October 2022 REPORTING - Found my number

[Janice, Moderator]

This is the reporting thread for the October 2022 challenge. You picked a book on your tbr shelf that corresponds to the numbers:

O -15
C - 3
T - 20
O - 15
B - 2
E - 5
R - 18

There is no scoring. Please report your read with the following criteria -

WoF Name
Which letter did you chose, and what book did you pick? (Link to your book.)
What shelf did you use?
What date did you shelf your book?
Write a short blurb about your book and your reactions.

[Lynn]

WoF - Lynn

I decided to choose the letter O, number 15
The book corresponding to the number was Love Untold
The shelf was from my immediate tbr on a spreadsheet I use for organising my monthly reads
I've had the book on my more general goodreads shelves since I received an arc from netgalley on the 21st June
It's been on my immediate tbr since the end of September, when I organised my October reads

I loved the book. A wonderfully told story following 4 generations of Welsh women, with complex characters, complicated relationships and a beautiful ending.

[Kira]

WoF Kira's Treasures

I chose the letter T, number 20 and I got The American Roommate Experiment

This book was my most anticipated read of the year, I've had it on my Want to Read TBR since I read the first book by this author, The Spanish Love Deception so I was really excited to get my hands on it.

But to say this was underwhelming would be an understatement. There was not a single element in this book that I can say I loved. Lina was the highlight of the book for me and she wasn't even here for much of it. Rosie and Lucas' romance was pure bland, I could sense no chemistry whatsoever and the transition from experimental dating to them starting to like each genuinely was so abrupt, it felt uncomfortable. The sexual bits in the book weren't enticing as well. I mostly skimmed through that part tbh. I am just very disappointed.

I rated it 2 stars.

[Marnie]

WoF Marnie

I chose the letter B from my “Maybe-Decide Later shelf.” I listed it in 2013 and have been meaning to get to it. I read A Spectacle of Corruption

This was the follow up to A Conspiracy of Paper which I read (and loved) pre Goodreads. A man is sentenced to hang for a crime he didn’t commit that has political corruption all around it.

I was excited to complete this story and then I noticed this series has two more books. Subtracted one book then added two more.

[Vicki]

WoF Vicki

I read the letter T #20 from my main TBR which was Weirdo that I shelved on April 18, 2014. That was 8.5 years ago! It's nice to knock off an old one.

I enjoy it. It is a dual timeline mystery where you know that a ritualistic murder takes place in the 1980s and one of the characters gets put away for it but now 20 years later, there is new evidence and a detective goes to this small town to investigate.

I enjoyed that the reader doesn't learn who is murdered or who else is involved until quite near the end. There are a lot of horrible things happening in the town and would advise checking trigger warnings because there was just a lot. Nothing too graphic but it did seem excessive for all of this to be present in this small town.
All said though the mystery was good, I liked all the characters in the 1980s section.

[Janice, Moderator]

I don't feel alone now, Vicki. My book is also from 2014.

[Janice, Moderator]

WoF Janice
I picked O-15 from my Want to Read shelf, and read The Knife of Never Letting Go. I first shelved in January 2014. Yikes!

The story is science fiction and it's about several groups of settlers who come to the New World from The Old World in spaceships. They learn that not all was as expected and there was some germ that caused them to hear the thoughts of people and could understand the limited language of animals. For example, all the sheep said was "sheep". The main character comes from Prentissville where all the women and girls died or were killed. He saw something in the swamp and now all the men of the town are searching for him. He doesn't understand why, but he runs for his life.

Trigger warnings for animal abuse, and for those (like me) who dislike cliffhangers. Ugh. do I have to read the next two books to find out what happens?

[Sharon]

WoF SharonBiskit

I decided to go with T/ Number 20. I chose the book The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe.

I used my TBR shelf. Seriously. I don’t have lots of categories. This book has been shelved since 7/13/13.

I have to admit, I am a sucker for cover art. It bit me again. The cover is very cozy to me. The story was boring, but then again, I am not a fan of cozy mysteries. (I know…I know…) The plot is somewhat predictable: Girl meets boy while engaged to another guy, new guy saves her from drowning, new guy falls for the girl and vice versa, they fight it, they wind up together. The saving grace is that it was set in Maine. I love Maine.

I gave it 2 Stars because I finished it, it’s off my TBR and it is set in Maine.

[Ayacchi]

WoF Aya

I picked C－3 and read The Graveyard Book from my Want to Read. I didn't know that we can pick a book from different shelves but I'm glad cause I shelved this book in June 8, 2017 when I first made this account. If it's not for the challenge, I might won't read it.

I gave it 3.5 stars, mostly because I enjoyed the audio. The story is about a boy who lived in a graveyard and was raised by ghosts. The pace is kind of slow and it's like a slice of life. But luckily, each chapters have different topic and some are good. But the rest are a bit boring for me.

[Kristie, Moderator]

WoF Name: Kristie

I chose E-5 and read The Power of Six. I chose this off my basic TBR because I couldn't figure out how to get the numbers to work on any other shelf. Plus, I really needed to finally get to this one! I shelved this book on October 20th of 2012! Almost 10 years ago to the day.

I am definitely not the target audience for this one, but I still enjoyed it. I don't want to say too much because it is the second in a series that builds throughout. However, it is basically a bunch of teenagers that were brought to Earth from another planet several years ago with the expectation that these kids would grow up and fight off a different aggressive alien race and save their species and their planet. The kids each have "legacies" or special powers that they develop as teens. Unfortunately, the aggressive alien race has learned of this plan and followed the kids to earth in an effort to kill them before they grow up and make their own race strong again. (Phew!)

Needless to say, there were plenty of fight scenes which aren't really my favorite and could get a bit repetitive. Plus, there was the dual love triangle going on. (Ugh...) However, the idea is good and the legacies are interesting. I think if I were a lot younger, it would have been a great book. I also think if it hadn't been somewhere around a decade since I read the first one I would have enjoyed it more. Still, I enjoyed it well enough and gave it 3.5★. I want to know where the story goes and will hopefully read the next one before another 10+ years pass.

[♞ Pat]

I'm going to report the best of the books I read for this monthly --

C ~
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni
Finished Reading ~ 10.6.22
Rating ~ 5☆

A slow developing character study of a boy named Sam Hill, born with red eyes and targeted by bullies his entire life. His nickname - Sam Hell - comes from the torments that he endures from those who accuse him of being a devil. It's a very moving coming of age story about finding yourself and honoring that part of yourself which makes you unique. A second story which parallels Sam's coming of age is the story of friendships, those that last a lifetime because they are built on the things that matter instead of the things that a superficial. I loved every single page.

[Ariane]

WoF Name: Ariane

I chose O and read the 15th book on my TBR: La Végétarienne

It was ont my TBR since 2020.
This book is split into 3 parts, with 3 POV, telling the story of Yeong-Hye, who slowly falls into mental illness and how it is perceived in a very patriarchal society.
It contains a multiple of different interesting topics.
I thought it would be a very good book club book.
Until the end, I didin't know if I actually liked it or not, but it will stay with me for a long time.
And the writing is beautiful. I am very glad I read it.

[Katrisa]

Katrisa
I chose O = #15
I used my To Read shelf. I shelved that book on 29 October of 2017 - and finished reading it on 23 October - so that is fun!
This book is about an uprising in South Korea and is told in intertwining vignettes. Parts are pretty brutal in the descriptions, but the writing in general is beautiful. I read this one for the Toppler and it has been my favorite so far.

[Janice, Moderator]

Katrisa wrote: "Katrisa
I chose O = #15
I used my To Read shelf. I shelved that book on 29 October of 2017 - and finished reading it on 23 October - so that is fun!
This book is about an uprising in South Korea an..."

Could you link your book please? Thanks

[Emma R.]

Wof - Emma R.

I picked T and got Red Rider's Hood. It is the second book in a series, so I read the first book: Dread Locks

I used the "Want to Read" shelf that Goodreads creates, and I add the book back in October 2017

This was an interesting book. It is a young adult book with some Greek mythology thrown in. The main character is a rich boy in high school whose new neighbor and classmate is securely a modern-day Medusa looking for a friend. The book was a quick read but had some great quotes

[Janice, Moderator]

Badges are posted. Woot!