Finished Daisy Jones and the Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid. 3/5; the premise was really interesting - a story about a really popular fictional 70s rock band, told in oral history format by way of interviews and snippets of dialogue between the characters. The lyrics to all of the band's "hits" are listed at the end. I enjoy reading rock oral histories, so this was right up my alley.

However, it was really difficult to get a sense of time and place with this book. Wouldn't a hyper-popular 70s band be coming into contact with Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, hippie culture, and all the other characters of late 60s-70s-era LA rock n' roll? There's so few references to the cultural atmosphere at the time, and that's a big shortcoming. The Six could've been a band on TikTok today, and I wouldn't have known the difference. None of the characters were really likable IMO, and there was also a lack of discussion about the musical elements of the band--that is, what exactly makes them so great and popular.

Now reading What We Kept to Ourselves, by Nancy Jooyoun Kim.

Reading “God of the Woods.” I like it but find the short chapters jumping around between time/characters (with lots and lots of cliffhangers) kind of irritating, though.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If we're allowing for audiobooks, I'm listening to Entrances and Exits written/read by Michael Richards.

I'm about 1/3 in and 99% of it, so far, has been pre-Seinfeld and there has been no mention yet of his racial speil.

The subject has been primarily his coming into acting and his pursuits as an actor. It's an enjoyable listen. We'll see how he deals with the headier stuff ahead.

We're not, because it's not reading, it's listening, like a podcast or the radio. This is "what are you reading?" you can start a thread on "what are you listening to?"

You are not the Queen of the thread. Get over yourself. I want to hear what people are reading and listening to.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If we're allowing for audiobooks, I'm listening to Entrances and Exits written/read by Michael Richards.

I'm about 1/3 in and 99% of it, so far, has been pre-Seinfeld and there has been no mention yet of his racial speil.

The subject has been primarily his coming into acting and his pursuits as an actor. It's an enjoyable listen. We'll see how he deals with the headier stuff ahead.

We're not, because it's not reading, it's listening, like a podcast or the radio. This is "what are you reading?" you can start a thread on "what are you listening to?"

Quit being rude. Audiobooks are books.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If we're allowing for audiobooks, I'm listening to Entrances and Exits written/read by Michael Richards.

I'm about 1/3 in and 99% of it, so far, has been pre-Seinfeld and there has been no mention yet of his racial speil.

The subject has been primarily his coming into acting and his pursuits as an actor. It's an enjoyable listen. We'll see how he deals with the headier stuff ahead.

We're not, because it's not reading, it's listening, like a podcast or the radio. This is "what are you reading?" you can start a thread on "what are you listening to?"

sorry to tell you, I post what I “listen to” all the time. A book is a book. I’m sure I’m not the only one.

I also really liked Annie Bot. I’m also PP who couldn’t finish The Bee Sting and although there were parts of Annie Bot that were certainly uncomfortable, I never had that feeling of damn this is going to go really, REALLY badly for everyone involved that I did by the time I got to the son’s chapters in The Bee Sting. Or maybe I just really hate to read about bad stuff happening to kids in particular.

Anonymous wrote:If we're allowing for audiobooks, I'm listening to Entrances and Exits written/read by Michael Richards.

I'm about 1/3 in and 99% of it, so far, has been pre-Seinfeld and there has been no mention yet of his racial speil.

The subject has been primarily his coming into acting and his pursuits as an actor. It's an enjoyable listen. We'll see how he deals with the headier stuff ahead.

We're not, because it's not reading, it's listening, like a podcast or the radio. This is "what are you reading?" you can start a thread on "what are you listening to?"

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m about 20% through The Bee Sting and wondering if I should continue because it is getting a little too stressful. Has anyone read this? I don’t like feeling actual dread when I read a book, and it’s not horror or a thriller at all.

I could not have hated a book more. And not because I thought it was stressful or too dark, it was because I thought it was too damn dull. I love a weighty tome and I was so excited to read it since it was on so many best of lists and I thought it was drivel.

Agree. I threw the book against the ground when I was done. What a disappointment.

I started listening to The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson today and I'm at 18%. So far it's moving at a fast past and I have no idea how this is going to turn out. It's a library loan via Libby.

Anonymous wrote:I finished An Elderly Woman Is Up To No Good and did I ever love that little book! Thank you to the PPs who recommended it.

Now I am reading Annie Bot, about a sentient s** robot who is figuring out who she is and what she wants. It's really good! I'm about 40% through and really enjoying it, though parts are sad and stressful. I'm rooting for Annie. I found Annie Bot from a NY Times book review, I believe. I often don't like the books they recommend but this one is doing it for me.

I liked Annie Bot. It was clever enough, although I liked the first half better than the second half.

Anonymous wrote:I just started listening to Project Hail Mary and am loving it. The audible is so well done and the story is really compelling. I'm not usually a sci-fi fan but this one has me hooked.

This is my favorite audiobook of all time and I am also not at all a sci-fi person. Glad you're enjoying it!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I finished An Elderly Woman Is Up To No Good and did I ever love that little book! Thank you to the PPs who recommended it.

Now I am reading Annie Bot, about a sentient s** robot who is figuring out who she is and what she wants. It's really good! I'm about 40% through and really enjoying it, though parts are sad and stressful. I'm rooting for Annie. I found Annie Bot from a NY Times book review, I believe. I often don't like the books they recommend but this one is doing it for me.

I loved Annie Bot. It was such a unique story. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did!

This is the PP who's about 40% of the way through, and I'm really glad to hear it holds up through the whole book!

What else do you enjoy? I'd love more recs!

I highly recommend Shark Heart if you're up for another unique book. When I read the synopsis I didn't think there was any way I'd like it, but then I kept hearing rave reviews from friends who read similarly to me. It's excellent. I actually chose it for my book club and we all loved it. It gave us a lot to talk about.

My other recent favorite book is a speculative fiction book called Sky Full of Elephants. It came out recently and I haven't much buzz about it which is a shame. The story begins with a day when all white people commit suicide (there's nothing graphic in terms of that in case you're sensitive to it). The book looks at generational trauma in a truly unique way and explores what happens to people of color when there are no longer white people. If you're a white person, it will make you uncomfortable in parts but in a good way. If you like audiobooks, the narrator is fantastic, but I also liked reading a physical copy because there were sentences I wanted to reread. It's the kind of book you continue to think about long after you're done.

I also really loved We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer. It's a good book for spooky season without being too scary. If you'd like something scary, I highly recommend Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra. It's a thriller but there's an interesting social commentary that was unexpected.

Another speculative fiction book I loved was Baby X by Kira Peikoff. Scientific advancements make it possible for embryos to be created with only DNA samples making it easier for couples with fertility issues to conceive, but like most things, people discover a way to take advantage of it for nefarious purposes.

Sorry....that was a lot. I'm a nerd and get excited when people ask for book recs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I finished An Elderly Woman Is Up To No Good and did I ever love that little book! Thank you to the PPs who recommended it.

Now I am reading Annie Bot, about a sentient s** robot who is figuring out who she is and what she wants. It's really good! I'm about 40% through and really enjoying it, though parts are sad and stressful. I'm rooting for Annie. I found Annie Bot from a NY Times book review, I believe. I often don't like the books they recommend but this one is doing it for me.

I loved Annie Bot. It was such a unique story. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did!

This is the PP who's about 40% of the way through, and I'm really glad to hear it holds up through the whole book!

What else do you enjoy? I'd love more recs!

I just read Matrix by Lauren Groff. It's a terrific read if you like strong female characters who get things done. It is a cast of all women, in a time when women were political pawns. I really enjoy it.

Anonymous wrote:I finished An Elderly Woman Is Up To No Good and did I ever love that little book! Thank you to the PPs who recommended it.

Now I am reading Annie Bot, about a sentient s** robot who is figuring out who she is and what she wants. It's really good! I'm about 40% through and really enjoying it, though parts are sad and stressful. I'm rooting for Annie. I found Annie Bot from a NY Times book review, I believe. I often don't like the books they recommend but this one is doing it for me.

I loved Annie Bot. It was such a unique story. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did!