M’s Comments (group member since May 31, 2022)

M’s comments from the 2025 Reading Challenge group.

The irony of that prompt paired with the subject matter of the book itself is cracking me up

SarahKat, I'll join you for The Wood at Midwinter in January.

I hope you enjoy it all the way through TerryJane! :)

Woman Reading wrote: "I finally pulled the Murderbot Diaries off of my TBR list "

I flew through this series so fast! So much fun!

I understand that completely TerryJane.
I read nothing but short and low stakes books after the heaviness that was A Little Life.
Happy reading to you even if you don't get to this one! :)

I have to laugh and shake my head at this being nominated in the Goodreads Choice Awards.
I think I need to start putting back the popular titles because they never quite do it for me!
(view spoiler)[Overall this story fell pretty flat for me. I liked the characters enough but there was no real substance to them, and everything felt so damn predictable. The love between Freddie and Winter felt incredibly forced, Laura's was convenient and the ending made my eyes roll. (hide spoiler)]
I'd still consider picking up The Bear and the Nightingale but I wont be afraid to DNF it if it starts to falter.

I'd like to suggest 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami for January or February as a 2 month read :)

Ya know....being in the states, I completely forgot I was reading books this week, lol.
I think I'm about half way so I'll likely finish this weekend :)

Valerie wrote: "Part 4. Incredibly powerful and utterly devastating. [spoilers removed]"

Ugh, thinking about part 4 gives me chills.
I'm holding my breath for you as you continue on Valerie! I found it hard to put down from then on...

Well I started this one today and am about 21 chapters in (has short chapters) and I'm overall interested/mildly entertained.
On first impressions, I couldn't stand the writing, haha. These choppy sentences drive me nuts!
The benefit of this writing style however means I'm moving through it pretty quick even if I'm not fully immersed.
(view spoiler)[Having just read chapter 20 I think things are about to heat up with this unsettling character on scene now. Winter instantly knew it was not a good idea to go with him and this makes me far more curious to see how things progress from their point of view versus the ladies. (hide spoiler)]
I still don't love the writing style but I'm invested enough to not really care anymore :)

Happy reading!

Sophia wrote: "And I would like to suggest Love in the Time of Cholera for January or February, to open the new year fresh with a good ol' classic."

I'd like to join you in February for this :)

I love that so many of us think about sweet fantasy stories when wanting to read something cozy!
I'd like to nominate I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle

"From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Unicorn comes a new novel with equal amounts of power and whimsy in which a loveable cast of characters trapped within their roles of dragon hunter, princess, and more must come together to take their fates into their own hands."

Because nothing feels quite as cozy to me as reading an author again as an adult that wrote an OG "cozy fantasy" book from your childhood.

I've got to pick this up from my library by the 1st so I'm gonna try to snag it soon and jump right in.
I've never read this author before but I have The Bear and the Nightingale on my shelf too that's been staring at me for well over a year.
Looking forward to seeing if this author is one for me :)

Glad you enjoyed it TerryJane :)
This was actually a less enjoyable read for me in comparison to The Silent Companions. I think I was expecting a little more spookiness and Agnes felt a little dull to me. I also didn't feel much tension which left me a little bored at times.
Not bad, but definitely not better than The Silent Companions in my opinion.

I'm so interested to see the discussion here! I read this last year and have never been so emotional while reading. I was angry, frustrated, disgusted and heartbroken...its traumatic y'all.
Slow to start but there's a method to Yanagihara's madness for sure when you allow yourself time to absorb what's happening. She made me feel like I knew these characters in real life and I still think about this book and the characters within often.
It was honestly the bittersweet moments that left me a sobbing mess the most. The writing is truly beautiful.
Good luck sweet reader friends!

Oh that sounds lovely :) Enjoy your vacation!

I'd like to suggest
The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden and
The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan
for November or December please :)

Starting this one tonight :)

Finished.
I absolutely loved this, I easily could have read this in a single sitting had I been brave enough. Incredibly emotional and heartbreaking.
This will stay in my collection permanently.

I just finished part 1 - and I'm a crying mess. Know that I cry easily while reading but still... I am completely captivated by this story and the way we've shifted through moments in time with this family.
It feels immediate and intimate to me.
Which is interesting because I've read so many reviews that mention how some readers feel distant and detached from our characters.
(view spoiler)[Knowing that Hamnet's death was coming did not make that any easier to read. That scene, was one of the most beautiful, heartbreaking scenes I've read in years.
The way we shift throughout the room, and then come to Hamnet, "in his place of snow and ice, is lowering himself down to the ground, allowing his knees to fold under him. He is placing first one palm, then the other, on the the crisp, crystalline skin of the snow, and how welcoming it feels, how right. It's not too cold, not too hard. He lies down; he presses his cheek to the softness of the snow. The whiteness of it is glaring, jarring to his eyes, so he closes them, just for a moment, just enough, so he may rest and gather his strength. He is not going to sleep, he is not. He will carry on. But he needs to rest, for a moment. He opens his eyes, to reassure himself the world is still there, and the let's them close. Just for now."
Uggghh - my heart! (hide spoiler)]
I'm nervous to read this final chapter.