2025 Reading Challenge discussion

I’m going to be reading this before the end of the month, so I’ll join in once I get started.

I’m currently reading Watermelon Nights which I think has some things in common with There, There - it’s about a native family in the Bay Area. It was written in the 90s I think, but it will be interesting to compare the two.

I'm headed to the library tomorrow to get it!

Got it! Excited to start tomorrow

I'm probably not going to be able to really get into this (or really do any reading at all!) until after next week - I have a big trial next Thursday that's eating up all my work time and weekend and even Veteran's Day when the office is closed.

Send me luck, I need it!

Thanks Kristin! I'm an attorney for Legal Aid. We provide free representation in civil cases for people who financially qualify. This a really contentious trial, I'll be glad when its done.

The prologue! I'm sad, ashamed, and embarrassed about how much I don't know.

I like it, but I want the stories to start connecting. Maybe I'm impatient?

Kristin wrote: "Did you finish Part 1 yet? There were a few small connections made, but they are very small so far.

[spoilers removed]

I also would like there to be more connections. I like this book, and there..."

Kristin, I did catch a couple of them, I just got into part two. I'm waiting for an "ahhh" moment, I guess. I mean I know from the book summary that they're all going to the powwow, it just seems like their problems are all so diverse that the book is necessarily going to be kind of pieced out as they each grapple with their own issues? Which is fine, there are certainly great books that use that method. I just have a hard time forming any sort of attachments to characters when there's a quick info dump and then we don't revisit them for a while. Frequent POV jumps throw me off (which was actually my biggest problem with Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom).

Kristin wrote: "I haven' read many books like this one that jump so completely from one character to the next, but looking back, perhaps this is why I sometimes rate those books lower. I feel for them and the hard..."

Hahaha it's not stupid! Everyone has particular reading quirks! Mine is reading so many books at one time - I'm a ridiculously mood-based reader. I just HAVE to be the in mood for the book.

These past couple weeks have been so busy I'm dying for the weekend after Thanksgiving, when the holiday is done and I'm kid free for two days and I can get caught up on my reading!

60% in and now two more new characters. I keep having to flip back through previous chapters to remember who is who. Its getting frustrating.

I do though love the author's bravery in jumping on these really painful, uncomfortable topics like rape and alcoholism and drug abuse. He goes for it and doesn't flinch.

I'm almost to part 4 and so help me he'd better stop introducing characters

Kristin wrote: "So, I've been thinking about this one. It is always hard for me when I want to like something more than I did, especially when everyone else seems to love it. I would read more by Orange, in fact, ..."

Kristin, I 100% agree with everything you said. Also struggling with really WANTING to like it, when to be honest I didn't like it. Glad I read it but wouldn't read it again.

(view spoiler)[ Orvil and Dene were the only two I could muster up any connect with, and not actually knowing if Orvil made it was a low blow (although I agree that there's a vague implication that he made it because of Opal's even number thing).

I agree with how Tony was handled, but I was upset that the other deaths or presumed deaths were barely brushed - Edwin, Bill, Calvin, Octavio. And some of the later characters felt pointless - Blue and Harvey, particularly. (hide spoiler)]

I feel like Orange had this great idea for one of those big, sweeping 800 page sagas, and tried to stuff it into 290 pages. Honestly if it were a 800 pager I probably would have become really attached to everyone and been totally on board with the stabs to the heart if they were played out thoroughly.