EPBOT Readers discussion

Hi everyone, hope everyone is hanging in there ok.

I work from home, so mostly I'm just missing my gym & workout classes. However those were my main social interactions for the week so it's stressful. Having to keep doing work business as usual, but with extra stress & anxiety and no stress relief. But I have it better than a lot of people, so can't complain too much! and at least weather is getting better, so I can go for walks and runs still.

Some general group housekeeping: Should I start up a thread for picking a new book? If people are quarantined and such, might be a good time to have a new book to dig into. I was going to do it in April initially. Thoughts?

This week I finished:

Sideways Stories from Wayside School - Finished this up, counted as favorite previous prompt, re-read of a childhood favorite.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - banned book, not read during banned book week but whatever. I really liked it. Lots of humor and funny drawings, while still really showing how bad Native Americans have it on the reservations, it's really disheartening. But the tone was such that it made it easy to read, even while being sad. Would recommend it, for sure

Black Magic Sanction - hallows re-read/needed some fluff

Currently reading:

The Water Dancer - this will my book by a journalist. It's a bit heavy for right now, but I don't want to deal with getting the hold later, my book club's reading it in a few months and my hold is up tomorrow. The writing is lovely, it's just a bit grim.

The Count of Monte Cristo - still plugging away, not sure i actually read any this week but oh well.

QOTW:

Just a check in, how is everyone doing?

I already went into it a bit, but I'm trying to hang in there. Stressed, tired, constantly worried. Glad I still have a job, but almost wish I could just take a few days off and just sink into some projects. I have time, but I kinda worry if I use it now, I'll regret it later if I end up getting sick, or really need it later on. Early days still, you know?

Oh, yeah, I think it might be a good idea to start looking at a new book for the book club now, or at least taking nominations. It would be a good time for it.

Last week I finished The Right Swipe. It was a decent fluffy romance, enough that I'd be willing to pick up the next book. Touched on some darker subjects that I wasn't expecting, including abusive relationships and workplace sexual harassment, but handled them decently. This was my Popsugar book about or involving social media, since both leads work for dating app companies.

Currently, I'm reading Magic for Liars, which will be my Popsugar book by a trans or nonbinary author. Sarah Gailey uses nonbinary they/them pronouns. I am really enjoying this so far. I described it to my partner as, imagine if Hogwarts was a normal American high school that taught magic. Now, imagine a non-magical PI investigating a murder at the school, only her very magical twin sister is a teacher there.

QOTW: We're doing okay. We braved the grocery store for a few essentials yesterday. My company is located right near Kirkland, WA, the epicenter of the outbreak in our state, so they were extra careful. We've been working from home for about two weeks now. It's kind of nice, not having to commute and being able to sleep in, tbh, but I've always been a bit of a homebody anyway.

I'm grateful we're all home and none of us in the house are showing signs of illness, and we have plenty of supplies and things to keep us entertained.

Even with everything upside down, we're still on the same schedule! I am working from home, which is very nice, and I am very grateful that my job does not appear to be in jeopardy unlike so many others right now. I'm bummed about the things we were going to be doing aside from work, but it's also nice to catch up on TV shows and books that often get pushed out for the out of the house things on the schedule. I guess that was enough detail that it should be my QOTW answer, so while I'm at it, I'll respond to the housekeeping question that I'm fine with picking another book, since I read The Starless Sea back when it was selected, so it's been a while for me - but if others need more time, I'm also fine with waiting until April.

As for the actual reading part of the check-in... at last check-in, I was listening to Nobody Walks, which didn't do much for me as an audio book. I got the written version back shortly thereafter, so I was able to switch back - and it ended so abruptly that I thought I had a defective copy. I'm not sure what the author was going for - it seems like a pretty run of the mill action thriller, but the odd structure doesn't fit. So I wouldn't rush out for that one.

I was also reading The Diviners, which was a lot of fun. I'll definitely read the rest of the series eventually, even though the excerpt from the sequel at the end made me a bit worried about the direction it's going - what I loved about the first one was the how main character's (admittedly anachronistic) self-absorption made her a bit unpredictable - but the sequel seemed to be veering into very well-trodden romantic comedy territory. But even standing alone, this one was great.

Next up was The Atrocity Archives, which was not as much fun as I thought it was going to be. I felt like I didn't understand some parts of it because it got super technical, so maybe that was the problem - but it had some really great moments of smart silliness that I wish had been carried more through the rest of the book.

While I was reading that, I started Still Life for IRL Book Club #2 as an audio book. I was not a fan - it felt like there were a million indistinguishable characters and that nothing would ever happen in the story. But after I took a week to get through the first chapter, the electronic written version came in from the library and I was able to switch. It felt like a completely different book in written form - still not super fast paced, but the characters came into focus, there was humor, and the clues to the central mystery became more apparent. I'd had so many great experiences recently with audiobooks that the two less-than-great experiences this week with Nobody Walks and this one were quite jarring. I probably won't be doing much audiobook listening while I'm home all the time, since I usually listen in the car and while walking from the car to work, but I will definitely be more thorough in review reading or at least looking a who the reader is before I pick one out again!

I just started The Chef, since I'm still looking for light and fun - but I'm a little concerned about the direction it's taking based on the first couple chapters. I'm sure I'll still finish, but I hope it gets less angsty (yes, I know it's a murder mystery, but you know what I mean).

Little reading for me this week, with only one finish: The Umbrella Academy, Vol. 1: The Apocalypse Suite, which I've slotted into the Gryffindor/Behind the portrait/about a work of art prompt. I picked it up after hearing the buzz from the TV series. It was alright, but I wasn't floored. I'd be curious to watch the series, though. 23/60 prompts for the year so far.

QOTW: I'm a natural work-from-home hermit, so no big changes for me, other than waiting to see how the uncertainty affects my clients. My BF works in a restaurant that still does takeout/drive-thru, so he's still working, although his hours have been reduced. We got about 2 weeks' worth of groceries on Monday, so we're settled in for a bit, playing games, watching movies... and I really should be reading more - I have no excuse LOL

Only one finish for me this week, Infinite Powers: How Calculus Reveals the Secrets of the Universe. It was quite fascinating, but now I need some brain candy. Not sure what I want to pick up next, but I know it won't be quite so cerebral!

QOTW: Meh. I'm struggling, TBH. I'm home with my preschooler and third grader and job-searching spouse. I'm a super extrovert-y extrovert, so the lack of social connection outside of my family is hitting me really hard. I'm also a teacher and gearing up to do some sort of online learning starting next week. I would love nothing more than to just sit down and escape into a book but I can't seem to even find the mental energy for that, and have been playing mindless games on my phone instead.

Hang in there Shel! Maybe see if you can do some virtual hangouts? Going to try to get some friends to play fiasco over Skype or some such this weekend

I finished Domesticated from last week. I'm still meh about it. I definitely learned some things, but I guess I was expecting a different book.

The library is now closed, so future reads will be:
1. works that are currently in the public domain
2. borrowed digitally from Libby/Hoopla/etc
3. French books that I bought for college and may or may not have read, found somewhere in my parents' house and presented to me in a plastic basket last time I visited

In the first category, I read The Red House Mystery by the Winnie-the-Pooh guy! Apparently he wrote articles, plays, and various other things for adults, but this is his only mystery novel. It was a quick, enjoyable read, although I did partially figure it out.

In the second category, I reread Un coeur simple. This is one of the ones I did vaguely remember. Having also read Madame Bovary at least three times (twice in French and once in English; it was popular with professors), I'm just gonna say I don't really care for Flaubert. It might be partly the nineteenth-century language-I-don't-really-speak, but I don't think it's entirely that. It's like Dickens without the overt humor and happy endings.

QOTW: Definitely feeling the constant anxiety; otherwise OK so far. At work my department management formed a plan to have half the employees remote and half of us in the office to do "essential" tasks, so I did go in this week, but then they were able to push through updates that allow us to do enough remotely that no one is being required to come in. I'll start working from home on Monday and we'll see how that goes.

It has been a few weeks since I've checked in. While you can pick a book, my library has been closed since early this week and I have no idea when it may re-open. I think they have said early April, but really no one knows.

QOTW: Our youngest, a senior in college is now home for the rest of the semester (they did not have them move out and initially said 3 weeks, but that's not happening I'm sure). Our adult daughter and BF are coming here after leaving NYC a week ago. They've been staying in a hotel to isolate and make sure they're healthy before coming here because my husband is a lymphoma cancer survivor. So we're being extra careful.

I have WFH for over 20 years. The hardest part for me is now having everyone else here. My husband's desk is right behind mine in the computer office area. Apparently the sound of my typing is like nails on a chalkboard for him. And he doesn't want to wear headphones all day. He'll have to decide which is worse for him because it's not my problem!

I am still reading The Starless Sea. It was due back at the library a few days after it closed, so I guess I am keeping it for a while. I have others in the family who will probably read it. I am on book 5 in it now.

I also am listening to Leviathan Wakes on my walks. I am enjoying it, since I have seen the entire Expanse series. The books are long so I have many hours for each.

Hanging in there in the far north. It's been 8 days since the library closed, but I am surviving. Alaska is sealed up tighter than tupperware right now, but since everything/everyone entering the state basically come through either Seattle or Asia, that's very understandable. It's looking like spring is trying hard to arrive, event though it snowed yesterday... but the sun has warmth again, there are chickadees flying outside, and the temperature is starting to poke up above freezing during the day. All good signs!

Aside from a ton of cross stitching, this week:

Read Red Rising. I loved both the concept and the setup, but got restless when over 50% of the book pushed it all largely aside to basically turn into a knockoff of The Hunger Games, right down to the written prose. I ultimately enjoyed it, and am thus currently working on Golden Son, which I'm liking a lot better. Luckily the library has these available digitally and without a waiting list, so it's been a good series to be working on.

Read Hyperion. I started to enjoy it more once I started to look at is not so much as a narrative, but as a collection of short stories that all share a common connection to the planet Hyperion. I was lukewarm on it overall, but several of the POV stories were really incredible!

Still have Lord of the Rings underway, and am contemplating joining a group re-read of the Stormlight Archive in anticipation of the fourth book being released in November. So that would put me slowly reading my two absolute favorite series simultaneously (and painfully slowly). I can think of worse things to be doing!

QOTW:
Husbot and I are both doing really well. I'm unemployed, so I'm not missing a job right now, and he's gearing up to work from home. We're both super-introverts, and are both the very embodiment of all the jokes about nothing really changing for us. My heart is really breaking for people around me who are in much more challenging situations with being isolated though.

Daniele wrote: "Little reading for me this week, with only one finish: The Umbrella Academy, Vol. 1: The Apocalypse Suite, which I've slotted into the Gryffindor/Behind the portrait/about a work of ..."

For me, Umbrella Academy is one of the rare times were I've liked the series much better than the books. The series adds a fun subplot, really fleshes out the characters, and is REALLY well done! It winds up having a very different feel from the books, too. I was super impressed, and am eagerly looking forward to season two.

Sarah wrote: "Hanging in there in the far north. It's been 8 days since the library closed, but I am surviving. Alaska is sealed up tighter than tupperware right now, but since everything/everyone entering the s..."

Sarah, I had similar reactions to Red Rising - it was engaging but didn't feel especially original. The rest of the trilogy is worth reading though! And Hyperion is one of my ALL-TIME FAVORITE series ever. The second book is more connected than the first, and then the third and fourth have a completely different feel but are equally wonderful!

QOTW: Doing pretty well up here in Minnesota. Most things are shut down (schools, restaurants, bars, theaters, gyms, libraries, all places of amusement....), but we are not yet under a stay at home order. I've been working from home which is nice and have been finding time to go jogging again as a way of getting out of the house, so that's a benefit.

I've only had 1 finish over the last couple weeks: The Nickel Boys - I grabbed this last week right before my library closed. Really heartbreaking, but really good. Makes me want to read more about the school that inspired the book.

On audiobook I was listening to The Time of Contempt. It was OK. I think this is a case where I like the show better than the book, but the books are pretty good. It checked itself back in when I was 70% done. Woops.

I'm still reading The Starless Sea and still enjoying it. Also started American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century, another last minute grab before the library closed. It's a true crime story, but written like fiction. So far it has been an easy read and interesting story. It's only talked about one murder/disappearance so far, so I'm curious when the rest of the murders/serial killer part comes in.

I've started listening to Serpent & Dove. Maybe I got it as a recommendation here? IDK - it's been on hold at library for a long time and finally came up. It's good so far. I'm curious to see where it's leading.