I think I'm giving up on this. The narration is too weird and I'm just SO BORED and I don't pay attention to it at all. I tried to listen to too many I think I'm giving up on this. The narration is too weird and I'm just SO BORED and I don't pay attention to it at all. I tried to listen to too many classics in a row and I am all classic'ed out.
Merged review:
I think I'm giving up on this. The narration is too weird and I'm just SO BORED and I don't pay attention to it at all. I tried to listen to too many classics in a row and I am all classic'ed out....more
Started listening 2/6/21, last listened 6/21/21, ~43% complete
What can I say, I never listen to audiobooks anymore (I'd fall too far behind on my veryStarted listening 2/6/21, last listened 6/21/21, ~43% complete
What can I say, I never listen to audiobooks anymore (I'd fall too far behind on my very important podcast-listening) and as always, I struggle with non-fiction. If I'm honest, I'm unlikely to come back to this one....more
Dang, I got through more than 64% of this one! I should pick it up back up again . . . as always, I struggle to finiStarted 6/21/21, last read 6/29/21
Dang, I got through more than 64% of this one! I should pick it up back up again . . . as always, I struggle to finish non-fiction books. Sorry!...more
I read the first few stories in this and was actually pretty disappointed, so I put it down and never picked it up again. Maybe I'll try again some daI read the first few stories in this and was actually pretty disappointed, so I put it down and never picked it up again. Maybe I'll try again some day?...more
I read a few of these stories and they were all cringe-worthy in some way, usually with regard to how black persons were spoken of. Even when there weI read a few of these stories and they were all cringe-worthy in some way, usually with regard to how black persons were spoken of. Even when there weren't racial things to worry about, people were just HORRIBLE to each other and that's not how I like to spend my time. No thank you....more
I want to be a good yt person and read this but I struggle to finish non-fiction and I didn't succeed in finiStarted reading 2/9/21, last read 2/25/21
I want to be a good yt person and read this but I struggle to finish non-fiction and I didn't succeed in finishing this. I feel guilty about it! I still own it, maybe I'll come back to it.
I do follow Ijeoma Oluo on social media now, I don't always love what she says but we generally agree....more
Man, I got pretty far into this, but I just can't summon up the interest to continue. It's super about politics and at some point I was listening whilMan, I got pretty far into this, but I just can't summon up the interest to continue. It's super about politics and at some point I was listening whilst doing laundry and I stopped paying attention and didn't care enough to figure out what I'd missed. The macguffin is like . . . party invitations. Like, this society cares about old documentation of fancy parties and sometimes these things are faked and maybe some are and maybe some aren't! Hoo boy! It's as exciting as it sounds. The world-building is decent but you gotta give me SOMETHING to work with here, Leckie. ...more
Okay I'll admit it, I think that I mostly borrowed this book from the library because I didn't think I would like it, and it seemed liScrew this book.
Okay I'll admit it, I think that I mostly borrowed this book from the library because I didn't think I would like it, and it seemed like a quick read (sure it's like 1700 pages, but a lot of the pages have, like, a single blurry photograph on them. Or the same phrase repeated over and over. Or a bunch of asterisks) and something different and interesting, even if ultimately up its own ass.
Well, I didn't even get 400 pages in. Forget this book. There was an interesting story or two in here, but it was padded out by forty other stories. This seemed pretty clearly to be the work of some dude who has been trying to write a novel for ten years and eventually just throws up his hands and decides to publish all of his notes for all of his ideas. "Screw it," he says. "Screw you," I reply.
There were all sorts of depressing disjointed things happening and I was like "why am I reading this still?" and then he started getting into some lapsed Catholic bullshit and UGH listen, I am so bored with that shit. There is no way for the Catholic apostate to interest me in his story or his feelings or how he relates to God UGH listen dude, you're not the first, I have heard it all before and I cannot relate and I DO NOT CARE. So, you know. There are other books out there. This one goes back to the library.
Here are some other boring bits that were novel at first but went on too long: two seeming chatbots talking at each other; a hospice nurse walking her client through his ablutions. "Let me get this sock off! Perfect! OK! Now I'm gonna come over here -- keep your knees straight! Bring 'em back up! Michael! Stand up straight! Michael! Stand up straight! There you go! OK, now life this knee for me, this leg for me, lift!" Etc etc. For pages. Give me a break.
I was interested in the story about the dude who wakes up and doesn't remember who he is. But I guess I'll never know how that one ended. However I suspect it DOESN'T because if he knew how to end that story, he would have just written it....more
It's fine, and if I were at a point in my life where I was reading a LOT of books, I'd follow it through, but II don't think I'm going to finish this.
It's fine, and if I were at a point in my life where I was reading a LOT of books, I'd follow it through, but I'm not, so I won't.
The sexy parts were sexy, and I enjoyed them. The worldbuilding was interesting, if a little too . . . overtly sensual. Like, the whole thing is set up to be e-rotic, with a capital E. Super exclusive prostitutes, most of whom love their jobs! Trained since they were tiny tots to be sexy in weirdly specific ways! Everyone is so beautiful! And like I said, it is very nice or whatever, for those purposes, but everything else just bored me. It's an alternate earth, which was potentially pretty interesting at first. But all the names are vaguely French, and I'm not good with French, so I couldn't remember who anyone was and why I should care. I guess there were politics and wars and people vying for the throne but I wasn't taking notes, and without a list of important people at the end OR a map in the beginning (I feel like a book this size should have had both) I couldn't really follow it. There's no sense in me slogging through 700 pages of this nonsense just to get to a few jill-off scenes, so it's back to the library with this one.
And the characters were pretty trite. Masochist MC who loves getting mauled (SOP for a S&M E-rotic story); best friend from the other side of the tracks; male prostitute dude who's oh so beautiful and precious but doesn't like being a whore like the MC does; sexy beautiful mentor with a mysterious past. Yawn.
(P.S. Haha, I just added an "erotic" bookshelf.)
(P.P.S. Also I put this on the "fantasy" bookshelf but it is it one, really? I feel like fantasy has to have magic and/or a dragon and/or a sword that has a name. And this didn't have any of that. So I guess it's just "alternate earth.")...more
I skimmed about 80 pages of this, it was pretty interesting. It's SO LONG, though. I picked it up because I had just read The Once and Future King andI skimmed about 80 pages of this, it was pretty interesting. It's SO LONG, though. I picked it up because I had just read The Once and Future King and I wanted to see what some of the O.G. (I mean even this is based on older French stuff, though) was like, but then I realized that was sorta silly because most of the point of TOaFK is to make it accessible, you know? And there are other books in the world to read. But yeah, it didn't seem too impenetrable or anything, if you're willing to skim....more
I gave up after three hours or so. A lot of her suggested responses to other people acting badly involve public shaming -- for example taking picturesI gave up after three hours or so. A lot of her suggested responses to other people acting badly involve public shaming -- for example taking pictures of people and posting them on telephone poles, or on Facebook. She went through trash that was dumped on her street to find out contact information of the dumpers, and then harassed them mercilessly (although it didn't work, they never came and got their trash).
I did agree with some stuff she said (especially about current phone etiquette) but what's the point of reading an advice book if you're going to pick and choose which advice to take? So I gave up on it. Life is too short....more
I listened to around three hours of this 22-hour audiobook. That was enough of a chance, I think.
I was still bored and had no interest in what was goiI listened to around three hours of this 22-hour audiobook. That was enough of a chance, I think.
I was still bored and had no interest in what was going to happen in the story. I noted where the jokes were, but didn't think that any of them were amusing. Not for me....more
I stopped listening to this audiobook about halfway through. I might be able to read it with my eyeballs in the future, but the way the narrator readsI stopped listening to this audiobook about halfway through. I might be able to read it with my eyeballs in the future, but the way the narrator reads the book, and the fact that the main characters were little kids in the very beginning, made it really hard for me to view the (supposedly grown-up) characters as anything but kids. It seemed very YA to me, and I don't really like reading YA most of the time. Just couldn't get into it. Sorry, CJA. Maybe I'll try again later....more
I made it to page 165 (of around 500) and just couldn't take it anymore. The worldbuilding was kind of interesting but the writing is pretty terrible.I made it to page 165 (of around 500) and just couldn't take it anymore. The worldbuilding was kind of interesting but the writing is pretty terrible. It takes him SO LONG to say stuff and he includes all these details that are super boring and unnecessary. For example, in order to introduce the members of the protagonist's family, he says how many slices of dark or light bread they each take as they pass the bread basket around the table. "Bob took a slice of dark bread. George took one slice of dark bread and one of nut bread." Except there are SEVEN (I think, I don't remember/care) people and they are not named Bob and George, they all have dumb weird fantasy names that are difficult (for me) to remember.
And instead of saying something like "he gave orders to move the squad ahead" he'll say the exact words the commander said, as dialogue, and then tell us what his subordinate said to his troops! Every time! I ain't got time for that shit.
I tried, for a while, I swear, but life is too short. I decided to re-read Dune instead. I used to think Herbert was a great story-teller but mediocre writer, but suddenly I think maybe he's not so bad after all....more
This book was fine I guess but I was just bored. Not really the book's fault, I just don't have patience for this sort of thing, I guess.This book was fine I guess but I was just bored. Not really the book's fault, I just don't have patience for this sort of thing, I guess....more
I'm not sure how to rate this since I only read the first of four (five?) stories, A Christmas Carol. I am glad I read that one, though. Although it'sI'm not sure how to rate this since I only read the first of four (five?) stories, A Christmas Carol. I am glad I read that one, though. Although it's such a short "book" (I think it actually qualifies as a novella) that pretty much everything in it is familiar -- all the little details, for example Marley holding his jaw together with a cloth -- from all the various adaptations. It's not like Dune or something where everything is different and you can revel in the differences.
Anyway it was okay. It's funny how he doesn't ever mention Jesus. Religion is not really important in Dickens' Christmas. I saw someone say on the internet the other day that Dickens is the real reason for the season -- we celebrate the way we do because of this story. Is that true? I am not sure! I can see it, though....more
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