On The Same Page discussion
2024 Independent Challenge
>
Lea's 2024 Filling in the Gaps Individual Challenge
February Month End ReportBooks Read: 13 books this month and 31 year to date. 10,695 pages.
Books from Filling in the Gaps: 17/100; 2022 Books 0/4, 2023 Books 1/12, 2024 Books, 116/84
Books from 12+4 Challenge: 7/16
Previously discussed:
Jane of Lantern Hill
If I Stay
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing
The Woman in Me
Daughter of Moloka'i
Missing May
The Green Mile
The Marvelous Land of Oz
Recently finished:
Chain-Gang All-Stars - I didn't love this book as much as I wanted to. This book has a lot of shifting viewpoints, and to my taste, that diluted the impact of the statement I think it was trying to make. Also, a little too brutal for my taste. 2 stars.
The Talented Mr. Ripley / Ripley Under Ground / Ripley's Game - If the author meant to increase my stress levels by reading her work, she did a fantastic job. I was agitated the entire time I was reading this book, which was almost an entire month, because it was 904 pages. I couldn't put it down, but I really hated it. The introduction was all about why this compilation was just 3 books out of the 5 books in the series, but the explanation of the last two books in the series sounded like I wanted to continue. The best way I can describe the series is like watching a train wreck from a great distance. You hate what is going on and can't do anything to change the outcome, yet you want to know what the outcome will be and cannot look away. 2 stars
My Effin' Life - This is memoir written by Geddy Lee, bassist of Rush, and I really liked it. I find memoirs are more interesting when written by someone who is older, there is more of a story arc to their lives. I recommend the audiobook - it has two songs previously unreleased songs on it, from his solo projects. 4 stars
Bloodfever - Oh, no. I'm worried about this series. I can see where it is going and I'm not sure I want to follow down that path. This is a paranormal fantasy series written in 2007 about the fae. I just don't like the main characters that much and I'm not really interested in all the things that are supposedly shrouded in mystery, yet we kind of know how things are going to go. It's too bad there are 11 books in the series, and I'm only on book 2. I will continue to book 5 since that won the GRC Award at least, and then after that, I will reassess if I want to continue. But at least these books read relatively quickly and while there is bad behavior, it doesn't upset me as much as the Ripley series. 2 stars
The Woggle-Bug Book - Spoiler alert - this was my biggest disappointment, so I initially rated it 1 star. But after I ate a cookie and reassessed, I decided it was more disappointment, because I really enjoyed the original The Wonderful Wizard of Oz so much, that this journey wasn't nearly as fun for me. 2 stars, after a cookie
Currently reading:
The Boy Who Followed Ripley - Finishing out the Ripley series, because I want to know what happens and I never want to reread the first three books. :-)
War and Peace - I mean. I'm 31% of the way into this monster. Or I've listened to it for 19 hours. I don't dislike it, but it doesn't grip me. So, my mind wanders and I have to keep going back to the beginning. The narrator is terrible, but I have a few other large books I'm reading on paper, so I couldn't do another one. Nevertheless, I like it so far.
Book of the Month: The Green Mile
Worst Book: The Talented Mr. Ripley / Ripley Under Ground / Ripley's Game
Biggest Surprise: The Woggle-Bug Book was a disappointment, I really thought it would be better
Greatest accomplishment: 7 books off my 12+4 list in two months!
Progress on the Whack-a-Mole Series Situation –
Series Completed this year (for the moment...):
1. The Housemaid (1)
2. Firekeeper's Daughter (1)
3. Fractalverse (1)
4. Killing Series (2)
5. Will Robie (1)
6. The Empyrean (2)
7. The Firm (1)
8. Moloka'i (1)
Series Started This Year with Books Remaining:
1. Fever (9)
2. Ripley (2)
3. If I Stay (1)
4. Oz (13)
Series Started Last Year with Books Remaining:
NONE!!!
Series That Added Books This Year with number of books I still need to read in that series:
1. Deathless (1)
Series That Added Books Next Year with number of books I still need to read in that series:
1. Xanth (41)
2. You (2)
3. Camp Half-Blood Chronicles (1)
4. Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez (10)
5. Holly Gibney (1)
6. Thursday Murder Club (1)
7. Comoran Strike (4)
8. Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1)
9. Stephanie Plum (9)
10. Heartstopper (1)
Abandoned series:
1. Crescent City
Mod
Completely agree about Chain-gang. I'm going to steer clear of Ripley I think.
Sorry you didn't really like the Ripley books; though you are soldiering on! I think I read the first one years ago. My mystery book club read Strangers on a Train last year. We enjoyed it for the most part as well as the movie. (I kind of liked "Throw Momma from the Train" better. A bit of a twist on the original).Good luck with War & Peace!
Lea wrote: "The Talented Mr. Ripley / Ripley Under Ground / Ripley's Game - If the author meant to increase my stress levels by reading her work, she did a fantastic job. I was agitated the entire time I was reading this book, which was almost an entire month, because it was 904 pages"This right here is why I’m happy to never pick these books up! No thank you, lol
Sounds like you had a mixed bag of reading. I remember loving the Fever series when they first came out and I made it to the sixth and then I walked away. I wonder how I’d feel about them today. I’m glad My Effin' Life continued to keep you engaged. Good luck with War and Peace.
Bill wrote: "I'm glad I never tried Ripley. I can't say I enjoyed the movie very much either. I can't say I 'love' Highsmith's work but she is always interesting. Good luck with War and Peace..."Thanks, Bill. I agree about Highsmith. She's a good writer, her books make feel. It's too bad many of her characters have no redeeming qualities. It offends my sense of justice to see so many awful people that thrive. But the premise is interesting and the storytelling is strong, with the right amount of detail for me. I have to know what happens, but I hate it when good things happen to bad people.
Michelle wrote: "Completely agree about Chain-gang. I'm going to steer clear of Ripley I think."I'll be glad I read it when I get done, but I'm not going to lie, I've gone way off course to read other "palate cleansers" along the way so I don't go off the rails. I don't know if it would impact all other readers the same as me, but there are a few of us that have trouble reading about awful people who thrive. :-)
Patricia wrote: "Sorry you didn't really like the Ripley books; though you are soldiering on! I think I read the first one years ago. My mystery book club read Strangers on a Train last year. We enjoyed it for the most part as well as the movie. (I kind of liked "Throw Momma from the Train" better. A bit of a twist on the original).Good luck with War & Peace!"
It really might have been less agitating if I didn't read all three books back to back to back, perhaps having a break in the middle might have helped. She's such a good writer, she makes me feel, but I just have a visceral reaction to her well written awful characters getting away with stuff that they should not! I do want to read Strangers on a Train also, but hopefully, I can read it after many months have passed and I'm not feeling all of this. :-)
Thanks for cheering me through War & Peace. I'm working up a comparison between Austen, Eliot and Tolstoy and their female/male characters. I don't seem to understand Tolstoy's women.
Lillie wrote: "This right here is why I’m happy to never pick these books up! No thank you, lolSounds like you had a mixed bag of reading. I remember loving the Fever series when they first came out and I made it to the sixth and then I walked away. I wonder how I’d feel about them today. I’m glad My Effin' Life continued to keep you engaged. Good luck with War and Peace."
Haha, Highsmith is a very talented writer but I'm going to need a serious break from her for awhile after this.
I'm not sure about the Fever series, I probably should have read them when they came out, but I was anti-paranormal books back then and so I missed out on a lot. So far, preference is going to Sookie Stackhouse, but we'll see. I'd love to be wrong about where we are going here.
I really liked My Effin' Life and I did have a great first half of the month, so I'm not complaining.
War and Peace will be a haul - thanks for your well wishes. I am making all sorts of comparisons to other authors (Jane Austen, George Eliot) who write these classic society novels. Why do I like some parts so much and other parts lose my interest? More to come, as I listen for another 38 hours! :-)
Mod
I completely agree about the Ripley series, and I only read book 1. I am totally okay with abandoning a series that I am not feeling; and that is one series I have no regrets about dismissing.
The Green Mile is just so good. If you have not read 11/22/63 by SK; then I highly recommend. Travel; romance that you can tolerate, and which makes the story even better; great background fiction of a notorious murderer. Great stuff.
Alondra wrote: "Great update. I completely agree about the Ripley series, and I only read book 1. I am totally okay with abandoning a series that I am not feeling; and that is one series I have no regrets about dismissing.
The Green Mile is just so good. If you have not read 11/22/63 by SK; then I highly recommend. Travel; romance that you can tolerate, and which makes the story even better; great background fiction of a notorious murderer. Great stuff."
I loved 11/23/63 by SK! The books I've read are The Shining and Doctor Sleep, The Stand, Misery, The Dark Tower series, 11/23/63, It, 'Salem's Lot, The Green Mile, The Bill Hodges trilogy, The Outsider, Under the Dome, The Institute, Joyland, Everything's Eventual, If it Bleeds, and Sleeping Beauties. The only book I wasn't too excited about was It, it drug on for so long... but I was grumpy because I was stuck on a really long plane ride and could not sleep when I read quite a bit of the book, so I may have been unnecessarily harsh. :-)
So, I think I need to read Carrie, Christine, Holly, Pet Sematary, and Fairy Tale for sure. Am I missing anything that is more important to read than Carrie? :-) For next year's planning purposes.
Mod
I completely agree about the Ripley series, and I only read book 1. I am totally okay with abandoning a series that I am not feeling; and that is one series I have n..."
Uhm, The Talisman; which is my favorite by far. It seems to be the underdog of his books; but it is great. Definitely a bunch of DT easter eggs and further explanation of world(s)/Lore.
I also loved The Wind Through the Keyhole. Its a story, within a tale within a story. Not as popular either. It is also an in-between book for DT. Only die-hards love this book.
Lea wrote: "Karol wrote: "MAYBE Needful Things?"Oh, that's another I want to read!! Is it before Carrie?"
Carrie is the OG, the very first one. Start there!
Mod
Oh, that's another I want to read!! Is it before Carrie?"
Carrie is the OG, the very first one. Start there!"
Facts. That was my first. :)
Alondra wrote: "Uhm, The Talisman; which is my favorite by far. It seems to be the underdog of his books; but it is great. Definitely a bunch of DT easter eggs and further explanation of world(s)/Lore.I also loved The Wind Through the Keyhole. Its a story, within a tale within a story. Not as popular either. It is also an in-between book for DT. Only die-hards love this book."
Oooh, you're right, I do want to read The Talisman as well. What did you think about the sequel Black House?
I did read The Wind Through the Keyhole also, as part of my Dark Tower series. I honestly think I'll enjoy the series more when I re-read it. It took me awhile to get invested in the world.
Alissa wrote: "Lea wrote: "Karol wrote: "MAYBE Needful Things?"Oh, that's another I want to read!! Is it before Carrie?"
Carrie is the OG, the very first one. Start there!"
Got it, thanks. Obviously, I want to read a lot of books, but I have to focus! :-) :-)
Alondra wrote: "Facts. That was my first. :)"Then it is definitive. My first was Thinner by Richard Bachman/Stephen King. I didn't know it was Stephen King or I wouldn't have read it. But I'm glad I did. :-)
March Mid Month ReportBooks Read: 5 books so far this month and 36 year to date. 12,210 pages.
Books from Filling in the Gaps: 20/100; 2022 Books 0/4, 2023 Books 1/12, 2024 Books, 19/84
Books from 12+4 Challenge: 7/16
Recently finished:
Weyward - The book was fine. I think many people will like it. But it wasn't for me. Reason #1. This book has three narrators and three timelines that will interconnect in the end, and that isn't my favorite literary device. I don't mind multiple narrators if they are telling the same story to see a different perspective of what is happening, but I don't like the three separate stories that will eventually meld into one thing. At the most climactic moment, I am yanked into another story line and it feels like a cliffhanger to me. Instead of making me eager to continue reading and figure out the connection between the tales, it makes me care less about what is happening and as the author attempts to build tension, I find myself not even caring because I know it is just a literary trick. Reason #2. I feel like the latest stock character - the naïve woman who is one with nature but different from all the other people - is showing up too often in the books I'm reading. It's too predictable and I'm bored with this character. Reason #3. There is magical realism in this book, and in this case, it took something away from the plot for me. I would have felt better about certain things if the reason behind them occurring came from a different source of power. I hope my review will not frighten anyone away from reading this book who wants to read it. Masses of people and book awards don't lie. It's a fine book. It just isn't a book for me. I didn't hate it, I'm glad I read it, but I was left underwhelmed. 2 stars.
Ozma of Oz - The next book in the Oz series, and my second favorite out of the four I've read. Dorothy's back with all the characters and that makes it fun. The dialogue is full of clever gibes that mean more than one thing. I needed this while reading all the other serious books I've got going. 4 stars.
The Boy Who Followed Ripley - I mentioned last month that reading Patricia Highsmith's Ripley novels were making me anxious. This book did not make me anxious at all, so you'd have thought I'd have liked it better. But no. I did not. In this book, I think the author is attempting to make Tom Ripley more compassionate by having him help with a runaway kid, but he's still a sociopath. And the book is boring. You'd think a story about trying to rescue a runaway kid by cross dressing and hanging out in gay bars in Berlin would be amusing right? Perhaps I am not the correct audience for these books, but this book was one big yawn. 1 star. And if another book supplants this for the worst book of the month, I'm going to be super unhappy.
Parable of the Sower - Wow. If you haven't read this book yet, this is the year to read it. The book starts out in a post apocalyptical world that is set in 2024. Yes, Octavia E. Butler is frighteningly accurate. Yes, it is dark and not for the faint of heart. Some of it is tough reading. But, the writing is beautiful and it is so good. I cannot wait to read the sequel! 4 stars.
Where She Went - After the perfect ending on If I Stay, I almost did not want to continue the series, but this was the book that won the GRC Award and many people claim to have preferred it over the original. So, who was I kidding? Of course I was going to read it. And I did really enjoy it. I'm not sure which book is better. It's a toss up for me. I loved Adam's perspective, but I thought the first book was tightly written with many of the loose ends tied up whereas this book had to unravel some of those loose ends in order to have a story and the ending didn't have the same power as the first book. Still, a fantastic well paced story, and exactly what I needed while struggling through other books. 4 stars.
Currently reading:
War and Peace - I'm at 57% now, and I've listened for 34 hours. I'm into the book now, despite still not meshing well with the narrator. I might like this one better than Anna Karenina. I'm not sure I'll finish in March, probably April.
Faefever - I'm 70% of the way through this book, and so far, I'm liking it a bit better than the previous book. I do not really think I'm the right demographic for this series, though. I just don't think all of this abuse is sexy and the lack of transparency is more tedious than mysterious to me. I'm here until Book 5, since it won the GRC Award, and then I'll reassess.
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder - I typically only write letters to authors for my 12 + 4 and only after I finish the book, but I'll make an exception here. Dear Mr. Gann, How on earth do you find the most interesting and important topics, perform top notch research and then write such meandering tales? You need a second author or a super strong editor to reorganize your work, because these are 5 star topics that you have researched the he!! out of, yet executed so poorly that I'd almost rather read a summary than the book itself. I felt this way about Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI and the same about the first 18% of this book. I hope it gets better. Lea
Progress on the Whack-a-Mole Series Situation –
Series Completed this year (for the moment...):
1. The Housemaid (1)
2. Firekeeper's Daughter (1)
3. Fractalverse (1)
4. Killing Series (2)
5. Will Robie (1)
6. The Empyrean (2)
7. The Firm (1)
8. Moloka'i (1)
9. If I Stay (2)
Series Started This Year with Books Remaining:
1. Fever (9)
2. Ripley (2)
3. Oz (12)
4. Earthseed (1)
Series That Added Books This Year with number of books I still need to read in that series:
1. Deathless (1)
2. Coyote Sunrise (1)
3. The Space Between Worlds (1)
4. Crescent City (1)
Series That Added Books Next Year with number of books I still need to read in that series:
1. Xanth (41)
2. You (2)
3. Camp Half-Blood Chronicles (1)
4. Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez (10)
5. Holly Gibney (1)
6. Thursday Murder Club (1)
7. Comoran Strike (4)
8. Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1)
9. Stephanie Plum (9)
10. Heartstopper (1)
I felt the same as you did about Weyward. I wanted to care more but I was just too bored. One of the women in the book and her story would have been enough. I think these multiple timeline authors need to stop and consider. Would one of these stories be enough to write an entire book about. If the answer is yes write that book, if it is no don't write anything. I also felt that the abused witchy woman theme was overused and poorly executed. I loved both The Parable of the Sower and Where She Went. Glad to see you did too.
I did not love The Wager for all the reasons you stated. I liked Flower Moon but only because the subject was so fascinating. Your criticism of his writing holds true for that one too. Tip for you if you didn't love his writing on these two do not read Gann's The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon. Same.
Mod
You're pretty rough on Mr. Grann! lol I liked both of those books & also enjoyed an essay he wrote in the New Yorker. Not sure if it was considered an essay. About chasing the giant squid. A science essay? Nature? Anyway, hope you find some books you greatly enjoy!
Michelle wrote: "I felt the same as you did about Weyward. I wanted to care more but I was just too bored. One of the women in the book and her story would have been enough. I think these multiple timeline authors need to stop and consider. Would one of these stories be enough to write an entire book about. If the answer is yes write that book, if it is no don't write anything. I also felt that the abused witchy woman theme was overused and poorly executed.I loved both The Parable of the Sower and Where She Went. Glad to see you did too.
I did not love The Wager for all the reasons you stated. I liked Flower Moon but only because the subject was so fascinating. Your criticism of his writing holds true for that one too. Tip for you if you didn't love his writing on these two do not read Gann's The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon. Same."
I agree regarding the multiple time lines. I live in sunny Southern California, so we get all excited when we can go see snow. Relatives who live in more wintery places think we are crazy when we talk about how much we love the snow. My comment "Snow, as a novelty item, is a lot of fun!" has now become a family joke. If you can go visit the snow occasionally, it is fun. If you have it every day, it isn't as much fun. But, I think it applies to multiple time lines. Multiple time lines, as a novelty item, was fine. Multiple time lines as normal reading fare, is not so much fun. Same with the abused witchy woman.
I really want to read The Lost City of Z, but I will prepare myself for the journey. Thanks for the warning. :-)
Bill wrote: "I like Ozma as well. Fun adventure. I'm looking forward to reading Parable of the Sower."I hope you enjoy Parable of the Sower, Bill. It is a tough read, but I thought it was very good.
Patricia wrote: "You're pretty rough on Mr. Grann! lol I liked both of those books & also enjoyed an essay he wrote in the New Yorker. Not sure if it was considered an essay. About chasing the giant squid. A science essay? Nature? Anyway, hope you find some books you greatly enjoy!"Oh, I like Mr. Gann and the things he chooses to write about are really interesting. I gave Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI 3 stars which means I liked it. But I LOVED the premise of the book, and all of the research that had been done. I was hoping that future books would be better organized, but alas, I think I was hoping for too much. I really want to give one of his books 5 stars some time. He deserves it for coming up with such original ideas and researching them to death. But, the execution is not to my taste. :-(
Alissa wrote: "Oof you're not helping me pick up The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, heehee"Oh, no, I forgot you didn't love Killers of the Flower Moon. Maybe lower expectations will help? It's a good story, but...I want it to be better. :-)
Hey, I did love Parable! =) They all cant be winners haha
Alissa wrote: "Hey, I did love Parable! =) They all cant be winners haha"It's true. And if we don't like something, we just have to own it, understand it and move on to the next best book. :-)
I'm glad to hear that you loved Parable. :-)
I was MIA for a while...you know, life...I'm amazed, as always, by the number, variety, length and genres of the books you manage to read. I agree with a lot of your remarks, but I will not go into each of them.
Maybe new, over-hyped books are not for us?
Ioana wrote: "I was MIA for a while...you know, life...I'm amazed, as always, by the number, variety, length and genres of the books you manage to read. I agree with a lot of your remarks, but I will not go into each of them.
Maybe new, over-hyped books are not for us?"
I think you're right. When somebody tells you a book is amazing and life changing, I expect it to be unique and different. Maybe we read too many books? It's really hard to find a book that has a unique and different concept. In one way or another, all things are derivative, but when it seems like more items are derivative than not, it doesn't work as well for me. I hope you had some happy travels and things are going well for you. I hope your aunt has settled in. Have you retired yet? :-)
March Month End ReportBooks Read: 12 books so far this month and 43 year to date. 15,314 pages.
Books from Filling in the Gaps: 22/100; 2022 Books 0/4, 2023 Books 1/12, 2024 Books, 21/84
Books from 12+4 Challenge: 7/16
Previously discussed:
Weyward
Ozma of Oz
The Boy Who Followed Ripley
Parable of the Sower
Where She Went
Recently finished:
Faefever - I'm not sure this series is for me. I hate the cliffhanger ending. I dislike all of this mystery. There better be a really good reason for keeping the MC in the dark all the time. Also, I think all of the relationships in this book are abusive and it is really beginning to skeeve me out. This is a GRC Awards series that I am not enjoying as much. 2 stars
War and Peace - For quite a bit of the book, I thought I might like this one better than Anna Karenina, but it ended with a whimper rather than a bang. I disliked the ending and I'm currently pretending that the last six hours worth of epilogues never happened. That said, it is a very well plotted book and the character study is very worthwhile. I am so glad I listened to it, but if I read it again, I will either pick a different narrator or read the paper version. 3 stars
The Importance of Being Earnest - I listened to this on audio also, and it was hilarious. It's a play about two men who are trying to be the same made-up person in order to attract two ladies. It's absolutely ridiculous and I enjoyed it quite a bit. 4 stars
The Giver - This young adult dystopian fiction has been recommended to me for many years, and those who recommended it to me were not wrong. It's about a supposedly perfect community that no longer has hunger, illnesses, greed or differences. I cannot wait to read the rest of the books in the series. 4 stars
How to Sell a Haunted House - I liked The Final Girl Support Group just fine by Grady Hendrix, but had low expectations for this book. To me, it was engaging and creepy, but it may not be creepy enough for true horror fans. It kind of reminded me of a Goosebumps book for adults. There was a lot of family dysfunction too. 3 stars
Ripley Under Water - A vast improvement over The Boy Who Followed Ripley, but still not very good. I think the first and third books are the best in the series. I'm glad I read it, but will not be a re-read. 2 stars
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder - I really liked the book, but my previous letter stands. I think it was well researched and a fascinating story, but the telling of the research didn't work for me. I will probably continue to read works by David Grann because I like his research so much and continue to lament the fact that the books he writes aren't 5 stars, because they have so much potential. I think Ioana felt the same way. 3 stars
Currently reading:
A Study in Drowning - This had a very slow start.
Dreamfever - I'm going to read this Fever series, at least until the next book.
Progress on the Whack-a-Mole Series Situation –
Series Completed this year (for the moment...):
1. The Housemaid (1)
2. Firekeeper's Daughter (1)
3. Fractalverse (1)
4. Killing Series (2)
5. Will Robie (1)
6. The Empyrean (2)
7. The Firm (1)
8. Moloka'i (1)
9. If I Stay (2)
10. Ripley (5)
Series Started This Year with Books Remaining:
1. Fever (8)
2. Oz (12)
3. Earthseed (1)
4. The Giver (3)
Series That Added Books This Year with number of books I still need to read in that series:
1. Deathless (1)
2. Coyote Sunrise (1)
3. The Space Between Worlds (1)
4. Crescent City (1)
Series That Added Books Next Year with number of books I still need to read in that series:
1. Xanth (41)
2. You (2)
3. Camp Half-Blood Chronicles (1)
4. Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez (10)
5. Holly Gibney (1)
6. Thursday Murder Club (1)
7. Comoran Strike (4)
8. Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1)
9. Stephanie Plum (9)
10. Heartstopper (1)
Book of the month: Parable of the Sower
Worst book: The Boy Who Followed Ripley
Biggest Surprise: The Importance of Being Earnest was short and absolutely hilarious
Greatest Accomplishment: Reading War and Peace. And the number of pages read so far this year. If I can keep this pace (I can't), I'll have read my most pages in a year.
Lea wrote: "How to Sell a Haunted House."This frigging book made me so mad. That dumb stupid puppet lol
Alissa wrote: "Lea wrote: "How to Sell a Haunted House."This frigging book made me so mad. That dumb stupid puppet lol"
The puppets were super weird, and over the top obnoxious. But I did like the ending. I'm not a true horror fan, so I might have enjoyed it more than most.
Lea wrote: "March Month End ReportBooks Read: 12 books so far this month and 43 year to date. 15,314 pages.
Books from Filling in the Gaps: 22/100; 2022 Books 0/4, 2023 Books 1/12, 2024 Books, 21/84
Books ..."
Yes, I felt the same about The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder. It makes me so sad when a book has great potential because of the story, but the execution is not delivering. This was one of those books.
I read The Giver about 10 years ago, gave it 4 stars, and I keep thinking I was too stingy. I think it deserves more, and I hope to re-read it and fix my mistake.
Ioana wrote: "Yes, I felt the same about The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder. It makes me so sad when a book has great potential because of the story, but the execution is not delivering. This was one of those books.I read The Giver about 10 years ago, gave it 4 stars, and I keep thinking I was too stingy. I think it deserves more, and I hope to re-read it and fix my mistake."
Yes, I did enjoy The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, it's too bad there was so much untapped potential in the story telling piece of it. I'm glad I read it, and would probably read another book by him, but we'll see.
If you were too stingy with The Giver, I had the same problem. I see that Alex just re-read the book and marked it higher, so maybe I will have the same reaction when I re-read it many years from now. But we'll see. Since I'd been recommended the book for years, I had some high expectations for it.
Mod
Good luck with your April reading.
I keep planning on reading a play but still haven't. I may have to give Being Earnest a try. I don't think I would have liked W&P on audio either. I did some skimming on some of the war stuff & definitely on the ending monologues. Or whatever they were. Still, I read it with a group this last time, so that helped.
Mod
I did read The Wind Through the Keyhole also, as part of my Dark Tower series. I honestly think I'll enjoy the series more when I re-read it. It took me awhile to get invested in the world."
So, I really loved Black House. It is darker and a little more violent as the story goes. I know that those who don't really like the Talisman, don't like this either. Not sure why folks don't, but I don't care. LOL
TWTtK is one of my new favorites. You definitely need to get through half the series before reading it. I loved the entire series, especially as a reread and after reading so many other SK stories. Its all the nuggets of info from the other books, that make it so awesome. :)
Bill wrote: "You've had an excellent mix of books. I'm impressed you read War and Peace, not one that's ever been on my To Read books. I'm not sure I ever will. I may have to try Earnest. I'm sort of like you you on The Giver. I've seen it for a long time, just never checked it out. I may have to now.Good luck with your April reading."
Thanks, Bill. I'd read Earnest when you are in a very silly mood. I actually checked out two different audiobooks from the library and one was significantly better than the other, in my opinion, so I went with it. It was two hours of absolute insanity and just what I needed with some serious stuff going on in life.
I'd recommend The Giver also. I thought it was well worth reading and one of those books that I'd wished I'd read earlier. Have you seen the movie?
Mod
No I haven't seen it.
Patricia wrote: "I keep planning on reading a play but still haven't. I may have to give Being Earnest a try. I don't think I would have liked W&P on audio either. I did some skimming on some of the war stuff & definitely on the ending monologues. Or whatever they were. Still, I read it with a group this last time, so that helped."I listened to the audio on The Importance of Being Earnest. There were two different unabridged choices in audio at my library so I listened to the the first scene on one, then tried the other and loved it so much I did not go back to the first one. I laughed aloud - it is sheer insanity and cannot be taken seriously.
I was trying to read War & Peace with a group too - but the others couldn't start when we thought we were going to, so I just read on ahead. I think they want to start reading it next month, so we'll see what I remember when they start to make some progress. I think it would have helped to read it in a group; maybe they will enjoy it more than I did. I was really enjoying the middle of the book, I just lost interest with the endings.
Alondra wrote: "So, I really loved Black House. It is darker and a little more violent as the story goes. I know that those who don't really like the Talisman, don't like this either. Not sure why folks don't, but I don't care. LOLTWTtK is one of my new favorites. You definitely need to get through half the series before reading it. I loved the entire series, especially as a reread and after reading so many other SK stories. Its all the nuggets of info from the other books, that make it so awesome. :)"
I think it will be fun to read the series again after I've read more books from King. I figure I must be missing quite a few references to other books because I haven't read them before. I'm slowly making my way through them though, and learning more and more. I'm glad to hear you liked Black House, and I'm excited to read that series sometime. :-)
April Mid Month ReportBooks Read: 5 books so far this month and 48 year to date. 16,894 pages.
Books from Filling in the Gaps: 25/100; 2022 Books 1/4, 2023 Books 1/12, 2024 Books, 23/84
Books from 12+4 Challenge: 7/16
Recently finished:
A Study in Drowning - This is a fantasy book about an architecture student who enters a contest to redesign the estate of her favorite author. But it is also about so much more. It's a full fantasy book with quite a lot of magical elements, and handles some deep topics of misogyny and racism, although in a somewhat biased way. The story was carefully crafted, and I appreciated that, but I have to say that the characters really bored me. They weren't fully fleshed out and my relationship with them was very distant and impersonal. They weren't people I wanted to get to know, not because they were bad. I just didn't care about them. 2 stars
The Unhoneymooners - This is my first book that I've read by the friend duo Christina Lauren, and it has been on my list since it was published in 2019. This book is about two identical twins. Ami is getting married, and Olive is her maid of honor. Everyone at the wedding gets food poisoning from the seafood, Olive and best man Ethan are the only two that didn't get sick. Since somebody clearly needs to go on the all expense paid honeymoon, Olive and Ethan put aside their mutual dislike of each other and decide to go together. I don't need to tell you how the story ends. This story has been told and retold plenty of times. But what I can tell you is that something in this book happens about 3/4 of the way through that I did not like and I couldn't get past it. The rest of the book was predictable, light and adorable and I liked it fine. 2.5 stars, and I rounded up because I'm generous like that.
The Honeymoon Crashers - This is the sequel to The Unhoneymooners, and despite having a full cast, it isn't as good. Still worth a listen - it's nice and short. 2 stars, it was just fine.
Dreamfever - This is very much an in between book, with a cliffhanger start and a cliffhanger end. I will defer my judgment until the next book, when more will be revealed, but so far, this is testing the limits of my patience. I'm just bored. 2 stars.
Bright Young Women - This is a fictionalized account of a famous serial killer's attack on a women's sorority house, but it is also so much more. It also is about friendship and love, sisterhood, and being believed and believable. It's about the victims and the survivors, not the perpetrator, who is known throughout the novel as simply "The Defendant." I really loved it. 4 stars.
Currently reading:
Parable of the Talents - The sequel to Parable of the Sower just might be darker than the original book. I might need to hug some fluffy puppies after this one.
Bloodsucking Fiends - I started this, because Parable of the Talents is such a tough book, sometimes my heart just needs a little respite. And this book is absolutely ridiculous.
House of Flame and Shadow - This is the third book in the Crescent City series and it is basically merging A Court of Roses and Thorns into Crescent City. I wasn't going to read it, but decided I need to read it now before I forget anybody because I'm not reading these books again. So far, my opinion is that there are way too many points of view - like 3-5 to a chapter and there are over 100 chapters in this book. I feel like a ping pong ball.
Progress on the Whack-a-Mole Series Situation –
Series Completed this year (for the moment...):
1. The Housemaid (1)
2. Firekeeper's Daughter (1)
3. Fractalverse (1)
4. Killing Series (2)
5. Will Robie (1)
6. The Empyrean (2)
7. The Firm (1)
8. Moloka'i (1)
9. If I Stay (2)
10. Ripley (5)
11. The Unhoneymooners (2)
Series Started This Year with Books Remaining:
1. Fever (7)
2. Oz (12)
3. Earthseed (1)
4. The Giver (3)
5. A Love Story (3)
Series That Added Books This Year with number of books I still need to read in that series:
1. Deathless (1)
2. Coyote Sunrise (1)
3. The Space Between Worlds (1)
4. Crescent City (1)
Series That Added Books Next Year with number of books I still need to read in that series:
1. Xanth (41)
2. You (2)
3. Camp Half-Blood Chronicles (1)
4. Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez (10)
5. Holly Gibney (1)
6. Thursday Murder Club (1)
7. Comoran Strike (4)
8. Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1)
9. Stephanie Plum (9)
10. Heartstopper (1)
Mod
Bill wrote: "I do have to get back to Octavia Butler, the 3rd book in Lilith's Brood is my next I think, You've had a great month so far."Thanks, Bill. I think I'm going to want to read Lilith's Brood also, but maybe after a little break. The Earthseed series was a lot. She's a great author, though. Do you have a favorite work by her? So far, Kindred is my favorite, but I'm looking forward to reading more and finding more options. :-)
Mod
Thanks, Bill. I think I'm going to want to read Lilith's ..."
I've only read Dawn and Adulthood Rites so far. Hard to pick one over the other.
Mod
Yeah, I agree about the Earthseed series (?); but as my question mark shows, I hate that we didn't get more from this author. Even though she gave us so much; it's all so good that it just isn't enough. If that makes sense.
On The Same Page
Books mentioned in this topic
Ring Shout (other topics)The Eye of the World (other topics)
The Best Way to Play (other topics)
Swan Song (other topics)
Starter Villain (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Elin Hilderbrand (other topics)Douglas Adams (other topics)
John Scalzi (other topics)
Bill Cosby (other topics)
Rebecca Ross (other topics)
More...
My husband and I are both huge Rush fans. I was listening to it with him, but he made me slow down. Since I only have one day left on the book, I'm hoping to finish it tonight. He will probably make me listen to the last three hours again once we get the book back, but I'm not waiting.