What Are We Currently Reading?

[Mabinogia]

7 hours ago, SherriAnt said:

I always find it so funny when I come on here and everyone is reading serious important books, and I'm like, Hey I'm reading a book series about a paramedic who treats monsters! And then I'm going to read about talking animals! Yay! Lol.

Talking animals are the best! Haha. Not talking animals, but on a less serious book front, I devoured the Bartimaeus Series. It's a young adult serious about a genie and it was soooo good. It was fun and a little snarky. I am going to dare and say it...better than Harry Potter.

[MeloraH]

10 hours ago, SherriAnt said:

I always find it so funny when I come on here and everyone is reading serious important books, and I'm like, Hey I'm reading a book series about a paramedic who treats monsters! And then I'm going to read about talking animals! Yay! Lol.

I need to read a few books at once so I can switch back and forth and one has to be YA or fluffy. I think YA Fantasy about broken people is probably my favorite genre.

Right now I'm readying Crooked Kingdom which is a sequel in a YA Fantasy series about broken peopl;, it's kind of like a YA Lies of Locke Lamora. Then I'm reading Joan Didion's new book but South and West but it's notes for an article so even though it has a lot of really great observations and atmosphere it doesn't really feel cohesive. Also reading History of Wolves which I'm liking but definitely isn't for everyone and I just started Mary McCarthy's The Group which I like so far but I keep getting distracted because I hear it in my head in Little Edie's voice.

[SherriAnt]

21 hours ago, GaT said:

Since I read the Jane Yellowrock series, & the Incryptid series (do you read October Daye too?), I will check out Extreme Medical Services.

I do read them, and love them! Do you also read Seanan's Wayward Children? And Faith's Soulwood? They're both fantastic too.

An old series that only had 4 books and didn't finish (Grrr) but is still worth reading is the Menagerie by Christopher Golden and Thomas Sniegoski. Just really good storytelling.

17 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

I devoured the Bartimaeus Series

I'm going to go look this up right now!

 

14 hours ago, MeloraH said:

YA Fantasy about broken people

That is what Seanan McGuires Wayward Children series is going to be about. So far we're only 1 book in, but I loved it, it's got rave reviews from people who like fantasy.

I find I have to reread some a bit later to pick up on things I missed the first time around., I get so excited by the story that I read too fast, lol.

[GaT]

15 minutes ago, SherriAnt said:

I do read them, and love them! Do you also read Seanan's Wayward Children? And Faith's Soulwood? They're both fantastic too.

 

I've been eyeing Wayward Children, but didn't realize it was YA, & I've been reading the Soulwood series. Right now I have the latest Mercy Thompson book by Patricia Briggs in my to-be-read pile, I love that series too.

[OtterMommy]

I'm just starting It Happens All the Time by Amy Hatvany.  She's one of my emotionally cathartic reads and I haven't yet been disappointed in her books, but this one sounds markedly heavier than her other titles.

[AuntiePam]

15 hours ago, MeloraH said:

Also reading History of Wolves which I'm liking but definitely isn't for everyone

I'm reading that too.  Madeline/Mattie/Linda -- she's a bit dark, isn't she?  She makes me uncomfortable, almost antsy.  I can't say I like her, but she's intriguing. 

Just finished Miss Jane by Brad Watson.  Miss Jane was born in the early 1900's with a serious genito-urinary defect.  Except for that, the book could be about anyone's life, growing up different (we're all different in our own way), and about the relationships we sustain, and the dreams we have to let go. 

[cherrypj]

16 hours ago, MeloraH said:

IRight now I'm readying Crooked Kingdom which is a sequel in a YA Fantasy series about broken peopl;, it's kind of like a YA Lies of Locke Lamora.

Seriously enjoyed Crooked Kingdom (and Six of Crows). So I've got to pick up Lies of Locke Lamora, don't I!

[Melgaypet]

On 3/29/2017 at 9:15 AM, SherriAnt said:

I always find it so funny when I come on here and everyone is reading serious important books, and I'm like, Hey I'm reading a book series about a paramedic who treats monsters! And then I'm going to read about talking animals! Yay! Lol.

I know what you mean! I feel shy about admitting that I'm reading a Star Trek novel now, and that in fact, I've read a lot of them. Which is silly! Like anyone here is going to make fun of me for being a huge nerd.

[Joe]

1 hour ago, Melgaypet said:

I know what you mean! I feel shy about admitting that I'm reading a Star Trek novel now, and that in fact, I've read a lot of them. Which is silly! Like anyone here is going to make fun of me for being a huge nerd.

I have two books in my bathroom right now. One is a history of the Celts. The other is Star Wars.

[alias1]

Well, I love mysteries.  I guess that's my brain candy.  And right now I'm reading the 3rd in the Frieda Klein series, Waiting for Wednesday.  It's really good so far.  But every so often I like to read something different.  I just obtained Lincoln in the Bardo for my kindle and I'm really excited.  I've been on waitlist for a long time.

[LucyHoneychrrch]

I usually have a few going.  One is a bodice-ripper about an innocently-oversexed Scottish healer who is magical but doesn't know it and is abducted by a Scottish laird with scars and too many muscles. 

One is Devil in the White City, which I continually begin and discard, a process continuing for the last three years. 

One is The Book of Mirrors, which is excellent.

[MeloraH]

On 3/30/2017 at 0:31 PM, SherriAnt said:

That is what Seanan McGuires Wayward Children series is going to be about. So far we're only 1 book in, but I loved it, it's got rave reviews from people who like fantasy.

Oooh, I'll have to check that out.

On 3/30/2017 at 1:15 PM, AuntiePam said:

I'm reading that too.  Madeline/Mattie/Linda -- she's a bit dark, isn't she?  She makes me uncomfortable, almost antsy.  I can't say I like her, but she's intriguing. 

I just finished it yesterday I think it was satisfying but really no one likable in the whole thing. Except Rom maybe... She's definitely super off-putting but compelling. There were definitely moments where her choice of actions made me really cringe hard, in a "why would you do that?" kind of way.

 

On 3/30/2017 at 2:45 PM, cherrypj said:

Seriously enjoyed Crooked Kingdom (and Six of Crows). So I've got to pick up Lies of Locke Lamora, don't I!

You definitely do. It has almost a shocking amount of similar elements (gang of 'proper' thieves, tricking rich people, various rival crime gangs, even a fantasy version of the Netherlands that one of them pretends to be from for a bit). It's just like more densely written I guess and it has the Game of Thrones problem of taking forever for the next book to come out.

[OtterMommy]

I'm just about to start Miss You by Kate Eberlen.  I think this has been out in the UK for a while, but I don't think it hits shelves in the US until Tuesday.  I think this is supposed to be more of a lighter read, which I really need right now as my family is dealing with a stressful situation.  I also have The Nightingale on my Kindle (and, yes, I know I'm the last person to read it....)

[tenativelyyours]

Finished a couple of ARCs I was lucky enough to snag.  Robin Hobb's Fool's Fate.  A fantastic finish to, for me, her strongest series yet.  Which is saying a lot.  I was sad to get to the end in part because I knew it is planned to be the last book in that setting.  I hope she already has a lot of worked out ideas for whatever comes next.   She is definitely one of my favorite authors period, let alone in the genre.

 

I also read Kevin Kwan's Rich People Problems.  The third and possibly last in the sequence he started with Crazy Rich Asians.  I liked this.  For some reason this progressive minded person adores the crass tawdry over-the-top label dropping soap-froth materialism in these books.  I think because it is so unapologetic in what it is delivering.  It has a "two consenting adults" feel to it in terms of the tone and style Kwan delivers.  Each subsequent book though is a drop off from the first.  Not huge, but there always is a bit of a lack from the pure whiz bang charm of the first one.  He does know his stuff about this certain class of people having just ridden in the companies versions of Trenti to go on a shopping spree with my bosses two wives in a really surreal "how the hell did that just happen" kind of way. 

I'd really like to find someone who approaches wealth as a storyline like Kwan does.  It is so gleeful and unabashed in many ways but it also fits into the plot and not just label after label inserted willy nilly.  Kwan drops labels plenty but for the most part it fits and doesn't stand out and detract.  I know there is a part of me that simply does not understand why I find such books fun (the entertaining part I get because Kwan has a style that for me, makes for fast and immersive reading).

I'm working on Brian McClellan's Sins of the Empire.  I like his writing but it is a bit slight.  Not a negative thing, it makes for an easy read, but maybe a little too easy.  I also have some catching up to do in the historical fiction department.  I let Sally Christie's Mistresses of Versailles drop to the side and I need to see if it can engage more fully this time.  Love me some decadent court drama (especially ones that don't involved the over done Tudors!).  It checks so many boxes that I truly am baffled I haven't gotten this read and "shelved" since the writing seems decent enough.  Also have the latest Sarah Dunant on the Borgias.  Another box checker as it were.  But I can't remember how I felt in particular about her first Borgia book.  I might have to do a search and come up with the synopsis.  I know I read it.  I just don't recall what I felt was good or bad about it.  With the Borgias it seems most authors go to extremes.  Either Lucretia was a poor misunderstood pawn or a complete vamp (though more tend to veer to the former and not the latter lately -- too few can balance the reduced role of women in general and the fact that it didn't mean that all were hapless victims -- to get and maintain any type of power there had to be drive and even ambition, yet authors seem to find that all negative even as they apply a modernist approach to genders).

[luna1122]

Just began reading Girls on Fire by robin wasserman and even tho I am on vacation and sightseeing  in beautiful Sedona, I can hardly make myself put it down. It's riveting and ominous and dark. 

Edited April 5, 2017 by luna1122

[OtterMommy]

I'm going through a pretty challenging personal time right now, so I've added yet another book to my growing "currently reading" pile.  I realized that I'm not in the right headspace right now for something sad like The Nightingale, so I'm The Queen of the Tearling a try.  This is not a book that is in my usual reading realm and, honestly, I don't even know what it is about. However, everyone I know who has read it says it is great and an excellent choice for an "escape," which is exactly what I need right now.

[SmithW6079]

I was reading "Dead Wake" by Erik Larson, which is the story of the sinking of the RMS Lusitania. Given we're in the centennial of the Great War, I've been "into" that period in history lately. Larson also wrote "Devil in the White City," which I never finished because I found it dull and plodding, but "Dead Wake" is rather good.

Unfortunately, it was due at the library so I had to return it before I was done, so while I'm waiting to get it again, I've been reading the third in "The Expanse" novels, "Abaddon's Gate." I'm finding them quite enjoyable: good, fast-moving space opera. 

[hendersonrocks]

Just finished Tell the Wolves I'm Home, and I seem to be in the minority as I really didn't love it. I think it had a lot of potential that was ultimately squandered over the course of the book. Next up (well, I'm 15 pages in) is Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty. I might be reading against my own better judgment given the two other books of hers I've read have left me wondering what all the fuss is about.

[Danny Franks]

I'm reading The Waking Fire by Anthony Ryan. I'm struggling to get into it, although the ideas are interesting. I took a break from my Terry Pratchett rereading for this, so I really need to make an effort.

[alias1]

3 hours ago, hendersonrocks said:

Just finished Tell the Wolves I'm Home, and I seem to be in the minority as I really didn't love it. I think it had a lot of potential that was ultimately squandered over the course of the book. Next up (well, I'm 15 pages in) is Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty. I might be reading against my own better judgment given the two other books of hers I've read have left me wondering what all the fuss is about.

I agree with everything you said.  Tell The Wolves I'm Home was nothing special.  And I've given up on Liane Moriarty.  I thought Big Little Lies was just a mess, and after reading the reviews for the newer one I'm passing on it.  I liked some of her earlier work, but for some reason I find her annoying now.  Maybe I think she's trying too hard to be cute. 

[starri]

6 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

I was reading "Dead Wake" by Erik Larson, which is the story of the sinking of the RMS Lusitania. Given we're in the centennial of the Great War, I've been "into" that period in history lately. Larson also wrote "Devil in the White City," which I never finished because I found it dull and plodding, but "Dead Wake" is rather good.

I had the opposite reaction.

His book that came between the two, Thunderstruck, was a complete chore to finish.  Isaac's Storm and In the Garden of Beasts were pretty good though.

[luna1122]

I was unimpressed with Tell the wolves I'm home as well. And tho I'm enjoying the miniseries of Big little lies, I have read only one liane moriarty-The husband's Secret-and I couldn't wait to be done with it. 

[SherriAnt]

On ‎2017‎-‎03‎-‎29 at 4:54 PM, Mabinogia said:

, I devoured the Bartimaeus Series

Can I ask if Nathaniel ever smartens up? I'm a couple chapters in the second book and I really don't like anybody yet, do they get more likeable? And have you read his Lockwood series? I have those ready to go next, but if I don't like this one I'm not sure if I should bother trying them.

[Mabinogia]

It takes a while, with Nathaniel, he's pretty unbearable. I liked the second and third book much more because the second brings in a third narrator that I liked, and didn't have as much Nathaniel, and the third wraps everything up.

I read the first book in the Lockwood series. I'm still not sure how I feel about it. lol I liked the story a lot but of the trio the book focuses on, my favorite was the one who felt marginalized. It's got more of a romance feel to it, where it feels inevitable that the boy and girl teens are going to fall in love. I am not a fan of the two main characters in a book so obviously going to be in a relationship when the book isn't a romance novel or particularly about romance.

I may eventually try the second book because I really like the writing style and the storyline, but if those characters don't get a bit less full of themselves, I probably won't continue.

I would say, if you can manage it, stick with Bartimeus because I felt the pay off at the end was well worth it. I also LOVE the character of Bartimeus. he was just such a smart ass and I enjoyed the relationship he had with Nathaniel. It was very interesting and did change them both over time.

[OtterMommy]

On 4/4/2017 at 10:47 AM, hendersonrocks said:

Just finished Tell the Wolves I'm Home, and I seem to be in the minority as I really didn't love it. I think it had a lot of potential that was ultimately squandered over the course of the book. Next up (well, I'm 15 pages in) is Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty. I might be reading against my own better judgment given the two other books of hers I've read have left me wondering what all the fuss is about.

Of all of the Moriarty books that I've read (which is about half of them), Truly Madly Guilty was one of my least favorite.  It's not a mess like The Last Anniversary, but it is just...meh.  

[DearEvette]

On 3/29/2017 at 11:15 AM, SherriAnt said:

Then it's back to Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series which is about a Native American skinwalker who fights rogue monsters, then to Seanan McGuires Incryptid series which is about, you guessed it, cryptids! Hmmm, sensing a theme here.

For me The Jane Yellowrock series goes hand in hand with Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series (also a Native American Skinwalker) which then goes hand in hand with Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series (not Native American or a skinwalker, but rates very, very highly in the female badass oeuvre).  SInce they tend to release new books around the same time, I get very happy.

On 3/30/2017 at 2:45 PM, cherrypj said:

Seriously enjoyed Crooked Kingdom (and Six of Crows). So I've got to pick up Lies of Locke Lamora, don't I!

The Lies of Locke Lamora has to be one of my funnest, favorite discoveries in the last 10 years.

Next up for me is Brandon Sanderson's Words of Radiance which is the second book in his Way of Kings series.  I just finished the first book on audio (45 hours!) and it was fantastic!  The second book is 48 hours listening time.  I enjoy his stuff immensely. 

[GaT]

1 hour ago, DearEvette said:

For me The Jane Yellowrock series goes hand in hand with Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series (also a Native American Skinwalker) which then goes hand in hand with Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series (not Native American or a skinwalker, but rates very, very highly in the female badass oeuvre).  SInce they tend to release new books around the same time, I get very happy.

 

I read all 3 of these (I'm currently reading the latest Mercy Thompson book, Silence Fallen), I wish I could find more series like these.

[SherriAnt]

10 hours ago, GaT said:

I read all 3 of these (I'm currently reading the latest Mercy Thompson book, Silence Fallen), I wish I could find more series like these.

Have you tried Darynda Jones' Charley Davidson series? Or Jennifer Estep Gin Blanco? Or Seanan McGuires anything? Lol, can you tell I love urban fantasy? Oh, and also Anne Bishop the Others, Rob Thurmans Cal Leandros, and Kevin Hearne's Druid series?

[GaT]

30 minutes ago, SherriAnt said:

Have you tried Darynda Jones' Charley Davidson series? Or Jennifer Estep Gin Blanco? Or Seanan McGuires anything? Lol, can you tell I love urban fantasy? Oh, and also Anne Bishop the Others, Rob Thurmans Cal Leandros, and Kevin Hearne's Druid series?

Charley Davidson, Gin Blanco, October Daye, Incryptid, I read 'em all. I also read the Chicagoland Vampires series (next book is the end, sob) & the Cal Leandros series which I'm kind of regretting since we won't be getting the final book :-(  I've looked at the Others & the Druid series, but I'm not sure if they sound interesting to me. I'm definitely into Urban Fantasy, but I'll also read Paranormal Romance like The Black Dagger Brotherhood series. I'm always looking for a new series to read.

[aradia22]

I'm slowly making my way through You Are A Badass. I basically read it a chapter at a time so it keeps going back to the library. I can get into my issues more when I'm done but I feel very resistant to it, not because (as the book implies) I feel safe in this terrible place but because it feels kind of brainwashy and predatory to me in both its approach and some of its content. I'm not really with it on the religion part which is part of the reason I keep stepping back. I think both the mentality and some of the language has dated poorly in the current political climate. And it's definitely written to a particular individual. It's geared more towards creative types or people who think they're creative... anyone from a housewife to an office worker to a young artist who is comfortable enough (financially, etc.) that they can think beyond the material concerns. And I find that to people who fall outside of those groups, it can be very condescending and at some extremes, the advice can actually be terrible. I think it's the issue of both writing to a huge general audience (instead of a specific group) and also of this specific kind of life coaching vs. therapy and other kinds of self-help writing. Also, outside of the advice parts, the writing is terrible. I couldn't care less about her anecdotes and none of her humor is funny to me. 

I'm almost through How To Fight Presidents which is amusing enough. I think it starts off a little stronger and then he loses interest a bit. But I'm a fan of Cracked so I'm used to his writing and his style. I do wish it delved a little deeper. Cracked articles are usually about spending way too much time overthinking small things. Sometimes it glosses over the president's backgrounds enough that I notice and I'm far from a presidential historian. (I had a bad US history teacher.) 

I've got some memoirs checked out but there was such a long wait on Anna Kendrick's book that I think I'm going to read that one next. I probably won't get through it until the next round or two. 

[SherriAnt]

10 hours ago, GaT said:

Cal Leandros series which I'm kind of regretting since we won't be getting the final book

WHAT???? I didn't know this! Grrrrr.....

[GaT]

2 hours ago, SherriAnt said:

WHAT???? I didn't know this! Grrrrr.....

Yep, Rob Thurman's publisher dumped her, & then she blamed her fans for it. I guess we were supposed to just buy her books instead of, you know, her writing stories people wanted to read. I emailed her & asked if the final book was going to be published any other way, but she never replied. It's really annoying to get through 10 books & just when the 11th & final book is supposed to come out, you find out it's not.

[DearEvette]

15 hours ago, GaT said:

Charley Davidson, Gin Blanco, October Daye, Incryptid, I read 'em all. I also read the Chicagoland Vampires series (next book is the end, sob) & the Cal Leandros series which I'm kind of regretting since we won't be getting the final book :-(  I've looked at the Others & the Druid series, but I'm not sure if they sound interesting to me. I'm definitely into Urban Fantasy, but I'll also read Paranormal Romance like The Black Dagger Brotherhood series. I'm always looking for a new series to read.

Nalini Singh's name always comes up when UF stuff gets talked about.  Her Guild Hunter series is good.  Interesting take on Angels.

Her Psy/Changeling series starts out as paranormal then morphs into Urban Fantasy.

Anne Bishop's The Others series is fantastic.  I like how she flips the script on human/were interactions taking the opposite approach of Paranormals. Definitely 100% UF even sliding over into pure fantasy. 

[GaT]

11 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

Nalini Singh's name always comes up when UF stuff gets talked about.  Her Guild Hunter series is good.  Interesting take on Angels.

Her Psy/Changeling series starts out as paranormal then morphs into Urban Fantasy.

Anne Bishop's The Others series is fantastic.  I like how she flips the script on human/were interactions taking the opposite approach of Paranormals. Definitely 100% UF even sliding over into pure fantasy. 

I forgot about Nalini Singh, I read & enjoy both the Guild Hunter & Psy/Changeling series, they're somewhere between Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Romance. I'll have to take another look at The Others since people keep recommending it.

[helenamonster]

Just finished: You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott, a murder mystery (always!) that takes place within the world of highly competitive girls' gymnastics. Honestly, I feel like they could have dumped the murder mystery and just done a straight-up drama about this very specific social group. I always enjoy the gymnastic events during the Olympics, but as I watch them there is a part of me that is aware of how much these girls and their families have to sacrifice. The parents are in insurmountable debt, other kids get ignored and forgotten, and the abuse that these girls' bodies are subjected to, including the wear and tear they experience from hours of training and the constant fear that they'll start menstruating and essentially have to give up the sport. The book gets into all of this and much more. The central mystery is give or take (honestly, I felt like the narrative came to a grinding halt whenever it took center stage) but I thought the whole thing was worth it for the minutiae of how all the people associated with the training gym interact with one another.

Next up: The Circle by Dave Eggers. I know a lot of people here didn't like it, but I bought and downloaded it a while ago so I might as well read it. The plot reminded me of Black Mirror, which I burned through in a weekend, so who knows, maybe I'll prove my terrible taste once again and enjoy it!

[voiceover]

Just finished The Woman in White, and am dying to find someone who's read it, and can sympathize with the rage I am feeling regarding the ending!

Anyone?

Edited April 10, 2017 by voiceover

[Qoass]

The Hearts of Men by Nickolas Butler.  I feel like I'm getting a secret tutorial on why men act the way they do-- fascinating.  Sad, but fascinating!

[GaT]

9 hours ago, voiceover said:

Just finished The Woman in White, and am dying to find someone who's read it, and can sympathize with the rage I am feeling regarding the ending!

Anyone?

I read it many years ago & have absolutely no memory of it, but I seem to remember not liking it & being disappointed because it's supposed to be such a great book.

[voiceover]

57 minutes ago, GaT said:

I read it many years ago & have absolutely no memory of it, but I seem to remember not liking it & being disappointed because it's supposed to be such a great book.

Thanks for responding!

I thought it was terrific.  Until the love story resolution, which I decided to rail about in the "live interest" thread. Because it ruined the book for me.

[OtterMommy]

I just finished The Most Dangerous Place on Earth, which made me very happy that:

1 - I am not in high school
2 - My high school experience was, by most comparisons, very tame
3 - I don't teach high school
4 - That my kids aren't in high school (although they will be some day....which makes me quake in fear after this one).

Next, I'll be starting Oryx and Crake.  The only other Margaret Atwood book I've read is The Handmaid's Tale, which I did enjoy (I guess?  If that's the right word...).  I'm also still working though The Queen of the Tearling, which I'm also enjoying, but only seem to be able to read when I'm waiting in the pick up line to get my kids from school.

[Qoass]

I just finished Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks and really enjoyed it.  I've never quite forgiven this author for portraying a beloved Alcott character as an adulterer in March because I am a child but she gets a few points back for this one.

Edited April 17, 2017 by Qoass

[OtterMommy]

1 hour ago, Qoass said:

I just finished Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks and really enjoyed it.  I've never quite forgiven this author for portraying a beloved Alcott character as an adulterer in March because I am a child but she gets a few points back for this one.

This is good to know.  I've stayed away from Brooks, simply because I also hated March but maybe I should give this one a try.

[luna1122]

I just finished Still Life with Husband, which I am of mixed opinions about. Lauren Fox is a good writer, but her main character is so unsympathetic, tho I don't believe she was supposed to be, that I grew really tired of her, really quickly. Just began The Widow by Fiona Barton. Intriguing, so far.

[Browncoat]

2 hours ago, Qoass said:

I just finished Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks and really enjoyed it.

It was fine right up until it completely fell apart at the end.

[raven]

Just finished The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel, which was okay; true story about Chris Knight, who voluntarily disappeared when he was twenty and lived in the Maine woods, undetected, for 27 years.    He survived by stealing food and other items from nearby houses and a summer camp, which kind of invalidates his premise that he didn't need anyone to survive - true, he didn't need companionship but he needed the fruits of others labors.  It's obvious the author has a liking and admiration for Knight; I didn't share that but Knight isn't looking for either of those things from the author or the public.  I like the premise, I'm always interested in reading about why people choose to live a solitary existence and how they do it.  It gave me some leads on other books to check out.

For something completely different, I picked up The Jekyll Revelation from the library.  These types of books can be either good or really bad, we'll see.

[helenamonster]

Just finished: The Circle by Dave Eggers, and I have the deeply unpopular opinion that I actually really, truly enjoyed it. A lot of it was very Black Mirror (it reminded me of the episodes "Nosedive," "The Entire History of You," and "Be Right Back" in particular) and, at least to me, it didn't seem overly preachy in the way that a lot of fiction about the dangers of technology can (I love Black Mirror but its weaker episodes tend to suffer from this). I know a lot of people disliked it, and I'm assuming it was because of the protagonist, and her role in how the book ended and the direction it was implied things were going. The thing that annoyed me most about her was her taste in men (the two guys she was seeing at the Circle had red flags for days, and even though Mercer wasn't ideal, the way she treated him was disgusting), and all of her other little quirks and idiosyncrasies were, I think, crucial for Eggers to get his point across and end on that horrifying implication. That's where it really reminded me of Black Mirror, that creeping sense of dread that even though this new technology is incredible, you're just waiting for the other shoe to drop and for something really terrible to happen.

Next up: One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline.

[luna1122]

8 hours ago, helenamonster said:

Just finished: The Circle by Dave Eggers, and I have the deeply unpopular opinion that I actually really, truly enjoyed it. A lot of it was very Black Mirror (it reminded me of the episodes "Nosedive," "The Entire History of You," and "Be Right Back" in particular) and, at least to me, it didn't seem overly preachy in the way that a lot of fiction about the dangers of technology can (I love Black Mirror but its weaker episodes tend to suffer from this). I know a lot of people disliked it, and I'm assuming it was because of the protagonist, and her role in how the book ended and the direction it was implied things were going. The thing that annoyed me most about her was her taste in men (the two guys she was seeing at the Circle had red flags for days, and even though Mercer wasn't ideal, the way she treated him was disgusting), and all of her other little quirks and idiosyncrasies were, I think, crucial for Eggers to get his point across and end on that horrifying implication. That's where it really reminded me of Black Mirror, that creeping sense of dread that even though this new technology is incredible, you're just waiting for the other shoe to drop and for something really terrible to happen.

 

I didn't really realize it was deeply unpopular to like The Circle; I liked it. It's a little heavy handed but deliberately so, and yeah, Mae is not a sympathetic protagonist, tho I do wonder if they will make her that in the film adaptation, or if they'll fudge the ending to make Emma Watson a little less gullible and stupid. Kind of inspired to cast Tom Hanks--Mr. Perfect-- as Eamon Bailey. Playing to type and against type all at once.

Edited April 18, 2017 by luna1122

[helenamonster]

2 hours ago, luna1122 said:

I didn't really realize it was deeply unpopular to like The Circle; I liked it. It's a little heavy handed but deliberately so, and yeah, Mae is not a sympathetic protagonist, tho I do wonder if they will make her that in the film adaptation, or if they'll fudge the ending to make Emma Watson a little less gullible and stupid. Kind of inspired to cast Tom Hanks--Mr. Perfect-- as Eamon Bailey. Playing to type and against type all at once.

I am definitely eager to see the movie and, yes, see if they make Mae a little more sympathetic with Emma Watson in the role. Even though I think Mae's gullibleness (gullibility?) and outright enthusiasm for completing the Circle is essential to the overall message.

One thing that I found really interesting about Mae was that there were parts of her that were interested from disconnecting to the Circle that she refused to acknowledge were there. Like her kayaking hobby. She had moments where she needed to be alone and not share her experiences with anybody, and it wasn't until she was called on the carpet for not sharing anything about kayaking that she "realized" she was being "selfish." Also how it takes her a long time to really join the social life of the Circle, and that's not even until the people from HR give her a stern talking to about it. It's really more like she's convinced herself that this is the only way to live life because that's how everyone else is doing it, and they seem to love it. She never once has a realization that she actually enjoys alone time and unplugging for a bit, and thinks the anxiety and feelings of being overwhelmed she experiences can only be solved by connecting and sharing more. It's really kind of fascinating.

And Tom Hanks as Bailey is pitch perfect casting, I agree. I could hear his voice in all of Bailey's dialogue, and assuming they keep in the last scene of Bailey, I'm looking forward to him playing that as well. Also, it was hard to tell from the trailer, but is that Patton Oswalt as Stenton? Not who I would have picked (I had a Jon Hamm type in mind) but I kind of like the randomness of that choice. It also looks like John Boyega is a combination of Francis and Kalden, and I'm not quite sure how that's going to work.

[luna1122]

Patton is playing Stenton. It's been long enuf since I read it that I don't recall if I had a mental image of him, but I love Patton in pretty much anything, so I'm good. It does appear that they've combined the roles of Kalden/Francis, or just eliminated Francis. I agree the characterization of Mae requires gullibility and lack of self awareness, but the ending made me want to, you know, kill her. Not keeping the same ending as the novel will undercut everything that went before, but I still wonder if they'll go there.

[Haleth]

Finished A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles last night.  It's the story of a young Russian count who in 1922 is sentenced to house arrest at a grand hotel in Moscow.  Stripped of his luxurious lifestyle he is forced to reside in a tiny attic room with few furnishings.  We follow him over the decades as his circle of friends grows to include hotel employees, numerous guests, and even Communist Party officials who fall for his charm and wit.  Alexander is nostalgic for the life he lost yet he never gives in to moroseness.  His world is large enough with the relationships he forms.  In fact, by living in the hotel he is insulated from the hardships suffered by most of his compatriots.  It's funny, it's touching, it's a lovely story of how a person can make the most of his/her circumstances.  And there is a twist at the end that I didn't see coming.  Utterly charming.