March 2018 REPORTING - Blowing off the Cobwebs

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Lynn wrote: "I read Glory over Everything: Beyond The Kitchen House which was on Peggy's list.
We both gave it 5 stars. Such a gripping and well-crafted story with fabulous characters.

Points..."

Sounds like a great rec!

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Almeta wrote: "I read We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. Its average rating is 3.72. So I was surprised that my rating and Margo's matched.

Margo gave it five stars and said, among other thi..."

It's nice when you and the book club buddies match, and can ignore the unwashed masses :P

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Margo wrote: "My report: I read His Bloody Project: Documents Relating to the Case of Roderick Macrae. It on Peggy's best list (I really thought it was Lisa's rec until I checked the list!).

Thi..."

This is getting higher on my list

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Beth wrote: "I read We Were Liars which turned out to have been on Sandra's Worst List. I actually enjoyed it. So I get 4 points. Otherwise it didn't fit any points categories. I think especiall..."

I do wonder how you guys (being the psychs in this group) do it, suspend disbelief sometimes. I find it hard, and I know very little of what you guys do. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[Isaura]

Margo wrote: "Isaura wrote: "I read Ready Player One. It appeared in Janice and Margo's best list. The theme of this book caught my attention a while ago and I'm so glad I finally had the chance ..."

I'm am a little bit scared about the movie that is going to be released because this book was so amazing and I don't want them to change everything ( as appears they have done).

[Saar The Book owl]

I've read Ready Player One
The first time I didn't finish, because of the information dump and the references. I was born in the 80's, but a bit young ad born in the wrong country. But I gave the book a second try, because I want to see the movie. Overall I enjoyed it and gave it 3,5 stars.

Janice gave it 5 stars and for Margo it was also one of her best reads, because of the gaming and being a teenager in this period.

What I thought about the book: It's the second time that I've read the book. The first time I didn't finished it, because I had poor connection with the 80's. I'm an 80's kid, but maybe I was to young at the moment or I was born in the wrong country and it annoyed me the first time reading that I didn't connect with most of the references.
But then, the second re - read, I did my research about the references and there was a lot that I knew, so it made the book easier to read.
I had the feeling that the story went with up's and down's. The up's were the battles, the dialogues, the action and the down's most of all, was all the information that was given about the games, the consoles, the life of Halliday. I've found that the information was given in too big chuncks instead of splitten it up.
I've identified myself with the characters at some point, but with moments it was a bit moralizing.
I was a gamer and some of the games I recognized, but I had more connection with the movie - , serie - and music - references.
It's not a book that I immediately would pick up, but I'm glad I've read it. Through the book you can feel the passion of the author for what he has written and it's clear that Ernest Cline is a fellow gamer and geek.
To conclude: I would re - read the book again.

Points:
- 3 points: I agree that it was a good book. Some of the references I had to look up, but there was enough action and sometimes I wish that was playing allong with the MC's.
- 2 points: L. Ron Hubbard's birthday – your book is set on another planet: the sotry is set on a variety of planets.

Total points: 5

[Margo]

Isaura wrote: "Margo wrote: "Isaura wrote: "I read Ready Player One. It appeared in Janice and Margo's best list. The theme of this book caught my attention a while ago and I'm so glad I finally h..."

I know what you mean Isaura. I am also very nervous about going to the movie. What if they mess up? But I have to go to see it! My son is refusing outright to go as he says they're going ruin it. I couldn't do that!

[Janice, Moderator]

I can't wait for the movie. I know they've added a character and there are bound to be other changes. But the trailer looks so good.

[Peggy]

I read . It was on Lisa's best list, and although I enjoyed the book (I rated it 3.75 stars), it wouldn't have ended up on my best list. Still, I think we agree on it being a good book. Overall I enjoyed it, but I thought the writing was often confusing and unnecessarily complicated.

3 pts – You agree with the original poster
2 pts - National Reading Awareness Month
2 pts- Holi
2 pts - Hōnen Matsuri

Total: 9 points

[Casceil]

I also read The Essex Serpent . I have delayed reporting because I feel conflicted about whether I "agree" with Lisa. I suppose a three star rating is closer to a "best" than to a "worst," but I feel like I strongly disagree with the "best" view, because I really did not think this book was anything special. I thought that the writing did not flow well. The characters seemed reasonably well developed, but the story did not really seem to go anywhere. In light of your clarification, I guess it fits in the "agree" side, and in the interest of simplicity I will copy from Peggy as to points.
3 pts – You agree with the original poster
2 pts - National Reading Awareness Month
2 pts- Holi
2 pts - Hōnen Matsuri

Total: 9 points

[Vicki]

I read The Kitchen House .

I abandoned this last year when I tried to read it because I just couldn't muster any sympathy for this slave owning family. I persisted this time and eventually got caught up in it enough that I finished the last 250 pages in one sitting, I had to rate it 4 stars for that. The storytelling is good, I really enjoyed the 2nd perspective even though, or especially, because her chapters were only 2 pages long and just freshened it up. And they gave some real perspective because Lavinia (the MC) is a bit dumb.
(view spoiler)[I didn't like that most of the drama could have been avoided with a little communication. (hide spoiler)]

3 pts - I agreed with Kristie
2 pts - books were read
2 pts - trees on the cover
2 pts - pigs are slaughtered on Hog-killing Day
2 pts - Hōnen Matsuri - rape, sex,(view spoiler)[ incest, child abuse, and polygamy (hide spoiler)] all abound but are not graphic.

11 pts - total

[Janice, Moderator]

It's great that you picked up a book that was previously a dnf and gave it another chance for this challenge, Vicki!

[Vicki]

Janice wrote: "It's great that you picked up a book that was previously a dnf and gave it another chance for this challenge, Vicki!"

Yeah, I own it too so that played a factor. I can see I own a lot of dnf books because they have book marks poking out of them. Then I wonder where all my book marks are :/

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Nice work everyone!

[Amanda]

I read The Friday Night Knitting Club. In the best/worst thread it was read by Roz. She rated it as one of her worst. I thought I would disagree with her (I'm not a huge chick-lit fan, but find it enjoyable from time to time). The book was a fun, light read with a cast of nutty characters. While it was less about the club and more about the woman who owned the knitting shop, I was still enjoying it. Until I hit the last 70 or so pages of the book. The ending just killed it for me, especially since it kind of came out of the blue. I ended up giving it two stars.

Points:
3 - I agreed with Roz

[Cherie]

Rusalka - I will not finish my book. I am having to force myself to read Tender Is the Night and that is never good.

I just managed to get to page 100. I have no idea if it was on someone's good list or bad list - I did not look. I bought the book some time ago, after reading Hemingway's wife's book, thinking I needed to expose myself to some literature of the time. Ugh. It was very confusing at the start, and has become something I really do not care about by now. There are words and phrases that I am not sure I am "well read enough" to understand or appreciate. I am going to dump it onto my DNF shelf and maybe attack it another day/month/year.

I could have picked up the book Amanda reported on above. I own it too, but after reading her last two sentences, it might not have been better.

I think I might crack the covers of The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms. It seems more engrossing to my mind set at the moment.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Amanda wrote: "I read The Friday Night Knitting Club. In the best/worst thread it was read by Roz. She rated it as one of her worst. I thought I would disagree with her (I'm not a huge chick-lit fan,..."

Oh dear. Good work on finishing then. I hate it when a book lets me down like that.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Cherie wrote: "Rusalka - I will not finish my book. I am having to force myself to read Tender Is the Night and that is never good.

I just managed to get to page 100. I have no idea if it was on so..."

No worries, Cherie. I am sorry you aren't enjoying it at the moment. Hope you get through it the next time you pick it up.

[Lanelle]

I decided to read . I really wished I had read it before watching the movie several times! Knowing the movie so well gave me expectations of the book that I should not have had. Oh well.

I still enjoyed the story and gave it a solid 4 stars. That's not quite as many stars that Almeta gave on the Best & Worst thread.

Here's my points:
3pts – You agree with the original poster
2pts - National Reading Awareness Month (Hugo read The Invention of Dreams: The Story of the First Movies Ever Made several times.)
2pts - Holi (the cover has bright blue, red and yellow)
2pts - Canberra Day (the story is set in Paris, which is the capitol city of France)

Total: 9 points

[Pragya]

I read A Man Called Ove

3pts – You agree with the original poster
Peggy and Sandra rated it as their best reads and I concur. It was really good and enjoyable. I gave it 4 stars. I finished it in two days because it was very interesting!

Total: 3

[Peggy]

Glad you enjoyed it too Pragya!

[Roz]

Amanda wrote: "I read The Friday Night Knitting Club. In the best/worst thread it was read by Roz. She rated it as one of her worst. I thought I would disagree with her (I'm not a huge chick-lit fan,..."

Exactly! It was the end that killed if for me.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

I read The Complete Maus which was mentioned by Margo. Now as she didn't have it on her best or worst list as she didn't finish it, I am in a bit of a bind. She indicated that she really liked it and though, so I will assume we agree, as I gave it 5 stars (please correct me if I am wrong, Margo)

3pts – You agree with the original poster

Oh... I nearly had: • National Pig Day – there is a pig in the book (not pork, a live pig)
But as they were humans who were drawn with pig heads to denote they were gentile Poles, not Jewish Poles, this is not what I had in mind.

Total = 3 points

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Please report if you have not already. I will be badging in the next day or two.