Sheri’s Comments (group member since Jul 25, 2016)

Sheri’s comments from the EPBOT Readers group.

I figure I'd go ahead and start a thread for new book suggestions for the next read. Is it easier to add suggestions here and I can gather the ones that seem popular into a poll, or did you guys like the google doc method from before? I can set one up if that works better.

Hi everyone,

Here in Michigan it's raining with nasty slush. Lots of rain this week, leading to a failed sump pump and lots of bailing water last night to prevent the basement from flooding. Luckily a plumber was already planned to come out today to deal with said sump pump, along with a new water heater and other jobs. (DIY is great for crafts, and for non-vital home improvement. Maybe should not be applied to plumbing. Unless you actually know what you're doing. Looking at you, previous home owner).

The good news with all that bailing of water, I made some progress in Feed which my library only had in audio book form. Keep running into that, which is frustrating. but in this case, it at least made it less unpleasant to be stuck in a gross little sump pump room bailing endless water. This will be my book written by an author using a pseudonym, since Mira Grant is actually Seanan MacGuire. Cool to find this out though, I love Seanan MacGuire, and i'm really liking the book so far. It's a zombie book, which is kind of overdone, but I like the take on it. It's focus is less on the zombies and more on the changes to society brought on by them.

Kind of waiting on my library to actually make available one of the four titles i'm #1 on right now. So catching up on comics otherwise.

Books I finished this week:

The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story this one was a bit of a letdown. the story was good, but there was just too much deviation and infodumping. Her narrative got lost in all the excess information. It's for sure counting as my read harder book about war, and I had planned to use it for popsugar. But then i realized popsugar specified novel, and this was nonfiction. I might just count it anyhow, unless I get ambitious and try the book thief.

The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World This is my book about travel for popsugar, and a travel memoir for read harder. It was interesting, about someone looking for happiness by studying countries know for either happiness or unhappiness and trying to find out what causes it. While the subject was interesting, the tone was a little irritating. The dude's obviously a white, privileged male and would talk blithely about going to Qatar and buying an Extremely Expensive Pen just to properly embrace the extravagant life style. He kept talking about what a grump he was, and was so self deprecating I kind of wanted to shake him and say "the reason you're miserable is because you embrace it as part of your image!"

In a Dark, Dark Wood This was supposed to be my book becoming a movie in 2017. It was listed on my library's site as "books becoming a movie" and I kind of assumed it meant this year. Turns out the movie's still in development and casting hasn't even been listed on IMDB yet, much less a release date. But i was waiting for nearly 3 months for this book, and I finished it, so I'm probably counting it anyhow. It was a really fast read, I couldn't put it down. However I was kind of disappointed by the end. While almost all the characters were female, the entire plot really revolved around a particular guy and it was mostly pent up relationship drama. Felt more like a Pretty Little Liars style teen drama with thrilling aspects, rather than a legit thriller.

Dungeon Crawl this one doesn't count for anything, it was just something to tide me over while waiting for library books to be available. I'm kind of to the point in the challenge where none of the books I currently own fit into anything else, so relying on library to have stuff.

this puts me at 26/52, so half way through challenge. Woo!

also at 12/24 for read harder. also halfway, weird!

Yay, it's a great book, I love it. :D

Also while this thread is nominally for book challenges, anyone is welcome to post about what they've been reading this week. I like knowing what others are up to!

Ok, I know original group set up said April 14th for discussion. However, it's April and a lot of people are done.

If there's no stringent objections, I say discussion is open. If it'll let me, I'll add a spoiler notice to the thread title, so people who didn't finish yet won't poke through the thread accidentally.

By the way, I finished the audio book for Dante and Aristotle. It was great, as you said! And lin Manuel Miranda did a great job reading.

By the way, I just read Lizard Radio the other week, it's a good one to add to the list. It's quasi-dystopian sci fi, but that's more just set dressing for the main story about a person who's coming to terms with being nonbianary and learning to accept it and refusing to conform to the society norms.

Stephanie wrote: "So, I have also had a slow reading week. I'm "this close" to finishing Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch. I should finish it tonight. This is now on my list of all-time favourite books. The humour in it is my favourite type of humour--tongue in cheek, and, if you're not paying attention, it goes right by (kind of like the 4 horsemen or a flaming Bentley)."

Glad you're liking it! Most the people I know who've read it recently haven't liked it, and I love it. I was mostly guessing as to why maybe people weren't feeling it. I still liked ready player one, but yeah a lot of the references did go over my head since they weren't things I was super into (or have gotten into since).

Hi all, check in time again.

Had a less productive week this week. Wuthering Heights ended up taking me FOREVER (for me) to get through. I know Stephanie realllly likes this book, sorry to say I didn't feel the same. I just didn't like ANYONE in the book, and couldn't' even find redeeming qualities. I'm a very character driven reader. If I don't care about who I'm reading, I have a hard time caring about the plot at all. Oh, and this was for my book mentioned in another book prompt. It was mentioned in We Were Liars, and I know it was mentioned in other books too.

I read The Girl from Everywhere that I picked up for cheap on a whim. Normally I don't love time travel, but they put a lot of limitations on it. It wasn't a crutch for filling in plot holes. I enjoyed it, and it was a quick read. This is for my read harder's debut novel prompt.

I'm still plodding through The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story audiobook. It's ok, I don't love audiobooks. It's all the library had though, and I have trouble finding books I am at all interested in when it comes to war ones. So this'll cover both war book prompts.

I read a bunch of comics as a palate cleanser, and am reading Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day just for fun.

Waiting for a bunch of books to come up at the library, and most of my TBR pile doesn't really fit challenges now that the easy ones are filled.

How's everyone else doing?

Stephanie wrote: "Also, I saw that you're reading Wuthering Heights. Is it your first time? I love that book--I'm also a little jealous that you're experiencing it for the first time. I must have read it 4 or 5 times now. :-) It's definitely my favourite of the Bronte books. "

Yes, it's my first time reading it. I'm not too far yet, just 9%. (Kindle book, obviously haha). It's a little confusing so far, trying to keep everyone straight. I think it's probably too early to say if I like it or not. I kind of have trouble with classics, I've been trying to read more but I a lot of times find them tedious. Never tried any Bronte before though, so maybe it'll go better :)

Stephanie wrote: "My new novel for this week (which I'm picking up from the library after work tonight) is Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, which I picked up from the Reading Challenge thread for a book written by multiple authors. I don't know much about it, but I've been wanting to read a Gaiman book for a long time now, and it looked hilarious, so I thought I'd (literally) check it out. "

I personally really like Good Omens! Although my husband, and some of my friends had a really hard time getting through it. I think some of it is that it's a little dated at this point. Just some of the computer references and technology references aren't modern any longer. Even if you don't love it, I'd still recommend reading other Gaiman. Neverwhere is a good one to start with. Not entirely sure where it'd fit into the challenge, maybe the eccentric character one? Almost everyone in it except the actual protagonist could fit that bill.

Hi Everyone!

How's the reading going?

This week I finished:

The Shining for my book set in a hotel. I hadn't read or watched the movie before, it was interesting going into it with only pop culture knowledge. Also feel kind of dumb for how long it took me to get what REDRUM was. I do want to watch the movie now, at some point.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe for my audiobook. It was read by Lin Manuel Miranda, which was cool. I really liked the book, it was a great coming of age story as well as a book of self discovery. It would be a good book for any Read Harder participants for the LGBTQ romance, too. I'm using it for my Read Harder challenge also, for the "book where a person of color takes a spiritual journey". The main character is a Mexican American, and the book is about him coming to terms with his family life, his social life, and how he fits into the world.

The Princess Diarist which won't count for a challenge, but was a quick read. It was ok, I liked the parts where Carrie talked about her life. But a good chunk of the middle were passages of her old diary, and it was kind of painful to get through. It's like trying to read someone else's live journal.

Songs of Insurrection for my book from a genre/subgenre I've never heard of. I did some googling for it and came across wuxia, which is fiction based on Chinese martial history. Most of the older examples of it seemed a bit too meaty and daunting for me, but I did some googling for "wuxia novels in english" and came across this series. I think it would be modern wuxia fantasy, which also came up in googling about the genre. It was decent, an interesting story. Some of the action was a little predictable, and some of the interactions felt a bit stilted and weird. Overall it was enjoyable, I might finish the series at some point.

Lizard Radio which is for Read Harder, my YA novel written by an LGBTQ author. I really liked it. It was kind of dystopian, followed a lot of the tropes of the genre. It was not exactly science fiction. In one review it was described as being a love letter to those who don't fit in, which after reading I would agree with.

Currently reading:

Wuthering Heights which I'll count as my book mentioned in another book. It was mentioned in We Were Liars which I read a couple weeks ago. I think it's also been mentioned in other books, but that was the most recent example. Kinda funny I started it this week, considering the qotw.

The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story I started the audio book for this yesterday. I don't really love audiobooks, but it wasn't available at the library in ebook format. I don't like war books, but this one caught my interest. It will count for both Popsugar and Read Harder for the book about war. At least I figured out I can kind of do audiobooks if I am painting/drawing. I need just the right amount of something to keep me from zoning out and daydreaming, yet not so involving that I tune the audio book out completely.

This puts me at 22/52 for pop sugar (and 9/24 for read harder).

Hey all, week 11 check in!

This week I finished We Were Liars for my popsugar unreliable narrator prompt. It was pretty good, although the main character annoyed me. I felt some sympathy for her life situation, but less so for how the book portrayed her and her family. It was a fast read, anyhow.

I also read:

Garden Spells which I don't think counts for a challenge. It was a short sweet read though.

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly for a book about food. Anthony Bourdain kinda seems like a jerk, but at least he acknowledges it. I liked it more than I thought I would.

I am currently reading:

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe which I am listening to as an audio book. Cyd recommended it on a different topic. It's narrated by Lin Manuel Miranda, which is cool. I like it so far, only on part 2 though.

The Shining for my book set in a hotel. I'm enjoying it more than the other King books i've read. Never actually watched the movie, but it's so ingrained in pop culture I know bits and pieces of it. Kind of interesting piecing it together from the parts I know to where they fit in the book.

How's everyone else doing?

Alexa wrote: "Why is there no "like" button on Goodreads? "

Yes, I want a like button. Also nested comments so you can actually follow a conversation without trying to scroll way back and figure out what someone's replying to.

also to other Sheri, I think when the reading group was set up, it was stipulated that the reading window was January 20 - April 14, and then april 14-30 was official discussion and picking the next book. Lyndall is too busy with classes right now, so I kinda unofficially took over. So I think that's what we'll go with for now, and we can vote if we think the window is too long/short/what to read next when it's over.

I'd say discussion right now is ok, but at least at this point shove things down low with extra space, or use the goodreads spoiler tags if anyone wants to go into plot-specific discussion.

Alexa wrote: "I think the part you're missing is the "squee...I get that" factor. Your "problem" is that you're not having the fan-girl moments that really draw people into the book. "

I can see that. I honestly didn't fully get a lot of the references, being born in the 80s so most my nostalgia is from the 90s.

For me my enjoyment came from it reminding me a lot of Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, which is a book I love. The whole sinking into a virtual world that's even more complex than the real world. Plus I liked the concept of a big elaborate puzzle that could take years to solve. I probably wouldn't have the patience to participate myself, but it was a fun idea for me.

Hey everyone!

Had a bit of a slow reading week. I read Wool Omnibus which Stewart recommended. I did enjoy it over all, but i felt like the first half was REALLY slow going. Took me about 5 days to get through, which is unusual considering the book isn't THAT long. Overall I was glad I read it, and the last half went much faster than the first. I'm counting it for my first book of a series I've never read.

I also finished Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd which I guess will end up not counting for anything but my book total. I was going to rearrange my list and make it the book with a cat on the cover, but Wool didn't end up fitting anywhere but the series prompt, which meant the rest of my shuffle doesn't work. But it's ok, it was a pretty short read and enjoyable.

Currently I'm reading We Were Liars which will count for my book with an unreliable narrator. It's ok so far, and a short read.

How's everyone else doing?

**spoiler**

















****I was kind of surprised at how little it seemed to affect Wade... I mean, I know he didn't like his aunt, but the fact that he just kind of, moved on, seemed a little quick for it to be realistic.

I thought that too, a bit. But then when you think about it, Wade doesn't seem to really form social attachments much at all. I mean even in the virtual world, he had one friend before the contest, and then 3 as it went on. And then those were kind of rocky friendships, due to the nature of the contest.

So I think maybe it was partially showing how Wade goes through the world unattached.

Hi Everyone!

Had a kind of slow reading week, I wasn't super feeling the one I was reading. It was Library of Souls and I did finish it. I'm counting it as my book with pictures. It eventually got to be ok, but it was just a really slow start. I don't really like series that cut off in the middle of an action scene and then restart the next book right where it left off. I hadn't read hallow city for a couple years, and I don't enjoy the series enough for it to be a re-read for me, so I spent most of the book trying to remember what had happened. It eventually wrapped up alright, but it's not going down as a favorite series.

I also read Descender, Volume Two: Machine Moon andDescender, Volume Three: Singularities which are both beautifully illustrated and written. They don't count for any challenges, I just felt like a break after all the heavy going with the other book.

Currently jumping between The Fairy Godmother which is a many time reread because I just felt like I needed a break, and Wool Omnibus which came recommended to me by a friend. I'm hoping it'll fit into a challenge somewhere, but I have no idea at this point.

April wrote: "Are these challenges ones you make up yourself or are they group things? I've never done a challenge outside of my number of books read per year though it sounds interesting."

I'm currently doing both popsugar's 2017 reading challenge and the Book Riot's 2017 Read Harder challenge.

I think there's a few others floating around as well. I like it, it gets me to read some stuff that I wouldn't necessarily think to read on my own.

Not necessarily everything I read fits a challenge, but I do try to aim at least a book a week towards a challenge spot.

My personal rules are one book per challenge category, but since I'm doing two challenges I'll allow one book to count for one slot on each challenge, if it works out that way. (For example, I read Americanah, I counted it as popsugar's "book written by a person of color" and read harder's "book where all point of view characters are people of color".)

But those are my own rules! People who are slower readers or just want the challenge done faster or are busier will sometimes allow double dipping, or a book to count as many times as it works. Others do multiple challenges and insist on a separate book for every slot on every challenge.

Cyd wrote: "Thanks, Sheri, I'll add that to my list. asexual characters are not something I think I've even run across in books. Where were these books when I was a teen/tween???"

I think it's probably partially do to being easier to get published, with self publishing and everything. Plus while things are certainly not GOOD for lgbtq, it's at least openly acknowledged that they exist and there's more of a fight for inclusion. I feel like I'm seeing way more stuff popping up recently.

Adventure Time and Steven Universe are nominally kids shows, and they both at least have oblique references to lgbtq storylines. Steven Universe is actually more overt. I guess you can argue the gems are space rocks and not human, but they express as females and use feminine pronouns.

If you like (or don't object to) bdsm stuff, Sunstone Vol. 1 is fantastic. It's a really sweet love story between two women who start as friends, become friends with benefits to explore their particular fetishes, and realize they're falling in love. there's a lot of boobs and fetishwear, but it's not meant to be porn. Most of the actual sex is never shown, more just suggested. It's a way healthier look into that lifestyle than say 50 Shades, or the Secretary.

I really like Every Heart a Doorway. I love Seanan MacGuire anyhow, but that one stands out to me because the lead character is asexual which is not seen terribly often. Also there's a trans character that I think is handled pretty well. But the story is also really great, exploring the idea of what happens to the children who go through a magic door to a fantasy land...but then have to come back? In it there's a school for "wayward girls" (and some boys) for children whose parents think they are mentally disturbed after running away from home and returning full of stories about fantasy worlds that couldn't possibly exist.

Mandy wrote: "Apparently the film adaptation is already in works and Spielberg is directing. I could see this book working very well in a movie. ."

Yeah looks like it's slated for 2018, Simon Pegg will be the older dude, forgetting his name at the moment. The partner of the dead guy.