Friday reading 2/4

[charlatti]

First February Friday! What have you been reading this week?

QOTW: What, if anything, do you enjoy cooking or baking?

[tacokick]

The Accomplice by Lisa Lutz (fun)

This Boy We Made: A Memoir of Motherhood, Genetics, and Facing the Unknown by Taylor Harris (oddly religious and ended abruptly)

Go to Sleep (I Miss You): Cartoons from the Fog of New Parenthood by Lucy Knisley (to finish up all of her graphic memoirs!)

The Missing Treasures of Amy Ashton by Eleanor Ray (odd)

All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris (not bad but the ending was rushed and the timeline of the flashbacks didn’t make sense at any point IMO)

Currently reading a 1980s book about child stars of the 1930s/40s/50s. Our library system never seems to have thrown anything away and if you request it, they will dig it out of storage for you!

QOTW:

I actually don’t love the physical part of baking or cooking but I do a lot of it because I like the results! Oddly my favorite things to cook are when I can repurpose leftovers or cobble together random foods we have on hand into a great meal. It’s like a puzzle. I like to bake cookies because they are easy, adaptable and quick.

We also just got a fancy bread maker (using gift cards) and it’s been fun making bread for sandwiches in it. We also make sourdough bread by hand but I’ve never wanted to put that much effort into like sandwich loaves so it’s been great!

[meowmaps]

I read American Baby by Gabrielle Glaser. I read another book similar to this many years ago called The Girls Who Went Away. All about young unwed mothers who were shamed and then coerced into relinquishing custody of their babies. American Baby mostly explored one specific story of a birth mother and her son.

QOTW: I don’t particularly like cooking unless it’s something simple like a one-pot recipe so the crockpot is my favorite. I got a Dutch oven for Christmas and I’ve been experimenting with that too. I do enjoy baking but again, I prefer simple recipes like banana bread or pie.

[dontlook]

I read Billy Summers by Stephen King. I enjoyed the book but it read more like a Lee Child’s book rather than King. I dont think I had the right expectations going in but once it was obvious how the book was going to flow I was able to settle in and enjoy.

QOTW: I enjoy baking chocolate chip cookies but I ruin any other kind of cookies which is strange. I don’t hate cooking and I’m decent at it but the meal planning and shopping really kills me.

[estrellita]

Just finished The Maid. It was ok. I really liked the main character and the general story, but some of the things that happened seemed totally unbelievable or out of character. I was a little surprised by all the hype I was seeing about it!

QOTW: I'm not much of a cook, honestly. I like anything that has few ingredients and is quick. @- And anything my kids will actually eat 🤣

[Vespasia]

Earlier this week I read Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney. This book was truly awful. I don't love the genre in general but I was traveling and thought it would be a fun quick read. I also was drawn in by the Scotland trip and 10th anniversary parts. Unfortunately the plot was just straight up dumb. Absolutely ridiculous plots twists that make zero sense just for shock value. And the very end with both stupid and totally ripped off another book that actually did the twisty thriller thing right. 

Now I am reading This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. The writing style is very unique but I am really enjoying it. It's hard to put down because it switches between short scenes and letters so every chapter is just a few pages. 


QOTW: I really only like cooking as a means to an end. I guess I really do enjoy cooking something low and slow on the stove like a chili or braised meat on a cold day. It just makes me feel cozy.

[meowmaps]

Feb 4, 2022 15:13:06 GMT -5 dontlook said:

I read Billy Summers by Stephen King. I enjoyed the book but it read more like a Lee Child’s book rather than King. I dont think I had the right expectations going in but once it was obvious how the book was going to flow I was able to settle in and enjoy.

QOTW: I enjoy baking chocolate chip cookies but I ruin any other kind of cookies which is strange. I don’t hate cooking and I’m decent at it but the meal planning and shopping really kills me.

Billy Summers is next for me. I know King writes long books but I’m hoping to breeze through it since his writing style is generally uncomplicated. I’ve only read 11/22/63 by him and I really liked that. I don’t go for the horror stuff!

[dontlook]

Feb 4, 2022 16:18:03 GMT -5 meowmaps said:

Feb 4, 2022 15:13:06 GMT -5 dontlook said:

I read Billy Summers by Stephen King. I enjoyed the book but it read more like a Lee Child’s book rather than King. I dont think I had the right expectations going in but once it was obvious how the book was going to flow I was able to settle in and enjoy.

QOTW: I enjoy baking chocolate chip cookies but I ruin any other kind of cookies which is strange. I don’t hate cooking and I’m decent at it but the meal planning and shopping really kills me.

Billy Summers is next for me. I know King writes long books but I’m hoping to breeze through it since his writing style is generally uncomplicated. I’ve only read 11/22/63 by him and I really liked that. I don’t go for the horror stuff!

I’ve only read 3 or 4 of his books. They’ve been more science fiction but this one doesn’t have that element. I thought it was good in a “generic crime thriller” kind of way. Happy reading!

ETA: it’s long but I read it in 2 days.

[travella]

Eternal by Lisa Scottoline, 3.5*
The World Played Chess by Robert Dugoni, 2*
The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin, DNF

I should finish Pretending to Dance by Diane Chamberlain tonight.

Qotw: It really depends on my mood, but I enjoy baking on occasion. There is not anything specific that I enjoy cooking or baking, but I do enjoy trying new recipes.

[ufcasey]

It Happened One Wedding by Julie James - 4 stars, enjoyable contemporary romance

The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews - 3 stars, one of my favorite historical romance authors, but wasn't one of her best

Haunted Magic (7th book in series) by J.C. Daniels - 1 star, the author should be ashamed of the lack of editing

QOTW:
I enjoy ordering things from restaurants and bakeries! Haha!

[dearprudence]

Finished Murmur of Bees and it was lovely. My book club met earlier this week and that was everyone's general consensus.

Started reading Recipe for Persuasion. Still listening to Jane in Love. I'm doing and Austen inspired February which is making me so happy. My mom is also listening to Northanger Abbey, which is my favorite Austen work, so I'm living vicariously through her enjoyment.



QOTW: What, if anything, do you enjoy cooking or baking? I love making breads because kneading is both meditative and a good way to get out some aggression/stress. And the sense of accomplishment in having a project with a tangible finish.

[mrspez07]

I just finished Flight of Dreams by Ariel Lawhon. She wrote Code Name Helene which I loved. This one was a great setting and premise but fell a bit flat. She is a great historical fiction author tho, she does a great job developing real (non-famous) people into the main characters of her stories. Most historical fiction is broad stroke historical.
QOTW: I like cooking or baking when I have time and interest. I also prefer to do so with music (and maybe some wine). I did get into baking cakes from a book last year and enjoyed that process.

[charlatti]

I’m reading Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson. I attempted several this week and abandoned them all for various reasons, but I finally got this one going.

QOTW: I really enjoy baking pretty much anything with yeast. Making dough for cookies is always fun but baking the batches tends to feel tedious. Cooking is more of a means to an end, but I do like making soups.

[charlatti]

Feb 4, 2022 15:13:06 GMT -5 dontlook said:

.

QOTW: I enjoy baking chocolate chip cookies but I ruin any other kind of cookies which is strange. I don’t hate cooking and I’m decent at it but the meal planning and shopping really kills me.

Until a few months ago, I always ruined chocolate chip cookies, but no others! I think I’ve finally solved my chocolate chip problem.

[sju]

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr 4.5
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly 3.5

QOTW: I do enjoy making cheese flan for my family and friends because they are big fans.

[minzy]

I finished Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. I could relate somewhat with her mother’s death but the book was also so much about food, which wasn’t as interesting to me (see below).

QOTW: I’m a terrible cook and I usually don’t want to spend the time doing it. I can do a handful of things. Cookies I will occasionally make with my kids.