August Reading

[TR]

I’m about halfway through We Used to Live Here and it’s really fucking creepy! I don’t remember where I got the recommendation from, but whew.

[Jalapeñomel]

Did someone read Trust and comment? I feel like it was recommended but I looked at last month’s thread and didn’t see it.

[mention]tr [/mention] was it you, because I often add books you recommend to my list!

[followyourarrow]

I just finished listening to It Ends With Us. I was mad at the book/author/characters for most of the book, but ended up liking it. I don't think Colleen Hoover is necessarily my style though and probably won't go out of my way to read one of her books again.

[krystee]

I was surprised by how much I really liked The Wedding People! I usually hate suicide/thinking about suicide as a plot device. (No spoilers, it’s in the jacket copy.) (Not that the topic shouldn’t be discussed, but it’s often treated to flippantly to advance the plot.)

[TR]

Aug 12, 2024 7:59:13 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Did someone read Trust and comment? I feel like it was recommended but I looked at last month’s thread and didn’t see it.

[mention]tr [/mention] was it you, because I often add books you recommend to my list!

Not me! I had to look that up because I haven't heard of it. Sounds interesting, though.

[eb777888]

I'm way late on this but I started The Guncle. It's been on my "to be read" Goodreads list FORever.

[wise_rita]

@jalapeñomel My book club just read it this month. The audiobook was max 2 hours long, so it's definitely low investment.

I was surprised to see it on the NYT top 100 list of the century (or was it the readers pick version?). It was fine, but it really only skimmed the subject matter I was eager to learn more about (the Magdalene Laundries). So don't go into it expecting to see or hear much about that!

[definitelyO]

I just started A Court of Thorns and Roses based on a few recommendations. But it's starting a bit like Disney's beauty and the beast to me... but then again I'm also not usually one for fantasy - so maybe it gets better.

[mel]

I finished (started at the end of July) Things We Hide From the Light - 3*

Things We Left Behind - 3*
The Unraveling (someone here recommended it) - 4* I really enjoyed this one!

[marvine]

Aug 12, 2024 8:55:40 GMT -5 eb777888 said:

I'm way late on this but I started The Guncle. It's been on my "to be read" Goodreads list FORever.

Loved The Guncle!   I recently read the sequel The Guncle Abroad and it's just as good, so I'd recommend it as well.   (I listened to this one and the author reads it, and I think that made it even better since he knew the tone/inflection of the characters.)   

[scm1011]

Aug 13, 2024 8:57:49 GMT -5 marvine said:

Aug 12, 2024 8:55:40 GMT -5 eb777888 said:

I'm way late on this but I started The Guncle. It's been on my "to be read" Goodreads list FORever.

Loved The Guncle!   I recently read the sequel The Guncle Abroad and it's just as good, so I'd recommend it as well.   (I listened to this one and the author reads it, and I think that made it even better since he knew the tone/inflection of the characters.)   

Agreed that The Guncle was a great audiobook - I listened this summer. I'm glad to hear the sequel was just as good!

[litskispeciality]

I'm slowly coming out of a reading slump. Hoping a mild social media/phone cleanse will help boost my reading.

Finished "The Mistress" by Valerie Keogh (Kindle Prime). Pretty good, pretty fast read, although big TW for DV.

I'm making good progress on:

"The Good Wife" by Gemma Rogers (Kindle Prime) - also major TW for DV.

"The Summer I turned Pretty" by Jenny Han

Been a while since I've read Jenny Han, but I think I'm going to add her to my "I'd read her grocery list" list, lol. Speaking of, since I'm too lazy to search myself, is Gayle Forman still writing books? I read "If I Stay" and "Where She Went" a few years ago, plus one or two more. I remember a lot of people liked her, but I don't think I've thought of her in a long time.

followyourarrow, I think you're good to skip more Colleen Hoover. Her name comes up a lot and you either love, love her, or you find it's the same (heavy) plots over and over again. I've read a number of CH as they're quick reads, but outside of "Verity" it's not really worth my time.

[Jalapeñomel]

Aug 10, 2024 20:30:47 GMT -5 expectantsteelerfan said:

Aug 5, 2024 8:00:02 GMT -5 ny96 said:

I loved it too!

I had never heard of this but it showed up 3 times as shelves by 3 different people in my Goodreads emails this week, so I def put it on my to read shelf. I'm deciding if I should wait to recommend it as my next book club read or just request it from the library now (when there's a book lots of people are talking about I usually bring it up and suggest it once, but if it doesn't get picked, go ahead and read it myself).
I haven't read anything great lately...Ali Hazelwood Steminest novellas were pretty terrible. Same Time Next Summer was decent.

I picked up this book, and its writing style takes a bit to get used to, but I think I love it?

[Vally]

I finished Shark Heart and thought it was fantastic. BUT going to put more thoughts in spoilers.

SPOILER: Click to show

I loved the first 2/3 of the story, the last third was just okay, to me. The way she wrote about losing her spouse (and mom) to the mutations was such a unique and abstract way to talk about any kind of disease that can take a loved one from you. But I would have liked to see her life after H be about More than having their daughter. I fully accept this is a ME thing, since I am not a parent and don’t plan to be one, so that part of the story didn’t land as much. Regardless it was superbly written and I am really looking forward to what Habeck does next.

[sproctopus]

Aug 11, 2024 16:07:11 GMT -5 TR said:

I’m about halfway through We Used to Live Here and it’s really fucking creepy! I don’t remember where I got the recommendation from, but whew.

I just finished this book (on your recommendation). YIKES! Couldn't figure out where some of the story was going but didn't expect that ending.

[TR]

Aug 15, 2024 13:26:39 GMT -5 sproctopus said:

Aug 11, 2024 16:07:11 GMT -5 TR said:

I’m about halfway through We Used to Live Here and it’s really fucking creepy! I don’t remember where I got the recommendation from, but whew.

I just finished this book (on your recommendation). YIKES! Couldn't figure out where some of the story was going but didn't expect that ending.

Right??? I would’ve loved more answers on a lot of things. But it was solidly creepy.

[scm1011]

I gave up on Maame, I just couldn't get into it.

DH got me 3 books for my birthday today:
How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell
The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden

I started How to Read a Book on my train ride in this morning and I'm already hooked. I can't wait to read more at lunch.

[wise_rita]

Finally finished Americanah and it was not easy for me. I really struggle with books that have no discernable plot.

[Jalapeñomel]

Loved The God of the Woods.

[tennisgal]

I'm rereading The Outsiders while waiting for a bunch of holds to come through. I wrote out who played each character in the 80s movie so I can envision the story correctly while reading

ETA: The book I have is the 50th anniversary edition (!!) so there are some extra pages with notes from some of the actors and from the author.  I don't think I knew that she was only 16 when she wrote the book!  And that they convinced her to just use her initials instead of her first name (Susie) as they didn't think that a book written by a female would appeal to boys/men as much

[al dente]

Aug 12, 2024 7:59:13 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Did someone read Trust and comment? I feel like it was recommended but I looked at last month’s thread and didn’t see it.

[mention]tr [/mention] was it you, because I often add books you recommend to my list!

I read this last year and gave it 5* and put it on my "reread" list. I remember it was like two stories and I thought it was good throughout but then at the end it tied all together and I was like woah! But I don't remember at all what it is about lol but it must've been good with how I rated it. It was also all over the top 100 list that the NYT put out recently.

[al dente]

I finished Happiness Falls by Angie Kim, and gave it 5 stars. I flew through it. I really like her writing and books I also had read Miracle Creek by her.

I have The Wishing Game next. I think I got that recommendation from here? I haven't started yet though.

[followyourarrow]

Aug 21, 2024 10:46:34 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Loved The God of the Woods.

I just finished this one as an audiobook and loved it.  

[TR]

I finished Wordhunter by Stella Sands and I was excited about the premise, but man, the execution was lacking. The more I think about it, the lower I make my rating lol

[jwright]

I just finished Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe which is “narrative nonfiction” about the Troubles in Ireland with the IRA and related violence. Wow. Such a good book it reads like fiction and is captivating.

This is the second book I read based off the NYT best books of the 2000s survey. I also read Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro which I thought was slow. I “get” the themes but was waiting for more narrative conflict.

[ny96]

I’m currently reading You are Here by David Nicholls. It’s a light easy read. I gave up on a few books this month including Terangeles (the characters were vapid and uninteresting) and The List by Yomi Adegoke (just wasn’t feeling it). I struggled through North Woods by Daniel Mason, but finished it, and really enjoyed One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon and The Good Part by Sophie Cousens.

[Jalapeñomel]

Aug 23, 2024 10:39:58 GMT -5 followyourarrow said:

Aug 21, 2024 10:46:34 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Loved The God of the Woods.

I just finished this one as an audiobook and loved it.  

Oh I bet this was a good audiobook!

[mention]aldente [/mention] I’m guessing I picked it up from your rec then!

[7costanza]

I ended up listening to The Drowning House on my solo drive, I liked it and it was the perfect topic for a weekend at the beach in the PNW.

I finished Lies and Wedding which was a fun, easy read. Now I’m reading Burn by Peter Heller, it’s fine, probably a 3.5/5.

[sju]

I am halfway through The Unbearable Lightness of Being. It’s ok but some things are just weird.

DNF A Fate Inked in Blood at 20%. Not good.

[TR]

I got maybe 4-5 (short) chapters into The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin and DNF. What the fuck was that? I used to love her stuff back in the days if Something Borrowed/Something Blue. It was never going to win any prizes, but damn. This one is just so bad.