You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

Please read through the reporting thread carefully to ensure to report correctly to get your badge/s.

After you have read your chosen book(s) for this month's group theme read, please report in the thread below.

Please state what book you read (and link it), that you discussed it (and where), and briefly summarise what you thought of the book and/or link to your review if you have written one.

If you lead the discussion, please state this in your post.

Here is an example for how to report your read:

“I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and discussed it in the [Harry Potter/Buddy Read/Other books in theme] thread. I really enjoyed the book. I watched the film first so I already knew the story line but I was surprised how much I enjoyed the book more as there was more detail involved. Plus I listened to the audio which was narrated by Stephen Fry who is a superb narrator. 4 stars.”

If you read more than one book which fits the theme, please report all your reads in the same post rather than in separate posts.

Please note, there are THREE different badges that can be obtained for group reads. Those reading and discussing one of the two chosen group reads will receive a colourful badge similar to those for previous group reads. Those reading and discussing any other book in the theme will receive a stamp. The discussion leader for the two chosen group reads will receive a badge stating they led the discussion. Maximum amount of badges you can receive for the group reads is TWO - one for the chosen group read/discussion leader and one for any other book in the theme.

In order to receive a badge you must:
1. put your Wall of Fame Name at the beginning of your post as follows: WoF Name - Peggy
2. have read the book(s) before or during June 2019.
3. discussed it in the relevant thread. Discussion must be more than "I read the book and I liked it". Discussion requires something more substantial and analytical of what you read, for example, thoughts, opinions, impact it had on you, what was your favourite part, was it what you expected it to be like etc. You may also like to review the book and post a link to the review in that thread.
4. Report that you have read AND discussed the book in the reporting thread below, along with a brief summary of what you thought.

WoF - Jenn
I read Wintersong for the June theme as it has a rose on the cover, and I put some thoughts on the appropriate thread. I thought it was quite beautiful, and tragic. Much of it left me with a feeling that Bowie would appear at any moment as The Goblin King Sr. Loki found the imagery quite lovely, and am very much looking forward to the next in series.

I also read A Court of Thorns and Roses for the group read, and have been chiming in in its thread. It was an entertaining not so YA romp with the fairy tales (a fun variation with masks), but disappointing when I think they could have done so much more with it 😞
It has me almost wanting to read on in the series to see if they tie up some of the frayed story line (view spoiler)[ there has to be more to the mercenary, and what happens to the sisters, and Lucien . . . (hide spoiler)] it just feels a little incomplete

WoF - Janice

I read A Court of Thorns and Roses which was one of the two selected reads.

I gave this 3.5 stars. The pacing was inconsistent. The middle dragged a bit and there were some truly eye-rolling moments.

The final section of the book was the most engaging, full of action and suspense. I ended up reading till I was finished at 2:00 this morning.

Overall, the story was much darker than I anticipated.

WoF - Lisa GB

I read A Court of Thorns and Roses and discussed it in the appropriate thread.

I was torn between giving this 2 stars or 3 stars. In the end I settled on 2 but 2.5 would be more accurate. I had a lot of problems with this book. Many of the characters were underdeveloped or outright wasted and the pacing was all over the place. There was also far too much "lovey dovey angst" for my liking. My eyes were rolling so much they actually ached. I also felt the author included too many things that were not explored properly. She had some good ideas but didn't see them all through properly. Like others here, I found the last third of the book to be the most engaging. The pacing picked up, the tension increased and the romance took more of a back seat.

Despite the problems I had with this book, I certainly didn't hate it. It was readable and it did have moments where it was actually quite good. As of yet, I am undecided as to whether I will continue on with the series.

WOF- Sarah K

I read one of the group's books, A Court of Thorns and Roses ( https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... ). I discussed the book in the designated thread.

I gave this book 4 stars. It would've been a 3, but the ending really saved the book for me.

I loved all of the characters, especially Feyre. I loved that the book was a Beauty and the Beast retelling. The pacing does vary a lot which made the first half of the book difficult to get through, but the second half did salvage the story for me.

WoF - Kristie

I read Doctor Who: The Stone Rose and discussed it in the general theme thread. I was pretty disappointed with this book. I found it to be just mediocre and I wasn't really engaged with it. I don't think the writing was particularly bad, but the story was just meh. I'd give it 2.5 stars, but it wasn't really good enough to round up, so it got 2 stars from me.

WoF - Amanda(Lily)

I read A Court of Thorns and Roses and discussed it in the appropriate thread. I wasn't a big fan of this book. I just didn't like the YA, "insta-love" feel combined with very adult scenes or the fact that the first 3/4 of the book was pretty boring. Also, there was so much that could have been done with the characters but wasn't that the book felt unfinished. I gave the book 2 stars.

WoF margo

I read A Court of Thorns and Roses and I participated in the discussion.

This was a mixed bag for me. I really enjoyed the last 30% when the plot started to gain some momentum. Until that point I could cheerfully have walked away from the story and written it off as typical YA trash.

The things main I enjoyed in this one were it's nods to multiple fairy tales, the magical creatures featured and, most of all, the fact that the main character was not sitting around waiting to be rescued.

I am not going list out the little niggles I had with the first half of the book, I will summarise and simply say that it used a lot of YA tropes. I also had a problem with the strange mix of YA and very adult themes

Overall, I rated the story 3.5 stars. There has been a really good sale on audible UK this week where I bought the 2nd and 3rd parts of the trilogy.

WoF Saar the Book Owl.

I've read I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

I found the afterword more interesting than the whole story, but maybe that's just me. If the author wrote about her real life, like she did in the afterword, maybe I would've found it better. I just couldn't connect with the world of Yr and the whole logic behind it. I also missed the depth in the story about her parents and sister. Mostly it was about Deborah, but I wanted to know more on how the family got through this.

WoF Debra T

I read and discussed I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.

I agree with Saar that the afterword was more interesting than the story. And I also had time connecting to the imaginary world of Yr. I gave the book 4 stars because I think it was groundbreaking for the time, and still relevant today.

WofF TrudyAn
I read Rose & Poe by Jack Todd and discussed it in the June general theme thread. I wasn’t aware of this book or author prior to searching through the library holdings for a rose-themed book. It was a pleasant surprise to find such a terrific book.

The book is a contemporary loose retelling of Shakespeare‘s The Tempest, told from the perspective of Caliban (Poe) and his mother (Rose). Poe and Rose were both well-developed characters, and I especially liked Rose’s strength and ability to forgive. Poe was a simple-minded gentle giant and Rose was his fierce protector. I enjoyed the simple writing and story of a mother’s love for her son.

Psst, TrudyAn, don't forget your WoF ;-)

WoF Laura (lclwags)

I read and discussed I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

I do agree with Saar and Debra that Yr was difficult to follow, but I still enjoyed the book. I found it engaging and I was rooting for Deborah and several of the other ladies to win their fights against their illnesses.

Peggy wrote: "Psst, TrudyAn, don't forget your WoF ;-)"

Thanks, Peggy. How can I forget after all this time?

WoF Almeta

Special Topics In Calamity Physics
Lots of metaphorical phrases, anthropomorphism, pop culture references, trivia citations with an exceptionally smart, socially undernourished teenager.

But what did you think of it Almeta?

Peggy wrote: "But what did you think of it Almeta?"

*grin* I was just coming back to that!

I gave it 4 stars. I enjoyed the book quite a lot. Some portions seemed aimed at a younger audience. Why quibble about that?

Glad you enjoyed it! :)

Wof Renee I read a Court of Thrones and Roses. I lead the discussion badly. Last month was crazy, I apologize that I did not giv the discussion the attention it deserved.


I have mixed feelings on the book. I wanted to love it. I felt the chars. were inconsistent. They would behave one way in the first part of the book and would change with no explainable reason in the next part.

The book had three separate parts. Yes thy did story did eventually connect them but it was far from flawless.

I will continue on with the series because I really enjoyed the end battle

WoF Cherie

I was not especially interested in the two books chosen for the group reads in June, so I read two alternate choices, both with a single rose on the cover and discussed them in the Rose Theme thread. I read during the toppler week. I enjoyed it very much. The Wood was so evil and the Dragon character was so vague, that the MC had to carry the whole storyline on her back. I really liked her best friend though. I am looking forward to reading Novik's next book.

I finished on the last day of the month. I liked Joe Sandilands. He was not a stuffy, proper British character like the rest of them in the story. I am sure it was representative of the time though. 1922 Calcutta is not a place I would care to visit. I would like to add him to my series list, but I have too many others already. I would like to see how he is, when he is at home, on a case in England. He is a Scotland Yard Inspector.

Badges have been posted. Let me know if I missed you.