Anonymous
Post 03/27/2024 16:40     Subject: What are you reading for March?
Read Nutshell by Ian Macewan. Story is told from the perspective of a fetus. His mom is having an affair with his uncle and plotting the murder of his dad. The book was enjoyable until the ending. The ending was terrible. When previously the book spent pages and pages developing events, the author spent a page or two only providing a partial resolution. It felt like the author really enjoyed writing the book, then got completely sick of writing the book and just quit a few pages from the highly unsatisfactory ending. Would not recommend. The premise and prose was excellent. Too bad the terrible ending ruined it.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 18:36     Subject: What are you reading for March?
I read Another Day's Pain by KC Constantine. It will be published next month. An American treasure that few people have read.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 17:11     Subject: What are you reading for March?
Just finished Chain Gang All-Stars. It was an absolutely brutal read. But I loved the characters and writing.

I was feeling guilty because I mistakenly put a hold on a large print copy. Then I realized I, with my -9ish prescription, am who the large print copies are made for.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 09:58     Subject: What are you reading for March?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I am not usually dabbling in so many books but here goes. Some of these I reported in Feb and still haven’t finished.

Frankenstein - hard copy that I think my husband brought into our house that he owned before we got married. It’s ok - I’m trying to force myself to read a classic.

Spare - audiobook - got on a free Amazon trial for Audible (which I did not continue after the 3 free credits) - I think it’s kind of boring.

North by Scott Jurek - kindle ebook- I run and a friend recommended it to me about 2.5 years ago. My library didn’t carry it on Libby and I bought it with Amazon digital rewards credits a couple of years ago and finally getting around to reading it. I like it so far.


I expected “Spare” to be a great book. 📚

It was all hype in my opinion though.

While Harry is very intelligent + articulate, I found his book to be extremely boring and quit reading it after the first 3-4 chapters.

I have been getting into Suspense/Thriller novels this month.

I read “The Housemaid” by Frieda McFadden & am now addicted to all of her books.

I read “The Coworker,” “The Inmate,” etc. and am anxiously awaiting more!
I love good suspense books that I actually skip eating, showers, etc. for!!!


You must realize Spare was ghost written? That Harry is neither remotely intelligent nor articulate, quite the opposite, he left school at 16 a total academic and oral failure.


While the book may have been ghost written Harry attended Eton until age 18 and then went on to Sandhurst Military Academy. He did struggle somewhat through Eton which comes as no surprise after having dealt with the horrible death of his mother at age 12. He may not be a stellar academic but he is both intelligent and articulate as evidenced by interviews you could listen to if you were so inclined. You don't sound too bright, though, making things up about Harry for no reason whatsoever.


I am not interested in your personal insults. This is the book thread, not the Meghan Markle fan club. You will need to correct your data however. Harry did not take A levels. He finished school at 16. A levels are studied for 2 years exclusively (there is no other schooling) for students aged 17-18.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 01:16     Subject: Re:What are you reading for March?
I just finished a book called "Valentine" by Elizabeth Wetmore.

It is about a bunch of unhappy women in Odessa Texas in 1976. And their children and their men. Some of the men are scoundrels, some are not.

I liked it. It is a debut novel for the author and I look forward to seeing what else she may write.

I downloaded it from my library.
Anonymous
Post 03/24/2024 16:08     Subject: What are you reading for March?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I am not usually dabbling in so many books but here goes. Some of these I reported in Feb and still haven’t finished.

Frankenstein - hard copy that I think my husband brought into our house that he owned before we got married. It’s ok - I’m trying to force myself to read a classic.

Spare - audiobook - got on a free Amazon trial for Audible (which I did not continue after the 3 free credits) - I think it’s kind of boring.

North by Scott Jurek - kindle ebook- I run and a friend recommended it to me about 2.5 years ago. My library didn’t carry it on Libby and I bought it with Amazon digital rewards credits a couple of years ago and finally getting around to reading it. I like it so far.


I expected “Spare” to be a great book. 📚

It was all hype in my opinion though.

While Harry is very intelligent + articulate, I found his book to be extremely boring and quit reading it after the first 3-4 chapters.

I have been getting into Suspense/Thriller novels this month.

I read “The Housemaid” by Frieda McFadden & am now addicted to all of her books.

I read “The Coworker,” “The Inmate,” etc. and am anxiously awaiting more!
I love good suspense books that I actually skip eating, showers, etc. for!!!


You must realize Spare was ghost written? That Harry is neither remotely intelligent nor articulate, quite the opposite, he left school at 16 a total academic and oral failure.


While the book may have been ghost written Harry attended Eton until age 18 and then went on to Sandhurst Military Academy. He did struggle somewhat through Eton which comes as no surprise after having dealt with the horrible death of his mother at age 12. He may not be a stellar academic but he is both intelligent and articulate as evidenced by interviews you could listen to if you were so inclined. You don't sound too bright, though, making things up about Harry for no reason whatsoever.


He barely graduated from Eton and he only took 2 A-level exams. He got a B in Art and there was controversy teachers helped him cheat and a D in geography. He’s privileged not intelligent. Ghost written books shouldn’t even count as being written by a celebrity. The celebrity name shouldn’t be down as the author.
Anonymous
Post 03/24/2024 13:47     Subject: What are you reading for March?
The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whelan Turner — loosely Greek history inspired fantasy. A reread of books 1-5 for me, but my first time reading Return of the Thief. I was honestly surprised that it didn’t disappoint; the series is incredibly well done and the unique points of view in each books are a always surprising and feel like they should be outputting (where are my favourite characters?!) but always come through in the end making me more excited about the characters than I expected.

Also a reread of The Fire’s Stone by Tanya Huff (solid fantasy one shot with a significant romance subplot).

And have been read Miss Silver mysteries by Patricia Wentworth. Recommend by my mother and solid mysteries where most of the characters are likeable but generally the victim(s) and villain(s) are less so. Set just postwar so they feel historical to me.

And about 1/4 of the way through middlemarch — enjoying the gradual development of all the characters and their interconnected relationships and social environment. This one is on audio from the library; ask the others I own.
Anonymous
Post 03/24/2024 07:31     Subject: What are you reading for March?
I just finished Piglet by Lottie Hazell, and I LOVED it. Got it from a NY Times review.

It's about a cookbook editor whose fiance betrays her, and then she becomes ravenously hungry.

Not much of a plot but incredibly suspenseful and well written, and I just tore through it.

Not sure what to read next! I have a huge stack of books but nothing's calling me. I find it hard to get into a new world when I'm still in the thrall of the one I just finished.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2024 20:13     Subject: What are you reading for March?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I am not usually dabbling in so many books but here goes. Some of these I reported in Feb and still haven’t finished.

Frankenstein - hard copy that I think my husband brought into our house that he owned before we got married. It’s ok - I’m trying to force myself to read a classic.

Spare - audiobook - got on a free Amazon trial for Audible (which I did not continue after the 3 free credits) - I think it’s kind of boring.

North by Scott Jurek - kindle ebook- I run and a friend recommended it to me about 2.5 years ago. My library didn’t carry it on Libby and I bought it with Amazon digital rewards credits a couple of years ago and finally getting around to reading it. I like it so far.


I expected “Spare” to be a great book. 📚

It was all hype in my opinion though.

While Harry is very intelligent + articulate, I found his book to be extremely boring and quit reading it after the first 3-4 chapters.

I have been getting into Suspense/Thriller novels this month.

I read “The Housemaid” by Frieda McFadden & am now addicted to all of her books.

I read “The Coworker,” “The Inmate,” etc. and am anxiously awaiting more!
I love good suspense books that I actually skip eating, showers, etc. for!!!


You must realize Spare was ghost written? That Harry is neither remotely intelligent nor articulate, quite the opposite, he left school at 16 a total academic and oral failure.


While the book may have been ghost written Harry attended Eton until age 18 and then went on to Sandhurst Military Academy. He did struggle somewhat through Eton which comes as no surprise after having dealt with the horrible death of his mother at age 12. He may not be a stellar academic but he is both intelligent and articulate as evidenced by interviews you could listen to if you were so inclined. You don't sound too bright, though, making things up about Harry for no reason whatsoever.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2024 19:24     Subject: Re:What are you reading for March?
Started reading “All Systems Red” by Martha Wells. Got it through Libby. It is a light sci fi story and was highly recommended by friends.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2024 12:01     Subject: What are you reading for March?
I’m listening to The Rachel Incident right now. I just put Huck Finn on hold so I can reread it before I read James by Percival Everett.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2024 11:32     Subject: What are you reading for March?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:After eagerly awaiting my turn for “Happiness Falls,” my loan is going to expire before I finish. It’s tedious and I’m so uninvested I don’t care how it ends.

I just got “Cork Dork” based on strong reviews for the authors new book. High hopes!


I had the same experience with Happiness Falls, except that I did rage-finish it, which made me dislike the book even more.

I just finished The Women by Kristin Hannah. I loved The Nightingale and liked Four Winds, but was so disappointed with this one. The writing, main character, and story did not live up to the concept. It read like it was written solely for the purpose of scoring a movie deal.

My next book is Chain Gang All Stars, which I bought on sale via Amazon's daily ebook deals email. It was recommended by a Facebook friend as one of the top books she read in 2023 (out of 52!).


Does Four Winds get better? I loved the Nightingale and the Great Alone but 120ish pages into the Four Winds and I'm about to throw in the towel. And I NEVER quit books.


I think The Four Winds gets REALLY good! Heart wrenching. The audiobook narration is outstanding.
Anonymous
Post 03/23/2024 00:46     Subject: Re:What are you reading for March?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:ARC reader here. It's been a while since I shared the books I've read that come out in March. Here's my list...

Murder Road by Simone St. James - She's got the paranormal thriller formula down pat. This one isn't ground-breaking and there's a very convenient helper in the mystery, but it's yet another solid entry in her catalog. I personally preferred when she set her books in the 1920s-1940s. Now that she's using the 80s and 90s, they make me feel old.

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle - Two books with the same premise came out within a couple months of each other and they are both well done. Every time a woman starts a relationship, she gets a note with it's expiration date on it. Like "John, three weeks" or something along those lines. The first half was light and fun, but the second half is heavier. There's a happy ending, though.

Sisters of Fortune by Anna Lee Huber - This actually came out at the end of February, but I think it's worth mentioning. It's about the Titanic voyage, focusing on the women in the Fortune family and other Canadians who were on the ship. Most of the characters are real and I don't think it's a spoiler to say that most make it (it's be a pretty depressing book otherwise!) It's does a great job of developing the characters of three sisters. The shipwreck is as scary and tense as you'd expect, but the aftermath is satisfying.

Bride by Ali Hazelwood - I think Ali's agent or publisher is just asking her to pull abandoned stories because almost everything she puts out makes money. This was a pretty average vampire/werewolf romance. I think she should stick to her "women in STEM" formula, which works for her.

What Feasts the Night by T. Kingfisher - sequel to a book based on The Fall of the House of Usher. Fine, but not scary. Missing the humor I expect in T. Kingfisher books.

The Love Remedy by Elizabeth Everett - This is another author who gets the "women in STEM" thing down, but her books are all set in the 1800s. Victorian era apothecary discovers a cure for croup, but her work is stolen. She hires a private inquiry agent to track down the thief and of course, a relationship develops.




I read your post when you first posted and thought that the new book you mentioned by Rebecca Serle sounded interesting. But there was a waiting list the same day it became available at my library. So I suppose I will wait a bit to listen to it.
Thanks for posting about the books you are reading.

My pleasure! I'm not surprised there's a line for this one. Her books always seem really popular!

The other book with a similar premise is called Skip to the End by Molly James. It's much lighter and sweeter than the Serle book. I definitely think the Serle is worth the wait!

Oh, that book sounds even more interesting than the new one by Rebecca Serle. Sometimes I feel like even if I live to be 997 years old I still won't have had enough time to read all the books that appeal to me.
Anonymous
Post 03/22/2024 10:38     Subject: Re:What are you reading for March?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:ARC reader here. It's been a while since I shared the books I've read that come out in March. Here's my list...

Murder Road by Simone St. James - She's got the paranormal thriller formula down pat. This one isn't ground-breaking and there's a very convenient helper in the mystery, but it's yet another solid entry in her catalog. I personally preferred when she set her books in the 1920s-1940s. Now that she's using the 80s and 90s, they make me feel old.

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle - Two books with the same premise came out within a couple months of each other and they are both well done. Every time a woman starts a relationship, she gets a note with it's expiration date on it. Like "John, three weeks" or something along those lines. The first half was light and fun, but the second half is heavier. There's a happy ending, though.

Sisters of Fortune by Anna Lee Huber - This actually came out at the end of February, but I think it's worth mentioning. It's about the Titanic voyage, focusing on the women in the Fortune family and other Canadians who were on the ship. Most of the characters are real and I don't think it's a spoiler to say that most make it (it's be a pretty depressing book otherwise!) It's does a great job of developing the characters of three sisters. The shipwreck is as scary and tense as you'd expect, but the aftermath is satisfying.

Bride by Ali Hazelwood - I think Ali's agent or publisher is just asking her to pull abandoned stories because almost everything she puts out makes money. This was a pretty average vampire/werewolf romance. I think she should stick to her "women in STEM" formula, which works for her.

What Feasts the Night by T. Kingfisher - sequel to a book based on The Fall of the House of Usher. Fine, but not scary. Missing the humor I expect in T. Kingfisher books.

The Love Remedy by Elizabeth Everett - This is another author who gets the "women in STEM" thing down, but her books are all set in the 1800s. Victorian era apothecary discovers a cure for croup, but her work is stolen. She hires a private inquiry agent to track down the thief and of course, a relationship develops.




I read your post when you first posted and thought that the new book you mentioned by Rebecca Serle sounded interesting. But there was a waiting list the same day it became available at my library. So I suppose I will wait a bit to listen to it.
Thanks for posting about the books you are reading.

My pleasure! I'm not surprised there's a line for this one. Her books always seem really popular!

The other book with a similar premise is called Skip to the End by Molly James. It's much lighter and sweeter than the Serle book. I definitely think the Serle is worth the wait!
Anonymous
Post 03/21/2024 23:40     Subject: What are you reading for March?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I am not usually dabbling in so many books but here goes. Some of these I reported in Feb and still haven’t finished.

Frankenstein - hard copy that I think my husband brought into our house that he owned before we got married. It’s ok - I’m trying to force myself to read a classic.

Spare - audiobook - got on a free Amazon trial for Audible (which I did not continue after the 3 free credits) - I think it’s kind of boring.

North by Scott Jurek - kindle ebook- I run and a friend recommended it to me about 2.5 years ago. My library didn’t carry it on Libby and I bought it with Amazon digital rewards credits a couple of years ago and finally getting around to reading it. I like it so far.


I expected “Spare” to be a great book. 📚

It was all hype in my opinion though.

While Harry is very intelligent + articulate, I found his book to be extremely boring and quit reading it after the first 3-4 chapters.

I have been getting into Suspense/Thriller novels this month.

I read “The Housemaid” by Frieda McFadden & am now addicted to all of her books.

I read “The Coworker,” “The Inmate,” etc. and am anxiously awaiting more!
I love good suspense books that I actually skip eating, showers, etc. for!!!


You must realize Spare was ghost written? That Harry is neither remotely intelligent nor articulate, quite the opposite, he left school at 16 a total academic and oral failure.