EPBOT Readers discussion
Reading Check In 2019
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Week 16 Check In
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I'm still getting back into the swing of things post-trip, coming back to work after two weeks off, etc.I'm expecting to finish Ruin and Rising either today or tomorrow. Enjoying it so far. I have a bad feeling one of my favorite characters is going to die before the end of it, though. (I hate that feeling.)
Hoping to start Phasma after that, while I wait for Onyx and Ivory from the library.
QOTW: I think writing means writing style in this context. In that regard, plot is definitely more important to me, with the caveat that poor writing style can seriously bog it down for me and pull me out of a story, even if I am interested in the plot.
But character-building and world-building, those are what truly draw me into a story. It's the characters that make or break a book for me. I need to become invested. Not even the best, twisty, turny plot beats will manage to hook me unless I can feel something for the characters.
Quiet week here. I'm still second in line for our library system's single copy of Onyx and Ivory, so getting going on that is still going to be a few weeks. I'm going completely off-grid rural for a week at the beginning of June, so I can pretty much guarantee it will show up right about then. Finished A Crown of Swords, which puts me at the halfway point of the Wheel of Time series. 7 down, 7 to go.
Started on No Country for Old Gnomes which as been 100% delightful so far! It's the sequel to the also-wonderful Kill the Farm Boy, and is a fantasy send-up that was obviously heavily influenced by Terry Pratchett, Monty Python, Tolkien, and other greats of fantasy and satire. So far in this book, we have the "peaceful" gnomes defending their turf from the "savage" halflings; so fully-troped garden gnomes versus hobbits, and all-out war is brewing. It's absurd and hilarious, and Gustave, who pretty much stole the show in Kill the Farm Boy, has finally made an appearance (I'm something like 50 pages in, so none of that should be spoilers). So much fun!!!!
QOTW- I really need a balance of both. I've abandoned books that were badly written pretty much as often as I've quit books that just had no plot or cardboard and/or disposable characters. For me, it's all in the characters and world-building- realistically there are really only so many plots out there, however, these done with the right depth will make a book amazing for me. But it has to be written well enough that there aren't gaping plot-holes and inconsistencies or weirdly placed modern elements. This kills the suspension of belief for me, and when that's dead, the book is usually jettisoned.
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It's been weeks and weeks since I last commented!I'll assume that what prevented me from posting was the fact it took me forever to get through A Storm of Swords. I used it to fill the Fred & George / a book with twins prompt. I alternated between the ebook and the audiobook, and I have to say the narrator drove me nuts, mangling names like Bry-een and Pe-tire. I'm still planning on catching up to the next two books before the next comes out ;)
After that, I read Complicity, which was one of my book flood books. I used it for the Durmstrang / a book with a boat in it prompt. In the Popsugar challenge, it's the "see someone reading it in a movie or tv show" prompt, as it appears in Hot Fuzz. I was iffy about it at first, but I did enjoy the end to sway my overall opinion.
Then came Catch-22, for Arithmancy / a book with a number in the title. To me, it falls just short of 1984 and Animal Farm, but it's a classic definitely worth the read.
Last came Make Trouble, which is essentially an illustrated version of a commencement speech, so a very quick read. It filled the Umbridge prompt for a book with a pink cover, and I find it wonderfully fitting that it was all about authority and subversion.
That brings me to 21/52 for the Flourish & Blotts Golden Trio challenge. I'm behind last year's pace, but there's still plenty of time to go.
QOTW: I would say it depends what I'm reading, but on the whole, a good plot can survive meh writing, but beautiful writing rarely survives a bad story.
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I'm still listening to Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia whenever I'm walking alone. But that hasn't been too common for me lately. So it is slow going even though I'm enjoying the story itself.
QOTW: I'm very much like Jen. Generally plot is more important, but the writing becomes a bigger obstacle the worse it gets. Since I mostly read non-fiction, I also interpreted "plot" as coherence and flow of the topic for those kinds of books.
I finished Daughter of the Sun, which I think I enjoyed even more than the first book in the series - I really can’t wait for the next one to come out now!I then read two very odd little books that were somehow on my kindle - Road Kill and No Cats, No Chocolate. They were about two authors on a road trip, and the most charitable thing I can think of to say about them is that they are definitely products of their time (20 years ago), and I imagine that if these guys are still around they are probably slightly mortified that these are still floating around out there!
Currently I’m reading Happy Hour at Casa Dracula, which I’m enjoying - it’s kind of like a cozy mystery, but instead of a murder, the main character is learning about a family of vampires.
QOTW: It really depends on the book - I love a good plot, but I also enjoy really fun characters, even if they don’t do much - it’s like how I enjoy Peter Pan’s Flight, which tells a story with a beginning, middle, and end; and I also enjoy the Haunted Mansion, which is more like a party with awesome but unrelated guests. I need both in my reading life, too. :)
EPBOT Readers
Books mentioned in this topic
Road Kill (other topics)Daughter of the Sun (other topics)
No Cats, No Chocolate (other topics)
Happy Hour at Casa Dracula (other topics)
Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia (other topics)
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Sorry for not posting yesterday, was a little hectic. Took the day off to go into town, and they're also turning power off soon.
This week I read:
Rebecca - I liked this more than expected! I usually kinda grit my teeth through classics, reading them because I feel like I should. I think because this one is from the 30s, it's a little closer to what i expect from writing style and pacing. Counts for ATY's 1001 books to read before you die.
Lincoln in the Bardo - Popsugar ghost story, ATY book featuring a historical figure. I have to say, i don't get the hype on this. While the overall story was interesting enough, it was way too diluted with all the random quotes that added nothing to the plot and just confused the issue for who was talking and when. Having the different voices for main characters was interesting, but just got confusing when it came to rapid fire quotes all in different voices. Especially since some of the quotes were legit, but apparently some were made up with no real indication which were which.
The Half-Drowned King - Popsugar book set in Scandinavia, ATY book involving a journey. I liked this a lot, I was worried it'd feel dry. But it read like a folk tale, and it was based off an old Norse folk hero from verbal history.
currently reading:
The Winter of the Witch - saw this at the library and nabbed it so I can finish the trilogy while the first two are fresh. I really love the series! Works for popsugar book published in 2019, probably will fit it somewhere in ATY.
Onyx and Ivory - reading for the book club. Like it so far, I think i'm on chapter 8 or so, when I get through chapter 9 I'll check out the discussion. I need to get listening, my time is going to run out. whoops!
QOTW:
I'll steal from popsugar again since I'm in a bit of a rush. Is good writing or good plot more important to you?
For me, plot is way more important. I can't appreciate good writing if what it's saying is boring or I don't care. I can tolerate a lot of bad writing if the plot is interesting enough that I want to know what happens, haha.