Virtual Mount TBR Challenge 2023 discussion
Stormness Head (60 books)
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Karen is STILL obsessed with Narnia in 2023! COMPLETED 16/09/2023
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Karen
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Nov 15, 2022 01:12PM
I am currently 6 away from reaching this peak in 2022 and hope to hit the top in 2023 also! I hope Aslan will be waiting for me.
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1. Stone Blind: Medusa's Story by Natalie Haynes.
4 stars. Really enjoyable retelling of Medusa's story.
Borrowed from the library.
2. The Tenant by Katrine Engberg.
3 stars. I have no idea how I came to borrow this from the library. It has been sitting in my pile for nearly a year. I presume someone gave me a recommendation. Overall though, it is an okay book but not anything particularly noteworthy.
Borrowed from the library.
3. It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey.
4 stars. Read because of the hype, and it was worth it. I like the grumpy sunshine and fish-out-of-water tropes and this was a good romance showcasing both.
Borrowed from the library.
4. Darling by India Knight.
5 stars. I love this reimagining of one of my favourite books (The Pursuit of Love). Not quite as emotionally devastating at the end but the humour is great.
Borrowed from the library.
5. The Stolen Heir by Holly Black.
4 stars. A welcome return to Elfhame as Oak and Suren team up. Really looking forward to the next book.
Borrowed from the library.
6. Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz.
4 stars. A really enjoyable read. Beautiful writing style and Ari had great character development.
Borrowed from the library.
7. Once There Was a War by John Steinbeck.4 stars. I am really surprised that I enjoyed this collection of Steinbeck's journalism from 1943 and the frontlines of World War II. Some funny, some tragic. There is even a ghost story in here.
Borrowed from the library.
8. Twisted Love by Ana Huang.
4 stars. A surprisingly good grumpy-sunshine romance. Not particularly interested in the next installment but will probably carry on.
Borrowed from the library.
9. The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante.
5 stars. Unlikeable narrator but a wonderful narrative and brilliant prose. I read it in one sitting. Perhaps the best of her books so far, with the obvious exception of her near-perfect Neapolitan quartet.
Borrowed from the library.
10. The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
3 stars. A fantastical romance. I was intrigued by the premise of telekinetics in a fantasy Edith Wharton-esque world but while enjoyable something felt a bit off for me to enjoy it as much as I wanted. There was not enough world-building and I am not a huge fan of love triangles as is is, so the second-half twist was not my favourite.
Borrowed from the library.
11. Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey.
4 stars. A decent follow-up and it was nice to read a story where it was the male character who had to deal with his issues. But without the over-the-topness of Piper much of the humour of the first book was missing. It was good enough that I read it in one day though. I will miss Westport.
Borrowed from the library.
12. What Kind of Woman by Kate Baer.
3 stars. Banal and best suited for women who have had children.
13. The Beach at Night by Elena Ferrante.
3 stars. A feminist slant based on a reimagining of what happened to the missing doll from The Lost Daughter. Interesting.
Both borrowed from the library.
14. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway. (Unable to find specific edition).4 stars. An intriguing look at the First World War in Italy. Turns into more of a love story and the ending is devastating and so well written.
Borrowed from the library.
15. The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality by Angela Saini.
4 stars. I found it slow going at the beginning but it became more and more interesting. Recommended.
Borrowed from the library.
16. The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths.
5 stars. A nice end to the series.
Borrowed from the library.
17. Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy.
4 stars. Always ready to (re-)read something where the hand of doom hovers over the entire novel.
Borrowed from the library.
18. The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi.
3 stars. Did not live up to my expectations but I seem to be in the minority.
Borrowed from the library.
19. Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant.
4 stars. An interesting read about the social rise of our anti-hero Georges Duroy as he schemes, lies and seduces his way to power.
Borrowed from the library.
20. Close Range: Brokeback Mountain and Other stories by Annie Proulx.
4 stars. I don't really like short stories but the writing in these and the atmosphere is great.
Borrowed from the library.
21. The Righteous by Renée Ahdieh.
2 stars. Why am I continuing this series? I hate leaving series unfinished but this was a total middle book in a series, with plotting issues.
22. Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez.
3 stars. Maybe. I hated the first 400 pages and enjoyed the remaining 325ish and got through them in a weekend.
Both borrowed from the library.
23. Smolder: Anita Blake 29 by Laurell K. Hamilton.
3 stars. Time for my annual smut-filled weirdly plotted guilty pleasure (ha ha) read. This is basically the prequel to the next book but at least it had Jean-Claude in it.
Borrowed from the library.
24. Eclipse by John Banville.
3 stars. I was expecting to like this story more.
Borrowed from the library.
25. Twisted Games by Ana Huang.
3 stars. Not my favourite tropes and the author could not make me feel this book was anything other than mediocre.
Borrowed from the library.
26. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins.
4 stars. The last 80 or so pages made this book. The rest of the book was too drawn out.
Borrowed from the library.
27. Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood.
5 stars. Unexpectedly loved this one.
28. Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great by Judy Blume.
3 stars. A Fudge book with no Fudge. I remember enjoying this as a kid but it just seemed okay as an adult.
Both borrowed from the library.
29. Sweet and Deadly and A Secret Rage by Charlaine Harris.
3 stars. An omnibus edition of 2 of Charlaine's earliest novels. I liked them both.
Borrowed from the library.
31. Atalanta by Jennifer Saint.
3 stars. I wished I gelled better with this author, but I am never as satisfied with her books as I want to be.
32. A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer.
3 stars. I thought this was probably going to be a 5 star book (I love Beauty and the Beast) but it was overly long, there was no real chemistry between the leads and the plot with the fake country was stupid. The idea of "Beast" effectively being stuck in a groundhog day (season) was innovative.
Both borrowed from the library.
33. The King's Jewel by Elizabeth Chadwick.
4 stars. An intriguing look at Nest of Wales by one of my favourite authors.
34. The Wife of Bath: A Biography by Marion Turner.
5 Stars. I really loved reading about how Alisoun fits into her own time and her post-fourteenth-century reputation. Chaucer comes across as more "modern" than many of his successors.
Both borrowed from the library.
35. Signal To Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
4 stars. Almost as good as Mexican Gothic. A coming-of-age story set in Mexico in the 80s with a hint of magic. Much better than I was expecting.
Borrowed from the library.
36. Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor.
3 stars. A weird, disturbing little novel.
37. The Stranger by Albert Camus.
4 stars. Also a weird, disturbing little novel.
Both borrowed from the library.
38. News from Nowhere by William Morris.
4 stars. A Utopian novel with its calls to embrace equality and living at one with nature in a Communist ideal. Vey slow to start and the tone is often one of being lectured to but it becomes absorbing and thought-provoking.
Borrowed from the library.
40. Vernon God Little by D.B.C. Pierre.
4 stars. I had no idea what this book was about before I began it and I got this dark comedy which skewers American popular culture.
Borrowed from the library.
41. Queen Charlotte by Julia Quinn and Shonda Rhimes.
4 stars. I was expecting this to be a 2 star but ended up really enjoying it and was moved by the ending. Now I can watch the show.
42. The Guest by Emma Cline.
2 stars. Conversely, I was expecting this to be at least a 4 star as I loved The Girls so much. But I never clicked with this one. I hated the characters, the relative lack of plot and the unsatisfying ending.
Both borrowed from the library.
43. Friends and Relations by Elizabeth Bowen.
4 stars. Quiet and quietly moving.
44. Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan.
4 stars. Enjoyable second chance romance. Like how quietly loathsome Jack was.
45. Cult by Camilla Läckberg and Henrik Fexeus.
4 stars. This series is not as compelling as her Patrik Hedstrom series but a surprisingly quick and interesting read for such a lengthy book. I got the idea it was hot in Stockholm...
All borrowed from the library.
46. Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati.
4 stars. I was enjoying this a lot until it became apparent that the book was not going to cover all of Clytemnestra's life story so it ends on a "high" point rather than with her death. I feel cheated. The book is great up until the Trojan Wars and then the time jumps become too many and the pacing falls off.
47. Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood.
4 stars. Really enjoyable yet again from Ali Hazelwood.
Both borrowed from the library.
48. Memento Mori by Muriel Spark.
3 stars. Enjoyable and a great idea for a plot but as with many (but not all) of Spark's books I enjoyed it but did not love it.
Borrowed from the library.
49. To the North by Elizabeth Bowen.
4 stars. An intriguing look at the lives of two women in the inter-war years. Dense prose which is worth unpicking.
Borrowed from the library.
50. The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells.
3 stars. Interesting science fiction, much better than The Time Machine. Still relevant today.
Borrowed from the library.
51. The Loving Spirit by Daphne du Maurier.
5 stars. I don't know why I went into this book thinking it would be disappointing but I was gripped from beginning to end. A family saga with an almost incestuous passion between mother and son and its consequences. I could picture the village in my head. The book is still in my thoughts.
Borrowed from the library
52. Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
4 stars. Books about occultism are not my thing. But if there is one author who could pull it off Moreno-Garcia is that person. I enjoyed the characters, the suspense levels were good and I was not disappointed by the ending as I am with some of her other books.
53. August is a Wicked Month by Edna O'Brien.
4 stars. I am discovering that I rather like Edna O'Brien.
Borrowed from the library.
54. Dracula by Bram Stoker.
4 stars. I did enjoy it more than I remembered. The behaviour of the men in here is disturbing (and I am not just talking about Dracula). Lots of uninvited men in bedrooms, phallic stabbings and total condescension although Mina ends up basically saving the day. An enjoyable read.
Borrowed from the library.
55. One of Us is Back by Karen M. McManus.
3 stars. I enjoyed these and the star rating is my fault because I should have re-read the second book again.
56. The Bone Hacker by Kathy Reichs.
4 stars. Enjoyable. Liked the change of setting and that the beginning was in Montreal not Charlotte. Liked Claudel being in the beginning also.
Both borrowed from the library.
57. Wilful Behaviour by Donna Leon.
4 stars. Enjoyable crime fiction set in Venice. I enjoyed the historical element to the storyline.
58. Before We Were Strangers: A Love Story by Renee Carlino.
3 stars. Rather disappointed in this one. I usually love second chance romances but this one never gripped me and I was not gripped by the story of their college years (which was the bulk of the book). Enjoyed the end.
Both borrowed from the library.
59. Do I Know You? by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka.
2 stars. Bland, boring and unmemorable.
Borrowed from the library.
60. Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde.
4 stars. Really witty and enjoyable.
Borrowed from the library.
HELLO ASLAN! Challenge completed.
Virtual Mount TBR Challenge 2023
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