Books #6 reading chats.

[Marylou]

I've completed my Goodreads reading challenge of 80/80 books for 2021 Had to share with fellow book lovers cause no one else will understand

 

[Scullybob]

I love this thread. No arguing or drama, just open minded, book lovers. There's usually such snobbery around the type of books people like to read, but I find that everyone is welcome here no matter what type of books they like to read. Plus, it's introduced me to authors and genres I would usually go for and I'm grateful for the chance to broaden my horizons.

 

[ordinaryjelly]

It was my birthday today. My family and friends know me well, I was kindly given 21 books. I will never find the end of my tbr!

Anyway, I was given

The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard
The Memory Wood by Sam Lloyd
Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
The Light Between Oceans by M.J.Stedman
Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak
We Were The Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
The Lido by Libby Page
This Is How We Are Human by Louise Beech
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
The Smallest Man by Francis Quinn
The Truants by Kate Weinberg
Olympys, Texas by Stacey Swann
One August Night by Victoria Hislop
How To Belong by Sarah Franklin
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
The Secret Sculpture by Sebastian Barry
The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason

A pretty eclectic mix of books I think.

And thank you @Oohthedrama , I am doing ok. Still in the neuro rehab hospital, still only able to use my thumb really, still unable to hold a physical book. But I'll get there!

 

[ordinaryjelly]

I'm definitely still interested in a Christmas group read!

I'm still in hospital so I have hours to read everyday.

Currently reading two books Dying for Christmas by Tammy Cohen - which is an utterly bizarre story and not especially well written, but it has managed to suck me in and I am keen to find out how it ends. The other book is Michael Strogoff, Courier and the Czar by Jules Verne. It is considered by many critics to be Verne's finest work, I am only a few chapters in and am totally immersed in the story.

This thread is by far my favourite on Tattle, I am fairly certain it is one of only two threads on here where people can disagree without all falling out and a big drama.

Person A - I love this book, it is great. Person B - oh I didn't enjoy that one at all, I couldn't finish it. Person A - we all like different things.

Other threads go Person A - I like this book. Persons B, C, D, E, F, G...(over the space of ten pages) - you are wrong, that book is bad, you are wrong, it is the worst book ever, you are wrong, ugh can't believe you like that book, blah blah.

 

[Bubblesandflowers]

I have a busy busy week ahead. I have an exam on Wednesday I am expecting to fail.

I did fail 40% when I needed 65%. Oh well. I have lots on my plate and work have put a heavy workload on me right up until Christmas Eve. I can't even be bothered to pick up my kindle this evening. I am looking forward to my christmas break so I can just read and relax.

 

[Oohthedrama]

Hello new thread!

we’ve just about reached the festive season!
I’ve no idea if we’ll be on a new thread by Christmas/new year but I’ll say this now, I’m excited to see what people are reading as the year comes to an end!
I’ve loved this thread over the last year and it’s introduced me to a lot of books I’d never have chosen on my own!
It’s been great to have another aspect to the influencer/gossip forums, and everyone who contributed here, it’s been a joy to discuss all things books with you It’s becoming a lovely little community.

Possibly the only thread that has never had a spat or argument

well, all that aside we still have a few weeks to go before Christmas so back to reality

continue here!

previous threads; https://tattle.life/tags/books/

 

[qwikti]

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas everyone!! I know it's been said before, but I think we've got such a lovely kind thread here. Hope you all have a nice day, whether you're celebrating or not, and I hope you all get lots of lovely books you've been wanting

 

[D.W's Library Card]

Happy New Year book friends.

Okay so i've officially decided i'm going to get a Kindle, I'm spending far too much time in Waterstones at the minute.

 

[Katykatykaty]

That's a very weird statement. By definition reading is the process of looking at a series of written symbols and getting meaning from them.

Nothing wrong with listening to audio books but it isn't reading no matter how you want to phrase it

Hello, are you my husband?

 

[Bubblesandflowers]

Welcome to all the new book friends on the thread!

Once you’ve finished your book please feel free to share your thoughts and ratings. We don’t always love the same books BUT we are always friendly and respectful of each other’s views. We are very self aware people have different tastes so don’t feel like you have to stay in the dark

also be warned we do mention any book bargains we find. I’ve had a lot of 99p kindle books thanks to this

 

[Caffeine Fiend]

Ok I shall! There arent loads to be fair but over 20% of my reads have been 5 stars. I feel like as a rater I dont ever really go below 3, because 1 or 2 would be for books I couldnt finish and I dont tend to go rogue and read books that arent my style.

Non-Fiction

The Five - Hallie Rubenhold. This is the story of the 5 lives of the women killed by Jack The Ripper, now I will say this wouldnt usually be my things at all but I loved it. Not saying its 100% accurate but I found it really interesting and its definitely a story that needed told when you think about all the money that is made from JTR.

Born A Crime - Trevor Noah. When I first started this I really wasnt sure. I listened to it on Audible and its narrated by Trevor but it was so heart warming and funny. I would recommend this to anyone who likes auto biographys.

Men Who Hate Women - Laura Bates. This is a must read for anyone really but if you have sons Id really recommend it. Its not an easy read at all and I had to take a break several times as it was difficult to take it in. Well researched.

Fiction

Shuggie Bain - Douglas Stuart. I know this has mixed reviews on here, I felt a real pull to this book. Not sure if it was because its set locally, I could picture so much of it clearly in my mind. Maybe its just how connected I felt to Shuggie. Its not a happy book but its the reality for so many kids growing up all over the country. I didnt hate Agnes, I feel like her actions werent good but she was also a product of her environment. I listened to this on audible and it enhanced it for me. Douglas Stuart has clearly experienced some of that life, despite his success now and I felt that really shone through.

The Push - Ashley Audrain. I cant say much about this. I think we all read it? Perfectly executed, tense and horrifying rather than a thriller.

Queenie - Candice Carty Williams. Really strong writing in regards to mental health. Self worth / love. It isnt my usual read at all. Took a chance on a 99p kindle offer.

Greenwich Park - Katherine Faulkner. Thriller which I no way figured out. I thought Id got some of it and I did but it kept me guessing until the last page which as an avid thriller reader doesnt always happen.

Stolen - Tess Stimson. Again I think a lot of us read this. Thriller / whodunnit executed perfectly again, lots of red herrings and a really nail biting ending.

My Wife Jody - V A Rudys. A sci fi thriller. I found the concept of this book so clever. I havent read anything like it. Its really hard to say much about this without giving the story away but the basic premise is that the main character is a successful individual who wakes up one morning and his wife has disappeared. The book then follows him trying to find her and what happens when he does.

Bear Town - Fredrick Backman. This is my book of the year. Again one when I first started reading it I was thinking nope, this isnt for me and Id say the first maybe 25% took me a while to even get through. I loved it was set somewhere else other than UK/USA. The author is a master at writing characters imo. Again its not a happy book but it covers so many important topics. It also centers around Ice Hockey, something I have absolutely no knowledge of and no interest in but honestly if you can Id try to put that out of your mind if you are thinking of reading it. Its just beautiful.

Last Thing To Burn - Will Dean. Another v uncomfortable read and not happy topics. I clearly have a type. This is about a migrant who was trafficked to the UK and the author writes her story after she gets here and is sold to her captor. Very well written in my opinion. Horrifying and heart breaking. I was rooting for the main character all the way through and did actually cry a few times reading it. Topical at the moment.

Wow so Ive typed all of this out on my phone. My thumbs are sore now also apologies in advance for any typos

 

[Caffeine Fiend]

I finished The Holiday by T M Logan today! My 63rd book for the year.

I know this website gets a bad rep but I want to thank each and every one of you who has contributed to this thread. You have motivated me to read more and it has brought me so much joy this year.

After spending most of 2020 in poor mental health I knew something had to change and rediscovering my love of reading has been a game changer for me.

Ill be having some drinks tonight so no reading for me but I hope you all enjoy your evening, whether thats spent reading and/or in your pjs like me.

I have my first Net Galley read to start tomorrow and I am excited.

Heres to 2022 and much more reading

 

[Lola123]

Right, I need your help. My husband and I have had a disagreement over the past two days about audiobooks.

Basically I excitedly told him that I’d signed up to a free trial of Kindle Unlimited and I was loving the fact that some of the books also had the audio book attached so I could flick between reading and listening depending on poorly I was feeling at the time. He shut me down immediately and said that an audio book doesn’t count as reading and I shouldn’t count anything I’ve listened to in my goodreads challenge of the year.

My argument is that wether reading or listening, you’re still consuming the story/narrative and therefore getting the same result out of the book.
His argument is “Did you watch the match last night?” “Yea I watched it on the radio”….clearly making the point that (in his head) my argument doesn’t make sense.

He just doesn’t get that listening can equal reading when it comes to books. Like we read books to our son every night, he can’t physically read the words as he’s 3 but we will still say he read the book as he listened to it.

I know I’m right, but what are your thoughts?

I’m sick of this snobbery round what counts as reading! What about people with visual impairments who can’t see to read? What about dyslexics who find reading hard? What about people who are too tired to read? What about people on commutes who don’t just want to listen to the radio! If more people read, whether it’s listening, reading or even just looking at the front cover of books, the world would be a better place. This privilege around what is actual “reading” is a joke. It doesn’t matter how someone does it, as long as they enjoy it!

 

[ordinaryjelly]

I must have been a good girl this year because Father Christmas was very kind to me.

I got
Harlem Shuffle signed copy
Still Life signed copy
Sunset
Code Name Helene
Dark Pines
The End of Her
Good Samaritans
Everything, Everything
The Various Haunts of Men
We Were The Lucky Ones
The Smallest Man
How To Say Goodbye

All physical books, then £30 Amazon voucher that I plan to use for Kindle books.
I am a lucky duck.

Hot everyone has had great days!

 

[Caffeine Fiend]

I did a year round up this afternoon. Im sure Ive mentioned before I felt like I spent all of last year doom scrolling and told myself that I couldnt do another year like it. Ive been an avid reader most of my life and had stopped reading as much since having my kids. So I told myself I would aim to read 2 books a month and set my Good Reads Target at 24, by June I had reached that despite a slow start and only mangaging 2 in January. I tentatively increased my target to 36 and then by early August when I reached 36 after a bumper July I increased to 52 for the year. I got to 57 this afternoon.

Id love to reach 60 by the end of 2021 but Im quite busy now between now and then. So not sure Ill manage it but there is a lot of downtime between christmas and NY so we shall see.

I also received Waterstone debuts of 2021 email and have read 3 of them

Id be quite happy to name my 5 star books if anyone would like to hear what they are?

 

[Laurenia]

It’s my last day in work before Christmas and I’ve been given an Amazon voucher. Can’t wait to spend it all on Kindle books

 

[ordinaryjelly]

Did anyone work out how to make the covers of books read this year into a photo?

I took one for the team and infiltrated the Bookstagrameratti.

This is what they said...
Find the template you want to use (thestory.edit on Insta was who they recommended) Screenshot the template you want to use. Then from Amazon/goodreads screen shot which book covers you want to add.

Start an Insta story, then click the sticker tab, scroll to find the add images (after camera icon) find the book cover you want to add, staff it into place and resize to fit the blank box using the tool in Instagram.

I managed to do it, but honestly it was a lot of effort. I wanted something easy. But I guess that because they are invested and willing to spend the time doing this is why they get sent all the free books and I don't.

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1. How many books did you read in 2021? And if you set a target for the year, did you reach it?

I have read 189 books so far, privacy read another 2 before the year is out. No target, I just read.

2. What was your favourite book of the year? (Or top 3 if you can’t decide!)

The Last Thing To Burn by Will Dean. I have never read a more claustrophobic book, nor willed a character to survive quite so much as I did the main character in this book.

Meet Me In Another Life by Catriona Silvey. I don't even know how to describe this book, two characters who repeatedly meet each other in different stages of life.

3. What book were you most disappointed in this year?

Malibu Rising. I don't get it.

Oh and Sally Rooney's tripe. I give her a second chance and she wastes it.

4. What genre did you read most in 2021?

Contemporary fiction.

5. Did you discover any hidden gems or books you’ve put off reading for a long time and discovered you loved?

Not that I can think of.

6. Did you read any books this year that you think would make an amazing film or tv show?

The Last Thing to Burn would be an awesome film.

7. How many books do you aim to read in 2022?

I don't set a goal but maybe 300 ish if I am still stuck in hospital.

8. Now set yourself a non-numerical reading target for 2022 - to read a classic novel, to read more non-fiction, to read every single day etc.

I have this little list in my journal as a target.....

- A book by an author I love
- Goodreads Winner 2021
- A book with a bird on the cover
- A local author
- A title with three words
- A book published in 2012
- An autobiography
- A 2022 new release
- A book with a number in the title
- A book with a green cover
- A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Book
- A Sequel Book
- A book set in America
- A book by Kristin Hannah
- A Duchess of Cornwall Reading Room Book
- A book about sports.
- A book shorter than 300 pages
- A book with a one word title
- A New York Times Bestseller
- A book written for teens

 

[Tit4Tattle]

This is most definitely my favourite thread on here I have read so many books this year that I don’t think I would have without your recommendations…..who said internet trolls weren’t friendly

 

[DietGossip]

Audio books are also fantastic for disabled people who might not be able to read a physical book! I hate this view that they're not really reading, it's super ableist.

 

[Lola UK]

I was given a £30 Waterstones voucher for Christmas! I do like my kindle, but is there anything better than browsing a real book shop?!