10/2: The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang (library, 2021) - Meh.
10/3: Seven Days in June by Tia Williams (library ebook, 2021) - Really good until the end.
10/7: Castle by Garth Nix (library, 2000) - Interesting world.
10/8: In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren (library ebook, 2020) - Good idea, poor execution.
10/9: The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver (library ebook, 2020) - Meh.
1010: The Kiss Thief by L.J. Shen (library, 2019) - I am not sure when mafia romances replaced paranormal romance as the trope du jour, but it's not something I care for. There's a lot of domestic violence, physical abuse, and non-consensual sexual contact in this book. Not my jam.
10/11: Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich (library, 2017) - I did not care for this.
10/14: Matchmaking for Beginners by Maddie Dawson (library, 2018) - This made me so mad.
10/16: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (library ebook, 2021) - Good entry from Weir. I liked The Martian better, but I thought this was really fun.
10/20: Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks (library ebook, 2018) - Unrequited love at first sight. So many tropes I do not enjoy. Also, when the woman put on blue eyeshadow to match her dress, my eyes may have rolled into my brain.
10/22: Regretting You by Colleen Hoover (library, 2019) - Weird genre mash-up from Hoover here. Part-romance, part-Gilmore Girlsesuqe mother/daughter relationship drama. Easy read, but definitely won't stick with me.
10/25: Falling Free (Vorkosigan Saga #4) by Lois McMaster Bujold (library, 1988) - I liked this. Interesting world building and interesting characters.
10/25: Dragonflight (Dragonriders of Pern #1) by Anne McCaffery (library ebook, 1968) - Very dated gender relations make it hard to evaluate this book for me.
10/29: Math Girls by Hiroshi Yuki, translated by Tony Gonzalez (university library, 2007) - A fun read if you're into math.
10/31: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner (library, 2021) - Book club book that was a fun romp.
11/1: From Blood and Ash by Jennifer Armentrout (library ebook, 2020) - Terrible.
11/4: I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella (library, 2019) - Perfectly acceptable romance novel.
11/8: The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (library ebook, 2014) - Great.
11/12: The Guest List by Lucy Foley (library ebook, 2020) - Good setting. Otherwise pretty okay.
11/13: How to Walk Away by Katherine Center (library ebook, 2018) - Center just writes absolutely forgettable books.
11/17: The Proposal (the Wedding Date #2) by Jasmine Guillory (library ebook, 2018) - Interesting meet cute, but otherwise a pretty generic romance novel.
11/18: A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan #2) by Arkady Martine - I wanted to like this book far more than I did. There are some interesting elements of world building, but I wasn't gripped.
11/23: Shards of Honor (Vorkosigan Saga #1) by Lois McMaster Bujold (library, 1986) - I thought the first book was much better than this one.
11/25: Hyperion (Hyperion #1) by Dan Simmons (library ebook, 1989) - Interesting concept. I may read the next book in the series.
11/26: Wanting Shaw (Rockers' Legacy Book 5) by Terri Anne Browning (Kindle purchase, 2020) - I really loved the original Rocker series from Browning, but these are more like young adult/new adult books and there's so much teenage drama that just makes them hard to read. So much waiting until someone turns eighteen. I just...I don't need that in my life.
11/27: Needing Arella (Rockers' Legacy Book 6) by Terri Anne Browning (Kindle purchase, 2020) - Honestly, it just hurts me when romance novels write about brand new, fragile couples who don't have their communication figured out yet and they're all "let's forget about condoms." Sure, bring an innocent child into your mess. Ugh. No more of this series for me, obviously.
12/1: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (library ebook, 2021) - Solid romance novel.
12/2: Change with Me (With Me #17.5) by Kristen Proby (Kindle purchase, 2021) - A novella in a world that I love. This wasn't crazy memorable or anything, just a nice, easy read.
12/2: Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren (library, 2018) - A fun book, but it doesn't have a lot of lasting power in my memories. Similar to People We Meet on Vacation, but maybe not as good.
12/6: Temptation After Dark (Gansett Island #22) by Marie Force (library ebook, 2021) - I always say I'm going to quit this series, but then a new one comes out and I'm sucked in again. Very readable, but definitely not a standalone.
12/11: Well Met by Jen DeLuca (library, 2019) - Great romance novel with a Ren Faire setting.
12/12: Dragonquest (Dragonriders of Pern #2) by Anne McCaffery (library ebook, 1971) - The gender relations in this series does not get any better.
12/15: Hate Notes by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward (library, 2018) - Solid romance novel.
12/18: Anxious People by Frederik Backman (library, 2020) - Backman is full of interesting, witty observations, but this book stressed me out.
12/19: Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant (library ebook, 2017) - Excellent book about mermaids!
12/22: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (library ebook, 2019) - The couple in this book are never going to make it.
12/24: The Switch by Beth O'Leary (library, 2020) - A very fun, multi-generational book.
12/25: Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin (library ebook, 2019) - I'm not the audience for this book.
12/27: Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore (library, 2019) - Excellent romance novel.
12/28: If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane (library, 2020) - Good, but forgettable romance novel.
12/29: Meet Cute by Helena Hunting (library, 2019) - I have rarely been so angry at a book.
12/29: Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren (library, 2018) - I liked this one!
12/30: Lover Unveiled (Black Dagger Brotherhood #19) by J.R. Ward (library ebook, 2021) - I love this series and this is the most recent one, but what a strange book. The female lead...she's keeping her dead brother's body on ice in her bathtub...what is this nonsense? No one talks about mental illness...
12/31: The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa (library ebook, 2020) - I have rarely despised the two main characters so much and still finished a book. What a terrible couple surrounded by a great secondary cast.
Total: 44
Book I Didn't Finish:
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (library ebook, 2018) - Lots of people love this book and I think the conceit is interesting, but not interesting enough for me to attempt to keep track of dozens of characters who are basically the same. This book is for a much more careful and conscientious reader than I am. Even with the use of my Kindle x-ray to hover over characters' names, I found myself befuddled and confused. Not a home run for me and I DNFed at about 40%.
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landry (library, 2007) - I'm not the audience for this beloved book. It irritates me SO MUCH when things could be explained with a conversation and the conversation never takes place or keeps getting postponed. Made it to page 60 and just stopped.
Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano (library ebook, 2021) - I'd had this book on my hold list for a long time, but the main character does something absolutely unforgiveable and it read like I was supposed to feel bad for her, but instead I just wanted her to get out of my life. DNF at 21%.
Pretty Reckless (All Saints High #1) by L.J. Shen (library ebook, 2019) - Absolute dreck about spoiled teenagers. DNFed at page 70.
99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne (library book, 2019) - DNF at page 95. This book was incomprehensible. Like, I was actively confused most of the time. I don't need that in my life.
Well, I need to up my reading game. I think I may have come out around 44 books total for 2021. How do you read so much??? In spite of my lackluster reading totals, I really do love books so I appreciate all your reviews. It's fun to see what other people are reading, and what they like/dislike.
ReplyDelete"This book was incomprehensible. Like, I was actively confused most of the time. I don't need that in my life."
ReplyDeleteI think this is one of my favourite things about getting older/wiser with my reading goals. Life really is too short to finish bad/incomprehensible books. Sometimes I WILL skim the end of a book that I can't get in to so I get a bit of a sense of completion. I also find myself not even opening certain books that I order from the library. Once I read the jacket and get a sense for it/flip through it, sometimes there is just a vibe where I can "tell" it isn't going to be for me. There are so many great books out there and learning to put down ones that just aren't right - for me at least - has been a huge shift in my thinking as a reader.
http://elisabeth-frost.com
The only book that I've read from this list is The Guest List. I agree with your take, it was fine but it didn't rock my socks. I'm curious about Seven Days in June and 7 1/2 deaths (I guess I have a thing for "Seven" titles?) but I don't do well at keeping track of a billion characters so I'll move 7 1/2 down on my list;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm new to your blog, so I haven't read many of your reviews. I love this summary, how brutal you are with the books you don't care for. I love the rapid fire of it just being a list, as opposed to the longer, more thought out reviews that you link to. Something for everyone that way.
ReplyDeleteThe only book on your list that I have heard of is Anxious People. I liked it a LOT, and actually bought it for my daughter, who suffers from anxiety. I thought it might help her feel SEEN. Perhaps that was a mistake and it will stress her out, if she ever gets around to reading it. I hope not.
Good morning! What an impressive list. I like your summary and your honesty. I'm not familiar with most (maybe all) of these titles and it's always good to see something new. I fell short of my goal list (60 -- I did 58) but I like the idea of having a goal, even if not met. It keeps you on track!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for taking the time to stop and visit The Marmelade Gypsy. It's so nice to meet another reader!
Um, whoa. That's a lot of books! hahahaha. This just goes to show how MANY books are out there....I've never heard of any of these, either, like "J" commented. Except Anxious People, which I also have on my "want to read" list. There are just so many different genres etc out there! Seems like you primarily read novels? I tend to lean toward non-fiction, but I do enjoy novels so much too. I just don't tend to reach for them as "naturally", but I have to remind myself that there are so many great ones out there and I do love them once I start.
ReplyDeleteWe have *some* similar opinions on books, haha! Like, I also didn't love Matchmaking for Beginners or The Worst Best Man. And I loved PHM, too! I love the way Weir geeks out over science concepts. Even when they go over my head, I still love them!
ReplyDeleteWow, that's an impressive list... and you know what's most impressive? I've read NONE of these books and heard maybe about two. LOL
ReplyDeleteWow. You read a LOT... and I'm so envious. That said, do you think that your ratio of enjoyed:did not enjoy was similar in this quarter to previous ones? It seemed like there were a fair number of misses for you, and I wondered if that was typical.
ReplyDelete