Reader's Choice Spring 2024

[Patty]

So excited for these!

Better the Blood
The Chinese Groove
The Circus Train
The Collected Regrets of Clover
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone
Joan
Kit McBride Gets a Wife
Learning America: One Woman's Fight for Educational Justice for Refugee Children
Lone Women
Mr. Perfect on Paper
The Nightmare Man
The Other Family Doctor: A Veterinarian Explores What Animals Can Teach Us About Love, Life, and Mortality
The Perfect Neighborhood
The Storyteller's Death
Thank You for Listening
Wolf Trap
Wormhole
You Are Here
You Should Smile More

VOTE: https://www.slcolibrary.org/informati...

Printable List: https://www.libraryaware.com/894/Post...

[Ellen]

Thanks Patty!

Visit your local branch to see the displays or check Libby for our digital copies! If you're an audiobook listener, I enjoyed the audio for The Circus Train.

Excited to see what everyone thinks this round!

[Patty]

Ellen wrote: "Thanks Patty!

Visit your local branch to see the displays or check Libby for our digital copies! If you're an audiobook listener, I enjoyed the audio for The Circus Train.

Excite..."

Thank you librarians for putting it online! Ten years since I've lived there and I so appreciate being able to access it.

[Audrey]

I just read Emily Wilde a couple weeks ago, and I've been eyeing Lone Women and a couple others.

[Audrey]

Only ONE sci fi and one pseudo-fantasy. Hmmm.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

Some day there's going to be something on the list I've already read lol.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

Almost all available in audio and one I already had on hold. So I've got that going for me.
But some of these audiobooks are like a 20 week wait, so.....

[Patty]

Finished Better the Blood. I really wanted to like this. There were all kinds of interesting themes. How it was set up was interesting. I learned some things I didn't know. I liked how it was read. It just kind of felt flat for me. Not sure why.

Running List:
Better the Blood - 3

[Audrey]

Still waiting for one of the ten audiobooks to come in.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

I was able to borrow a couple immediately and one has come in. one isn't available in audio so it's going to be trickier to get to it.

I also find it hilarious how many are labeled other genres, or just "fiction" but if you read the description you go "that's.... that's a mystery."

[Debbie]

Britt, Book Habitue wrote: "I was able to borrow a couple immediately and one has come in. one isn't available in audio so it's going to be trickier to get to it...."

Did you check to see if the City Library has it in audio? Sometimes they have the audio when the County does not.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

I have never actually used the city library.

[Audrey]

According to the brochure, Wormhole is the only one that isn't on audio, but I looked it up and it was there.

[Darin]

I can only see Wormhole as an ebook, and not eaudio, but maybe I’m missing something…

[Debbie]

Britt, Book Habitue wrote: "I have never actually used the city library."

You have to make a trek into a City Library, but they will add your Cunty card number to their account to make you a patron. I lived in West Valley City when I did ths. There is a reciprocal borrowing agreement.

[Audrey]

Darin wrote: "I can only see Wormhole as an ebook, and not eaudio, but maybe I’m missing something…"

You're right -- I put the ebook on hold, dang it. I've been trying to watch that.

[Greg]

Audrey wrote: "Darin wrote: "I can only see Wormhole as an ebook, and not eaudio, but maybe I’m missing something…"

You're right -- I put the ebook on hold, dang it. I've been trying to watch that."

I haven't been able to find Wormhole on audio, anywhere. I think ebook is the best you're going to get.

[Audrey]

I got the physical book and canceled the ebook hold to make room for a proper audiobook.

[Patty]

I enjoyed Mr. Perfect on Paper. Little quirky.

Running List:
Better the Blood - 3
Mr. Perfect on Paper - 4

[Audrey]

I checked out one that was available and then another three came in. I usually finish an audiobook in 3-5 days.

[Audrey]

Running Total

Read:
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries – 3.5
The Perfect Neighborhood – 3
The Storyteller's Death – 3
You Should Smile More – 3.5-4
The Nightmare Man – 3.5-4
Better the Blood – 2
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone – 4.5
Joan – 3
Kit McBride Gets a Wife – 3.5
The Other Family Doctor – 3 to 3.5
The Circus Train – 3
Mr. Perfect on Paper – 3
Thank You for Listening – 4
Wolf Trap – 2
Lone Women – 4
The Collected Regrets of Clover – DNF (1)
Wormhole – 3.5-4
The Chinese Groove – 3

Skimmed:
Learning America: One Woman's Fight for Educational Justice for Refugee Children

Not read:
You Are Here

+ on hold
++ checked out

[Patty]

Loved You Are Here. The connections between the characters and how they changed. How you really got to know each of them. The ways people affect us that we don't see coming.

Running List:
Better the Blood - 3
Mr. Perfect on Paper - 4
You Are Here - 5

[Patty]

Wasn't a big fan of The Nightmare Man. It feels like I should have liked it more, but I didn't for some reason.

Running List:
Better the Blood - 3
Mr. Perfect on Paper - 4
The Nightmare Man - 3
You Are Here - 5

[Patty]

Sometimes I see patterns in the books chosen. This time we are reading "The Other Family Doctor: A Veterinarian Explores What Animals Can Teach Us About". Last time we read "The Other Dr. Gilmer,". Was this on purpose?

[Britt, Book Habitue]

I was almost enjoying Thank You for Listening but the main character has gone off the rails and is solidly too stupid to live.
I will continue listening to this train wreck in the hopes the resolution will be worth it but I reserve the right to complain about it.

[Audrey]

You Should Smile More was cute; deliberately goofy.

The Storyteller's Death had a very slow start. You can skip the first 20% or so and not miss out on anything important.

The Perfect Neighborhood was fine. The gossiping neighbors made it feel more trashy than mysterious.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

Holy whiplash, Batman.
Finished Thank You for Listening and yes everything resolved because it had to, but the WHIPLASH from the character ping ponging all over the emotional....
whatever. It's done and was occasionally hilarious. Don't make the mistake I did and listen on speaker though. Headphones are your friend.

Running List:

Thank You for Listening - 3

[Britt, Book Habitue]

I.....do not know what to do with Nightmare Man.
I wasn't expecting much (not my thing) but I had it on audio already and figured I'd get it over with. And it was going along fine. More thriller than horror at first. Then it starts to get a little... paranormal?
For whatever reason atmospheric creepy in audiobook form doesn't affect me so it was just a somewhat interesting if weird and gruesome story.
Then at 95% I had a realization. And it's one of those "well now that can't be unseen" things that totally changed my perception and....
I just don't know what to do with it.
(It could be considered spoilery, so if you're curious you'll have to go find my review...which I have no idea how to link.)

Running List:

Thank You for Listening - 3
The Nightmare Man - read

[Patty]

Britt, Book Habitue wrote: "I.....do not know what to do with Nightmare Man.
I wasn't expecting much (not my thing) but I had it on audio already and figured I'd get it over with. And it was going along fine. More thriller t..."

Here is your review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I think I would agree with it.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

So I haven't lost my mind?
Because I was really starting to wonder

[Audrey]

I'm at 79% of The Nightmare Man.

[Audrey]

Nightmare Man was very interesting. Could have been clearer.

Started Better the Blood; not loving this one.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

Yeah the cast of characters was hard to follow in Nightmare Man. I noticed a lot of reviews talked about it too.

[Audrey]

Both Mills and Ben had a daughter and a sister and nightmares -- I couldn't keep their stories straight all the time. And there were a lot of dreams, and when you found out the whole last chapter was a dream, you had to backtrack in your mind to re-categorize it as "not real."

[Patty]

Britt, Book Habitue wrote: "So I haven't lost my mind?
Because I was really starting to wonder"

No, you did not lose your mind.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

You Are Here was.... frustrating? I don't know. It was fine but nearly all the characters were maddening.
Most showed some growth though.

Running List:

Thank You for Listening - 3
The Nightmare Man - 3
You Are Here - 3

[Audrey]

Not a fan of Better the Blood. I never connected with it, and it wasn't that interesting overall.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

Finished The Perfect Neighborhood.
Meh. It was fine.

Running List:

Thank You for Listening - 3
The Nightmare Man - read
You Are Here - 3
The Perfect Neighborhood - 3

[Darin]

The only one I couldn’t bring myself to read was The Nightmare Man. Horror just isn’t my thing. Below is my list for everything else, and I do know that I tend to rate high, usually.

Better the Blood - 4
Chinese Groove - 4
Circus Train - 4
Collected Regrets of Clover - 5
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries - 4
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone - 4
Joan - 5
Kit McBride Gets a Wife - 4
Learning America - 4
Lone Women - 3
Mr. Perfect on Paper - 3
Other Family Doctor - 5
Perfect Neighborhood - 3
Storyteller’s Death - 4
Thank You for Listening - 4
Wolf Trap - 5 (you might remember that I’m on the committee to select these, and I know that action thrillers aren’t for everyone, but I really pushed for this one to be on the list - interested to know what you think of it)
Wormhole - reading
You Are Here - 4
You Should Smile More - 4

[Audrey]

Horror is growing on me, so I did like The Nightmare Man overall. I like action thrillers if they're done right.

[Ellen]

Audrey wrote: "Horror is growing on me, so I did like The Nightmare Man overall. I like action thrillers if they're done right."
If Horror is growing on you, I'm excited to hear what you think about Lone Women!

[Audrey]

Ellen wrote: "Audrey wrote: "Horror is growing on me, so I did like The Nightmare Man overall. I like action thrillers if they're done right."
If Horror is growing on you, I'm excited to hear what you think about Lone Women!"

I was already thinking of reading it, so I am looking forward to it.

[Patty]

I found The Storyteller's Death interesting. Made me wonder how much of the book went with the culture and how much it was just the book.

Running List:
Better the Blood - 3
Mr. Perfect on Paper - 4
The Nightmare Man - 3
The Storyteller's Death
You Are Here - 5

[Britt, Book Habitue]

You Should Smile More was hilarious.

Running List:

Thank You for Listening - 3
The Nightmare Man - read
You Are Here - 3
The Perfect Neighborhood - 3
You Should Smile More - 4

[Britt, Book Habitue]

Chinese Groove was fine. *shrug* Got bored.

Running List:

Thank You for Listening - 3
The Nightmare Man - read
You Are Here - 3
The Perfect Neighborhood - 3
You Should Smile More - 4
The Chinese Groove - 3

[Audrey]

I loved Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

I'm looking forward to that one. It was already on my TBR list.

[Darin]

And the next one in that series is out - Everyone On This Train Is a Suspect. I also wanted to have Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone on the current RC list. I just thought the title was unique and attention-getting, and I thought it was a good mystery - wide appeal.

[Audrey]

I wasn't expecting it to be such a classic mystery (in style). It was really good with the reveals and twists.

[Patty]

Running List:
Better the Blood - 3
Collected Regrets of Clover -4
Mr. Perfect on Paper - 4
The Nightmare Man - 3
The Storyteller's Death
You Are Here - 5