Cory Day’s Comments (group member since Aug 18, 2012)

Cory Day’s comments from the Reading with Style group.

10.9 Double Trouble

Private Eye by S.E. Culpepper

Review: I read this a little over a week ago, and I remember very little of it already. Not a great sign. It’s a genre I like, and a trope I’ve learned to live with. The two main characters are a police officer and a private investigator and ostensibly there’s a mystery at the center, but as many of the reviews I read state, the mystery isn’t all that central or intriguing. I guessed most of it early on, and got frustrated with the characters’ inability to ask the right questions. But it’s a romance, so the relationship is really the most important part. Had the characters been a little more flushed out, I’d have been fine with the gay for you (kind of – it’s possible the guy actually was just repressed) story, but the characterizations were clunky and unsatisfying. When it all comes together, it feels more like instalove than it should have. I’m on the fence on picking up another one by the author.

+10 Task (mystery/contemporary)
+10 Combo (10.7, 20.6)
+10 Review

Task Total: 30
Grand Total: 725

Like my last post, I really thought I posted this - I guess I needed to refresh my Goodreads page? Anyway, here it is.

10.3 Series (3, 4, or 5)

Out of Frame by Megan Erickson

Review: It’s been years since I read books one and two in this series, but luckily this one stands alone just fine. A relatively short novel, my biggest complaint is the length, which really doesn’t allow for a deep enough examination of the issues and relationships in the book. The main characters are on a spring break cruise where a reality show is being filmed. One is on the show - and playing a role that includes his pretending to be straight – and the other is just looking to let loose. Had the author not also added controlling parents, a sick brother, and other thrown in sources of angst, it might have been a more solid book. The whole “playing it straight” thing provided more than enough drama on its own.

+10 Task
+10 Review

Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 690

I thought I'd posted this over a week agai, but I don't see it, so I'm posting again.

20.8 Silent Spring

The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare

Review: Continuing my alphabetical read of The Complete Works of Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor follows Sir John Falstaff, familiar from the Henry IV plays. It’s a bawdy, ridiculous comedy and the first Shakespeare play where the language gave me trouble. There are so many puns and intentionally misspelled words that I had a hard time following in parts. The story itself basically boils down to this: Falstaff is broke, so he decides to seduce two wealthy married women. They figure out what he’s up to and find ways to put him in ridiculous positions as revenge. I didn’t find it particularly interesting, although there were times when I did laugh at the language. There is so much sexual innuendo in this that at times it’s not even innuendo – it’s just right there on the page.

+20 Task
+20 Combo (20.6)
+10 Review
+10 Not-a-Novel
+25 Oldies

Task Total: 70
Grand Total: 670

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Post 373 Cory Day wrote: "20.10 My Comfort Zone

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Review: This is the last of Jane Austen’s novels I hadn’t read, and I knew it wasn’t goi..."

Yep, you're right. 10.9, not 10.5 :)

20.2 The Blazing World (feminism)

Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics by bbell hooks

Review: I’d heard bell hooks interviewed, and kept meaning to read one of her books. When I realized the one I’d shelved on Goodreads wasn’t available at my library, I chose another. This book is meant to basically serve as a primer to feminism, which hooks defines as the desire to end sexism and sexist oppression. Since it was a bit of an introduction, I didn’t learn a whole lot I hadn’t heard before, but I still felt it was well worth the read. The one thing that did surprise me was her emphasis on female violence. It actually makes sense – her argument is basically that while more women are abused in partnerships than men, plenty of women parent children with violence, which contributes to the cycle. actually ends up reading more like a feminist memoir, which may or may not be a good thing – I think it depends on the audience. I doubt someone not predisposed to agreeing would get much out of this book, but I do think it hits enough on intersectionality that even people with a basic knowledge would get something out of the book.

+20 Task
+10 Not-a-Novel
+10 Review

Task Total: 40
Grand Total: 600

20.9 Jumbo

The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon

Review: It’s been years since I read the latest Outlander novel, and even longer since I’d checked in with Lord John Grey. I’ve been saving this one for a rainy day, but was strangely reluctant to read it going in. It’s just so long! By halfway through, however, I wanted it to be as long as some of her longer volumes. I’d forgotten how much I love just sinking into the world she’s created. It feels so familiar – I’m just visiting with old friends. This one exists during the time Claire and Jamie are apart, and I kind of felt like I already knew some of the story since I’ve read so far ahead in the main series. Still, I love reading about intimate male connections, and in many ways you can’t get more intimate than the on-again-off-again relationship John and Jamie have. John may love Jamie in a romantic way, but the real focus is on the friendship they form in spite of basically existing on opposite sides of war.

+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.3, 10.9)
+5 Jumbo (560 pages)
+10 Review

Task Total: 45
Grand Total: 560

Valerie wrote: "Nothing like a due date to inspire 'getting the book read'!

I am in a bonspiel (curling) this evening and all day tomorrow, so unfortunately I probably won't get any more books finished. It's a li..."

You've been great! I think everyone did really well :) Have fun at the bonspiel!

This morning I finished the jumbo book I was reading, for those grand 5 styles :-P

I also started reading The Merry Wives of Windsor, which should move quickly enough that I can finish and post by tomorrow and holds a ton of styles. My non-fiction book I'm reading is also due at the library, so the goal is to finish both it and the Shakespeare by tomorrow. We'll see how that goes!

20.10 My Comfort Zone

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Review: This is the last of Jane Austen’s novels I hadn’t read, and I knew it wasn’t going to be my absolute favorite. It’s a satire, basically, and I prefer Austen’s more straightforward novels, which always still have wit. This one reads much more like a parody, but it still basically wraps up in a bow. It took me over a week to read, which probably means I wasn’t into it. A friend of mine wrote her review basically saying she didn’t like Northanger Abbey at first because it wasn’t Pride and Prejudice, which is kind of how I felt. She managed to come to an appreciation of Northanger Abbey in the end though, so maybe upon more reflection or watching an adaptation I’ll feel the same way. For now, however, it’s just going to join the many three star ‘okay’ books I’ve read and tend not to remember much about.

+20 Task
+15 Combo (10.5, 20.2 - https://artifactsjournal.missouri.edu..., 20.4)
+15 Oldies (1817)
+10 Review

Task Total: 60
Grand Total: 515

20.1 The Double

Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin by Mariana Zapata

Review: I love Mariana Zapata, and I’ve been saving up some of her books for a rainy day. When I realized this one had twins in it, I decided to go ahead and read it. Unfortunately, some of the reviews I read ahead of time were right – this was not a great book. It had the makings of it – the relationships were all really interesting – but it was basically immature. The main character makes jokes all the time, which is fine, but half of them were homophobic or transphobic or derogatory against some group or another. It wasn’t necessary, and it disappointed me. Hopefully this was a one-off, and the rest of the books I’ve been saving up won’t be as disappointing.

+20 Task (the female lead is on a concert tour with her twin brother)
+5 Combo (10.8 – the tour is half in North America and then switches to Australia and Europe for the second half)
+10 Review

Task Total: 35
Grand Total: 455

20.6 Dead Souls

Honestly Ben by Bill Konigsberg

+20 Task
660 Lexile – no styles

Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 420

Yeah, the 14th is coming up quickly!!!

I'm halfway through two books now, so I might have a chance of finishing them and sneaking in that Shakespeare... let's see how it goes. I'm working on posting the two I finished now.

I did finish a couple of books over my vacation, so sometime in the next few days I'll post them. After I clear off the ones I've begun, I may pick up another Shakespeare play to pump up the score...

Those Shakespeare plays are good for a lot of styles! I may read another one...

I did take a break yesterday and read a low Lexile YA book, but I'm plugging my way through a non-fiction book and Northanger Abbey, both of which should have decent styles. Wednesday I'll be on an airplane for a while, so I should get a lot of reading done. After that I'll be on vacation for a week, and it's a hang out with friends and party kind of thing, so we'll see how much reading happens...

10.4 Book Riot

House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday

Review: This book took me two weeks to finish. That’s a long time in my world. I didn’t hate it, but I just couldn’t find it within me to care enough to understand what was going on. The story changes perspectives a couple times, so I had a hard time understanding who was who and what was going on. At least, I thought I had a hard time until I went and looked at Wikipedia. It turns out I did understand most of it – it just wasn’t exactly riveting. I will say that the perspective is one I don’t often read, and some of the descriptions of the environment and culture were interesting. Also, it almost made me cry when an older woman (don’t ask me who she was in relation to the protagonist) realizes her guinea pig has died. Still, the writing was so dense, and not in a good way, that the book was kind of a dud in my mind.

+10 Task
+10 Combo (20.3, 20.6)
+5 Oldies (1967)
+10 Review

Task Total: 35
Grand Total: 395

20.6 Dead Souls

I Want To Be Yours by D.M. Mortier

Review: I have this horrible habit of continuing books that I kind of despise. In this case, it was short enough that I didn’t feel like I could drop it. But I really hated this book.

I’m okay with fantasy that pushes the envelope and depicts things that I’d never tolerate in real life. I’m okay with alpha males. I’m okay with people in books being turned on by things I don’t find appealing. But this book had so little to redeem itself that I just couldn’t get behind it. The beginning had a small amount of promise. Nico might have been a character I could love. But he just dropped all decency and the entire book seemed to me to be a description of emotional abuse. The sex scenes weren’t sexy, the worldbuilding made little sense… I don’t even think I’ll give the author a second chance, which is a rarity for me.

+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.5, 10.7)
+10 Review

Task Total: 40
Grand Total: 360

10.5 Green Stone

The Infamous Miss Rodriguez: A Ciudad Real Novella by Lydia San Andres

Review: I’m always on the lookout for romances set in different times and places than Regency England or the contemporary United States, and for books written by people of color. This is that – but it’s also a really cute novella. It is definitely short, which means the romance happens quickly, but reading a historical romance set in the Caribbean (albeit a made up country) was so fun. I also loved that while the characters all have money, they’re not the idle elite – Graciela eventually realizes how much her aunt works, and I kind of just wanted to read more about their perfume factory.

+10 Task
+10 Review

Task Total: 20
Grand Total: 320

20.3 Sanctuary

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

Review: Short story collections are always hit or miss with me, but this one was great. Most of them were portraits of marriage and relationships above all else, but it also hit on culture and the immigrant experience and all the other things Lahiri is known for. Everything I’ve read by her I like – she strikes a good balance between capturing real life and seeking deeper meaning. Most of the stories aren’t completely hopeful or completely depressing – they tend to hit that in between note that really resonates with me as being true. I waited long enough to write this review that the collection has started to merge in my mind, but that’s not a bad thing. I’m left with a feeling that maybe all of the stories exist in the same space and the differences among them aren’t as important as the cohesion of the entire collection.

+20 Task
+10 Combo (10.8 - N America/Asia, 10.9 – cultural/contemporary)
+10 Not-a-Novel
+10 Review

Task Total: 50
Grand Total: 300

I'm finally starting to post the books I've read! First one had 55 styles, so that's a decent start.

20.8 Silent Spring (≤1962 Not-a-Novel)

Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare

Review: Back in 2009 I got my first Kindle and loaded it up with as much as I could that was free or cheap in preparation for a trip to England. As a result, I ended up with a version of the Complete Works of Shakespeare that is a) arranged in alphabetical order and b) doesn’t have character lists at the beginning. So, since 2009 I’ve read it in alphabetical order, and the next on the list was Measure for Measure. It’s a play I knew nothing about, and I can’t say it sticks out in my mind now a couple weeks later.

It’s a strange play. Centered around a city-state with a temporary change in leadership and extreme laws surrounding sex and virtue, it isn’t quite a tragedy, but it’s not a comedy either. Most of the story is quite concerning. People are going to be put to death because of sexual indiscretions, women are propositioned by the very officials prosecuting others for the same crime, and prostitution is part of the side plot. Still, by the end everything ties up neatly and mostly happily. The bad guys get their comeuppance and it’s funny in many cases. It’s just… weird.

+20 Task
+10 Combo (20.4, 20.6)
+10 Review
+10 Not-a-Novel
+25 Oldies

Task Total: 75
Grand Total: 250