ttg's read list for No-Buy-June!

[ttg]

I'm starting Sinner's Gin now. So far, not as strong as Dirty Kiss, but I'm still early in, so we'll see how it goes!

[ttg]

Since my LHNB prompt story has been posted (and read), I'm going to try to save the others for post-June and tackle my owned books. :D (It helps that they have a delay on downloaded versions.)

[Sun]

I just added a bunch of the LHNB stories to a TBR shelf for end of June...hopefully they'll have download links by then and I can just load up my Kindle before vacation! :)

[ttg]

Susan wrote: "I just added a bunch of the LHNB stories to a TBR shelf for end of June...hopefully they'll have download links by then and I can just load up my Kindle before vacation! :)"

The download links usually pop up in a few days after posting, so you should be good on the ones posted from early-to-mid June. :)

I'm looking forward to checking out Winter Winds and The Lion and the Crow. (That latter one is a historical though, Susan, which I know is not a fave genre with you. :P) :D

[Sun]

I only TBR'd the authors I know. But, I do want to give some new/others a try. I'll wait for reviews. I have a prompt up too by a writer I haven't heard of.

I'm so excited about yours!

[ttg]

Susan wrote: "I only TBR'd the authors I know. But, I do want to give some new/others a try. I'll wait for reviews. I have a prompt up too by a writer I haven't heard of.

I'm so excited about yours!"

Treasure was awesome. I think you'll dig it since I remember you liking Brute. Fielding's writing was very smooth.

I think you'll also dig Kaje Harper's one. It was a great read.

[Sun]

I LOVED Brute!!!!!

[ttg]

So tempted to buy Lanyon's Blood Red Butterfly for .99 cents. Stayin' strong! :O

[[deleted user]]

Really not one of his good ones, ttg. Save your .99!!

[ttg]

Kate wrote: "Really not one of his good ones, ttg. Save your .99!!"

I have not broken yet! I'm too stubborn. :D

[ttg]

Weasel wrote: "ttg wrote: "Kate wrote: "Really not one of his good ones, ttg. Save your .99!!"

I have not broken yet! I'm too stubborn. :D"

Surely someone can lend it to you."

Most likely. That may be the route I eventually take. Fortunately for right now, it's not on my "Must.Read.Now." list. :) It was just so tempting to look at. (Fortunately, I own all the other ones that were priced down.)

[ttg]

I'm bouncing between Sinner's Gin and the Saving Sherlock Holmes fic that Kate linked to in the progress thread. (In a way, it's sorta-cheating since new fanfic.) The fic is fun so far though. A little "twee" in the beginning as Mycroft is coping being a parent to 11-year old Sherlock, but I'm assuming things will eventually shift to school times (and John entering the story.) :) A little wordy, but very well-written so far.

[ttg]

This Sherlock fic is fun although a little wordy. 21% in. I do hope there's eventually a mystery to solve and it's not a 100k more of eventual schmoopy high school times...

[[deleted user]]

ttg wrote: "This Sherlock fic is fun although a little wordy. 21% in. I do hope there's eventually a mystery to solve and it's not a 100k more of eventual schmoopy high school times..."

Be my guinea pig on this one. :D

[ttg]

Kate wrote: "Be my guinea pig on this one. :D"

I'm a little over 30% in and I'm going to take a stab and say this may not be for you. Granted, I've read very little Johnlock, and some parts feel very Sherlock, but others feel very OOC, especially any of the romance, like Sherlock ruminating about how beautiful John is and how he wants to lick his neck, etc.

And no big mystery yet. I'm try to push through a bit more.

And Sinner's Gin was a bust. On to find something else from the pile...

[[deleted user]]

Meh. Thanks, ttg. It sounds pretty generic. I'll just give it a pass.

[ttg]

Kate wrote: "Meh. Thanks, ttg. It sounds pretty generic. I'll just give it a pass."

I'll try a little bit more, but it's long, so yeah, save yourself from 139k. (I was hoping it would be something like Johnlock meets Young Sherlock Holmes, with a great mystery to solve...)

Along with that, I think I'll give Home Work a go.

[Sun]

ttg wrote: "Kate wrote: "Along with that, I think I'll give Home Work a go. ..."

Do you have the whole series? I read one after the other...couldn't stop. ha! Oh...but we're close to the end of the month so you should be ok...

[ttg]

Susan wrote: "Do you have the whole series? I read one after the other...couldn't stop. ha! Oh...but we're close to the end of the month so you should be ok..."

Yeah, I read the first two last spring. I haven't reread them since, but I think I'll be okay.

I find Harper's writing very readable, so I'm hopeful about this one. :)

[ttg]

Temptation, thy name is Amazon gift certificate! I will try not to look at this free money until July 1, when it will be used so thoroughly...

(Started Home Work. So far, so good.)

[ttg]

Finished Home Work. Now just have to figure out what to read next. May try to go back to schoolboy Sherlock. Otherwise...

You Get Full Credit For Being Alive should have a downloadable version up tomorrow. I am looking forward to that. :) (Too lazy to read long fics on the computer.)

[ttg]

Recap:

I did not buy books, so in that way, made it through.

Besides not buying, I'm not sure how successful my month was to get through the backlist. I got through six things I had on me already, but half of those were freebie shorts from earlier and one of those was a DNF. I had one borrow, and three new reads which were all free.

So, it went okay. Still lots of backlist to read though. So my newish goal is to try to work through 2-3 backlist a month (but allow some buys too.) We'll see...someday I will read Captive Prince.

[Sun]

I hope you will LOVE Captive Prince! It's one of my favs!!!!

Congrats on staying true and not spending!!!! :)

[[deleted user]]

I didn't get through as many of my paper books as I wanted BUT I didn't buy anything. So. Half a win?

[ttg]

Kate wrote: "I didn't get through as many of my paper books as I wanted BUT I didn't buy anything. So. Half a win?"

On the bright side, we saved some money. :D

This was also a good excuse to cull some books and move them to DNF or "probably won't read" so, slightly less clutter too. :)

[Ais]

Well done on not buying anything! You should buy yourself a non-book themed cookie for that!

lol I completely failed at that. Bought the whole Raised by Wolves series and the newest Neil Gaiman. But! I didn't buy other books so I guess that's good. (Although I did get through-- or at least start and realize I don't immediately feel like finishing-- some of the books I'd had sitting around forever)

[ttg]

Just a note to say that I DID just finally finish the 140k Johnlock High School AU Saving Sherlock Holmes.

Parts I liked a lot, but it is waaaay too long, overly schmoopy with the ILY thoughts, and has quite a few paragraphs of prolonged thinking that I either skimmed or skipped right over.

The background romance between Mycroft and Lestrade was great though. I usually find the background romances dull or tacked-on, but this one was nice, although fade-to-black for them. :(

I don't know if I *recommend* it. Some Sherlock parts were great, but I had a hard time at some of the schmoopiness that came in. If you have a high tolerance for that, it might work better for you.

I do think that this probably worked better if you read it chapter by chapter as a WIP. The pacing/length issues would seem less evident than if you're reading straight through.

[[deleted user]]

I tried it, but I gave up on it about 20% in. I agree that it is one that would work a lot better if it was read in serialized pieces.

[ttg]

Kate wrote: "I tried it, but I gave up on it about 20% in. I agree that it is one that would work a lot better if it was read in serialized pieces."

When it eventually hit some mysteries, it picked up a bit, but then dragged down again. Oh well.