R21: Team #9 ~ Bookwormin' 9 to 5

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

;)

[Melissa]

yay! we have a name! hope everyone had a good weekend!

[Melissa]

Completion Post:



Shelf: Week 2: Alternate Universe
Book: Anna Dressed in Blood
Author: Kendare Blake
Series: Anna #1
How it fits: Shelved 2x
Pages: 316
Finished: 2/14/22
Rating: ★★★★★

Review:

Anna Dressed in Blood has been on my TBR for ages! I love horror so much but I couldn't make myself read it sooner ... My expectations were right and wrong. I'll explain in my breakdown. So let's get to it!

What I Liked:

• Good horror fiction is surprisingly hard to find. Or at least horror stories that I enjoy are hard to find. This was a really good one. Some of the things I really enjoy: unique magical elements, strong female characters,  nightmare inducing scenes, and self sacrifice.

• I loved Anna! She was so terrifying! And so sweet. Her story was heartbreaking and I was so glad that things didn’t go as planned.

• Cassio, Thomas, and Carmel actually become friends. They don’t really seem like they are likely friends at the beginning of the story and I honestly expected things to go another way at one point. I was glad to see them stick together.

Stuff That Wasn't My Jam:

• Will’s character was such a lost opportunity!! I thought for sure he was going to be pulling some strings behind the scenes to move the players where he wanted but nope. Nada. Wasted potential.

• I wish this wasn’t a YA book. It’s actually totally unnecessary. They spend so little time at school that they might as well have already graduated. Also, the douchebag jock characters were such stereotypes that they could just as easily been obnoxious frat boys. It could have just as easily been marketed as New Adult and nothing would have been lost.

• I usually don’t care one way or another about YA. but. one of the dudes gets torn in half. Maybe I’m old but reading about kids my daughter’s age getting dismembered just hits different. Idk but at least if he was an adult I would not have any qualms thinking “this is what poor life choices get you, bro.” but as a high schooler, I still kinda wanna know why his momma didn’t teach him better.

• So … I always listen to the audiobook and follow along with print. I don’t know if it’s my ADHD, auditory processing disorder, or what that makes this the best way for me to read and retain what I read but it is what it is. The narration for this one was killing me. The speech pattern was so simplistic and too spaced out even with the speed increased to 1.75x. It took me out of story several times and was just a bummer.

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Melissa, so annoying when you get poor timing by the narrator. I can't do horror full stop, and I balk at a lot of explicit crime thrillers as the audio makes it so real in my head. I read these thrillers but can't listen to them.

On a different note did you listen to the audio of Fated Blades if so, what did you think?

[Melissa]

Loriidae wrote: "On a different note did you listen to the audio of Fated Blades if so, what did you think? "

I did. I usually listen at 1.5x - 1.75x speed depending on the narrator. I don’t remember which I used for Fated Blades. I don’t remember anything that particularly bothered me but I did have to re-read large sections a few times because even though I was following along, I caught my mind wandering.

I remember you saying that you you were not impressed with the narrator. What didn’t you like?

[Monica]

I wanted to ask, I had started reading The Midnight Library last year and never finished it. Would it be alright to start it over and use it for this weeks shelf?

[Melissa]

I know you can definitely read it if it fits the shelf but I'm not sure if it counts as your re-read ... might depend on how far you got before? I'll check the FAQ and see if there's anything there. If not, that's a good question for the Group Discussion board. Let me poke around a bit :)

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Monica wrote: "I wanted to ask, I had started reading The Midnight Library last year and never finished it. Would it be alright to start it over and use it for this weeks shelf?"

If you start from the beginning again, you can read it for the shelf. Doesn't count as a re-read if it wasn't finished last time.

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Completion Post - Shelf Two - Alternate Reality

The Eyre Affair (#1 Thursday Nexte) by Jasper Fforde
How it fits: Shelved as Alternate Reality 59 times
Pages: 374

Review: Imagine an alternative world where the entire population is obsessed with literature, there are 4000 John miltons and 2000 William Blakes living in London alone. Thursday Nexte is a litera tec and works in special ops chasing down copyright infringement, and a thriving industry of fake copies of first editions. Her uncle invents a machine whereby bookworms devour the text and bring the world within the book to life. These literary portals make it possible to change events in our favourite classics.

To begin with I quite enjoyed the author’s silliness in the names such as Jack Schitt, James Backbiter, Paige Turner and Braxton Hicks. Unfortunately it all wore a bit thin for me and plateaued at the half-way mark. It was easy to put aside and a struggle to pick it back up. 2 stars

Read: Feb 16 Rating: ★★✰✰✰

[Melissa]

Shelf #3 ~ 16 Feb 22: Favorite Couples
DIRECT LINK - Favorite Couples

[Melissa]

Selection Post:



Shelf: Week 3: Favorite Couples
Book: Pestilence
Author: Laura Thalassa
Series: The Four Horsemen #1
How it fits: Shelved 4x
Pages: 381

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Thanks Melissa, I have been too busy to check GR today,

I am halfway through my free space book Greywalker, not sure about the new shelf, nothing stands out as yet....

[Melissa]

no worries. i had a tough time picking a book, too. this round of bingo has made me realize that i reeeeaaally need to go through my TBR and purge the things that i’m not interested in anymore.

[Monica]

I just realized I never posted my Completion post for our first shelf.

Completion Post - Shelf - Sci-Fi Romance
by Johanna Lindsey
Warrior's Woman by Johanna Lindsey
How it fits: Shelved as Sci-Fi Romance 40 times
Pages: 448

Review:
I love Johanna Lindsey's Mallory Novels, this one is different and yet I still enjoyed it. I am used to her books being set in a historical setting, this was a nice change. This book was set in 2139 and the main character is an Amazon woman. I loved her from the beginning. I will continue with this series

Date Read: Feb. 10, 2022

Rating: 4 stars

[Monica]

Selection Post:
Wk 2 - Alternate Universe
Book: A Wrinkle in Time by Madelleine L'Engle
Series: #1 in Time Quintet
How it fits: shelved 15 times
Pages: 218

[Monica]

Selection Post:
Shelf #3: Favorite Couples
Book: The Heir by Kiera Cass
Series: # 4 in The Selection
How it fits: Shelved 5 times
Pages: 342

[Melissa]

Completion Post:



Shelf: Week 3: Favorite Couples
Book: Pestilence
Author: Laura Thalassa
Series: The Four Horsemen #1
How it fits: Shelved 4x
Pages: 381
Finished: 2/18/22
Rating: ★★★★★

Review:

This book 100% "did it" for me. I can see how it might not be for everyone but it ticked all of my boxes.

What I Loved:

• It was kind of dystopian. (The apocalypse is upon us after all.)

• The idea of The Four Horsemen, while not horror per se, does tend to strike fear into my heart.

• I really loved the exchanges between Sara & Pestilence about morality.

• Ruth & Rob ♡

• I thought it was really interesting to see the way Sara & Pestilence changed each other's minds and the way they both grew as characters.

• For once! the heroine wasn't the virgin! And Pestilence's response to their "love making" was priceless!

• Trixie/Tricksy Skillz ♡

Stuff That Wasn't My Jam:

• The torture (from both sides) was brutal.  That was hard to watch and took some suspension of disbelief that the MC's were able to overcome it. This was a bit darker than I usually like.

• The talk about Sara being a traitor to mankind. Her internal commentary as well as the general public's perception wore on me. Humanity never considers that they brought the apocalypse on themselves. But I mean, if the first rider has arrived, it's probably because he was dispatched,  right? Anyway,  I never thought she was a traitor. The rest of her character was built to showcase her as someone who was full of compassion,  so of course she would find some for even the plague bringer.

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Monica wrote: "I just realized I never posted my Completion post for our first shelf. ..."

Thanks Monica

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

You need to post on the Captain's Log thread as well, Loriidae :)

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Sandra wrote: "You need to post on the Captain's Log thread as well, Loriidae :)

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/..."

That's right, sorry it's a while since I've been captain...

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

No worries Loriidae :)

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Shelf Three - Favourite Couples

Melissa: Pestilence by Laura Thalassa Read: Feb 18 Rating: ★★★★★ Review
Monica: The Heir by Kiera Cass Read: Mar 10 Rating: ★★★★✰ Review
lorii: Here Be Sexist Vampires by Suzanne Wright Read: Feb 25 Rating: ★★★✰✰ Review

- -

[Steph, Serious series addict]

CONGRATULATIONS, 9 to 5ers!
You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'sci-fi romance'. 

[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]

Good Job!! :D

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Congratulations on the stamp Dolly, Lily & Jane!

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Sandra wrote: "Congratulations on the stamp Dolly, Lily & Jane!"

:D

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Completion Post - Free Shelf

Greywalker (#1 Greywalker) Kat Richardson
How it fits: Option: 2 #54 SOS Best of Urban Fantasy Series
Pages: 341

Review:
Harper died for two minutes and now she can enter the “grey“, the overlapping space between the living and the after-life, inhabited by ghosts and other monsters. Then the weird things begin happening. She was very resistant to anything associated with being a Greywalker, but doesn’t bat an eyelid when confronted with vampires, even though no previous knowledge of their existence by Harper or society in general is even hinted at.

It started off more like an old time detective noir movie, but with the advent of more supernatural elements it got weirder and darker as the novel progressed.

I was hesitant to choose this author as this book has a rating of 3.47, but I reminded myself that many series have a wonky start so I decided to give it a try. While the first half was better than the second, unfortunately overall it was just plain weird and very disjointed. 1.5 stars

Read: Feb 21 Rating: ★✰✰✰✰

[Melissa]

Loriidae wrote: "Completion Post - Free Shelf

Greywalker (#1 Greywalker) Kat Richardson
How it fits: Option: 2 #54 SOS Best of Urban Fantasy Series
Pages:..."

Greywalker has been on my TBR for a while but I had a friend say almost exactly what you said about it. Such a bummer, the premise is so interesting! Sorry that you aren’t having much luck finding good books this round!

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Melissa wrote: "...Greywalker has been on my TBR for a while but I had a friend say almost exactly what you said about it. Such a bummer, the premise is so interesting! Sorry that you aren’t having much luck finding good books this round!..."

well at least I am knocking a few off. I finally picked Here Be Sexist Vampires for the favourite couple, it's paranormal which hopefully will be a bit of a palette cleanser :)

[Monica]

Selection Post
Shelf: Free Space
Book: Glass Houses by Rachel Caine
Series: #1 in Morganville Vampires
How it fits: found on group's bookshelf
Pages: 239

[Monica]

Completion Post - Week 2

Wk 2 - Alternate Universe
Book: A Wrinkle in Time by Madelleine L'Engle
Series: #1 in Time Quintet
How it fits: shelved 15 times
Pages: 218

Review: This book is one that I have heard about but never thought to read it. I also received it as a gift so someone knew I would enjoy it. I love the Harry Potter books, and considering this book contains magic....means I would most likely enjoy this book. I also have a love of books with science in them.

I love the mixing of the magical world and the world we are used to. I do know that some will say that this is a children's book and I shouldn't waste my time reading them. I go into these types of books with the mindset as if I was still young. Plus I can share my thoughts with kids or even my grandchildren.

I loved following Meg, her brother Charles and their friend Calvin O'Keefe. I enjoyed following them on their adventures and seeing all the magical creatures. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

Rating: 4 stars
Date read: 2/22/2022

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Team 9 - Bookwormin' 9 to 5

Shelf Four - Magic
Direct Link: - Magic OR Magic Users + (SOS' Magic)

Melissa: Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire Read: Mar 2 Rating: ★★★★★ Review
Monica: Read: Rating:
lorii: Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch Read: Feb 25 Rating: ★★★★✰ Review

- Monica -

★★✰✰✰ - ★★★✰✰ - ★★★★✰ - ★★★★★

[lorii (Loriidae)]

It's a good excuse for me to pick up Moon Over Soho #2 in Rivers of London, one of those series that I always meant to read the next one.

[lorii (Loriidae)]

In case you missed it with all the haphazard notification garbage that GR is putting out lately. Sandra has posted a link to the Google Docs spreadsheet - that shows every teams progress

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Monica]

I am going to have to check my shelves at home tonight. I know I own a lot of books with magic in them. Now I just have to decide which one to read and I have easy access to.

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Completion Post - Shelf Four - Magic

Moon Over Soho (#2 Rivers of London ) by Ben Aaronovitch
How it fits: Shelved as Magic 296 times
Pages: 375

Review:
The narrator makes this book, which continues straight on from book #1. Peter is a self deprecating police officer / fledgling apprentice magician. He works for the London Police division of Economic and Specialist Crime Unit 9, aka the magic division.

The text is full of offhand subtle quips, asides that kept me smiling and didn’t grow old.

On Peter, questioning his superior “Why don’t we carry guns?” the answer is … “the paperwork has become very tiresome, then there’s care, maintenance, and trying to ensure one doesn’t leave it on the Underground by mistake.”

It was intriguing and funny and sad at the same time. The book does end on a minor cliff-hanger in that one of the major plot lines is unresolved, but I suspect that this story-line has the potential to develop over several books. A very enjoyable listen. 4 stars
Read: Feb 25 ★★★★✰

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Completion Post - Shelf Three - Favourite Couple

Here Be Sexist Vampires (#1 Deep in Your Veins) by Suzanne Wright
How it fits: Shelved as Favourite Couple 4 times
Pages: 279

Review:
Sam’s POV has a no nonsense conversational tone that I quite liked. I think this book would have read better for me if I had the audio edition, as it was written in first person from both main characters, switching back and forth within the same chapter, sometimes only for a few paragraphs. It was easy to lose track of who “I” was. Separate male and female narrators would definitely have improved the experience for me.

I didn’t like Jared the hero, I didn’t buy his 180 degree turnabout giving up his harem to be solely with Sam. One pet peeve, was sex scenes with OW, especially after the hero has met the heroine and lusted after her - so a star was lost there.

The world building was interesting but quite basic and there wasn’t a lot of in-depth background as to why or how things occurred. I guess there is that fine line between info dumping and being too sparse. Anyway, there are three types of vampire which was intriguing and different but unfortunately you became stereotyped and exhibit the characteristics associated with that type of vampire. All in all, it was a pretty good account of a talented woman surviving in a male dominated field.

Sam was almost too good to be true, being unique and powerful, not usually associated with her type of vampirism. An easy read. 3 stars.

Read: Feb 25 ★★★✰✰

[Steph, Serious series addict]

CONGRATULATIONS, Bookwormin'!
You now have an updated BINGO card with a stamp on 'alternate reality'. 

[Your updated BINGO card can be viewed on page 1]

Good Job!! :D

[Melissa]

hiiii … sorry i haven’t checked in for this week’s selection. still trying to decide. i‘ve tested out 3 different “magic” books but i’m not feeling any of them yet. i’m going to look over the list again to see if anything else catches my eye. i’ll make my official selection as soon as i can get beyond chapter 3 of whichever book i land on.

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Melissa wrote: "hiiii … sorry i haven’t checked in for this week’s selection. still trying to decide. i‘ve tested out 3 different “magic” books but i’m not feeling any of them yet. i’m going to look over the list ..."

Yes I tend to wait for that reason also. I used to finish every book I started, but one day I decided that there are too many good books out there to waste time on a book that I wasn't enjoying.

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Congratulations on the stamp Dolly, Lily & Jane!

[Melissa]

Selection Post:



Shelf: Week 4: Magic
Book: Sparrow Hill Road
Author: Seanan McGuire
Series: Ghost Roads #1
How it fits: Shelved 12x
Pages: 432

[Melissa]

Loriidae wrote: "Yes I tend to wait for that reason also. I used to finish every book I started, but one day I decided that there are too many good books out there to waste time on a book that I wasn't enjoying."

Totally agree. I'll probably come back to the three books I set aside at some point. I just wasn't in the mood for them. One was too serious, one was too frivolous, one was just "nope". I think I'm walking real close to the edge of a reading slump so it's best to keep moving. I can feel it coming but I'm hoping to avoid it.

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Team 9 - Bookwormin' 9 to 5

Shelf #Five ~ (March 2): Shifters
DIRECT LINK - Shifter OR Shifters (+ SOS' Shifter )

Alternate Options: See Message 18

Melissa: Dragon Actually by G.A. Aiken Read: Mar 4 Rating: ★★★★✰ Review
Monica: Demon from the Dark by Kresley Cole Read: Mar 19 Rating: ★★★★✰ Review
lorii: Claimed by J.R. Ward Read: Mar 4 Rating: ★★✰✰✰ Review

- -

[lorii (Loriidae)]

I have found Claimed by JR Ward - I really enjoyed Black Dagger Brotherhood until the train wreck that was Phury (Lover Enshrined) so I am going to give JR Ward another try. It is 509 pages so it won't be a quick read... I have the audio so as it is far too hot for walking... heading into the 90's every day for the next week - I will knit in the a/c and listen. :)

[Melissa]

I think The Sinner was the last BDB world book I read but I'm super curious about the Wolven series!

I'm going to read Dragon Actually this week. I'll get my selection post up later today as well as my review for Sparrow Hill Road.

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Melissa wrote: "I think The Sinner was the last BDB world book I read but I'm super curious about the Wolven series!

I'm going to read Dragon Actually this week. I'll get my selecti..."

Yeah, I didn't realise it is set in the same world, I am only 4 chapters in hopefully it won't depend too much on my understanding of the other series,

[Monica]

I will post my picks for the past shelves. I haven't seen notifications for this thread. OR I have just been busy and not realizing that I need to check in here.

[lorii (Loriidae)]

Monica wrote: "I will post my picks for the past shelves. I haven't seen notifications for this thread. OR I have just been busy and not realizing that I need to check in here."

All good Monica, GR has been super painful with notifications in the last few months for a lot of people.

Message #15 shows where we are as a group. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Monica]

Selection Post:



Shelf: Week 4: Magic
Book: Kiss of a Demon King
Author: Kresley Cole
Series: Immortals After Dark #6
How it fits: Shelved 132 times
Pages: 417

[Monica]

Selection Post:



Shelf: Week 5: shifters
Book: Demon from the Dark
Author: Kresley Cole
Series: Immortals After Dark #9
How it fits: Shelved 55 times
Pages: 430