October Reading Thread [emoji432]

[Jalapeñomel]

Oct 16, 2024 19:17:40 GMT -5 expectantsteelerfan said:

Finished Discovery of Witches, and wow did I not like it. I actually think this is one of those instances where the show is better than the book, although I haven't watched the show and don't plan to anytime soon due to how much I didn't like the book. I also don't know how it has an over 4 star rating on goodreads, when all the reviews on the 1st page are closer to 2 stars.

I gave up about 10% in. The writing was so terrible! 

[missmissy234]

Oct 16, 2024 19:17:40 GMT -5 expectantsteelerfan said:

Finished Discovery of Witches, and wow did I not like it. I actually think this is one of those instances where the show is better than the book, although I haven't watched the show and don't plan to anytime soon due to how much I didn't like the book. I also don't know how it has an over 4 star rating on goodreads, when all the reviews on the 1st page are closer to 2 stars.

I read the books so long ago and I remember not caring for it, so I was surprised when I saw the big push for it now.  Maybe it's due to the show.  However, about the show...I'm watching it, but the acting is just so bad that it's not keeping me wanting to come back.  I do think the way the story is relayed is better than the book though.  

[underwaterrhymes]

I just finished The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard.

It’s very well written and I rarely give thrillers more than 3* but this one is really well done, so I’m giving it a 3.75 rounded up to a 4.

But the ending. Ooof. I really hope there is a sequel but based on the author’s note, I think it’s kind of the point that there won’t be one.

[Jalapeñomel]

I finished Shark Heart, and I picked up Yours Truly to finish the trilogy.

[ny96]

I got about 1/3 of the way through The Unwedding by Ally Conlin and had to stop. It was so bad.

[gummybear]

I finished We Used To Live Here and I loved it! It was mind-bending and creepy and I can’t get it out of my head. I wasn’t exactly scared, but the premise is exactly what I love in a thriller.

I also read another ARC - The Staircase In The Woods by Chuck Wendig (he of Black River Orchard). Wasn’t quite as gory as BRO but another great thriller. I get such Stephen King vibes from his writing and this one had an It feeling (minus the problematic child gang bang).

[Nonny]

My book club is reading Cloud Atlas. I'm only a quarter of the way through it, and I didn't really start to get into it until the 3rd story started. I never watched the movie, and I skipped the intro by Gabrielle Zevin when it started to get spoilery, so I'm going into it mostly uninformed. I'm still a little unsure.

My audiobook right now is Autocracy Inc. by Anne Applebaum, and it's highly informative, but also horrifying.

I'm also wrapping up a YA book, Celestial Monsters, which is the second in a duology (the first was The Sunbearer Trials). It's significantly slower, more repetitive, and less interesting than the first book, and so I'm not enjoying it nearly as much. But if you are looking for something that's incredibly queer friendly with a teenaged trans main character (FtM) this is it.

[Jalapeñomel]

My book club book is The Night Watchman…I’ve tried twice, and I can’t get into it.

[underwaterrhymes]

I am reading Listen for the Lie and finding it annoying. Considering a DNF or just scrolling to the end.

[dontlook]

Oct 20, 2024 13:41:13 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

I am reading Listen for the Lie and finding it annoying. Considering a DNF or just scrolling to the end.

I quit. I don’t think I got very far in but I couldn’t get into that one at all.

[underwaterrhymes]

Oct 20, 2024 14:58:47 GMT -5 dontlook said:

Oct 20, 2024 13:41:13 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

I am reading Listen for the Lie and finding it annoying. Considering a DNF or just scrolling to the end.

I quit. I don’t think I got very far in but I couldn’t get into that one at all.

Yeah, I skimmed it to get to the end to see if I was right about who the killer was and I was. 2* because I made the effort, but I didn’t Iike this one at all.

SPOILER: Click to show

I couldn’t get past the fact that all of the characters except Grandma were unlikable and the inner voice of her friend that kept saying “Let’s Kill….” drove me bonkers. Just meh.

[Jalapeñomel]

Oct 20, 2024 13:41:13 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

I am reading Listen for the Lie and finding it annoying. Considering a DNF or just scrolling to the end.

I thought this was a fun audiobook, but reading it would be annoying.

[underwaterrhymes]

Oct 20, 2024 15:20:41 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Oct 20, 2024 13:41:13 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

I am reading Listen for the Lie and finding it annoying. Considering a DNF or just scrolling to the end.

I thought this was a fun audiobook, but reading it would be annoying.

It would have been a significantly better book without the narrative tool I mention in the spoiler above. I wish I could process audio books well because I can see how this might have worked in that format.

[eb777888]

Keep It in the Family- 2.5-3* This book went on way too long. Good lord. It was twist after twist and I was so bored of twists by the end. I was excited to read it because all of my thriller groups went on and on about how good the first twist was, but I thought it was blatantly obvious who the killer was (and I'm not one to be annoyed to figure out the twist, but I was disappointed it wasn't more exciting). I loved The One by the same author but this wasn't as good.

Now I'm reading The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley.

[glw]

My book club is reading The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall and it's just not the type of story I like (too cute/romance-y) but I will finish it and it is Halloween-adjacent.

My favorite spooky books are Mexican Gothic, The September House, and The Winter People.

[eb777888]

Oct 21, 2024 9:32:34 GMT -5 eb777888 said:

Keep It in the Family- 2.5-3* This book went on way too long. Good lord. It was twist after twist and I was so bored of twists by the end. I was excited to read it because all of my thriller groups went on and on about how good the first twist was, but I thought it was blatantly obvious who the killer was (and I'm not one to be annoyed to figure out the twist, but I was disappointed it wasn't more exciting). I loved The One by the same author but this wasn't as good.

OMG, someone from one of my thriller Facebook groups just asked which one of John Marrs' books they should read first and I talked a bunch of shit about the book I just read and John Marrs is apparently in the group and posting in that thread. Fuck!! I did say good things about The One, though. I.... didn't know authors hung around these chats?

[jwright]

I'm slogging through the Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. I'm over 500 pages in and only about 60% done. I knew it would be heavy but there's been I think at least 6 deaths, including children, traumatic births, monsoon and a leper colony. I'm discovering that what others consider "world-building" I consider boring if they are never going to get to some plot. I have a really hard time not finishing books so I'm going to put my Kindle on airplane mode and force myself to read until the end.

[TR]

Oct 22, 2024 11:27:30 GMT -5 eb777888 said:

Oct 21, 2024 9:32:34 GMT -5 eb777888 said:

Keep It in the Family- 2.5-3* This book went on way too long. Good lord. It was twist after twist and I was so bored of twists by the end. I was excited to read it because all of my thriller groups went on and on about how good the first twist was, but I thought it was blatantly obvious who the killer was (and I'm not one to be annoyed to figure out the twist, but I was disappointed it wasn't more exciting). I loved The One by the same author but this wasn't as good.

OMG, someone from one of my thriller Facebook groups just asked which one of John Marrs' books they should read first and I talked a bunch of shit about the book I just read and John Marrs is apparently in the group and posting in that thread. Fuck!! I did say good things about The One, though. I.... didn't know authors hung around these chats?

lolololol oh definitely. I think it was maybe Emily Giffin? Who got a bunch of bad press for responding to and arguing with people leaving bad reviews in a FB group. Don’t quote me on it being EV, but she’s who popped in my head.

[luckystar2]

Oct 22, 2024 20:10:27 GMT -5 TR said:

Oct 22, 2024 11:27:30 GMT -5 eb777888 said:

OMG, someone from one of my thriller Facebook groups just asked which one of John Marrs' books they should read first and I talked a bunch of shit about the book I just read and John Marrs is apparently in the group and posting in that thread. Fuck!! I did say good things about The One, though. I.... didn't know authors hung around these chats?

lolololol oh definitely. I think it was maybe Emily Giffin? Who got a bunch of bad press for responding to and arguing with people leaving bad reviews in a FB group. Don’t quote me on it being EV, but she’s who popped in my head.

Yes it was her/her husband but it was on Amazon reviews.

I am on several FB book/reading groups and there are a lot of authors in different groups! I’m in at least one with John Marrs and he does seem to post often. I’m hoping the authors that are on these groups are at least ok with bad reviews otherwise they shouldn’t be on there! Usually people aren’t ever bashing books but not everyone will love everything!

[eb777888]

Oct 22, 2024 20:16:51 GMT -5 luckystar2 said:

Oct 22, 2024 20:10:27 GMT -5 TR said:

lolololol oh definitely. I think it was maybe Emily Giffin? Who got a bunch of bad press for responding to and arguing with people leaving bad reviews in a FB group. Don’t quote me on it being EV, but she’s who popped in my head.

Yes it was her/her husband but it was on Amazon reviews.

I am on several FB book/reading groups and there are a lot of authors in different groups! I’m in at least one with John Marrs and he does seem to post often. I’m hoping the authors that are on these groups are at least ok with bad reviews otherwise they shouldn’t be on there! Usually people aren’t ever bashing books but not everyone will love everything!

Yeah, he didn't respond to my comment. Had I known he was in that group, let alone in that thread, I would have still said something but at least softened my comment a little! Anyway, good to know, lol. 

[TR]

I just finished Somewhere Beyond the Sea (sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea) and man. What a disappointment.

This Goodreads review is almost exactly how I felt about it: www.goodreads.com/review/show/6602779476

[TR]

But on a more positive note, I also recently read these and they ranged from great to fantastic:

Husbands & Lovers - Beatriz Williams (4.5/5) almost perfect except for one plot point

Family Family - Laurie Frankel (4.5/5) - loved it, but the mc was a little too perfect

Blue Sisters - Coco Mellors (5/5) - someone with sisters will have to tell me if this was a good portrayal of sibling relationships, but I liked it.

[wildrice]

I just finished Shelterwood, which I think is a 3.5. It was a pretty good story but it dragged a lot and it took me a long time to read as a result. But it is historical fiction and the basis for it is worthwhile.

I also finished Where the Forest Meets the River, which is the sequel to Road to Dalton. Both were very good, probably 5 stars or a high 4. They are similar to Beartown, though the writing style is different (but the writing is good!)

[arehopsveggies]

I read Sophie Kinsella’s new book today. I knew it wouldn’t be her usual type of book (it’s semi auto graphical about brain cancer) but wow that was a tough read. It was short though, only took me an hour.

Can we mention magazines in here? On Libby I just discovered a magazine “the simple things” and it is just lovely and cozy feeling to read.

I usually read ww2 fiction, just finished Fiona Valpy’s newest book “the sky beneath us”. It was not set in WW2 like her books usually are, but still a nice read this week.

[gummybear]

Oct 26, 2024 19:36:37 GMT -5 TR said:

I just finished Somewhere Beyond the Sea (sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea) and man. What a disappointment.

This Goodreads review is almost exactly how I felt about it: www.goodreads.com/review/show/6602779476

I started it and had to give it back bc it was on a 14 day loan. I am disappointed as well, it’s not enthralling me like I was hoping. It’s coming back to me soon though, so I’ll finish.

I’m having trouble getting into Nightwatching. I do t like that the characters don’t have names. I don’t know why this is bothering me so much.

I’ve continued my Chuck Wendig bender and am now reading The Book of Accidents and I love it.

And another ARC. I think this board will like it.
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. It’s set in the subarctic. A family on a remote island that was tasked with saving seeds. A mysterious woman washes ashore. I LOVED this book. Better than Migrations and Once There Were Wolves. I am completely obsessed with the setting and it was a great, timely story. 5 stars. March 2025.
I know I’ve been posting a lot of these ARCs but if you can get on a hold list at the library it’s great be at the front of the line.

[wise_rita]

gummybear I am obsessed with the Svalbard Global Seed Vault so I am all in on Wild Dark Shore! Thanks for the recommendation.

[isabel]

Oct 26, 2024 19:36:37 GMT -5 TR said:

I just finished Somewhere Beyond the Sea (sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea) and man. What a disappointment.

This Goodreads review is almost exactly how I felt about it: www.goodreads.com/review/show/6602779476

I think I might skip this one. Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door were so wonderful, but In the Lives of Puppets was not that great. I really hope he figures it out because it seems like he’s capable of writing great stories, but his recent attempts don’t leave me feeling very optimistic.

[Jalapeñomel]

I started reading How to Read a Book per [mention]nhahn2206 [/mention]’s suggestion (I think that was you?), and I like it so far.

I’m almost done with Long Island Compromise which just feels like a bad journal entry with run on sentences. Yet I’m still reading…and I’m not sure I needed the description of puckering assholes. (You’re welcome).

[tacokick]

Oct 27, 2024 8:09:08 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

I’m almost done with Long Island Compromise which just feels like a bad journal entry with run on sentences..

I like her journalism but I cannot get into her books! They feel like something I’d enjoy but something about the writing is off-putting.

[underwaterrhymes]

I am trying to read God of the Woods, but it’s a slog. Should I stick it out?