It's not a huge list this month, but I'm reading a couple of doorstops (one physical book and one audiobook that's more than 32 hours long), so my reading came to an abrupt halt at the end of the month, but I am still reading, just not finishing. Not yet.
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9/4: Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser (library, 2026) - Interesting retelling of the Cinderella tale from the stepmother's perspective, but it didn't completely work for me. 3/5 stars
9/7: Habits of the Sea by Shea Ernshaw (library, 2026) - Just two people on an island by themselves. 3.5/5 stars
9/11: We Were Forbidden by Jacqueline Harpman (library, 2026) - Sometimes you just need to sink into some depressing literary short stories. 4/5 stars
9/11: Sea of Charms (Spellshop #3) by Sarah Beth Durst (library 2026) - And sometimes you want some cozy fantasy. 4/5 stars
9/12: Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy #1: Realm of the Elderlings #1) by Robin Hobb (audiobook narrated by Paul Boehmer, library) - Look, it's brilliant. 5/5 stars
9/21: London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe (audiobook narrated by the author) - I can't with this story of an entitled teen from an entitled family pretending to be a Russian oligarch. I can't. 2/5 stars
9/22: The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman (library, 2012) - A couple steals a baby and there's quite the aftermath. 3.5/5 stars
9/24: The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook (Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 3) by Matt Dinniman (library ebook, 2021) - It's fine. This series is fine. I'm mostly reading it because the local bookstore has events centered around these books. This one has a dungeon level with trains. Hats play a major plot point, so that kept me entertained. 3.5/5 stars
DNF:
Whistler by Ann Patchett - Look, Patchett does not work for me. What a snoozefest this was. There was some sort of accident in the past and instead of telling us about it upfront, Patchett wants to dole it out in little bits and pieces. I just...don't have time for this. DNF at 20%. (Also, 4.35 on Goodreads! I feel like I'm missing the literary fiction gene.)
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Okay, I'm sorry about Whistler, friends. Tell me about a DNF you did for a book everyone loved.
I tried reading Riders of the Purple Sage- and classic western- and could not get past the first cha. Such melodrama!
ReplyDeleteI did finish Habits of the Sea- I found it interesting to a point, but wanted to shake the protagonist. Also, if they were outside of time, how could she get pregnant? The baby wouldn't age, so no development could occur. Maybe the sea was tired of the protagonist rhapsodizing and chucked them up on the shores of Georgia to get rid of them.
LOL at wanting to shake the protagonist of Habits of the Sea. I don't think they were outside of time - just time moved VERY slowly. But, you're right. It would be like a six year pregnancy or something!
DeleteNo apologies needed on Whistler. It didn't work for you and that's that. I loved it so much that the average of our experiences is a rave. With that said, it's the only Patchett that has ever worked for me and after trying out a few of her other books I am going to happily take the one win.
ReplyDeleteI DNF'd Good Dirt which a lot of readers that I respect adored, and last year my big bomb was Broken Country. I just could not get into that book, and for funsies I listened to the Sarah's Bookshelves spoiler episode and did not feel that I was missing much. I originally DNF'd The Correspondent, but then I tried it on audio and ended up loving it. I don't remember, did you read it and what did you think?
I have noped out of Good Dirt and Broken Country because they both sound like too much "thriller" for me. Books with high levels of suspense do not work for me. I get too anxious. But that's definitely a me problem.
DeleteI'm laughing that everyone has been raving about Whistler and you describe it as a "snoozefest." I'm right there with you- I haven't read it because I don't think I would like it. I also didn't like The Dutch House, which everyone else loved.
ReplyDeleteI'm interested to hear what these doorstop books are!
I was so confused by The Dutch House. It focused on two siblings, but there were much more interesting characters I wanted to learn about! I've never gotten onboard with Patchett, so this is on me!
DeleteBooks are so subjective. We like what we like. I enjoyed Whistler, but I generally like books that are kind of a slow burn with regular, day-to-day stuff.
ReplyDeleteA thirty-hour audiobook? That's huge! I think The Calamity Club was almost that long.
I DNF'd The Heaven And Earth Grocery Store and most people raved about it.
Wow! I just looked it up. Calamity Club is almost 29 hours long! Sheesh. I had no idea. One of the narrators is January LaVoy, so that's a selling point for me.
DeleteI think I’m going to get that short story book, it seems right up my alley.
ReplyDeleteI loved Whistler so much, but yeah, we all like what we like. Look at other books you have enjoyed…maybe Literary Fiction just isn’t for you? Oh, I reviewed Lady Tremaine today. I know you thought it was fine, but I was so pleasantly surprised by it. I liked it a lot. Not enough to buy a physical copy, but otherwise, yes. I can’t think of any books that everyone else loved that I DNF. I rarely DNF. I know some books that everyone else loved that I WISH I had DNF, mainly The DaVinci Code and Hillbilly Elegy. Oh, also My Sister’s Keeper. I really wish I hadn’t finished that one. I recently DNF a book about a spy ring or something that was given to me years ago and OMG who cares, called The Secret History of the Pink Carnation and another book, Chennevillei, about a civil war vet that is out for revenge after his sibling and niece were killed or something like that. SNOOZE..
Confession: I liked The DaVinci Code. *shrug* It's plot driven and fun. Not everything has to make me want to curl up in a ball and cry! I'm a secret Dan Brown fan. Although now that I've put it out here, I guess it's not a secret anymore.
DeleteNothing wrong with liking what you like! I used to read a lot of Danielle Steele when I was in college. Escapism is a worthwhile goal, and plots are a good thing!
DeleteI just DNF'd the memoir Strangers by Belle Burden because I found her incredibly hard to relate to. The extreme privilege was grating (it is hard to sympathize with someone worried about losing her Martha’s Vineyard Club membership), but what really bothered me was how publicly she criticized her ex as a father while writing a memoir that her children will inevitably have to live with. Many people love it though.
ReplyDelete