What Are We Currently Reading?

[Black Knight]

22 hours ago, helenamonster said:

Just finished: Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott. Yawn. 300-some pages and nothing really happened. I think Abbott has a beautiful prose style but the woman can't plot for shit. This might just be a taste thing...I need stuff to happen in the books I read, and I find too much introspective navel gazing in fiction to just be an attempt to disguise a paper-thin storyline. She was also really reaching to say something profound about psychopathy in women and it did not land at all.

Have you read Dare Me or another book of hers? Dare Me is the only one of hers I've read, and I don't know, it seems from the descriptions I read of her later books that they're all just variations on Dare Me. So although I liked it well enough I haven't been trying any of her other books. I've found if a writer's riffing on the same thing over and over the first book is usually the best.

[truthaboutluv]

5 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

Have you read Dare Me or another book of hers? Dare Me is the only one of hers I've read, and I don't know, it seems from the descriptions I read of her later books that they're all just variations on Dare Me. So although I liked it well enough I haven't been trying any of her other books. I've found if a writer's riffing on the same thing over and over the first book is usually the best.

Yup. I read Dare Me last year and reading the above comment about her latest, all I could think is, "yes, this is exactly the problem I had with Dare Me". 

[helenamonster]

3 hours ago, Black Knight said:

Have you read Dare Me or another book of hers? Dare Me is the only one of hers I've read, and I don't know, it seems from the descriptions I read of her later books that they're all just variations on Dare Me. So although I liked it well enough I haven't been trying any of her other books. I've found if a writer's riffing on the same thing over and over the first book is usually the best.

Haven't read Dare Me but did read You Will Know Me, the one about a murder that takes place in the world of competitive gymnastics. My issues with both You Will Know Me and Give Me Your Hand were plot-related. You Will Know Me kept trying to squeeze some dumb murder I didn't care about into a compelling story about the sacrifices young girls and their families make to pursue gymnastics on the Olympic track. Give Me Your Hand didn't really have an interesting plot hiding amongst the nonsense. I mean, yes, I think it would be possible to write something really profound about PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder, aka PMS on steroids) and then maybe take it macro to the entire experience of womanhood, but Abbott didn't really even flirt with that. It was all just a mishmash of things happening that had no importance on the overall story--I honestly could describe the entire book in three sentences and not be leaving anything out.

[Epeolatrix]

I'm a geek for critical analyses of pop culture and this is the one I'm reading now:

[Cherry Cola]

Currently reading Story Girl by Lucy M Montgomery.  

[Black Knight]

13 hours ago, helenamonster said:

Haven't read Dare Me but did read You Will Know Me, the one about a murder that takes place in the world of competitive gymnastics. My issues with both You Will Know Me and Give Me Your Hand were plot-related. You Will Know Me kept trying to squeeze some dumb murder I didn't care about into a compelling story about the sacrifices young girls and their families make to pursue gymnastics on the Olympic track.

Yes, Dare Me was about a murder that takes place in the world of competitive cheerleading. At least, I think there was a murder. Or at least some sort of crime. See how little I cared because it was so inconsequential?

I think it doesn't help that Abbott's books remind me of the episode synopses for Rizzoli & Isles - almost every one was "Maura and Jane investigate a murder in the world of [something]."

[hendersonrocks]

Almost 10 years behind the times, I'm finally reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I want to watch the Netflix adaptation because I really miss Downton Abbey in my life and it seems like this is the next best thing given the cast, but decided I needed to read the book first. Enjoying it thoroughly so far.

[Browncoat]

I just finished one called "How To Walk Away" by Katherine Center.  It was okay, but my eyes nearly rolled out of my head so many times because of all the plot contrivances!  Starting with, in Chapter One, a woman who is terrified of flying (and crashing), but is bullied by her boyfriend (who is thisclose to having his pilot's license) into going on a quick trip in a Cessna.  Of course, when they return, there's a storm over the airport, but there's not enough fuel to circle around for 20 minutes, so of course he tries to land, and they crash.  And even though there wasn't enough fuel to circle, there was plenty to spew all over everything and of course, catch on fire.  And then the story became incredibly transparent in addition to the plot contrivances.  At least it was a quick read, and it was a library book, so, y'know, free.

[GaT]

I'm reading Doom and Broom by Annabel Chase, the 2nd book in the Spellbound series. I had never heard of the author before, & ran across the description for this series which is described as a "paranormal cozy mystery" (I had also never heard of this genre, but there appears to be a number of these). Sounded right up my alley. I was expecting light reading, just something amusing for summer, but no, just no. I bought the first 2 books & didn't like the 1st one (Curse The Day), so I was hoping that maybe the 2nd one improved, but no such luck. The main character is supposed to be a lawyer, so she's got to be in her twenties, but it feels more like she's 16 or 17. I even thought that maybe it was a YA book, but I don't see anything calling it that, so I guess it's not. The writing is just bad, when I try to describe it, the only word I can think of is juvenile. I wasn't expecting fine literature from a paranormal cozy mystery, but this isn't even light summer reading. 

[biakbiak]

On 6/30/2018 at 12:20 PM, starri said:

Polished off Bad Blood: Secret and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup about the fraud behind the phony blood-testing company Theranos in a couple of nights.  It reads like a thriller in places.  I think I'd ultimately class it as a True Crime book, but it's a great read, regardless.

Just finished this as well and I agree it’s a ridiculous read. The one complaint and given he never interviewed her and none of her staunchest supporters talked to him I couldn’t really understand what made so many smart, successful, crazy powerful people completely ignore the red flags and support Elizabeth Holmes.

it also speaks to just how crazy the financing of so many Silicon Valley startups can be built on hype and smoke and mirrors.

[Skyline]

Reading There There by Tommy Orange 

[small potatoes]

On 8/16/2018 at 11:34 AM, Black Knight said:

Yes, Dare Me was about a murder that takes place in the world of competitive cheerleading. At least, I think there was a murder. Or at least some sort of crime. See how little I cared because it was so inconsequential?

I read Dare Me recently, and I found it very frustrating. There weren't any details about the sports they were supposed to be cheering for. Did the football team win? Were they any good? What was the score? Was it cold outside in their skimpy cheerleading outfits? Those were bigger mysteries than the murder.

[Black Knight]

Heh. That reminds me of Bring It On, when Torrance tells Missy that the high school games are just practice for the cheerleaders.

[Black Knight]

I just read Connie Willis's Crosstalk, about a woman who suddenly gets telepathy after signing up for a surgery that would allow her and her boyfriend to feel each other's emotions and gets much more than she bargained for, and sadly ended up rather disappointed. I love Willis's humorous books (not that I don't generally like her dramatic ones also) - her brand of fast-paced farce is one of my favorite types of comedy, and I got this book on the expectation it would be one of those. And for about the first third or so that's just what it is, and I was really enjoying it. Then our protagonist is being led around a library by her love interest, because they need to hide somewhere there, and Willis insists on spending pages cataloging all the corridors and staircases they go through, while I'm thinking that this could have all been done in two sentences so that we could move on to literally anything else. The book bogged down right there, but I was hopeful that it was temporary and that the plot would start up again. Which, it does...but there is barely a shred of humor in the remaining two thirds of the book. It's all the romance with the love interest, which I wouldn't necessarily object to but this romance was boring to me - it's mostly endless talking about keeping their telepathy secret, and the book goes from having a large, varied fun cast in the first third to basically just the protagonist and her love interest. Also, the protagonist is pretty dense. I slogged through the rest of the book and haven't been quite so relieved in quite some time to finally reach the last page.

In better book news, I also read Grady Hendrix's My Best Friend's Exorcism, which has been described somewhat as Mean Girls meeting The Exorcist, and that's a pretty good description. It's also catnip for anyone who grew up in the '80s (which is when the book is set) - even the book cover is purposely out of Choose Your Own Adventures with other 80s stuff tacked on. It's funny, has a really good best-friendship at its core...but does also get quite creepy, with a couple of the truly most gross and disturbing scenes I've ever read. I love milkshakes, but I may never be able to drink one again after this book. And I laughed my way through the film version of The Exorcist, but parts of this exorcism got to me. I loved how the end of the exorcism came about. This book is in many ways a love letter to the books and TV and films of the '80s, from its references to the style of many scenes.

[ALenore]

On 8/18/2018 at 9:34 PM, Skyline said:

Reading There There by Tommy Orange 

I'm reading that too, almost finished.  I started listening to the audiobook, but got confused by the multiple characters, so I switched to the e-book so I can check back to remind myself which characters are which.  I am enjoying it quite a bit, learning about the lives and history of Native Americans attending a powwow in Oakland, California. 

On audiobook I'm listening to The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson, read by Dennis Quaid.   I've never read anything by James Patterson, but I assume this is pretty much like his other books.  It's a standard thriller, lots of short chapters, easy to follow.  It's not great literature, but I am interested in the plot.  

[Spartan Girl]

I finished Robin by Dave Itzkoff.  Thankfully, it wasn't exploitative like I feared it would be, but still, it was really hard to read that account of Robin Williams' last days in his deteriorating state.  I think this passage from the prologue sums it up perfectly:

Quote

Everyone felt as if they knew him, even if they did not always admire the work he did. Millions of people loved him for his generosity of spirit, his quickness of mind, and the hopefulness he inspired. Some lost their affection for him in later years, as the quality of his work declined, even as they held out hope he’d find the thing–the project, the character, the spark–that had made him great before, as great as he was when he first burst in the cultural consciousness. And when he was gone, we all wished we’d had him just a little bit longer.

[Wiendish Fitch]

On 7/27/2018 at 1:13 AM, truthaboutluv said:

Just finished Little Fires Everywhere. Stayed up way past my bedtime to do so.  Not because it was that good mind you but just because I had slogged through almost 80 percent of it and I just wanted to be done. I truly am not sure what to even think about this book and that alone says it all. I think the biggest issue I had is that I really and true didn't care a damn about any of the characters. They all ranged from assholes to annoying to bland as fuck. The big "social issues" just left me meh. 

Like I'm sure I was meant to care about the big custody battle but I didn't. Though I found the biological mother way more annoying than the adoptive one. And that bullshit of her 

  Hide contents

kidnapping the kid and of course getting away with it and Mrs. Mcullough thinking about the baby not making a sound when she was taken and that being some big statement of the mother's love is all that matters was some bullshit. Maybe the kid didn't make a noise when she was taken because she was asleep at the time. It just felt like the message was that a woman carries a baby and that's all that matters and yeah, NO. And I say that as a woman. Mia's giving the couple some of their money back didn't change the fact that she stole the people's kid. But I guess Ng thought the reader was supposed to understand and like her. Yeah, no. 

I don't know. I just think this was one weird ass book with a bunch of uninteresting as hell characters and bunch of cliches thrown all over the place. And I am truly baffled as to why it's such a big hit. 

I enjoyed the book (despite being a downer), but I share your spoiler-ed sentiments exactly. I took my UO to the "Unpopular Opinions" page.

[HazelEyes4325]

I'm starting 2 new books today.  While I almost always have more than 1 book going on at a time, I rarely start more than one book at once.  However, I'm on kind of a deadline with both of these.  The first is The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy.  I actually don't know much about this, but it came to me through my postal book club--and I have to mail it on at the end of this month, so I need to get going on it.  The second is Crazy Rich Asians.  I have been on the hold list for this for-freakin'-ever and I don't want to risk not finishing it before my eBook copy returns itself.  Also, I want to see the movie and I'm one of those people who has to read the book first.

I just finished The Banker's Wife, which was kind of a surprise because, given the title, I thought it would be one of the woman/girl books with an unreliable and/or damaged narrator.  That is not what this is.  Instead, all the female characters have agency and are smart and non-addicted.  It's more like a spy thriller than I expected (except it is about money laundering, not spying).  While I enjoyed the story, I do wish the writing had a bit more finesse.  Still, I think it was worth my time.

Edited August 22, 2018 by HazelEyes4325

[PaulaO]

Last week I read The Girl Who Went Home: A Novel of the Titanic by Hazel Gaynor and cried happy tears at the ending.    I didn't want to return the book to the library.  I may actually buy it.

[Madding crowd]

I’m reading It’s Always the Husband, which I thought would be a clever domestic drama. Instead it’s one of those books about three college roommates who are all very different and the secret from their past that comes out twenty years later. I’ve read this same plot too many times. Also reading a book of short stories American Housewife which so far is just ok.

[Cherry Cola]

Now reading The Golden Road by LM Montgomery and The Last Enchantments by Charles Finch.  Charles also has a really good detective series set in England in early 1900's and It is a lot of fun. 

[MeloraH]

8 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

Also reading a book of short stories American Housewife which so far is just ok.

Yeah, I was a bit disappointed by it too. It was just good enough that it was worth reading. I just went back to GoodReads to see what I'd rated it/if I reviewed it and I think I agree with Roxane Gay's review except the only story I didn't forget was Dumpster Diving with the Stars.

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

Last week I read The Girl Who Went Home: A Novel of the Titanic by Hazel Gaynor and cried happy tears at the ending.    I didn't want to return the book to the library.  I may actually buy it.

This sounds 100% my jam and I'd never heard of it before. Thank you! 

I just finished Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. It took me a little while to get into it, but then I got hooked.

Spoiler

The info at the end about her mum I honestly and truly did not see coming, and I appreciate that it wasn't wrapped up in a nice bow with everything all fine and dandy. I thought it was really well done, and amazing that it's the author's debut. 

[Browncoat]

6 hours ago, hendersonrocks said:

I just finished Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. It took me a little while to get into it, but then I got hooked.

  Reveal hidden contents

The info at the end about her mum I honestly and truly did not see coming, and I appreciate that it wasn't wrapped up in a nice bow with everything all fine and dandy. I thought it was really well done, and amazing that it's the author's debut. 

Agreed! 

I was gobsmacked by that revelation.

[ALenore]

I just started reading Anatomy of a Miracle by Jonathan Miles.  It's funny, witty,  beautifully written.   The characters are skillfully rendered.  I've had this book on hold at the library for month and I'm glad that it seems to be worth the wait.   I liked his previous book Dear American Airlines.  

[Darian]

10 hours ago, hendersonrocks said:

 

I just finished Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. It took me a little while to get into it, but then I got hooked.

  Hide contents

The info at the end about her mum I honestly and truly did not see coming, and I appreciate that it wasn't wrapped up in a nice bow with everything all fine and dandy. I thought it was really well done, and amazing that it's the author's debut. 

I agree. I love that book so much but it snuck up on me. I got into it all right, but from the first pages (chapters?), I never would have thought I'd love it so much. It's one of the books I keep telling everyone to read. 

 

I'm about to start Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. I've heard great things. 

[Black Knight]

3 hours ago, Darian said:

I'm about to start Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. I've heard great things. 

I really want to read this too. However, I promised myself I would stop starting series before they're finished - not so much because I don't trust the authors to finish them (despite my experience with GRRM) but because I just don't remember enough from book to book and even though I like re-reading, I have so many books to read that I need to minimize the amount of time I spend re-reading just for the sake of refreshing my memory - and I read an interview with Adeyemi where she indicated that this is a rather complex and detailed mythology. So I'm hoping she keeps it to a trilogy and that the other two books come out quickly (I'm looking at you, Patrick Rothfuss - I've been waiting years for him to release the final book of his trilogy so I can finally read them all).

[Haleth]

On 8/23/2018 at 9:27 AM, hendersonrocks said:

I just finished Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. It took me a little while to get into it, but then I got hooked.

I felt uncomfortable reading this book.  She was so obviously in need of help that reading her thoughts felt like an intrusion.  I was more embarrassed for her than charmed.  It was a good book though, sweet story.

On 8/24/2018 at 12:00 AM, Black Knight said:

(I'm looking at you, Patrick Rothfuss - I've been waiting years for him to release the final book of his trilogy so I can finally read them all).

I read the first two without knowing that the third will likely never be completed.  Another case of georgemartinitis.  

I can't remember if I recommended these before, but speaking of trilogies, I highly recommend Carlos Ruiz Zafon's Cemetery of Forgotten Books series: The Shadow of the Wind, The Angel's Game, and The Prisoner of Heaven.  The fourth is coming out (in English) next month.  It's a series of mysteries set in mid 20th c Barcelona.  Very cleverly written and intricate.  They are the best books I've read all year.  

Edited August 25, 2018 by Haleth

[Piperazzi]

Ship It by Britta Lundin

[GaT]

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. I first heard about this series/author when someone posted in the UO thread that they didn't like her books. I read the synopsis, & it sounded possibly interesting to me, so I thought I would give the first book a try. I'm not that impressed. It's a big book which I usually like, but I think that's part of the problem. The basic premise is good, but it seems to be dragging on & on with a lot of useless scenes & stuff that feels repetitive. I doubt I'm going to be surprised by the ending, since some things seem obvious to me. Anyway, I'll finish it, but I doubt I'll read any of the rest of the series.  

Edited August 26, 2018 by GaT

[AngelKitty]

On ‎8‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 8:41 PM, Cupid Stunt said:

"The 2020 Commission Report on the North Korean Nuclear Attacks Against the United States" by Jeffrey Lewis

This sounds way too scary for me.

On ‎8‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 5:24 PM, Anela said:

White Trash Zombie series

This sounds more my style. Just put it on my Want to read list.

On ‎8‎/‎24‎/‎2018 at 12:00 AM, Black Knight said:

I just don't remember enough from book to book and even though I like re-reading, I have so many books to read that I need to minimize the amount of time I spend re-reading just for the sake of refreshing my memory

I'm having that problem right now. I started reading book 9 of the Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka, and it was seeming like I missed something so I got #8 from the library and about 1/3 the way, I'm still not sure if I read it, but I'll finish anyway.

I've been doing a lot of reading now that I'm retired, (not really by choice). Mostly sci-fi or urban fantasy. I just finished Record of a Spaceborn Few(Wayfarers #3) by Becky Chambers, which is exactly what the title says--not boring, but not exciting, interesting world building. #2 - A Closed and Common Orbit was much better. I know I enjoyed the first one in the series The Long Way to a Small and Angry Planet, but it was long enough ago that I can't really remember it.

[Jenniferbug]

On 8/25/2018 at 1:44 PM, GaT said:

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. I first heard about this series/author when someone post in the UO thread that they didn't like her books. I read the synopsis, & it sounded possibly interesting to me, so I thought I would give the first book a try. I'm not that impressed. It's a big book which I usually like, but I think that's part of the problem. The basic premise is good, but it seems to be dragging on & on with a lot of useless scenes & stuff that feels repetitive. I doubt I'm going to be surprised by the ending, since some things seem obvious to me. Anyway, I'll finish it, but I doubt I'll read any of the rest of the series.  

 I haven't read this particular series by her, but I read A Court of Thorns and Roses a couple of weeks ago, and it was pretty average. I felt like it had an interesting premise but didn't really deliver in going beyond the very basic YA characters and plot. I had sooo many friends tell me to keep reading, so I finished A Court of Mist and Fury yesterday. I did like it better than the first, and will probably read the 3rd book because I am interested in some of the side characters, but I still loathe the main love interest so I'm having a hard time feeling very invested in him OR the heroine. 

[hendersonrocks]

I’m a little more than halfway through The World As It Is: A Memoir of the Obama White House by Ben Rhodes. It’s foreign policy heavy, given his role in the administration, and I am learning a lot. A good new nonfiction read for political junkies.

[biakbiak]

Just finished My Life as a Goddess: A Memoir Through (Un)Popular Culture by Guy Branum which I thought was hilarious, moving and educational! It’s a collection of personal essays that touch on growing up as a gay, overweight, intelligent kid in a rural farming community, Yuba City, and touches on topics ranging from Punjabi immigration, Canadian History, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, to Chelsea Lately. It goes a lot of surprising places and was very enjoyable.

[raezen]

I'm participating in a reading challenge at my library so I'm trying to read things on suggested topics and themes. 

For a classic I'd never read I picked The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I'm already categorizing it as a favourite of mine and I don't know why I had avoided it for so long. I can see it's influence as well in how media portrays women in the past, hell,  Matthew Weiner must have had it by his bedside when he was writing Mad Men. I love how it's written with sparing detail but I feel like I can see everything. I thought that Esther made poignant points about this seeming dead end awaiting her after college without being overwrought. I'm also sad to report that some of the experiences she reported about her treatment for her depression are not that different now. I know people who have seen the same arrogant psychiatrists and been treated as haphazardly with drugs as Esther was with electroshock. That aside, I loved this book.

Now for the bad. One suggestion was to read a book with a colour in the title. I had previously tried reading Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews, quit after 100 pages and I stupidly thought " how hard can it be to finish?" The hardest thing I've done in a while. And it was a library book so I couldn't throw it against the wall when I was really offended. It was misogynistic garbage. The characters were paper thin. The main character, a sexy Russian spy named Dominika is forced to be a sparrow and is sent to the center of exploitation. She winds up trying to work a case on an American spy named Nate Nash. That's not a joke, he's named Nate Nash. This was made into a film this year with Jennifer Lawrence and I'm hoping she never actually read the book when she decided to do the film. It's filled with ridiculous sex scenes, that makes me think Jason Matthews has never had a conversation with a woman about sex, and Russian stereotypes. The Russians were so over the top villainous and then they send Dominika on a mission abroad even though she'd be the most justified defection I'd ever heard of. Dominika also has synthesia and is able to see good and bad oras and you guessed it,the Russians have bad colours while the Americans have good colours. And to top it off, the book is mostly dull. So much description and abbreviation and spy jargon and I was not interested in any of it. 

While I think the spy genre is probably not for me, I might try Le Carre in the future. Meanwhile I might try The Alice Network soon.

Edited August 28, 2018 by raezen

[Black Knight]

On 8/26/2018 at 5:25 AM, AngelKitty said:

I've been doing a lot of reading now that I'm retired, (not really by choice). Mostly sci-fi or urban fantasy. I just finished Record of a Spaceborn Few(Wayfarers #3) by Becky Chambers, which is exactly what the title says--not boring, but not exciting, interesting world building. #2 - A Closed and Common Orbit was much better. I know I enjoyed the first one in the series The Long Way to a Small and Angry Planet, but it was long enough ago that I can't really remember it.

I just finished Record of a Spaceborn Few a few days ago. I liked it okay. It's strongest when it deals with the concept of humans willingly choosing to live in spaceships all their lives rather than settle on a planet when the latter is an option and the original goal of the expedition. A Closed and Common Orbit was better, and I absolutely love The Long Way to a Small and Angry Planet - I've re-read it several times in the year since I first read it.

[truthaboutluv]

I am almost done with Friend Request. I was really excited to read this one but it's taken me a little longer than I expected just because the main character is kind of bugging me. I just find her so pathetic and dumb. 

Spoiler

I'm currently at the point where despite her former best friend being murdered, the messages she's getting are more threatening and whoever is after her made it clear they got close enough to snatch her kid if they wanted, she still thinks it's better to lie to the police because she slipped ecstasy into someone's drink 20+ years ago when they were teenagers and the girl vanished. Like seriously, WTAF? Are you kidding me? I just can't believe anyone would be that dumb. They never found the girl's body so there's no telling when she died or even how she really died or if she died. But yes, while the police are busy investigating someone being strangled, they'd be concerned with a high school prank from two decades before. I am also about 90 percent positive that Esther's behind the whole thing and probably was the one who killed Maria and not her drink being spiked with ecstasy.

[DrSparkles]

I just read The Great Believers. It was so good, I didn't want to put it down, but I didn't want it to end either!! I was gutted the whole time. Centers on the beginnings of HIV/AIDS in the 80s in Chicago. I was in my 20s during this time, living in South Beach, with tons of gay friends & 'club friends'. What a hard time it was. This book gutted me! So good.

[JAYJAY1979]

On 8/18/2018 at 8:34 PM, Skyline said:

Reading There There by Tommy Orange 

I'm on my way to go pick that up at my library (I was on the hold list for an eternity for that one LOL).

[GaT]

I just started Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews, the final book in the Kate Daniels series.  I'm sorry to see the series end, but I'm glad that they aren't going to be dragging it out past it's end time just to cash in. I haven't heard anything about how it all ends & whether or not it's good, so I hope I'll be happy with how it turns out.

[DearEvette]

9 hours ago, GaT said:

I just started Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews, the final book in the Kate Daniels series.  I'm sorry to see the series end, but I'm glad that they aren't going to be dragging it out past it's end time just to cash in. I haven't heard anything about how it all ends & whether or not it's good, so I hope I'll be happy with how it turns out.

Just finished it.  Loved it.  In the end I think Ilona Andrews stayed very true to their philosophy of how they approached the whole series, so it felt very appropriate to me. 

[truthaboutluv]

So I completed Friend Request a few days ago and for the first time in a long time, I was completely off on the guilty person.  

Spoiler

I have to say that I never ever considered the ex-husband and I think that's because his role for most of the book was fairly minimal. I'm guessing that may have deliberate on the author's part and it worked. It made him seem so removed from the storyline beyond simply being the main character's ex that I barely paid much attention to him and as result, never considered him as a suspect. The why and how he did wasn't too far fetched but the resolution of the story left a lot to be desired. So this guy who so coldly murdered one girl at 16, then another just a few weeks prior and was more than ready to murder his ex-wife to silence her, suddenly had a change of heart while she was hiding behind a bedroom door and simply took off? And the book ends with his not being found at all. I don't know, the whole thing seemed kind of random and a bit unfinished.

Edited September 1, 2018 by truthaboutluv

[aradia22]

Spotty internet access and my laptop is about to run out of juice but I've been reading a lot during my vacation.

Their Eyes Are Watching God... I've basically been stuck on the pre-Tea Cake part of the book for forever and finally had the chance to sit down and read the rest in one fell swoop. Interesting... Definitely some problematic/thorny bits especially around race. But some lovely poetic language and the more feminist parts fall in line with other books I enjoy (early novel/historical fiction, self-actualization of female character, maybe some strained circumstances due to time period or marriage or other romantic entanglements). The Tea Cake part just ended up being a little unsatisfying because of the casual violence, uncertain take on race, and the ending. I got why it needed to end there for the trial and circling back to Phoeby but even if she was a uniquely strong character it's still another black woman who doesn't get a happy ending.

Hot & Heavy edited by Virgie Tovar... OMG, everyone should read this. Especially if you relate to the size/body image issues but also because it's entertaining and smart and politically conscious. There's fluff because of course. It's an anthology. I read it cover to cover but if I wasn't doing a reading challenge I would have skipped some of the fluffier entries like the one on BBW parties or the performance artist. And honestly, Virgie's essays are a little eye-roll-y for me. But lots of good content. Moving, funny, smart, revelatory, inspiring... The best thing is that it doesn't feel repetitive but instead like you're getting a more whole picture by opening it up to so many different perspectives and voices.

Sex Object... Some really tough bits but I'm glad I got through it. The pregnancy bit on was slow going. I do want to read some stuff from her that's more directly ideological and about feminism and less about her life. Her emotional detachment actually made it easier to get through some of the tough stuff but it didn't say a lot about the world. 

Currently reading What If? by Randall Munroe (surprisingly funny and enjoyable though it's a pick up/put down kind of book), Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris (a lot of problematic unfunny bits but some good parts too), and This is Just My Face by Gabourey Sidibe (as far celeb memoirs go, she's not much of a writer or advice-giver but she's lived a compelling life. It's a bit haphazardly related though. I'm a little more than halfway through it and still shaky on her relationship with her parents. But she's got some interesting stuff to say about body image issues and the weirder bits... temporary stint as a phone sex operator... were intriguing. Also, when she talked about the good moments with her dad it almost made me cry. I kind of wish it had more polish but I also kind of appreciate the rawness. I'd compare it to Anna Kendrick's book but from someone who has lived a more interesting life.)

[ALenore]

I'm reading a couple of lighter books right now.  Calypso by David Sedaris.  I'm listening to the audiobook.  I love pretty much all of his books, and this is no exception.  He talks about getting older, about his sister's suicide, about his travels around the world.  I'm also reading School for Psychics by K. C. Archer.  It's about what it sounds like from the title, a young woman winds up getting recruited to a school for psychics, where she will learn to use her powers for good rather than evil.  

[GaT]

Just started Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer. Joe Biden is sounding a little whiny to me. Hopefully that doesn't last through the entire book. 

 

Edited: I just finished it & it was OK. Joe Biden was more needy than whiny LOL, but that's pretty much how he stayed. It was OK as a one off book, but I don't know if I would read a whole series of these.

Edited September 6, 2018 by GaT

[AngelKitty]

On ‎9‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 3:39 AM, GaT said:

I just started Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews, the final book in the Kate Daniels series. 

I just finished #6 Magic Rises. I believe I started this series due to your recommendation, so thank you. I do love these characters.

 

On ‎9‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 1:14 PM, DearEvette said:

In the end I think Ilona Andrews stayed very true to their philosophy of how they approached the whole series

This is good to know. And now I am reminded to order the next one.

I'm just finishing up The Wrong Stars by Tim Pratt, the first of a space opera trilogy, and have Laurell Hamilton's Serpentine, on deck. With every one of her books I keep telling myself "That's the last one!" And yet I just can't quit Anita Blake.

[Black Knight]

11 hours ago, AngelKitty said:

I'm just finishing up The Wrong Stars by Tim Pratt, the first of a space opera trilogy, and have Laurell Hamilton's Serpentine, on deck. With every one of her books I keep telling myself "That's the last one!" And yet I just can't quit Anita Blake.

I'm impressed. I gave up so many books ago, when it turned into "20-page domination games scene followed by two sentences of actual plot followed by 30-page sex scene followed by one paragraph of actual plot...[rinse and repeat]". I do like to pick up each new installment when I see it in the bookstore and flip through it just to see how many more people Anita is sleeping with now. Not that I have an issue with polyamory in itself, but she took something like six books before she was willing to fuck just one person, insisted Jean-Claude be celibate whenever she wasn't sleeping with him to prove his love, and now her sex life is a total orgy. Which would be fine if Hamilton hadn't stopped writing actual stories. She fired her editors around the time the series headed in the Porn Without Plot direction and it showed. And how many more were-this and were-that clans can Hamilton possibly add (all in the name of giving Anita yet more people to both rule over and fuck)? She's going to run out of mammals soon and have to create were-snakes and were-roaches...or maybe she has already and I missed it.

[AngelKitty]

9 hours ago, Black Knight said:

I'm impressed. I gave up so many books ago, when it turned into "20-page domination games scene followed by two sentences of actual plot followed by 30-page sex scene followed by one paragraph of actual plot...[rinse and repeat]".

Heh, I do admit to a bit of skimming.

[DearEvette]

Man, I could just weep thinking of the Anita Blake novels.  They started out so good as really fun paranormal detective noir.  And then just.... porn...sex...orgies and long descriptions of the black/spandex/leather outfits everyone wore to go have those sex orgies.  Sigh.

[Hanahope]

4 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

Man, I could just weep thinking of the Anita Blake novels.  They started out so good as really fun paranormal detective noir.  And then just.... porn...sex...orgies and long descriptions of the black/spandex/leather outfits everyone wore to go have those sex orgies.  Sigh.

IKR.  Its almost like some people out there are writing "we need more porn..sex..orgies."  I don't know anyone who wants that, and reviews I read are always complaining about this.