Alison > Recent Status Updates

Argh, that time of year where there are four already published books to be read (but I don't wanna), a pile of ARCs to go through and instead I'm rereading books I first read probably 40 years ago!

Amazon still hasn't reinstated my reviewing rights. I have seven books that I should have posted reviews on Amazon for and four ARCs that I should have read because they've all been published. So what am I doing you ask? Well I'm contemplating what books to buy to read from other authors ...

Have I read this author before? Did I DNF because I didn't like the writing style or the characters?

Oh dear, my irritation at Chief Inspector Shadow has turned into active dislike

I'm suffering from book ennui. I don't want to read any of the genres I don't like and I'm sick of all the genres I do like :sigh:

So excited/proud. Had to look up a review for a FB page and right at the top of the book blurb on Amazon was an extract from my review

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D2Y4W69...

Seems to be a lot of telling and very little showing for what is supposed to be fiction

There seems like a lot of background and explaining for the second book in a series. Also, I assume A is G's long-lost baby? Does G know, did N sell/give the baby away?

Gah! Why is it with some books you feel you need a half-page explanation at the front to tell you WTF is happening? I hate those, 'something happened but I will never explain it clearly' books

Oh dear, it seems like every book one of the sisters dumps her boyfriend/husband and takes up with another, or at least thinks about it - too many things happening at once!

Apparently its set in the 1850s - so I didn't think cocktails had been invented and why do they keep calling it a dram of whisky if they aren't Scottish?

Currently confused about when this is supposed to be set 1800s, 1900s?

Ha. apparently I read this in 2015 and gave it three stars LOL

Feels quite slow - 27% in and nothing much has happened

Gah! I guess I'm too old to find a guy who says one thing (we can't be a thing) and does the other (mauls her in the kitchen etc) to be attractive I'd like a guy to do what he says. Luke is just coming off as an asshole

Not really feeling this. Aiden seems to be negging Liv, I guess its the adult version of pulling her hair because he likes her. Also, where does Liv get the money for all her outfits on a part-time librarian salary? Who wears four inch heels to work and if they do they certainly don't walk to work in them FFS.

Not giving me the feels - one of those where he's supposed to be charming but comes across as tone deaf by pursing her when she says she isn't interested. She, on the other hand, wilfully believes he's just after a notch on his bedpost with no reason whatsoever.

I don't know what it is, every so often I find a Julie Houston book that I just can't get into and this seems to be one

It will be interesting to see how similar this is to the wonderful Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer

Oh dear these are an unlikable group making stupid mistakes

When you've started a series but this couple don't interest you much ...

So it’s Ender’s Game crossed with The Hunger Games crossed with the Dragonriders of Pern

Hmm, 61% in and I still have no idea where this book is going. Worryingly, the blurb seems to suggest a minor character is actually the lynchpin in the 1939 half of the story. Is the jam important?

I swear nothing has happened except she goes and gets coffee everyday from a guy who can't string two words together. My reading ennui continues

I don't normally have an issue with infidelity in novels but when you are dating your biggest client AND you decide to make out with your biggest professional rival ... sheesh how dumb can you get? Its weak, and unprofessional, and could lose you one of your best friends

It was a slow start for me and TBH I was just reading a bit further before I DNFd it, when suddenly I was hooked.

Why is it that I have a long list of TBR ARCs but the only ones I feel like reading are the ones that won't be published for months whereas the ones that are already published (bad me) or about to be published ... meh

Hmm. Doesn’t feel as authentic as the last one. Also I can’t help feeling that if this were Georgette Heyer (all praise her name) then Cory would end up with Darius. He’s even got the heroes name. Instead it looks like the saintly Alice whose name is even spelt stupidly that she’s going to fall for/marry. Doesn’t JD know the heroine reforms the rake?

Don't you just hate books where the MC has a secret and half of the book is just them thinking "oh no, I can't do that, because of The Thing"

Privileged rant/first world problems. It really, really grinds my gears when I get rejected by a publisher for an ARC on NetGalley only for the same publisher to send me an invitation to read the same book a few days later. I know I'm still getting the book to read but I really feel their algorithms are out of whack. Rant over, normal 3 star service resumes