Book Loving Kiwis discussion
Reading Challenges
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BOOK POOL - JUN/JUL 2020
Not on the board yet, but I'm getting there. I was reading No Friend but the Mountains which I struggled with then went on to Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel, so I'm having a change of pace with some fantasy. Once finished it will be my first book for the pool.
I had to stop Salt Picnic, I just could not get into it let alone through it. Stopped at barely 100 pages in.Will have to go through the suggested and find another to start now but think I've hit a bit of a reading slump as I've barely been reading lately!
Mod
I can totally understand! Those are two intense books.
Does the challenge continue through the month of July?
Yay! For some reason I thought it was only a month - June to July. Glad to get back to reading from the book pool.
#7Book #1 Blood of Elves
Read 30/06/2020
Rating 3 stars
I watched the Netflix series The Witcher earlier in the year which I quite enjoyed so thought I would give the books a go. I would normally read first then watch the series - but I'd never heard of the series before - not the games or the previous movies based on the book. Actually enjoyed the TV series more than the book this time which doesn't happen often, but maybe I was expecting a bit too much.
#3Book#3- Āue by Becky Manawatu
Read 2/7/2020
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book me quite a while to get through , the story is quite disjointed to begin win but the author really fantastically hides hints throughout that gives a sneak peak to how the story will unfold .
To be honest I wasn’t a fan of the end , the story line is quite intense and not something that felt super realistic . Not that that should matter but it felt to me that it was a lot of dramatic events that I felt took away from the story slightly .
An enjoying read however
Mod
Book 1: When it all went to custard by Danielle Hawkins
Finished: 04/07
Rated 3 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Luckily the author is a farmer and into gardening or else there would have been a bit of research going into this book. An easy book to read. Good characters, although it ends quickly and the epilogue doesn’t really give us details about the other characters, like Dave or Harry, or Bex.
Angie wrote: "#7Book #1 Blood of Elves
Read 30/06/2020
Rating 3 stars
I watched the Netflix series The Witcher earlier in the year which I quite enjoyed so thought I would give the books a go. ..."
i've heard similar cases where people have enjoyed the series more than the book, from those i've heard talk about it it's more to do with the amount of stuff in there? if i'm remembering correctly.
that being said, these people have also played the games so they've got some background stuff to it?
#3Book #4 - Syria’s Secret Library by Mike Thompson
Date read:5 July 2020
Rating ⭐️⭐️
I’m probably being overly critical but I felt like this story would have been better told by those involved. It felt fairly shallow for a story that actually is quite harrowing story.
My other problem with the novel was that there wasn’t enough information and story about the library to make up a whole book so he padded out with individuals stories of people he met . It would have made a better book focusing on how people coped with the atrocities of the war.
#7Book #2 American Dirt
Read 05/07/2020
Rating 4 stars
Loads of controversy surrounds this book in terms of cultural appropriation. I don't want to get into my own political beliefs or the author's motivation in choosing this particular topic.
If you put the controversy to one side I thought it was a pretty good read but certainly something I know very little about. It's heart-breaking and provides motivation to look at other books on the topic.
Mod
Book #2 - New Orleans Mourning
Date read:5 July 2020
Rating 3★
I was interested in reading about New Orleans & Mardi Gras, & there was a good finale, but huge cast of mostly unlikeable characters & the multiple POV (a format I'm not fond of) drags the story out & slows down the action.
Mod
Mod
Book #4 - The Dutch House
Read: 7 July
Rating: 4 Stars
Probably more like a 4.5* read. Really enjoyed this, so thanks to the person who chose it for the Book Pool. I think this is one of the best books I've read that deals with sibling relationships and nostalgia. This is only the second novel I've read by Ann Patchett (read Bel Canto). I love her style of writing.
Angie wrote: "#7Book #2 American Dirt
Loads of controversy surrounds this book in terms of cultural appropriation."
Just started reading American Dirt last night and finding it a compelling read.
The controversy is at the back of my mind as I read.
#6Book #7 The Good Girls Guide to Murder
Date read 8 July
Rating 4 stars
Really enjoyed this gripping murder mystery. The format (an investigative research assignment) made it all the more engaging for me and I loved the twists and turns. Some of the entries were in what looks to be size 6 font which made reading a bit tricky, even with my never usually worn glasses. However, I thoroughly recommend it.
#6Book #8 Auē
Date read 8 July
Rating 3.5 Stars
I really wanted to love this. I was totally engaged with the story line but it was just felt so disjointed. I like alternating POVs and don't mind if they are from different time lines but for me, in this novel, it just made it hard work to read. I did love the characters immensely which saved the book for me.
#10 KerryBook #2: American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
Read: 08/07
Rating: 3 stars
While the book is well paced and a compelling read, it is also rather light and just not gritty enough for my liking.
I can recommend the YA Saint Death by Marcus Sedgwick.
Mod
Book #3 - Hand Me Down
Read 8/7/20
Rating 3★
Unlike New Orleans Mourning, Ms Holman could do character development & make initially unlikable characters become likable. But too much is piled on at the end of the story and I had to force myself to finish. Bonkers was the Holman title I was recommended - I wish I had been able to get that one.
#3Book #5 The surprising power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim
Finished 9/7/2020
Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I have been stuck at home with bad tinnitus all day so being in a quiet room reading has been the best thing for me . I’m glad to have some time to finish this one though . Hoping to sneak one more in before the end of the month .
Thanks to whoever chose this one , what a great read!
I loved the characters , the story was humble and insightful .
Mod
I'm halfway through The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling and hoping to finish this weekend.
#7Book #3 Auē
Finished 10/07/2020
Rating 3.5 stars
I've had a couple of days to think about this and I'm still not sure of my rating or what I want to say about the book.
Mod
Book #5 - The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling
Read: 12 July
Rating: 3 Stars
Nice story, good messages about healthy relationships and mental illness.
#12Book #3 - The Girl Who Reads on the Métro
Read: 05/7
Rating: 3 Stars
Have only just remembered to log this as I finished the audiobook somewhere on the drive to Taranaki the other week. I enjoyed it well enough at the time, but nearly two weeks later I can't remember how it ends.
I’ve allllmost finished Dutch House and have but one more on hold at the library that hopefully I can finish by end of July 🤞🏻
Mod
I started on Auē and already know it isn't my type of read, but will persevere as it did win the top book award a few weeks back. Also slowly making my way through Where the Light Falls, so hope to finish both by the end of the month.
#12Book #4 - The Dutch House
Read: 19/7
Rating: 5 Stars
Not the sort of book I would normally pick up - thank you Bookpool for once again pushing me out of my boring predictable rut to a fabulous read. I listened to the audio version narrated by Tom Hanks, and he was utterly fantastic.
Mod
I really want to read The Dutch House. I am hoping to squeeze in one more book amongst my work reading. I might try to get Heartless from the public library and kill two birds with one stone!
#3Book number #6 The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Date completed : 19/07/2020
Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks for the recommendation for this one .
I really really enjoyed part one , this story from the perspective of a child was really engaging . As the main character grows older you see how he progresses through life and changes perspective . I found the older perspective wasn’t as engaging however and the relationship with the character Celeste quite painful.
Quite beautifully written however and a lot of endearing quotes hidden throughout .
Mod
Book #4 - Becoming
Date read:20 July 2020
Rating 5★
My most anticipated read in this pool. Inspirational!
#3Book #7 The Girl Who Reads on the Métro by Christine Féret-Fleury
Date finished 23/07/2020
Rating:⭐️⭐️
This will probably be my last book for the challenge.
Like others in the challenge who read this one I always wasn’t a huge fan. I think perhaps the translation to English hasn’t gone so well. Sometimes I got lost as to what exactly was going on. There’s not much character development , I dunno not really for me this one .
#7Book #4 Syria’s Secret Library
Read 21/07/2020
Rating 4 stars
I really enjoyed this. There were a few typos which I always find irritating, but once I got over that and got involved in the story I loved the message.
It's primarily about hope and the things that can give people hope in horrendous situations. The discussion around the importance of books and knowledge also really resonated with me.
I spent about a month in Syria in 2001, shortly before 9/11, and visited some of the places mentioned in the book, so maybe that was part of the enjoyment as well, although what the country has been through since then is tragic.
Kerry wrote: "#10 KerryBook #2: American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
Read: 08/07
Rating: 3 stars
While the book is well paced and a compelling read, it is also rather light and just not gritty enou..."
I imagine it's a sanitised version of what life is actually like, but in terms of the controversy surrounding it, I think it's actually a really good 'gateway' book into a topic that might encourage people to look further into what goes on. I had no real idea of what that whole process might be like or the risks that people would have to take. I'll definitely have a look at your recommendation Kerry :)
Carlene wrote: "Angie wrote: "#7Book #1 Blood of Elves
Read 30/06/2020
Rating 3 stars
I watched the Netflix series The Witcher earlier in the year which I quite enjoyed so thought I would give th..."
Yeah, could be. The book starts in a different place to the TV series, and I felt like the TV series made more sense with the timeline. I'll have a go at the second book and see how I go.
Mod
I'm just about to start the Syria's Secret Library, hopefully I can finish it before the end of July.
Mod
Book #5- Know My Name
Read 28/7/20
Rating 5★
Really powerful.
Mod
The two fiction works I most wanted to read were The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling & A Good Girl's Guide to Murder Not available from my library system, but I'll look out for them in the future.
Mod
I'm half way through Syria's Secret Library but don't think I'll manage to finish it before tomorrow.
Anyone else yet to log books read, make sure you do so today :)
I haven't been able to read anymore from the pool. Thank you all so much for the different titles. I really enjoyed reading them.
Mod
The top 3 readers were:
Kathleen with a whopping 17 reads. Followed by Claude (8 reads) and Nat (7). Awesome effort!
Mod
Collectively we read 27 out of the 36 books in the Pool.
The most read books were:
- The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling (6 people read) chosen by Kerry
- Know My Name (5) chosen by Nat
- Auē(4) also chosen by Nat
- The Girl Who Reads on the Métro(4) chosen by Sharlene.
There was such a great selection of books to read, I'll definitely be trying to get to some more of them in the coming months.
Until next time, happy reading :)
Mod
Till next time!
Thanks Erica and everyone else. I look forward to participating again.
Thanks for arranging Erica . Was good to be challenged to read something different . I’m surprised at how many of the books from the book pool were read!Nice work everyone and also nice to do something with others on the NZ good read community .
I would love to try a challenge with a book pool solely made of New Zealand authors . That would be cool.
Mod
I would love that! I do always try to include a Kiwi author in my picks!
Book Loving Kiwis
Books mentioned in this topic
The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling (other topics)Auē (other topics)
The Girl Who Reads on the Métro (other topics)
Know My Name (other topics)
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Sharon Kay Penman (other topics)Giulia Enders (other topics)
Danielle Hawkins (other topics)
Sophie Jordan (other topics)
Margaret Mahy (other topics)
More...
Book #2 - Shakespeare: The World as Stage
Read: 28/6
Rating: 5 Stars
Super readable, often quite droll. Having previously read at least one novel about Shakespeare's life I was shocked to discover just how little is known about The Bard.