Bestest Friend and I are doing a blog project. Each day we will write a blog post on a pre-determined them chosen by a random noun generator. The theme for the second day of the month is "Entertainment."
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This month felt very meh in reading. Lots of just sort of okay books. Bummer.
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5/1: One Night on the Island by Josie Silver (library ebook, 2022) - Huh. Is a story about infidelity romantic? Turns out that it's a no for me. 2/5 very angry stars
5/2: When I Lived in Modern Times by Linda Grant (library, 2000) - Interesting, but I didn't love it. 3.5/5 stars
5/4: In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer (library ebook, 2022) - Pretty okay romance novel. 4/5 stars
5/6: Seer of Sevenwaters (Sevenwaters #5) by Juliet Marillier (library, 2010) - Not the best in the Sevenwaters series, but even a bad entry in this series is worth reading. 3.5/5 stars
5/8: Will Supervillains Be on the Final? by Naomi Novik, illustrated by Yishan Li (library, 2011) - Leah's a student at a school for superheroes, but the first week is not going well. I am starting to think that I should be a Naomi Novik completionist, so I grabbed this graphic novel when it was available at our library. It was fine, but graphic novels are not really my thing. 3/5 stars
5/9: Seven Percent of Ro Devereux by Ellen O'Clover (library, 2023) - Weird mashup of The Soulmate Equation (an app that tells you what partner you're compatible with!) and Just Listen (teen trauma that impacts friendships for years). I liked it, but it wasn't mindblowing or anything. 3.5/5 stars
5/10: Pivot by Kat Martin, Alexandra Ivy, and Rebecca Zanetti (library ebook, 2020) - Barely readable novellas if you're not already reading the series that they are set in. I just needed something on my Kindle when my library holds weren't coming in fast enough. 2/5 stars
5/15: The Stand-In by Lily Chu (library, 2021) - Just a lovely, thoughtful romance novel. I enjoyed it. 5/5 stars
5/16: The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey (library ebook, 2014) - Okay book about zombies. 3.5/5 stars
5/16: What Moves the Dead (Sworn Soldier #1) by T. Kingfisher (library, 2022) - Retelling of a Poe short story "The Fall of the House of Usher" in novella form. Creepy and gothic. 4/5 stars
5/20: It Had to Be You (Chicago Stars #1) by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (library ebook, 1994) - I never warmed up to either of the main characters in this romance novel. Also, the random references to O.J. Simpson and Donald Trump as pop culture icons really dates the book. There's also a lot of trauma from sexual assault that's not really dealt with. Hm. Not my favorite. 2.5/5 stars
5/20: True Story: Murder, Mayhem, and Mea Culpa by Michael Finkel (library audiobook read by Rich Orlow) - More of a true crime book and less of a memoir. 3/5 stars
5/21: Flame of Sevenwaters (Sevenwaters #6) by Juliet Marillier (library, 2012) - The last book in the series. Marillier is a solid writer and I'm so happy I spent time in this world. 4/5 stars
5/22: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang (library, 2023) - Satire? Maybe? Confusing book. 3.5/5 stars
5/23: How to Fake It In Hollywood by Ava Wilder (library ebook, 2022) - Nothing worse than beautiful, rich white people whose lives are So Hard that they end up doing copious amounts of drugs and alcohol. I have no place for book in my life. 1.5/5 stars
5/24: I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai (library, 2023) - So muddled. 2.5/5 stars
5/30: Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Llloyd-Jones (library, 2009) - This main character in this book is just like me. Of course I liked it. 4/5 stars
Average star rating: 3.24/5 stars
Did not finish:
The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeycutt by Annie Lyons - This seemed like A Man Called Ove if Ove was irredeemable. Maybe at a different time in my life, I would have powered through, but I was not into it. DNF at 19%.
Small Island by Andrea Levy - Ugh. I just couldn't get invested in this book. DNF at page 52 (11.8%).
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain - I was frustrated with the opening pages of this book when it acted like introverts were so rare and were hiding their introverted tendencies from the world. It gets such good reviews, but I was out almost immediately. DNF at 5%.
Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse - I would have finished this a lot earlier, but I didn't have another book on my Kindle. Ha. I made it about 30%, but this was just a book that never hit with me. I thought the character was annoying, the narrative structure made it impossible to tell what was going on, and I wasn't a patient enough reader to give it time to develop. Maybe I'd be into it at another time, but right now this was a disappointment for me.
Wow, 17 books is a lot! I read a couple of those books that you did, but I rated them five stars, so I guess we had different experiences! The one I'm reading right now - When The Apricots Bloom - is pretty meh and I should have DNF'ed it, but I'm in it now, if you know what I mean.
ReplyDeleteI'm starting to wonder if I was just a grumpy reader in May. Like, if I read some of those books right now would I rate them higher? It's hard to say, but they're officially rated now because it's posted to my blog. Ha!
DeleteI am going to check out The Stand In. Otherwise, it sounds like most of the rest were only okay so I will probably pass! I read Demon Copperhead last month and I actually started it, put it down and then picked it up again over two months later. I am glad I did as it ended up getting better, but I have learned that sometimes I am just not in the mood and sometimes I just need to give it up (I still have trouble doing that though!)
ReplyDeleteThe Stand-In was a surprise to me. I wasn't expecting it to be as thoughtful as it was. I hope you like it!
DeleteI also DNF Quiet. It had so much buzz and I am an introvert so I was very excited to read it, but ended up finding it rather dull. About two weeks ago I considered re-ordering it from the library to try again (since it's still getting a lot of buzz), but didn't and now think based on your experience, too - well, Quiet just isn't going to be a book for me. (I did enjoy Bittersweet, but it also didn't WOW me)
ReplyDeleteWell, Quiet doesn't have to be for us. Maybe its audience is the extroverts in the room? Like, I don't need someone to explain introvertedness to me. I've lived it my whole life!
DeleteI'm listening to another book by RF Kuang right now, Babel. I saw it recommended on a blog, maybe yours, I don't remember. I like it but it seems like a lot of detail...I wonder if Yellowface is similar. Hmmm.
ReplyDeleteBabel and Yellowface are totally different books - different genres, different writing styles, different lengths. I loved Babel pretty much unreservedly, but am much more guarded in my praise of Yellowface.
DeleteI haven't read any of these. I notice your only 5 star is a romance novel and I don't usually love that genre- but maybe I'll give it a try.
ReplyDeleteI also am not really interested in Quiet. Like you, I don't need someone to explain introverts to me!
I don't know why I thought Quiet would be a good fit for me! I actually kind of struggle to find nonfiction books by women and I think I thought it would fit that niche for me, but instead I was just super frustrated early on and gave up! Oh, well. I'll just have to work harder to find those great nonfiction books.
DeleteI'm planning to read The Stand In after your review. It sounded great! My reading was pretty good overall last month. But the first couple months of the year were kind of meh.
ReplyDeleteI think the Stand-In is a very solid romance. I hope you like it as much as I did!
DeleteI read Quiet when it first came out and it was such a buzzy book, but I only gave it 3 stars because I didn't find anything groundbreaking in it. I guess because I already knew I was an introvert and feel very happy being one. Like others have said, I don't need someone to explain my lived experience to me! At some point in the book, she talks about the 2008 financial crisis and essentially posits that one of the reason it happened was because extroverts didn't let introverts speak up when things were happening.... And no??? WHAT?!?! Wild. Even if that's true, introverts can't be let off the hook because we don't want to speak up. (And hell, I know a LOT of introverts that DO speak up!) It was such a weird comparison to make and it fully turned me off from the book.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the way the author was talking about introverts (they hide their introvertedness! they're special unicorns!) made it clear to me right away that she and I were not on the same page about this topic. LOL. I can see why you were so turned off by it, too.
DeleteWoo hoo! A fellow Quiet disliker! I thought I was the only one out there but I see there are others. I feel seen. Me, the introvert. ;)
ReplyDeleteI was hoping to find a recommendation for my mom's book club. She's desperate. But I'm thinking all of these are a hard no - not just the ones that are out of her genre comfort zone (see: all fantasy), but the ones you panned. Shoot. Back to the drawing board...
Yellowface would be a great book club pick! There's a lot there to talk about. I would definitely recommend that.
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