Joanna’s Comments (group member since Nov 17, 2010)

Joanna’s comments from the Reading with Style group.

20.5 Wine

Masters at Arms by Kallypso Masters

This is really a preview novel that gives the backstories of the male leads for the rest of the books in the series. It's a lazy way to handle it--rather than write the backstories as part of character development and slow reveal the way one would normally do, this author just writes a short piece about the history of each of these characters and how they got to know each other. I think because she knows it's sort of lazy and boring, the author then strongly admonishes readers that they'll disappoint her and deprive themselves of important information if they skip this part. She's even repackaged this as a single volume with Book 1 in the series. I thought I would want to read about Marines. But really, right now, all I want is escape from the anxiety of the real world. These books fit the bill.

+20 Task ("He drained his glass of pinot bianco and leaned over to set his wineglass on the oak coffee table.")
+10 Review
+15 Combo (10.2 - MAAKM=MAM, 10.4, 10.8 - Iraq, Germany, California)

Task total: 45
Grand total: 840

20.6 Civil War

Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey

Peter Carey, it's not you; it's me. Lots of people adored this book. I might have adored this book if I'd read it at a different time. But I just couldn't get into this slow moving historical fiction right now as my anxiety about the present is through the roof. I wanted to be enveloped by these characters and this story, but instead my mind constantly wandered and it was a chore to get through this long novel. The image of taking a glass cathedral out into rural Australia was supposed to see awe-inspiring and windmill-tilting at its finest. But eh? I just found it slow moving and sort of sad. Maybe I should rent the movie.

+20 Task
+5 Jumbo (515pp)
+5 Oldies (1988)
+10 Review
+15 Combo (10.2 - OALPC = CLAP; 20.5 (some sherry drinking), 20.10 - b. 1943)

Task total: 55
Grand total: 795

10.5 Monster Redux

The Devil's Kiss by Gemma James

I picked this as a foray into "dark romance." But I should have known better. The characters here weren't believable and behaved in ways that made little to no sense. The plot was twisty, but was so far fetched that I couldn't suspend disbelief. And the book uses childhood trauma as a stand in for character development. I found myself rooting for the wrong hero, which is always a bad sign in a romance novel where the ultimate outcome is pre-determined.

Here, the gorgeous bad-boy boss catches his beautiful damaged heroine embezzling money (to pay for her child's cancer treatment). He threatens her into performing sexually for him. But then, part way through, he seems to have a personality transplant and it turns into Indecent Proposal--just give me one weekend to show you how dashing and rich I am.

I won't be continuing with this series.

+10 Task
+10 Review
+5 Combo (20.5 - "Wine swished into my glass an instant later, and the waiter left after taking our orders." (23%))

Task total: 25
Grand total: 740

10.6 Banned

The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by A.N. Roquelaure

This was a reread for me. I first read these in high school, when any sex scene in a book was an amazing revelation. At that time, I devoured this series. Now, as a more choosy erotica reader, I found this much more ho hum than I remembered. The folks in this book never really seem to be having much fun. It's all tears and ridiculousness. IIRC, the series does improve, but I don't think I have the energy to read the rest of the books again.

Also, this is unabashedly pornographic and not for the prudish or feint of heart. In the introduction, Anne Rice notes that she wanted to write a book where you wouldn't have to dog-ear the "good parts" because every page would be a good part. In that, she largely succeeds. But by doing so, she loses any real character reflection or emotion--it's just more beatings and making naked people rush about doing silly things.

+10 Task
+10 Review
+5 Oldies (1983)
+15 Combo (10.2 - TCOSBANR - BRATS; 20.3 - A.N. Rocquelaure is a pseudonym for Anne Rice; 20.10 - b. 1941)

Task total: 40
Grand total: 715

20.4 Similar

How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

An important takeaway from this book: stop focusing on trying to change people's minds and feelings and expecting that the change in feelings will result in policy change. Instead, focus on policy change, which has the tendency to change people's feelings. For example, desegregating lunch counters has helped to create a society where hardly anyone today questions whether different-race people should eat in the same restaurant. But if we'd waited to change everyone's mind first, we might still be waiting.

Also: calling things systemic racism undermines the goal of changing policy because it obscures the fact that these systemic policies are still enacted by individual actors. It doesn't matter what's in the heart/mind of policymakers, but the results of policies matter a great deal. We need to focus on outcomes and be ruthlessly committed to making policy choices that create a better outcome.

And: racism is fundamentally about power, not about ignorance or feelings. Power to include/exclude. Power to control societal goods.

I highly recommend this book.

+20 Task
+10 Not a novel
+10 Review
+10 Combo (10.2 - HTBAAIXK - HABIT; 10.7 - approved in thread)

Task total: 50
Grand total: 675

Kate S wrote: "From Post 400

Joanna wrote: "10.9 Autumn Leaves

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

Beautiful and powerful story of a family. The story starts at the coming-of-a..."

I'd also like to add +5 Combo 10.8 - New York, Ohio, Oklahoma.

I think that makes my current total 625. Thanks!

20.3 Prolific

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

It's hard to believe this was written in 1969. It could easily have been written in the 1990s and still feel fresh. Even today, the only thing that felt dated was the computers and how impressed everyone was with the idea that computers could figure things out really quickly. That and the complete lack of female characters (and a small dig at how single men make great crisis decisions while single women are the worst).

I very much enjoyed the exploration of just how scientists might tackle a problem like this--an unknown entity brought back from space that kills a small town. The details of their thought processes and how the team worked together were great and there was tension in the book as they tried to sort through what was happening.

I thought the ending was a let down. Maybe that's corrected in the sequel?

The narrator for the audiobook did a fine job with a somewhat difficult text--having to read through scientific notes and reports was a heavy lift, but the narrator managed to read the reports in a robotic voice that worked for the text without being grating to listen to.

+20 Task
+10 Review
+5 Oldies (1969)
+5 Combo (10.2 - TASMC - Mast)

Task total: 40
Grand total: 615

20.9 Initiated

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

How did I not read this when it came out? I so much want to go back and push this book into the hands of my fourteen-year-old self. I would have adored this book then--around the time I also adored The Clan of the Cave Bear. Lots of sexy parts, a female character able to do lots of cool stuff, a dashing male lead--everything I wanted from a book at that time.

As a more mature reader, I still quite enjoyed this relatively witty romp through 1700s Scotland. The plot is far-fetched and silly at times, but enjoyable enough that I didn't mind. It almost felt like the author was including the reader in an in-joke--yes this is silly, but isn't it fun. In some ways, this reminds me of Connie Willis--another author who manages quite far-fetched but fun time travel.

The narrator for these books is one of my favorite narrators and she does a fantastic job bringing this story to life. It isn't easy to read sex scenes in a way that doesn't feel cringe-y, but Porter manages quite well. I'd definitely listen to more of these if Porter reads the rest of the series. I'll be quite disappointed if they changed narrators.

+20 Task
+10 Review
+15 Jumbo (850pp)
+5 Oldies (1991)
+10 Combo (10.2 - DOG, 10.3)

Task total: 60
Grand total: 575

10.9 Autumn Leaves

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

Beautiful and powerful story of a family. The story starts at the coming-of-age party of sixteen-year-old Melody, but traces her parents and grandparents stories as well. The narrative shifts through time and perspective frequently. The multiple readers for the audiobook really brought these stories to life and made it possible to follow the different time periods and narratives in audio format. I loved learning the ways that the family's history continued through generations, leaving marks on the future both explicit and implicit. Woodson is a gifted writer--her characters are vivid, her moments in time both poignant and ordinary, and the prose is a pleasure to read. I want to read more by this author.

+10 Task (red)
+10 Review
+5 Combo (10.2 - RATBJW - Brat)

Task total: 25
Grand total: 515

10.1 Short Works

Little Birds by Anaïs Nin

Literary erotica, or getting to read the sexy stuff while feeling virtuous about reading a classic and well-regarded author. This collection of short stories is excellent. Nin understands sex, explores power dynamics and strange fascinations, and even delves into sexual failures where desire flees. Each of these thirteen stories is short--not longer than 15 pages or so. And they aren't all appealing--the title story tells of a man who moves into an apartment specifically to expose himself to young girls. When he comes on too strong, they run away--like little birds.

Many of the stories are ultimately like the little birds of the title. When the reader tries to grab on and understand the story, it flees in a different direction. Many of the women in the story find themselves with older men or in strange power dynamics, but not all. Several stories feature artists.

I definitely should read Delta of Venus.

+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Not-a-novel
+5 Oldies (1979, though the author died in 1977)

Task total: 35
Grand total: 490

10.7 Nonfiction

Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women by Kate Manne

I read this as my study during Yom Kippur this year. Righteous fury! This book lays out clearly the ways in which women are treated unfairly and unequally with clear examples and precise prose. It isn't easy reading--some of the information is quite graphic and all of it makes my blood boil. But it helped me solidify my thinking about these issues--why we should compare men to their female partners when looking at domestic labor, not compare them to their own father; how biases against women leaders affect evaluations and political aspirations; how women are punished for stepping out of line; how all of the problems of being female intersect with race and gender identity to make these issues even worse for women of color and transgender women; just how pernicious mansplaining can be.

She also references another excellent book addressing these issues: Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men. I recommend that one as well.

Highly recommended.

+10 Task
+10 Review
+10 Not a novel
+5 Combo (10.2 - KMEHMPHW - Pew)

Task total: 35
Grand total: 455

20.5 Wine

The Saint by Tiffany Reisz

I enjoyed continuing to read more about these characters. I have to say, I'm tired of the theme that every romance hero or heroine has a traumatic childhood. Can't normal people have romance relationships? This book gives more complete details about the truly horrific childhood of the priest protagonist here. So horrific it was actually hard to read, even for this relatively jaded reader.

This series is erotica and pretty intense stuff at that. This isn't for the feint of heart and it isn't for everyone. Probably not even for most people. But I'm enthralled by these characters and the strength of the writing (for the genre, mind you).

+20 Task (lots and lots of wine in this one)
+10 Review
+5 Combo (10.8 - France, Germany, Connecticut)

Task total: 35
Grand total: 415

10.10 Group Reads

Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi

This never quite came together for me. Perhaps it was the audio format rather than reading the words. There were beautifully crafted sentences, and entertaining moments, but it never congealed into a pleasurable experience or into a plot that was going somewhere. I generally love fairy tales and am not put off by some amount of metafiction. And the idea here is clever. But but but...I had to force myself to finish this. I kept thinking longingly of other books I could listen to instead.

Everyone else seems to love this book, so maybe it's just me. Or just this moment. But the magic wasn't there.

It didn't help that I found the narrator's efforts to do different voices mostly annoying. I won't seek out this narrator again.

+10 Task
+10 Review
+15 Combo (10.2 - MFHO - Ohm, 10.4, 20.5)

Task total: 35
Grand total: 380

15.5 Power of 9

Crosstalk by Connie Willis

+15 Task (author born 1945)

Task total: 15
Grand total: 345

10.3 Singles

Feed by Mira Grant

I've enjoyed books by this author's other name, Seanan McGuire, but this is my first under this name. This was perfect pandemic reading. No really. This is a book about the world going on after a zombie disease is released and the world has to adapt to the constant threat. There are moments where the book falls into silliness, especially the completely cliched religious-fanatic villain, but overall this was entertaining and well realized. This author wasn't afraid of emotional moments or hard choices for the characters and the heroes weren't completely flawless. I haven't read a lot of zombie books, but this felt like a top-notch version of the trope.

The narrator for the audiobook also did a great job managing the multi-format text--reading some emails, blog quotes, and messages in ways that allowed a listener to follow what was happening without the visual cues.

+10 Task
+10 Review
+5 Jumbo (599pp.)
+10 Combo (10.8 - London, California, Texas; 20.5 - main character drinks a glass of champagne - I didn't get the exact quote)

Task total: 35
Grand total: 330

20.5 Wine

The Mistress by Tiffany Reisz

I'm finally released from the grip of this series. This book provides a satisfying conclusion to the four-book set. There are more books in the series, but the next book goes back in time to retrace the history of the characters, so it isn't as urgent to read it to know what happens next. Not to say I won't get sucked into reading more about these characters...

Unfortunately, part of what entranced me with this series was that it started out sex-positive and with characters who liked what they liked without apology or the need for trauma in their past. In the third and fourth books, the author backs off from that stance and gives them trauma in their past after all. Boo! These books also wanted to amp up the plot a bit more than even my general suspension of disbelief would allow and I found the kidnapping plot overwrought and sort of silly. Still, for literary erotica, this is top notch.

+20 Task ("He held a steep glass of red wine in his hand, raised it to his lips and drank.")
+10 Combo (10.4, 10.8 - Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and more)
+10 Review

Task total: 40
Grand total: 295

15.4 Power of 9

The Cost of Lunch, Etc.: Short Stories by Marge Piercy

+15 Task (Author born 1945)

Task total: 15
Grand total: 255

20.5 Wine

The Prince by Tiffany Reisz

Yep, 100% down the rabbit hole with this series. This book is thickly plotted and gives the history of many of the characters that the series introduced in the first two books. This is less erotica and more mystery and thriller, complete with cliffhanger ending. Still, I'm devouring this series and was ready to move on to the next book immediately.

Again, this series is not for the prudish or the feint of heart. In this book, we're learning the history of teenage romance (and brutality) as well as childhood trauma. Where other books have been sort of happy-sex-positive-kink, this book has some of the darker world of these characters. I didn't love that here--I wanted more of the lighter erotica bits instead of the darker deep emotional bits. But I can't deny that this book drives the series forward at a frantic pace and left me ready to see what happens to all these characters.

+20 Task ("Sighing, Kingsley picked up his sherry and twirled the contents to coat the sides of the glass." (75.1%))
+10 Review
+10 Combo (10.4, 10.8 - Connecticut, New York, Maine and others)

Task total: 40
Grand total: 240

20.7 P.I.

Peace Talks by Jim Butcher

You've no business starting this series here with Book 16. Go back and start at the beginning, or at least much earlier. This is a series with a complicated world, complete with magical rules, political machinations, and an entire universe of fantasy beings ranging from different types of vampires to Bigfoots (of different varieties) to ghouls and many, many others. The lead wizard of this series, Harry Dresden, has a very particular voice that you'll either find insufferably annoying or entertaining. If you don't like it in one of the early books, you won't like it much more here. He does develop as a character over the course of the series, but the tone remains pretty similar.

For this reader, James Marsters, the narrator for the audiobooks, is the voice of Harry Dresden. The narration of these books is pitch-perfect and I've loved listening to them. I think I've listened to all but one or two of these in audio format. Highly recommended if you're an audiobook listener at all.

+20 Task (approved in thread)
+10 Combo (10.4, 20.3)
+10 Review

Task total: 40
Grand total: 200

20.4 Similar

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

I'm late reading this book, even though it's been sitting on my shelf since it was published. By now, I'm sure you've already heard that this is a fantastic book and absolutely worth reading. I have little to add to all of the accolades that have been heaped on this book other than to say that I wasn't disappointed despite going in with high expectations. The story of the murder by police of one of Coates' college classmates is poignant and personal and yet so unfortunately universal. Reading it on the heels of the murder of George Floyd, and so many others, it's clear that Coates is right about how fragile his body is in our world; how reasonable his fear for his son.

I also really connected with his thoughts about religion. He expresses a sort of envy of the solace that some people find through faith in God. He recognizes the positive influence that Black churches have been for the Black community, yet can't find that faith in himself and finds himself feeling somewhat an outsider to the community because of it. My experiences are completely different and yet so similar in feel; he hits something universal here.

+20 Task (approved in thread)
+10 Combo (10.2 - BTWAMTC - MAT; 20.2)
+10 Not-a-novel
+10 Review

Task total: 50
Grand total: 160