Cheryl’s Comments (group member since Nov 29, 2022)

Cheryl’s comments from the Beyond Reality group.

Oh Kathi, can I move in with you? Sweet setup!

My bedroom's loveseat with a footstool. Most frequent and second favorite. Quiet, comfortable, and handy to shelves and laptop.

Bed, favorite in winter... I get under the covers quite early because the rest of the family likes the house cooler than I do (and I don't mind saving money & being green).
Patio, favorite in summer... gentle breeze, birdsong, wild bunnies in the yard, warmth from sun reaching into the shade, yes.

Almost 1/4 done. No aliens yet, which was a big appeal of the Becky Chambers books (to which this has been compared). It also requires a stronger stomach than those did, and has less humor. So far, anyway. But I'm still enjoying it... I think.

I was given a delightful notebook, custom printed with "So many books, so little time" from a member of my irl book club. I only use goodreads for journaling! I love the notebook... but what can I do with it?? Help!

The ending is dramatic! War, attempted genocide, etc. Good back matter, too, about the inspiration, the research etc. I just loved it and will keep my (paper) copy forever.

I read much faster than I listen, too, but this is worth a listen imo.

Shel wrote: "I'm not the journaling type - keeping track on Goodreads is enough for me :)"

Ditto.

I'm still savoring The Bees. Of course I'm going to start Stars Uncharted soon, too. ;)

Excited! This has been collecting dust on my shelf far too long. ;)

I'll give it a shot. Be at least a week though.

After mostly enjoying News of the World, and hooking my mother on Paulette Jiles, I've finally started to read Simon the Fiddler. This one is so very much about music, though, and I know nothing about sharps & flats, key changes, etc.; it's probably more enjoyable to those readers who do play an instrument.

This really is much the same, in the aspects you describe. And yet maybe I was lucky to have discovered it in audio first, as I think the narration is wonderful.

Loving my fourth (!) read of The Bees. The audio is best, but I get different things from it whenever I read a different edition.

I also highly recommend the speculative fiction short stories in Amaryllis and Other Stories. Do not judge Carrie Vaughn by her Kitty the Werewolf series!

If you have started and are having trouble, please consider the audiobook. Even though I don't normally read audio, that is how I read this the first time, and that is when I fell under its spell.

Who has read Watership Down? I have, and I appreciated quite a bit about it, but I'm not sure why it was such a bestseller. Imo, this is better written and more interesting.

To answer, I think the author does not have a particular feminist agenda. Sure, she's a feminist, in the sense that I'm sure all of here are. But not reactionary or radical.

Bees are interesting because the 'sisters' share 75% of their DNA with each other, whereas they only share 50% with their queen mother. Imo, that's a concept worth exploring in a novel!

If you liked Watership Down, this, imo, is better.

I will warn you that there's a lot going on. It could very well take a bit to get into, as it's about such a different world and way of life that one has to read more carefully to catch all the details.

Sure, Cussler, Patterson, Charlaine Harris, Evanovich, King... I've tried a few chapters of some of them but ack, I don't like most best-sellers, and I especially don't like mystery-thrillers or adventures.

I will admit that my mom & husband have talked me into trying Lee Child's Jack Reacher series... I might even get a chance in the next few days.

Hurrah for nature, indeed. I'm thankful my mom's new apartment is on a wash and she gets to see lots of birds and even javelinas (though they are scary).

I've had other priorities myself, but since I have read it three times I could discuss anytime. And I will reread before the end of the month!