading Women: 11/28
One new prompt fulfilled for each Popsugar and Read Harder!
FINISHED:
Xenocide (Ender’s Saga #3) by Orson Scott Card really got into philosophy and ‘religious’ beliefs. It was a much denser read than the earlier installments—very interesting and thought-provoking! Anxious to finish the series in September for another Buddy Read!
POPSUGAR: #18-Peaceful coexistence, #21-Classic, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, Young Adult, #27, NEW #32, #34-Dealing with a treaty violation-Murder, #47-One of my all-time favorite series/writers!,
ATY: #14, #15, #19, After a peaceful past, the present includes treaty violations, leading to an uncertain future, #23-Classic, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, Young Adult, #28-Justice, Death, The Devil, Judgement, The World, #31, #34, #39, #44, #49, #52-In the end, there may still be xenocide aplenty!
RHC: #13
Halfway through both of these, but unable to finish either one by this morning! 😊
Jack & Jill (Alex Cross #3) by James Patterson. There have been murders, but without many details or detailed descriptions, so I’m hopeful for continuing the series!
****The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman has proven to be very surprising! I didn’t know what to expect, but Hoffman had me gasping a couple of times as I approached the midway point. Few authors make me do that, but she is very skilled at interweaving characters. I should be able to finish this one tonight and I’m so anxious to see how it ends!
CONTINUING:
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. I can tell I will keep this one by my bedside to read a bit every once in a while once I've completed it the first time through. An excellent resource, IMO!
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
PLANNED:
For August Buddy Reads:
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
The Alchemistby Paulo Coelho
September Buddy Reads:
Children of the Mind (Ender’s Saga #4) by Orson Scott Card
And…
The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
Eva Luna by Isabel Allende to fulfill the 2020 Reading Women prompt #26 A book written by Isabel Allende.
Paradise by Toni Morrison to fulfill the 2020 Reading Women prompt #25 A book written by Toni Morrison.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
