What did you read last month? - September

[Wigs]

Tell us what you read in September (AND August if you want since there was never a mod announcement for that)

:)

[Wigs]

I finished the audiobook of Fates and Furies. Honestly I can't recommend it. I liked the prose style, the writer is good with word craft, but the plot dragged and I felt like any surprises at the end weren't that interesting. What I did want to hear more about was Matilde and Ariel (spelling? sorry it was an audiobook) which was the most scandalous part but I felt like not much time was spent on it and too much time was spent on boring things, like Lotto's plays. Or Lotto at all.

I also felt like it might have been less confusing if I had read the print version because I missed where the paragraph breaks were some times when there was meant to be a passage of time and I would be suddenly confused that the scene had changed. Anyway, audiobook aside, whatev. Was a bit of a slog to get through.

I have four credits on Audible right now, can anyone recommend good audiobooks to grab?

[Knobby]

Wigs wrote: "I finished the audiobook of Fates and Furies. Honestly I can't recommend it. I liked the prose style, the writer is good with word craft, but the plot dragged and I felt like any surprises at the e..."

I read that for a book club and we had so many thoughts about it. In that vein, I think it was an okay book. We could NOT shut up about our stupid feelings (a lot of emotion in our conversation). But I agree, it was a bit of a slog. Some parts were gorgeous and other parts were just purple prose.

Books from my September:

For the Record - 4 stars - cute YA

The Dress Lodger - 3 stars - weird historical fiction novel, didn't blow me away at all

Every Breath - 3 stars - Australian, Sherlock-ian YA. 2 stars to the mystery but 5 on the hotness of the romantic subplot

Will Grayson, Will Grayson - 3 stars - I'm starting to learn that I really only like The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and nothing else by him

What Happened to Goodbye - 4 stars - I'm a Dessen fangirl ugh

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - no rating yet - still thinking this one over

[Alyssa]

Wigs, have you read 'The Girl with all the Gifts'? if you can get that on audio i would recommend it!

this month i read:
My Boyfriend Wrote a Book About Me: And Other Stories I Shouldn't Share with Acquaintances, Coworkers, Taxi drivers, Assistants, Job Interviewers, Bikini Waxers, and Ex/Current/Future Boyfriends but Have - 3/5. I thought this book was going to be more of a humor memoir than it was, and it was a lot of navel gazing, but i also can admit i related to a lot of what Winston wrote about (except all the weird baths).

Breakfast at Tiffany's - 3/5 it was fine and all but i don't really understand all of the hype around it. Though that's typical for me and 'classics'.

Love Letters to the Dead - 3/5 i really wanted to love this book but it was just meh and the letter writing style didn't work for me, i felt like it just bloated the book with excess historical information about who she was writing to that didn't add anything to the story.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - 2/5 why does everyone love this book? 'cause i sure don't.

The Ghost Network - 3/5 i got really excited because i was hoping this book was going to be sort of like 'House of Leaves' in some way but it really just ended up being a shit ton of telling vs showing anything and i was sad.

Not a great month for me.

[IMY]

After September, I am finally back on track for my reading challenge.

Real Food/Fake Food: Why You Don’t Know What You’re Eating and What You Can Do about It - 4 stars - Makes me never want to eat out again.

The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories - 4 stars - Some of the stories were so sad & haunting, especially the last one. Love this author, can't wait to read other stuff from him that is not part of the Dandelion Trilogy. Not that the trilogy is not good, just that I have already seen this story many times over.

The New York Stories of Edith Wharton - 3 stars - Interesting look at the times, especially the roles of women and what they go through during different stages in their lives.

Demian - 2 stars - Eh. Apparently this is a much more profound read if you are going through adolescence.

The Cruelest Month - 4 stars - I love this detective series.

A Fatal Grace - 3 stars - Same series as above, don't know how I ended up reading books #2 & #3 out of order.

Re Jane - 3 stars - I appreciated the peek into modern life in Seoul. Other than that, nothing very groundbreaking.

[Brittany]

Wigs wrote: "I finished the audiobook of Fates and Furies. Honestly I can't recommend it. I liked the prose style, the writer is good with word craft, but the plot dragged and I felt like any surprises at the e..."

I really enjoyed the audiobooks for the Robert Galbraith's series - I thought the narration was really good. I also really enjoyed the audiobook for Big Little Lies

[Brittany]

In September(ish) I read or listened to audiobooks for:
A Gathering of Shadows and A Darker Shade of Magic and would give them both 4/5 - fun fantasy reads.

I read a silly romance because it was free on Amazon but I liked it, it has a lot of geeky jokes and wasn't too silly, I would give it a 3.5/5 To One Hundred

I've also been reading a few of the Black Dagger Brotherhood books. Definitely not 5* literature, but reading a series you are familiar with is so comforting sometimes. Anyone have any favorite series? I really love JD Robbs' In Death series.

I always really like to read this thread each month, so thanks for keeping it going :)

[IMY]

Brittany wrote: "Anyone have any favorite series? I really love JD Robbs' In Death series."

Oh man I hated In Death when I was dying for a female lead detective series. If the author had spent a few books just establishing the female lead before slowly introducing the male lead then I'd probably be more forgiving. The whole thing felt very forced and trite. Of course the guy had to be tall, dark, handsome, rich & powerful right? I wish I could enjoy the detective side of the series but the male lead plays a much bigger role than I like. Oh well.

I am currently really loving the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny. Still trying to find a good female lead detective series though.... going to give Maisie Dobbs a try.

[Mia]

Finally finished: Drown & This Is How You Lose Her, which were both good, but I liked Lola from The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao the best and she wasn't in either of them so, guess that pops that to the top of my list (I read that one last year).

I finished a couple of Riordan books. Demigods & Magicians: Percy and Annabeth Meet the Kanes I wish was a full series, I love the Kanes SO MUCH and The Hidden Oracle which I literally read in a day. I loved this book a lot, it was a lighter read than the Magnus series, but I think there'll be 7 of them so I expect it to get a bit harsher (especially considering (view spoiler)[Meg is clearly a product of a crazy abusive childhood (hide spoiler)]).

[Wigs]

Omg guys so, I just started Pretty Girls, has any one read it??

I just finished chapter 3 and omg at the (view spoiler)[snuff film????? Like....okay so now I'm wondering if Paul was in the middle of a snuff ring and that's why these girls go missing? and with all his crazy security is Claire going to find like bodies somewhere in the house later? I'm like suddenly thinking of Martyrs or something I don't know if I'm like extrapolating too much. But still omg at him having a snuff film I can't. Imagine though if that was you and you found that after your husband's funeral without warning. Your entire relationship and life with him would be tainted with a new perspective. (hide spoiler)]

[Christy]

I read A Monster Calls which I thought was pretty good. I love the illustrations and it made me cry a bit which I haven't done at a book in awhile.

Also read A Head Full of Ghosts. I LOVED IT. So good. So creepy. I can see lots of re-reads with this one.

[Vivian]

Flowers for Algernon: 3.5/5
I enjoyed it enough, the writing was really easy to read and didn't take me too long to finish. The story was emotional and compelling for the most part, but for some reason didn't evoke anything strong reaction from me.

[Julia]

You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life 3/5 - Interesting read, but felt a little longwinded in some areas.

Dear Abby on Planning Your Wedding 4/5 - Not a new book, but the advice is pretty timeless. Came across the book in my library, and was intrigued as I am helping a friend plan her wedding.

Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better 5/5 - Really beautiful speech that Pema Chodron gave at a University graduation. I'm sure it could be watched on Youtube, but a great checkout from the library.

Artists, Writers, Thinkers, Dreamers: Portraits of Fifty Famous Folks & All Their Weird Stuff 4/5 - Neat book of sketches and facts of interesting people throughout history.

The Myth of Multitasking: How "Doing It All" Gets Nothing Done 3/5 - Had a similar structure as 'The One Minute Manager', with facts and quotes throughout. An interesting concept, as I never feel good at having to multitask.

Stay True: Short Stories for Strong Girls 3/5 - I didn't finish it all, a good read for YA. Just didn't keep me captivated much before it was due back at the library.

[Robert]

Hello, I'm Bob.

Two good books the past month:

1. Bomb: I reviewed it at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

This is a documentary about the development of the atomic bomb, with technical descriptions that gently explain the more important science behind the ideas. But it was exquisitely written in the form of a novel, with the author taking actual events and quotes from an exhaustive list of primary sources, as referenced in a long appendix. The story focused on the people and events, especially the spying: Germany vs the Allies, and even the Allies among themselves. Most notable was Russian success in establishing a network of informants even within the Manhattan Project, which was a surprise to me. But the author's explanation made perfect sense, and the reader starts the book with a Russian agent meeting an American spy in a clandestine passing of key papers to the Russians. The documentary takes advantage of the high tensions surrounding the war and necessity for speed by building a world in which the personalities make the story come alive. Loved it.

2. Life is Good: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

This was written by the two brothers who founded the company after graduation, but with few career opportunities that appealed to them. They decided, after a cross-country road trip, to form a t-shirt company so that they could follow their passion of graphic design. It is a quick, but very entertaining read. The primary messages one ones of optimism, having fun, and "Do What You Like; Like What You Do." I found it immensely enjoyable.

[Knobby]

I miss this group. Can we revive the threads?

[Wigs]

Elissa wrote: "I miss this group. Can we revive the threads?"

Sure, I apologize for not doing it lately. Let me set one up right now.

[Knobby]

Wigs wrote: Sure, I apologize for not doing it lately. Let me set one up right now."

Yay!