September!

[Rowan]

I'm currently reading the latest Megan Abbott - The Turnout. I usually like her stuff. This one is good and I'm learning random ballet stuff which I like but I'm not really drawn in. I have to like at least one character and I know unlikable characters are in style right but it's tiring.

I have a nice stack right now waiting for me. I just need more time.

Bugsy - I've loved all of Harlan Coben's stand alone novels. I don't like his series.

[Sílvia]

Finished Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand. It was a 2-star read for me. I've liked several of her books, but have disliked many others. I think the dislike list is longer at this point.

Last night I started The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell. I'm enjoying it so far, but I'm only at 7%.

Tell me I'm not alone in this: every time I finish a book, it takes me at least 2 days to choose something else because I have zero tolerance for books that don't grab me right away. I do read every day, but sometimes I go a whole week (!!) before something grabs my attention. This time it was 2 days and 4 books. I started The Golden Hour by T. Greenwood, it seemed way too similar to so many others. Then I started The Martian (though I'd tried it once in the past) because it seems like such a cool story, plus Leo has it. Got bored with all the technical stuff. Then I started The Silent Patient because everyone says it's unputdownable. I still couldn't care what was going on at 13%. Is it just me? Should I insist a little more? Part of it is that I feel overwhelmed by the number of new books easily available being released every day and I don't wanna waste time on something I'm not loving. But it's so frustrating!

[Sílvia]

But do you start 3 to 5 books before you settle on one?

[Sílvia]

It's probably age-related. I'm older than you, so less patient.

[Rowan]

I started The Hostage by Clare Mackintosh which is good so far -- i'm only 40-50 pp in.

Silvia -- I find myself giving up on books quicker/earlier now. I wonder though if you are going through so many books as samples before settling that you might need to tweak your selection process. Do you follow anyone (bookstagrammer, book blogger, celebrity book club) that have similar tastes to you? That might help with selection so you're not starting from scratch every time. Don't get me wrong - serendipity is good -- I love grabbing a book off the shelf and it being fantastic but I do most of my selection from trusted recommendations.

[Sílvia]

Oh, I follow plenty of people both on goodreads and on instagram. I always do the "compare books" thing on goodreads to know if I actually have the same taste as someone before I start following them. Sigh. Oh, my friend loved Hostage, let me know what you think!

[Sílvia]

Finished The Night She Disappeared. It was an ok mystery, but it dragged in parts. Could have been 100 pages shorter. I quite enjoyed Then She Was Gone by her and will probably read her other mysteries. I like her writing and the 2 mysteries I read by her don't have ridiculously far-fetched plot twists.

As usual, not sure what's next. The new Liane Moriarty is out today, but I might save it. I adore her and she doesn't publish annually. Her previous book is 3 years old.

[Rowan]

I finished The Hostage and it was good but not amazing. 3 star

I read Very Sincerely Yours by Kerry Winfrey - fluffy rom com. Cute. 3.5 star

I'm in the middle of The Hunting Wives by May Cobb - I like it so far

I'm dying for a 5 star book.

[Spudd]

I finished "The Windup Girl". It never really got better, but I slogged through it. It was kind of interesting but definitely wouldn't be a recommendation.

Now I'm reading "The Black Swan" which is non-fiction about unexpected events. I know, I'm like 10 years behind the curve on this one. So far it's interesting, though.

[Bugsy]

We got through three audiobooks on our trip:
-And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie
-The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood
-The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman

I'd read the last two already but enjoyed listening to them anyway, and Jason liked all three. We actually made it through the movie version of The Golden Compass after getting home; it was pretty awful.

Rowan, I think our tastes are kinda different, but some recent 5 star reads from me:
-Handmaid's Tale
-Run Away, by Harlan Coben (thought I think you said you'd read this one)
-Native Son, by Richard Wright
-Strangers in Their Own Land, by Arlie Russell Hochschild
-Another Country, by James Baldwin
-10% Happier, by Dan Harris
-The War That Saved My Life and The War I Finally Won, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
-The Book of Joy, by the Dalai Lama
-Upstream: Selected Essays, by Mary Oliver

[Bugsy]

I blew through "Educated: A Memoir," by Tara Westover. It's the selection for work's book club that meets tonight, so I was in a rush to get it done. Fortunately it was a compelling read! I went down a little rabbit hole last night regarding the author and this story, as some of her statements about family obligations caught my interest. She has some readings suggested on her website that I may pursue. And it appears that her mother has written a self-published sort-of rebuttal memoir, which is interesting.

Not sure what's next!

[Rowan]

Thanks Bugsy for the options! I've definitely read some of those.

I'm working on the latest Samantha Dowling which is good - I just haven't had the time to finish it. Yesterday I nursed a migraine all day.

[Sílvia]

I read The Boy in the Photo by Australian author Nicole Trope. It was ok. Ish. Passable. Then I started Meet me at Beachcomber Bay (I think that's what it's called) by Jill Mansell, which turned out to be utter crap and I gave up at 58%. I only read that much because it's such an easy read. I was looking for light and fluffy, but the line between light and fluffy and ridiculously cheesy is so fine. I'll try to pick up something by Mhairi McFarlane next time I'm in the mood for chick lit.

Then I started The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware, which is ok so far. I read In a Dark, Dark Wood by her some years ago and hated the resolution, so I hope this one's better.