Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Hello Everyone,

I hope everyone is doing okay this week. I'm in the last lull before the whirlwind happens. Two weeks and counting to my daughter's wedding. She arrives from the other coast next weekend and then the craziness will start.

I don't have any finishes this past week. I've been reading I’m Glad My Mom Died. I'm enjoying it more than I expected. I am not familiar with the actress nor the shows she was on. Wrong generation. But wow, that mother was a piece of work. I'm kind of glad she died too. I'm not finished with it yet. I just started Part 3.

I need to read a synopsis of The Reading List as it is for my neighborhood book club this week. I suggested it after reading it but I no longer even remember the characters names so I better refresh! I hope people generally like it.

I am still listening to European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman. I think I'll finish this audiobook this coming week. I am enjoying it and seem to have a couple hours left so things will be wrapping up soon.

QOTW:
Are there any genres you dislike?

For me, definitely horror. I'm also not a fan of thrillers. In both of those cases, I don't like scary. I don't like the occult nor reading about graphic violence. It is one reason I haven't read many of the later Nora Roberts books.

There are several genres I don't often read and would say I'm indifferent to, like mysteries.

I remember all my pre-wedding craziness! Where is the wedding being held, Susan?

I believe last time I posted I was about to start or had just started my re-read of Oryx and Crake. I hadn't remembered much about it besides the main topic, so it was good to revisit, and I stand by the 4-star rating I gave it when I read it the first time. I used it for the "in the aftermath" prompt.

Next up I had a streak of four 5-star reads in a row to keep me happy over school vacation week :)

Strange the Dreamer and Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor (used for "by the author of..." and "stuff of nightmares" prompts) absolutely blew me away. I've never read any of Taylor's books before, although I've seen them around and my middle schoolers seem to like her a lot. Because of that I had sort of mentally lumped her books in with other popular YA like Hunger Games and such. I was not expecting what I got, which was gorgeously written with incredible characters, a fascinating world, and a situation where both sides are sympathetic to the reader but monstrous to each other. So good!

Next up was Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. I wavered between 4 and 5 stars on this one, because I am a little tired of highly intelligent people being portrayed as socially inept, but it was just such a great story that I had to land on 5 stars. Used for the animal companion prompt, because the dog was my favorite character :) (and no, the dog doesn't die)

The last was The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't what I got. It broke my heart in the very best way. I used it for the Journalist prompt.

Now I've just started The Bear and the Serpent by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I read the first book in January and am coming back to the trilogy now.

QOTW:
Hmm. I don't know that I have a specific GENRE that I dislike, because I will read just about any book with good characters and a compelling plot. I generally stay away from books that are marketed as "literary" because I find them too obscure to enjoy (example - everyone seems to love Donna Tartt, but I haaaated The Secret History and won't read any of her other books). I dislike gratuitous sex or violence that is only there to titillate the reader, but have zero problem with either if they're in the service of plot. I also tend to stay away from books where the characters are secondary to the ideas, like a lot of "classic" science fiction - I don't care how cool your ideas are if I can't connect to your characters.

Hi, everyone!

Finished:
Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh - I fit this in for Popsugar's favorite prompt from a past challenge - science fiction. I enjoyed this way more than I expected. The heroine is unlikable at the start because she was basically born into a xenophobic, homophobic militaristic cult, and I think that might turn people off from this. I thought the character work was excellent, and the main character's growth and change was compelling.

Comics & manga:
Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 6
Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 7
Knight of the Ice, Vol. 8
Witch Watch, Vol. 2
Star?Crossed!!, Vol. 1

Currently reading:
Veil of Lies by Jeri Westerson - for Popsugar's author with same initials as me. The mystery is interesting and I'm sure the main character shows normal views for the time period, but I can't really say I like him and his misogyny. The only time he isn't harping on how dumb and annoying the women in his life are is when he's lusting after one of them. *eyeroll* Well, at least it's a quick read and I'll be happy to get through it for the prompt.

Upcoming/Planned:
That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N. Williams
In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune
Tsalmoth by Steven Brust
Happy Place by Emily Henry
These are all coming out on the same day - I'm bracing myself for a potentially excessive ebook windfall from the library! (lol)

QOTW:
In general, I don't care for "literary" fiction. I'm not a huge horror fan, either, but I can read it from a handful of authors I trust (such as Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant and T. Kingfisher).

Oooh, Tsalmoth is out (or about to be)? I need it!

Shel wrote: "Oooh, Tsalmoth is out (or about to be)? I need it!"

It's supposed to come out Tuesday, according to my library anyway. :)

I got my first cold in three years and have been very pathetic about it. I've now reached the "feeling better but sounding worse" stage.

Seven Clues in Search of a Crime: Theodore Terhune Mystery #1 - In this book, the owner of a bookstore happens on the scene of an attempted robbery and ends up invested in solving a mystery that takes him to the local estate's family crypt, then to London, and eventually to New York City. It was entertaining and humorous, so while the number of coincidences involved would normally have been extremely frustrating, it was only mildly annoying. I enjoyed it, but apparently the author experimented with wildly different styles over the rest of the series, so I probably won't seek them out.

This Book Is Not for You! - A children's picture book in which the substitute bookmobile operator will not give a book about a girl to a boy, and then will only give one about cats to a cat, then a robot, and so forth, until a large dinosaur demands a book about ponies and he is forced to admit that everyone can read what they like. It was OK but I would probably only give it to a kid who was having difficulties with that specific issue (internally or externally).

Miss Buncle's Book - I think Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ actually suggested this for something else I'd read. Facing financial difficulties during the Depression, Miss Buncle decides her best option is to publish - pseudonymously, of course - a roman à clef about the people in her village. In the fictionalized "Copperfield", the villagers' lives are thrown into turmoil by the arrival of a mysterious boy with a reed pipe; in the original Silverstream, the same effect is produced by Miss Buncle's book. Definitely a character-driven tale without a whole lot of plot, but it felt surprisingly fresh and modern (apart from everyone having "help") and was a pleasant thing to read while sick. I would recommend it to those looking for low-stakes, low-effort reading.

QOTW: There are plenty of genres I don't read much, but the one I actively avoid is YA. I have tried, most recently with one that people said didn't feel like YA, but for reasons I don't really understand I just don't get on with them. Middle grade is A-OK.

3 finishes in the last 2 weeks:

Remarkably Bright Creatures. Contemporary fiction is not usually my cup of tea (see QOTW), but the octopus made this worthwhile. Sooo many neat coincidences, though. I used it for the Book Nerds "animal companion" prompt.

The Hollow Places. Felt like a trip to uncanny valley with a few horror moments. Well written. I used it for the Book Nerds "coffee or tea" prompt.

Vox, which I just finished this morning. For those who like their dystopia just realistic enough that you can imagine someone reading it and thinking it's a good idea. Then tack on a thriller-type ending. Not quite sure which prompt I'm slotting it in yet, although "a character you would never want to swap lives with" is a strong contender.

That puts me at 26/100 for the year.

Next up is a couple of *long* audiobooks, one recommended by a Book Nerd, and the other by a Booktuber I follow. Both new-to-me authors, so we'll see how we get on. I've been on a great streak so far.

QOTW: Anything... realistic and reminiscent of everyday life? Give me your horrors, your dragons, your magic, your spaceships, or make your criminal plots so convoluted they feel out of this world. Otherwise, I'd rather read non-fiction. So, yeah - very real or not real at all ;)