Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Bill wrote: "You've had a great year. You can take off the rest of the year now.. ;0)"

Oh, I still have lots of plans for this year. And next year! No rest for the wicked...barring any reading slumps I might get myself into... :-)

Patricia wrote: "Congrats on finishing your list & having a great month and year! I've heard one person on a podcast & read 2 reviews from people who loved The Sequel, so I'm still cautiously optimistic.
Happy Reading in November!"

Pat, since you enjoyed The Plot, you have a great chance of enjoying The Sequel because I found them both stylistically very similar. I really hope you do enjoy it, and look forward to hearing your thoughts about it. Everybody reads books differently, that's what makes this site so fun. Happy November to you as well!

Lea wrote: "October Month End Report

Books Read: 15 books this month and 149 year to date.
51,646 Pages. Both are more than last year and 11/17 years that I've been on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ...and I've got 2 months to go..."

Great update, as always, Lea!! Kudos on all of your progress. Sorry those 2-star books happened. :(

Alondra wrote: "Great update, as always, Lea!! Kudos on all of your progress. Sorry those 2-star books happened. :("

Thanks, Alondra! I am happy about my progress and am glad I didn't have any 1-star books. Positive light. :-)

I hear you!

November Mid Month Report

Books Read: 2 books so far this month and 151 year to date.
52,408 Pages.

Books from Filling in the Gaps: 74/100; 2022 Books 3/4, 2023 Books 6/12, 2024 Books 65/84

Books from 12+4 Challenge: 16/16

Recently finished:

Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder - This was the right time for me to read this book. I really have to be in the right mood to read books by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. He writes in such an argumentative way that it can bother me at times, but I love an author that provokes me to think differently and consider the other side to an argument. This book is a response to his The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable about how we can survive in a world filled with uncertainties. I'm working on becoming more antifragile, but I do have a lot fragilista tendencies. That said, I did not agree with all of the author's conclusions, or his tone at times, and for that, I subtracted a star. :-) 4 stars

Prophet's Prey: My Seven-Year Investigation into Warren Jeffs and the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints - Another book by an author that has an "interesting" tone. This is by Sam Brower, an investigator into the FLDS and Warren Jeffs. This was a buddy read with Ioana, Alissa and Linda and some of our thoughts are on the thread in that section. I have read several books on the FLDS, but this is the first one from the perspective of law enforcement, and it explained how the FLDS has managed to wiggle their way out of being prosecuted for some of their most heinous crimes and describes additional crimes that they will never be prosecuted for, the evidence was suppressed. It made me sick, but it's an important book about how we have to stand up to people who prey on the powerless. An important thing to keep in the forefront nowadays. 4 stars.

Currently reading:

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy - This is also a really important book to be reading right now. It's about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor who stood up to Hitler. It's fascinating to be reading right now, and I understand there is a movie that will come out this month.

Ruthless Vows - This is the second book in the Letters of Enchantment series (Divine Rivals) was the first.) I was supposed to buddy read this with Pat, but I got the book earlier than her, and none of my other holds have come in, so I started. I'm finding a lot of answers to some of my questions in the first book. At the end of the first book, Pat asked why this book wasn't one long book as opposed to two separate books, and I'm inclined to agree with her. This really should have been one long book.

Progress on the Whack-a-Mole Series Situation �

Series Completed this year (for the moment...):
1. Firekeeper's Daughter (1)
2. Fractalverse (1)
3. Killing Series (2)
4. Will Robie (1)
5. The Empyrean (2)
6. The Firm (1)
7. Moloka'i (1)
8. If I Stay (2)
9. Ripley (5)
10. The Unhoneymooners (2)
11. Earthseed (2)
12. Crescent City (1)
13. Holly Gibney (1)
14. Thursday Murder Club(1)
15. Edenbrooke (1)
16. Heartstopper (1)
17. Camp Half-Blood Chronicles (1)
18. A Love Story (3)
19. Newsflesh (5)
20. The Giver (4)
21. Winnie-the-Pooh (5)
22. Deathless (1)
23. Hierarchy (1)
24. Leviathan (3)
25. Saga (2)
26. Julie Andrews Memoirs (1)
27. Camino Island (1)
28. A Space Odyssey (4)
29. The Book Series (2)
30. Beloved Trilogy (1)
31. Incerto (1)

Series Started This Year with Books Remaining:
1. Fever (1)
2. Oz (4)
3. Assistant to the Villain (1)
4. Stephen Fry's Great Mythology (1)
5. Letters of Enchantment (1)
6. Hercule Poirot (44)
7. Before the Coffee Gets Cold (1)

Series That Added Books This Year with number of books I still need to read in that series:
1. Coyote Sunrise (1)
2. The Space Between Worlds (1)
3. Nantucket (1)
4. The Housemaid (1)
5. Legacy of Orisha (1)
6. The Inheritance Games (1)
7. Supernatural Investigations (1)
8. The House in the Cerulean Sea (1)
9. Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1)
10. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (1)
11. Caraval (3)
12. Stephanie Plum (10)

Series That Added Books Last Year with number of books I still need to read in that series:
1. Xanth (41)
2. You (1)
3. Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez (10)
4. Comoran Strike (4)

GRC Award Books Remaining
2010
1. Fantasy - Towers of Midnight. Book 13 of a 15 book series. I'm planning to start this series in November so I have a chance of finishing this book in 2025.
2. Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Author - Spirit Bound. Book 5 in a 6 book series. I'm keeping this on my 2025 list.
3. Cover Art - Torment. Book 2 in a 5 book series. Hopefully, I can read in 2025.
2011
4. Fantasy - A Dance with Dragons. Book 5 in a 7 book series, where 2 books have not yet been written, I've read the first book in the series, but a long time ago. I have no idea if/when I'll get to this book, but it will be later than 2025.

From the looks of it, you've got some heavyish books on the go right now. You've had such an excellent year. I hope you enjoy the remainder of 2024.

151 books so far, is this your best year? Congrats!
I agree with you on Prophet's Prey: My Seven-Year Investigation into Warren Jeffs and the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints. Different point of view, no less interesting.

You'd better hurry with those GRCA books, a new set is coming out soon ;-)

Bill wrote: "From the looks of it, you've got some heavyish books on the go right now. You've had such an excellent year. I hope you enjoy the remainder of 2024."

Yeah, and there was some travel earlier this month...and an election...and well...I haven't read as many books as I hoped. We'll see what I can get finished this month, but I don't think it is going to be as many books as usual. On the other hand, I'm loving all my books this month - the two I finished and the two I've got on the go all have potential to be 4 stars or more...so there's that at least! :-)

Ioana wrote: "151 books so far, is this your best year? Congrats!
I agree with you on Prophet's Prey: My Seven-Year Investigation into Warren Jeffs and the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints. Different point of view, no less interesting.

You'd better hurry with those GRCA books, a new set is coming out soon ;-)"

My best year was 2017, where I read 177 books with a total of 57,635 pages. I thought I had a run for it, but I don't think I do anymore. We'll see.

LOL, I'm going to need two more years to get the rest of the GRCA books, because there are so many sequels involved, and I will have read in order. I had hoped to get them all on my 100 list, but some serious trimming had to take place. I plan to read all of the 2024 GRC Awards, as well as the 15 book Wheel of Time series, the six book Vampire Academy series and the five book Fallen series next year. George R. R. Martin can wait. He's made us all wait, so he's my lowest priority now. :-)

Making great progress! I'm about halfway through Ruthless Vows. I read the Bonhoeffer book some years ago and enjoyed it. Hope to catch the movie at some point.

Happy Reading!

Patricia wrote: "Making great progress! I'm about halfway through Ruthless Vows. I read the Bonhoeffer book some years ago and enjoyed it. Hope to catch the movie at some point.

Happy Reading!"

My friends bought us tickets to the movie next Saturday, so now I've got to read, read, read!

Lea wrote: "Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy - This is also a really important book to be reading right now. It's about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor who stood up to Hitler. It's fascinating to be reading right now, and I understand there is a movie that will come out this month."

Hi, Lea! I'm excited about the Bonhoeffer movie - in my area it came out today and I'm hoping to see it tomorrow. I read his book The Cost of Discipleship in 2017 and found it so thought-provoking and challenging.

Karol wrote: "Hi, Lea! I'm excited about the Bonhoeffer movie - in my area it came out today and I'm hoping to see it tomorrow. I read his book The Cost of Discipleship in 2017 and found it so thought-provoking and challenging."

What did you think of the movie, Karol? Did you enjoy it? I liked it, but the book is sooo much better. I haven't read The Cost of Discipleship, but I would very much like to!

November Month End Report

Books Read: 9 books so far this month and 158 year to date.
55,436 Pages.

Books from Filling in the Gaps: 78/100; 2022 Books 3/4, 2023 Books 7/12, 2024 Books 68/84

Books from 12+4 Challenge: 16/16

Previously discussed:

Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder
Prophet's Prey: My Seven-Year Investigation into Warren Jeffs and the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints

Recently finished:

Ruthless Vows - The second and final book in the Letters of Enchantment series. I really enjoyed this series about the relationship of two journalists in the midst of a war brought on by feuding gods. I buddy read this book with Pat and we both liked it and want to read more by Rebecca Ross. The first book, Divine Rivals, did not have enough information about the feuding gods, and I felt as though this book had a bit too much about the feuding gods. Because they weren't introduced last time, (probably to avoid us having an informed opinion as to which side of the war we were on), I found that I didn't care much about them and unfortunately, their vendetta was central to the plot of this book. Nonetheless, I felt the book said a lot and was paced well. 4 stars

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy - This is about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor who was part of an assassination plot of Hitler. It seemed prescient to be reading this book now with the current state of the world, and since the movie just came out. This book answered a lot of questions I had about the state of Germany after WW1 and what lead to WW2. I loved this book. 5 stars

For You and Only You - Buddy read with Alissa. Neither of us thought too much about this book. I'm not sure if I was tired of him after reading so much about Crazy Joe last month...maybe I need a good 7 years between books to appreciate his level of crazy. Anyway, this book was pointless and boring and the best thing I can say about it is that it is done! 1 star

The Lost Princess of Oz - This is the next book in the Oz series, and I liked this book. It was about Princess Ozma went missing, alongside several other magical artifacts. 4 stars

From Here to the Great Unknown: A Memoir - This is a memoir about Lisa Marie Presley, written by both her daughter and her. The book was interesting, but not as riveting as I'd hoped. My expectations were probably too high. Still, addiction is a terrible thing. 3 stars

Troy - This was to be the third and final book in the Stephen Frey Great Mythology Trilogy, but yay! All great trilogies have four books and this will be no exception. I enjoyed this book the most out of the three books I read, I think there was more cohesion around these stories. I had thought to re-read The Iliad at some point, but now that I've read this book, I'm not sure a re-read is strictly necessary. 4 stars

Kingdom of Shadow and Light - This is the final book in the Fever series, and one of my favorite of the group. I have to say that I was initially not so much a fan of Moning's writing style. I do think she does better on books where she is wrapping up a story because she gets to the point quicker. Many of her other books have meandering plots that go nowhere. Not everything got wrapped up with a bow, but I found the ending satisfying. 3 stars

Currently reading:

The Eye of the World - This is the first book in the Wheel of Time series. I'd hoped to finish this book this month, but that's so not happening. It's a loooong book.

Starter Villain - I just started my first book by John Scalzi. This should be interesting.

I'm going to put the progress on my Whack-a-Mole situation on my series thread.

Best book: Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
Worst book: For You and Only You
Biggest surprise: Kingdom of Shadow and Light was actually better than I thought it might be
Greatest accomplishment: Hard to say. Pretty excited that 6 of my books this month (2/3 of what I read) completed a series. Also excited that even if I don't read any books in December, I'll have my 3rd best year in terms of # of books and # of pages. I don't think this will become my best year, though. No matter what I try to read in December, I will not be able to finish 19 more books, but may be able to finish 2,199 pages in December...which would be the most page numbers since 2008, when I joined GR. We'll see. No pressure.

Another great month! Bonhoeffer has been on my TBR for many years, and I have no idea why I haven't read it already. It's on my short list now, so definitely in 2025.
I've read and enjoyed Troy, but didn't know at the time that it was part of a trilogy (bigger series now). I'll get to the others eventually, I love Greek mythology.
Good luck in December!

Ioana wrote: "Another great month! Bonhoeffer has been on my TBR for many years, and I have no idea why I haven't read it already. It's on my short list now, so definitely in 2025.
I've read and enjoyed Troy, but didn't know at the time that it was part of a trilogy (bigger series now). I'll get to the others eventually, I love Greek mythology.
Good luck in December!"

Same! It took me forever to get to Bonhoeffer, and I'm not sure why. It also took me a long time to get the book read.

I'm really looking forward to Odyssey: The Greek Myths Reimagined when it comes out in May. I preferred The Odyssey to The Iliad when I read them years ago, but who knows if that will remain the same?

Lea wrote: "Starter Villain - I just started my first book by John Scalzi. This should be interesting.

I'm going to put the progress on my Whack-a-Mole situation on my series thread..."

Great update, , Lea; and I am looking forward to this book. I like his writing, especially with Old Man's War; even though the subsequent books weren't as good (to me)

Alondra wrote: "Great update, , Lea; and I am looking forward to this book. I like his writing, especially with Old Man's War; even though the subsequent books weren't as good (to me)"

Alondra, I'm not sure why I've been intimidated by Old Man's War. I'm loving the writing in Starter Villain and it is encouraging me to read more by him...starting with Old Man's War. I'm really enjoying the book!

Alondra wrote: "I like his writing, especially with Old Man's War; even though the subsequent books weren't as good (to me)"

To me, too. I loved Old Man's War and even The Ghost Brigades, the next in the series, but after that it became dull and repetitive. The The Kaiju Preservation Society was fun too, and I hope to get to Starter Villain soon.

Ioana wrote: "To me, too. I loved Old Man's War and even The Ghost Brigades, the next in the series, but after that it became dull and repetitive. The The Kaiju Preservation Society was fun too, and I hope to get to Starter Villain soon."

Thanks! I look forward to reading more by him, good to know where to start. I'm sure I didn't start Old Man's War because I didn't want to start another long series. When I do, I think I'll give myself permission just to read the first two and then reassess.

Great update! I haven't read any of the Fry books though I've heard great things. I've heard the audio is really good. Is that how you read them? Glad you enjoyed Bonhoeffer & that his story has been preserved. I read the The Eye of the World years ago. I know I enjoyed it though I don't think I completed the series. I look forward to hearing what you think.
Happy Reading!

Ioana wrote: "Alondra wrote: "I like his writing, especially with Old Man's War; even though the subsequent books weren't as good (to me)"

To me, too. I loved Old Man's War and even The Ghost Brigades, the next..."

Agreed, Ioana. I think I am up to book 4. I may continue just to see how it ends; but none of the books have the humor or excitement of the first book. *sigh*

Patricia wrote: "Great update! I haven't read any of the Fry books though I've heard great things. I've heard the audio is really good. Is that how you read them? Glad you enjoyed Bonhoeffer & that his story has been preserved. I read the The Eye of the World years ago. I know I enjoyed it though I don't think I completed the series. I look forward to hearing what you think.
Happy Reading!"

The Fry books have grown on me - I think the third book Troy is my favorite thus far. I do listen to the audiobooks. When I read Homer, I preferred The Odyssey, so I'm eager to see if the next book by Fry also follows that pattern as it is entitled Odyssey: The Greek Myths Reimagined, so I imagine it is about the voyage.

I'm 6 hours into The Eye of the World and only 21% in, so it's going to be a long ride. Lots of description, and really only for intense fantasy lovers...but so far, so good. The GRC Award is for Book 13 in the series, so I am probably going to finish this one out, if I can. I've heard that some of the middle books are slow, so I hope I can handle it. :-)

I always love to see what you've been reading too! Hope December is good to us!

Alondra wrote: "Agreed, Ioana. I think I am up to book 4. I may continue just to see how it ends; but none of the books have the humor or excitement of the first book. *sigh*"

I hate it when good series peter out like that. There are so few that can keep the excitement of the first books. I always like to see how they end too, it is hard for me to abandon series...although obviously I abandon more series than I think. Lillie's/Your series challenge is showing me that. :-)

Lea wrote: "Alondra wrote: "Agreed, Ioana. I think I am up to book 4. I may continue just to see how it ends; but none of the books have the humor or excitement of the first book. *sigh*"

I hate it when good ..."

Agreed again! That series challenge is holding me accountable. I need to get to it!

December Mid-Month Report

Books Read: 6 books so far this month and 164 year to date.
57,201 Pages. I need to read 434 pages more this year to have it be the most pages read since I've been on GR. It's a long shot, but possible. However, I'll have to read 13 more books to have it be the most books since I've been on GR. That is much less likely to happen.

Books from Filling in the Gaps: 80/100; 2022 Books 3/4, 2023 Books 7/12, 2024 Books 70/84

Books from 12+4 Challenge: 16/16

Recently finished:

Starter Villain - I have always been intimidated by John Scalzi, so I've never read anything before by him. That appears to be a mistake. This book is about a guy whose estranged uncle dies and leaves him responsible for his parking lot business. Come to find out there's so much more to the business. This book was great start to finish, I enjoyed the humor and the writing style very much. 4 stars.

Fly Away - This is a children's book about a girl who goes with her family to visit her aunt, and she learns about herself and her place in her family. I read it because I was determined that North Dakota would not be the last state I completed again on my States challenge and I liked it. 3 stars

The Best Way to Play - Someone I know is trying to read all Oprah's book list and she recommended that I go grab the children's book by Bill Cosby out of the library soon before they are no longer at the library. Just in case I want to finish her book list sometime, I did check out one of the three books while I was at the library. Despite the scandal associated with him (I do not limit my reading of books if I do not like what an author has done...it's a slippery slope for me and hard to figure out where my judgment would begin and end...but sometimes I do check them out of the library instead of purchasing another copy...) I liked the book. 3 stars

The Eye of the World - I've only read the first one in a 15-book series, and I'm invested. The first 100ish pages were rough going. I did not enjoy the way the characters were written, and I missed a bunch of things in the world building, which is the strength of this book. I did go back and re-read it, and I still think I missed some things. When Anne mentioned that she re-reads these books many times, I couldn't understand it, but now I see why. There are so many details. That said, I'm very interested in seeing what happens next. This is going to be a very interesting series. 3 stars

Ring Shout - The book is about race relations in 1915 in Georgia around the time A Birth of a Nation comes out. If I were to say more, you might immediately decide not to read it. It shouldn't work, but it does. It starts out intense and keeps going for 185 pages. It is so tightly written that it feels like a full-length novel versus the novella that it is. It's definitely worth it, but be prepared for some really graphic reading. 4 stars

Heroic Hearts - This is a compilation of a lot of short stories, including one in the Harry Dresden series. I know I was supposed to feel something about Toot Toot protecting his master from evil gremlins in exchange for pizza, but for me, this missed the mark and was just OK. Nothing really happened. 2 stars

Currently reading:

Those Beyond the Wall - This is the sequel to The Space Between Worlds. I'm about 76% of the way through and I have mixed feelings on this one. In some ways, it's better than the first because we know how the world works. However, there were certain things that happened in the first book and I feel like this book contradicts and/or attempts to reverse what happened to make a better story here and I'm not sure I'm on board with that. In addition, there are things that were added in this book, that if it were possible, would have changed the way characters interacted in the first book. I'm going to finish this out, but I may abandon the series after this.

Mornings on Horseback - I'm loving this book. Why did it take me so long to read it?

The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War - I'm also really liking this book.

My series progress will be maintained on my series thread.

Alondra wrote: "Agreed again! That series challenge is holding me accountable. I need to get to it!"

I think I'm just going to start reading all the same series that everyone else is. I'm totally having series envy.

I finally braved a John Scalzi this year as well. Just like you, I'm so glad I did. I'm now looking forward to reading more of his work. I've also had the first Wheel of Time book for awhile.. Time to delve into that series, methinks. You've had a great Dec and year. Enjoy the last couple of weeks.

The only book here I've read is Eye of the World and that was so long ago! I think I read 7 or 8 in the series. I'll be interested in seeing your progress.
I, too, have wanted to read Mornings on Horseback for a good while. Glad you're enjoying it. I am reading his John Adams right now though, so maybe I'll get to it next year.
Hope your holidays are full of great reading!

Glad you enjoyed Starter Villain. It sounds like so much fun. I am ready for it!!

I totally agree with Ring, Shout. It shouldn't work, but it does!!

Bill wrote: "I finally braved a John Scalzi this year as well. Just like you, I'm so glad I did. I'm now looking forward to reading more of his work. I've also had the first Wheel of Time book for awhile.. Time to delve into that series, methinks. You've had a great Dec and year. Enjoy the last couple of weeks."

Yes, I'm definitely reading more Scalzi in the future.

The Wheel of Time series is one to pick up when you are ready for a tome. It took me awhile. I know you've just finished Wanderers. If you want to tackle Wayward, don't read the two at the same time or you will be in tome overload. LOL. :-) I am going to try and keep going on Wheel of Time series, at one book a month. We'll see if I can keep the pace, that will be a challenge.

Patricia wrote: "The only book here I've read is Eye of the World and that was so long ago! I think I read 7 or 8 in the series. I'll be interested in seeing your progress.
I, too, have wanted to read Mornings on Horseback for a good while. Glad you're enjoying it. I am reading his John Adams right now though, so maybe I'll get to it next year.
Hope your holidays are full of great reading!

I heard the Wheel of Time series kind of peters out Book 6-8, so well done for getting that far. I need to get to book #13, in order to complete my GRC Awards, so I'm getting prepared. I've heard the ending of the series is good, but the amount of work it takes to get there will be a challenge. I'll give you my opinion at the end if I think it would be worth it to keep going with the series.

I loved John Adams, if memory serves me correctly, that was my introduction to McCullough. I'm on my 7th book now, and they've all been great!

I hope the rest of 2024 is full of good books for you too, Pat! :-)

Alondra wrote: "Glad you enjoyed Starter Villain. It sounds like so much fun. I am ready for it!!

I totally agree with Ring, Shout. It shouldn't work, but it does!!"

Yes, I think you are the person who suggested Ring, Shout to me. The more I read about it, the less I wanted to read it. It just sounds terrible. But missing that book would have been a big mistake. Maybe it is one of those books that the less you know about it, the better it is! What an incredible book!

Lea wrote: "Bill wrote: "I finally braved a John Scalzi this year as well. Just like you, I'm so glad I did. I'm now looking forward to reading more of his work. I've also had the first Wheel of Time book for ..."

There is a 2nd book!!!

Bill wrote: "There is a 2nd book!!!"

Yes! Better add it to the series and decide whether to continue or abandon. :-)

Yay! You read Ring Shout. It was a favorite of mine from last year but then I'm the author's fangirl. Can't wait for his next, whatever it is, to come out. Glad it worked for you.

I've only read one Scalzi and it should've worked but it didn't. Maybe I need to do a reread cause it really is up my alley, sci-fi, Star Treky, Redshirts. A good friend loves this author and from your reaction to Starter Villain, I need to give him another chance.

On a side note, it's mid-December already? What? Sigh

Lillie wrote: "Yay! You read Ring Shout. It was a favorite of mine from last year but then I'm the author's fangirl. Can't wait for his next, whatever it is, to come out. Glad it worked for you.

I've only read one Scalzi and it should've worked but it didn't. Maybe I need to do a reread cause it really is up my alley, sci-fi, Star Treky, Redshirts. A good friend loves this author and from your reaction to Starter Villain, I need to give him another chance.

On a side note, it's mid-December already? What? Sigh"

I've heard that Scalzi's writing is uneven, and sometimes the humor works for one person but not the next. It's kind of like recommending Douglas Adams. Some love him, some don't get the humor and some of us are in the middle, laughing at some things and not laughing at some of the other things. So, I'm not sure what to suggest for you. There may be Scalzi books you'd enjoy or he may just be a no-go for you.

Lea wrote: "So, I'm not sure what to suggest for you. There may be Scalzi books you'd enjoy or he may just be a no-go for you."

So true! But I’m going to reread Redshirts, give it another chance. On occasion I’ll go back and reread a book I’ve either abandoned or given a low rating to. This year it was A Natural History of Dragons. I’m glad I did cause I really enjoyed it this time around.

Lillie wrote: "So true! But I’m going to reread Redshirts, give it another chance. On occasion I’ll go back and reread a book I’ve either abandoned or given a low rating to. This year it was A Natural History of Dragons. I’m glad I did cause I really enjoyed it this time around."

Lillie, that's an excellent idea!! I'll have to consider that. I usually pick one book/series for a re-read, but usually I pick books I haven't read in a long time. It might make sense to re-read some books that I didn't enjoy, because I am such a moody reader!

December Month End Report

Books Read: 12 books this month and 170 year to date.
58,967 Pages.

Books from Filling in the Gaps: 80/100; 2022 Books 3/4, 2023 Books 7/12, 2024 Books 70/84

Books from 12+4 Challenge: 16/16

Previously discussed:

Starter Villain
Fly Away
The Best Way to Play
The Eye of the World
Ring Shout
Heroic Hearts

Recently finished:

Those Beyond the Wall - My comments from midmonth still stand. I was disappointed in this sequel. I feel like this book contradicts and/or attempts to reverse what happened previously to make a more compelling tale here, and I'm not OK with that. I think this is a series I will abandon, but we'll see. 2 stars

Coyote Lost and Found - This is the sequel to The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, and while it was good, it wasn't as good as the original, from my perspective. It's another story about loss and there's a road trip involved, so I loved that. 3 stars

Children of Anguish and Anarchy - I am currently pretending that this book doesn't exist. I cannot believe we waited four years for this. Since I was taught to say something nice, I will mention that the cover is amazing. 1 star.

Before We Forget Kindness - Another installment to the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series. It's a bit stale and more of the same, but it's also kind of cozy to read. You know just what type of story you will be getting. 3 stars

The Tin Woodman of Oz - I liked it. I always enjoy reading about quests, and even though this one was super silly, I had fun with it. It won't be a favorite, but it was entertaining. 3 stars

Hot Mess - The next book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. It's summer vacation with the family in this one. 3 stars

Currently reading:

Mornings on Horseback - I didn't make much progress, but I'm still enjoying the book.

The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War - I'm still working on this book. It won't be my favorite Larson book, but it is still good and keeping my interest.

Swan Song - Elin Hilderbrand's last book? Surely she'll write more. So far, I'm enjoying.

Series started: 20 series
Series finished: 40 series (for now)
Total series books read: 104
More detail on my series thread.

Book of the month: Starter Villain
Worst book: Children of Anguish and Anarchy was not for me
Biggest surprise: probably how disappointed I was in some of the endings to these series. :-(
Greatest accomplishment: more pages read than any other year since I've been on GR (2008)

I'll check up on your 2025 reading! Happy new Year!

Congrats on a well-read year! I'll be interested in your final thoughts on the Larson book. I've seen mixed reviews.--I've listened to Hilderbrand's podcast & I think she's serious about shutting down the Nantucket books. That well may have run dry. However, she is working on a book with her daughter that may be out next year. A thriller? I think.
Happy Reading in '25!

170 books! My girl!

I agree with you on The Legacy of Orisha trilogy. I didn't even read the 2nd book!! I just didn't have the energy to deal with it. So many issues with execution. Even though I liked the first book; things didn't seem plausible. I know its fantasy and made up; but I need to believe it. Ugh.

Bill wrote: "I'll check up on your 2025 reading! Happy new Year!"

Thanks Bill. My TBR and I will be closely following your 2025 reading as well. Happy New Year to you!!

Patricia wrote: "Congrats on a well-read year! I'll be interested in your final thoughts on the Larson book. I've seen mixed reviews.--I've listened to Hilderbrand's podcast & I think she's serious about shutting down the Nantucket books. That well may have run dry. However, she is working on a book with her daughter that may be out next year. A thriller? I think.
Happy Reading in '25!"

So far, I'm just over halfway through Larson's book, and I don't know. I enjoy it when I'm listening to it, but I can put it down too. It doesn't appear to be as gripping as some of his other books have been.

I am excited about the prospect of a Hilderbrand thriller. It would be fun to see what she does with a different genre. I also have plenty of her books to catch up on, so I'm sure I'll be fine. It's so interesting to read her work - most of the time I don't love the characters but I'm still interested in the the story.

Wishing you all the best for 2025 also!

Alondra wrote: "170 books! My girl!

I agree with you on The Legacy of Orisha trilogy. I didn't even read the 2nd book!! I just didn't have the energy to deal with it. So many issues with execution. Even though I liked the first book; things didn't seem plausible. I know its fantasy and made up; but I need to believe it. Ugh."

I would read the first book again. But both of the next two books went downhill. Such a promising start and a lackluster ending. I feel like she's a strong author, but may either be listening to her editor too much, or stopped listening to the editor? Either way, the series started so promising, but then took a hard pivot to hit a bingo card full of scenarios and characters which it did not need to do. And in the end, the series moved from entertainment to requiring a significant amount energy to read. My disappointment is so strong because it started out so well. Happy New Year, Alondra!!

Lea wrote: "I would read the first book again. But both of the next two books went downhill. Such a promising start and a lackluster ending. I feel like she's a strong author, but may either be listening to her editor too much, or stopped listening to the editor?..."

I think she just believed in her own hype and did not listen to reviewers. No way to continue as she did and never fix the issues. Of course, I am going by reviewers and what they have said. I may try book 2, but only because I own it.