75 Books...More or Less! discussion
Archive (2021 GR Completed)
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Charleen's 2021 Challenge [100]
37. Dante's Equation5 stars (re-read)
I hadn't re-read this favorite in a while, it was fun to pick it up again.
38. Parable of the Sower4 stars
I have yet to read an Octavia Butler book that I didn't like. This took longer than most for me to really buy into the premise, but it's such a pleasure to read her writing, even when I'm waiting for something more.
Mod
4 stars
I have yet to read an Octavia Butler book that I didn't like. This took longer than most for me to really buy into the premise, but it's such a pleasu..."
Ugh I have yet to even read Octavia Butler!! I really need to get on that! lol
Elyse wrote: "Ugh I have yet to even read Octavia Butler!! I really need to get on that! lol"I hadn't until a few years ago, but it's all so good. I started with Kindred, then the Xenogenesis trilogy, and now this. Nothing lower than a 4-star.
Mod
I hadn't until a few years ago, but it's all so good. I started with Kindred, then the Xenogenesis tri..."
Awesome. I think I own Kindred.
39. Project Hail Mary4 stars
One guy, far from home, sciencing his way through a situation that's all but hopeless. Does Andy Weir only know how to write one kind of story? I don't know. All I know is I didn't enjoy Artemis, and I really enjoyed this one.
Mod
4 stars
One guy, far from home, sciencing his way through a situation that's all but hopeless. Does Andy Weir only know how to write one kind of story? I don'..."
I didn't like Ryland as much as Mark. But they could also be the same character. lol. I haven't read Artemis yet and now I can't find my copy for SciFiJune! D'oh!
Mod
5 stars (audio re-read)
I enjoyed it even more than I remembered."
That was my first of her books and is still my favorite. I should re-read it.
Juli wrote: "That was my first of her books and is still my favorite. I should re-read it."Same. I wanted to revisit this one partly to see if I'd been imagining that special magic. (I wasn't.) I've enjoyed others of her books, but none in quite the same way.
41. In the Woods4 stars
It's been a while since I read a straight up mystery. This was a good one, especially the further we get into the investigation, though there were a couple things that didn't ring true for me. But even with my minor issues, I still enjoyed it. Tana French has been on the edges of my radar for a while, and she did not disappoint.
42. Affections1 star
Some of the writing was interesting, but that's really all I can say for this one. If it wasn't so short I would have DNF'd for sure; as it is, I figured I'd give it a shot.
Mod
I hadn't until a few years ago, but it's all so good. I started with Kindred, then th..."
Kindred is still my favorite by her!!!! The graphic novel adaptation of that is also great. I enjoyed the Earthseed series. I really loved The Fledgling.
Juli wrote: "Kindred is still my favorite by her!!!! The graphic novel adaptation of that is also great. I enjoyed the Earthseed series. I really loved The Fledgling."I really want to read the Kindred graphic novel!
43. The Galaxy, and the Ground Within4 stars
I'm still disappointed not to return to the Wayfarer and its crew, but this was another great book in the series. I love how fleshed out all the different species and cultures are. I plan on re-reading the entire series at some point.
44. The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life on the Move(audio)
I expected this to be more informational than political, but of course it's both. I found the science portions the most interesting.
Halfway through the year, and I'm 6 books behind on my goal. Considering this is my first time choosing a more challenging goal in a while, I'm not doing too bad.
Mod
No, you're doing pretty good!
45. Empire of Sand4 stars
The world and the magic system felt not quite fully realized, but I never felt lost, just that I didn't know as much as I would have liked. I wasn't as immersed in the world as other fantasy stories I've enjoyed. But the characters and the conflict kept me reading and kept me hooked.
46. Children of the Universe: Cosmic Education in the Montessori Elementary ClassroomI read this because I'd like to incorporate some of the these story ideas into our homeschool next year. My son went to a Montessori preschool (and my daughter will start there in the fall) but I had no idea what Montessori looks like in the elementary years. We won't be doing most of this, but tying everything back to stories definitely speaks to me.
47. An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good3 stars
This was a short and pleasant sort of read, apart from the murder. I didn't get as much enjoyment out of the unique premise as it seems a lot of people did. I think if the book were any longer it would have gotten tedious, but as is I liked reading about Maud and her... creative way of solving problems.
48. Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen4 stars
I enjoyed reading about Jane, since I knew so little about her. It's interesting to think how history might have been different if she hadn't died when she did.
49. Realm of Ash4 stars
This is such a great companion to the first novel. It builds on what was there, but it's very much its own story. It works well as a duology, but I would love to read more of this world.
50. The Bestseller5 stars (re-read)
I'm so glad I re-read this. I will say there was an ironically high number of typos in the Kindle version I read. But I'd forgotten how much I love these characters and their stories.
51. This Is How You Lose the Time War3 stars
An old story with an interesting science fiction twist. I wasn't enraptured by it, but I enjoyed it. (I was also getting some serious Loki vibes since I just finished watching that last week.)
52. Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist(audio)
My father-in-law was a quadriplegic from an accident when he was 18 until his death ten years ago, and it never really occurred to me just how hard that would have been back then compared to now. Obviously the abrupt change for an 18yo to deal with, but not just the general accessibility. I didn't realize the ADA wasn't even a thing until so recently. (I'm sure he could have enlightened me, but he didn't talk about his disability much.)
All this to say, I really appreciated hearing Judy's story and perspective.
53. Mr. Mercedes3 stars
If I'd read this when it came out, I think I would have rated it higher. It would have been a lot more to my taste, just based on what I was reading and enjoying at the time. Reading it now, I liked it, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the trilogy, but there's nothing really remarkable about it.
Mod
3 stars
If I'd read this when it came out, I think I would have rated it higher. It would have been a lot more to my taste, just based on what I was reading and en..."
Whoa whoa this was the first time?! I'm very surprised! lol. It does get better. And weirder! a la King, naturally.
Elyse wrote: "Whoa whoa this was the first time?! I'm very surprised! lol. It does get better. And weirder! a la King, naturally."Right? At the time, one of my friends who is a big SK fan was like, "It's not really my thing, but it's right up your alley!" And yet... I put it off and put it off. It only came to the surface of my TBR again because I really liked Holly in The Outsider and If It Bleeds. Which is good, because I feel pretty meh about Bill Hodges.
54. Unf*ck Your Habitat: You're Better Than Your Mess(audio)
Not much in here that I haven't already heard elsewhere, but sometimes it's good to be reminded. If you're offended by gratuitous language this is not the book for you, but I think the title makes that pretty clear. Personally I could take or leave it, but I do really appreciate the "real life is not an Instagram photo" attitude.
Mod
Right? At the time, one of my friends who is a big SK fan was lik..."
Yeah Bill is...not great. lol
55. The Only Good Indians4 stars
This book is told in three parts. The first part was very slow, but just subtly unsettling enough to keep me interested. When it transitioned to the second part, I was hooked. The rest of the book is often slow and unsettling too, but other parts are very much not. And so much of it is incredibly brutal, not a pleasant read at all. But very, very good.
56. One to Watch3 stars
There was a lot in here that I liked. It's a fun whirlwind adventure, and with the inclusion of articles and Twitter and fan discussions, I felt immersed in the pop culture of it all. It's a quick and fun read, but it's all pretty surface level (despite the socially conscious messaging) and nothing that's going to stick with me... so, just like reality TV.
Mod
3 stars
There was a lot in here that I liked. It's a fun whirlwind adventure, and with the inclusion of articles and Twitter and fan discussions, I felt immersed i..."
I was pretty disappointed with this one. It had some really great pluses but the plot itself didn't do enough for me.
Elyse wrote: "I was pretty disappointed with this one. It had some really great pluses but the plot itself didn't do enough for me."Yeah, I wanted it to be more, for sure.
57. The Fifth Season4 stars (audio re-read)
I really enjoyed this on the re-read. Either I've come around on second-person narration, or it's more effective in audio than in print (or both). I found it incredibly distracting and frustrating the first time, but this time not at all.
58. Kindred: A Graphic Novel AdaptationI read the novel several years ago, and I've been meaning to read the graphic novel for a while. I think I'm out of practice with this medium because it took me a long time to really get into the story, but it was a very faithful adaptation, from what I recall, and very effective art.
Charleen wrote: "57. The Fifth Season4 stars (audio re-read)
I really enjoyed this on the re-read. Either I've come around on second-person narration, or it's more effective in audio than in print..."
The narrator on this one is one of my favorites :)
Stacie wrote: "The narrator on this one is one of my favorites :)"She was quite good.
59. The Dutch House4 stars
Ann Patchett's writing is so lovely. Even when her characters aren't doing much. Even when I'm wondering why she jumped back twenty years or forward five years at any particular point to go on a tangent before coming back to the present. This is a book that I could very easily not like, and yet I do. It's no Bel Canto, but then, nothing is.
60. Piranesi5 stars
I almost DNF'd near the beginning because I wasn't sure if I really had one of "those" books in me. A book you really want to love because it sounds so intriguing, but it's just a little too... something... and ends up more distracting and frustrating than magical. And for some people this will absolutely be one of those, but I completely fell into it and loved it.
61. The Psychology of Time Travel4 stars
I have so many questions. A couple are things that, if explained, might have made the book more satisfying. Others are just inconsequential curiosities. I wish we got more about some of the peripheral characters, and I would return to this world in a heartbeat.
62. First Person Singular: StoriesI'd been curious about Murakami and was drawn by the title of this collection. Unfortunately, I don't think he's for me.
63. Isn't It Bromantic?3 stars
For as much as I love Vlad, I didn't love this book. I didn't think the conceit of writing a romance worked as well as reading them. And the relationship journey didn't really work for me, especially compared to others in the series. But it's still fun, and I still look forward to more from this group of guys.
65. My Heart Is a Chainsaw3 stars
A book as self-aware as this one has to subvert expectations, which this does in a big way. Too big a way? I don't know. I'm feeling really conflicted about this one because I really enjoyed reading it, but the ending didn't satisfy at all. Maybe a slasher fan would feel differently.
66. Dear Scarlet: The Story of My Postpartum DepressionThis is a very straightforward graphic memoir. It's not as entertaining a look at depression as, for example, Hyperbole and a Half (my personal high water mark for blurring the line between laugh-sobbing and sob-laughing). But any voice adding to the conversation about mental health is a good thing. This one didn't particularly speak to me, but I'm sure it speaks to others.
67. Anna of Kleve: The Princess in the Portrait4 stars
I enjoyed this story. Every depiction of Henry VIII I'm familiar with shows him as being very hot or cold, never anything in between, and it was refreshing to see a less volatile relationship (at least, once their marriage is ended and the fate of England is no longer in the balance).
68. Supernova Era2 stars
This had an interesting premise, and I really enjoyed the first quarter or so. But a lot of ideas that were introduced early on were completely abandoned once the international plot gets going.
75 Books...More or Less!
Books mentioned in this topic
Once Ghosted, Twice Shy (other topics)A Princess in Theory (other topics)
The Party Crasher (other topics)
A Christmas Carol (other topics)
Fledgling (other topics)
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2 stars
I'm so conflicted on this one, because the premise provides a really great jumping off point for any number of possible stories. But I was way more interested in the divergences between the worlds and the whole science fiction side of things than I was in any of the characters, and unfortunately (for me) this story is more about its people than any of that other stuff.