monkiainen (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
monkiainen) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thestoryinside2025-01-18 02:33 pm
monkiainen) wrote in thestoryinside2025-01-18 02:33 pm
Entry tags:
January Discussion Post
It's time for our monthly discussion post! This post will remain open for you to contribute at any time, so no pressure. Even if you didn't get around to reading any of your selected books or opted out of participating for the month, you're still more than welcome to take part in the discussion.
Please copy and paste this in the comments!
no subject
What books were chosen for you? I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan, Glory in Death by J.D. Robb & Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
Did you manage to read your books? Which ones? So far I've read I Know What You Did Last Summer. I hope to read at least one more book before the month is thru.
If you read more than one, did you enjoy them? What was your favorite? n/a
Would you recommend your chosen book(s)? I supposed I would rec the Lois Duncan but I do have to say the 1997 film is so much better than the book. It's surprising since it's usually the opposite with books vs. movies, but it's true.
Did you read anything else this month, outside of your chosen books? A couple of forgettable YAs and the memoir I'll be Damned by actor Eric Braeden. That one was pretty good.
no subject
I enjoyed the Mercy Thompson series, if you get to that. I should check to see if I finished it. ;)
no subject
I really hope to read Moon Called by the end of the month.
no subject
What books were chosen for you?
'The Witch's Heart' by Genevieve Gornichec, 'The Wolf Road' by Beth Lewis, and 'The Leavers' by Lisa Ko
Did you manage to read your books? Which ones?
I'm currently reading 'The Wold Road'
If you read more than one, did you enjoy them? What was your favorite?
Not yet, but I may pop back in!
Would you recommend your chosen book(s)?
So far, it's pretty brutal (in that it's a dystopian survival story and the protagonist is.... surviving) but I'm liking Elka's development and the way the author drops hints about how the world ended seems natural to the story and not done in an exposition dump.
Did you read anything else this month, outside of your chosen books?
I read 'Nettle & Bone' by T. Kingfisher and 'The Things We Cannot Say' by Kelly Rimmer. I enjoyed both, but I REALLY enjoyed 'Nettle & Bone'.
no subject
Elka is one of the strongest female characters I've read in a long time. Also one of the most damaged.
I'm not sure I can safely recommend it though due to some of the intensity of the material, but I thought it was an engaging read.
no subject
no subject
no subject
What books were chosen for you? Inheritance by Nora Roberts, The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters, We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
Did you manage to read your books? Which ones? I've read both Inheritance and The Berry Pickers so far! Not sure I'll manage to get to We Solve Murders this month.
If you read more than one, did you enjoy them? What was your favorite? Inheritance has an incredible setting in a haunted manor, but the plot is a little slow? And it ends on a cliffhanger! I'm not sure if I'll continue with the series yet. For The Berry Pickers: it's a sad and quiet read that still manages to be so filled with love and hope. You know where the plot is going right from the beginning, though.
Would you recommend your chosen book(s)? I would! Inheritance for anyone interested in haunted house stories that aren't as scary as they are mysterious. The Berry Pickers for people interested in books about indigenous perspectives that explore trauma and how to keep on going.
Did you read anything else this month, outside of your chosen books? I did! About 6 other books. I've posted about them on my journal.
no subject
no subject
What books were chosen for you? Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, Memnoch the Devil by Anne Rice, Chime by Franny Billingsley
Did you manage to read your books? Which ones? I read Gone Girl and Chime
If you read more than one, did you enjoy them? What was your favorite? Chime started put a bit slow, and the whole tone of the book was coloured by the 1st person POV antagonist who did nothing but whine and whine. The end twist was something I didn't see coming, though, but still not my cup of tea. Gone Girl was excellent! Really can't say more because massive SPOILERS.
Would you recommend your chosen book(s)? Yes to Gone Girl, no to Chime
Did you read anything else this month, outside of your chosen books? I read Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh and Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman
no subject
no subject
Sabcatt.
What books were chosen for you?
Choice 1: A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon, tr. Anton Hur (fantasy, female author)
Choice 2: The Bookseller's Tale by Ann Swinfen (thriller, female author)
Choice 3: East of West, Vol. 1: The Promise by Jonathan Hickman (fantasy)
Did you manage to read your books? Which ones?
Yes, all of them.
If you read more than one, did you enjoy them? What was your favorite?
I emjoyed them all to varying levels? 'A Magical Girl Retires' is slight, and the perspective being from a very heavily depressed narrator meant that a lot of world building stuff was unanswered. I did appreiate the potential f/f though!
The Bookseller's Tale was my favourite of the three - a murder mystery set in Oxford, England right after the Black Death has killed a large number of the population. Our narrator is a young widower, a bookseller who turned down the celibate scholar life in order to wed his now deceased wife. He lives with his two small children and widowed sister and finds himself morally obligated to investigate a murder of a student that was being brushed over. There's a lot about the time, the place, the particular feeling of living in a society that had survived a plague and was... not coping well. I woudn't read this for the mystery - I worked out who did it before the end, and I almost never solve these detective stories - but for the very strong sense of the time and place. And the narrator is a sweetheart; I plan to try other books by this author and in this series.
East of West vol 1 is a 'Weird West' comic book with stunning art from Nick Dragotta and a potentially intriguing set up - the future of a very alternate North America, with what had been the US of A until a protacted Civil War led to the country's division. Now it is centuries from the war and division, and there are supernatural figures roaming - some of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, a few other equally deadly figures - and terrible things are potentially going to get worse. Not sure if it works for me yet - I do have some more volumes I picked up on Comixology (RIP) for cheap, and I am curious.
Would you recommend your chosen book(s)?
I would rec 'The Bookseller's Tale' to most folk, the others would be with strong caveats.
Did you read anything else this month, outside of your chosen books? Some more 'Akira' (volumes 4 and part of 5), 'Spy x Family' vol 1 (enjoyably silly 'spy and assassin make a fake family with a tiny telephathic child' manga), 'Dr. No' by Percival Everett (satire of James Bond style supervillains with a delightfully autistic pair of leads, though I'm not sure it worked overall), and a few single issues of comics.
no subject
What books were chosen for you?
-> Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger (thriller)
-> The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna (fantasy)
-> The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda (female author)
Did you manage to read your books? Which ones?I read "Confessions on the 7:45" and am currently reading "The Gilden Ones".
If you read more than one, did you enjoy them? What was your favorite?As for "Confessions on the 7:45", it was just okay. The mystery was alright, but I was annoyed by the perpetuating of traditional gender roles throughout the book/stereotypical portrayal of both men and women. It was really quite jarring to read. I like "The Gilded Ones" so far, it's nothing special but an entertaining, quick read - if I finish it this month, I'll update this comment ;)
Would you recommend your chosen book(s)?I would not really recommend "Confessions on the 7:45", unless you can look past the stereotypes.
Did you read anything else this month, outside of your chosen books?
I did! Only three other ones, but I have to say to my defense that one of them was quite thick and I am also reading another thick one in small bits every day before bed.
-> "Du kannst alles lassen, du musst es nur wollen. Neue witzige Stories vom Meister der Sprachkomik" by Torsten Sträter.
These are collectored short stories by a well-known German comedian who became famous through his whimsical stories and sketches which tend to start meandering quite a bit, but never veer into the bizarre or confusing territory. He is laugh-out-loud funny and another aspect I like of his is that he doesn't have to revert to punching down in order to craft successful and appealing comedy. He also speaks openly about his struggle with depression which I admire.
This book was excellent and hilarious as he always tends to be and it was the first five-star review on Goodreads I gave this year. Recommended if you know German ;)
-> "The Vegetarian" by Han Kang.
This book was...intense. Personally, I thought it was a little too much so - especially one scene of animal cruelty that I had to skip. I had to put it away regularly since it actually ended up doing a number on my mental health. Kang is not a bad writer by any means, and I get what she was trying to say/symbolize (although by the end it got a little too overwrought for me) but I guess at least this work of hers is not for everyone. At least not for me.
-> "Zeit zu hoffen, Zeit zu leben" by Peter Prange.
Said thick book I mentioned, with 669 pages in German, it told the story of a German family during the Nazi regime, and how each member of the family chose to live and deal with the circumstances of the time. It was told from their different points of view and was quite interesting to read, although the writing style was a bit cheesy/cringey at times, especially when it came to sexual content -.-
I am probably still going to read the sequel, just because I want to know what will happen to some of the characters.
no subject
What books were chosen for you? Lost Places by Sarah Pinsker, Night Film by Marisha Pessl, First Love: Essays on Friendship by Lilly Dancyger
Did you manage to read your books? Which ones? I'm a third of the way through Lost Places, and I've started both Night Film and First Love
If you read more than one, did you enjoy them? What was your favorite? The first short story of Lost Places is enough for me to know I'm going to enjoy this the most. Night Film has me hooked though, so I'm liking that as well.
Would you recommend your chosen book(s)? I recommend Sarah Pinsker, I like her short stories and have read her other collection, it's a fun ride! Night Film, so far, feels in the vein of Grady Hendrix and Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
Did you read anything else this month, outside of your chosen books? I finished Sense & Sensibility, Persuasion and Lady Susan by Jane Austen; Men Without Women by Ernest Hemingway; then fell into a bit of a rabbit hole on plays and read Playwriting by Stephen Jeffreys, Cost of Living by Martyna Majok, and Prima Facie by Suzie Miller.
no subject
What books were chosen for you?The Good Girl, Touched, & Abandoned
Did you manage to read your books? Which ones?All of them. I finished Touched & Abandoned but still in the middle of The Good Girl
If you read more than one, did you enjoy them? What was your favorite?I did enjoy the both I finished and kinda enjoying The Good Girl. The Good Girl is starting to get slow for me but hopefully it picks up soon. My favorite was Abandoned and can't wait to get to the second book in the series to continue the story.
Would you recommend your chosen book(s)? yes I would but would warn others Touched is like another version of Twilight
Did you read anything else this month, outside of your chosen books? Yes, Realm of Wonders, A Sword in Slumber, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, & In Search of Wisdom.
no subject
Who was your buddy this month?
What books were chosen for you?
Choice 1: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Fantasy)
Choice 2: Confessions by Minato Kanae(Thriller)
Choice 3: Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America by Lillian Faderman (Female Author)
Did you manage to read your books? Which ones?
Confessions by Minato Kanae!
If you read more than one, did you enjoy them? What was your favorite?
I only read one, but I enjoyed it a lot. I read it in one sitting when I was supposed to be reading for bookclub instead, and couldn't stop thinking through it afterwards...
Would you recommend your chosen book(s)? Yes, with caveats. Elegantly, cruelly written novel with a great use of multiple POVs and so many twists. I would want to give one massive content note for a major plot point, though.
Did you read anything else this month, outside of your chosen books? Yes! The only other translated Minato Kanae book, which was also excellent.