Sheri’s Comments (group member since Jul 25, 2016)

Sheri’s comments from the EPBOT Readers group.

Hi all,

Been kind of scattered the last couple weeks and missed check ins and postings everywhere. Fighting off a cold, almost through it. Thankfully, since i'm leaving on a much needed vacation tomorrow!

I've had several finishes:

Bookshops & Bonedust - finished audio re-read, i really like travis as an audio book narrator which makes sense, since that's what he started as. Normally i don't love listening to female-led books read by male narrators, but he did a really good job with the voicing.

Apprentice to the Villain - i really like this series, can't wait for the next book. It's fun and charming, and different from a lot of fantasy romance type stuff out now.

Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books - my books & brews book for april. I liked it quite a bit, feels rather timely. Maybe if more people would actually READ the book instead of banning them, lives would improve.

What Feasts at Night - another tbr pick, this was interesting. Don't think it was more Poe, but exploring more mythology. Will be interesting to see if the series continues, and how that goes with what stories get pulled in.

Clockwork Boys - read for the vaginal fantasy book club, though it really isn't much of a romance yet. There's some tension but it's much more of a standard epic fantasy/doomed quest sort of book. Looking forward to continuing the series. I really like the range she writes under the T Kingfisher name.

Currently reading:

Once Upon A Ghost - another tbr challenge pick. It's a book of short stories by various fantasy authors with haunted twists of fairy tales. It's fun, if not amazing.

Poor Things - current audio book. I love the movie, it's so strange and beautiful. thought I'd check out the book. The book is also strange, but much different.

QOTW: I do tend to guess plot twists. I read a lot, and it also might be something to do with being auADHD, i can kind of see patterns forming so I can a lot of times see where things are going and make a guess to where things will end up. Depends on how much I'm paying attention though. If I'm distracted i'll miss obvious tells. If i'm focused I'll make really big jumps and be right.

Hi all,

Hope everyone is hanging in there ok. It's nice that we're finally getting a bit of warm up here in Michigan. I see grass again! Tuesday was actually warm enough i went for a walk in a leather jacket instead of a winter one, and it was sunny.

This week I finished:

A Letter to the Luminous Deep - I had bought this mostly based on a gorgeous cover and an interesting blurb and I thought maybe the girl living at the bottom of the sea was a mermaid. She wasn't, but it was still a really interesting story. I hadn't really known what to expect, but it wasn't what I got. Really fantastical, i enjoyed it quite a lot. The benefit to not getting around to it for a while is now the next book is due out in May so I only have a couple months to wait instead of nearly a year.

Currently reading:

Assistant to the Villain - I accidentally bought Apprentice to the Villain, so got this from the library to read first. I like it so far.

QOTW:

How late into a book do you realize it will be one that you will recommend others to read as well?

Generally as soon as I decide I'm enjoying a book I might tentatively decide on who I think might enjoy it. But I generally wait until a book is fully finished before I will wholesale recommend it to anyone, just in case the ending is a letdown. So even if I'm talking to someone about the book, i might say something like "oh yeah it seems like the kind of book you might like, but i'm not finished with it yet. I'll let you know my full opinion when I'm done". not necessarily saying "No don't read it" but just making it clear that I cannot vouch for the whole thing. I take book recommendations seriously. I try to tailor them to the people i am recommending to. I don't want people being put off by me recommending books they ended up hating because I'm recommending sci fi books to pure romance readers etc.

Hi all,

Been another really cold week here, so tired of winter! But luckily, it's starting to warm up this weekend. Next week it's supposed to get into the 40's! Looking forward to getting some snow melted. Maybe even going for a walk outside.

I just checked in on Monday so already covered some stuff, but I did read a couple short ones since then:

The Z Word - this is a queer version of the zombie apocalypse, involving corporate appropriation of pride. It's billed as laugh out loud funny, which I didn't find accurate. I'd say it's a dark comedy at best. There's a lot of queer drama, some darkly funny moments, but overall it's a commentary on some pretty dark themes about capitalism and how queerness is only acceptable when it's useful. Also lots of death and violence. I liked it, but it's not a comedy/light hearted type book that the cover and blurbs imply.

Homicide at the Haunted House - This was cute and fun. Cozy mysteries aren't my usual thing, but i liked the supernatural add ons.

Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity - finally finished the audio book. This was really good, and helpful for me. Really made me feel seen, explained a lot of challenges I've had in my life. I've always kind of known/suspected I've had ADHD but guessing about the autism has only been in the last couple years. This pretty much confirmed it for me.

Currently reading:

A Letter to the Luminous Deep - just started this, no real opinions yet.

QOTW:

Are there any movie/tv show adaptions that you enjoyed more than the book?

There's actually a fair number I'd say. A few off the top of my head are:

True Blood. I never really liked the books that much. The show rounded the characters out more, gave them more personality.

Princess Bride - I didn't really "get" the book, I hadn't understood that the whole reference to the giant version was a joke, (I think i was in high school maybe) and i thought it was weird. I think the Grandpa scenes worked way better in film.

Forrest Gump - I kinda hated the book. There were a lot of really gross parts.

Alas Madame Doubtfire - It's the book the movie was nominally based from, very loosely. I read it as a kid because I loved the movie and uh...yeah it was NOT very similar. The father was way less charming than Robin Williams and it made the whole deal seem way creepier.

Hi all,

We were supposed to see Phantogram Thursday for our Valentines date, but someone got sick so it's postponed. Didn't really have anything else planned, that was our date night. Didn't really feel like driving into Detroit on a really cold windy night without the concert to go to, so just ate at the only really decent local restaurant we have left and called that as good as it gets this year. Snowed all weekend so we didn't really want to venture further. Friday I had ran out to Joannes before snow started to grab some supplies before it closes. I'm so upset, i have nowhere else really reasonable to get fabric at. Michael's selection isn't great.

This week I finished:

She's Up to No Good - This isn't my usual genre, but it was alright. I liked a bit more than I expected. Felt a little long and jumped around a lot.

A Sorceress Comes to Call - I really loved this. I enjoy T Kingfisher in general, and her take on dark fairy tales are always fun. Also I'd gotten this is an book store splurge with a gift card, and the hard cover is lovely with gold embossing and varnishes on the cover.

Currently reading:

Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity - still plugging through this. I keep having to stop and process a while. So much stuff in my life that makes sense now.

The Z Word - a queer rendition of the zombie apocalypse. Be gay, fight zombies? The blurbs kept emphasizing how funny it is. It's...a dark comedy at best, not really laugh out loud at all. More queer drama, some dark funny quirks, and zombies.

QOTW:
Hm...Maybe The Count of Monte Christo. I don't love classics to begin with. I tend to find them hard to wade through, with the changes in language and attitudes and pacing. So taking on a 1200 unabridged version of a classic was pretty intimidating. It took me 6 months to get through, mainly because i got stuck on a section that was SO LONG and SO BORING and i put it down for something like 4 months before finally making a deal with myself to read at least 2 chapters in between every book I read just to make some progress and get it done eventually. Once I got past that section it did get better. But man, you could tell the dude was getting paid by the the word.

Oh and I did attempt the Tale of Genji. maybe I had a bad translation but I think i maybe made it a 1/3d of the way through before I just tapped out.

Hi all,

Hosted a stitch-n-bitch over the weekend, it was a good time. Haven't had one in a long while, used to go to them weekly at a steampunk bookstore/tea shop. But once that closed, lost venue. Not willing to host every week, but going to try to host every month or so, maybe. We'll see how it goes once the weather gets nice and weekends start filling up.

This week I finished:

Service Model - I ended up really enjoying this. It was a little bleak, since it seemed to be a bit pointed at "hey, this is what we're automating ourselves into", but there was enough humor to keep it from just being depressing. I liked Uncharles a lot. He wasn't the same type of humor as Murderbot, but I think fans of one could probably get behind the other.

A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance - This is for my books & brew, tomorrow. I liked it quite a bit. I'm glad I did the audiobook, the writing is very lyrical and it lended itself well to being read aloud. I'm not sure if I'd have gotten it as well reading it to myself.

Now Is Not the Time to Panic - another tbr challenge pick. I'd picked this up a while back because i'd enjoyed Nothing to See Here. I enjoyed this one pretty well too, although it ended so abruptly I actually paged back to see if I had accidentally skipped forward somehow. but aside from that, i enjoyed it.

Currently reading:

She's Up to No Good - another tbr pick. I'm not even sure where this one came from. A first reads, possibly. I like it alright so far. Generational road trip with a Grandmother and Grandaughter, learning the family history and romance and such.

Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity - My therapist recommended I try this, and i feel both seen and called out. It's really good, but I need to take breaks to process. I know self diagnosis is seen as fully accepted within the community, due to America's medical system and how so much of what is known about Autism is centered around rich white cisgender males. But any time I mention I think i have it in addition to my ADHD and someone questions it at all, i feel a little shakey in that. I'm only a couple hours into the book, and I've seen so many of my behaviors laid out in the "nonstandard, underdiagnosed" sections. It's really both reassuring, and frustrating that it's taken THIS long to figure things out.

QOTW: I still get pretty car sick if i try to read in the car while sitting up. If i am in a situation where i can lay down, i can usually read ok. When I was a kid, we had a mini van even though there were only two kids. My brother got the back bench seat, and i got the smaller middle seat, but with the cooler tucked at the end where the door opened and i padded the whole thing out with my sleeping bag, and my pillow wedged against the door. I'd put my seatbelt on and wiggle enough room so i could lay down while still being belted in and be able to nap and read and play handheld tiger games with no problem. But if I have to sit up, and look down at my phone or book too much I can get sick, especially if we're on surface roads and it's curvy or a lot of stop and go traffic.

I dont' have problems on trains or planes though.

Hi all,

Didn't get a chance to post last week, got busy. I agree that it feels like it's been january forever. I just want spring to be here. At least then I can start going outside again. I have plans involving making queer art and sticking it out in public places as my own little act of resistance. but I don't want to do it while it's all snowy.

I finished:

The Ghost Bride - This was ok, not amazing. I liked the concept a lot, I wasn't really familiar with this concept of the underworld so it was interesting to have that feature a lot. However the main character was kind of annoying and some of the writing felt kind of flat, although that could have been a translation issue.

Compulsory - i needed something to fill the gap between books, so i just read a quick little murderbot short story. I liked it, as usual.

I'm posting late, so normally these next two would go on this week's post. but who knows if i'll get to this week's post or not, so might as well post now.

A Market of Dreams and Destiny - I've read several books involving a goblin market in some fashion, but this is the first time i think that focused more on the merchant side rather than the people looking for things to buy. It was an interesting change of pace. I also liked that it was a gay love story that was not a questioning/coming out story. Their sexuality was a given, just a little "...am i reading his signals right?" that's pretty typical with queer dating or even really dating in general.

Just Like Home - I saw they had a new book coming out and it reminded me that I never got around to this one and I'd wanted to. I listened to the audio, the narrator was pretty good. I liked it quite a bit. Creepy, unsettling, didn't quite guess where the story was going. Normally I hate books where I don't like the characters. But everyone was terrible in really interesting ways, so I still wanted to know what happened to them.

currently reading:

Service Model - usually i get annoyed when i see blurbs saying "oh fans of _____ book will love this! or this is a combination of _____ book and _____ book!" because if i've read those, and i read it, I find I'm often disappointed by the comparison. Either I find the comparison totally wrong, or I think they're comparing in a very superficial way and not in a "this is why people who like this would WANT to read something else like it" way. But this was described as Murderbot meets Redshirts and I can actually kind of see it. The main character is a robot who is finding themselves malfunctioning in a particularly murderous way, and they have to figure out just what is going on in the world that this came to pass. The writing style does remind me a bit of scalzi's humor, and while this robot isn't murderbot, I can at least see the comparisons and agree that fans of both scalzi and murderbot would like it. (which I am and so far i do).

I'll also probably be starting the audio book for A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance soon. If not today, then tomorrow.

QOTW:

I've seen plenty of books that haven't aged well. Whether from racism, sexism, language that makes you cringe etc. I think one book that really surprised me that it DID age well was Elizabeth and Her German Garden. It was published in 1898, originally published anonymously because her husband would have found it unacceptable for his wife to write commercial fiction. It was semi-autobiographical and makes snarky commentary on the bourgeois german society. I related a lot to her complaining about being expected to entertain GUESTS when all she really wanted to do was work in her garden. It actually felt relatable, when so often older fiction doesn't.

Hi all,

It's just been so cold here! Luckily it's finally warmed up to 19 degrees, so the mini split in the addition is actually able to work a little bit. I'm not wrapped up in 3 blankets and wearing gloves all day and still freezing. Very ready for winter to be over, sigh.

Hope everyone else is keeping warm!

The last couple weeks i finished:

The Beast Player - this was interesting, a bit different than American YA. A little less chosen-one vibes, less constant romantic tension distracting from the actual plot. I liked it, will probably read the second one eventually. Part of my TBR challenge.

Signal Moon - Another TBR challenge pick, just a short story. It's by the same author as The Rose Code but this one has a sci fi time bending element. I liked it enough i might read the Rose Code later.

Currently reading:

The Ghost Bride - this is interesting so far. About halfway done. Another tbr pick, I've had it for ages and just never got to it. Probably a kindle deal at some point.

QOTW: Is there a book that literally caused your jaw to drop as you read it? Do you remember which book or what surprised you?

I don't know about a literal jaw drop. But there've been a few nonfiction books that had some real surprises in them. I would say Radium Girls was one, just realizing that even after it was becoming clear that radium was dangerous and that the MEN working with it were being given protective gear, the women painting the watch faces were still being assured it was safe and being encouraged to continue to stick the brushes in their mouths to get the perfect point. Or in The Woman Who Could Not Be Silenced, just how easy it was to lock up a perfectly sane woman and separate her from her children just for simply disagreeing with her husband. And just how difficult it was for her to get out, because things like showing disgust and hatred towards her husband, the man who put her there, was seen as proof of insanity because women weren't supposed to hate their husbands. Even if their husbands lie to them, tear them from their children, and shove them into an institution that abuses them for years on end.

A more positive example was Braiding Sweetgrass, reading about Indigenous farming techniques. I've read plenty about how modern agriculture is really hard on the land, and crops often have to be rotated or the earth will get drained of nutrients and have to be left barren until it recovers. With the way many Indigenous cultures farm, they planted crops together in ways that they supported and benefited each other. Such as the Three Sisters, corn, beans, squash. The corn grows tall, and gets the sun, uses nitrogen in the soil. Their stalks provide a place for the beans to grow up, and the beans produce nitrogen that go back into the soil to replenish it. But both of them have roots prone to sun damage, so the squash spread out low, and protect the roots, providing a nice shady screen, while i believe using a different mix of nutrients that help balance the soil.

Hi all,

Sorry for disappearing! Last year was a pretty rough year. I was getting diagnosed for ADHD, my cat's cancer came back, there was just a bunch going on with personal life, dealing with the general world...I just had no attention span and was having trouble keeping up with everything. I just couldn't keep up with all the various social medias and keeping track of books and I wasn't reading as much as usual. So sorry! Thank you to Susan and Shel for keeping this place going!

I'll try to be more active here this year!

I've gotten a nice little start on reading this year.

The Kamogawa Food Detectives - January books & brew read. I liked the idea of this book but i didn't love the execution. It felt a little repetitive. Most the action was just told, I 'd have liked to go with the detective on figuring out the food mysteries. Also the writing was a little stilted, although I don't know if that was a translation issue.

The Naturalist Society - i really liked this one. The magic system was interesting, based on classifying animals and plants and drawing power from understanding their traits. I also really liked Beth's determination to not be confined by society.

A Court of Sugar and Spice - read for felicia daye's vaginal fantasy book club. It was just ok for me. It couldn't really decide if it wanted to be a whimsical or dark fantasy and the juxtaposition was weird. but it did stay pretty consistent with plot and did what it set out to do. Things did get wrapped up pretty satisfactorily. Very spicy, lots of CWs, read with caution.

The Crescent Moon Tearoom - i got this from my book club's end of year book exchange. It was a nice january read. I love cozy magical tea books. This wasn't my FAVORITE one of the genre, but it was cute and cozy and low stakes.

I'm not sure where we are on questions, so I'll just borrow from popsugar this week: Are there any books you meant to read in 2024 that you didn't get to?

Not really. I was so scattered and having such a hard time reading last year, i quickly let any real goals or plans slide last year. So getting ANYTHING read was the goal. I wasn't really even paying attention to new books, or anything like that.

Hi all,

Such weird weather! Keeps fluctuating between "yes it's still winter" and "hey, spring is here!". I am very ready for spring. Even though I'm still in a Baulder's Gate hole so most of what i'm doing in the evening is playing.

Get thinking about what you want to read next, I'll probably put up a book suggestion thread next.

This week I finished:

Bluebird- This was a lot of fun, space heisty bounty hunting romp across the galaxy, evading bad guys. It managed to draw a nice line between being really fun without going SO silly and campy that you couldn't really take it seriously at all. there was a real story there, and real characters and emotions. I also appreciated it that was a queernorm world. Rig was persecuted for many things, but not for being a lesbian.


Monstress, Vol. 6: The Vow Monstress, Vol. 7: Devourer catching up on some monstress, really love this comic. I think it's about wrapped up which is a bit sad, but also I don't like stuff that goes on forever so glad it'll end while it's awesome.

A House with Good Bones - I really enjoy T Kingfisher, this was no exception. fun characters, creepy without being too scary. Really enjoyed it.

Eat the Rich - this was an alright comic. Kinda fun idea, but pretty predictable.

Once & Future, Vol. 4: Monarchies in the UK - interesting take on Arthurian mythos. I like it, but Arthurian isn't my favorite.

Culture: The Story of Us, From Cave Art to K-Pop - this was really fascinating. Rather than focusing on particular cultures, it was about the concept of culture, what it is, how it spreads, and what happens when it's interrupted and rediscovered. Delves into the idea of owning a culture, appropriation, exploitation, colonization etc. I really appreciated that it covered culture globally, not just focusing on Europe.

Before We Were Yours - this was picked for me for my book club's tbr challenge. I got it in a white elephant book exchange with the book club a few years ago and never got around to actually reading it. It didn't really seem my style so I kept avoiding it, but I couldn't quite bring myself to get rid of it unread. So this challenge finally got me to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised that i liked it! Wasn't really what i expected. Not something I'd re-read or anything, so it'll probably still eventually get donated, but glad i did give it a try.

Currently reading

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism - for my books & brew book club. Interesting read so far, looking in to the languages cults use, and also how other groups like MLMs, fitness groups, music followers, etc. use similar language and when it can be good and helpful and when it can be toxic and controlling.

The Best Thing You Can Steal - don't like reading nonfiction right before bed/first thin in morning so have this going too. It's just kind of a fun heisty romp. It reminds me a lot of his Nightside books. Like to the point where I keep feeling like he is writing around mentioning the Nightside in a weird way. Like he's trying to prove he doesn't HAVE to set everything in the same world, but it sure feels like this world is awfully similar without outright saying it. Like yes, it's still London. and it's a secret underground part of London that has magic stuff that goes on, and all kinds of shady characters that have weird abilities....but you know. A DIFFERENT shady underground part full of dark weird magic.

Shades of Milk and Honey - current audio book. I needed an audio book, and i'm sorta kinda doing popsugar so i looked up some nanowrimo books and this is one. I liked her calculating the stars so figured i'd try this. I don't love Austin, so i'm not super excited about Austin-like stuff but we'll see. It's ok so far, but i'm not riveted .

QOTW:

What makes you recommend a book?

I get kind of annoyed when people haphazardly recommend books to me. I am a picky reader, and there's so many books, so little time. So trying to get me to read some random book that in no way is relevant to my interests, without giving me some pretty compelling reasons why you think I, in particular, might enjoy it, won't really work. It just feels like you're shoving your tastes on people then, rather than really trying to share experiences.

If I'm recommending someone a book specifically, there's generally something in it that made me think of the person I'm recommending it to that made me think of them. Either i know they'd love the genre, or a character would really appeal to them, or something in the plot etc.

If someone's asking me for recommendations, especially if I don't know them as well, I usually ask for what kind of stuff they like or usually read, what they're looking for in a book. Then I'll tailor my recommendations based on what they're looking for. Sometimes I even recommend books I don't even like that much, if I think they might appeal to the person asking.

I just feel like recommending books is about the person who will be reading them, giving them a good experience of finding a new book they might not have tried. Rather than just trying to force people to read a book i like. Since if it's not something that would appeal to them, in general, making them read it isn't going to suddenly make them a fan. It'll just make them not want to read books I recommend because who know if they'd actually like it?

Hi all,

Hope everyone is having a good week! It's been a weird weather mix, keeps going from sunny and almost spring like to cold and now it's snowy today but it'll be warm and sunny again tomorrow with mid 40's next week. I have a concert tomorrow night, downtown. Hopefully all the snow is gone then!

This week I finished:

Fugitive Telemetry - Finished murderbot, then ran out of murderbot. (system collapse still has too long of a hold for a re-read and I really did just read it last month)

Heir of Uncertain Magic - felt the need for some cozy fantasy since i ran out of murderbot. This wasn't quite as good as The Keeper of Enchanted Rooms, but i still liked it. I think the last one just came out this week.

Currently reading:

Starter Villain - very much enjoying so far, but not very far in yet.

The Leftover Woman - still plugging away at this. Bit of tough going. I liked the other two books I read by this author. It's not exactly that i don't like this book. I like the overall story, but I wish it was all told from Jasmine's perspective. Every single time it switches over to Rebecca, i get annoyed and end up putting it down for a couple days and i get reluctant to start listening again because i know i have to pick up in her annoying spot that made me put it down in the first place. Maybe if i'd have gotten the print it'd have been easier to skim through it. It's not really the voice actor's fault, I don't think. It's just the way the character is written, is to be THAT kind of character.

QOTW: Borrowing from popsugar this week: If you were going to publish a book (or have published) would you use your real name or a pen name?

I would probably use my real name, but use my maiden name. There's some chance that my husband would also choose to publish some day and I wouldn't want us ending up confused with each other since ours would probably end up in the same sci fi/fantasy section of a bookshop.

Here are some questions if this helps with discussion, from the publishers website!

1. The Museum is founded with the intention of bringing justice to those who have never been held accountable for their atrocities. Is this mission statement fulfilled?

2. How would you characterize the relationship among the four assassins? How do they each fulfill their roles with regard to their respective talents?

3. Each of the four is recruited very young, at a vulnerable point in her life. How does this make them susceptible to recruitment? Is this ethical?

4. The foursome have spent their entire adult lives in the service of the Museum only to be betrayed by the organization to which they have given so much. How does this betrayal drive their actions?

5. How do each of the flashback missions relate to the current kills?

6. Naomi Ndiaye is a character who performs a critical role in the plot. How would you describe her? She allows circumstances to play out in order to secure the future of the Museum even though this puts the four assassins at greater risk. Was she right to do so?

7. Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie each bring something unique to their missions. How would you describe them? Which do you relate to more? Which talents would you bring to a mission?

8. Minka and Akiko are strong supporting characters. How does this network of women hold one another up? How does Constance fit into the idea of women who support other women?

9. Billie keeps a secret safe house in New Orleans. Does this make her wise or paranoid?

10. The four assassins have to “burn” their real identities and start over. Could you do this?

11. Much of the team’s success comes from being older and therefore overlooked and underestimated. How do they use this to their advantage? What advantages did they have as younger women working in a traditionally masculine trade?

12. How would Billie’s life have been different if she had pursued a relationship with Taverner? Was he right to follow his dreams of marriage and fatherhood even though it meant giving up the love of his life?

13. How would you characterize the relationships the four assassins have with the significant people in their lives? Does keeping their occupations secret protect these relationships? Or does it prevent real intimacy?

14. What do you think is next for the four assassins?

Oh I returned my copy already, I didn’t even check, whoops! Sure! Or feel free to just copy and paste done interesting ones here

Yeah, I thought it was a lot of fun. Good action-y story, I could also see it as a movie or mini series. And agreed, it’s action. You don’t need in depth back story and character growth out of this kind of genre.

Kind of reminded me of Gunpowder Milkshake with the Library and the Librarians checking out their books.

Let me know if anyone wants me to try to dig up questions for discussion. I don’t know how often this would be a book club pick, if some are out there or not.

Hi all,

Thanks Susan for putting up a post! I got busy, and was just now about to squeeze it in.

I've been in a reading slump in this new year. I got halted in my October Daye read through, partially due to library books and partially because I know the next one is when all the bad stuff goes down and i've been dragging my feet about it. But now i'm kind of in a wishy washy can't get settled and figure out what i'm in the mood for. I decided I'm DNFing Womb City. I tried it about 5 times in between Murder bot re-reads, and I just kept setting it down mid sentence. I just couldn't get invested, and most the reviews were full of people saying they also DNFed it so I didn't really feel like there was much hope.

I think i'm also going to return to nonfiction books I have out, I do want to read both of them in a general sense, but the thought of starting either right now is just unappealing.

Books I DID manage to finish:

Rogue Protocol, Exit Strategy, Network Effect, Fugitive Telemetry - Can never go wrong with murderbot, even in the slumpiest of slumps. So that at least gave me SOMETHING to read.

The Chronology of Water - I did finally finish the audio book. Again, i think this would have been better as a print book. Not because of the narrator, just for my personal preference for not wanting really upsetting content or very sexual content read out loud.

Killers of a Certain Age - The one non-murderbot book I managed to get into and finish! This was a lot of fun, liked it quite a bit. I'll try to put more thoughts over in the book club thread.

Currently reading:

A Thousand Ships - I started reading this, and while it's good and 100% something I want to read, it's not suiting my current slump/mood. I own it through so I can easily come back later.

Heir of Uncertain Magic - finally settled on cozy fantasy for being a decent bet for a slump book. It's not 100% grabbing me. I'm not sure if it's slump, or second book of series blues. But it's going better than anything else I tried, and it's still reasonably enjoyable so I'm goin with it.

The Leftover Woman - current audiobook. It's alright so far, although I like one perspective character much more than the other.

QOTW:

I tend to go more for creepy/weird/atmospheric horror rather than outright scary. That being said, House of Leaves did give me nightmares that my house was trying to eat me.

The blurb reminded me of RED, although I never saw the movie. I think Helen Mirren was the woman in that, wasn't she?

Hi everyone,

We're finally getting a bit of a warm up, high 30's this week and rain instead of snow. Was getting so tired of nearly zero/below zero wind chill. Going to actually leave the house this weekend!

Book Club: Poll winner is Killers of a Certain Age by a significant amount. We'll be reading it through March, so plenty of time. I have pre-reading and final thoughts thread put up. I also never close any threads, so anyone can go back and read old books and join in at any time!

This week I finished:

The Brothers Hawthorne - This was just good fun. Sort of Knives Out but less murder-y and more YA. (Not saying NO ONE ever dies in the series, but that's not the focus. More just puzzles and games and sneaky backstories),

River Sing Me Home - this was very much a case of a really good book that I was just NOT in the mood for. Well written, great story. Wasn't even really that depressing. Just didn't really feel like reading a slavery narrative right now so I kept dragging my feet on reading it. But it's my books & brews irl book club February pick, and my hold had come up so I wanted to ahead and get it read.

All Systems Red - Read this because I didn't really want to read about slavery right before bed.

Currently reading:

The Chronology of Water - still listening to this. wishing i'd gotten this in ebook. The narrator is great, but the subject matter is something I'd rather have read so I could kind of skim over some of the more upsetting bits, or at least not have to hear them said out loud.

Womb City - this came out this week and my hold already came up. It's a bit grim so far. Hopefully it picks up.

Artificial Condition - i just need some more murder bot so I'm reading SOMETHING I actually am looking forward to.


QOTW: Borrowing from popsugar again - Do you ever buy special editions of books?

I don't go out of my way to do so, but I have on occasion. I have a special edition of Neuromancer that was the cloth and foil edition that they did of some sci fi classics a few years ago. I already had a mass market paperback of it, but the book was really pretty and it's a classic. And I got the indie book store special edition of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue with the blue cover. Generally i'll only do it if I find them in an indie bookstore while I'm traveling and I want to support the store.

This is the thread for final thoughts on Killers of a Certain Age.

Spoilers are allowed here, so don't read this thread until after you've finished!

The January 2024 book selection is Killers of a Certain Age! This is the thread for writing your pre-reading thoughts. Are you excited? Dreading it? No spoilers in this thread!

Hi all,

Sorry i missed last week and getting the poll set up. It's been extremely cold and work's picked up a bit and just didn't have a chance to make a post while at my computer.

Book Club I have made a poll here https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2... Vote for what you want and I'll leave it for a week or so and announce the winner.

This week I read:

Highfire - not what i expected. Foul mouthed swamp dragon hiding out in the bayou, trying to avoid humans and their cameras an high powered weaponry. Ends up befriending a kid and getting pulled into the New Orleans underworld.

When Sorrows Come - this is probably my favorite toby book so far! And that's why i'm taking a bit of a break from continuing because i read the blurb from the back and realized the next one is where everything goes down and I want to just wallow in the "yayyy" for a bit. They deserve a break ok?

Leaping Beauty: And Other Animal Fairy Tales - cute book of fairy tale retellings re-written to involve animals.

A Killing Frost - more toby

The Library at Mount Char - read this for my tbr challenge, have had it for years and kept never reading it. It was so weird, and out there but i liked it overall.

Nettle & Bone - audio re-read for my irl book club. Loved it the second time around too! and for a change, everyone seemed to like the book.

QOTW:

Im just borrowing from popsugar this week: Do you judge books by covers? How does it it affect your reading?

I absolutely do. If I'm wandering a book store or library, the pretty/interesting/eye catching covers are what make me stop and pick a book up to read the back/cover or look it up. If i hear a book is good and it has a bad cover, i won't refuse to read it, but i'll probably want to just get it on kindle from the library or an audiobook. I wouldn't spend money for a book on my shelf that wasn't going to look nice. (at least nowadays, i was less picky when i was younger and shopping mostly used)

Welcome to posting Lindsay! Reading with parents is special! I remember reading with my mom. I don’t know exactly when it stopped but I still remember fondly.