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

Sheri’s comments from the EPBOT Readers group.

What happened to the Epbot post? I’m not over there as much lately, must have missed it!

Has anyone read Arsenic and Adobo? I've seen lots of people talking about it in the popsugar group and seem to like it, although the actual goodreads reviews seem all over the place. It looks cute, and is on the cozy mystery side of it.

Shel- sorry I got distracted by talking about book club and forgot to talk about the book 😂 I liked it quite a bit. I love mythology related stuff so that appealed to me. I found both that one and Mexican Gothic to be 4 star reads. For me that generally means I enjoyed a lot, would recommend to others, but missed that spark that turned it into a LOVE. But I still plan on reading more of her!

Kathy- it is QUITE raunchy. But it also has an interesting plot and explores gender and sexuality through an alien race with 5 genders hooking up with a human. So it’s not just pure smut, but the smut is there.

Yeah I do like the challenges for focusing reading. But I have done several a year since about 2015 i think, so I'm feeling like i just want to do a year of grabbing whatever. Maybe later in the year I'll feel directionless and see about using interesting ones to help me pick or something, but right now it's kinda nice just reading whatever with no pressure beyond library hold times haha.

Hi all, here's the place to post suggestions for the next book selection.

Standard rules.

Please make sure you give a sentence or two why you think we should read it together, not just a list of books you're planning on reading.

If a book is recommended that you also want to recommend, you can mention it again to add support. If there's a bunch of titles, I'll just pick the ones that seem to have the most interest in the poll, if there's just a few i"ll pull them all.

This is a new selection round, so if you want to suggest a book you've suggested before, put it here again to be considered, I won't be going back to past suggestion posts.

Happy reading everyone!

Hi all, apologies for starting off the year with a missed check in. It's been a rough start to the year, been very stressed.

Hope everyone else's year started better!

Book club:

I'm about to make a post for the book club selection for the next post. As always, the previous books will stay open. So if you weren't able to get to the book yet, you can still join in whenever!

These two weeks I finished:

Seven Secrets, Vol. 2 - Finished this up as the clock was counting down the new year, haha. i wanted it off my currently reading, i had started a few issues and was waiting for the last few in the trade to come out.

Her Body and Other Parties: Stories - this was the book that completed my book nerds challenge! Finished it right on new years eve haha. Unfortunately was just kind of meh for me. I'd been looking forward to it, but it just felt grim and dark and depressing to me, not the feminist and empowering book it was made to sound like.

Daughter of the Deep - first finish of the new year, I liked it! I didn't love the actual book of 20000 leagues, but I do like the stuff that gets inspired by it.

The Titan's Curse - finished audio re-read

The 5th Gender - this was fun, i always like Gail Garriger, I really need to get back into her catalogue. It was a cozy mystery m/m romance with an alien, fair warning, pretty explicit sex scenes if that's not your thing.

Gods of Jade and Shadow - first books & brew pick of the year. Sadly we made the decision to go back to virtual this month, due to omnicron. It was the right decision, but i miss getting out of the house and being social. The club is run through the library, and it's right at the librarian's end of day, she gets no decompression time between work and it. So she had to shut things down right at 8, while at the brewery we can stay until close, she just leaves around 8:30 or so when she's tapped out and we're basiclaly done discussing the book. The rest of us can continue to be social. Hoping things calm down a bit for February, but not super optimistic.

Afterparties - this was from Roxanne Gay's book club last year, i'd gotten through about the first half of them before losing track. I wasn't really participating in the actual discussions anyhow, but it was an interesting list. I liked it pretty well, more than most short story collections. i did like that several sort of wove together, mentioning characters from other stories. Made it feel more cohesive than just a bunch of random stories put together in a book. I was sad to learn that the author died of an overdose at 28, end of 2020. So he didn't even get to see his book published.

currently reading:

Miss Mabel's School for Girls - someone mentioned that the author was giving the first book of this series free a while back, and I picked it up. Finally got around to reading it, and i really like it. Magic school book, but with twists I didnt' expect. Darker than some magic school books, but not quite as dark as say the Scholomance books. Almost done, should finish up today.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - audio re-read

QOTW:

Anyone have any reading plans/goals for this year?

Normally I do reading challenges, but I decided to take a break this year after several years of doing multiples. I might go back and fill in some later and see how I did, but right now I'm enjoying just reading what I feel like without trying to make it fit somewhere.

I also lowered my goodreads goal from previous years, just to not worry about it nagging at me if I get in a slump or read a longer book. I always manage to catch up with a graphic novel binge, but I dont' want to feel like I HAVE to do that to stay on track. Really i just want to chill this year, i'm already stressed out enough.

Hi all, sorry for the gap in posting. Lots of end of year stuff, getting Christmas cards made and out, cleaning for holidays, getting my work squared away for end of year. Hopefully next week I can get back on track with fewer gaps!

Book CLub Don’t forget there’s a discussion post up for A Spindle Splintered! I don’t think many, if any, have posted.

Are people having trouble getting the book? I didn’t realize until after we picked it that it was new enough to not be available world wide yet. I’m wondering if I should go ahead and start the selection for the next book next week, or give it a couple weeks to let people get ahold of this one and comment. Thoughts?

I lost track where I was when I posted last, so here’s a selection of what I’ve read semi recently:

Fairest - audio re-read

Termination Shock- I like Neal Stephenson a lot, but this one was a challenge for me. Took 17 days to read, which for me is abnormally slow. It’s not so much that it wasn’t good, as it was too realistic. Usually his stuff is very speculative romps, this was very “…ok dude I can see this happening, stop.” I’m certainly not ready for casual references to COVID and masking and social distancing for something set several decades into the future. Ad grim climate speculations to that, it wasn’t really a fun read. Used for book nerds author with same initials. Technically we only share one, but I’m fine with that.

To Be Taught, If Fortunate- audio reread

Norse Mythology: A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation - listened to the radio drama. It was decent, didn’t love it it as much as other productions.

Ever After - re-read, used for book nerds book by a local author, Kim lives in Ann Arbor, MI right now.

Harold and the Purple Crayon - used for the book nerds children’s classic. I don’t think i ever actually read this. It was cute

Currently reading:

Her Body and Other Parties: Stories - will be my book nerds banned book. I am not too far yet, one and a half stories in. It;’s short though, hoping I can’t Irish by tomorrow night and then that finishes the whole 100 prompt challenge for me!

QOTW:

Now that it’s the last week of the year, what were your favorite books? However many you feel like posting.

Some of my tops were
Black Sun
The Galaxy, and the Ground Within
The House in the Cerulean Sea

I heard Becky Chambers referred to as Cozy Sci Fi which I thought was a cute name. I want more of it!

Hi all,

Busy time of year! Hopefully in the new year things will settle down a bit and I can be more consistent with posts.

Book Club Don't forget the finished reading thread is open over in the book club folder!

I might wait a bit into January before starting the next selection. This one started a little late, and I know it wasn't fully available world wide yet. That'll give people some time to get ahold of it. Luckily it's short, so even people who couldn't get it right away should be able to get through it quickly!

This week (s) I finished:

Skin of the Sea- This was really good, retelling of the Little Mermaid based on West African mythology. Used for ATY's book set in a country on or below the Tropic of Cancer. It was kind of nebulously set, no specific countries mentioned, just villages. but most of West Africa is on or below Tropic of Cancer so I counted it. Also used for Book Nerds Retelling.

Cress - finished audio re-read

Over the Woodward Wall - this was good, gave me a lot of Alice in Wonderland/Wizard of Oz vibes. used for book nerds penname, it's a new pen name for Seanan McGuire (based off a character in Middlegame, she's essentially writing the books referenced in that book. You don't need to have read Middlegame to get it though, they're stand alone in that sense).

White Smoke - used for book with a color in the title. I was disappointed in this, personally. I thought it sounded great, but it fell flat. It seemed like the author couldn't quite decide what to focus on. Beginning felt like it dragged on forever, but then the ending didn't feel like an ending at all. I don't really like cliffhangers, but as far as I can tell this is meant to be a stand alone so it's not even that. It felt, to me, like the author just got tired of writing it so called it done and published it.

Currently reading:

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek - my books and brew pick for next week. It's a weird one, very mixed feelings. On one hand there's parts of the story that are very compelling. On the other hand, the author seems bound and determined to equate a white person having a blood condition that turns their skin blue to being a Black person in the 1930s in the US. I get that the kind of people who would judge based on race would probably also look poorly on OTHER skin colors too, but that doesn't make it the SAME. It just feels weird and kind of cringey. and SO MUCH of the book seems focused on her blue-ness. Also there's a LOT of violence that happens to this poor woman, makes it hard to read, too. Oh well, almost done. Usually the mixed-bag reactions create the best discussions, so if nothing else there's that.

Midnight Blue-Light Special - started this while kindle was charging. I'm planning on reordering some prompts, this will be the new companion to one of the October Daye books for two books about the same topic/genre etc. They're both different types of urban fantasy, still counting it. Going to move Night and Silence to the NSC in the title prompt, and then The House on the Cerulean Sea to the place I want to live.

I got JUST close enough to finishing the challenge that i now feel compelled to actually finish it haha.

QOTW:

Do you make goals at the end of one year for the next reading year? Or are you more free form? I know some people make lists of books that they MUST read for the next year and things like that.

I personally just set a general reading goal because goodreads prompts it. Usually i also pick the first few books for reading challenges, but for next year I decided to take a break from reading challenges. I might passively check in once in a while to see if I'm filling any in with casual reading, but I need a break. I've done multiple challenges at a time for the last 5 years or so. I need some free reading time where I can just not worry about where a book fits. Didn't stop me from looking at all the new lists though, haha. I've also made a bunch of suggestions in various groups to help others fill them, even if I'm not doing it myself.

Hi All, putting up an early post this week due to the holiday weekend in US.
Hope anyone who is celebrating has good, safe, holidays that are as stress free as possible.

We're doing a Michigan-only family dinner, I made my rolls over the weekend and have them frozen for tomorrow. Luckily don't have to host, it'll be at my aunt's. Everyone involved has been at least basic vaccinated, most the older have gotten boosters. I'm hoping to get one this weekend, but should be alright for dinner.

Book Club: I put up a final thoughts thread for A Spindle Splintered! It's pretty short so I didn't put too many questions. Feel free to post your thoughts!

This week I finished:

A Spindle Splintered - I liked this, i thought it was an interesting take on a fairytale retelling. I'll try to remember to post more over on the thread later haha.

The Tower of Nero - this was a good conclusion. Not my favorite of his series, but still solid. I liked that a god could still learn to be a better person.

Alien, Vol. 1: Bloodlines - catching up on some comics, good and creepy. I think it takes place after Aliens, timeline wise.

Alice in Leatherland - this was a cute queer romance, nice art.

Mile High with a Vampire - Pretty typical for the series, they're good fluff reads. I'm kinda annoyed that she's messing with her own lore, but i guess that's what happens when your fluffy vampire romances stretch into a 30+ book series.

Currently reading:

The Last Graduate - This is good so far, bracing myself for the cliffhanger ending everyone keeps mentioning.

Cress - still doing audio re-read

QOTW:

I'm lazy, what are your plans for the weekend? Holiday if you're celebrating, or just what are you up to if not?

Hi all, here's the place to put any final thoughts for A Spindle Splintered by Alix E Harrow.

Spoilers are allowed here, so don't read until you're finished!

What did you think? Love it, hate it?

Some questions to think about:

What did you think of the comparisons of the Sleeping Beauty story to someone with a terminal illness? Did you find them apt, or a stretch?

Do you agree with the "evil fairy"'s feelings that her curses were actually blessings, saving the various princesses from possible terrible marriages? What other options would you think those women might have?

How did you feel about the ending? Do you think Zinnia will find a cure, or save anyone? Do you agree with Charm's assessment that she's finally trying to save herself?

Any other thoughts, feelings, questions?

I've been dropping the ball on check ins, apologies! Last week I took Friday off to do an early Thanksgiving with my in-laws. So Thursday was extra busy for work, and friday was spent in a car/socializing.

The last two weeks I finished:

The Sea of Monsters - audio re-read

The Women of the Copper Country - my books & brew pick, talked about it last week. Good discussion, lots of ranting about capitalism haha. Also much mocking from those who did the audio book, narrator did NOT look up how to properly say Houghton or Maciknac.

Night and Silence - finally found time to read my books I picked up in August from Powell's. Love the October Daye books

Suffer a Sea-Change - novella in the back, nice to see the events from gillian's perspective

The Unkindest Tide - i love the Ludieag, so was good to see her so much in this one.

Hope is Swift - i like raj, nice to see a story from his perspecive

Scarlet - audio re-read

The Tower of Nero - conclusion to the Trials of Apollo, i liked it pretty well. I like the idea that a god can go through trials and change as a person.

currently reading:
Cress-audio re-read

A Spindle Splintered - picked this up from the library this week. Haven't actually started, but I will at lunch. Soon as I finish, I'll try to get some questions up!

QOTW:

How do you like to wrap up your reading year? Do you have too much holiday stuff so dont read much? Read more due to bad weather? Have particular things you like to read?

I tend to find as the year winds down I just want to relax and do escapist reading. So I'll read lots of sci fi/fantasy, comics, YA, Middle grade. Whatever feels light and easy. I know plenty of fantasy and sci fi can have darker themes, but they feel more distant when it's not real-world. Unlike the Copper Country which took place in my own state, even if it was semi-fictionalized. All the truly terrible stuff actually happened. Once January gets going, I'll feel more like branching out and expanding my horizons.

Oh that's cool! Let us know how it goes!

I don’t think I ever read a book set immediately where I live, but I have read books that go to Michigan. For me I think the most jarring thing is when they get it super wrong haha. Like I love Lauren Beaukes but she’s from South Africa. She clearly researched Detroit, but just as clearly had never been there in the fall/winter. Had young women going to an outdoor party in November, describing the party clothes they were wearing. No lamenting over “I’m dressed cute but no one will see it under my winter coat” or “I didn’t want to cover my outfit with a coat and now I’m freezing” or any of the other trials of trying to look cute in Michigan after October haha. And no one was complaining “who thought an outdoor party in November was a good idea, that wasn’t a casual bonfire where you can bundle? “

Welcome heather, glad it started working!

The wayfarer books are more stand alone than your average series, but they do happen in chronological order. And all of them connect back into the first book in some way, so it’s not a bad idea to read in order. Hope you like it, I love that series :)

Hi all, another late check in. busy time of year!

this week I finished.

Beauty and the Werewolf - was a comfort reread

The Sea of Monsters - audio book re-read

The Women of the Copper Country - books & brew read - this was well written, and I think important to read, but I wish it was a pick for earlier in the year or saved for next. It was about the copper strikes in the UP and so many of the attitudes in it are still prevalent nearly 110 years later. It's depressing and sad, and not the best book for me to be reading in the fall during time change weekend when it's hard enough to keep my mood up.

currently reading:

Scarlet - audio re-read

Night and Silence - need a mental break, finally able to get to some good urban fantasy.

I do the teal pumpkin too, little flashy LED toys that kids seem to love :)

I really liked both books I read by her, and I love fairy tale retellings. I think it'll be fun! My library doesn't have it digitally, so I just put a hold on the physical version. I'd just buy it digitally, but looks like it's "full book price". I don't really like paying full book price for digital books in general, since there's not a printing cost. And then, in my mind, novellas should be cheaper because they are much shorter. Or at least I don't like paying full price for a book I know I'll finish in a couple hours.

Sorry for the late checkin, rough week last week at work combined with a migraine towards the end of the week.

A Spindle Splintered won the poll for the FoE Book club! I put up a thread for pre-reading thoughts.

This week I finished:

Cinder - was an audio re-read. Pretty good narrator, still holds up.

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead - i wasn't a fan of this, it was pretty meh. I guessed what happened pretty early on. Didn't really like the writing style, narrator annoyed me. I thought it was listed as a thriller, but it wasn't very thrilling at all.

That Inevitable Victorian Thing - this was interesting, but left me pretty conflicted. On one hand, it had some good representation of things I don't see that often in YA. On the other, the premise is that the British Empire never fell. There was genetic testing that people used to make ideal matches. Somehow this was regarded as a good thing, and not eugenics. Also there were references to how they weren't "bad"colonizers anymore, which is kinda problematic. It just felt like too much of a rosy utopia without really examining colonization, genetic privacy, etc. The author DID acknowledge this in the authors note, saying that what she was trying to do was imagine a future where the voices of "Hey, maybe this is bad" actually got listened to. So treaties with the Indigenous people were honored, slavery got disbanded, etc. I'd possibly consider reading another if it becomes a series, just to see if she examines the world and the hidden problems within it more.

Currently reading:

Beauty and the Werewolf - migraine reading, wanted something i didn't have to think about.

The Women of the Copper Country - didn't get far yet, i needed something i didn't have to think about. Will get back to it once if finish up my comfort read.

The Sea of Monsters - audio re-read

QOTW:

Did anyone do anything fun for halloween?

I did a halloween dance workout on Saturday, wore my Tali from Mass Effect hoodie and leggings. No one got it but it made me happy. Yesterday my husband and I dressed as Michael and Janet from The Good Place to give out candy. I was spooky janet with a black dress and white blouse with black bats all over it. It was fun :) even if no one got it, because I'm guessing most children didn't watch the show. Didn't have nearly the trick or treaters I expected, even though the weather was lovely. I'm guessing maybe with the pandemic, some people still are keeping kids home/ are sticking closer to home. Which is understandable, i just have a LOT of full size candy bars left haha.