Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion
This topic is about
Beware of Chicken 3
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Vagabond Treehouse (2023) [Beware of Chicken 3 - December 4th]
There are overhypers in FBR too. 😆Issues happen when you become a known book reviewer & get authors reaching out to you for a review.
You have to have a good "work reading" mind and be able to turn it off or say no & put down the book. Most reviewers don't get paid for the review. So, ya gotta think about what's fair to you, the author and how that would fit into your life.
Honestly, most probably don't think about that kind of stuff when reviewing but they're good topics to think about and make decisions.
I went full in review mode for 2 years to expand my knowledge base on a list of questions I had. It was a great experience, and I totally got what I wanted and more out of that. However, it's a big time commitment and eventually, I stopped because I gained most of what I wanted and did not have the time to keep going & meet my base requirements for reviewing.
Looking back, it would have been easier if I had made a firm cut off and stop reading line earlier during that time. That's hard to do though. There are some books you have to read the whole thing to get a good perspective, some series I totally ignored for a long time & legit did not enjoy until 2-3 book, etc. BUT thats for personal reading. It wasn't fair to me to force myself to read when I just didn't click with the story.
Bottom line, I wasn't a paid review writer. I was giving my professional best for a mini-hobby+experiment. I put tons of expectations on the quality and effort I put into reviewing. Which lead to book burnout and associated "review work". So when other stuff in life came up, I was like WEE TIME TO jet in that direction. 😆😅
Oh yeah, I definitely gave slightly higher ratings on books while I was in that review mode than I would normally do. Not a huge difference, but definitely more effort into being professionally courteous, because that's my mindframe for it.
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Yeah, reviews can color my reading experience. It works out ok if I do it for authors/books I don't know. Cause the audiobook sits in the Not Started/Downloaded pile until I feel like giving it a try. Enough time to forget review details. 😄
Choko wrote: "I never liked Colleen Hoover books, and I tried because of the hype as well... Now I only trust our group:)))"I've only just started seeing the hype of BookTok... I find it a little scary. And I have a hard time understanding why books that are so crappy can be so popular...
@Ann-Marie, re: Murderbot--I've been getting really into analyzing the [redacted] in the System Collapse BR. ^^
As for reviewing--I think I'm probably in the gathering data and trying to be a better reviewer mode right now... I'm still figuring out how to stabilize my own star rating system... it will definitely fluctuate based on mood.
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Aw poor Colleen Hoover. I read one book by her via Audible + and it was great! She's super popular in contemporary romance. I'm gonna guess that her books are set in the (awful label) New Adult contemporary rom niche. I know I really enjoyed Slammed because of how well the story presented in audio format and the narrator did a fantastic job of interpreting the story to audio.
Ratings: my 3 star ratings have the biggest range of books
If I read ebooks more for indie writers, there would be more 2 star ratings for grammar issues. So, it's in their favor that a lot of my book consumption has been via audio. 😆
Indie/Amateur writing has it's perks! Like I got to know & read Blood Song before Anthony Ryan was signed by traditional publishing.
Has anyone found a decent replacement for GR? I look for one every few years and haven't seen a good one to switch to.
Soo wrote: "Has anyone found a decent replacement for GR? I look for one every few years and haven't seen a good one to switch to."I haven't
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Some interesting new ones pop up, but they're mostly useful as innovative sorting/management tools?... I don't think any are successful enough to be a replacement for the main thing I use GR for... groups/discussions/virtual book clubs...
Ooo lots of goodies in Audible +. It's a sign to listen to more audiobooks. 😁📚📚😁
I tried Storygraph for a while, but stopped when I started getting social in FBR. Good organization tracking, but has no social. The closest thing might be to do a discord, socially... but anything like that lacks the convenience of having all the book information right here in one place...@Soo--looking forward to hearing the highlights of your Audible + goodie spam listening...
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Timelord Iain wrote: "We're doing White Trash Warlock & Trailer Park Trickster, starting next month, off Audible Plus... something I found last December, and never had time for, until I m..."The third one is on Hoopla too, which is nice.
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Timelord Iain wrote: "I gravitate towards 4 stars, use 3s when I'm not loving something, use 5s for faves and things that I really enjoy... 1-2s only seem to come out when I'm hate-reading, which tends to happen with se..."That's about my system as well. If i finish a book I rarely give it less than a 3...
LoLz Stank Delicious hahs
I note on review space if the audio is on Audible +. Always phrased as "Currently on Audible +" since it's there for a time & not always.
message 5421:
by
Timelord Iain, Tech Support
(last edited Nov 25, 2023 04:31PM)
(new)
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rated it 5 stars
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It took place centuries after the 3rd book, alot of the side characters were missing, but it turned out they were in cryo-stasis, so they were awoken near the end of the book, and Hank got a body replacement Deus Ex Machina that fixed alot of his mutant growth issues from the first 3 books (giving him another few centuries to live, assuming he treats himself better this time around... doubt it)...
Delovoa & Early Years (haven't read)
Screw The Galaxy
Basketful of Crap
Prince of Suck
Suck My Cosmos
Stank Delicious (next for me)
Robot Farts
Dumber Than Dead
Garm (think these)
Frankly (focus on side characters)
Fourth Quadrant
False Profit
I know about the books but haven't read any of the Hanks. It's in the TBR for one day. 👻@Brian, The Sandbox is on the Audible presale for $3.99.
Looking at Audible + and found Collateral #6! Which is next up for me in Tier One series. Woo
Also gonna try out one of the Dolby Atmos sound production audio that's in Audible +.
One of these:
Sundown: A Time Capsule Society Mystery
The Prophecy
Song of the Northwoods (short story)
Love at First Psych
Since I primarily read for pleasure, I rate based purely on how much I enjoyed a book. 1 star - Absolutely horrible, don't bother
2 stars - Meh, I finished the book somehow but would not recommend it
3 stars - An entertaining read
4 stars - Highly enjoyable, I would probably recommend this book
5 stars - Excellent! The book may not be perfect but it was perfect for me. Possibly a new favorite.
4 & 5 stars tend to be reread candidates since I do love rereading my favorite books. I also have gotten a lot better over the years at picking books I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy so tend to end up with a lot of 4 stars these days.
I write reviews for myself. That others find them useful too is nice :) I got started as a way to improve my own writing, to get better at putting my thoughts to a page. In this regards, reviewing has worked great! Now I use it as a way to let me remember why I liked something and do a comparison upon rereads :) Or to remind myself why I didn't like something and to avoid the rest of a series in case I get tempted.
Yah! I've switched to notes or mini-reviews. I read too many books and it helps to jot down a note to remember for later. I've saved myself from reading books I've already read and forgotten cause they had a nice blurb to catch my eye but not a matching good story. 😅😆The Captain #1 is on Audible +
Just read an unflattering review for it by a friend. Hahahahha
Sadly, I don't expext it to be good, but I wanna try it while it's on Audible +.
Soo wrote: "Yah! I've switched to notes or mini-reviews. I read too many books and it helps to jot down a note to remember for later. I've saved myself from reading books I've already read and forgotten cause ..."Me too! Rereading my own thoughts have definitely helped me not revisit something I didn't enjoy the first time.
Oooh, I've been wanting to try the new Wight series... thanks for that head's up...Actually, looks like the whole sitewide sale is going live... starting to cross-reference all my upcoming BRs...
If anyone has any recommendations of good deals, I always love to hear...
I'm looking at Audible now. 🥸For those who have KU, there are lots of decent $7.49-ish audios.
Audible State Wide Sale: I will update this post vs making more posts.
Legends & Lattes & Bookshops & Bonedust are on sale for $7.50!
Which is great because they are not on KU anymore.
Defiant on sale $5.24!
Age of War $4.26.
Age of Death $3.04
Age of Empyre $3.04
The Dragon in Winter: A Kagen the Damned Novel #3 Pre-order $9.44
Rot & Ruin series books by Jonathan Maberry $3.41-5.11
Longmire series by Craig Johnson are mostly under $5.
Threadbare series by Andrew Seiple look to be around $5.
Carol Berg books $5
Miriam Black series by Chuck Wendig around $3-4
Most of Victor the Killer series by Tom Wood
Vlad Taltos series by Steven Brust (I hope he finishes the series.)
Lots of C.J. Cherryh books around $3-5.
The Kingdoms $3.20
Narilka wrote: "Ooo Dragon Heist is $2.97!"I need more of Kane's books! I can't get enough of them lol
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That comic where the dude is stuck in the Tutorial Tower for years, and comes out able to oneshot everything with a sandal/chancla...
The plot of Angel where Connor ends up in a hell dimension for his entire childhood...
Wandering Inn / Beware of Chicken / Strongest Florist / etc etc etc, for just wanting to do mundane things in an RPG world... but trouble keeps finding you...
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message 5433:
by
Timelord Iain, Tech Support
(last edited Nov 26, 2023 03:15AM)
(new)
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rated it 5 stars
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Steven Brust is old. I want him to write a lot and finish Vlad Taltos before he kicks dirt. Guess I should also pencil in when I'm gonna finish writing a book too. 😶🌫️😅
Iain, what is the Captain story? That title could be anything.
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Wight does take his stuff off KU. A lot of LitRPG authors are going off KU and looking for other places to sell audiobooks. Cause they make less money with Amazon. I got Captian with Audible +. If I like it, will buy it. But I'm gonna bet that it's gonna be mediocre. I wasn't able to really dig into any of his other work.
Now, after the fact, I'm a bit sorry I didn't make the effort to add the Chinese Light Novels I've been reading to GR database & keep my records. 🤗All of the ones I'm rotating between right now are great. 💫👍
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Seems necessary, for the plot being developed tho... the true enemy of the series, seems to be outside the Leveling System, and has ways to negate the leveling system benefits... so only people like Amelia, and the people she's teaching to find strength outside of the system have much chance of fight back...
I went ahead and bought Dragon Heist and finished off the Threadbare series since books 5 & 6 are $4.87 each.
Yeah, the Andrew Seiple books are cheap and you can wrap up series. Totally did that. 😆Got Dragon Heist too! Hehehe
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I didn't even read the blurb. I was like ooo new Alex Kane! Check price, check for other books, checkout 😁🥸
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I'm also just a huge Alexander C. Kane fan... Orlando People and Dragon Heist a bit more than Andrea Vernon...
I still need a 3rd Orlando People, after how #2 ended, and I think there are indications, beyond the plot, that Dragon Heist will get sequels...
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That, paired with the MC lacking levels, is giving me serious Ryoka vibes from Wandering Inn...
Reviews Amelia are mostly bad. Whatcha enjoy about them?
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Read the 2nd one rather than jump to another random LitRPG…
Now I started The Captain…
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Amelia is an OP powerhouse, refusing to take classes, since the only one on offer is Hero of the Universe she's stuck in, Eternal Protector...
She's more powerful than the robot angels that do the will of the System, killed the Void King in the Void Dimension (even tho he came back to life somehow), one shots every threat... but is now running a pub, has a hive of sacred bees making her honey for curry, has the angel as a waiter to pay off a debt, hired the revivified evil Lich King as a bartender while he figures out how to fulfill his redemption arc and payback some of the damage he caused 10k years ago and on previous resurrections (he's been kicked out of the System and lost classes/level)... she also has a scared spearman/guard as a waiter, and is teaching a swordman and tank her classless ways to use their souls / inner strength to outperform the System and defeat void-blessed enemies...
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Fantasy Buddy Reads
Books mentioned in this topic
Quick Transmigration Cannon Fodder’s Record of Counterattacks (other topics)Quick Transmigration Cannon Fodder’s Record of Counterattacks (other topics)
Beware of Chicken 3 (other topics)
Beware of Chicken 3 (other topics)
Night of the Living Deed (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Nora Sakavic (other topics)Jordan L. Hawk (other topics)
Jordan Castillo Price (other topics)
T.J. Klune (other topics)
Derek Alan Siddoway (other topics)
Yeah I trust judgement of FBR more than most of my friends/family even, when it comes to books :D