Happy Friday! What are you reading? (7/7/17)

[charlatti]

Lucky sevens on this fine Friday! What have you been reading this week and how do you like it? Any challenge or yearly goal updates?

QOTW: How superstitious are you? Do you have lucky numbers or lucky objects?

[frog]

I'm currently reading Queen of Shadows. It's....fine. The writing is just so repetitive and cliche at this point. I'm mostly reading it to see how the series ends, but, meh.

This week I completed "The True Story of Hansel and Gretel," which was really good.

I also read Seraphina, which was not so good. It had an interesting concept, which I liked, but it was slow and boring.

[snshne322]

I'm reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I have... thoughts on this book. I would have tossed it in the trash after 25% if a friend hand't recommended it to me. He has finished several that I've recommended to him so I owe him my attention on it. But COME ON. It better end spectacularly.

QOTW:  I'm not superstitious.  Or really, I can't think of anything that I actively do or avoid.  I did, as a kid, hold my breath as I passed graveyards for an embarrassingly long time.

[rainbowchip]

I'm reading The Twelve (The Passage #2). I was a little surprised that it went back to sort of where the first book started rather than continue from where it ended, but it's not a bad thing.
I also got The Glittering Court from the library yesterday and I'm excited to start it.

I am at 24 books for the year. 2 books behind on my goal of 52.

I also added a few books to my TBR shelf yesterday and now I have over 1000 books that I want to read. I'm not sad or embarrassed by this.

QOTW: I'm not very superstitious at all. My lucky number is 13 because there's a lot of significance in my life. But I also like being contrary. Everyone says 13 is unlucky so I pick it for being lucky. I also like 11 a lot.
But neither of these numbers have really been lucky for me now that I think about it.

[abs]

I'm on book 6 of the Mercy Thompson series. I had two library holds come in at the same time though so I'm going to have to take a break and start those!

QOTW: I am not superstitious as an adult at all but was as a kid. I held my breath near graveyards, avoided cracks, wouldn't go under ladders, etc.

[itsme]

I'm reading Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass 2). It's not the greatest book and the main character is not very believable as an assassin but it's a light easy read and that's what I was on the hunt for.

I finished A Court of Thorns and Roses earlier this week and I prefer that book over Throne of Glass although it took me a bit to get into it. The writing and the characters are a little more mature in this book vs Throne of Glass. I realize the author was young when she wrote ToG and it shows.

QOTW: I'm just a tiny bit superstitious.

[travella]

I am still reading Atlas Obscura by Joshua Foer.  I'm about 75% of the way through the book.  I am really enjoying the collection of odd places, things, and events that exist around the world.  I have to keep my phone nearby when I read for further research.

QOTW: No, not as a child or as an adult.   

[spedrunner]

TGIF!

Currently reading

Wild:  From Lost to Found 

The Stand (Stephen King)


QOTD:  Yup. I am very superstitious  I will never step on a crack on a sidewalk. I would never plan anything big on a weird date or friday the 13th, I get nervous if i break a mirror, etc, etc, etc .  I dont openly admit these things but deep down I am thinking it!

[spedrunner]

Jul 7, 2017 9:05:57 GMT -5 frog said:

I'm currently reading Queen of Shadows. It's....fine. The writing is just so repetitive and cliche at this point. I'm mostly reading it to see how the series ends, but, meh.

This week I completed "The True Story of Hansel and Gretel," which was really good.

I also read Seraphina, which was not so good. It had an interesting concept, which I liked, but it was slow and boring.

I read this a few years ago and really enjoyed it!!

[minzy]

I've been on a tear this week.  I finished:
-The Warmth of Other Suns - The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson - 5 stars
-Astrophysics for People in a Hurry - Neil deGrasse Tyson - 4 stars
-The Lost Wife - Alyson Richman - 4.5 stars (you would like if you liked The Nightingale)
-Troublemaker - Surviving Hollywood and Scientology - Leah Remini - 4 stars
-in twenty years - Allison Winn Scotch - 4 stars

I really liked all of them.  That makes 30 on the year, currently ahead of schedule for the goal of 50.

QOTW: I'm not superstitious at all.  

[sassypants]

I've been making my slow way through The Obelisk Gate. It's not that it's uninteresting, but that I've been lazy and preoccupied.

Not really superstitious, no. In fact, I was a rather lonely child and in elementary school I and my only friend would walk the cracks of the parking lot/playground to see where they would lead (it was a Catholic School attached to the church. Our playground was the parking lot but we had chalk and dodge balls and jump ropes and the like). If we got to the edge of the parking lot, we had to jump from one crack to another and start following a new crack. Yes, we were losers, and our parking lot was crap. Hahaha.

[charlatti]

I'm reading Celine by Peter Heller, which I'm enjoying. He has an interesting writing style.

I'm not particularly superstitious. I'm more retroactively superstitious: things go wrong and I'll blame it on the full moon or the mirror I broke. But it doesn't change my behavior since I don't really believe it. I live with a black cat, who crosses my path as many times as felinely possible, so I can always blame him.

[aurora]

Jul 7, 2017 9:34:57 GMT -5 snshne322 said:

I'm reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I have... thoughts on this book. I would have tossed it in the trash after 25% if a friend hand't recommended it to me. He has finished several that I've recommended to him so I owe him my attention on it. But COME ON. It better end spectacularly.

QOTW:  I'm not superstitious.  Or really, I can't think of anything that I actively do or avoid.  I did, as a kid, hold my breath as I passed graveyards for an embarrassingly long time.

I couldn't finish The Road, and I'm someone who maybe quits 1 book a year and generally likes dystopian novels. I thought it was horrible. I did end up reading a summary online to try to understand why so many people were obsessed with it. I still can't say I understand.

[aurora]

I'm re-reading Written in My Own Heart's Blood because I needed something more fun/less thought-provoking in my life. Sadly I just looked at Diana Gabaldon's web site and there's still no release date on the next book, other than it definitely won't be in 2017.

I'm listening to Justin Cronin's City of Mirrors. I think I'm going to manage to finish it before it's due back at the library, but it's going to be close because it's 29 hours long. (I'm currently listening at 1.2x speed.)

QOTW: not very superstitious at all.

[aurora]

Jul 7, 2017 10:37:19 GMT -5 itsme said:

I'm reading Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass 2). It's not the greatest book and the main character is not very believable as an assassin but it's a light easy read and that's what I was on the hunt for.

I finished A Court of Thorns and Roses earlier this week and I prefer that book over Throne of Glass although it took me a bit to get into it. The writing and the characters are a little more mature in this book vs Throne of Glass. I realize the author was young when she wrote ToG and it shows.

QOTW: I'm just a tiny bit superstitious.

This is good to know. I've read all of the love for ACoTaR on this board and I was kind of hesitant to jump in since I thought ToG was all right but nothing to get too excited about.

[aurora]

Jul 7, 2017 9:44:57 GMT -5 rainbowchip said:

I'm reading The Twelve (The Passage #2). I was a little surprised that it went back to sort of where the first book started rather than continue from where it ended, but it's not a bad thing.
...

I'm close to the end of City of Mirrors now and he also goes back in time for a good chunk of this one (though the majority of the action is after The Twelve). I think it's just his style to have significant flashbacks.

[rainbowchip]

Jul 7, 2017 18:03:40 GMT -5 aurora said:

Jul 7, 2017 9:34:57 GMT -5 snshne322 said:

I'm reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I have... thoughts on this book. I would have tossed it in the trash after 25% if a friend hand't recommended it to me. He has finished several that I've recommended to him so I owe him my attention on it. But COME ON. It better end spectacularly.

QOTW:  I'm not superstitious.  Or really, I can't think of anything that I actively do or avoid.  I did, as a kid, hold my breath as I passed graveyards for an embarrassingly long time.

I couldn't finish The Road, and I'm someone who maybe quits 1 book a year and generally likes dystopian novels. I thought it was horrible. I did end up reading a summary online to try to understand why so many people were obsessed with it. I still can't say I understand.

I felt the same way about this book! I hated it so much! And then ending sucked too.

[mrspez07]

I finished Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher, it was about a 3.
I am still reading An Exho in the Bone between other books and started Faithful Place by Tana French today. Looking forward to a good mystery!

I have favorite numbers and am definitely drawn to certain number combinations. I tend to lean toward even or single digit numbers or one that can be evenly divided, and am less of a fan of numbers like 23, 19, 67, etc. I was disappointed (from a numbers standpoint) when DS2 was born on 7/13 in an even year instead of nearly any other day within that range ;-) I love our anniversary date of 6/30.
My favorite number is a jersey number I had in HS. Not really superstitious though.

[booknerd]

I'm rereading HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

I'm also reading The Kind Worth Killing, which is surprisingly very good.

QOTW:

[MrsAxilla]

I'm still working on Homegrown. It's really good and I'm looking forward to joining the discussion, it just pretty heavy for the pool, you know?

QOTD: I'm not really superstitious, but I do knock on wood (or dash, if I'm in the car). Sometimes I spit. It's just a habit, but recently my kid started asking me about it. He's pretty OCD, and I don't want to contribute to that on purpose, so I'm cutting it out. :::knocks on wood, spits, turns three times:::

[sarahsays]

I read Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh this week. It was okay, but not great.

QOTW: I'm not superstitious at all.

[snshne322]

Jul 7, 2017 18:03:40 GMT -5 aurora said:

Jul 7, 2017 9:34:57 GMT -5 snshne322 said:

I'm reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I have... thoughts on this book. I would have tossed it in the trash after 25% if a friend hand't recommended it to me. He has finished several that I've recommended to him so I owe him my attention on it. But COME ON. It better end spectacularly.

QOTW:  I'm not superstitious.  Or really, I can't think of anything that I actively do or avoid.  I did, as a kid, hold my breath as I passed graveyards for an embarrassingly long time.

I couldn't finish The Road, and I'm someone who maybe quits 1 book a year and generally likes dystopian novels. I thought it was horrible. I did end up reading a summary online to try to understand why so many people were obsessed with it. I still can't say I understand.

I've now finished and I want that time back.  It did not finish spectacularly.  

[aurora]

Jul 9, 2017 14:01:03 GMT -5 snshne322 said:

Jul 7, 2017 18:03:40 GMT -5 aurora said:

I couldn't finish The Road, and I'm someone who maybe quits 1 book a year and generally likes dystopian novels. I thought it was horrible. I did end up reading a summary online to try to understand why so many people were obsessed with it. I still can't say I understand.

I've now finished and I want that time back.  It did not finish spectacularly.  

Sounds like I made the right decision, then. Thanks for reporting back.

[Nonny]

I'm about 60% through The Silkworm, and I'm enjoying it but I feel like I've been reading it forever. I'm 28/50 books out of my goal for the year, which Goodreads says is 3 ahead of schedule, and I've done 6/10 books for a challenge my library system is doing for the year; for my four remaining books I need to read a graphic novel, a book recommended by the library staff, a STEM related book, and a new to me genre -- this one is going to be tricky as I read almost everything.

QOTW:  I don't know if I'm superstitious exactly, but I'm big on traditions.  I always have wave at the roadside attraction on the way to/from my childhood home, hold my breath and make a wish going through tunnels, and I even though I'm not Catholic I have to have a St. Christopher's medal in my car.

[ufcasey]

Can I just say it really sucks that my work blocks this website now

Read last week
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay - nonfiction; 3 stars; I'm still not sure how I feel about this book
Archangel's Enigma by Nalini Singh - PNR; 3 stars; the romantic couple was honestly my least favorite part of this book, I liked everything else much better
Taken by a Vampire by Joey W. Hill - PNR; 3 stars; smutty book, not much else to say LOL
Saga (Vol #2) by Brian K. Vaughan - graphic novel; 5 stars; I am not a graphic novel reader, but I highly recommend this series, it's awesome

Currently reading
Fall of Kings (#3 in series) by David Gemnel - historical fiction; just haven't had to get to this one much in the past couple of weeks
Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima - YA/fantasy; if you read this author's Seven Realms series (also YA, and if you haven't go read them!), then you will be happy to know that this new series takes place in the same world only a couple of decades later.

QOTW
I'm not superstitious, though I won't open an umbrella indoors only because it makes no sense to do so

[ally]

I finished Commonwealth by Ann Patchett, I really like most of her books.  While I did enjoy it, it is not my favorite.  Last night I started Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore  by Robin Sloane.  It is way to early to make any determinations!

QOTW: yes, but not dramatically so.  I would not go out of my way to avoid things, but knocking on wood is so easy and some seem generally safe (who walks under a ladder?). 

[Vespasia]

Currently reading Underground Airlines, which I have really enjoyed although it's hardly a cheery subject. It's set in an alternate present where Lincoln was assassinated before he could become president, the Civil War never happened, and slavery is still legal in a small part of the U.S. I've had 15% left for days now and I can't seem to bring myself to finish it, not sure why.

QOTW: I'm not really superstitious.

[sarahsays]

ufcasey, I'm reading Flamecaster too. I read it a while ago but I wanted to do a quick reread before starting Shadowcaster. I remember liking it, but I just can't seem to get into it this time.

[monkeyfeet]

I just finished Upstairs at the White House. Makes me want to start up my presidential challenge again!! I just started The Hate You Give. Oh man, I obviously didn't read the blurb closely! I'm only on chapter 3 and already engrossed! Thanks for the recommendation!

Not superstitious.

[rootbeerfloat]

I read The Hate U Give over the weekend. So good! Has there been a discussion yet?

A little superstitious.