EPBOT Readers discussion

Hi everyone,

Been a busy start to the year, extremely busy at work. Had a really rough week last week, had trouble sleeping and was really stressed out, lot of stuff going on every night.

Finally have a little breather!

I finished:

Exhalation - normally i don't go for short stories much. I tend to find them either leaving me wanting more, or they just don't make an impression. But this one i actually liked all the the stories in it! Probably the highest I've ever rated a book of short stories. one of my TBR picks.

Baking with Kim-Joy: Cute and Creative Bakes to Make You Smile - read harder had a read a cook book cover to cover prompt. usually i try to pick one with actual content for prompts like that, but i wanted to just pick something I owned, and I've had this since it came out without ever really cracking it open. I'm glad I did, everything in it was super cute! Not much actual reading content. but I have several vegan friends and i'm always looking for stuff to make them, and being frustrated trying to find good dessert recipes that arent' just "how about a fruit cup with some whipped cocounut cream?" or involve a bunch of weird ingredients like xantham gum or agar agar. This involves mostly stuff like aquafaba (which we eat plenty of garbanzo beans so isn't a big deal) and vegetable shortening, or coconut oil.

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires - i generally really enjoy Grady Hendrix's books. I don't know if it's because i was in such a bad headspace last week, or if this one is genuinely darker than the rest of his books. Not saying it wasn't well written, just it didn't seem to have the same humor breaking up the horror that his other books have. Maybe i just missed it because i was in such a bad mood. I had a hard time finishing it. It really did a good job highlighting how the work of housewives gets overlooked and dismissed, and that women who are housewives are often seen as lesser, or weak, or unable to do anything but clean and pack lunches. And it called out the racism and sexism that was (and still is) rampant in that era. but it just wasn't...enjoyable like some of his other books. but I'm willing to accept that it could have been my mood too. Was another TBR pick.

Sorrowland - Book riot audio book by a PoC read by a PoC. I liked the book, but again a pretty heavy book for when I wasn't really in a good headspace for it. Still good, just was a stressful listen.

Stealing from Wizards Volume 1: Pickpocketing Stealing from Wizards: Volume 2: Burglary. Needed to re-read these as a mental break after those others.

currently reading:
Klara and the Sun - liking it so far, although the world building is very strange. Klara keeps mentioning things moving in and out of boxes. I can't quite figure out what is meant by that. She's a robot, maybe her vision is separated by boxes? It's not explained well, but it's presented like it should just make sense.

You Should See Me in a Crown -audio re read for books & brews

QOTW:

Are there authors you’ve read but just couldn’t “get Into”? Who and why?

there's a few i can think of off hand. Stephen king I just...can't. I know he's immensely popular, but I've read three books of his and don't really want to read more. The Shining was at least tolerable, i Thought The Stand was unbearable, and the Gunslinger was as well. I have zero desire to attempt any more. The stand was 800 pages and I thought the first 400 could have been summed up in 1 sentence. Just not my style.

Stephen Graham Jones is really popular, and maybe I just started with the wrong selections of his but the two i've read I just...couldn't get into. They were weird and disjointed and I had a hard time getting into them and finished just feeling confused.

Colton Whitehead. I feel bad about this one because everyone RAVES about The Underground Railroad in particular, and I just found it...forgettable. Literally, I know I read it. I couldn't tell you anything about it now, other than that the railroad was literal. I read Zone One for book club, and I really disliked that one too. I have just come to the conclusion that something about his style just does not gel with me.

I forgot to mention, The Strange Case of the Alchemists Daughter by Theodora Goss was picked for the next book club read! There’s a pre read thread as well as a final thoughts thread with reading questions over in the book club folder.

Happy Thursday!

Glad to hear you had a bit of a breather, Sheri. It's been like that for me, too. I was busy at the very start of the year, but things are calming down a little now.

Finished:
The Way of Kings - 4 stars - For the longest book on my TBR for Popsugar. I finally finished this after almost a month. It was really just a 3-star read, up until about 75 - 80%. The beginning of the book was way too slow, despite the complex world-building, and felt like it could have been trimmed down by at least 300-400 pages. I'm now interested enough to continue the series, but probably not until the rest of my challenge reading is done.

Comics & manga:
Skip・Beat!, Vol. 47
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 24

Currently reading:
Hell Bent - I'm not too far into it yet to have an opinion. Although I liked the first book, I only vaguely remember what happened. This will fill my book with a rabbit on the cover for Popsugar.

Planned/Upcoming:
Mysteries of Thorn Manor

QOTW:
Everyone's going to kill me for this one, but I bounced off Tolkein, hard, when I tried to read him in high school in the 90s. I made it through the Hobbit and the first LotR before I gave up. My theory is that, because I didn't read his books at a younger age, I didn't have the nostalgia connection, and because I read so much other epic fantasy as a teenager, I had already read a lot of the "derivative" stuff that improved on the basics he laid down for the genre. So, I respect the impact he had on the genre, but I just cannot read the books. *hides*

haha I feel you Jen. I DID try Tolkien when I was younger. I read the Hobbit in middle school and I thought it was ok. I read the Two Towers for a book report in middle school too and i just....felt no desire to finish the rest of the series. I think they sat on my shelf for a decade before i finally got rid of them acknowledging that after watching the movies, I just...don't like the Lord of the Rings. There weren't enough women in the series for me. Sorry, if you don't have a girl protagonist in there actively participating in a significant portion of the book, you're not keeping young me's attention.

Another hold issue this week, as apparently books can show "available" even when there's a wait list if there's a copy at the new branch? And that copy doesn't go anywhere? Not sure if that's a glitch or if they're trying to keep stuff on the shelves there for a bit. Anyway, had to pivot again...

The Thin Man - Since I read The Spare Man and was making comparisons, I figured I'd grab the ebook of this one to refresh my memory. It's very noir-like in tone, which probably shouldn't been surprising from a hardboiled author, but the movies are very much not like that. The couple's banter is fantastic, love their dynamic, but other than that no one really seems to care about anything and it's sort of breezily nihilistic. Also they really do drink so much. I think it would be an interesting exercise for someone to rewrite it from the perspective of Nora rather than Nick to see how the tone would change, but it's not gonna be me any time soon.

QOTW: Top of mind I guess is John Scalzi, since I just read him recently. As I said then, I feel like it's the sort of thing I should enjoy, especially since I like his various internet commentary, but after three attempts I think he's just not for me. I did read Underground Railroad and didn't care for it, but I haven't read anything else by the author. That's generally my M.O. if an author doesn't grab me, unless I keep hearing raves or something. I don't think I've read any Stephen King, so I should rectify that at some point, although I don't think he'll be a fave. I've got Stephen Graham Jones on my list, too, but I'm apprehensive about it. I did like The Hobbit and most of LotR pretty well until it got all "and lo!" at the end.

I've not had a good reading week - haven't had energy to pick up another book since last time I posted here. Hoping to start Tehanu this weekend.

QOTW: John Grisham is one. I don't think it's the topic - I've read and enjoyed some legal thrillers, even though it's not my usual genre - but I just find his writing doesn't do it for me. Stephen Donaldson is another. Everyone (or at least, everyone into SF/F) raves about the Thomas Covenant books but I read the first one and was pretty meh about it.

Shel wrote: "...Stephen Donaldson is another. Everyone (or at least, everyone into SF/F) raves about the Thomas Covenant books but I read the first one and was pretty meh about it.."

I had the same reaction, Shel. I just hated the main character and couldn't see why I would want to read any more about him.

Shel, If you wanted to try Stephen Donaldson, try The Mirror of Her Dreams which has a strong female lead. I was really into it, in my 20s and I connected with people online back in the 1980s over that book. The character starts out obnoxious but then gets better. I vividly remember pacing myself when reading it because I didn't want it to end. It was less so with the Thomas Covenant books. To be fair, I haven't read it since the 1980s so I do not know if I would have the same reaction today or if it has aged well.

Work for me has picked up very gradually, so I still have some decent reading time on my hands. Recent finishes:

Grave Secrets, because it's a nice, reliable read, and I always enjoy recognizing the bits set in Montreal. I used it for the Book Nerds "A secret" prompt.

The Walking Dead: Compendium Four, one of my Xmas gifts. Such an enjoyable series, but I absolutely understand it coming to an end. I would probably have preferred the original ending the author mentions in the postscript, but I can live with how they wrapped it up. I used it for the Book Nerds "A transformation" prompt.

Terror in Brief: 200 Two-Sentence Horror Stories, an ebook I picked up for free, maybe via BookBub. I didn't count it for a prompt because it was so short. Some got repetitive, but there were a few that hit just that right level of unsettling.

House of Leaves, which I'm still not sure I understand. I'll probably wind up going down a rabbit hole of YouTube videos, Reddit posts, and obscure blogs about it to figure it out. I used it for the Book Nerds "'A novel' on the cover", since it is the book that inspired that prompt in the first place!

Final Girls, which started out promising but fizzled out in the end. The author tried to swerve us so many times he ended up tripping over his own feet. I used it for the Book Nerds "In the aftermath" prompt.

That puts me at 7/100 for the year. So far, so good :)

QOTW: I've scrolled back through my Read list for the past couple of years, and there aren't many big name authors that come to mind. There have been classics I didn't enjoy much, but I haven't DNFed anything in recent memory.

I waited to comment on this just so I could finish my book last night and say I had a finish this week, finally.

Hurray, I finally finished Horse for neighborhood book club this coming week. I liked it okay, gave it 3 stars. I'm not into horses that much nor is historical fiction my favorite. (Although I used to love John Jakes long ago.) My next door neighbor didn't even finish it. For the Book Nerds challenge it best fits A19 "With Time Jumps" but also several others.

I'm still listening to The Human Division. But it is winter and we've had a lot of gray, rainy days the past week so not too much walking time.

I have a copy of The Reading List from the library that I will read next. I suggested it to my book club too. But I will start reading it regardless.

Dani: I had a thought about a prompt for 2024's challenge. I will never remember by December. Maybe something like "A book you read out of necessity instead of pleasure".

QOTW
The one author others seem to love that hasn't pulled me in is Neil Gaiman. I did finish Stardust on audiobook but it was meh for me. I think I would have DNF'd it if it was a physical book. It is easier to just keep going when walking and listening. I did DNF Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch which is both Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Maybe I should retry on audiobook.

Susan, I wonder if you'd enjoy some of Gaiman's other work that's more on the serious side - Stardust is whimsical, and Good Omens is silly, but he does have others that are more...intense, is maybe the word? Maybe he just isn't your jam and of course that's fine, but if you want to give his work one more try I'd suggest American Gods.

Husbot asked "Why did you pick such a long book? Won't that mess up your yearly reading goals right away?" Because it came in on my holds and I really like the series, and yes, yes it did. (Planning on hitting a bunch of short ones to catch up.)
Book in question was Blitz, third in the Checquy Files, a series that began with The Rook that I discovered last year and really like. I've read all three in the last six months, but it took him ten years to write them so now I am in for a wait. For this one, there were two storylines, one during WW2 and other in present day, eventually they are related. The Checquy is a secret government agency designed to protect British people against supernatural manifestations. The range of characters' supernatural abilities is immense. Books all have some humor, and most of his protagonists are great women characters.
QOTW:
I have had really good luck with many recomendations from FoE, so it's disappointing to me when they don't click. Ones that didn't work for me were Outlander and A Discovery of Witches. Both were too long of books to have such unsatisfactory endings. And while I am fine with time travel and vampires, there were some other plot points that just had me going nope. I've also tried several supernatural series that didn't click on the first book, mostly because they were too grim or violent (Jim Butchher, Anne Bishop, Patricia Briggs). Some have noted that they get better as the series progresses, but I have dozens of series that grabbed me from the first one so I guess I have high standards. My IRL book club also seems to be fond of Jodi Picoult, and I have learned that I am not.