Tag: book nerd

2019 TBR Follow Up

LaurenLeave a comment

Well, how did I do on my 2019 TBR?

The answer is not well.  Not well at all.

I read one book.

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman.  And that was only because the (quite frankly excellent) mini-series was coming out.

And did I read any of the new books I bought that I shared with you back in June?  Yes, but not many.   I’m actually working on reviewing the ones I have read.

So what does this mean?  It means I failed miserably.  The TBR’s have their own shelf like they are all special!

Oh well, I’ll just start a new TBR and fail at that one too!

 

I Wonder If Anyone Else Does This

LaurenLeave a comment

I’m curious.  Does anyone else have a physical book, an e-book, and an audiobook going at the same time?

Is it just me?

Because right now I am reading The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall as my physical book.  My e-book is The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern.  Last but not least, my audiobook (I’m on hour 17 of 39) is The Eye of the World By Robert Jordan.

The physical book is for when I am at home.  The e-book is for when I’m out, such as sitting in a waiting room or standing in a line.  The audiobook is for when I am at the gym or car rides that take longer than 20 minutes.

See, I’m not crazy…am I?

The Poppy War-A Book Review

Lauren1 Comment

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

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There I was, minding my own business when a book showed up on my Amazon Recommend list.  Now I normally ignore these things as they are very often wrong because of books I have purchased for others in the past.  Or I’m just not into that author anymore Amazon.  You don’t know me!

Anyway.  The cover caught my eye. This is funny because I bought the ebook version so I can’t even look at said cover now.  I have since picked up a hard copy.

It’s a thing.

I read over the description and thought, yeah okay, it’s on sale, why not?

Thank goodness we sometimes stop and look at those lists, huh?  I loved this book from page one.

Now let’s be honest, this thoroughly amazing book does have some issues.  It’s a slower start then I would have liked, but that gives more time to some important character development. It also has some pacing issues, places where it felt the writer was just hurrying their way through, but I didn’t mind those parts which I feel is saying a lot.

There are a few trigger warnings for this book, so be prepared.  Our heroine is put through some stuff.  She also reacts very viscerally to what she sees and feels in the world around her.

All in all, I gave this book a solid 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.  Go check it out.

The Power- A Book Review

Lauren1 Comment

The Power by Naomi Alderman

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Let’s just talk about this book, shall we?

I wanted to like it.

I loved the premise.  Women around the world get a mysterious power that men don’t get?  Sign me up.

I had actually been wanting to read this book for a while.  It came out in 2016 to rave reviews.  Like, seriously rave reviews.  It showed up on bestseller list after bestseller list.

But why?

The premise is great, sure.  And some of the characters are entertaining.  But I just…I found my self putting it down more than I was picking it up. Eventually, I just stopped picking it up.

Yes, I DNF’d a book.  And mom,  DNF means did not finish.

I think my problem lies in the character development.  Three of the four main characters are interesting…ish.  And one is just flat out annoying.  In my opinion, really, really annoying.

That character is the whole reason I stopped reading.  I just got to a chapter that featured her and just stopped.  I put the book down and didn’t look back.

And now, well now I’m giving the book to a friend of mine in hopes she might actually enjoy it.  Good luck friend.

 

Just a Small Book Haul

Lauren1 Comment

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So I recently went on a book buying binge.  Just a small one.   Full disclosure, I didn’t actually buy one of them (hint, it’s the one that’s not out yet).

I got a lot of these from small indie book stores in Memphis, TN.  One is Two Rivers Bookstore, which does only sci-fi, fantasy, and horror.  They also sell vintage sci-fi covers, vintage clothes, jewelry, and other things.  The second store is a Memphis tradition, Burke’s Books.  It’s where the hubs and I had our engagement photos taken.  Seriously, both places are in the same neighborhood (Cooper-Young) so if you ever find yourself in Memphis I highly recommend checking both of these places out.  The rest of the books I got from Amazon or from Half Priced Books.

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From the bottom to the top we have 2 trade paperbacks.  Fables Vol 3: Storybook Love, and the new Witchblade Vol 2: Good Intentions.  The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, Circe by Madeline Miller, The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang (it’s an arc* copy I got in a giveaway!), Strong Female Protagonist by Brennan Lee Mulligan and Molly Ostertag, The Power by Naomi Alderman, The Inheritance Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin (this one includes The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, The Broken Kingdoms, The Kingdom of the Gods and a novella The Awakened Kingdom), Pretender and Inheritor by C.J. Cherryh, Hyperion by Dan Simmons, and The Madness Season by C.S. Friedman.

What a nice, long, run on sentence that was.

I’ve never read any of these books before, so I’m excited to see what worlds they will take me to.

*An ARC is an Advanced Reader Copy, which is what book publishers send out to book stores to get them to sell the books.  Stores (or book reviewers) can’t sell them, so they either give them away or recycle them.

 

 

 

My TBR for 2019

Lauren6 Comments

What’s a TBR you may be asking?

TBR means “To Be Read”.  It’s a list (or pile, or shelf) of books I want to read above and beyond the random stuff that be will read as the year goes on.

I have a Goodreads goal of 30 books for the year.  I am well on my way to that, with 6 books already completed, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin and the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness among them.

I have been collecting new (and old) books to read for a while now.  Some are the first books in a series, and if I enjoy those, I will, of course, finish the series out.  One of the books, Good Omens, is a book I have read before and have thoroughly enjoyed.  With a limited TV series set to come out on Amazon Prime this year, I figured I would re-familiarize myself with its prose.

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Some of these books I bought new, some used.  I’m going to be honest and say I probably wouldn’t have considered some of them if I had to buy them new.  One of them was even written by someone I am vaguely acquainted with!

What is on your TBR list for the year?