Books #23 Reading Chats. Unproblematically Pleased With Our TBR Piles

[LaBlonde]

guys every time you do this it makes me want to finally bite the bullet and buy a kindle i want pop sockets too!

 

[nbt]

Successful month this month. Stand out books were Girl Friends and None of this is True. Of course, I’ve posted a few times about my feelings on A Little Life

 

[PiesAndLattes]

I just finished this book and I have so many thoughts! I was squealing, tearing my hair out over both of the protagonists, almost crying, angry, hopeful, frustrated, desperate and longing for a resolution. It was insanity from start to finish and a credit to the author for her debut novel.

I didn’t know how I’d feel as the topic of the book is centred around a workplace affair and that is not anyone’s ideal situation to be in but again, full credit to the author for making the MC almost endearing and like someone you wanted to be friends with.

I gave this book 4.5 stars.

 

[Carapop]

Folks I’m really struggling to finish a book! Granted, my mental health is being seriously tested at the moment, and the hospital environment isn’t the most conducive to focusing on words on a page, but I am DNFing books after a few pages, a few chapters, 50% and 70% in. Got halfway through Sebastian Faulks’ newest Seventh Son but was so bored. Finished Happiness Falls but it was an exercise in endurance. Now reading Kiley Reid’s newest as I so enjoyed her first but…

 

[vanilla cupcakes]

my reads this month. The standout for me is definitely The Bodyguard, really enjoyed it!

I started lessons in chemistry today and I’m loving it. I’m predicting it’ll be a 5 star, I’ve heard so much about it all year so not sure why it’s took me so long to start! One of those audiobooks where I’m looking for stuff to do so I can listen

 

[HoGi]

Just picked up my copy of TYOTL and she got me a signed copy 🥹🥹🥹

 

[Katykatykaty]

After all the Fourth Wing / Iron Flame hype on here I finally given in and started the first one. Used a credit on Audible for it and I’ve only just started the third chapter but I’m loving it. I’ve got two 2.5 hour drives tomorrow so I’m hoping I’ll get a massive chunk listened to, though do feel that when setting off at 6.30am I may need music to wake me up rather than a book but we’ll see how things pan out.

 

[daisynoon]

wait his name is BEAT?!?

also i don’t know what i expected when i clicked on that spoiler but it wasn’t THAT

And her name is Melody, and there's a line that says something like "there's no Beat without Melody", and I feel better now I've shared.

 

[Niknak]

I've read 79 so far, target was 55. Discovering audiobooks last year has really bumped up my numbers.

My top five so far this year:
Such a Long Journey - Rohinton Mistry
Roots - Alex Haley
I'm Glad My Mom Died - Jennette McCurdy
Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies - Maddie Mortimer
Small Things Like These - Claire Keegan (although I wish she'd decided to expand this into a full novel rather than it being a short story).

I don't comment often but I love reading all of your posts

 

[ScoutFinch]

I started listening to the Britney autobiography audiobook on Spotify during the night feed last night. I’m excited to be booking again!

 

[ToolaRoola]

300 days of reading reached today

 

[ordinaryjelly]

I know a few of us were touched by his autobiography but Matthew Perry has died, he was only 54. No age at all.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-67252752.amp

 

[nbt]

My Christmas list just tends to go from non seasonal thrillers, to seasonal thrillers

Ho Ho Ho!

 

[StrawberryBanana90]

I need to stop buying books I have problem!
I went to a small village with an independent book store and I felt like I couldn’t leave without buying because I want to support local businesses a quaint bookshop run by lovely people is my weakness

 

[cherrymoon]

I think I may have underestimated myself this year think I’ll edit and put it up to 50.

 

[LaBlonde]

i need to everyone who has “pretending” in their lists to come back and talk to me when they’ve read it

i think i said here before but i read it for a FB book club and got banned from the group because of the “level of energy” in my too long posts about it

edit: i should say not energy in a bad way; it’s a really interesting book with a lot to say…. i just had a lot to say about it. sadly not the first online book club i’ve been banned from

 

[mindlessness]

My goal for the year was 52 and I’m at 163

I think I’ve said in previous thread but a lot of those are KU romances so not ‘difficult’ reads I can get through one in an afternoon.

 

[StrawberryBanana90]

I’ve finally started the housemaid by Frieda McFadden and it’s so infuriating I’m hooked but also want to fling the book across the room

 

[OnlyHereForTheLolz]

Oh wow. I want the physical book as I too don't believe it!

So I thought I would be good and support my local bookshop but I don't want to wait until Tuesday

Although thay being said I have rhe physical Iron Flame to read, so maybe I should just read that this weekend and get TYOTL on Tuesday

I got it! But I’m saving it for December 🥲 might cheat.
---
Actually will cheat! I have no will power and I’ve only waited like 10 years

 

[dinosaursideways]

I've unexpectedly been sidetracked by a recommendation for a BBC2 television programme called Shakespeare: Rise of a Genius. Not that I've read any Shakespeare but the series is really good!
There's actors and actresses in it who are probably really famous - and they're obviously Shakespearean actors but I don't know their names but they look a bit familiar! I recognised Judi Dench obviously - I love the sound of her voice.
Anyone else seen it?

This sounds good! I feel like the older I've got (and the further away from GCSE English....) the more I appreciate Shakespeare. I just read 'If We Were Villains' by ML Rio, which was definitely written by someone with a deep love for/appreciation of Shakespeare. The actual sort of mystery/detective plot was less solid, but I enjoyed the theatrical staging of it, and the Shakespeare.

I also loveeeeee and would recommend Hagseed by Margaret Atwood, which is a retelling of 'The Tempest'. I enjoyed Hamnet too, which is Shakespeare-esque. And Shitfaced Shakespeare (live theatre, not book). And Ballet Black's Midsummer Nights Dream was FANTASTIC (ballet, not book).

And the recent Coen brother (singular) Macbeth adaptation, even though I definitely struggled to understand it all. Actually that's something that made me appreciate 'If We Were Villains' - using lines from Shakespeare in the context of a story/dialogue in modern English helped me understand the Shakespearean English better. Although not sure I'd ever get to the point of being able to read and understand one of his plays.

Really appreciate everyone else's Shakespeare thoughts, I do want to rewatch Romeo & Juliet and might try some of the other suggestions for plays/adaptations. I was always an English Lang person not English Lit, but I'm really enjoying exploring more classic literature. Because of "The Fall of the House of Usher" Netflix adaptation I read a lot of Poe - so great to be able to get everything for free online when it's in the public domain! And when there are so many anthologies/collections on BorrowBox I can find some with no reserve list.

(Also hello I'm new to the book threads, finally recovered enough from a head injury to be reading again. Been a long few years and I'm so happy I can enjoy this hobby once more).