Reading Books For Pleasure

[Jakevillines]

One of the things I love about the HP novels is that the writing evolves to match the ages of the students (and obviously JKRs experience). It is frustrating that most people can't get past the first two, clearly children's novels, and get to the meatier stuff. It is amazing, however, how much vital plot work she lays out in those first two novels though.
Keep going Seela! I wish I could read them for the first time again!

I did enjoy that. One thing that kept me from reading them for so long was that the chapters were so freaking long. I didn’t like putting down without a natural break and they didn’t have enough of them as a kid for me.

A free elf!

 

[Jakevillines]

I just finished the We are Bob Bobverse book 1. I suggest it for any Futurama/sci if nerds. But that is about it. I liked it, but it was an okay book to zone out during a gym workout.

 

[clistenovena]

Shock of shockers!

How has this thread remained unknown to me?????

Fixing that issue...

*subscribed*

 

[FurryFury]

So, these are my remaining books read in 2018, along with my personal enjoyment rating. Where 1 is hated it! 2 is, not all bad. 3 is, it was m'kay, 4 good, 5 excellent!

7.) Catmagic (Animalmagic, #1) by Holly Webb 3/5 (Juvenile Novel 2)

8.) Before the Dawn (Dark Angel, #1) by Max Allan Collins 4.5/5

9.) The Okinawa Diet Plan: Get Leaner, Live Longer, and Never Feel Hungry by Bradley J. Willcox 3/5

10.) A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming: Mastering the Art of Oneironautics by Dylan Tuccillo 1/5

11.) After Life by Marcus Sakey 3/5

12.) Blue Ridge Parkway Guide Volume 1: Rockfish Gap to Grandfather Mountain 2/5

13.) A Dog Called Kitty by Bill Wallace 3/5 (Juvenile Novel 3)

14.) Fat White Vampire Otaku by Andrew Fox 3/5

15.) Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine by Bryant Terry 4/5

16.) Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a F*ck by Thug Kitchen 4/5

17.) Skin Game (Dark Angel, #2) by Max Allan Collins 4/5

18.) The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living Like the World's Healthiest People by Dan Buettner 4/5

19.) A Catered St. Patrick's Day (A Mystery with Recipes, #8) by Isis Crawford 3/5

20.) After the Dark (Dark Angel, #3) by Max Allan Collins 4/5

21.) The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs by Karen Page 1/5

22.) Salad Samurai: 100 Cutting-Edge, Ultra-Hearty, Easy-to-Make Salads You Don't Have to Be Vegan to Love by Terry Hope Romero 2/5

23.) Felix Yz by Lisa Bunker 4/5 (Juvenile Novel 4, D 1)

24.) Imager's Challenge (Imager Portfolio, #2) by L.E. Modesitt Jr. 4/5

25.) A Lion Called Christian: The True Story of the Remarkable Bond Between Two Friends and a Lion by Anthony Bourke 4/5

26.) Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann 1/5

27.) Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin 4/5 (Y.A. 2, D 3)

28.) Appetite for Reduction: 125 Fast and Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes by Isa Chandra Moskowitz 3/5

29.) Fat Vampire: A Never Coming of Age Story by Adam Rex 3/5 (Y.A. 3)

30.) Bailey's Story by W. Bruce Cameron 3/5 (Juvenile Novel 5)

31.) New Vegetarian by Robin Asbell 3/5

32.) Healthyish: A Cookbook with Seriously Satisfying, Truly Simple, Good-For-You (but not too Good-For-You) Recipes for Real Life by Lindsay Hunt 2/5

33.) I Am Pusheen the Cat by Claire Belton 3/5

34.) Cash by Johnny Cash 4/5

35.) Saint Odd (Odd Thomas, #7) by Dean Koontz 5/5

36.) ...But I'm Not Racist!: Tools for Well Meaning Whites by Kathy Obear 3/5, (D 3)

37.) None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio 4/5, (Y.A. 4, D 4)

38.) I Shall Be Near to You by Erin Lindsay McCabe 4/5

39.) The Power by Naomi Alderman 3/5

40.) The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store by Cait Flanders 4/5

41.) The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict 3/5

42.) One Second After by William R. Forstchen 4/5

43.) Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt 4/5, (Juvenile Novel 6, D 5)

44.) Off Track Planet's Travel Guide to 'Merica! for the Young, Sexy, and Broke by Off Track Planet 2/5

45.) Ever After (The Hollows, #11) by Kim Harrison 3/5

46.) 50 Best Girlfriends Getaways in North America by Marybeth Bond 2/5

47.) 500+ All-American Family Adventures by Debbie K. Hardin 2/5

48.) Road Trip USA: Cross-Country Adventures on America's Two-Lane Highways by Jamie Jensen 2/5

49.) The Hum and the Shiver (Tufa, #1) by Alex Bledsoe 3/5

50.) D'Arc (War with No Name, #2) by Robert Repino 3/5

51.) Loser's Bracket by Chris Crutcher 3/5 (Y.A. 5)

52.) Gamescape: Overworld (Nova Project #1) by Emma Trevayne 3/5 (Y.A. 6)

53.) Twitch Upon a Star: The Bewitched Life and Career of Elizabeth Montgomery by Herbie J. Pilato 3/5

54.) Light of the World (Dave Robicheaux, #20) by James Lee Burke 3/5

55.) Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin 4/5 (Juvenile Novel 6, D 6) goal reached

56.) Tower Lord (Raven's Shadow, #2) by Anthony Ryan 3/5

57.) Sabriel (Abhorsen, #1) by Garth Nix (Y.A.7) 2/5

58.) Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston 2/5
(D 7)

59.) The Girl from Everywhere (The Girl From Everywhere, #1) by Heidi Heilig 4/5 (Y.A.8)

60.) Stitching Snow3/5 by R.C. Lewis (Y.A.9)

61.) Hunted (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #6) 3/5 by Kevin Hearne

62.) Except the Queen by Jane Yolen 3/5

63.) Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine 3/5 (Juvenile 7, D 7)

64.) Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman 2/5 (Y.A.10)

65.) Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky 2/5

66.) The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1) by N.K. Jemisin 2/5

67.) Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin (Juvenile 8) 4/5

68.) Trapped (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #5) by Kevin Hearne 4/5

69.) The Violinist's Thumb: And Other Lost Tales of Love, War, and Genius, as Written by Our Genetic Code by Sam Kean 3/5

70.) A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) by George R.R. Martin 4/5

71.) Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon 2/5

72.) The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain by Steven R. Gundry 1/5

73.) Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston 2/5

74) Odd Interlude #1 (Odd Thomas, #4.1) by Dean Koontz 3/5

75.) Sixth Grave on the Edge (Charley Davidson, #6) by Darynda Jones 4/5

76.) Vicious Circle (Joe Pickett, #17) by C.J. Box 4/5

77.) W is for Wasted (Kinsey Millhone, #23) by Sue Grafton 4/5

78.) Night Broken (Mercy Thompson, #8) by Patricia Briggs 4/5

79.) In Memory Yet Green: The Autobiography, 1920-1954 by Isaac Asimov 3/5

80.) Undead and Unwelcome (Undead, #8) by MaryJanice Davidson 4/5

81.) The Player King by Avi 2/5

82.) The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas 4/5 (Y.A.11, D 8)

83.) Flex ('Mancer, #1) by Ferrett Steinmetz 5/5

84.) The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry 5/5

85.) All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai 5/5

86.) Sourdough by Robin Sloan 4/5

87.) Gratitude by Oliver Sacks 4/5

88.) Carniepunk by Rachel Caine 3/5

89.) The Bookshop at Water's End by Patti Callahan Henry 4/5

90.) Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archive, #3) by Brandon Sanderson 4/5

91.) Odd Interlude (Odd Thomas, #4.2) by Dean Koontz 4/5

92.) Crazy Rich Asians (Crazy Rich Asians, #1) by Kevin Kwan 3/5

93.) Miss Julia Stirs Up Trouble by Ann B. Ross 5/5

94.) Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech 3/5 (Juvenile 9)

95.) Night Shift (Midnight, Texas, #3) by Charlaine Harris 4/5

96.) The Witches of Eastwick (Eastwick #1) by John Updike 1/5

97.) Shattered (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #7) by Kevin Hearne 5/5

98.) Besieged (The Iron Druid Chronicles #4.1, 4.2, 4.6, 4.7, 8.1, 8.2, 8.6, 8.7, 8.9) by Kevin Hearne 4/5

99.) Circe by Madeline Miller 3/5

100.) White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America by Nancy Isenberg 4/5 (D 9)

101.) A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy, #1) by Deborah Harkness 4/5

102.) Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, #1) by Robin Sloan 4/5

103.) Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman 4/5 (Juvenile 10)

104.) When Santa Fell to Earth by Cornelia Funke 4/5 (Juvenile 11)

105.) Gentle Ben by Walter Morey 4/5 (Juvenile 12) annnnd goooal!

106.) Two Ravens and One Crow (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #4.5) 4/5

107.) The Brown Bag Lunch Cookbook by Miriam Jacobs 3/5

108.) New Vegetarian Entertaining: Simply Spectacular Recipes by Jane Noraika 3/5

109.) Three Days to Dead (Dreg City, #1) by Kelly Meding 4/5

110.) A Plague of Giants (Seven Kennings, #1) by Kevin Hearne 4/5

111.) Holiday Grind (Coffeehouse Mystery, #8) by Cleo Coyle 4/5

112.) An Easy Death By Charlaine Harris 4/5

113.) Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer 4/5

 

[seela]

So, these are my remaining books read in 2018, along with my personal enjoyment rating. Where 1 is hated it! 2 is, not all bad. 3 is, it was m'kay, 4 good, 5 excellent!

*snip*

119 books in 2018? That's a lot!!! I don't think I've read any of the books on your list.

What does "D" mean after your rating?

My this year's reading goals are the HP books and more non-fiction than I read last year. I'm hesitant to set a goal number, but if it lands somewhere between 30 and 40 books, I'll be happy. I also want to go back to reading more in foreign languages and pay more attention to reading authors from a bit broader background again.

Edit: I just realized. I'm reading the HP books in English, so that ticks the box of "read more in foreign languages". That's one reading goal reached!

 

[FurryFury]

D means a book that lets me learn about diversity a bit. I've been actively trying to read more from other cultures, GBLT, physical or mental issues and so on.

Reading is a major drive for me and brings me much pleasure. I have an hour lunch. I read for most of it but also work out for some of it. Some of the work out a fitdesk bike I can do while reading.

If I read less than an hour a day I get super stressed.

I always bring a book with me to appointments.

I always read before bed.

Some people's favs are other peoples trash and vice versa which is something I find fascinating and one reason why I join book clubs.

Good for you on reaching some of you reading goals already.

119 books in 2018? That's a lot!!! I don't think I've read any of the books on your list.

What does "D" mean after your rating?

My this year's reading goals are the HP books and more non-fiction than I read last year. I'm hesitant to set a goal number, but if it lands somewhere between 30 and 40 books, I'll be happy. I also want to go back to reading more in foreign languages and pay more attention to reading authors from a bit broader background again.

Edit: I just realized. I'm reading the HP books in English, so that ticks the box of "read more in foreign languages". That's one reading goal reached!

 

[seela]

D means a book that lets me learn about diversity a bit. I've been actively trying to read more from other cultures, GBLT, physical or mental issues and so on.

That's a really cool way to think about books! You can really learn so much through books, and it doesn't even have to be non-fiction.

That's the reason why I've made a conscious effort to read from writers with as varied background as possible. Different genders, ethnicities, nationalities, sexual orientations, political standpoints, time periods etc.

I finished American Notes and it was completely fascinating. What struck out to me was how the prison system back then doesn't seem to be all that different what it is now. Dickens was appalled by how inhumane the conditions were and how little care was shown towards the inmates. Especially the black inmates. They weren't allowed even walks outside their cells. His observations of all the race and slavery issues (reading the N word over and over again was sliiiiightly uncomfortable, I read a translation...) seemed very on point. And violence. It seemed perfectly ok to just use violence to solve any and all problems.

Then again he was really impressed by the trains and the care and respect shown towards people with disabilities. At the very beginning, when he first arrives to Boston by a ship, he wrote how pleasant and welcoming all the officials were at the border and customs compared to their British counterparts.America experienced by Dickens was a mixed bag for sure.

All in all, an interesting read. Next up: HP 2.

 

[twister947]

Reading for the 2nd time Smilla's Sense of Snow.

 

[seela]

I went to pick up HP2 from the library, but it wasn't there. I got the email notification that it's there waiting for me, but nope. It had vanished (so magical). Nobody knew where it was!

This is such a set back for my Harry Potter project. I was hoping to make good pace and get the books done before summer. I'm back on the waitlist and the kind library folk put me on top of the queue, but it'll likely be February before I get the book. So annoying.

Meanwhile I'm reading Elemental by Tim James. The full title is Elemental: How the Periodic Table Can Now Explain (Nearly) Everything. So it's about chemistry.

It's fun and interesting, but I'd like it to get more into nitty-gritty details, just go a little bit deeper. But it's a quick and easy read and you don't have to know anything about chemistry or physics to read it. Which is good, but also isn't good, because the book really can't go go very deep. The writing is okay with some jokes sprinkled in and illustrations that are so crappy that they're funny.

 

[gypsy*seer]

Right now it's "The Secret Life Of Plants", and "The Peaceable Kingdom". (Catching up on must-reads. )

 

[seela]

Right now it's "The Secret Life Of Plants", and "The Peaceable Kingdom". (Catching up on must-reads. )

Heeey, you haven't been around for a long time!

 

[clistenovena]

I went to pick up HP2 from the library, but it wasn't there. I got the email notification that it's there waiting for me, but nope. It had vanished (so magical). Nobody knew where it was!

This is such a set back for my Harry Potter project. I was hoping to make good pace and get the books done before summer. I'm back on the waitlist and the kind library folk put me on top of the queue, but it'll likely be February before I get the book. So annoying.

What an aggravation! I hope the library sorts it out quick-like for you.

Meanwhile I'm reading Elemental by Tim James. The full title is Elemental: How the Periodic Table Can Now Explain (Nearly) Everything. So it's about chemistry.

I am going to read this one of yours. My interest has been piqued. Just need to finish Trevor Noah's Born a Crime. This story...laugh, cry, rage, cry some more. Mercy.

 

[seela]

What an aggravation! I hope the library sorts it out quick-like for you.



I am going to read this one of yours. My interest has been piqued. Just need to finish Trevor Noah's Born a Crime. This story...laugh, cry, rage, cry some more. Mercy.

The library did a good job dealing with it by putting me first on the queue, but the closest due date for HP2 in English is at the end of January, so it isn't very likely I'll get the book before Feb.

Elemental was pretty good. The illustrations and the way it was written made it feel like you're in a Chem class in school taught by a teacher all the kids love. The writer is a teacher, so that's probably why.

Hope you like it!

 

[twister947]

Anne Rice wrote truly delicious smut; I find myself wondering what sort of trail of debauchery JKR might concoct.

 

[FurryFury]

It's helped me be a bit more knowledgeable and empathic to things I didn't know much about before and I'm planning to keep going with it.

American Notes sounds interesting and the prison system is so bad. I hope we see positive changes in the next few years.

That's a really cool way to think about books! You can really learn so much through books, and it doesn't even have to be non-fiction.

That's the reason why I've made a conscious effort to read from writers with as varied background as possible. Different genders, ethnicities, nationalities, sexual orientations, political standpoints, time periods etc.

I finished American Notes and it was completely fascinating. What struck out to me was how the prison system back then doesn't seem to be all that different what it is now. Dickens was appalled by how inhumane the conditions were and how little care was shown towards the inmates. Especially the black inmates. They weren't allowed even walks outside their cells. His observations of all the race and slavery issues (reading the N word over and over again was sliiiiightly uncomfortable, I read a translation...) seemed very on point. And violence. It seemed perfectly ok to just use violence to solve any and all problems.

Then again he was really impressed by the trains and the care and respect shown towards people with disabilities. At the very beginning, when he first arrives to Boston by a ship, he wrote how pleasant and welcoming all the officials were at the border and customs compared to their British counterparts.America experienced by Dickens was a mixed bag for sure.

All in all, an interesting read. Next up: HP 2.

I LOVED Trever Noah's Born a Crime! Read it last year. So good!

What an aggravation! I hope the library sorts it out quick-like for you.



I am going to read this one of yours. My interest has been piqued. Just need to finish Trevor Noah's Born a Crime. This story...laugh, cry, rage, cry some more. Mercy.

My 2019 list so far:

**The Last Bastion of the Living** (The Last Bastion #1) by Rhiannon Frater 5/5 One of my fav authors working in horror now.


**Dead City** (Dead City, #1) by James Ponti 4/5 A juvenile novel that caught my eye and which told a good story, well.


**An American Marriage** by Tayari Jones 3/5 One of President Obama's fav reads of 2018 and a really interesting read though not at all what I had expected. The conflicted characters in it were so base good and empathic. Of course the prison system and all that was not.


**Children of Blood and Bone** (Legacy of Orïsha, #1) by Tomi Adeyemi 4/5 An epic fantasy that is also political and totally awesome.


**Out of My Mind** by Sharon M. Draper 4/5 Juvenile book about a girl with total recall and Cerebral Palsy.


**How Not to Die**: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease by Michael Greger 4/5 Good on the surface and very preaching to the chior with me but not sure the studies documented truly support the conclusion. May require more study.



**The How Not to Die Cookbook**: 100+ Recipes to Help Prevent and Reverse Disease by Michael Greger 4/5 Will be trying some of these though I'm not vegan.

 

[seela]

I'm currently reading The Organist by Erlend Loe. Erlend Loe is a popular Norwegian author, and when had a major role in some Norwegian national movie agency thingy (I already forgot what and where exactly ), he was approached by a man who said he'd like to make a pitch for a movie about the hidden codes in Shakespeare's plays. A movie or a TV series was made, but so was this book.

The guy who approached him was an organist who was really deep in the whole "who really wrote the Shakespeare plays" thing. The book is just one crazy "cryptographic code" "solved" after another. It's such a bizarre reading experience. I'm not even entirely sure what the book is about, and I've put it down for good many times already, and then I always end up picking it up again.

I'm reading a Finnish translation of the original Norwegian, and the title has been translated as "The Secret of Shakespeare". I picked the book from the library, because I like Loe's books and I thought I should learn more about Shakespeare, and I like crazy codes and secrets, so the book seemed like a good match for my reading needs. But it so isn't. And it so is.

Reading it makes me feel really uncomfortable, because the leaps the organist makes are absolutely insane. It's like reading a crazy persons inner monologue and it makes me feel like I shouldn't be prying into it, let alone roll my eyes at it. I mean, how can anybody think that stuff makes sense? How can the organist be serious? Is he? Is this a joke? Is the book even about Shakespeare and the codes or is it actually a book about crazy, all-consuming passion and insanity? I don't know.

It's a tedious read, but something about it keeps luring me back in.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I will keep going. It has to get better, it absolutely has to. So many people can't be completely wrong.

I'm late to this, but - it's okay not to like it.

As others have said, the writing does evolve as the series goes on, and the characters become a lot more 3-D. Most of the recurring villains get some degree of nuance. I can respect JKR's writing skills, but it's not quite my cup of tea. Partly because it reminded me too much of some unpleasantness from my own school days (no magic involved, alas) and partly because of some other aspects of the stories. No criticism of those who do enjoy it, just that I have a few buttons and it pushed them, and it's okay if it ends up not being your thing. I've read most of the series (think I missed a couple of the earlier ones, but have filled in those gaps with films) and while I can see the appeal, it's not something I'd reread.

Me: just finished Chuck Wendig's "Blackbirds", about a psychic who can tell how people are going to die by touching them. I enjoyed it, got through it in two sittings, but it feels more like "first in a series" than a stand-alone. I'll probably follow up the sequels at some point. I very much enjoyed his "Damn Fine Story", which has a lot to say about writing.

 

[clistenovena]

I LOVED Trever Noah's Born a Crime! Read it last year. So good!

Yeah, it is good. Makes my top 10 list for sure.

Just finished Make Me by Lee Child. My first go with this author. Like diving in the deep end...of the ocean!

 

[seela]

I'm late to this, but - it's okay not to like it.

As others have said, the writing does evolve as the series goes on, and the characters become a lot more 3-D. Most of the recurring villains get some degree of nuance. I can respect JKR's writing skills, but it's not quite my cup of tea. Partly because it reminded me too much of some unpleasantness from my own school days (no magic involved, alas) and partly because of some other aspects of the stories. No criticism of those who do enjoy it, just that I have a few buttons and it pushed them, and it's okay if it ends up not being your thing. I've read most of the series (think I missed a couple of the earlier ones, but have filled in those gaps with films) and while I can see the appeal, it's not something I'd reread.

Me: just finished Chuck Wendig's "Blackbirds", about a psychic who can tell how people are going to die by touching them. I enjoyed it, got through it in two sittings, but it feels more like "first in a series" than a stand-alone. I'll probably follow up the sequels at some point. I very much enjoyed his "Damn Fine Story", which has a lot to say about writing.

Yes, I'll be fine if I end up not liking the books, writing or the story, but it's good to give it a chance.

One of the big problems for me is that I don't really like fantasy as a genre. I find it very difficult to care about magical creatures and way too often the problems encountered in the story are solved basically by deus ex machina, which always feels a little disappointing to me. Ok, deus ex machina is exaggeration, but when you have magic to turn to, the problems just don't matter and it makes it even more difficult for me to care about the story. I'm too boring for fantasy.

But I want to give HP a fair chance, and now I'm actually already looking forward to getting my hands on the second book. Soon, I hope!

 

[Bramblethorn]

One of the big problems for me is that I don't really like fantasy as a genre. I find it very difficult to care about magical creatures and way too often the problems encountered in the story are solved basically by deus ex machina, which always feels a little disappointing to me. Ok, deus ex machina is exaggeration, but when you have magic to turn to, the problems just don't matter and it makes it even more difficult for me to care about the story. I'm too boring for fantasy.

I know what you mean. Most of the fantasy I like best is the kind that goes against that deus ex machina - maybe the author makes up some shit at the start of the story, but then they think through the implications of that magic, try to develop something coherent around it. Don't give me a world which inexplicably looks just like medieval Europe despite having dragons and ten-year winters; give me a plausible vision of how human civilisation might look if it grew up with dragons and ten-year winters.

So for instance, in the Merchant Princes series, the gimmick is that there's a bloodline of magical humans who have the power to jump between parallel Earths. The first few chapters establish the ground rules for that world-walking, and then the rest of the story is about how people work within those rules, and the sort of businesses they build.

And then there's Pratchett (and others before him) who use fantasy trappings as the cover to deliver some valuable observations about the real world - stuff like the Sam Vimes Theory of Economic Injustice, or the discussion of why humans need fantasy.

 

[FurryFury]

Becoming by Michelle Obama 4/5

I really enjoyed this one and how clear, hopeful and honest Michelle Obama could be!

Side note: with the current administration I find I'm more afraid of resistant to books with any foreshadowing and / or suspense. I just can't take it. Maybe if we get different results in 2020, this will abate. I sure hope so.

 

[fnchristie81]

A couple of my pleasure books were Danger Close by Amber Smith (autobiography about one of the few female combat helicopter pilots), Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott, and A Knight In Shining Armor by Jude Devereaux (surprisingly interesting).

 

[FurryFury]

In Darkness We Must Abide : The Complete First Season by Rhiannon Frater 4/5


Born in Fire (Fire and Ice Trilogy, #1) by K.F. Breene 4/5

 

[seela]

Update on the Harry Potter project.

Two books down, still not exactly a fan. The second book was better than the first, but the baddies are still so annoyingly bad and the Dursleys are insufferable cartoon characters.

I hope the books will indeed get better now that I've made it through the first two like PLP promised.

I'm afraid this might be a year of regret for me. But I'm still keeping my mind open, and I do like the cover of the edition I got for the third book!

 

[AlwaysFara]

Update on the Harry Potter project.

Two books down, still not exactly a fan. The second book was better than the first, but the baddies are still so annoyingly bad and the Dursleys are insufferable cartoon characters.

I hope the books will indeed get better now that I've made it through the first two like PLP promised.

I'm afraid this might be a year of regret for me. But I'm still keeping my mind open, and I do like the cover of the edition I got for the third book!

So.

You do have a flaw.

...