Week 9 Check In

[Sheri]

Hi all,

Such weird weather! Keeps fluctuating between "yes it's still winter" and "hey, spring is here!". I am very ready for spring. Even though I'm still in a Baulder's Gate hole so most of what i'm doing in the evening is playing.

Get thinking about what you want to read next, I'll probably put up a book suggestion thread next.

This week I finished:

Bluebird- This was a lot of fun, space heisty bounty hunting romp across the galaxy, evading bad guys. It managed to draw a nice line between being really fun without going SO silly and campy that you couldn't really take it seriously at all. there was a real story there, and real characters and emotions. I also appreciated it that was a queernorm world. Rig was persecuted for many things, but not for being a lesbian.


Monstress, Vol. 6: The Vow Monstress, Vol. 7: Devourer catching up on some monstress, really love this comic. I think it's about wrapped up which is a bit sad, but also I don't like stuff that goes on forever so glad it'll end while it's awesome.

A House with Good Bones - I really enjoy T Kingfisher, this was no exception. fun characters, creepy without being too scary. Really enjoyed it.

Eat the Rich - this was an alright comic. Kinda fun idea, but pretty predictable.

Once & Future, Vol. 4: Monarchies in the UK - interesting take on Arthurian mythos. I like it, but Arthurian isn't my favorite.

Culture: The Story of Us, From Cave Art to K-Pop - this was really fascinating. Rather than focusing on particular cultures, it was about the concept of culture, what it is, how it spreads, and what happens when it's interrupted and rediscovered. Delves into the idea of owning a culture, appropriation, exploitation, colonization etc. I really appreciated that it covered culture globally, not just focusing on Europe.

Before We Were Yours - this was picked for me for my book club's tbr challenge. I got it in a white elephant book exchange with the book club a few years ago and never got around to actually reading it. It didn't really seem my style so I kept avoiding it, but I couldn't quite bring myself to get rid of it unread. So this challenge finally got me to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised that i liked it! Wasn't really what i expected. Not something I'd re-read or anything, so it'll probably still eventually get donated, but glad i did give it a try.

Currently reading

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism - for my books & brew book club. Interesting read so far, looking in to the languages cults use, and also how other groups like MLMs, fitness groups, music followers, etc. use similar language and when it can be good and helpful and when it can be toxic and controlling.

The Best Thing You Can Steal - don't like reading nonfiction right before bed/first thin in morning so have this going too. It's just kind of a fun heisty romp. It reminds me a lot of his Nightside books. Like to the point where I keep feeling like he is writing around mentioning the Nightside in a weird way. Like he's trying to prove he doesn't HAVE to set everything in the same world, but it sure feels like this world is awfully similar without outright saying it. Like yes, it's still London. and it's a secret underground part of London that has magic stuff that goes on, and all kinds of shady characters that have weird abilities....but you know. A DIFFERENT shady underground part full of dark weird magic.

Shades of Milk and Honey - current audio book. I needed an audio book, and i'm sorta kinda doing popsugar so i looked up some nanowrimo books and this is one. I liked her calculating the stars so figured i'd try this. I don't love Austin, so i'm not super excited about Austin-like stuff but we'll see. It's ok so far, but i'm not riveted .

QOTW:

What makes you recommend a book?

I get kind of annoyed when people haphazardly recommend books to me. I am a picky reader, and there's so many books, so little time. So trying to get me to read some random book that in no way is relevant to my interests, without giving me some pretty compelling reasons why you think I, in particular, might enjoy it, won't really work. It just feels like you're shoving your tastes on people then, rather than really trying to share experiences.

If I'm recommending someone a book specifically, there's generally something in it that made me think of the person I'm recommending it to that made me think of them. Either i know they'd love the genre, or a character would really appeal to them, or something in the plot etc.

If someone's asking me for recommendations, especially if I don't know them as well, I usually ask for what kind of stuff they like or usually read, what they're looking for in a book. Then I'll tailor my recommendations based on what they're looking for. Sometimes I even recommend books I don't even like that much, if I think they might appeal to the person asking.

I just feel like recommending books is about the person who will be reading them, giving them a good experience of finding a new book they might not have tried. Rather than just trying to force people to read a book i like. Since if it's not something that would appeal to them, in general, making them read it isn't going to suddenly make them a fan. It'll just make them not want to read books I recommend because who know if they'd actually like it?

[Jen W.]

Happy Thursday!

Finished:
I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea - 4 stars - for PopSugar's horror book by a BIPOC author prompt. I really liked this peek into the ballet world, coupled with a dose of supernatural horror. Looking forward to book 2.

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama - 4 stars - for PopSugar's magical realism prompt. I enjoyed each of these stories, and the clear love they have of books and reading.

My Love Story by Tina Turner - 4 stars - for PopSugar's autobiography by a woman in rock 'n' roll prompt. I saw the musical based on her life not too long ago, which she mentions working on toward the end of this book, and that's what got me interested in reading about her life in her own words. I have liked her music but I was never a huge fan. Now I can say I deeply admired her for her resilience, her strength, and the fact that she made it through so much abuse and came out the other side able to reclaim her life.

Currently reading:
Call Us What We Carry: Poems by Amanda Gorman - read along with the PopSugar group now that I have a digital print copy

Redsight by Meredith Mooring - for PopSugar's book by a blind or visually impaired author

Upcoming/Planned:
The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Ann Older - either PopSugar's book set in the future, or a book that came out in a year that ends with "24"
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer - PopSugar's nonfiction book about Indigenous people prompt

QOTW:
The main thing that makes me recommend a book is that I loved it (because I want more people to geek out with over my favorite things/characters), but I also do try to think of the tastes of the person I'm recommending it to. If it's someone I don't know well, I ask them what some other books they loved were, and see if I know any books similar to those.

[Rebecca]

We're not getting "still winter" so much as "slightly cooler and raining" in between the warm days.

The Chinese Parrot - I had to read the second Charlie Chan book because of the title. As in so many parrot mysteries, the parrot was one of the victims. The writing was good, but the plot was slightly outlandish. I don't think I'd make it a priority to read more of these, but they're not bad (certainly not what you'd guess from the movies).

Exit Strategy - The last of the free Murderbot novellas from Tor, and probably the last one I'll read. They are snackably entertaining while reading, but the 'bot does not have the impact on me that it seems to have on so many others.

What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds - This is a perfectly fine broad overview of various research about owls. I don't find owls all that personally compelling, although on several nights during this read I was aptly serenaded by a barred owl in the park. Name-drops Owls of the Eastern Ice: A Quest to Find and Save the World's Largest Owl, which I thought was more entertaining.

QOTW: I'm mostly with Sheri here, but I do feel more inclined to recommend books if I think they should be better known. If I'm like, "How had I never heard of this?" then I want to make sure other people (who I think would be interested) hear of it.

[Shel]

Weird weather here too. I like the warmth, but this is the second winter in a row where we've not had much snow and I don't like that! It's New England, we're supposed to have snow in the winter.

Sheri, I haven't read Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism yet (it is on my list) but I love her podcast "Sounds like a Cult". It's a lot of fun.

My finishes last week:

Two that I poached off of my 7th grader's bookshelf, They Both Die at the End and Just Lizzie. Both excellent in different ways. The first was poignant and devastatingly sad - it's in the title. The second is an own-voices book about a middle school asexual girl learning about herself and it's lovely to see that representation. Full disclosure: the author is my kid's ELA teacher and this is her first novel. She matter-of-factly informed the class on the first day of school that she was ace and encouraged students to ask questions, which I thought was pretty cool. She also is an absolute miracle worker as an ELA teacher for my kiddo who haaaaaates writing with a passion.

The other finish was The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi - her first adult novel, but she's the author of the bestselling middle grade Aru Shah books. It was...weird. I liked it quite a bit, but found it somewhat unsatisfying and I can't quite articulate why. Her use language is lovely, though.

QOTW: I need to know something about the reader before I can recommend a book, because my tastes are SO eclectic! I also only take recommendations from people whose tastes I know, because for the most part I'm left unmoved by some books that a lot of people love.

[Kathy]

Hello all-been in a bit of a book slump so not anything I was excited to share here, 7 3-star books in a row, which means I liked them but wouldn't read again or recommend.
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy finally got me over the slump. Western fantasy romance. He's a marshall and she's an undertaker. Interesting world.
Then I had the joy of discovering that Jodi Taylor (Chronicles of St. Mary's) has a second series about the Time Police. First is Doing Time and really enjoyed. Plus there's already five more! I am very much a series reader, so discovering a new one with some in the queue makes a happy day.
QOTW: I am very much a genre reader (mystery, fantasy, science fiction) and I try to suggest books that might get people more excited about them. I'm the only genre reader in my IRL book club, and get to choose our book twice a year, so I try to rotate through my favorites of different types. For people already interested in one of my genres, I try to get them hooked on my favorite authors too.

[nimrodiel]

Finished this week:

Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor with illustrations by Jim Di Bartolo This was a surprisingly good little collection. Three short stories about supernatural love that come across as modern fairy tales. The illustrations by Laini Taylor's husband are haunting, beautiful, and convey the essence of the stories that follow without spoiling them.

Camelot: A Collection of Original Arthurian Stories edited by Jane Yolen - This is an older collection, but I quite enjoyed the stories as the Arthurian legend is one of my favorites from childhood.

Currently Reading:

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini Husband and I are slowly listening to this audiobook together.

The Girl From the Other Side vol. 6 - From my library requests

Railhead by Phillip Reeve - passed on to me by a fellow bookcrossing member who knows I enjoy Science Fiction

QOTW:

I also like knowing the tastes of the people I recommend books to. However, once in awhile I will read something that really resonates with me and I will talk about it to all my reading friends. Sometimes that results in them reading something new to them. Lots of times its a "that's nice" type of response. I'm like Sheri and read a pretty eclectic mix of genres so what I like might not be what my husband likes for example.

I'm excited, we are about to go see Dune Part 2 this afternoon.