Friday 12/17 Reading

[Vespasia]

It's that time again! Tell us what you have been reading this week.


QOTW: What do you prefer with people you're close to - texting or talking on the phone?

[ufcasey]

I read this week:


Into the Forest: A Holocaust Story of Survival, Triumph, and Love by Rebecca Frankel - 5 stars
Queen by Katee Roberts (third book in the trilogy) - 2 stars
Heart of Vengeance by Lisa Edmonds (6th book in the series) - 4 stars

QOTW: I call my mother and my husband, everyone else generally gets a text unless it's a planned 'phone date' with a specific group of friends or if my sister and I feel like we have too much to say about something

[meowmaps]

I read Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad. Excellent! One of my favorites of the year.

QOTW: I hate talking on the phone so text is always preferable. I see the people I’m closest to in person so I’d rather talk that way. It helps that my parents and in-laws are local and I see them every few days.

[travella]

I finished:
The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews, 1*

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner, 3*

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, 3* It was good for a short story. I think I have come to the realization that I don't care for short stories all that well.

Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook, by Celia Rees, DNF. I may try and return to the book at another time.

I am currently reading Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys. This is not an easy book to read (not the best holiday book), but I am really enjoying this book so far.

QOTW: I prefer to talk to family and friends. I like hearing their voices and knowing everything is ok. Too much is lost or hidden in texts. My family and friends may be able to text that they are feeling/doing fine, but you can always hear the truth in their voices.

[Vespasia]

I'm reading Bell, Book, and Key (Chronos Origins #3) by Rysa Walker. As is usually the case with this time travel series, I am very confused but enjoying myself.

QOTW: I generally hate talking on the phone! I only talk to MH if one of us is away and my mother once a week or so. Thankfully my dad is the same way so our conversations are quick.

[charlatti]

I finished The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki, which was excellent, and am now reading Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala. It’s a fun mystery with great food descriptions (mostly Filipino food, but plenty of others too).

QOTW: I only call my mom and text everyone else. Very very occasionally one of my siblings will call, but that’s usually if something is wrong. I generally dislike talking on the phone.

[tacokick]

I read a lot of graphic memoirs this week if that counts. I had a bunch from a project I did earlier in the year and never read them so I was trying to get them off my list. So 8 graphic memoirs and 5 regular books lol Imagine if I had to report to jury duty Friday how many more I could have knocked out?

Graphic Memoirs—

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley

Displacement: A Travelogue by Lucy Knisley


An Age of License: A Travelogue by Lucy Knisley


Something New: Tales From A Makeshift Bride by Lucy Knisley (I enjoy her work but her parents are the worst and I don’t think she realizes this)

Good Riddance: An Illustrated Memoir of Divorce by Cynthia Copeland (pretty good)

Plate Tectonics: An Illustrated Memoir Margaux Motin

Prison Island by Colleen Frakes (interesting but not well developed)


Murder Book: A Graphic Memoir of a True Crime Obsession Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell (80% good)




Regular books:

Eartha & Kitt: A Daughter's Love Story in Black and White by Kitt Shapiro (with Patricia Levy) (really interesting)

I Know What You've Done by Dorothy Koomson (her older books really were better)

Do I Know You? by Sarah Strohmeyer (a mess! )


My Body by Emily Ratajkowksi (good, I liked how she really got into the real money aspects)

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard (fun idea of meeting someone during the pandemic and deciding to shelter in place with them but ruined by the “thriller” “twist”

QOTW: I guess a phone call because it’s more efficient if we actually have something to discuss. Prefer nothing lol I guess email.

[arehopsveggies]

Dec 17, 2021 20:13:08 GMT -5 travella said:

I finished:
The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews, 1*

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner, 3*

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, 3* It was good for a short story. I think I have come to the realization that I don't care for short stories all that well.

Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook, by Celia Rees, DNF. I may try and return to the book at another time.

I am currently reading Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys. This is not an easy book to read (not the best holiday book), but I am really enjoying this book so far.

QOTW: I prefer to talk to family and friends. I like hearing their voices and knowing everything is ok. Too much is lost or hidden in texts. My family and friends may be able to text that they are feeling/doing fine, but you can always hear the truth in their voices.

I was so cold when I read between shades of grey. DH came home, I think it was July and a gazillion degrees, and I was bundled up in a sweatshirt and blanket just because the book made me feel cold!

Ruta Septys has some great books. Fountains of silence is another really good one

[arehopsveggies]

I don’t reply on here often… but
I’m reading the newest Outlander and it is making me so happy

[travella]

Dec 21, 2021 20:44:54 GMT -5 arehopsveggies said:

Dec 17, 2021 20:13:08 GMT -5 travella said:

I finished:
The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews, 1*

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner, 3*

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, 3* It was good for a short story. I think I have come to the realization that I don't care for short stories all that well.

Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook, by Celia Rees, DNF. I may try and return to the book at another time.

I am currently reading Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys. This is not an easy book to read (not the best holiday book), but I am really enjoying this book so far.

QOTW: I prefer to talk to family and friends. I like hearing their voices and knowing everything is ok. Too much is lost or hidden in texts. My family and friends may be able to text that they are feeling/doing fine, but you can always hear the truth in their voices.

I was so cold when I read between shades of grey. DH came home, I think it was July and a gazillion degrees, and I was bundled up in a sweatshirt and blanket just because the book made me feel cold!

Ruta Septys has some great books. Fountains of silence is another really good one

I ended up loving Between Shades of Grey!  It is probably the best book I read this year.  I've read The Fountains of Silence.  I think it was the first book of hers that I read.  Unfortunately, I think I wanted too much from the book because I didn't care for it.  I hold a special place in my heart for Spain.  I lived in Spain for a while and my family was constantly telling me about the horrors of living under Franco.  I think I was looking to further understand them and relive my time over there through the book.  My expectations were set much too high.

I did read Salt to the Sea and like that book as well.  I added her 2022 book, I Must Betray You, to my to read list.    

[estrellita]

Don't mind me wandering in here in the middle of the next week. Lol. Been in a major reading slump! Only book I've finished recently was The Inheritance Of Orquídea Divina. It was ok. I liked the magical aspects but I can't say I was a huge fan of the story. Now reading Everything We Didn't Say.

QOTW: I don't hear well on the phone, so I prefer texting 99% of the time. I'm also very awkward and hate conversation gaps on the phone 😂 The only person I ever talk to in any length on the phone is my mom.

[estrellita]

Dec 22, 2021 7:27:29 GMT -5 travella said:

Dec 21, 2021 20:44:54 GMT -5 arehopsveggies said:

I was so cold when I read between shades of grey. DH came home, I think it was July and a gazillion degrees, and I was bundled up in a sweatshirt and blanket just because the book made me feel cold!

Ruta Septys has some great books. Fountains of silence is another really good one

I ended up loving Between Shades of Grey!  It is probably the best book I read this year.  I've read The Fountains of Silence.  I think it was the first book of hers that I read.  Unfortunately, I think I wanted too much from the book because I didn't care for it.  I hold a special place in my heart for Spain.  I lived in Spain for a while and my family was constantly telling me about the horrors of living under Franco.  I think I was looking to further understand them and relive my time over there through the book.  My expectations were set much too high.

I did read Salt to the Sea and like that book as well.  I added her 2022 book, I Must Betray You, to my to read list.    

I really love Fountains of Silence so I'm glad to hear her other books are good! I've had those two on my TBR but haven't gotten them yet. Might have to look at the library!

[So_Fetch]

I'm reading The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox.

I'd rather text and then see in person to actually talk.