Ava’s Comments (group member since Dec 18, 2018)

Ava’s comments from the THE GOOD LUCK YEAR END READING CHALLENGE OF 2018 group.

My goal this year was 50 and as I just finished a reread of Sharp Objects I've read 86 books this year. I think I'm going to set it at 50 again next year. I like the lack of personal pressure to read 75 or 100 even though I will surpass 50 easily.

I read The Hazards of Time Travel by Joyce Carol Oates. The synopsis seemed like just my type of dystopia. The main character gets sent back to the 1950s as a punishment for free speech. The current day is ~2050. Unfortunately, the story got weaker as it went on. Adriane is questioning her world and that leads to her punishment. I feel like more and more the story was happening to her instead of her actions creating the story.

I wasn't a fan of her falling in love with the 'only person who can understand me' man in the book. He is almost 30 and her professor. She is 17.

I don't like YA very much and this book is an example of why. Strong concept and characters that devolve into a predatory romance. I really wanted more out of it. 2.5/5 stars

Emily wrote: "I've always been drawn to stories that take place over many years of the characters' lives. Usually that means some dude being an asshole and pining over a loved interest for a decade..."

Haha, I love long spanning stories too! This is going on my TBR list immediately!

I didn't have many options on my shelf that would count towards finishing a series, so I decided to read the last three volumes of Letter 44. I had read the first 3 around 2016 when they were published, but hit a slump in the series and had bought but not read the other volumes.

The gist of the series is that when the newly elected President takes office he receives a letter from his predecessor outlining a secret space mission to investigate an alien presence in the asteroid belt. By the last volume, we have discovered why the aliens are here and how humanity and they are responsible. The 5th volume was my favorite. It had a lot of flashbacks to the recruitment of the Clarke crew and the forming of OSCAR (the outer space military branch). The End (Volume 6) was a great conclusion. It addressed the immediate threat and problems, but also reflected on all of the events that lead up to it.

I give the series 4/5 stars and VOL 5 & 6 5/5.

Amelia wrote: "Emily wrote: "Ava wrote: "I'm listening to The Odyssey for something old. I heard about this new translation from the Nerdette podcast earlier this year. So far I really like the fast pace of the t..."

I finished it this morning and I really enjoyed it. The audio format made it so easy to get through and was fun.

I highly recommend reading the entire translator note in the beginning, though it is long. I listen on 1.5x speed, and it was still around 2 hours! I enjoyed hearing some thought behind her choices. For example, she covered why she kept the translation the same exact length of the original, why she wrote in iambic pentameter, and explained some of the repetitive language she used. I think that this insight really added to my reread.

I loved the Shades of Magic series. Have you read any other V.E. Schwab? I'm been meaning to pick up another of her books.

I'm listening to The Odyssey for something old. I heard about this new translation from the Nerdette podcast earlier this year. So far I really like the fast pace of the translation and the meter. It just sounds good to my ears. The note before the text was quite long, but I really enjoyed hearing some insight from the translator, Emily Wilson.