75 Books...More or Less! discussion
Archive (2020 GR Completed)
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Charleen's 2020 Challenge [88]
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73. Thinner4 stars
This is dark and creepy and everything that happens feels inevitable. I'm glad to have finally read it.
Mod
4 stars
This is dark and creepy and everything that happens feels inevitable. I'm glad to have finally read it."
I really need to read this!
Have you read Elevation? Is it very similar?
Yes, I have. They both have the inexplicable weight loss, but other than that they are very different stories with very different tones. I wouldn't consider Elevation a horror story at all (though of course it still gets categorized as such, because Stephen King wrote it). I get why it's an inevitable comparison, and I enjoyed them both, but no, they aren't very similar at all.
74. Station Eleven5 stars (audio re-read)
Great book. Maybe not the best time to re-read it. There was a lot more about the pandemic than I'd remembered; I was thinking more of it took place after the collapse. But I got through it.
Mod
5 stars (audio re-read)
Great book. Maybe not the best time to re-read it. There was a lot more about the pandemic than I'd remembered; I was thinking more of it..."
I didn't really care for it. It was kind of boring for me.
75. Moon of the Crusted Snow2 stars
I was really disappointed by this one. I enjoyed the beginning. It's very slow and has an eerie atmosphere, and if the whole book had been more of that... well, who's to say, maybe I would have eventually tired of it. But as is, I wanted more of that and less of what came after. The entire feel of the story shifted, and I couldn't get on board.
76. Skeleton CrewBit of a mixed bag. I saved the novella (The Mist) for last, which may have been a mistake because I didn't think it was the strongest in the collection. "The Jaunt" and "Word Processor of the Gods" were my favorites.
Mod
Bit of a mixed bag. I saved the novella (The Mist) for last, which may have been a mistake because I didn't think it was the strongest in the collection. "The Jaunt"..."
Ughhhh I loved and was terrified by this collection!! lol.
77. Penance3 stars
I don't know if it's the narrative choice or the writing style or something about the translation, but I wanted to like this more than I did. The story was fascinating, and I thought the structure of hearing each girl's reaction to the event worked really well. Something about the writing just kept me at a distance, and keeps me from rating it higher.
78. Stranger Planet79. Solutions and Other Problems
Amusing diversions. It's great to get another Allie Brosh book after so long.
80. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet5 stars (audio re-read)
I put this in my audio queue to re-read before I get to the rest of the series, because that's what I always do... but turns out I remembered a surprising amount of it so I probably didn't need to. Oh well, it was a highly enjoyable 14 hours.
Okay, after quite a bit of hemming and hawing over what the rest of this year will look like, I've decided to raise my goal one last time. One for each week left, for a total of 88.
81. Love Your Life3 stars
This was fun but not a favorite. It's not a great sign when you honestly don't think the main couple should end up together. There's a lot of good stuff in here. I just didn't click with these characters.
82. A Closed and Common Orbit5 stars
I loved reading this. At first I wasn't sure it could live up to the first book, especially because it's more a companion than a sequel and doesn't stay with the crew that I'd grown to love. But it's its own thing, and that thing is just as great, if in a very different way.
83. When No One is Watching4 stars
This is so tense and creepy and disturbing. There's a bit of a disconnect between the slow burn of unease through most of the book and the breakneck pace of the last several chapters, but it kept me turning the pages and made me sit with uncomfortable truths, so... mission accomplished.
84. Record of a Spaceborn Few3 stars
I liked reading about the Exodans, but this book lacked the emotional punch of the first two. Becky Chambers is so good at weaving these "day in the life" type stories together, but I really wish we could return and catch up with our earlier characters.
Mod
3 stars
I liked reading about the Exodans, but this book lacked the emotional punch of the first two. Becky Chambers is so good at weaving these "day ..."
Did you read these or listen? I have the first one on audio.
Elyse wrote: "Did you read these or listen? I have the first one on audio."I listened to the first on audio (but I had read it in print previously) before reading the other two. There's a fourth coming out sometime next year.
85. The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe(audio)
A glimpse into some of the day-to-day details of working in the royal household. It was a nice little palate cleanser.
86. The Number 73304-23-4153-6-96-8This was interesting, not the type of comic I normally read. Black and white, no text... and I thought it was really well done for what it is (not that my uninformed opinion is worth much). But parts of the story, especially later on, are inevitably vague, and it ended up not doing much for me.
87. The Stepford Wives4 stars
Short, straightforward, and surprisingly chilling. Sometimes when things end up in the popular culture, the original can be somewhat unsatisfying, but I didn't feel that way with this one.
88. Undercover Bromance4 stars
This is such a fun series. I liked this book more than the first, although I will say the first felt a bit more grounded. This one had quite a few more "this would never happen in the real world" moments. But overall, I was happy to overlook those and just have fun with it.
And with that... mission accomplished. Now, to figure out what to set as next year's goal.
90. The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream(audio)
I had this on my TBR since reading Michelle's book, and kept rejecting it because it was abridged. I finally realized that since I had no intention of reading the physical book, I might as well listen, abridged or no.
91. Pet Sematary4 stars
To me, this book is more sad than scary, but I'm sure that's at least partially because my own kids are roughly the ages of the two kids in the book. It read to me like an intimate family story, with a lot of creep factor thrown in.
Mod
4 stars
To me, this book is more sad than scary, but I'm sure that's at least partially because my own kids are roughly the ages of the two kids in the book. It re..."
I can see why it would hit you differently!
92. Rage Against the Minivan: Learning to Parent Without Perfection(audio)
I expected this to be just funny parenting stories, but instead it's more of a real and relatable memoir about the unexpected turns life can take.
93. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?4 stars
I enjoyed this so much more than A Scanner Darkly. I didn't expect to be pulled in as much as I was, but the story has so many interesting facets. The movie is obviously iconic, but for better or worse, I've never seen it. I'm glad I was able to experience the book more or less unspoiled.
75 Books...More or Less!
Books mentioned in this topic
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (other topics)Rage Against the Minivan: Learning to Parent Without Perfection (other topics)
Pet Sematary (other topics)
Pet Sematary (other topics)
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (other topics)
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5 stars
This is one of those books that just hit me in the exact right way, and I can't at all explain why or how. Reading this was just magical. Or alchemical.