Books #27

[tp1986]

Got out of my book slump at last! Read 'Say you Swear' which took me a while to get into and was a bit too long-winded for my liking but hooked me enough to want to get to the end. And powered through 'The Catch' (the new one by Amy Lea) which I just loved- it reminded me a bit of the Tessa Bailey series about fishermen.

 

[LaBlonde]

It might be around the time I got the impression the main character never washed and thus smelled.

i almost want to read it just based on this

 

[LaBlonde]

Where do you all get your book recs from? I usually just do loads of digging online but any websites with good unique ones would be fab!

I'm so bored of all the bookshop websites they just all show the same obvious choices, even when filtering by genres etc I really have to work to get to ones I've never heard of.

eta: posting this has just reminded me of lithub actually which I haven't been on for a while and I remember used to have great recs.

it’s so difficult to find good recs in the age of booktok tbh: it’s just the same books over and over, or the same circle of people recommending each other and it bugs me this thread is fast becoming a go-to for me though!

if i really love a book (or even a movie/tv show) i tend to go to twitter and search it, after some investigating there are usually people recommending things with similar vibes (this has served me well with rw&rb in particular). likewise, i like indie publishers on insta, as they tend to highlight more interesting books. waterstones are a good insta follow too, especially if your local store has an account.

 

[aidil]

Currently halfway through My Year of Rest and Relaxation and all I want to do is take a nap after all the talk of sleeping 🥲 Not sure that’s supposed to be the desired response!

 

[LaBlonde]

i don’t really have anything to add to the book pricing conversation over than to say that the “cheapness” of books with my “i deserve a little treat lifestyle” is not a great combination for my personal bank balance (or is it a great combination )

i will say though that i don’t own (and don’t plan to own) a kindle so a lot of the convenience of the 99p deals is lost on me. likewise i try and avoid amazon unless i literally can’t find the thing anywhere else, so i actively have to go out and get them. however i think the low price also means accessibility imo, so i don’t know if i think it’s a bad thing that you can pick up a mass market paperback for a fiver. the digital format is another conversation i know though, which i can’t really get into because i don’t get my books that way.

 

[Carabelle]

After flying through the TOG series I found everything else a bit of a slog. Really struggled with Penance by Eliza Clark and The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird.

However, I started Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and I can't put it down. I'm just over half way. Any other recommendations by her? I know she's written loads so I don't know where to start

 

[twilightgarden]

Hiya book pals. I’ve been busy with work and life lately so my reading has taken a hit I’m now off work for a long weekend + flying through The Best Way To Bury Your Husband. TW for domestic abuse but there is dark humour and some great characters so far.

 

[TheStrawberryThief]

I have started listening to the audiobook of All Creatures Great and Small. It is narrated by the actor who plays James in the modern adaptation, and he does a great job of bringing the characters to life.

I am really enjoying it. I honestly didn't realise how funny the books were. I thought the writing might feel a bit dated, but they don't at all. He doesn't shy away from writing about the sadder aspects of the job when needed.

I am just amazed at how often the characters drink and drive without a care, I don't think they cared about stuff like that back then. Also there would have been fewer cars, so worst a drunk driver could do was probably run themselves into a ditch.

 

[inksmear]

I finished The Salt Path - it took me about 24 hrs to read (I basically sat and read all day yesterday and the same this morning). I actually LOVED it. I do get the feeling they had more choices than perhaps they were letting on/acknowledging (if nothing else, they were starting from a more educated, more articulate, more privileged position than a lot of people who find themselves homeless do) but I do think they went through pretty extreme hardship and I love the fact they just got up and walked. I am a camper and a traveller and although I am a lot more settled and comfortable now, in the past when I have gone through difficult times I have said ‘this isn’t working for me anymore’ and left and started anew in a new city, a new country, a new life so that side of the story appealed to me.

I have never lived there but the book made me homesick for the jurassic coast. My favourite place in the world! I am now craving summer and a camping adventure in the South West of England.

 

[Tofino]

I prefer Goodreads for reading reviews, StoryGraph has too many review stats like % for character development etc. but I wish Goodreads would allow half stars for ratings.

But I like StoryGraph for my own reading stats like pages not just books. And other stuff like % fiction/nonfiction and genres etc.

 

[Ding]

I only ever really read romance/easy reads but I'm starting The Housemaid tonight. Never read any kind of thriller, so don't know how I'll get on with it.

 

[cill2019]

Book besties my youngest has just ripped the covers off 2 books the Night She Disappeared which is fine, it was a charity shop purchase and I’ve read it but
He ripped Bride after my rollercoaster to get it so I need a new copy yes? Or a new child he also broke my new kindle case yesterday but I managed to fix it. I don’t know what is going on in his little ASD mind but he is in destructive mode serves me right for doing housework

 

[strawb]

i love war and peace; crime and punishment is my favourite book of all time; anna karenina is another favourite... but i could not for the life of me finish les miserables i felt le miserable

 

[StrawberryBanana90]

I've just finished my first 1 star of the year: Death of a Bookseller. Gosh I REALLY hated this book.

The hype for that book was so unfounded to me! It did start off strong but really fell apart quickly and became a chore to read

I rated it a 3 stars at the time but looking back, I was definitely too generous. I'm trying to be more cut throat this year.

 

[GoofyPrincess]

Just finished listening to The Serial Killer's Wife. It was fine, easy for dog walking. I ended up listening to it because one of the narrators was the same as the narrator for Ariadne and I liked her voice. Any other audiobook recommendations with good narrators? I enjoy Michael Kramer as a narrator.

I read The Serial Killer’s Wife a couple of months ago and loved it, but for some reason haven’t been compelled to read the rest of the series. No idea why!
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My March reads!

Favorite for me was The Maid’s Diary and also enjoyed Winter at the Dog & Duck as an easy romance read - I’m a bit of a sucker for a book set in the English countryside with a village pub

 

[ordinaryjelly]

Jellyyyyyy! How can you not know about Harry Potter houses?!?

Sounds like I need to talk to my children! 🥹
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Nope, you're not alone.

I've never read HP or seen the films...(I'll see myself out )

We can sit in the corner together and discuss non HP things!

 

[capriallie]

I finished the first book in the ACOTAR series today. I loved it! It is the first fantasy book I read besides Harry Potter and Legends and Lattes. It has really got me out of a reading slump. I stayed home all day today just to finish it and it has been a long time since I was racing to finish a book.

I have already downloaded the second book.

Second is bloody brilliant, I’ve read it twice now and it’s definitely my favourite of the series

 

[BWGossip]

I'm a quarter in This is going to hurt by Adam Kay (after recommendations here) and the story about the husband, a plasterer, knowing the exact frequency and duration of his wife's contractions and how she was dilated to 6 cm was oddly sweet On the other hand, the stories about the degloved 18yo or the woman being 'wear as Sooty' scared me for life (Edit: not my usual type of book, but it's very funny, laughed a few times out loud and quite informative at the same time. Will probably be a 5 stars!)

 

[StephenTJackson]

i know! what we pretend we can’t see in particular is better than like 60% of books i’ve read - the standard is so high (and then the author’s notes are like sorry guys i’ve been working 10 hour shifts all week and have been writing this on my phone during breaks, how?!)

and why did all the unhinged ones involve dobby 🥲

Because Dobby is an unhinged mad elf.

 

[LaBlonde]

Omg yes the queuing at WHSmith for a midnight release! The experience of waiting for/buying/experiencing those books was something else. I need that again!!

same! it does make me sad that, in the kindle/digital/amazon age, it will probably never happen again. or even that a series will never “grab” the public so universally in the same way again. it was an absolute moment!
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Did you slip him your phone number when he passed the book to you?

This is such a slow burner.

i’m gonna need this thread with me in a ear piece the next time i go in all these ideas!