2021 Reading Discussions

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Ah Sherri, I loved RW&RB! I read the author’s newest book, One Last Stop, this month and it was so different but also really good.

[Bana AZ]

Sherri wrote: "I finished The Art of Theft (Lady Sherlock,#4) by Sherry Thomas. 4 stars. Not for this challenge. I like this series."

Wow, Sherri. You finish books so fast!

I have been struggling. Whenever my reading challenge tracker says I'm 1 or 2 books behind (which has been happening a lot), I pick up a short story to bump up my number.

[Sherri]

I finished Captains and the Kings by Taylor Caldwell for a long book. It turned out to be a slough. 3 stars. The good thing was I used it for two challenges which doesn't happen often at this point in the year.

[Sherri]

I finished Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly. 4 stars. Middle Grade, disability. Not for this challenge. I liked the story. It's about a girl who is deaf that becomes connected to a whale that doesn't communicate on the same wave length as other whales. The whale is alone in the sea but keeps singing its song hoping to connect with other whales. Iris, the protagonist, recognizes loneliness when she sees it because she is also living in a world where she has few connections. Iris creates a song for the whale & has to figure out how to bring the song to the whale.

[Sherri]

I read The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, Elizabeth Tova Bailey. 4 stars. Not for this Challenge. I used it for the BR Read Harder challenge. An own voices book about disability. It was interesting. I finished the BR challenge so now I have two challenges left. My goal is to finished both in August. This book is only 208 pages so it went quick.

[Joyce]

I just looked up The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating and it really does sound very interesting - and the title is a good contender for “you read what?!”

[Sherri]

Thank You so much Joyce. I hadn't thought of using The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating for "you read what?" I haven't filled that prompt & had given up. I was going to use my book club read just because I didn't have a book for the prompt. This works better.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I've been in such a reading rut this month! School starting and life things have had me only reading a few pages a night.

I'm currently reading The Library of Legends, which I thought would be more magical and whimsical than it is... so that's not helping. Anyone know if this one picks up as you read it?

[Alicia]

Unfortunately, Emily, I didn’t think it ever picked up. The magical element is just a folklore story that is seen in the realities of a couple characters.

The book had a ton of potential for me, but it tried to do too much and I was disappointed.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Thanks Alicia... that was the vibe I was getting. I guess I'll just have to grit my teeth and push through. It's not a bad story, just not what I was expecting.

[Sherri]

I loved Artificial Condition (Murderbot Diaries #2) by Martha Wells. 5 stars. I used it for the future part of the multi week prompt.

[Sam]

After a very long break of not reading for bar prep, I am happy to be back engaged with ATY and books in general! Had a nice mostly 3-5 star set of reads for August, although I read a few books I couldn't fit into my plan and since I am now about 3 books behind schedule for the 52 I am going to be a touch more strategic with what I read in September to get on pace.

What is everyone looking forward to reading this coming month? I just started Circe and am immediately vibing with it so feel like I'm off to an auspicious start for September!

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Welcome back Sam!

I started The Summer Book yesterday with the intention of finishing it in one go, but life... so it will probably be my first completed book of September. I have an ambitious list of books to read (including some chunky books like The Diviners and The Women of Chateau Lafayette) so we will see how successful I am with those!

[Pam]

Glad you are back Sam! For having taken a break, being behind by by only 3 books sounds pretty good!

I've had a really slow summer reading. I bought quite a few books this summer at Goodwill and B&N. Currently reading The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by my favorite SF writer Ken Liu and an alternative history Judenstaat by Simone Zelitch. I also checked out, from the library, Crackup: The Republican Implosion and the Future of Presidential Politics to try to understand what is going on with US politics. I'm thinking about continuing The Mist of Avalon series which I started over 20 years ago. I still have Priestess of Avalon sitting on my bookshelf. I recently started watching Merlin (the TV series), which got me interested in Arthurian tales again. I think I need some lighter reading for the rest of the year, if I am going to finish the challenge!

[Alicia]

So happy to have you back Sam! I'm sure you kicked ass on the bar exam!

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

I liked Writers & Lovers on audio. First-person stories often work well that way. I was afraid it would be one more "literary fiction with no plot" but I found the main character and her struggles relatable. The book as a whole turns out surprisingly optimistically, which is also a nice change.

I read Nine Perfect Strangers which started out as normal Liane Moriarty with various characters and their family issues. But then it takes a weird turn that had me rolling my eyes. Surprisingly, one thing that a lot of readers didn't like is that there are multiple short chapters at the end showing what happens to the various characters. I loved that, I ALWAYS want to know what happens after the book is over. It was a fast read but overall I don't recommend it and I've heard the TV series isn't that great. Apparently Nicole Kidman really wanted to play the mysterious woman who runs the health retreat and bought the rights before the book was even out.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Emily wrote: "Ah Sherri, I loved RW&RB! I read the author’s newest book, One Last Stop, this month and it was so different but also really good."

Hmm, I thought One Last Stop was awful. I didn't perceive any chemistry between the main love interests, and all the other people were stereotyped quirky New Yorkers (who somehow could afford to live there while working as part-time bartenders, waiters & artists.) In RW&RB, I thought the family back stories and the political drama were quite real, but in this one I couldn't believe in any of it. I was disappointed since I loved the first book so much.

[Kat]

I thought I was the only one that didn't like One Last Stop! It was the book I was most looking forward to this year and was very underwhelmed. It was so New York centric and since I've never been and don't ever plan to go I just couldn't connect with it. I also found the ending to be very unrealistic and think I would have preferred it to not have a perfect ending. And during all the romantic moments on the train all I could think about was germs.

[Ray]

Hello! My name is Ray, I wanted to introduce myself since I am new to the group. I'm curious has anyone here read Red Queen?

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Hey Ray! Do you mean Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard? I loved that series.

[Ray]

Emily wrote: "Hey Ray! Do you mean Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard? I loved that series."

Yes, I love it so far! I recently started it this year and I'm currently starting the second book. I was wondering that even though the series is a four book series that with her other books Cruel Crown and Broken Throne do they still relate to the story being told in the main four books?

[Pam]

Hi Ray! Welcome to the group!

I’ve been catching up on the classics this past month. I read Pride and Prejudice for the first time. I haven’t seen or read any of the adaptations so I wasn’t sure how it would end! I also read Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K LeGuin. This one was for my library’s sci-fi book club which finally started back up last weekend. I’ve started The Count of Monte Cristo and getting ready to open up The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad. (I plan to skip the 91 page introduction!) This book + 1 more will help me finish a challenge in a different group. I’m still hoping to finish ATY but it will be close!

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Ray wrote: "Emily wrote: "Hey Ray! Do you mean Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard? I loved that series."

Yes, I love it so far! I recently started it this year and I'm currently starting the second..."

I haven't read the novellas, so I can't tell you how directly they are connected to the main story. I will say that I don't think you NEED to read them to have the story make sense.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Pam, that is an impressive list of classics to have read this month. I can't do more than one every couple of months or I get so bored of reading lol.

[Pam]

Well, Emily, I didn’t say I had read them all yet! That would be quite an accomplishment for me. Two are in process and in the very early stages so we will see if I actually finish them! I’m struggling w the Count of Monte Cristo paperback. The font is so small! I probably need the ebook. I think that I had hoped if I posted I was reading them that I might actually follow through! I made it through Vanity Fair one year so there is hope yet for me to finish a long classic.

[Jim]

Read The Count of Monte Cristo in three months in 2016.

[Pam]

Jim wrote: "Read The Count of Monte Cristo in three months in 2016."

Jim - What did you think of it?? I finally got into it last night and am really enjoying it! I love the writing and the story moves along. Since I only have a general idea of the plot, I'm excited to see what happens! I think it will take me at least 3 weeks to read 1100 pages, providing that I read nothing else! I will be returning all library books so I can focus on finishing it and not get distracted by shorter books. I've come to accept that this may be the first year I do not finish the ATY challenge but that's ok. I really want to read some of these longer books, lots of classics, that I own.

[Jim]

Pam wrote: "Jim wrote: "Read The Count of Monte Cristo in three months in 2016."

Jim - What did you think of it?? I finally got into it last night and am really enjoying it! I love the writing and..."

Pam, I thought it one of the best novels I ever read. A great revenge story.

[Jackie, Solstitial Mod]

Oh I love The Count of Monte Cristo! It's such a pacey book that I flew through it.

[Ray]

Whats it about?

[Jackie, Solstitial Mod]

Well, loosely The Count of Monte Cristo is about a guy in France who gets sent to prison for 17 years based on trumped up charges. Thanks to a fellow prisoner, he becomes extremely well educated, escapes, collects a treasure trove, and reinvents himself as The Count of Monte Cristo. He thereby goes to Paris and sets up an elaborate revenge plot to get back his lost love and get revenge on all the dudes who did him dirty back in the day. As far as classics go, it's extremely readable. There's a lot of dialogue and it's action-packed. Dumas was paid by a newspaper to have a story of x-number of lines each week, so he included a lot of dialogue and nearly every chapter ends on a cliffhanger to keep people buying the next issue.

[Ray]

Is it a multi-book series or only a single book?

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

It was published in individual sections (serials), but it was compiled into a single (long) book.

[Pam]

I’m excited that my library’s sci-fi book club started back up this month. It’s been shut down since the beginning of the pandemic! Our October book is Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K LeGuin, which I enjoyed and read in a 24 hour period. To me, it felt like a Philip K. Dick story, which is a good thing since I like his books. Our November read is Persona by Genevieve Valentine, published in 2015. It’s a sci-fi thriller series. I’m going to read it early since I already have a copy. I’m not real thrilled about reading anything that’s a series, especially one that is still in the works.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I'm the same way about series, Pam. I don't like to start them until they are done being published. I've been burned by The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks, which was supposed to come out in August of 2020, then has been perpetually pushed back. The newest date is set for November 2021, so here's hoping.

[Ellie]

The main reason series get cancelled is because the publisher doesn't think enough people are reading it though, so if you want to read a series, do not wait until it is complete or it may never be!

[Pam]

Ellie- I understand that logic but then you have George RR Martin! No excuse for him to not finish. The real problem I have with series is that by the time the next book comes out I’ve lost interest or forgotten what was going on! I’m ok with them if the book feels complete rather than having a cliff hanger. I guess I’m not much of a series reader with Harry Potter being the exception.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I'm similar, Pam. I'd rather binge a whole series back-to-back than read one a year. I read a couple series a year but I try for them to be all in one go.

[Lizzy]

Pam and Ellie --I loved the Outlander by Diana Gabaldon series when it started, now that the new book is finally coming out after who knows how many years, I don't even know if I'll read it. The author became so involved in the TV show that she left the book readers out in the cold.

[Ellie]

I don't read any of those authors, but they are more to do with the opposite, they are so successful no one tells them off for not delivering on time. They should really be facing breach of contract, not ruining things for smaller authors because they've broken trust of readers.

I guess I read a lot of smaller name authors who face problems with cancelling more than being distracted by their TV shows.

[Sherri]

I have a lot of ongoing series. When I started the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series I saved the last book for the next year because I didn’t want to finish the series. I just started the Joe Pickett series & Walt Longmire series. They both have about 20 books in the series so I can read those all I want. If I wait too long to read the next book in any series I forget what previously happened so I try to read series with a lot of books or completed.

[Reed]

I have a lot of unrrad books to read but, it's okay👌because I will finish🏁 the one's I have first

[Kat]

I spend far too much time rereading a series so I can remember what happened when a new one comes out. I'm trying not to be as invested in series anymore but there are a couple I can't give up on. I do love it when you find a finished series with lots of books for you to catch up on.

[Reed]

Good idea💡 I read different varieties of books but, I always retain what is happening in each story or part of the books I'm reading

[Karissa]

For anyone else who has been (im)patiently waiting for the 2021 GR Choice Awards to start, GR announced on Twitter that they will open on November 16th. Not sure why it's three weeks later than last year, but at least it's happening. I was worried they had cancelled it.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Oh whew. I'm using that one as my "prompt that didn't make it in" for 2021 and I've been impatiently waiting for the nominees to be posted so I can start planning for January!

[Chrissy]

I wonder if the complaints that books that hadn’t released at the start of voting were eligible was a factor in the change in timing?

[Laurel]

I have 4 topics left. I suspect 2 of them (comfort read and well versed in world literature) are going to have to be rereads if I am going to finish in time.

[Pam]

You can do it Laurel! We still have plenty of time left - 6 weeks. I’m down to my last 5 prompts but one of them is the Count of Monte Cristo, which I still have 700 pages to go! I hope I’m not finishing it on New Years Eve. My first year of the challenge that actually happened. I finished my last book before midnight 🕛 and it ended up being my favorite of the year!

[Alicia]

I’m reading count of Monte Cristo too!!! But finally had the baby so everything is going to switch to audio at least for the rest of the year