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Reader's Choice
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Reader's Choice Fall 2021
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The Space Between Worlds was not quite what I expected. The (lesbian) romance was a lot more prominent than I would have thought, though the sci-fi premise was strong and the philosophical themes were well done. As romance isn't so much my thing I debated between 3 and 4 stars but ultimately the philosophy was compelling enough to go 4.13 down, 1 in progress, 6 to go.
The Finders was a decent mystery, though not quite as good as I wanted it to be.14 down, 1 in progress, 5 to go
I struggled with The House in the Cerulean Sea early on.... felt a little slow, but that was probably more my mood than anything else.Ultimately, though, it was sweet and delightful and Chauncy is my absolute favorite.
(Once again more of a romance than expected though. What is it with all the "[genre] but actually romance" books this time around?? LOL)
15 down, 5 to go... I have 30 days, so that seems doable lol
I went and read the ending of The Space Between Worlds (after the audio loan expired). It was different and kept surprising me, so I appreciated that.I just started Finders, but the audiobook kept skipping, so I have to figure out what's going on there.
Finished Minor Dramas and Other Catastrophes..... all the mixed feelings. The ending was ultimately so much more positive/hopeful/uplifting than I expected based on the rest of the book lol. But wowsers there's some craziness. And a lot of it is the kind of stuff that I just can't wrap my head around-- WHY would anyone act that way?!?Anyway, 3 stars might be a little harsh but I couldn't quite bring myself to give it 4 so here we are.
I think that's 16 down. I need the other audiobooks to come in.....
The Silence- ugh. Miserable people being miserable.The Wife and the Widow- really really struggled for the first 2/3 or so but when it all comes together there's no denying it's well done. Holy language, though, Batman.
18 down.
Britt, Book Habitue wrote: "The Silence- ugh. Miserable people being miserable."Books labeled "atmospheric" and "emotional" usually translate to "boring" for me.
Yeah, you're not wrong there Audrey....
Start by Believing was.... infuriating. Important but not really an enjoyable read. I'm not sure I can say I'm glad I read it, but... I don't know. 19 down.
Mod
19 down."
It was intense, that's for sure!
Are you going to list your favorites in order again for us? Please do, if you have time!
I'll have to think about them but yeah, I will after I read The Holdout....that's my last one
The Holdout has spoilers for several Agatha Christie novels with no warning.
Dang it. I wonder if it's ones I've read..... I've read some Poirots, Tommy and Tuppence, and some stand alones.
It was Murder on the Orient Express, Murder of Roger Akyroyd, and Curtain and sort of spoilers for Witness for the Prosecution. I was pretty ticked.If I get the book I can look up the page number.
I've read Orient and Roger Akroyd. Maybe I need to quickly read Curtain and Witness...
I was able to skip over the Curtain spoiler once I realized what was happening, and I've read Orient but not Roger. (It was all in one sentence.)Witness was toward the end of the book and wasn't as obvious a spoiler.
It's this one character POV who loves mysteries. Cal? or something was the name.
Finished The Holdout yesterday.The Agatha Christie spoilers kind of ticked me off, because they were so unnecessary! I did take the time to read Curtain and Witness beforehand, so they didn't actually spoil anything for me, but WHY?! I guess for Orient Express you could MAYBE argue that the twist is well known even to people who aren't as familiar (kind of information that has entered general shared knowledge-- like the fact that no one is surprised to read Dracula and find out he's a vampire) but my husband (who reads and watches movies a fair amount) doesn't know the twist.... And I really don't think you can even make the argument about the other 3.
Gah
Okay, I'll stop ranting....
I'll rate all 20 in the next day or two. :)
Britt, Book Habitue wrote: "Finished The Holdout yesterday.The Agatha Christie spoilers kind of ticked me off, because they were so unnecessary! I did take the time to read Curtain and Witness beforehand, so they didn't actu..."
Goodie! Excited to see what you thought compiled in one post!
Okay, I can't bring myself to rank all 20, but here are some little lists.Books I LOVED (5 stars)
Humble Pi- everyone should read this. It's amazing.
Hold on, but Don't Hold Still- I was predisposed to love this because I like her.
The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne- can this be a series??
Three Hours in Paris- excellent WWII
Books I loved, BUT.... (also 5 stars)
The Yellow Bird Sings- beautiful but oh so hard to read
Books I really liked (4 stars)
Before I Called You Mine- all the feels, man
The House in the Cerulean Sea- I struggled, but ultimately really liked it
Books that deserve the stars (4 stars)
Start by Believing- important but oh so hard to read. Infuriating.
Books that I grudgingly gave a higher rating because well done (4 stars)
Long Bright River- did not actually enjoy reading this one
The Space Between Worlds- ultimately the philosophy convinced me to give it 4 stars instead of 3
The Wife and the Widow- really a 3.5, but I'm nice and round up
The Holdout- well done, but I'll be angry about those spoilers until the day I die
Books that were actually (queer) Romance
The House on the Cerulean Sea
The Space Between Worlds
Solid 3 star books
The Tourist Attraction- cute, surprisingly clean, romance isn't my jam
The Finders- decent mystery, but not as good as I wanted it to be
Books I have mixed feelings about (3 stars)
Minor Dramas and Other Catastrophes- I just... I can't even
Books that I gave 3 stars to because I didn't know what else to do with them
Almond- meh
Simon the Fiddler- I can't actually point out what's wrong with it, I just found myself avoiding it
The Silence- miserable people being... miserable. And drinking too much.
Books I kind of wish I hadn't read
You Had Me at Hola- I can't remember how many stars I gave this for Reader's Choice, but I didn't even rate it on GoodReads, because I didn't know how. It had some important things to say, but ultimately didn't do enough with them and the main characters were just so dumb. Plus romance is not my jam and really not clean romance even more so.
Follow Me to Ground- ICK ICK ICK left me wanting a shower. *shudder*
Did anyone else read Follow Me to Ground? Is it just me that felt this way?
Mod
Books I LOVED (5 stars)
Humble Pi- everyone should read this. It's amazing.
Hold on, but Don't Hold Still- I was predispo..."
Britt! Thank you! I love your breakdown.
"Follow Me to Ground" was definitely an ick book but also I couldn't stop thinking about it? I enjoyed her writing style so I think I liked the execution of the novel more than the story. It's definitely been one of those titles that either gets 1 or 5 stars. People feel strongly about it!
Thanks for being such a fabulous RC reader! We'll be announcing the top three winning titles in the next few weeks.
Britt, Book Habitue wrote: "Okay, I can't bring myself to rank all 20, but here are some little lists.Books I LOVED (5 stars)
Humble Pi- everyone should read this. It's amazing.
Hold on, but Don't Hold Still- I was predispo..."
Interesting!
Based on your earlier recommendation here, I am currently reading Humble Pi. His writing style makes what could be dreary an absolute delight to read! I keep giggling.
Debbie wrote: "Based on your earlier recommendation here, I am currently reading Humble Pi. His writing style makes what could be dreary an absolute delight to read! I keep giggling."I think that was my favorite this time around.
I just realized I forgot to turn in all my ballots for this round. $%^&(*@%&(#$(
Mod
The ballots have all been counted, and the top three titles are:
First Place: The Finders
Second Place: The Wife and the Widow
Third Place: The Yellow Bird Sings
Thanks again to everyone for participating! We'll get started with the next round in January and I'll try to remember to remind you to turn your ballots in, Audrey. ;)
Interesting. Those were not my favorites. (Didn't get to Yellow Bird.)
Of the selections I read, Humble Pi was my favorite. But, then, it was the only one I read! Voting would, in my view, have been improper.
Interesting.... I really wanted to like Finders more than I did. Yeah....not my favorites either.
Debbie wrote: "Of the selections I read, Humble Pi was my favorite. But, then, it was the only one I read! Voting would, in my view, have been improper."You should still vote on how much you liked the book.
Humble Pi was my favorite, and Hold On But Don't Hold Still and The Space Between Worlds were my next best.
Mod
View it here: https://tinyurl.com/2p898t79
Mod
Neat! Do the authors know they've been nominated, or do they just get their awards out of the blue?
Mod
"What an honor! Thank you so much for letting me know."
- Elsa Hart
"What thrilling news! I'm honored for The Yellow Bird Sings to be nominated! Thank you very much for letting me know. With my best wishes and thanks."
- Jennifer Rosner
"Thanks so much for this fantastic news. It's an honour to be included in such good company. I was actually in Utah back in 2020 for the Sundance Film Festival and absolutely fell in love with your part of the world. I'm sure I'll make it back that way when the world returns to normal!"
-Christian White
I have found some dear favorite books through Reader's Choice.
I have also found some of my favorite authors/series/books through Readers' Choice!
Mod
Yay, Audrey & Britt! That makes me so happy. I'll share your comments with our committee. They read lots and lots of books so it's nice for them to hear some positive results!
I came late this time around so just sharing what I have read so far. Books RARELY get a 5 from me so use that these might be rated higher than you might normally assumeThe Tourist Attraction - I do like romance, but I like good romance and I don't like gush. Giving it a 2.5.
The House in the Cerulean Sea - 3. Maybe a 3.5 because I really liked a quote from it. High praise for a book like this. I struggled with it because I really like my people to be people, not gnomes etc. I also felt the romance had more of a parent/child feel.
The quote: "I am but paper. Brittle and thin. I am held up to the sun, and it shines right through me. I get written on, and I can never be used again. These scratches are a history. They’re a story. They tell things for others to read, but they only see the words, and not what the words are written upon. I am but paper, and though there are many like me, none are exactly the same. I am parched parchment. I have lines. I have holes. Get me wet, and I melt. Light me on fire, and I burn. Take me in hardened hands, and I crumple. I tear. I am but paper. Brittle and thin."
It reminds me of the refugee stories I have been reading lately.
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Books mentioned in this topic
Humble Pi: A Comedy of Maths Errors (other topics)The House in the Cerulean Sea (other topics)
Almond (other topics)
Before I Called You Mine (other topics)
The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne (other topics)
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YES! I agree 100%