The Monday Check-In ~ 10/18/2021

Posted in The Monday Check-In by
cooltext1850356879

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.

Life.

After a week and a half away, I got home last Monday and picked back up with regular life right away. This weekend, I finally got a chance to breathe a little, spend time outdoors, go for walks, and just relax. I needed that downtime for sure.

What did I read during the last week?

Cackle by Rachel Harrison: Witchy goodness! My review is here.

Horseman by Christina Henry: An eerie riff on the legend of Sleepy Hollow. (Loved it!) My review is here.

Any Sign of Life by Rae Carson: A YA tale of a post-pandemic apocalypse. My review is here.

The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley: This audiobook was a re-read for me, and I loved it all over again. My original review is here.

An Embarrassment of Witches by Sophie Goldstein and Jenn Jordan: A fun graphic novel that focuses on friendship, post-college soul-searching, and finding your way… in a world where magic and witchcraft are everyday parts of life.

Pop culture & TV:

I’ve mostly just been catching up on shows where I’d fallen a few episodes behind — Queen Sugar, Survivor, What We Do in the Shadows. Also, somehow I’ve managed to get sucked into the current season of Dancing With the Stars, which I do not usually watch. But hey, Sporty Spice!

Fresh Catch:

Two lovely new books were waiting for me when I got home:

The Vanished Days is even signed by the author!

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis: I’ve only just started, but this book is sweet so far!

Now playing via audiobook:

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry: After listening to a couple of longer, heavier historical novels, a lighter listen seemed like a great choice. I’m about halfway through, and enjoying it.

Ongoing reads:
  • Outlander Book Club is doing a speed-re-read of Written in My Own Heart’s Blood, #8 in the Outlander series. We’re reading and discussing 5 chapters per week. This week: Chapters 121 – 125.
  • Doctor Zhivago is our group classic read, two chapters per week. It’s complicated! Nerdy me started a spreadsheet to help me keep track of the characters. Don’t scoff — it works!
  • It’s October, and that means it’s time for A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny! The book is organized into chapters corresponding to each day of the month. So far, the chapters per day are short, so it hasn’t been a problem keeping up — but I know they get longer later in the month, so I hope I can keep up my motivation (and find the time) to see it through.

So many books, so little time…

boy1

Book Review: Any Sign of Life by Rae Carson

Posted in Book Reviews by

Title: Any Sign of Life
Author: Rae Carson
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Publication date: October 12, 2021
Length: 384 pages
Genre: Young adult – Science fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

When a teenage girl thinks she may be the only person left alive in her town—maybe in the whole world—she must rely on hope, trust, and her own resilience.

Paige Miller is determined to take her basketball team to the state championship, maybe even beyond. But as March Madness heats up, Paige falls deathly ill. Days later, she wakes up attached to an IV and learns that the whole world has perished. Everyone she loves, and all of her dreams for the future—they’re gone.

But Paige is a warrior, so she pushes through her fear and her grief. And as she gets through each day—scrounging for food, for shelter, for safety—Paige encounters a few more young survivors. Together, they might stand a chance. But as they struggle to endure their new reality, they learn that the apocalypse did not happen by accident. And that there are worse things than being alone.

Any Sign of Life opens to a scenario that hits a little too close to home in 2021, when we still can’t say that the coronavirus pandemic is behind us. In this YA sci-fi novel, our current pandemic is a memory from the past for the characters. As the book begins, we meet main character Paige Miller as she awakens from a coma to confront a world wholly different from the one she thought she knew.

Paige wakes up to discover an IV in her arm and her family’s dead bodies in her house. As she ventures out away from the horror, she encounters nothing but more horror. Every home in her neighborhood contains dead people — she appears to be the only one left alive. After liberating a neighbor’s dog from their locked house, Paige and Emmaline set out to scrounge for supplies and figure out if anyone else has survived.

What seems from the beginning to be a story about a horrific virus that’s wiped out nearly all of humanity takes a turn as Paige starts to realize that this virus couldn’t have been naturally occuring. As far as she can tell, it killed people worldwide in only a week, and that just doesn’t make sense. When Paige meets Trey, another teen survivor, they start to put the pieces together, and realize that humankind didn’t just die out — it was exterminated.

Figuring out how this happened, and desperately fighting for a slim chance at survival, Paige and Trey’s journey leads them to a handful of other survivors and a small chance at making a difference in what seems to be a losing battle to hang onto a world that might still be fit for human life.

Any Sign of Life is both a story of the end of the world as we know it and a tale of a fight for survival. There are exciting action sequences as well as plenty of strategizing about how to survive — and whether there’s a reason to survive. The author gives the characters individuality and personality, as well as giving them each a backstory and inner depth.

Paige, as the POV character, is strong-willed and capable, but also carries the pain of her lost family with her always. Trey is also a great character, and all of the characters we meet are mourning someone they loved.

While the action sequence toward the end of the book is a little confusing, it’s still gripping to read, and I couldn’t help holding my breath while rooting for the good guys to succeed. The book ends on a positive note, but the future still looks grim — and I couldn’t help wondering whether a sequel will be coming along at some point. The ending works, but there’s plenty of room for more of the story to be told.

Any Sign of Life is an engaging read, once I got past the fact that what I thought would be a story about surviving a worldwide plague ended up being about a different sort of threat completely. Not giving too much away, the revelations about the cause of the virus and what the future might hold didn’t wow me, because I feel like I’ve read plenty of stories along these lines already,

Still, I liked the characters and the particular episodes involved in their survival, and have no problem recommending this book to anyone who enjoys post-apocalyptic YA fiction.

**********

Through affiliate programs, I may earn commissions from purchases made when you click through these links, at no cost to you.

Buy now at Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop.org

Book Review: Horseman by Christina Henry

Posted in Book Reviews by

Title: Horseman: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow
Author: Christina Henry
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: September 28, 2021
Length: 320 pages
Genre: Horror
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Everyone in Sleepy Hollow knows about the Horseman, but no one really believes in him. Not even Ben Van Brunt’s grandfather, Brom Bones, who was there when it was said the Horseman chased the upstart Crane out of town. Brom says that’s just legend, the village gossips talking.

Twenty years after those storied events, the village is a quiet place. Fourteen-year-old Ben loves to play Sleepy Hollow boys, reenacting the events Brom once lived through. But then Ben and a friend stumble across the headless body of a child in the woods near the village, and the sinister discovery makes Ben question everything the adults in Sleepy Hollow have ever said. Could the Horseman be real after all? Or does something even more sinister stalk the woods? 

Christina Henry books are always a treat, and this new release is another book that was perfect for my October spooky mood.

Horseman revisit the tale of the Headless Horseman, but with plenty of twists. While in the original legend, Brom Bones was a bully and somewhat of a villain, here in Horseman, he’s main character Ben’s beloved grandfather. Brom is big and self-assured, a leader within the town, a successful farmer, with an amazing laugh, and the person Ben turns to for love, understanding, and reassurance above all others.

Brom is happily married to Katrina, and theirs is a love match that often makes Ben blush after stumbling across one of their embraces or loving looks.

As the story starts, Ben stumbles upon a corpse in the woods — a boy from town who’s been left gruesomely dismembered, missing his head and hands. Soon after, Ben discovers a sheep in similar condition. Who — or what — is stalking Sleepy Hollow? Is it an evil spirit? Is it human wrongdoing? How does the legendary Horseman of Sleepy Hollow’s past fit into this? And what are those scary voices that Ben hears in the woods?

Without giving anything else away, I’ll just say that I loved this book! There’s gore and terrifying interludes, but most of all, the story itself is fast-paced and immediately immersive, and I loved the characters. The author does an amazing job of weaving in the classic Legend of Sleep Hollow, providing new context for the story and new explanations of its events, but also bringing the key characters forward into the next generation.

Brom is a fabulous character, hard-edged when threatened, but absolutely lovable and lovely when it comes to his wife and grandchild. Katrina, as seen through Ben’s eyes, initially comes across as mean and restrictive, but as the book progresses, we (and Ben) get to know her better and see that all is not as it initially seems. And Ben! Well, I encourage everyone to read Horseman and get acquainted with Ben on your own, but Ben is a brave but vulnerable character who struggles not just with the strange and scary happenings within Sleepy Hollow, but must also come to terms with family history, finding one’s place in a world that has strict expectations and limits of what’s acceptable, and embracing one’s true identity and committing to setting a path of one’s own.

Horseman is a terrific read at any time, but particularly if you’re looking for eerie, spooky, haunting reads in the weeks before Halloween. Highly recommended!

**********

Through affiliate programs, I may earn commissions from purchases made when you click through these links, at no cost to you.

Buy now at Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop.org

Book Review: Cackle by Rachel Harrison

Posted in Book Reviews by

Title: Cackle
Author: Rachel Harrison
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: October 5, 2021
Length: 304 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

All her life, Annie has played it nice and safe. After being unceremoniously dumped by her longtime boyfriend, Annie seeks a fresh start. She accepts a teaching position that moves her from Manhattan to a small village upstate. She’s stunned by how perfect and picturesque the town is. The people are all friendly and warm. Her new apartment is dreamy too, minus the oddly persistent spider infestation.

Then Annie meets Sophie. Beautiful, charming, magnetic Sophie, who takes a special interest in Annie, who wants to be her friend. More importantly, she wants Annie to stop apologizing and start living for herself. That’s how Sophie lives. Annie can’t help but gravitate toward the self-possessed Sophie, wanting to spend more and more time with her, despite the fact that the rest of the townsfolk seem…a little afraid of her. And like, okay. There are some things. Sophie’s appearance is uncanny and ageless, her mansion in the middle of the woods feels a little unearthly, and she does seem to wield a certain power…but she couldn’t be…could she?

Feeling witchy? Cackle is a perfect choice for the spooky month of October!

As Cackle opens, Annie’s life, to be blunt, sucks. Her long-term boyfriend has informed her that their relationship is more friendship than romance — but since good apartments are hard to come by, they keep living together, taking turns on the futon, for five more months. No wonder Annie is depressed and in a rut, especially since Josh was so much the center of her world for all these years that she never developed a friend circle and is now alone and miserable.

Annie finally makes a change in her life, and it’s a big one: She’s moves from Manhattan to the small town of Rowan in upstate New York, where she accepts a teaching job at a local high school and moves into a rented apartment. She doesn’t quite know how to connect with locals and worries that she’s made a terrible mistake… until she meets Sophie.

Sophie is beautiful and kind, immediately taking an interest in helping Annie settle in and offering her unconditional friendship. But why do the townspeople all seem so deferential and even afraid when it comes to Sophie? Sophie takes Annie to her mansion in the woods, showers her with gifts, and offers her a refuge in which to be pampered and recenter her life. And Annie loves it — but is Sophie too good to be true?

Cackle is a fun romp, with some scary/slightly gross moments in the mix, but it stays mostly on the lighter side. There’s a lot of pleasure to be found in Annie’s enjoyment of Sophie’s friendship, even while red flags are popping up everywhere. (There’s also super adorable Ralph, and I’m not going to say any more about him! You need to meet him for yourself.) While it seems clear from the start that Sophie has secrets, Annie remains oblivious for quite a while, and even when she begins to sort it all out, her responses aren’t entirely what I would have expected.

This is an enjoyable pre-Halloween read — not too heavy or serious, some good character development and support of not bowing to others’ opinions, finding one’s true self, and a celebration of friendship. Plus… witches!!

**********

Through affiliate programs, I may earn commissions from purchases made when you click through these links, at no cost to you.

Buy now at Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop.org

Shelf Control #289: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown

Posted in Shelf Control by
Shelves final

Welcome to Shelf Control — an original feature created and hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies.

Shelf Control is a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up! For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out my introductory post, here.

Want to join in? Shelf Control posts go up every Wednesday. See the guidelines at the bottom of the post, and jump on board!

Title: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
Author: Dee Brown
Published: Originally published 1970; 30th anniversary edition published 2001
Length: 509 pages

What it’s about (synopsis via Goodreads):

Now a special 30th-anniversary edition in both hardcover and paperback, the classic bestselling history The New York Times called “Original, remarkable, and finally heartbreaking…Impossible to put down.”

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is Dee Brown’s eloquent, fully documented account of the systematic destruction of the American Indian during the second half of the nineteenth century. A national bestseller in hardcover for more than a year after its initial publication, it has sold almost four million copies and has been translated into seventeen languages. For this elegant thirtieth-anniversary edition—published in both hardcover and paperback—Brown has contributed an incisive new preface.

Using council records, autobiographies, and firsthand descriptions, Brown allows the great chiefs and warriors of the Dakota, Ute, Sioux, Cheyenne, and other tribes to tell us in their own words of the battles, massacres, and broken treaties that finally left them demoralized and defeated. A unique and disturbing narrative told with force and clarity, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee changed forever our vision of how the West was really won.

How and when I got it:

I bought the Kindle edition several years ago.

Why I want to read it:

I’ve been exploring Native American fiction over the years, but feel like there are still so many gaps in my knowledge when it comes to understanding the history of Native Americans and the impact of US policies.

I’ve been hearing about this book for ages, and I know it’s considered a modern classic. A family member just read it and raved about it, and that reminded me that this has been on my to-read list for far too long.

I never seem to find time for non-fiction, but this is yet another one that I need to make a priority. From everything I’ve heard, this is an important and powerful look into history and the lasting effects of the US’s westward expansion and settlement upon native populations.

What do you think? Would you read this book?

Please share your thoughts!

Literary Potpourri


__________________________________

Want to participate in Shelf Control? Here’s how:

  • Write a blog post about a book that you own that you haven’t read yet.
  • Add your link in the comments or link back from your own post, so I can add you to the participant list.
  • Check out other posts, and…

Have fun!

Through affiliate programs, I may earn commissions from purchases made when you click through these links, at no cost to you.

Buy now: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop.org

The Monday Check-In ~ 10/11/2021

Posted in The Monday Check-In by
cooltext1850356879

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.

Life.

What an amazing week! As of today, I’m flying back home after a 10-day visit to the East Coast. I was able to visit with my dad every day, and yesterday we had a family gathering to celebrate his 90th birthday.

Beyond that, I met up with various friends and family members for walks, dinners, and lunches, and even managed to get into the city and go to Broadway!

So much fun. It’ll be hard to get back to real life this week for sure.

What did I read during the last week?

So Many Beginnings by Bethany C. Morrow: A powerful “remix” of Little Women. My review is here.

Cackle by Rachel Harrison: A lighter read — witchcraft in a small town! Review to follow.

Pop culture & TV:

TV-wise, my son convinced me to watch Squid Game (Netflix). I’ve only watched two episodes so far… but I can see why everyone seems to be talking about it!

This past Friday, I went to see Hadestown on Broadway. It was amazing! Loved the music, the staging, the choreography…

Here’s a look at the show:

… and the cast’s performance at the 2019 Tonys:

I need to get the soundtrack!

Fresh Catch:

No new books this week — but there should be some waiting for me when I get home.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

I have a huge (virtual) pile of ARCs to read… but this book is due back at the library at the end of the week, so I think I’m going to read it first!

Now playing via audiobook:

The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley: I am *this close* to finishing… it’s so good, even as a re-read!

Ongoing reads:
  • Outlander Book Club is doing a speed-re-read of Written in My Own Heart’s Blood, #8 in the Outlander series. We’re reading and discussing 5 chapters per week. This week: Chapters 116 – 120.
  • Doctor Zhivago is our group classic read. We’re discussing twice per week, and expect to have the group read go through early 2022. Slow and steady!
  • It’s October, and that means it’s time for A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny! The book is organized into chapters corresponding to each day of the month. So far, I’m keeping up!

So many books, so little time…

boy1

Book Review: So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix by Bethany C. Morrow

Posted in Book Reviews by

Title: So Many Beginnings
Author: Bethany C. Morrow
Publisher: Feiwel Friends
Publication date: September 7, 2021
Length: 304 pages
Genre: Historical fiction
Source: Library
Rating:

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Four young Black sisters come of age during the American Civil War in So Many Beginnings, a warm and powerful YA remix of the classic novel Little Women by national bestselling author Bethany C. Morrow.

North Carolina, 1863. As the American Civil War rages on, the Freedmen’s Colony of Roanoke Island is blossoming, a haven for the recently emancipated. Black people have begun building a community of their own, a refuge from the shadow of the old life. It is where the March family has finally been able to safely put down roots with four young daughters:

Meg, a teacher who longs to find love and start a family of her own.

Jo, a writer whose words are too powerful to be contained.

Beth, a talented seamstress searching for a higher purpose.

Amy, a dancer eager to explore life outside her family’s home.

As the four March sisters come into their own as independent young women, they will face first love, health struggles, heartbreak, and new horizons. But they will face it all together.

So Many Beginnings takes the classic Little Women story outline and turns it into something new and unexpected — truly a remix, rather than a retelling.

As the author explained during an interview with NPR:

Were you one of those people who read Little Women over and over when you were young, and was that part of the reason you agreed to write your new book?

I want to start by saying I have no recollection of reading the original.

Seriously? And you didn’t read it before you started writing?

I had no intention of reading it. As I told the editor, it would not matter. I am writing a story about four Black girls in 1863. It does not matter what a group of white girls was doing; that has no bearing on it. I will say that I, like a lot of people my age, was very in love with the 1994 film adaptation, so if there’s any similarity, I would expect it to be closer to a couple of elements from that film. Basically, Little Women is considered historical fiction, but as a Black woman, I have been excluded from that narrative. It seems like the kind of property that no matter how many times it’s revisited, it’s the same. It’s for white girls.

Read the full interview at https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2021/09/12/187316369/little-women-remixed-but-not-reimagined

Here, the March family is recently freed from enslavement, living in the Freedmen’s Colony of Roanoke Island off the coast of North Carolina. While the father is away working with the Corinth Freedmen’s Colony, Mammy and her four daughters live together in a life full of love, but not without struggle.

The sisters are absolutely devoted to one another and to Mammy, but they’re each very different. Their lives are full of work and often frustrations. Being free does not mean being truly in control of their lives or free from discrimination and otherness, as is made plain by the white missionaries and Union soldiers who control so much of the day-to-day life of the people of Roanoke.

I don’t believe I’ve ever read a book told from the perspective of formerly enslaved young women, and the writing here is incredibly powerful in showing the impact on the sisters’ worldview, sense of self, and need for true liberation. The book absolutely shows that even those abolitionists devoted to emancipation weren’t necessarily devoted to the concept of equality. While the term micro-aggression wouldn’t have existed at the time, the concept itself is very plainly evident in even the most well-meaning but still hurtful of exchanges. As Meg and Jo discuss:

“…So why does it enrage me?”

“Because,” Jo told her. “They’re only ever speaking for us, and about us. Rarely with us. Even when they have our best interest in mind, how could they know it without our input? The person who believes they know best, still, in some small way in some interior place they’ve yet to interrogate, does not truly comprehend equality…”

So Many Beginnings preserves many of the characteristics of the March sisters, but with shifts in meaning and importance. Amy is not a spoiled, obnoxious brat here (yes, my anti-Amy bias is showing!) — instead, Amethyst, called Amy, is cherished and protected. As the youngest child, she doesn’t remember enslavement the way the older sisters do, and the family is determined to help her hold onto the joy of innocence for as long as possible, even if that means indulging her and not making demands of her. Beth is really interesting here as well. While still sickly, she’s also inspired by a higher purpose and an ambition that propel her forward. Meg and Jo too, while sticking to some basic framework (Meg dreams of marriage, Jo uses her words to change the world), have a completely different set of experiences and motivations. The characters are each unique and fascinating.

I was not aware of the American Colonization Society or of the history of Roanoke Island before reading this book, and it’s eye-opening to realize how much of the American past is still not discussed in meaningful ways. Hopefully, So Many Beginnings will bring awareness and stimulate discussions amongst its readers, particularly within its target YA audience.

So Many Beginnings is a powerful, moving, and lovely novel. I enjoyed both the Little Women framework and the new take on the story, and most especially, the March sisters themselves.

Highly recommended.

**********

Through affiliate programs, I may earn commissions from purchases made when you click through these links, at no cost to you.

Buy now at Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop.org

Shelf Control #288: This Is How We Fly by Anna Meriano

Posted in Shelf Control by
Shelves final

Welcome to Shelf Control — an original feature created and hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies.

Shelf Control is a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up! For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out my introductory post, here.

Want to join in? Shelf Control posts go up every Wednesday. See the guidelines at the bottom of the post, and jump on board!

Title: This Is How We Fly
Author: Anna Meriano
Published: 2020
Length: 480 pages

What it’s about (synopsis via Goodreads):

A loose retelling of Cinderella, about a high-school graduate who–after getting grounded for the whole summer–joins a local Quidditch league and finds her footing.

17-year-old vegan feminist Ellen Lopez-Rourke has one muggy Houston summer left before college. She plans to spend every last moment with her two best friends before they go off to the opposite ends of Texas for school. But when Ellen is grounded for the entire summer by her (sometimes) evil stepmother, all her plans are thrown out the window.

Determined to do something with her time, Ellen (with the help of BFF Melissa) convinces her parents to let her join the local muggle Quidditch team. An all-gender, full-contact game, Quidditch isn’t quite what Ellen expects. There’s no flying, no magic, just a bunch of scrappy players holding PVC pipe between their legs and throwing dodgeballs. Suddenly Ellen is thrown into the very different world of sports: her life is all practices, training, and running with a group of Harry Potter fans.

Even as Melissa pulls away to pursue new relationships and their other BFF Xiumiao seems more interested in moving on from high school (and from Ellen), Ellen is steadily finding a place among her teammates. Maybe Quidditch is where she belongs.

But with her home life and friend troubles quickly spinning out of control–Ellen must fight for the future that she wants, now she’s playing for keeps.

How and when I got it:

I bought the Kindle version at the end of last year.

Why I want to read it:

I mean… Quidditch, obviously!

That’s really what drew me to this book when I first heard about it, but I do think the synopsis sounds really charming. There’s so much to explore when it comes to the transition from high school to college — leaving old friends, finding new ones, realizing that BFFs may want completely new experiences, following one’s passions… This book seems to take on these issues within the framework of playing Quidditch, and I am so there for it!

What do you think? Would you read this book?

Please share your thoughts!

LIterary Potpourri


__________________________________

Want to participate in Shelf Control? Here’s how:

  • Write a blog post about a book that you own that you haven’t read yet.
  • Add your link in the comments or link back from your own post, so I can add you to the participant list.
  • Check out other posts, and…

Have fun!

Through affiliate programs, I may earn commissions from purchases made when you click through these links, at no cost to you.

Buy now: Amazon – Book Depository – Bookshop.org

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Pet Peeves

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Bookish Pet Peeves.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Hmm, where to start? My list is a mix of complaints about book formatting, editing, etc, plus a few plot points that I just can’t stand.

My top 10 are:

1 – Overstuffed books: Books with such long descriptive passages or a simple lack of good editing that they’re much bigger than they need to be, often at the expense of the plot.

2 – Loose ends: I hate when the conclusion of a book leaves unanswered questions or dangling plot threads.

3 – Sequels without reminders: Especially when sequels come years later, it’s helpful to get little reminders in the text about what came previously. Are we really supposed to remember every little detail after so much time?

4 – Mismatched series covers: Ugh, I get so frustrated when the cover design or the actual book size changes mid-series! I like my series to match, thank you very much.

5 – Audiobook complaint: I love audiobooks, but I don’t understand why they don’t include the author’s notes that might be at the end of the print version of a book. Not every book has these, but particularly for historical fiction, they’re so important.

6 – Not acting their age: Teens acting like adults or adults acting like teens. I know this is broad, but for example, I just finished (and loved) Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, but every time we’re reminded that the group of lead characters are all in their teens, I was completely pulled out of the story. There’s just no way they’d all be such advanced criminal masterminds at their ages!

7 – Age differentials in supernatural fiction: Enough with the centuries-old vampires (etc) falling in love with teenagers! What would they even have to talk about?

8 – Alcohol as a plot point: I’ve read too many romances lately where the plot turns upon decisions made while drunk, often to the point of not remembering. Just… no. Also, on a related note, I don’t need to keep reading about people’s hangovers, thank you very much.

9 – Unrealistic workplaces: Again, in too many romances, women seem to have these idealized careers where they walk around in professional clothes and attend meetings, but the work environment just doesn’t feel real and they don’t seem to do, ya know, actual work. And on the flip side, it makes me bonkers when a novel’s plot has a woman experiencing workplace harassment and then doesn’t show her dealing with it effectively. I think authors should have their characters model empowering behavior!

10 – Anatomy lessons: This isn’t so much a pet peeve as a matter of taste. I prefer my fiction with implied steaminess rather than detail-by-detail graphic sex. I get that readers’ tastes vary, and I’m not anti-sex. I just don’t need every last little detail!

What about you? What are your bookish pet peeves? Do we have any in common?

If you wrote a TTT this week, please share your links!

Save

Save

Save

Save

The Monday Check-In ~ 10/4/2021

Posted in The Monday Check-In by
cooltext1850356879

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.

Life.

For the first time since my high school graduation, I made it to a reunion! I can’t even begin to describe how wonderful it was to reunite with old friends and reconnect with people I haven’t seen in way too many years. Since I live on the other side of the country from where I grew up, it’s never worked for me to attend a reunion until now… I’m so glad I did!

I’ll be here (Connecticut) for another week, working remotely, but also connecting with family and friends, and then celebrating my dad’s birthday next weekend. It’ll be busy — but it’s so great to be here!

What did I read during the last week?

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune: Loved it! My review is here.

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley: An audiobook re-read, so lovely to listen to.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo: The first in a duology following up the Grisha trilogy, Six of Crows has excitement, danger, and great new characters. I really liked it!

Pop culture & TV:

I finished season 3 of Sex Education — terrific season! I started On the Verge on Netflix, which I’m still a bit half-hearted about. And I’m loving the new season of Survivor so far!

Fresh Catch:

No new books this week.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Ack! I finished the book I was reading (Six of Crows) late last night, and I can’t quite decide which of these to start next!

Now playing via audiobook:

The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley: Another re-read — after finishing The Winter Sea, I just had to continue the story!

Ongoing reads:
  • Outlander Book Club is doing a speed-re-read of Written in My Own Heart’s Blood, #8 in the Outlander series. We’re reading and discussing 5 chapters per week. This week: Chapters 111 – 115.
  • Doctor Zhivago is our group classic read. We’re discussing twice per week, and expect to have the group read go through early 2022. Slow and steady!
  • It’s October, and that means it’s time for A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny! The book is organized into chapters corresponding to each day of the month. I know there are folks who re-read this book every October. I kept up with it through about half the month the last time I tried, but this time I want to see it through!

So many books, so little time…

boy1