Happy Friday! (2/8) What are you reading?

[ufcasey]

What have you read this past week? What are you currently reading?

QOTW:
Would you rather: A) be able to speak/understand every language on Earth or B) be able to speak with/understand all animals on Earth

[Vespasia]

This week I finished Daughters of the Lake. It was good but not great. It kept my attention though, and I read it less than a week which is good for me. 


I'm still listening to Kamala Harris' book. I have two hours left and it's due this weekend so I am listening to it at work. Unfortunately, this means I am not absorbing it as much as I would like. 

I also started reading Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller. I take issue with the fact that the main character is described as a dumpy, graying middle aged woman. She's 39! Guess what age I am?

QOTW: Definitely languages. We travel a lot so it would be incredibly helpful. I also think communicating with animals would frequently be depressing. Plus, I am not sure that I really want to know what my pets think of me!

[meowmaps]

Read:

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton 4*
The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani 4*
Malice by Keigo Higashino 5*

Currently reading:

Newcomer by Keigo Higashino

QOTW: Definitely b. I'm not that anxious to talk to every person, but I'd love to effectively communicate with all animals.

[dontlook]

I read:
The Chalk Man by CJ Tudor
An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena
The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy

QOTW: Speak/Understand every language in the world. It would make travel easier/more enjoyable.

[staceymcgill]

I finished An Anonymous Girl. It was pretty meh to me. I’ve just started The Witch Elm.

QOTW - languages for sure. Although I’d love to know what my dog is thinking!

[meowmaps]

Feb 8, 2019 10:30:21 GMT -5 Vespasia said:

I also started reading Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller. I take issue with the fact that the main character is described as a dumpy, graying middle aged woman. She's 39! Guess what age I am?

I think it's fitting of the era.  Isn't it meant to take place in the late 60's?  39 is young nowadays.  

[minzy]

I finished The Enlightened Mr. Parkinson by Cherry Lewis, 4 stars.

I also read Becoming by Michelle Obama, 5 stars. Really well written, paced, and interesting. The hype is deserved.

I’ve just started The Truths We Hold by Kamala Harris and am finding it a little rushed so far... she starts with her birth and she is already prosecuting felonies by page 30, but maybe it’ll slow down and even out.

QOTW: I’d rather know more human languages.

[wesleycrusher]

I finished The Wedding Date- this month's book club pick. It was my first time listening to a romance book on audio which was...interesting. I sped it up through the sex scenes. I'll save my thoughts for the discussion.

I also finished:
3- And the Band Played on by Randy Shilts
4- Dream It! Do It! My Half-Century Creating Disney's Magic Kingdoms by Marty Sklar
4- Ink & Paint: The Women of Walt Disney's Animation by Mindy Johnson
3- Shelf Life: Romance, Mystery, Drama, and Other Page-Turning Adventures from a Year in a Book store by Suzanne Strempek Shea

I am reading The Best Years of My Life about Howard Russell (WWII vet who starred in the film The Best Years of Our Lives, an award winning film from 1946)

I am going to start One Heart at a Time by Delilah. My husband has no idea who she is and I was shocked, although he grew up only listening to NPR on the radio, and now we mostly listen to audiobooks, so I shouldn't be shocked.

QOTW: B. Animals. that's where the money would be.

[travella]

I finished The First Last Kiss by Ali Harris, 3*.

I read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo with my husband (who was excited to read it), 4*. While I didn't get anything from the book that I don't already know or practice myself, the book and tv show resonated with my husband. He has tidied all his areas (his closet, his storage containers, the garage, etc.) and got rid of a bunch of stuff so I'll sing Marie Kondo's praises.

I started and gave up on A Mother's Reckoning by Sue Klebold, 1*. I added this book to my to read list years ago, but kept putting it off.
While I feel for what the family went through I just couldn't keep reading.

I am currently reading The Wife by Alafair Burke.

Qotw: I would choose to speak and understand all the languages. I would love to be a linguist, but I lack the ability.

[Vespasia]

Feb 8, 2019 10:41:12 GMT -5 minzy said:

I’ve just started The Truths We Hold by Kamala Harris and am finding it a little rushed so far... she starts with her birth and she is already prosecuting felonies by page 30, but maybe it’ll slow down and even out.

It's arranged by themes rather than chronologically. For example, she talks about meeting her husband in the chapter about the fight for marriage equality. The book itself is also definitely more of a very long campaign speech than an autobiography. 

[rainbowchip]

I finished Hidden Bodies. The ending was a huge let down.
I'm currently reading Prisoner of Night by JR Ward.

QOTW: I would pick languages. I think animals don't really have much insightful stuff to say. Lol

[secretlyevil]

I am reading Deborah Harkness' latest book, Time's Convert. I am enjoying it. I do wish I had re-read the Discovery of Witches trilogy. I may still do that when I am done with this book. It has been so long that I am blanking on a lot of things.

[wildrice]

I finished listening to Hidden Bodies. I had listened a few years ago, but after watching "You" on Netflix recently, I wanted to listen again. I agree the ending sucked.

I am still reading Warlight, but I sure hope I am done soon. I honestly don't like it much. It is not a terribly long book, but the pacing seems really slow to me and really not a whole lot has happened, despite being around 70% of the way through the book. I tried reading it last fall, ended up needing to return it to the library when I was halfway through, and then started from the beginning again when my 2nd library hold arrived.

I have a whole pile of (electronic) books from the library waiting to be read, so I'm really looking forward to finishing Warlight and getting onto them. It's stressing me out a little haha. Unfortunately I have very little time this weekend to read!

QOTW: I'd rather know human languages. I think part of what is fun about pets is that you attribute your own words to their actions/noises. If I actually knew what my cat was saying, it would probably be annoying (since he frequently wanders around meowing for NO apparent reason, I have a feeling it would just sound like a child whining!).

[ssmjlm]

Finished: Married by Morning by Lisa Kleypas
Also, I got a freebie of several book with a Valentine's theme. Half of the books are the cheesy cliffhanger romance ones. Irks me to no end. I got overly invested in a book to end on a cliffhanger and now I need to decide if I'm going to buy the next 3 books. They're not even on KU. So then I googled the rest of the stories and didn't read anymore.

I'm still reading The Girl in the Tower, but it's so slow. I'm still not sure how these books got all these rave reviews.

QOTW: I'm picking animals because people are exhausting me this week.

[tacokick]

I read a lot this week!

Inheritance by Dani Shapiro

The Safest Lies Megan Miranda

I Might Regret This: Essays, Drawings, Vulnerabilities And Other Stuff by Abbi Jacobson

Not Becoming My Mother (aka For You Mom, Finally) by Ruth Reichl

Fracture by Megan Miranda

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

Self-Portrait with Boy by Rachel Lyon


Currently reading:

The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing by Mira Jacob


My question:

Should I count cookbooks as books read if I read every word in them?

QOTW: People. I like the idea of animals more but there are so many of them and being the only person they could talk to sounds exhausting.

[tacokick]

Feb 8, 2019 10:30:21 GMT -5 Vespasia said:

I also started reading Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller. I take issue with the fact that the main character is described as a dumpy, graying middle aged woman. She's 39! Guess what age I am?

!

LOL me too. I actually put it down after I read that. It was getting on my nerves before that but that was the last straw.

[tacokick]

Feb 8, 2019 10:58:35 GMT -5 rainbowchip said:

QOTW: I would pick languages. I think animals don't really have much insightful stuff to say. Lol

I think they would! They are around and watching us all the time.

[rainbowchip]

Feb 8, 2019 12:05:17 GMT -5 tacokick said:

My question:

Should I count cookbooks as books read if I read every word in them?

I would!

[Vespasia]

Feb 8, 2019 12:05:17 GMT -5 tacokick said:

My question:

Should I count cookbooks as books read if I read every word in them?

I would! It's not something I normally do but I definitely counted Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. 

[ufcasey]

Since last Friday I have read:
How the Marquess Was Won by Julie Anne Long
4 stars/ historical romance
Definitely one of the better books in this genre!

Slouch Witch by Helen Harper
4 stars/paranormal romance
Fun and fluffy. The romance is slow burn and will probably actually be more present in the next book in the series

How Long 'til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin
3.5 stars/fantasy short story collection
Some of the stories were really great, a few were kind of boring, most were just 'average'. Sad because I love her Broken Earth trilogy

The Cartel: The Apprentice by E.G. Manetti
3.5 stars/sci-fi-ish romance
This book is like a dom/sub plus CEO/assistant thrown into a slightly dystopian/sci-fi setting along with some historical-esque ways of speaking. It's honestly kind of weird but I liked it. Despite the whole semi-consenting semi-sex-slavery thing going on. Like I said, weird.

Total so far for the year: 18

QOTW:
I would choose all the human languages because I love to travel and it would make traveling a lot easier. And then I could also get paid for it by being a language interpreter for other people. Perfect!

[ufcasey]

tacokick - definitely count cookbooks!
Vespasia - um WTF to that description of a 39 year old. I mean, maybe if it was the 1800s and she had 9 kids already and was working in the prairie or something.

[litskispeciality]

I'm punishing/treating? myself to 50 Shades Freed to put an end to my reading slump. It's terrible, but going by pretty quick.

QOTW: B animals. While I love to travel I only get to go about once a year. I see animals a lot more, and would love if my cat could talk, esp if it seems like she isn't feeling well.

[spedrunner]

This week I read

Running on Empty:  Overcome your Childhood Emotional Neglect
3/5 stars


Watching You by LIsa Jewell
3/5 stars

How to Be Alone:  If you want to and even if you dont
4/5 stars

Currently Reading:

Good and Mad by Rebecca Traister

Small Great Things by JOdi Piccoult

QOTD:  At the moment, my introvert self is peopled out, so animals!  <3

[Nonny]

I'm currently ignoring the meditation book I'm reading (it's just so tedious, even though it's my favorite form of meditation), and I'm about 75% of the way through Where the Crawdads Sing, which is really good but super depressing.

tacokick, I'd definitely count the cookbooks.  I count it when I listen to a 30-60 minutes LeVar Burton Reads podcast, so a cookbook counts too. 


QOTW:  People languages for sure.  It would be helpful when travelling, but it would also let me have a job as a translator if I wanted.

[minzy]

Obviously, people who are 39 this year are amazing and not old! 😂👩‍⚖️

[aurora]

Feb 8, 2019 12:24:49 GMT -5 tacokick said:

Feb 8, 2019 10:58:35 GMT -5 rainbowchip said:

QOTW: I would pick languages. I think animals don't really have much insightful stuff to say. Lol

I think they would! They are around and watching us all the time.

Yeah, I could go either way, but I think understanding animals would be fascinating!

For example while we were in Hawaii we saw 3 humpback whales making a serious ruckus in the water for more than 30 min: tons of tail and flipper slapping, along with some breaching. I googled and learned that we don't really know why they do this. I think a lot of animals are a lot smarter than we think.

[aurora]

I'm reading Lethal White again because I needed some brain rest.

[monkeyfeet]

I just finished The Wedding Date, fun and quick! Up next is Love and Other Consolation Prizes. I picked it for book club because I love the author!

QOTW—languages of people for sure!

[tacokick]

Feb 8, 2019 14:02:45 GMT -5 Nonny said:

I'm currently ignoring the meditation book I'm reading (it's just so tedious, even though it's my favorite form of meditation), and I'm about 75% of the way through Where the Crawdads Sing, which is really good but super depressing.

tacokick, I'd definitely count the cookbooks.  I count it when I listen to a 30-60 minutes LeVar Burton Reads podcast, so a cookbook counts too. 


QOTW:  People languages for sure.  It would be helpful when travelling, but it would also let me have a job as a translator if I wanted.

Then it’s settled. I have to read a ton of cookbooks cover to cover over the next couple of months so it’s going to be cutting into my normal reading time a bit. Counting them!

[AJL]

Read:
A Rogue by Any Other Name (Rules of Scoundrels #1) by Sarah MacLean - 4/5*
A Good Earl Deserves a Lover (Rules of Scoundrels #2) by Sarah MacLean - 4/5*
My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren - 3.5/5*

Currently Reading:
No Good Duke Goes Unpunished (Rules of Scoundrels #3) by Sarah MacLean
China Rich Girlfriend by Keven Kwan

In Queue (checked out):
Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover (Rules of Scoundrels #4) by Sarah MacLean
The Address by Fiona Davis
The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis
The Wish Collector by Mia Sheridan

Completed 11/52 books for the year. Six books ahead of schedule


QOTW:

Totally would love to be able to speak and understand every single human language on earth.