Sue's Updates

Sue is on page 257 of 329 of Parable of the Sower

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 07:56:34 -0700

Sue Smith is on page 257 of 329 of Parable of the Sower.

Sue is on page 190 of 329 of Parable of the Sower

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 08:44:07 -0700

Sue Smith is on page 190 of 329 of Parable of the Sower.

Sue wants to read 'Yellowface'

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 08:33:47 -0700

Sue wants to read Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Sue is currently reading 'Parable of the Sower'

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 08:08:21 -0700

Sue is currently reading Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

Sue is currently reading 'How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying'

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 17:47:06 -0700

Sue is currently reading How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler

Sue added 'Macbeth'

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 11:40:54 -0700

Sue gave 2 stars to Macbeth (Hogarth Shakespeare) by Jo Nesbø
bookshelves: books-read-in-2025
If I have to completely honest - I wasn't overly entralled with this book. Let me explain.

I love the Shakespeare MacBeth. It was, by far, the best play we dissected in High School english class. It had depth and intrique mixed with violence and passion with healthy portions of the supernatural and the cold hard reality of life.

It is a play that still can resonate in this - modern - world. Only darker and more violently than you can imagine. With a lot less supernatural influence and a whole lot more blood and death.

Welcome to the world of Jo Nesbø.
It was the most uncomfortable read I've had for a long time.

It's based on the original play of course, down to the characters names and the key points of the play, but without the subtlety of Shakespeares timing and with the overplay of violence and death. So although I knew the outcome of the ending, I still found this book less than palletable and at times a massive chore to get through. Perhaps if it wasn't based on Macbeth, that it had an original plot, it would have marched forward with a faster pace without the dread of the inevitable ending. I don't know. It just became a burden to read.

So if you're venturing down this road - be forewarned. It's not a pleasant read. It's dark and gritty and dirty with a bit of hope thrown in here and there. The best part for me was having it end.

Sue added 'The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England'

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 11:13:26 -0700

Sue gave 3 stars to The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England (Hardcover) by Brandon Sanderson
bookshelves: books-read-in-2025
I do applaud Brandon Sanderson's off-t0-the-side-one-of writing projects. It's a great exercise to see if it could be spun into something else, or something more. And ,boy oh boy, you just can't beat Brandon Sanderson's writing. He can get you into anything!

This one - maybe not so much - but it was a fun place to visit and to go along with the protagonist as they discover they are more than they thought they were. I listened to the audio book and there were times I wished that I had a physical copy to see if there was a map or something more "visual" to check in with. It's nice to see a visual representation of the layout (map) or a quick sketch of what they were thinking of.

But that being what it was, it was still a fun and action packed story. I would definitely recommend that you read some of Brandon Sanderson's main books before you read his 'stand-alones' though. He is a fantastic author and these fun side projects really don't display his ability to world build, so it would be a tragedy to dismiss his works on them alone.

Sue added 'Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts'

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 11:12:54 -0700

Sue gave 4 stars to Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts (Hardcover) by Kate Racculia
bookshelves: books-read-in-2025
If quirky had a poster book ..... this would be it.

I have to be honest that I wasn't sure if I was going to read this or not. I started it and then put it down. But I would start to think about it and pick it back up again .......only to put it back down again ....and then would start to think about it (again) .....anddddd......you get the picture. I don't think I properly started to read it until I had a deadline from the library that forced my hand. Read it or hand it back.

So I am glad that I finished it off. Quirky it was, but it lots going on and ended up being quite endearing. I loved the characters and I loved the convoluted storyline (in the end). I don't think you could have had one without the other actually and both enhanced the other.

Well worth the read!

Sue added 'Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts'

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 11:05:27 -0700

Sue is currently reading 'Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism'

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 12:55:04 -0700

Sue is currently reading Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell