7/21 Friday reading

[charlatti]

What have you been reading this week?

QOTW: If you could change only one thing about your current home, what would it be? Imaginary unlimited budget but just one project.

[Vespasia]

I've been reading The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. It came highly recommended and it's well done but I'm just don't think I'm in the mood for it. I'm also much more interested in one of the storylines than the other. I'm forcing myself to read just so I can get through it and on to something else.

QOTW: I'd redo our bathroom, including all of the plumbing leading to it. Right now I can't take a bath because of plumbing issues and I miss it. The remodel would definitely include a nice soaking tub!

[travella]

I finished Prisoners of the Castle: An Epic Story of Survival and Escape by Ben MacIntyre 3* (interesting material, but repetitive at times).

currently reading The Librarian of Burned Books by Brianna Labuskes. I'm liking it less and less the further I get into it, but I'm still interested to see how the 3 storylines come together so I may finish it.

Qotw: Can I choose the location of the house? Sadly, my husband picked this as our last location before his retirement because we thought we'd like it here and might stay, but neither of us do so we might be moving again in the near future. Otherwise, the color of the house and walls.

[tacokick]

These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall (okay)

The Sullivanians: Sex, Psychotherapy, and the Wild Life of an American Commune by Alexander Stille (interesting)

Strong Female Character by Fern Brady (ended abruptly)

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels Janice Hallett (fun)

The Golden Ticket: A Life in College Admissions Essays by Irena Smith (unexpected, bizarre, nothing to do with college admissions)


QOTW: I’d like to have a studio in the back so we can move my stuff out of the house. Barring that, I’d like a new kitchen.

[charlatti]

I finished Night Will Find You by Julia Heaberlin (not amazing but enjoyable, especially since I’m usually disappointed by thrillers) and am now reading Do Tell by Lindsay Lynch — old Hollywood gossip, drama and misogyny.

QOTW: I want a sunroom/four season room. I’d settle for an enclosed porch, but since my imaginary budget is unlimited…

[mrspez07]

I’m reading I’m Glad My Mom died by Janette McCurdy
I haven’t started a new audio book yet after finishing Daisy Jones and the Six earlier this week.

QOTW:
We have a very open tri-level house, which I both love and dislike. I’d probably enclose a room or two in part so I could help with the noise carry, and so that we could build a room with lots of shelves (and maybe call it the library). 😜

[estrellita]

I recently finished Romantic Comedy and I was really disappointed. There were definitely parts that made me laugh, but the rest was meh. I didn't feel like the main characters had any chemistry and it seemed weird how they ended up talking. Then there's all the covid stuff, which is fine, but I wasn't expecting it. And the completely random political things thrown in that didn't add to the story (I don't think this is a spoiler but at one point they have a conversation where they ask each other if they've gone to any BLM protests and added maybe one or two thoughts about it and move on. It seemed so random and inauthentic). I picked the Throne of Glass series back up and am on Heir of Fire. I hope these characters get better because so far I don't like the new ones all that much!

QOTW: Can I add a room? I want a second bathroom!! If not, the kitchen needs lots of work. It's small, and the cabinets look terrible. The last owner painted it with some weird black lacquer stuff that's peeling off. The floors are OK, not what I'd pick but at least a little newer. I want to make better use of this little space and make it look nice! We just replaced our black fridge with stainless and it's so much brighter in there!

[krystee]

I read Lovelight Farms, and I am not usually one for romances, but I loved the Christmas tree farm and small town, and I really want to see Netflix buy the rights and stream it as a show.

I am now reading Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone

QOTW: I’d redo the basement and make it a really great game room/play area.

[Gato]

I finished The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell and did not like it much, which was surprising because I really liked Hamnet. But everything in this novel was foreshadowed so heavily, literally nothing was a surprise, including the twist at the end. The language was overwrought and the characters, except the main character, were so flat. 2 stars.

I’m now reading The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz and it’s light but fun so far.

QOTW: I’d finish our basement into a rec room, 4th bedroom, 3rd bathroom, and laundry room.