February Discussion Post

[monkiainen]

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!
<b>Who was your buddy this month?</b><br /><b>What books were chosen for you?</b><br /><b>Did you manage to read your books? Which ones?</b><br /><b>If you read more than one, did you enjoy them? What was your favorite?</b><br /><b>Would you recommend your chosen book(s)?</b><br /><b>Did you read anything else this month, outside of your chosen books?</b>

Comments

[wearing_tearing]

Who was your buddy this month? monkiainen
What books were chosen for you? The Dark Becomes Her - Judy I. Lin, Memorials: A Novel - Richard Chizmar, Burial Rites - Hannah Kent
Did you manage to read your books? Which ones? I can't believe this has happened, but I've DNFed both The Dark Becomes Her and Memorials??? The former because I had a really difficult time with the main character's personality and the latter because I had a really difficult time with the non-linear narrative.
If you read more than one, did you enjoy them? What was your favorite? I still haven't managed to pick up Burial Rites, so maybe that will be my successful read??
Would you recommend your chosen book(s)? I'd rec The Dark Becomes Her to people who enjoy horror and don't mind a main character who is crushed by her parents' expectations. I'd rec Memorials to people who don't mind really slow and non-linear narratives that are very obviously inspired by Stephen King.
Did you read anything else this month, outside of your chosen books? I did! A bunch of things :D

[monkiainen]

Oh no, I feel bad that you had to DNF two of your chosen books :( Hopefully the last book will surpass these two disappointments!

[scytale]

Who was your buddy this month? siberian_angel

What books were chosen for you?
Choice 1: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (Thriller)
Choice 2: The Goodbye Cat: Seven Cat Stories by Arikawa Hiro (Contemporary)
Choice 3: The Hidden Moon by Jeannie Lin (Female Author)

Did you manage to read your books? Which ones?
The Goodbye Cat and The Hidden Moon! (Sharp Objects was too popular so I couldn't get it at the library.)

If you read more than one, did you enjoy them? What was your favorite?
I enjoyed both of them! The Goodbye Cat was my favorite of the two and Kota is best kitty (except for Nana and Hachi), though I was a bit wearied by some of the human interactions in the book. Arikawa writes cats and the bonds between humans and cats very well, and I definitely cried. It's not a stand-out collection for me, but I did enjoy it. I thought that The Hidden Moon had great pining, but was limited by the format of being a one book romance -- it raised a lot of questions about whether or not the relationship could overcome class difference, and I felt like they needed a multi-book slow burn. Did not care at all about the mystery portion, though the history that inspired it seemed fascinating, but there was also one scene that hit a trope that I didn't even know that I wanted.

Would you recommend your chosen book(s)? Yes on The Goodbye Cat to someone looking specifically for slice-of-life about cats, no on The Hidden Moon. For The Goodbye Cat, I would recommend specifically Kota's short story (the first one in the collection), "The Night Visitor", and the last two stories (especially to fans of The Traveling Cat Chronicles - more Nana!)

Did you read anything else this month, outside of your chosen books? Yes! Some more short story collections, a smattering of the first chapters of nonfiction, and 17th century satirical erotica.

[yourivy]

"17th century satirical erotica" sounds very intriguing!

[monkiainen]

Who was your buddy this month? wearing_tearing
What books were chosen for you? If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio, Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake, A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole
Did you manage to read your books? Which ones? I only read If We Were Villains - I only managed to read it now, because there's exactly ONE copy of the said book in my local library and it is highly popular. I was on a waiting list until early April...
If you read more than one, did you enjoy them? What was your favorite? n/a
Would you recommend your chosen book(s)? If We Were Villains was a magnificent book, and I can understand why it is so popular after reading it. There's a murder, a group of friends, jealousy, and things aren't always what they appear to be. Not saying anything else because SPOILERS.
Did you read anything else this month, outside of your chosen books? On February I read Tonight You're Dead by Viveca Sten, Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Alan Bradley, The Grave's a Dine and Private Place by Alan Bradley, The Golden Tresses of the Dead by Alan Bradley, Rautakolmio by Leena Lehtolainen, Myrskypilvet by Laila Hirvisaari, The Pembrokeshire Murders by Steve Wilkins, Aatelisneito, porvaristyttö by Kaari Utrio, The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict and Or Is That Just Me? by Richard Hammond.

You can clearly see I was on a holiday two weeks on February ;)