Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

Hello! A lot of subpar reads in April... hoping May will be better.

The Little Friend - Donna Tartt. 1 star. So confused about why this was so bad. Maybe its me/maybe I wasn’t in the right mindset. But I really though this would be much better. I loved Secret History and really enjoyed the Goldfinch. There was barely a plot, too much atmospheric exposition. Had to do a combo of audio and paperback to get through it.

Batman: The Long Halloween - Jeph Loeb. 5 stars. Great graphic novel.

Superman: The Man of Steel, Vol. 1 - John Byrne. 4 stars.

The Avengers: Scarlet Witch - Dan Abnett. 4 stars.

Alchemy & Mysticism - Alexander Roob. 4 stars.

The Magicians - Lev Grossman. 2 stars. Really thought this would be better, as its highly recommended and there is a show based on it. There was no plot and it was fairly depressing and disconnected.

The Little Book of Otter Philosophy - Jennifer McCartney. 5 stars. Great pick-me-up!

Hieronymous Bosch: The Complete Paintings and Drawings - Jos Koldeweij. 3 stars. Another coffee table book with way too much text.

Mark Ryden: The Gay 90’s - Mark Ryden. 5 stars.

The Secret Teachings of All Ages - Manly P. Hall. 2 stars. Needed audio for this one.

The Midnight Library - Matt Haig. 4 stars. Loved this.

The Magritte Museum, Brussels - Julie Waseige. 4 stars.


Happy Reading!

Karly wrote: "Hello! A lot of subpar reads in April... hoping May will be better.

The Magicians - Lev Grossman. 2 stars. Really thought this would be better, as its highly recommended and there is a show based on it. There was no plot and it was fairly depressing and disconnected..."

I had the same reaction and probably would not have finished it except that I listened to the audio. Another guy I follow here said that it was way overhyped by famous writers because Grossman was a book critic for TIME.

i'm not a fan of donna tartt's so totally agree with you about that one.

Sandi- ahhh that makes a lot of sense. Some of the pull quotes on the book were just so inflated. Good to know I’m not the only one who didn’t like it.

Sherry - glad it’s not just me!

Sandi wrote: "Karly wrote: "Hello! A lot of subpar reads in April... hoping May will be better.

The Magicians - Lev Grossman. 2 stars. Really thought this would be better, as its highly recommended and there is..."

it was a did not finish read for me. I wanted to like it and loved the idea of it. Same for the show really

Karly, how disappointing to have two bigger and anticipated books not meet expectations. At least the Grossman and Tartt books were offset by other more enjoyable books. I loved The Goldfinch but haven't tackled another one (yet)

Karly wrote: "Hello! A lot of subpar reads in April... hoping May will be better.
The Little Friend - Donna Tartt. 1 star. So confused about why this was so bad. Maybe its me/maybe I wasn’t in the right mindset.
The Magicians - Lev Grossman. 2 stars Really thought this would be better"

Bonnie- yes! Really wanted to love it but alas...

Ann- I definitely recommend Secret History if you liked the Goldfinch!

Karly, also sorry the Donna Tartt was underwhelming. Like Ann, I liked The Goldfinch a lot. I wanted to read The Secret History but read one too many comments on it and now I feel like I know more about the plot than I like to when starting a big fat book. Maybe someday.

Carol- ah! I have definitely done that with some books before. But maybe some day!