You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
Challenges: Monthly
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July 2021 REPORTING - Return of the Buddy
date
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Remember!- WOF Name
- Tell us what your buddy recommended
- How did you go with it?
- Did you like it? If not, why not?
WoF - KatrisaMy buddy chose The Queen's Gambit.
I enjoyed the book a lot! I gave it 4 stars. It is funny because I don't play chess and with the amount of chess moves that they describe in the book that mean absolutely nothing to me like - she moves knight to queen 4 and then he moves PAWN TO KNIGHT 3 !!!!!! it seems like that bit would not keep my interest but it did. I am sure if you know chess it would be even more interesting.
Now I can check out the show!
WoF JaymeMy buddy, Esther, chose The Calculating Stars
This book has been on my tbr for a while and I was very excited to finally get to it. I love a good disaster/sci-fi book and part 1 of the book was very engaging with the meteor hitting earth (not a spoiler) and our MC Elma (and humankind) having to grapple with surviving its aftermath. But Part 2 threw me. When I started reading it I kept going back and rereading it trying to figure out the point of view. I finally realized that this was still Elma, but boy had she changed - the excitement was gone.
The focus had shifted and now I had to figure out if this book was about racism, sexism, feminism, mental health and/or religious discrimination. Kowal tries to tackle all of those issues and the book becomes something else entirely. Not that I didn't like the story it's just that it wasn't what I expected. I'm glad I read it, but probably will not read the rest of the series.
WoF name - Amanda(Lily)My buddy picked Such a Fun Age.
I wasn't a huge fan on this one. I wanted to like it because I loved the premise, but I found the characters to be unlikeable. I couldn't find someone to root for.
WoF JaniceMy buddy, Sharon, picked The Strange Journey of Alice Pendelbury.
It was one of the freebies I got from World Book Day. I found this to be predictable, both in terms of the mystery and the romance. It was set in 1950 and I was disappointed there wasn't more of a feel of the era. I did think you got a good impression of Istanbul though. My favourite character was Can, who called himself the best guide in Istanbul. I found his character refreshing and humourous.
WoF Abby My buddy, Lanelle, picked The Last Olympian.
I liked the way this book ended. I basically read it in one day. (view spoiler) Still a little confused as to why the gods need to enlist a bunch of teenagers to help fight their battles. And this whole thing could have been avoided if they simply (view spoiler) My favorite character is Nico. Love him!! <3<3<3 It was a good book and I had fun reading it.
WoF CherieMy buddy, Vicki, picked The Atlantis World for me to read, to help me kill off a series I have needed to finish for some time.
Unfortunately, it had been so long, since I finished the second book, that I was lost as soon as I started the third. I re-listened to the previous two stories, since I already owned them, and it helped. I say that it helped, but did not completely satisfy some elements in the story. There is a huge list of characters and time lines that are all interconnected in the three books in the trilogy. I finished it, but I did not love it. It was a good story and I really liked the two main characters, but there was too much back and forth between locations and time lines. Then, there was a new player added, and I still have no idea where he came from, exactly. As much as I really enjoyed the great narration in the audiobooks, I wish that I owned the text or ebook copies too. I am happy to have another series finished this year, and I appreciate Vicki picking the book for me to finish it off!
WoF PeggyMarnie picked The Binding for me.
I really enjoyed it and rated it 4 stars. It started of a bit slow and it felt like a chapter took me 30 minutes to read while it was actually just 15. I think it picked up from part 2 onwards. I really liked the concept of the book, which is set in a world where books are actually the memories of people. It had some dark bits in though. I also thought it was very well-written and I liked both MC's.
WoF MarniePeggie picked The Road Trip for me and it was kind of a mixed bag for me. The writing style was good and I enjoyed the dual timeline but I thought the characters weren’t overly likable. I also never bought into why the two main characters wanted a second chance with each other. Runnnnnn Addie run! I do want to try again with this author. I think I will try The Flat Share which seems to be her most popular.
WoF TrudyAnKay chose Zero K for me. I struggled a bit with this book. The writing was good, but the plot was uninspiring and the characters were flat. I couldn't connect with any of them. The writer did present some interesting thoughts about dying and mortality. If reading the book hadn't been for this challenge, I likely wouldn't have finished it, though wouldn't mind attempting another book by this author some day.
WoF: KayMy Buddy chose: City of Thieves
I really appreciate this choice from my buddy. It was a very good book and being based on actual events during WW11 it was informing and confronting, yet full of characters that were very enduring. The basis of finding 12 eggs for a general's daughter's wedding in the middle of Nazi occupied Russia was a great hook.
WoF VickiAlmeta chose The Sun Down Motel for me.
I think it was a great pick. I don't read spooky books often and I always enjoy them when I do. Motels like this have horror stories even if they aren't haunted. I think I would have liked this one better if it hadn't had the dual timeline and just went with the 80's story on its own. I kept having to step back and remember which storyline I was in as I couldn't tell the mc's apart very well.
WoF Name - LanelleMy buddy chose Soar for me.
This review will be full of flowing praise. The author, Joan Bauer, is a favorite of mine. I love how she writes about teens dealing with serious issues with positive outlooks! I ALWAYS come away from reading one of her books with a vow to look on the brighter side of trials. There's a silver lining to those dark clouds.
Wof- Christina Ellie-May chose The Kite Runner for me.
What a fantastic book and I am so glad that it was picked. It is the most emotional read for me this year and it got 5 stars.
It kept me up at night because I didn't want to put it down. Although, I had to sometimes because I couldn't read through my tears.
Wof - Emma R.My buddy choose Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch for me.
I have mixed feelings about this book. This book has come highly recommended to me so many times that I was almost expecting it to be the best book ever. I liked it okay and gave it four stars, but it is a lot different than what I was expecting. There was a lot more humor than I thought there would be, and a lot less of Aziraphale and Crowley.
I am looking forward to watching the show now that I've read the book. I am also planning on reading more of the authors' works.
WoF- SharonBiskitMy buddy, Katrina, picked The Murmur of Bees for me.
I have had this book on my TBR list for quite awhile. I kept passing it over. It is a long one at 471 pages, and for some reason I kept passing it over. I really enjoyed this challenge. It was great fun and gave me the encouragement to read something on my lengthy TBR list that I might not have chosen. We have been on vacation for two weeks and it gave me good motivation on the long car ride.
I found the book to be a wonderful surprise. The language was beautifully written. As the book was translated from its original Spanish, this was a happy surprise. The action developed slowly and there was enough mystery and suspense to keep me engaged. The characterizations were very well done. I loved the unfolding of the plot. I felt as if I was part of this particular family and landscape. It is a beautiful story.
WoF - Lilisa Amanda selected The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride. The book’s been on my TBR list since 2016 - it was great to be promoted to get to it. It’s about the fateful trek from Illinois to the west in 1846 by 87 people, only half of whom survived, including Sarah Graves, a relative of the author. Major research went into the writing of the book. It’s not for the faint of heart - many starved to death, died from hypothermia, and to survive they had to resort to cannibalism, which was described more graphically than I’d anticipated - it made me nauseous. I loved The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by the same author and I’ve got his latest Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II on my TBR list.
WoF MargoAbby selected Elantris from my shelf and I really enjoyed it.
I've read a few books set in this universe Warbreaker and three books from the Stormlight Archives so I was pretty confident going into this one and it didn't disappoint. Sanderson is a fun writer, I enjoy his characters and there is always enough politics to hold my interest though I snooze a bit through his battle scenes - thankfully there aren't too many of them!
Another thing I love about this story is that it's not part of a series (or at least book 2 has not yet been written yet) so I'm not committing myself to hundreds of hours of listening YAY!!!
Thanks Abby, great pic 😁
WoF: Sandra from PAJanice picked The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion for me.
Fannie Flagg's books have that feeling-good atmosphere that was really appreciated right now. It was what I needed. I learn some new things, for example about the WASP's, women flying military planes domestically during WWII. The characters were vivid, and the story engaging. Although I worried things were headed toward some common places, at the end everything was solved in a satisfying way.
I'm also glad it is off my TBR and my physical shelf at home at last! Thanks Janice!
WoF AlmetaRead Crooked Kingdom. That completes a duology that I started in 2017.
I gave it 4 stars. There are plenty of interesting characters and an engaging plot. Love clever masterminded plots!
Although it was planned as only 2 books, I see that a third may be in the works I would definitely read it, unless so much time goes by that I forget.☻
Thankyou Anna for your pick for me. I hope you enjoy the books you picked from my list. *grin*
Sandra wrote: "WoF: Sandra from PAJanice picked The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion for me.
Fannie Flagg's books have that feeling-good atmosphere that was really appreciated right now..."7
I'm glad you enjoyed it. Time for me to get it off my wishlist and into current reading.
It was a pleasant read, Janice. I think you will enjoy it.
WoF AyaRusalka picked Howl’s Moving Castle for me which has been on my shelf since 2017 so I'm thankful because if she didn't pick up I don't know how long it'll stay untouch.
I love the anime adaptation so much that I needed time to adapt with the book which is waaayyy complicated. I was struck by Howl's behavior and he broke my heart a bit. (view spoiler) Definitely 5 stars from me. Now that I finished it, I'm wondering if I should read the #2 book..
WOF Marie (MAZZA57)Cherie picked The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood
I already had this to read for another challenge
For me I am not a lover of memoirs and that is an understatement.
Neither Am I really an animal lover, I would never have a pet although I would never harm an animal either. I know this will make some people gasp but it is only the same as people not wanting children.
The book is an easy enough read but dreadfully repetitive and apart from some endearing or humorous stories it falls neatly into memoirs that really have no meaning for me.
I know others love this book it just is not for me
WoF Anne (Finds Joy)TrudyAn picked Monkey Beach
I happily listened to this Canadian Native Indian story while I was in Canada on vacation. :)
It's a coming of age tale told through flashbacks. The timeline jumped around a bit (confusing on audio), but the story pulled me in and was more engaging in the second half. I appreciated the realistic telling of Haisla Indian traditions and challenges, and I thought the setting of Pacific Northwest coast of British Columbia was really well brought to life.
3.5 rounded up to 4 *
Great pick for me, TrudAn! I'm so happy to have finally read it, and now I want to read another of her books Son of a Trickster
WoF: Kristie Jayme chose Seven Perfect Things for me. It is 320 pages.
I ended up enjoying it. It was my first book by Catherine Ryan Hyde and I thought it was a sweet read. 3.5★ my Seven Perfect Things review
Ayacchi wrote: "Now that I finished it, I'm wondering if I should read the #2 book.."So glad you enjoyed it!! And the answer is yes, but mainly as I think the third book is just as good as the first.
Rusalka wrote: "Ayacchi wrote: "Now that I finished it, I'm wondering if I should read the #2 book.."So glad you enjoyed it!! And the answer is yes, but mainly as I think the third book is just as good as the fi..."
Read the interview corner and now that I know Howl will make appearance in there, I'm tempted to read. Heard that the #3 is great!
WOF: EstherI read Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know
This surprised me a bit as it was not exactly what I was expecting. But, this being said, it was a good read and will probably make me overanalyse things for a while.
- WOF Name: PragyaKristie chose The Pull of the Stars
I wanted to abandon it as soon as I began it. I was like "Really, Kristie? What a great timing!" Haha because it was like living in the pandemic and I look to books as an escape from real life at present and it seemed like both books and reality were mirroring each other with this one. But I kept on and it turned out to be a quick read. It was an okay read for me.
WoF: ShirleyMargot's pick for me was The Dictionary of Lost Words. Despite high hopes and a multitude of recommendations from others, I couldn't get into it. In fact I felt quite irritated. So, kindly, Margot re-picked for me. She chose West with the Night. This book is the memoir of Beryl Markham, an English pilot/adventurer in the early twentieth century. Thankfully, she was also a rather good writer, and I really enjoyed reading this book which has an easy conversational style, and some very entertaining anecdotes from her life in Africa.
WoF - JennMy buddy Lynn picked The Nightengale (I am still working off the app, but will fix the link in a couple of days) off of my shelf. I’ve had the paper copy staring at me for awhile now, but it is sooooooo ooooooo big lol, I did a face-palm when she picked it, but it read really very quickly, and was so engaging. It was an excellent book, I seem to read a lot of WWII, but not often from those perspectives. I am really glad to have read, and already recommended/offered to lend to two people lol
WOF - RusalkaShirley picked His Bloody Project: Documents Relating to the Case of Roderick Macrae for me.
I hate books that are gotchya things all "this is fake but I am telling you it's real and isn't this funny". Hate it. HOWEVER, I have been bamboozled by these so many times it started with "This is a true story" and I was like, bullshit. So I googled it within 5 pages and boundaries were established and all was well.
I really loved the story. And I seem to love stories where I know the outcome from the beginning and I am dreading the climax and hoping it's not real. Roddy is simple but smart, just too damn naive for someone who grew up where he did, a victim of poverty and classism, and a bit of a doofus. None of these were fatal flaws. Some things annoyed me as I think the character choice was wrong, but not unable to be understood.
I have had this book on my shelf for a few years. I've heard amazing things about it. Did it live up to the 5 stars, best book ever hype? No. But I am glad Shirley got me to read it and I did really enjoy it.
Rusalka wrote: "WOF - RusalkaShirley picked His Bloody Project: Documents Relating to the Case of Roderick Macrae for me.
I hate books that are gotchya things all "this is fake but I am telling ..."So glad you enjoyed it Rusalka. For me, the premise that the story was based on real documents gave it a uniqueness that it probably wouldn’t have had otherwise.
Shirley wrote: "So glad you enjoyed it Rusalka. For me, the premise that the story was based on real documents gave it a uniqueness that it probably wouldn’t have had otherwise."I just had a bad experience with a the first book like that I read, so I just prefer to know for my own sanity. I don't mind if it's a pretense, just so I know. Weird little quirk of mine.
Thank you for finally pushing me to read it!
Badges are up. Grats everyone for completing the challenge, and please let me know if I inadvertently missed you.
No worries! You did all the work! :D
You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
Books mentioned in this topic
His Bloody Project: Documents Relating to the Case of Roderick Macrae (other topics)His Bloody Project: Documents Relating to the Case of Roderick Macrae (other topics)
The Dictionary of Lost Words (other topics)
West with the Night (other topics)
The Pull of the Stars (other topics)
More...
This month, I'm going to allocate you with a buddy who is going to choose what book you are going to read in July. I need you to tell me if you are going to participate by 26 June 2021 in the thread below. You will also need to indicate what shelf you would like your buddy to choose your book off. Eg: to be read, own, romance, audiobooks, vampire goats and friends, etc. A link to the shelf would be very helpful to your buddy too.
On the 27 June I will have plonked you all through a fruit machine and assigned you a buddy who will be picking your read. Your buddy will go through your allocated shelf, and then tell us in the thread below, what read they have chosen for you. I'll then set up a reporting thread where you can report on your reads and tell us what you think about it.
If you notice this challenge after the above dates, and even after July starts, you can still play, just post in this thread as above and I will pair you with another signer-upperer or assign you a mod to be your buddy.
Tips and Rules!
For you
- The book must be read between July 1 – July 31, 2021 (based on your local time zone).
- This book WILL NOT count for the Museums Year Long Challenge.
- The book needs to be over 175pp. If your buddy picks a book for you that is under or the version you get is under (eg. different edition than is on Goodreads, ebook, audiobook) let them know and ask them to re-pick a read for you.
In the case of ebooks & audiobooks, use the hardcover or paperback edition to determine page length. From the book page, select “all editions”, then select the first paper edition as your guide. If reading an ebook and there is no paper edition, the ebook book must be at least 250 pages. If reading an audiobook and there is no paper edition, your book must be a minimum of 6 hours long.
- When allocating your shelf, you can make a new one if you would like to leave off options you can't get or are allocated for other challenges. BUT you should have a pretty decent variety on there. Making a shelf of 5 books is NOT the point of the challenge. Live a little here peoples.
- Please check your privacy settings. If your profile is private, could you please change it to give your buddy access to your shelves. You can do this on the 25th and please feel free to change it back straight after they have chosen. If you are not comfortable with this, which is completely fine, you will have to add your buddy as a friend. But you will need to do one or the other for people to look at your shelves.
- You will get a badge even if you don't finish the book, but you have to attempt it.
- If there is a problem with the selection your buddy has made eg "I can't buy it coz it costs a million dollars, and no libraries have it and neither do my friends as there was a ritualistic book burning of that book in my country where we all danced around and mocked it." plead your case. If it is reasonable or amusing enough, I may feel nice and let your buddy "reroll" for you. But it had better be good. I would suggest giving your buddy a shelf where you can easily access the books instead. That's more reliable than my whim.
For When You Are Choosing For Someone
- Please choose quickly so people can go to libraries, buy, borrow, beg, if needed.
- Keep in mind size. You may be able to read War and Peace in a month, but that choice would make me want to hunt you down and smack you over the head with it. Also remember the requirement for over 175pp. If you pick something that doesn't meet the requirement for the pages (see above) you may need to pick another for your Buddy.
- Also, keep in mind series order. Don't pick number #12 in a series, if your buddy has only read #1 and #2 for example. If in doubt, feel free to ask your buddy how they feel about reading series out of order.
- Remember, if you sign up, you will have someone waiting for you to choose a book for them. Life definitely gets in the way, I get that, but either still pick for them if you can't play yourself any more, or let us know so we can reassign a buddy.
EDIT: Buddy Assignments found in Message 85