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2024 Independent Challenge
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Ioana's 2024 Independent Challenge
Alissa wrote: "Was it the narrator that was bad? Im just curious."I really don't remember. It's one of those cases when you know it's you, not the book. Maybe it was the narrator, maybe my mood, who knows?
But I'm very glad I read it this time.
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Which o..."
The Hollow Places It was good, but not great. I thought I would get creeped out. I do understand that not much scares me; but it didn't even give me a pause on being scared. It was well written though.
edit: I looked at my review and yeah; this could have been soooo much better; and the end ticked me off.
Alondra wrote: "The Hollow Places It was good, but not great. I thought I would get creeped out. I do understand that not much scares me; but it didn't even give me a pause on being scared. It was well written though."I'll try it someday. I don't want to get creeped out, but I want a good book, we'll see. Your little note about the ending...hmmm...
Quick update on some of the books I've read lately. Not much to talk about, as none were truly special; mostly a series of 2- 2.5 - 3 stars...Resurrection Walk This one was good, you can't go wrong with Harry Bosch and his brother in law. And with it, I have this series up to date (again). 4 stars.
Someone You Can Build a Nest In Interesting concept and I really wanted to like this more, but for some reason I didn't. The main character is the monster, and of course, she is not. People are. Don't listen to me, give this one a try. 3 stars.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built As always, Becky Chamber's book is both interesting and comfortable at the same time. This was not my favorite of hers, but I will definitely continue the series. 3 stars
All Involved I did not know about the LA riots in 1992, and this books tries to show what it meant for various people, in various roles and places: from gangsters to police personnel, from nurses to people on the street. I found the concept interesting, but the delivery poorly executed, the book felt disjoined and without much continuity. 3 stars.
Bad Science oh, how I wanted to like this, but I was bored to death. 2 stars
When the Elephants Dance another interesting topic, set in the Philippines in WW2. The problem I had with this one was again, the jumping around between different timelines, stories and characters, it felt very disjoint. 2.5 stars, rounded down.
Thankfully, my current read is good, and I'm enjoying it a lot.
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My note about the ending can be taken with a grain of rock salt. I wanted more from the story, than what I was given. I felt like I was cheated. That me though.
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Resurrection Walk This one was good, ..."
I'm glad one of us is caught up with Bosch!
Alondra wrote: "I'm glad one of us is caught up with Bosch!"Oh, not quite. Only caught up with the Lincoln Lawyer series. Not the Bosch one...there I have a lot more work to do....
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Oh, not quite. Only caught up with the Lincoln Lawyer series. Not the Bosch one...there I have a lot more work to do...."
Okay, gotcha
Replay Very clever and enjoyable. I like time travel and time loops, and this one (with a twist) did not disappoint. "Jeff Winston was 43 and trapped in a tepid marriage and a dead-end job, waiting for that time when he could be truly happy, when he died.
And when he woke and he was 18 again, with all his memories of the next 25 years intact."
This is the book's blurb, not a spoiler.
It was not a monotonous book, each life was different, there was a common thread of love and relationships, and a butterfly effect connection. The ending too was very satisfying. 4 stars, maybe more.
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Resurrection Walk This one was good, ..."
For some reason I got an emotional reaction to Psalm and the sequel. She is definitely different. I'm looking forward to exploring the Wayfarer series.
Bill wrote: "I'm looking forward to exploring the Wayfarer series."I loved that series, I hope she will continue to add to it. I hope you will like it as much as I did.
Boys in the Valley I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the first half much more than the 2nd; maybe because the religious symbols and parallels were too obvious in the 2nd half. Then, it was the narrator. Narrating 10 year old boys voices might not be easy, but they definitely do not sound like Mickey Mouse. This was not a setting appropriate for such voices, so every time I heard them, I rolled my eyes. It is a horror book, with lots of violence. The priests running the orphanage are horrible, with few exceptions, but they are not the bad guys in the book. And in the end, the children needed a priest to save them...this bugged me. 3 stars.
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Yikes.
I have this on my list; so, I will keep it there. ... for now! I won't be doing audio. LOL
Alondra wrote: "I won't be doing audio. LOL"Smart girl! Not a bad book, but the ending...meh. You know the "what" (the people will win over the demon), but it's the "how", the execution of the "what" that bothered me.
The Frozen River Another book about a woman ahead of her time, but in this case, the woman was real and I enjoyed the book. Martha Ballard was real, a midwife in the late 1700s. She was literate (rare at the time for a woman) and kept a journal, on which most of this book was based. 4 stars.I hope to read the real biography A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 soon.
The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate: Discoveries from a Secret World Fascinating facts, and some science behind them, but after a while, the entire thing becomes repetitive. 3 stars.
Ioana wrote: "The Frozen River Another book about a woman ahead of her time, but in this case, the woman was real and I enjoyed the book. Martha Ballard was real, a midwife in the late 1700s. Sh..."I've heard a lot of good things about The Frozen River, so it's on my list. Glad you enjoyed it.
Patricia wrote: "I've heard a lot of good things about The Frozen River, so it's on my list. Glad you enjoyed it."I did, and I hope you will too. It's amazing that so much of what's in this book actually happened.
It's not perfect, the mystery part was ok, although I think the ending was clever/appropriate, and I liked the historical fiction part. If it wasn't for her diary, I would've thought her too modern (which I generally don't like in HF books), but it seems she really was.
Not sure about her husband though...he was a little bit too perfect.
Glad you enjoyed The Frozen River Ioana. I'm currently reading Code Name Helene by the same author. It's shaping up to be another stunner. I'm glad I found this author but I'm beginning to understand why there is always a wait list for her books at the library.
Michelle wrote: "I'm currently reading Code Name Helene by the same author. It's shaping up to be another stunner. I'm glad I found this author but I'm beginning to understand why there is always a wait list for her books at the library."That's another one I want to read, I'm glad to hear it's a good one.
Tom Lake I admit, I've decided to read this book because it was narrated by Meryl Streep. It's a slow book, nothing much happens, but it's calm and soothing and lovely. It's about family, friendship, love, relationships, people we meet and choices we make (or don't) and how all those might change our future.Yes, the narration helped. Plus, cherries are my favorite fruit, and this takes place in a cherry orchard. 4 stars.
The Frozen River is on my short list for 2025 (yes i have a list) so im excited to hear that you liked it! I also added her memoir to my TBR
Alissa wrote: "The Frozen River is on my short list for 2025 (yes i have a list) so im excited to hear that you liked it! I also added her memoir to my TBR"LOL, why am I not surprised? Now I want to know what else is on that list...
Beaks, Bones and Bird Songs: How the Struggle for Survival Has Shaped Birds and Their Behavior Interesting, but dry. Non-birders would be bored to death. 2.5 starsBefore She Knew Him I loved Peter Swanson's The Kind Worth Killing, but this one did not impress me, and the ending was just too much. Can't say more without spoiling the entire book, but...come on!
Lucky Child: A Daughter of Cambodia Reunites with the Sister She Left Behind is the 2nd in a series following Loung Ung and her escape from Cambodia. As the youngest child, she was the lucky one to be the selected to go with an older brother and his family (this was the 1st book). This one is about her life in Vermont, the way she adapts to her new life, and her return to Cambodia as an adult, years after the war is over. Fascinating! There is a 3rd book and I plan to read it. 4 stars.
The Familiar I did not hate it, it was ok, but I could not get invested in any of the characters. Part HF, part fantasy, it takes place in Spain during the Inquisition time. Luzia is a maid/servant, Jewish (so hunted by the Inquisition), with some magic capabilities. But she's ambitious and gets caught in the Spanish court machinations, where her magic could be useful. Sounds interesting, but it was not...2.5 stars
I'll have to look into the books by Ung. The rest seem quite skippable! Thanks for reading them for us, Ioana! :-)
Lea wrote: "I'll have to look into the books by Ung. The rest seem quite skippable! Thanks for reading them for us, Ioana! :-)"Yes, the Ung books are worth reading, truly eye-opening on some horrific atrocities that happened in our life time (at least, my life time).
Leigh Bardugo fans might want to give The Familiar a chance, but it wasn't for me.
Glad to read your review of The Familiar before I plunged into it. I am either hot or cold with Bardugo. I may still read this one but I will adjust my expectations.
This was my first book by her, and I still want to give her another chance, but I'm not in a rush. Which of her books did you enjoy?
I did read a lot of Leigh Bardugo, because she won GRC Awards and then I had to get up to speed on her series. However, I'm not sure I'm a huge fan of all of her work. It's been patchy for me, so I'm not sure I would pick up The Familiar (although if it wins an award I will...) However, if you find yourself wanting to give Bardugo another chance, I'm going to recommend something questionable for us completists. I think Six of Crows is her best work. It's a duology, so there are two books in the series. (also Crooked Kingdom). Yes, it is not the first book set in that world for Bardugo, but being that there are so many Fantasy series, I think you should just read the best books, which are those two. If you don't like Six of Crows, you can safely pass on the rest of Bardugo. If you love it so much that you don't want to miss a moment, you can go back and pick up the other books in the series, but I think the two books in the duology (or just the first, if you don't like it much) will be enough to give you the flavor of the best she has to offer.
No need to hurry to grab the books now either, give yourself a little fantasy rest! :-)
Lea wrote: "I think Six of Crows is her best work. It's a duology, so there are two books in the series. (also Crooked Kingdom). Yes, it is not the first book set in that world for Bardugo, but being that there are so many Fantasy series, I think you should just read the best books, which are those two. If you don't like Six of Crows, you can safely pass on the rest of Bardugo."I've heard the same from other GR friends, so I will give her another try. There is a Q&A on GR where she mentions there will be a 3rd book in this series...just so you know.
I liked Ninth House very much. (Warning though there's a lot of violence) I did not like Shadow and Bone at all and because of that I have been hesitant to pick up any of her other YA even though Six of Crows comes highly recommended.
Hmm, it seems I have options. I'll have to read some more about which one to try....thanks!
Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the WorldI can't summarize in a few words the outrage I feel after reading this book. How one crook (Jho Low) was enabled to steal billions and spend them, by the banks that were supposed to watch for such illegalities, and friends of circumstances who were only happy to partake in the spending...infuriating!
Arab oil princes and other officials, Goldman Sachs, the Malaysian Prime Minister and his wife, Paris Hilton, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx...and all this money came from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, which was supposed to be used for the Malaysia development. Disgusting.
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I agree and 2nd that motion.
Ioana wrote: "I've heard the same from other GR friends, so I will give her another try. There is a Q&A on GR where she mentions there will be a 3rd book in this series...just so you know."Haha, I have no illusions anymore. Series are never complete, especially if the author is still alive. If the author is no longer with us, the estate may write an extra book. After that, just wait until the books are in public domain and chances are, somebody will write a sequel. :-)
Garden Spells I've had this on my TBR and in my possession for 10 years, and just got to it now. Very enjoyable.It reminded me of Practical Magic. Small town, 2 sisters, some magic, an endearing older aunt, and an apple tree with personality. There is a 2nd book in this series, I hope to read it too. 4 stars.
Ioana wrote: "Garden Spells I've had this on my TBR and in my possession for 10 years, and just got to it now. Very enjoyable.It reminded me of Practical Magic. Small town, 2 sisters..."
Yes! That was a fun book. I remember running to find her back catalogue. Not sure how many of them I ended up reading but I’m sure I have at least one sitting on my shelf to read (double checked and it looks like I ended up reading quite a few).
Glad you enjoyed Garden Spells. I really like Sarah Addison Allen. I have read quite a few of hers. I also enjoyed The Sugar Queen and The Peach Keeper.
I loved Garden Spells as well and several of other books. Her newest book Other Birds was enjoyable which was a relief to me as I didn't like whatever she wrote before it. Maybe it was me at the time but I just remember being pretty disappointed. Still, only one I didn't like out of ?
Patricia wrote: "I loved Garden Spells as well and several of other books. Her newest book Other Birds was enjoyable which was a relief to me as I didn't like whatever she wrote befor..."I enjoyed The Sugar Queen, The Peach Keeper and First Frost but then I hit a bump in the road with Lost Lake. Think I read a couple of her other books but Lost Lake put me off of her. The first several felt like good beach/poolside/summer reads. Maybe it’s time to try her again since we’ve hit that season again
My only other Sarah Addison Allen was The Peach Keeper, which I thought was ok. I liked this one much better.Lillie, what about Lost Lake did you dislike?
Patricia and Michelle, I plan to read more of her work, just not sure when... Magical realism is not my favorite genre, but if it's kept reasonable, I'm ok with it.
Ioana wrote: "LOL, why am I not surprised? Now I want to know what else is on that list.."I only have 3 so far.. After all it's only halfway through the year! =)
I have The Frozen River, City of Girls, & The Book of Doors
Alissa wrote: "I have The Frozen River, City of Girls, & The Book of Doors"The Book of Doors is on my TBR, too. Maybe a buddy read next year?
It was Lost Lake that I didn't like as well. Sorry that I don't remember any details. Only that I was pretty disappointed since I liked all previous books.
Well, since both of you didn't like Lost Lake....I will definitely not be in any rush to read it. Thanks for reading it, so the rest of us don't have to 😉
Ioana wrote: "Well, since both of you didn't like Lost Lake....I will definitely not be in any rush to read it. Thanks for reading it, so the rest of us don't have to 😉Lillie, what about Lost Lake did you dislike?"
So, you may like it as I don't recall it having as much magic realism in it. Which I do like and was expecting from this author. As to why I didn't like it, mainly it was that I didn't like any of the characters. I didn't even hate them. They felt flat to me. Back then I finished every book I read, today, I would've dnf.
You're right, Lillie. Flat characters would make me dislike a book, too. I don't mind characters that I don't like because of their character, I've enjoyed books where I hated all the characters. But flat ones? Nah.I dnf books without remorse, so I might give it a try someday.
Jade War The 2nd one in this series, and I continue to enjoy it. Adult fantasy, where the rivalry and fight for dominations between 2 clans is center stage. It's a modern world, similar to ours, with modern conveniences (planes and cars), but pay phones operated by coins and/or calling cards. Remember those? Also drugs, of course. There is a lot of political intrigue, alliances and treason, violence in a world where jade, if/when used correctly by certain people gives the owner magical powers. So there are lots of others using any method to try to obtain it. An interesting world, will definitely read the 3rd book in this trilogy. 4 stars.
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Eleanor is quirky, ..."
I loved this book and I'm glad that you gave it a second chance!
Was it the narrator that was bad? Im just curious.