EPBOT Readers discussion
Reading Challenges 2018
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Week 3 Check in
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Anyway, while I was returning that and picking up the FoE book club book As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride, the shelf next to it in the library has new arrivals and I saw The Perfect Cookie: Your Ultimate Guide to Foolproof Cookies, Brownies, and Bars from America's Test Kitchen. I took that out and read the whole thing last night! I want to bake all the things! Alas, it is only hubby and I and if I made all those cookies, you'd be rolling us to the library! I need to figure out if I want to copy some of the recipes, buy my own copy of the book to keep or what. There are many that are the same as I bake, particularly for Christmas, and I definitely want to compare their recipe with mine and understand the why of any differences. Anyway, if you like cookies, this is a fantastic book. Almost as good as any of my Alton Brown books. It is a cookbook you can read.
I'm back to reading Nora Robert's Year One since I have a bunch of renewals on that. I'm not too far in yet and I'm only lukewarm on it so far. It is another of her supernatural books/series and those are usually my least favorite of hers. It has the feel of The Stand so far with a world-wide pandemic killing the vast majority of the population.
As for rating books, I only rate them by how much I enjoy them. And I read other's reviews and appreciate when they do the same. Poorly written books can be distracting so that does factor into it. Some recent non-fiction I've read were good and interesting but got repetitive in the later chapters.
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For having a busy week last week, I actually got through quite a bit of stuff--partly because I'm committing to walking to work unless I really need the car to help me carry something or run errands directly after work. This gives me about 1h 20 minutes of "reading" time a day with audio books. My walk itself is a really nice walk to begin with, but I enjoy it even more now.
So, for audio books, last week I finished How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse. More fluff and fun narrated by David Tennant. I really can't handle anything that's too complicated plot-wise in an audio book as I tend to get distracted, and I don't want to listen to anything that is remotely distressing in nature, so I'm finding that YA books are pretty much perfect for me, even though I wouldn't normally read them.
Next, I listened to the FoE book club choice for the month, As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride. This was narrated by Carey Elwes and had guest appearances from many of the surviving cast members. I'll save most of my thoughts on it for the book club discussion, but, overall, I enjoyed it. I managed to watch the movie on the weekend right before beginning the book, too, because it's been a few years since I last watched it, so I had a clear visual of everything he was talking about. I will say that my absolute favourite parts were the passages about Andre the Giant and about working with Billy Crystal.
I finished As You Wish Yesterday and then just started listening to Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians. I found this book using a fairly random search in my library's overdrive database, but have never actually heard of the series before. I choose it because it was (1) available for download, (2) YA, and (3) written by Brandon Sanderson. I haven't read any of Sanderson's standalone works, but I have read the whole Wheel of Time series (twice!) and like how he took over for Robert Jordan after he passed away. My first impression of this book is it's so, so funny! I'm only about 20 minutes in, but I'm really enjoying it so far. It seems to be a love letter/satire (weird combo, I know) to books, libraries, and being a writer.
As for physical books, I finished Last Rituals, which continued to be horrible, so enough said there. Having started the year with a few murder mysteries and dense novel by Rushdie, I needed to turn my attention to some lighter fare, so I read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2 as my prompt for "a book that's also a play or musical." I didn't love this. I felt like it wasn't true to a lot of the characters, but I did think that the story line itself was well-conceived and liked the idea of Draco's and Harry's children being friends. I would have liked to see some more female characters in the book, though!
I also completed the prompt for your favourite prompt from 2014-2017. I choose "a book you loved as a child" and read Birth of the Firebringer. I was completely obsessed by this book as a child. I read it until it was almost falling apart, and then lent it to a friend, who then lost it and I never forgave her, because that was the 1980s and it wasn't easy to find replacements for books that were not big sellers (I bought this copy at the scholastic book fair in my school one day). Imagine my delight in the early 2000s when online books sellers became popular. This was one of the first books I bought online AND I discovered that it was actually the first book in a trilogy! Re-reading the book then, and again now, I can see why it captured my imagination so well. It really is an almost perfectly constructed YA book about unicorn warriors and a journey of self-discovery (a true bildungsroman novel). The writing and imagery is beautiful and there are all sorts of mythical creatures in the trilogy. I think that Meredith Ann Pierce is a largely overlooked author, and if she had been writing in the age of social media, her work (I like to think) would have gotten a lot more attention.
After reading some Harry Potter and a book about unicorns, I felt ready to move back to something "meatier," so I attempted to download Kindred from the library, but I had some problems with the download, so I downloaded The Night Circus instead. This is my "book suggested by someone else doing the challenge" prompt, as it seems like I'm the last person to read this book and every one I know who has read it absolutely loves it. I'm about 20% through so far and (ducks and runs for cover) feeling pretty "meh" about it. I'm hoping, now that I'm at the part where the circus is being put together, that it will pick up.
And finally, to answer Sheri's question, my ratings come from a combination of enjoyment and assessment of the craft of writing. I used to be an English teacher and still teach research and writing skills at the post secondary level--with some copy editing work on the side--so unless a book is well constructed, I really don't feel that I can give it 5 starts. However, I wouldn't give a book 5 stars just because it was well written: I'd also have to feel an emotional connection with the book. Likewise, I might give something that isn't the best writing a higher rating if I really loved the story, even if it had a few plot holes.
I honestly have read nothing but program submissions for a conference this week. It’s not unusual for me to read in short bursts and then stop for a bit, although I should check the due dates on a couple of items I have out. If I end up having to go on for jury duty next week I will load up the kindle with enough books to get through the day.
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Stephanie, you're putting my reading to shame this week haha.
Sorry you're still not loving The Night Circus. I'm a terrible book recommender for you, clearly!
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This has been a week of false starts for me. I finished Off Armageddon Reef, and didn't really love it. I did grab the second one in the series and read a few pages of it, but other more interesting books came in at the library so I set it aside.
Claire North has quickly become a favorite author of mine, so I was happy when The End of the Day came in. I really enjoyed this one, though I can see how others wouldn't since it covers a lot of difficult topics. And to my surprise I discovered that she also writes under the name Kate Griffin, and I had the second book of the Matthew Swift series on my to-read list, so I grabbed The Midnight Mayor to read next. This one is still unfinished, because yet again more books came in from the library.
I've had Brandon Sanderson's new one, Oathbringer, on hold forever, so I dropped everything to read this when it came in. Though first I had to read a couple really long summaries of the previous books in the series so I could be up to date on what's happening since it's been so long since I read the first two. I'm only 10% of the way through, so we'll see how it goes!
And in between all this stuff, I read The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie for the second time because I picked it up for my daughter to read and I was feeling lazy and it was sitting next to me on the couch so I picked it up and started reading.
I also started listening to Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer but I'll admit I was pretty lost since I read the first two a long time ago. It's weird and I'm not sure I'll ever get around to finishing it.
So yeah, weird week of reading for me.
I rate my books based on how I enjoyed them. I use the stars pretty much how goodreads has them labeled. Books only get 5 stars from me if I want to immediately go back to the beginning and read it again. I'm pretty stingy with those stars. I also have no problem giving bad ratings. 2 stars = it's ok, and I give this without remorse. I do wish we had a 10 star rating system, though, since I'm often sitting at 2.5 or 3.5 rather than a straight 3 stars.
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How is the the Sanderson series that you're reading? I've been toying with reading it from the beginning, and I'd love to hear more from someone who's been following the series.
Stephanie wrote: "How is the the Sanderson series that you're reading?"I think it's really good, and I'm not even a huge epic fantasy fan. Sanderson just has a way with words that makes anything he writes a pleasure to read. His magic systems are super in-depth, and his world building is fabulous. You can tell this is a series he has spent a lot of time thinking about and planning and isn't just writing it as it comes to him. You should definitely check it out! Though if you don't like reading incomplete series, this one won't be done for a looooong time. :)
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I was absolutely floored to see Birth of the Firebringer in your post. I've been obsessed with that book since grade school and I've NEVER met another person who's even heard of Meredith Ann Pierce! Wow. I have three copies on my shelf right now - the original paperback (a replacement for one that was loaned and never returned - guess we all have *that* friend :) ), the reprint paperback that came out a few years ago, and the original hardback version that I saw on my school library's shelf and is the reason I ever picked up the book. I adore her The Darkangel trilogy, too, and because my heritage is Norwegian, her The Woman Who Loved Reindeer, was especially neat. I think her most recent book was Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood. I liked it, but it didn't grab me like the others.
So nice to finally see someone else sing her praises! :)
Now that I've gushed about Meredith Ann Pierce, I should do a weekly check-in, eh? :)This was a weird week of reading for me. Well, weird in that the books were oddly complimentary and conflicting at the same time.
My commuter audiobook was Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir. I've been watching the sitcom and I have an interest in first gen Asian-American stories, so I was eager to check this out. It was...not what I was expecting, I guess. It was well written and had some interesting insights, but the author is so full of piss and vinegar that it was hard to care about the story. It read more like a memoir of a juvenile delinquent who hasn't grown up yet. For all his moaning about white people, he sure seemed to catch a lot of lucky breaks, and always had a safety net to fall back on.
My ebook this week was The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Wow. What a 180 from the previous book! I can see why this won a Pulitzer. It's also a first gen American "memoir" (this one's fiction), but it's the story of an overweight, nerdy Dominican, and of several of his close family members. It's very literary, pulls no punches, and lets the reader wrestle with lots of untranslated Spanish and copious footnotes. You find out who the narrator is about 2/3 of the way through the book and then all the footnotes make sense (it's very much in-keeping with that character's style). I liked this one a lot. It's sticking with me and giving me a lot to ponder.
My paper book this week is Inkheart. I'm still on the fence with this one. I'm almost halfway through and, while I don't dislike it, I'm not particularly riveted, either.
All of this discussion is so fun! I've added 3 new books to my library reading list from all of the suggestions here. Keep them coming! This week I finished 3 books and 1 audio book. First was Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. I really liked this book - NDT's writing kept my attention for whole book. It was good for short bursts of reading. Susan - Following your comment from last week, I searched for NDT's event schedule and sadly he's not coming anywhere close to me in the near future, but I'll certainly keep an eye out. It seems like he'd give a great presentation.
Then I finished Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season. This book wasn't as captivating as Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster, but it was an interesting take on the commercialization of climbing Mt. Everest. It told the story of the 2006 climbing season. It focused on the large number of people that climb the mountain each year and how much obligation there is or should be to help other climbers, especially when those climbers take on too much risk (climbing without oxygen or without support). The 2006 season was also filmed as part of a documentary, which I'm going to watch next. And yes, Susan, to answer your other question from last week, I did see the movie Everest. I thought that movie was a much fairer interpretation of those events than the original Into Thin Air movie.
As another follow-up to The Selection series by Kiera Cass, I read Happily Ever After. This book contained all the novellas, related chapters, and epilogue to The Selection trilogy. I really, really like all of the varying points of view - seeing the events through the lens of multiple characters. That said, still not sure if I'll read the last 2 books in the series.
Next up for me is Imzadi II: Triangle and Outlander. Looking forward to both of these!
For audio books, I finished Ten Big Ones. These Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich are over-the-top, all follow a similar progression/storyline, and yet the audio versions entertain me to no end on my long commute to work. I've also started listening to Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future. It popped up on overdrive as available and popular, so I used it as a filler. It's pretty interesting - he's an eccentric visionary. I'm especially fascinated by his innovations in SpaceX. We'll see if I finish it now that Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library is available.
As far as my rating system, I'm also an emotional rater. My ratings are based on my overall feeling of the book - how fast did it draw me in, how entertaining was it, do I want to read it again, how did I feel when it ended. Reading is an escape for me - I want books that take me to other times and places and keep me there; I want to learn and be fascinated; I want to say "wow." It doesn't matter if it's a classic or if it's supposed to be really good - it's my reaction that matters for my ratings.
Hi all!This week I read The Bat for the Nordic Noir prompt in Pop Sugar challenge. It also fit Genre fiction in translation for Read Harder.
I think I also finished I Know I Am, But What Are You? as an audiobook. I enjoyed it. I think the second half was more enjoyable than the first half.
I read the first part of Expelled because my son was reading it for school and I was trying to help him with ideas for the project he had to do on it. I didn't finish the book though. I might if he doesn't turn it in to the teacher for extra credit. It was interesting. It was only the second thing by James Patterson I'd read, and I would guess it was mostly written by the second author listed.
I'm starting to read The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession for the True Crime prompt in both Pop sugar and Read Harder. Then I hope to move on to As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride.
As far as how I rate books, it tends to be mostly emotional based. I give a whole lot of 4-star ratings, that's for if I liked it and if a series I will continue to read the series. 3 stars for liked but didn't love. Very few 5 stars, I save those for books that I think are truly exceptional or books that I really love and would recommend to pretty much anyone. Very few 2-star ratings and almost no 1-star ratings, it has to be a truly bad book to get a 1-star rating from me. Usually those are the kind that I have picked up on Kindle that are self-published and have never seen an editor, or even been read by a friend of the author who reads a lot and could have corrected many of the worst errors. A lot of homophones are a big thing that I have a huge problem with. Or if they use common phrases but replace a word with an incorrect one. I feel in those cases I have to leave an honestly bad review to warn other readers. I will also often submit reports of typos from my kindle while I'm reading.
Happy reading!
Hi everyone.This is my first post here. I'm happy to be in the group! I was inspired by Jen's list of geeky resolutions to expand my reading some this year. I am also trying to be better about using my library resources instead of buying everything.
This week I read Murder on the Orient Express. It was my first Agatha Christie and I really liked it! Next up for me will be As You Wish. I also just bought (in hardcover so I'm waiting for it) my first business/non-fiction book for this year, Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss. I recently heard an interview with him on the Knowledge Project podcast and it convinced me to buy it.
My ratings of books are pretty much entirely on how I feel about a book at the end. I give lots of 4s and 3s, and a few fives. I usually don't do 1s or 2s because I won't keep reading if it's that bad, and I hate to rate a book I haven't finished.
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I really liked Murder on the Orient Express when I read it last year! I was surprised I'd never managed to read any Agatha Christie before that.
Finished off Polytechnique 6 décembre and The Night Circus. I have plenty more lined up, but I suspect I won't have much time to read this week. I'll probably listen to an audiobook or two on the drive to my boyfriend's this weekend.
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Kristi--I'm so happy to meet another person who knows about Meredith Ann Pierce! Maybe we should suggest something by her for the next book club read ;-) I also have The Woman Who Loved Reindeer sitting on my book shelf. I loved that book growing up, too, although I did do some head scratching when I got old enough to reflect on the fact that it's a YA book. Because, well, reindeer stuff and stuff with reindeer...you know what I'm talking about! I read the Dark Angel Trilogy in my early 20s, but it didn't grab me like her other works, and I haven't read her other two books, but now I'll have to pick them up. What a joy to finally meet someone who has read and loved Birth of the Firebringer as much as I do!! Unicorns! Gryphons! Pans! Wyverns! Prophecy! I'm going to work re-reading the rest of the trilogy into my reading this year, probably when I need a bit of a reading break and want to go back to the much-loved and familiar.
Stephanie -- I loved the rich images it evoked (visual brain candy). The plot felt odd in parts, but then again, perhaps it was meant to keep readers on their toes. Overall, I quite enjoyed it. How about you?
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Stephanie wrote: Kristi--I'm so happy to meet another person who knows about Meredith Ann Pierce..."I'm a couple of weeks late in replying, but YES, I think one of her books (or a trilogy :) ) would be perfect for the book club!! Plus, I need an excuse to pull them all out and revisit them again. It's been...quite a while.
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Books mentioned in this topic
The Night Circus (other topics)Polytechnique 6 décembre (other topics)
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride (other topics)
I Know I Am, But What Are You? (other topics)
The Orchid Thief (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Kiera Cass (other topics)Janet Evanovich (other topics)
Jeff VanderMeer (other topics)
Claire North (other topics)
Kate Griffin (other topics)
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Another cold week in Michigan, good for reading and not much else.
This week I finished The Power which counts for my celebrity book club pick (Emma Watson's book club). It's also counting for ATY, woman's fiction award winner. I really loved it, but it gave me a lot of anxiety to read. All the reviews kept mentioning how dark and intense it was so I kept just waiting for the shoe to drop. But I'm glad I kept through it, it was really excellent.
The Bear and the Nightingale - my book with an animal in the title. I really, really loved this. It was a lovely blend of folklore and a great character. It was everything I had wanted Snow Child to be, so kind of makes up for my disappointment in that one. I'm also counting it for the ATY debut novel.
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride read this for the book club. It was a nice fast, light read. If you love Princess Bride and want to know some of the behind the scenes stuff, it's a great choice. I'm counting it for ATY's book with punctuation in the title, and for Read Harder's celebrity memoir.
I'm currently reading Deadline which is excellent so far. It's the second in the series. I have to say I enjoy reading this series WAY more than listening. I have trouble listening to accounts of violence or people dying, it's way easier to get through them reading where I can skim if I need to. I really like the take on the zombie notion. There's a lot of science put into how they happened, why they're still happening. And it's really interesting how she's showing all the worldbuilding of what happened post-zombies and the way society changed. It can be a hard to read series, but the world is fascinating to me.
How's everyone's reading going?
How do you all rate your books? I find I'm an emotional rater. If I enjoyed a book, I'll mark it really high even if it's not great literature, or terribly well written. If I didn't enjoy it, I'll mark it low even if it's supposedly well written or a classic. I gave As You Wish 5 stars, even though I'm sure it's not really a book full of fantastic literary merit just because I really liked reading about all the actors and the anecdotes, and it really made me want to dig out my copy of Princess Bride and watch it again.