Book Club #2

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OH.FFS

OH.FFS

I only joined towards the end of the year (September). I skipped Decembers read. So I’ve read 3/4 and I liked The Herd best out of those.
 
ordinaryjelly

ordinaryjelly

Katykatykaty said:
Ah man, you must have done this before The Housewarming reached 7 votes. I think Betty is the only I didn’t fancy out of this months collection. Think I’ll wait to see some reviews come in before I buy it.
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This happens to me every month, but I have to have a cut off somewhere. FWIW I have downloaded The Housewarming, while it is 99p and will read that as well. So happy to have a discussion alongside.

---

Betty is a fair chunk of a book. 465 pages and the font is small, I suspect to stop it being an 800 page door stopper of a book. Looking forward to getting stuck in.
 
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Caffeine Fiend

Caffeine Fiend

17.5 hours on Audible 😑 Ive got kindle credit that expires tomorrow so Im just gonna buy it anyway.
 
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OH.FFS

OH.FFS

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (4/5)

I initially gave it, 4.25/5, I wasn’t sure on four but really couldn’t give it 4.5. Then I compared it to other books I’ve read and thought I’m being too generous. And so I’ve given it 4/5.
It wasn’t the kind of book I couldn’t put down. But, it also wasn’t a book I hated. I felt happy to read and savour it slowly, which was good.
I’m kind of into programming, or was when I was younger (not in relation to games and gaming though), so it meant that I enjoyed the IT parts. I’m also chronically ill and have been since being young. On this count I definitely identified with Sam. My heart broke for him when we experienced the accident and realised this was when his mother had died. He had so much to deal with.

And who hasn’t had their heart broken in love or lost someone they’ve loved to death. So, on both these counts I could identify with Sadie and Sam. I’ve also been a single parent for the first ten years of my firstborn’s life, so I got some of Sadie’s behaviours later on as well.

However, despite this I didn’t overly like any of these main two characters. Probably why I don’t like myself much neither. LoL

I also didn’t feel endeared by any of the main characters but I think life had made them all the way they were, and I do think the author showed this. Yet, nothing that happened to them moved me to deep emotions or tears. I just felt the author understood what she wrote about but wasn’t able to make me, as the reader, feel it deeply.

Anyway, I did feel that the author really spoke to me in these terms of loss etc. through the experiences of Sam and Sadie.

I did love that Sam and Sadie made friends eventually. This was an emotional touch that softened me to them and made me think that before the end of our lives it’s quite important to make our peace with people. Not that Sam nor Sadie were at the end. But if just made me feel sentimental for this and the fact that I still have issues with some people.

The one thing that I really didn’t like was the excessive and unnecessary use of big words. It might be that my language isn’t wide enough but I feel it was the author who was overly big wordy.
 
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Smca53

Smca53

OH.FFS said:
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (4/5)

I initially gave it, 4.25/5, I wasn’t sure on four but really couldn’t give it 4.5. Then I compared it to other books I’ve read and thought I’m being too generous. And so I’ve given it 4/5.
It wasn’t the kind of book I couldn’t put down. But, it also wasn’t a book I hated. I felt happy to read and savour it slowly, which was good.
I’m kind of into programming, or was when I was younger (not in relation to games and gaming though), so it meant that I enjoyed the IT parts. I’m also chronically ill and have been since being young. On this count I definitely identified with Sam. My heart broke for him when we experienced the accident and realised this was when his mother had died. He had so much to deal with.

And who hasn’t had their heart broken in love or lost someone they’ve loved to death. So, on both these counts I could identify with Sadie and Sam. I’ve also been a single parent for the first ten years of my firstborn’s life, so I got some of Sadie’s behaviours later on as well.

However, despite this I didn’t overly like any of these main two characters. Probably why I don’t like myself much neither. LoL

I also didn’t feel endeared by any of the main characters but I think life had made them all the way they were, and I do think the author showed this. Yet, nothing that happened to them moved me to deep emotions or tears. I just felt the author understood what she wrote about but wasn’t able to make me, as the reader, feel it deeply.

Anyway, I did feel that the author really spoke to me in these terms of loss etc. through the experiences of Sam and Sadie.

I did love that Sam and Sadie made friends eventually. This was an emotional touch that softened me to them and made me think that before the end of our lives it’s quite important to make our peace with people. Not that Sam nor Sadie were at the end. But if just made me feel sentimental for this and the fact that I still have issues with some people.

The one thing that I really didn’t like was the excessive and unnecessary use of big words. It might be that my language isn’t wide enough but I feel it was the author who was overly big wordy.
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On the (over) use of unnecessarily obscure words, I think it’s quite telling that on a thread full of regular/avid readers, that point has been made repeatedly. It was definitely the authors fault.

One description that stuck with me was Sam describing his penis. I understood that the author was trying to use terms that weren’t emotive and show how detached Sam was from sex or any form of intimacy but it was too much. I can’t remember the exact wording but it was like a “cylindrical spongey mass”, or something, and it went on for a while 🤦‍♀️.

That was one of the biggest downfalls for me. I really don’t like that sort of pretentious writing and I think making your characters seem “better/smarter than” really excludes your reader.
 
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ordinaryjelly

ordinaryjelly

I know I am a bit ahead of the game, but Betty is one of those books where I keep thinking "just one more chapter....." I can't put it down. I am in hospital and bored silly. So forgive me. 🤣 It is some book though.
 
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OH.FFS

OH.FFS

ordinaryjelly said:
I know I am a bit ahead of the game, but Betty is one of those books where I keep thinking "just one more chapter....." I can't put it down. I am in hospital and bored silly. So forgive me. 🤣 It is some book though.
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Get better soon, much love to you. 💜

Ooooooh I’m excited to read it. I love books like that. I’m taking a day off of reading today but come midnight, if I can’t sleep, then I’ll be picking this up. If not, tomorrow is my start day.
 
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ordinaryjelly

ordinaryjelly

I can't wait to talk about this book. I am 200 pages in.

I think this book might break our collective hearts 🥹
 
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ordinaryjelly

ordinaryjelly

I really need to talk about this book. I stayed up until 3am doing the "just one more chapter...." thing. I have even made a notes thingy on my phone of my favourite quotes from this book. I have no idea how this book was published in the middle of last year and slipped under my radar. It is has made me laugh, cry and feel just about everything in-between. I thought I had read the best book of the year already in January (The Secrets of Strangers, check it out!) but this book knocks that one out the park.

It is beautiful.

(You will probably all hate it now that I have waxed lyrical about it, but that's ok!)
 
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Carapop

Carapop

ordinaryjelly said:
I really need to talk about this book. I stayed up until 3am doing the "just one more chapter...." thing. I have even made a notes thingy on my phone of my favourite quotes from this book. I have no idea how this book was published in the middle of last year and slipped under my radar. It is has made me laugh, cry and feel just about everything in-between. I thought I had read the best book of the year already in January (The Secrets of Strangers, check it out!) but this book knocks that one out the park.

It is beautiful.

(You will probably all hate it now that I have waxed lyrical about it, but that's ok!)
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Omg I’m so excited!! Talk about setting expectations sky high 😂
 
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ordinaryjelly

ordinaryjelly

Carapop said:
Omg I’m so excited!! Talk about setting expectations sky high 😂
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I was hesitant to post, but I am loving this book so though what the hell. We don't all have to love the same books. I am about 80 pages from the end, it had been a rollercoaster and that ride hasn't finished yet!
 
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