Alison > Recent Status Updates

I read about 300 pages of this and stalled out months ago, so I'm switching to the audiobook from the library.

Not sure I'll make it through this. I find noisy families that talk all over each other and make demands on each other exhausting. In the first 20 pages I'm rooting for the protagonist to give everyone the middle finger and move to another country.

I can't get away from "Heated Rivalry" on social media so I decided to check out the books it's based on since I don't have HBO. This started out with some "Red, White & Royal Blue" vibes that made me think I'd love it, and then it got super-porny, super fast. We'll see if I make it to the end.

DNF. I realize I'm so close to the end, but I just can't do it. I usually enjoy Ian McEwan's writing, but this book is not doing it for me. It's felt like a slog the entire time, but I've hung with it because of the promise of a satisfying reveal/ending. But I have other, more interesting books coming in on my library holds queue, so I'm just going to cut bait and move on.

I might change my opinion in the last 20% but: I cannot believe this author is only 22 years old. Holy smokes. This is incredibly well written and feels like an authentic portrayal of motherhood, which is also amazing since Leila Mottley doesn't have kids. Worth reading even if the storyline holds no appeal to you so you can see her talent on display.

I'm about 50 pages into this and I don't know if I'll be able to finish. Some books feel like prairie baby talk to me ("aw shucks, maw!") and I find it hard to hang with them. If the narrator doesn't change soon, I'm bailing.

I tried reading this and couldn't get into it at all, but now I'm listening to the audiobook and really enjoying it. Goes to show – if at first you don't succeed, try a different format!

I'm about halfway in and really enjoying this. If it stays even through the end, I bet we'll see this at the top of a lot of LGBTQ+ and Indigenous reading lists this year.

Due back to the library so I'm noting that I made it to Chapter 5. I'll check it out again and finish it in a couple weeks. Seems fun like the first one, with the added bonus of the first few chapters taking place in locations I know well (Dulles Airport, Williamsburg VA).

I'm about halfway through this and I need to set it down and come back to it later. The writing is good, but it's too similar to God of the Woods (which irritated me with its length). I need more time to pass before I read another "lost in the woods" book or else I will conflate the two and pin everything that frustrated me about GOTW on this one by accident.

Read the first few chapters and it's due back at the library. Taking it off my reading list for now, and hope to return to it once I can get it again.

BO-RING. I'm supposed to be reading this for book club but I just can't make myself do it. It's too dry and the title feels misleading.

So far, this is super boring. If I weren't reading it for a book club, I'd abandon it. It might be one I listen to a 2X the speed just so I get the gist of it. Way too many names and historical details, not enough story. It's like listening to a friend who can't tell a story and you just want to scream, GET TO THE POINT.

Just started this but it's giving big Charlie & the Chocolate Factory + The Westing Game vibes, which is promising!

Made it to about the 50% mark and then realized I didn't care about the characters enough to continue.

We'll see if this holds up, but the initial chapters of this book are EXACTLY the vibe I was in the mood for. I love it when that happens!