RJ - Slayer of Trolls’s
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RJ - Slayer of Trolls’s
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from the 2025 Reading Challenge group.
Note: RJ - Slayer of Trolls is not currently a member of this group.
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I have two specific suggestions of things that have worked for me - since I have implemented these in my own life about a decade ago I have been reading-slump-free. 1) If you're not enjoying a book, dump it. The biggest cause of reading slumps, in my opinion, is fighting your way through a book that just is not connecting with you. If you find this is the case, get rid of whatever you're reading so you can get back to something you enjoy.
2) Read multiple books at the same time. I like to mix it up and read a general fiction/classics book along with a non-fiction, mystery, science-fiction/fantasy, horror, short story collection, or a combination of the above. The "right" number of books to read at the same time is different for everyone but trial and error will help you learn what makes you feel most comfortable.
People often ask if it gets confusing to read more than one book at the same time and I'm happy to say that it doesn't. In fact, sometimes themes and ideas from one book will resonate in another book and your reading experience will be enhanced accordingly. And don't worry about getting the books mixed up. After all, many of us watch more than one TV show or movie franchise; you will find that your mind is easily able to keep track of multiple storylines in different books.
Hope that helps!
For those who are considering the audiobook, Audible has a version read by Andy Serkis who played Gollum in the recent film versions of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. He does an excellent job, especially with the voices of the various characters (not so great on the singing parts though I must admit) and I really enjoyed it. Just a suggestion for those of you who are considering jumping in for this group read, especially if you've already read the book before.
Congratulations Sunny!
I finished the short novel
Washington Square by Henry James
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading the autobiographical
H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
#47 in 2023: I finished the short novel
Washington Square by Henry James
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading the autobiographical
H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
I finished the bleak noir classic
The Burglar by David Goodis
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading a WWI-era spy novel that is the sequel to The Thirty-Nine Steps
Greenmantle by John Buchan
#46 in 2023: I finished the bleak noir classic
The Burglar by David Goodis
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading a WWI-era spy novel that is the sequel to The Thirty-Nine Steps
Greenmantle by John Buchan
I finished the classic Science-Fiction/Horror novel
The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading the first book in the Border Trilogy, winner of both the U.S. National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1992
All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
#45 in 2023: I finished the classic Science-Fiction/Horror novel
The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading the first book in the Border Trilogy, winner of both the U.S. National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1992
All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
Also, I kicked (stopped reading) these books because they were somewhere between depressingly mediocre and insultingly awful
The Wolf's Hour by Robert R. McCammon
Rating: 1 star
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi
Rating: 1 star
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading
The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams
Rice is a little long-winded and this 1000+ page beast is no exception, but at least we get right to the Talamasca in the first chapter so I'm hopeful that she's on the right track. Her Vampire series failed to capture my attention much after the first three installments.
As for the Hitchhiker's series, I am on record as not really loving them the way some people do but at least I'm not embarrassed to read one of them (unlike Scalzi's books which are just regrettably bad at times).
Also, I kicked (stopped reading) these books because they were somewhere between depressingly mediocre and insultingly awful
The Wolf's Hour by Robert R. McCammon
Rating: 1 star
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi
Rating: 1 star
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading
The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams
Rice is a little long-winded and this 1000+ page beast is no exception, but at least we get right to the Talamasca in the first chapter so I'm hopeful that she's on the right track. Her Vampire series failed to capture my attention much after the first three installments.
As for the Hitchhiker's series, I am on record as not really loving them the way some people do but at least I'm not embarrassed to read one of them (unlike Scalzi's books which are just regrettably bad at times).
I finished the Pulitzer Prize-winning historical novel about the Civil War battle of Gettysburg
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading my first by James
Washington Square by Henry James
#44 in 2023: I finished the Pulitzer Prize-winning historical novel about the Civil War battle of Gettysburg
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading my first by James
Washington Square by Henry James
Rachael wrote: "...I would have liked to read more of the bits William Goldman 'cut' and less of his commentary though...."Agree. I read the 20th Anniversary Edition and there were several introductions. It was a lot to read before even getting to the book itself!
Beth wrote: "...I found the book a bit tedious. For me, this story is a case where the movie surpasses the book...."
Also agree. But I did soften up a bit when I learned that Goldman came up with the book based on bedtime stories he told his daughters (one of whom wanted a story about a Princess and the other wanted a story about a Bride, hence the title of the book).
Xine wrote: "I nominate The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin. It's a science fiction novel that tells the story of a man who discovers that he can control his dreams."Second this one.
I finished Dorothy Hughes's final novel
The Expendable Man by Dorothy B. Hughes
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading
The Burglar by David Goodis
#43 in 2023: I finished Dorothy Hughes's final novel
The Expendable Man by Dorothy B. Hughes
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading
The Burglar by David Goodis
Bernadette wrote: "I am going to nominate The Hobbit. Perseverance is a skill that takes a long time to develop. Bilbo is one who gains this skill over the course of the book. He undergoes many struggles ..."That is a great book and I will second it. I recently listened to the Audiobook narrated by Andy Serkis who played Gollum in the movies. He does a great job on the voices (but, um, not so much on the singing parts).
I finished the novel that started the Star Wars "Extended Universe" (known as "Star Wars Legends" in the post-Disney-acquisition era) which shares a title, and probably a lot more, with the upcoming Star Wars movie directed by Dave Filoni 
Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading the fourth volume in the six-volume Old Man's War series
Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi
