byjove
Ruby
Posts: 16,541 Likes: 86,866 
|
Post by byjove on Jan 4, 2024 11:31:52 GMT -6
Hi everyone. I hope to participate in here more often again. I sort of forgot to check in on a regular basis like I had been, and then I couldn’t get caught up with all of the posts when I would think to come back. I hated missing out what everyone was reading. So that is one of my goals for this year! I read 74 books last year. I think my goal was 52 but I don’t really pay attention to that. I just read whenever I want to read and don’t worry about how much or little it is. This year I am hoping to try some challenges for the first time. I’ve always been a mood reader so it will be a bit of an adjustment for me, but since I typically read 7-8 books a month (November and December I slow WAYYY down with the holiday stress) I think I am ok with finally dedicating some books to a specific prompt, especially since most of them are still books I can choose from my own TBR. I am joining an in person book club for the first time, so there will be a book for that, plus an online book club. Some of the challenges I am going to try are ones I can complete at my own pace Lifetime of Reading - main characters of different ages Read with Allison challenge - don’t expect to fully complete, but it will be fun to see how many books I cross off on my own Read Across America - I don’t expect to finish this but I’m also curious to see how many states I can cross off this year. Other challenges are structured by month : Buzzword - each month pick a book based on a certain “buzzword” in the title” In Case You Missed It- Backlist Reading Challenge - each month read a popular book that you missed out on starting from 2012, 2013, etc. I love the idea of this challenge Decades Reading Challenge - Read a book about a specific time period, starting in the 1880-1899, 1900-1910s, 1920s, etc A book cover challenge - just for fun So basically 4-5 books a month will be specially planned out for me based on a book club or a challenge prompt, and the rest will be my own picks and I will see if they meet any prompts on their own. It’s all for fun, and it’s to try something different. This is also the first year I am trying book planning. I bought a planner from Peanut Butter Taco shop on Etsy and a bunch of stickers and I’ve been having fun filling that out. I'm going to add this to my tracking spreadsheet and see what their recs are - I was just about to ask for recs set in Colorado as we'll be going there in the spring. Those other challenges sound fun too! It covers Co and UT, but if you haven't read it yet, The Mountain Between Us is amazing. |
|
byjove
Ruby
Posts: 16,541 Likes: 86,866
|
Post by byjove on Jan 4, 2024 11:33:17 GMT -6
I actually have a surprisingly large number of books that I can think of set in UT. Huh.
|
|
|
|
Post by imapenguin on Jan 4, 2024 11:37:31 GMT -6
Hi everyone. I hope to participate in here more often again. I sort of forgot to check in on a regular basis like I had been, and then I couldn’t get caught up with all of the posts when I would think to come back. I hated missing out what everyone was reading. So that is one of my goals for this year! I read 74 books last year. I think my goal was 52 but I don’t really pay attention to that. I just read whenever I want to read and don’t worry about how much or little it is. This year I am hoping to try some challenges for the first time. I’ve always been a mood reader so it will be a bit of an adjustment for me, but since I typically read 7-8 books a month (November and December I slow WAYYY down with the holiday stress) I think I am ok with finally dedicating some books to a specific prompt, especially since most of them are still books I can choose from my own TBR. I am joining an in person book club for the first time, so there will be a book for that, plus an online book club. Some of the challenges I am going to try are ones I can complete at my own pace Lifetime of Reading - main characters of different ages Read with Allison challenge - don’t expect to fully complete, but it will be fun to see how many books I cross off on my own Read Across America - I don’t expect to finish this but I’m also curious to see how many states I can cross off this year. Other challenges are structured by month : Buzzword - each month pick a book based on a certain “buzzword” in the title” In Case You Missed It- Backlist Reading Challenge - each month read a popular book that you missed out on starting from 2012, 2013, etc. I love the idea of this challenge Decades Reading Challenge - Read a book about a specific time period, starting in the 1880-1899, 1900-1910s, 1920s, etc A book cover challenge - just for fun So basically 4-5 books a month will be specially planned out for me based on a book club or a challenge prompt, and the rest will be my own picks and I will see if they meet any prompts on their own. It’s all for fun, and it’s to try something different. This is also the first year I am trying book planning. I bought a planner from Peanut Butter Taco shop on Etsy and a bunch of stickers and I’ve been having fun filling that out. I'm going to add this to my tracking spreadsheet and see what their recs are - I was just about to ask for recs set in Colorado as we'll be going there in the spring. Those other challenges sound fun too! Go as a River is one I just added to my TBR that is set in Colorado. |
|
thatgolfb
Unicorn
Posts: 55,134 Likes: 235,509
|
Post by thatgolfb on Jan 4, 2024 12:30:07 GMT -6
I finished Never Lie by Frieda McFadden. I thought I was a good quick read. 4 stars.
|
|
thatgolfb
Unicorn
Posts: 55,134 Likes: 235,509
|
Post by thatgolfb on Jan 4, 2024 12:31:23 GMT -6
I just downloaded The Seven Year Slip after hearing about it on here. I finished Today We Go Home by Kelli Estes last night. Wow. I love dual timeline books, and that one was powerful. TW for war scenes. My next dual timeline will be a re-read of The Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers. It is a faith-based story around an Oregon Trail diary and how it impacts the modern day main character. The Seven Year Slip is so good, I loved it. There's a few character call backs to The Dead Romantics, which if you didn't read that one, please do! I liked that one even better but both were very thought provoking and excellent. I agree with this. The overall consensus in this group was split about these books, but I absolutely loved them. |
|
|
|
Post by newspapers on Jan 4, 2024 12:32:56 GMT -6
I finished Episode 13 last night. It was solid.
|
|
|
|
Post by angelashly on Jan 4, 2024 12:33:48 GMT -6
I finished Never Lie by Frieda McFadden. I thought I was a good quick read. 4 stars. I have the coworker by her I’m going to start |
|
kayc
Sapphire
Posts: 4,522
Likes: 12,529
|
Post by kayc on Jan 4, 2024 13:04:52 GMT -6
I finished Never Lie by Frieda McFadden. I thought I was a good quick read. 4 stars. I have the coworker by her I’m going to start She’s one of my go to authors when I need a book that’ll suck me in! I really liked the Inmate written by her |
|
|
|
Post by angelashly on Jan 4, 2024 13:07:25 GMT -6
I have the coworker by her I’m going to start She’s one of my go to authors when I need a book that’ll suck me in! I really liked the Inmate written by her I have that one on my list to get! I also got the perfect son for Christmas and forgot so I have that one too. |
|
|
|
Post by bearfootzcontinued on Jan 4, 2024 13:15:20 GMT -6
I'm going to add this to my tracking spreadsheet and see what their recs are - I was just about to ask for recs set in Colorado as we'll be going there in the spring. Those other challenges sound fun too! It covers Co and UT, but if you haven't read it yet, The Mountain Between Us is amazing. Plane ride to Colorado...maybe this one should wait, or maybe I can learn survival tips. In other news, DD (14) has always been very anti e-reader but now is thinking of buying herself a paperwhite so she has more room in her suitcase on the trip. Here's hoping they go on sale again soon! |
|
byjove
Ruby
Posts: 16,541 Likes: 86,866
|
Post by byjove on Jan 4, 2024 13:21:41 GMT -6
It covers Co and UT, but if you haven't read it yet, The Mountain Between Us is amazing. Plane ride to Colorado...maybe this one should wait, or maybe I can learn survival tips. Ok, I feel you on this, but it is like a two seater plane, if that makes a difference. |
|
|
|
Post by imapenguin on Jan 4, 2024 13:32:12 GMT -6
The Covenant of Water I has sucked me in much more strongly than I anticipated. I designated it my night time book for the month but I can’t think about anything else today.
|
|
|
|
Post by icedcoffee on Jan 4, 2024 13:48:58 GMT -6
I need to get back to it. I havent picked up a book since before Christmas.
My H and kids got me some books for Christmas. They didn't stick to my list but they actually got some really good ones.
My oldest (11) picked out The Fervor by Alma Katsu which I've already read (but didn't tell her) and then said she was intrigued by the description and wanted to read it next. She is definitely not ready for that! But she did write a horror short story for school so maybe she will be following in my footsteps. Might need to get some preteen horror recs!
|
|
dc2london
Admin 
Press Secretary
Posts: 62,728
Likes: 430,057
|
Post by dc2london on Jan 4, 2024 13:50:14 GMT -6
I finished When I Was You last night, my first fully 2024 book. It was a page turner, but I figured out the plot twist pretty early so, 3 stars. Also major content warning, there is a SIDS death. |
|
|
|
Post by angelashly on Jan 4, 2024 13:54:25 GMT -6
I need to get back to it. I havent picked up a book since before Christmas. My H and kids got me some books for Christmas. They didn't stick to my list but they actually got some really good ones. My oldest (11) picked out The Fervor by Alma Katsu which I've already read (but didn't tell her) and then said she was intrigued by the description and wanted to read it next. She is definitely not ready for that! But she did write a horror short story for school so maybe she will be following in my footsteps. Might need to get some preteen horror recs! One of us is dying Dd asked for books by Natasha Preston (she hasn’t read it yet but thought they looked good) |
|
|
|
Post by bearfootzcontinued on Jan 4, 2024 14:00:29 GMT -6
The Covenant of Water I has sucked me in much more strongly than I anticipated. I designated it my night time book for the month but I can’t think about anything else today. This just came through on my Libby hold. I need to finish Happiness Falls before it's due back at the library and then I'm diving into this one. The only problem is that I've stuck to romantic fluff lately and am not sure I can handle having real feelings anytime soon. |
|
nelzie
Sapphire
Posts: 3,469
Likes: 10,119
|
Post by nelzie on Jan 4, 2024 14:32:52 GMT -6
Apparently I fell asleep listening to my audiobook this morning, I just went to start it and it's finished, lol. Does that count? 😂 I'm on a Charlie Donlea kick thanks to wedding. I finished Those Empty Eyes and gave it 4 stars. My current read is The Girl Who Was Taken and I'm about 50% into it. After that I plan to read Twenty Years Later. Thankfully my Hoopla has most of his books so no wait. |
|
cnf
Ruby
Posts: 21,625 Likes: 105,156
|
Post by cnf on Jan 4, 2024 14:37:02 GMT -6
She’s one of my go to authors when I need a book that’ll suck me in! I really liked the Inmate written by her I have that one on my list to get! I also got the perfect son for Christmas and forgot so I have that one too. Ward D was a recent release of hers that was really good |
|
junch817
Amethyst
Posts: 6,593 Likes: 18,692
|
Post by junch817 on Jan 4, 2024 15:04:38 GMT -6
So this challenge would only work if you are a physical book reader (unless you look up the width of the ebooks and audiobooks you read, or books you borrow from the library), but it made me chuckle. I haven’t seen this one before  |
|
emma
Ruby
Posts: 18,927
Likes: 86,826
|
Post by emma on Jan 4, 2024 15:14:07 GMT -6
I like the concept but that challenge also only works for people that purchase their own copies of physical books. Us library borrowers are out
|
|
dc2london
Admin
Press Secretary
Posts: 62,728
Likes: 430,057
|
Post by dc2london on Jan 4, 2024 15:31:12 GMT -6
Absolutely adored Tom Lake. Meryl Streep was A+, of course. She was really perfect for it. It had me wondering how she related to the story, getting into acting at an older age (vs the main character started young) and having several grown children. It was like Evelyn Hugo meets Carrie Soto meets Little Women, but hard to say in what order. I had forgotten that she read the audiobook so I downloaded it and am loving it even more through her presentation. So mamy of my podcasts are still on holiday break so I have plenty of time for audiobooks! |
|
junch817
Amethyst
Posts: 6,593 Likes: 18,692
|
Post by junch817 on Jan 4, 2024 15:52:59 GMT -6
I like the concept but that challenge also only works for people that purchase their own copies of physical books. Us library borrowers are out You could always make a fun afternoon of it at the end of December - go to Barnes and Noble and have some fun finding them all, snap your picture, and even calculate the cost of all of the books as a bonus. Of course be kind enough to put them back for the employees too 🙂 Or better yet, do the same thing at your library (you just won’t be guaranteed all the books would be there and would have a better chance at finding more of them at the bookstore). Just an idea if it’s a challenge you (or anyone else) is actually considering. I’m a fellow library reader myself so I totally get it! |
|
cnf
Ruby
Posts: 21,625 Likes: 105,156
|
Post by cnf on Jan 4, 2024 16:14:06 GMT -6
Ok, I totally missed any cross references. I enjoyed both but also preferred Dead Romantics. I totally missed them all too. cnf can I get a spoiler? It was very brief, just one scene in one chapter. Benji and Florence end up bumping into Iwan and Clementine at some party, I forget the exact spot, I read both a while ago now. But they chat briefly before Benji and Florence depart. That's really it, nothing too mind blowing or exciting. |
|
emma
Ruby
Posts: 18,927
Likes: 86,826
|
Post by emma on Jan 4, 2024 17:06:44 GMT -6
I like the concept but that challenge also only works for people that purchase their own copies of physical books. Us library borrowers are out You could always make a fun afternoon of it at the end of December - go to Barnes and Noble and have some fun finding them all, snap your picture, and even calculate the cost of all of the books as a bonus. Of course be kind enough to put them back for the employees too 🙂 Or better yet, do the same thing at your library (you just won’t be guaranteed all the books would be there and would have a better chance at finding more of them at the bookstore). Just an idea if it’s a challenge you (or anyone else) is actually considering. I’m a fellow library reader myself so I totally get it! I kind of love that! Mostly because book stores are my favourite even though I never actually buy myself books |
|
junch817
Amethyst
Posts: 6,593 Likes: 18,692
|
Post by junch817 on Jan 4, 2024 22:28:19 GMT -6
I finished They Went Left by Monica Hesse. It’s a post WWll story about a girl trying to find her brother after everything. I wasn’t into it at first, but I ended up really enjoying it. It was heartbreaking. I’m not sure if it was the story itself in the beginning (there were a lot of characters, and a lot of moving around that I couldn’t pay attention to) or if it was just my personal life and reading around Christmas and I couldn’t stay focused, but the second half was different and I really enjoyed it, in a terribly sad way. I almost want to reread the beginning, but there’s too many books for that 😜
|
|
|
|
Post by yellowwallpaper on Jan 5, 2024 12:14:44 GMT -6
I had a sixth grader tell me she was in the mood for a murder book today. Some kids have been asking for murder books since fourth grade. The new wave of true crime girls 😂 I am not surprised when adults say it
|
|
kayc
Sapphire
Posts: 4,522
Likes: 12,529
|
Post by kayc on Jan 5, 2024 13:16:03 GMT -6
The upside to having Covid is extra reading time!
Over the past two days I read Please Tell Me and The Seventh Girl. Both thrillers, I recommend them. I especially liked the Seventh Girl.
|
|
thatgolfb
Unicorn
Posts: 55,134 Likes: 235,509
|
Post by thatgolfb on Jan 5, 2024 14:23:43 GMT -6
The Covenant of Water I has sucked me in much more strongly than I anticipated. I designated it my night time book for the month but I can’t think about anything else today. This is good to know. The audiobook keeps coming up on my holds list, but at 31 hours, I just need to be in the mood to start it. I keep hearing about how good it is. Maybe after I finish ACOMAF I will start it. |
|
cnf
Ruby
Posts: 21,625 Likes: 105,156
|
Post by cnf on Jan 5, 2024 14:35:20 GMT -6
I finished The Finance Solution and The Elephant In The Room this week.
I'm part way through both The Romance Dilemma and Those Who Wish Us Dead. Hopefully I can make a good dent in both, if not finish them this weekend.
I ordered a physical copy of Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd that I'm excited to read then put out in my classroom for students too.
|
|
|
|
Post by kittyriot on Jan 5, 2024 14:39:27 GMT -6
I’m working on Weyward. Everyone in my life adores this book and I’m just not getting it. I’m about 50% through and just find it boring. I’m hoping it gets better soon.
|
|
