December!

[Rowan]

Wow - December already??

I loved loved Babel and the author talk with RF Kuang. It's literary with a tinge of fantasy (and I don't do fantasy) - it's about translation so might be interesting to you Silvia although I wouldn't have recommended it to you (if that makes any sense).

I haven't read in days but next on my pile is My Murder by Katie Williams seems like the type of light and easy reading I need about now.

[Sílvia]

Rowan, that's kind of been on my radar. I don't usually do fantasy either, but how much fantasy is there? Are there made-up beings? Or is it about regular people?

[Rowan]

That’s a really good question! Regular people in 1800 Oxford - just a bit of magic. It’s literary though — it took me almost 3 weeks to get through it but I really liked it.

[Sílvia]

I downloaded the sample. Will check, thanks!

[Rowan]

I finished My Murder and it was good but not great.

I ordered a speed reading book since if I don’t have enough time to read then I should read faster. Haha

[Sílvia]

What are you talking about, you already read a book in one day. You wanna read faster? By the way, I read a few pages (20?) of Babel and it seems up my alley! Thanks! Now I don't know if I should read it in English or wait for the Portuguese version, which comes out in the first quarter of 2024. I've become lazy in my old age. Though a book about language might be better in its original language? I don't know. The Portuguese version (as in from Portugal) is already out and available on kindle, but it's kind of weird. I actually started it thinking it was the Brazilian version (Portuguese from Portugal versions are not usually available to us on kindle), but then started noticing the differences.

Finished The Mandibles. GREAT premise, draggy execution. If it were 200 pages shorter and without 90% of the economy talk, it would ahve been a 5-star read for me. As it is, it was 3 stars.

I'm reading Matthew Perry's memoir. I feel like an ass for saying this, but I'm not loving his writing style.

[Rowan]

Ooh I’m glad that Babel sounds interesting to you. I’ll be curious to hear.

Haven’t really started anything new. I have Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand queued up but haven’t read it.

[Blush]

I finished the David Sedaris book. It had very funny moments and some not so.

Then I read Looking For Jane by Heather Marshall. Great premise, learned some things, good book, just not as "wow" as my mom told me it would be.

Now I have Again, Rachel by Marian Keyes.

[Spudd]

I just started Catcher in the Rye. Haven't read it since grade 10. So far I'm really enjoying it.

[Blush]

Spudd, the Stuff You Should Know podcast recently did an episode on JD Salinger and now I want to re-read it, too!

[Sílvia]

Omg, I hated Catcher in the Rye with a passion. Glad you're enjoying it, though.

I finished Matthew Perry's memoir. I feel really sorry for everything he went through, (e?)specially now that he's dead, but man, is the book convoluted. Not a good reading experience.

Then I read The Guest List by Lucy Foley and really enjoyed it. It was fast-paced and gripping and didn't have the insanely ridiculous twists that are almost mandatory in thrillers these days. Yes, there were surprises, but other than a few too many coincidences, they seemed plausible.

[Sílvia]

Finished Ghosts by Dolly Alderton. The synopsis kind of makes it sound like a rom-com, but it's very much not. It's a drama and kind of depressing. I gave it 3 stars because it was compelling enough while I was reading it (at least most of it), but also not terribly satisfying in the end.

Not sure what's next. Maybe a Brazilian gay comedy that seems hilarious, but maybe I'm too old and too straight for the jokes? Idk.

[Blush]

I finished Again, Rachel. I do love Marian Keyes. Standout line, "Is he a feathery stroker?" referring to a certain kind of man and how he acts during sex. I laughed so hard; I have encountered feathery strokers. Although I removed myself from the situation before it got to sex. Barf.

Next up: Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry. A whole different kind of Irish novel.

[Spudd]

I'll take a feathery stroker over the opposite, which I experienced once. He stroked so hard, it felt horrible! It also did not progress to sex because it was so horrible. I probably would have, I had that intention. But had to nope out.

[Blush]

Oh, yes, the opposite would also be bad.

I think I associate the idea of a feathery stroker with a guy who wants to recite poetry. Same vibe, ew.

[Rowan]

I'm working on the Winter Series by Elin Hilderbrand. I've been saving these for winter reading over the last few years. I felt the need for something easily digestible. I won't say they're awful but...

I pulled out my top reads of the year if anyone is interested I can post. I had a good year with multiple 5 starts and a ton of 4 stars. I've really slowed down in the quantity over the past couple months but hopefully work will slow down in Feb/Mar.

[Sílvia]

I tried that series, too, Rowan. Couldn't get through many of them, I'm afraid. And sure, post your top reads!

I read another classic by Arthur C. Clarke, Childhood's End. Again I had the impression that he was fabulous at world-building, not so much at developing compelling plots. Or characters with any depth. One of these days I'll read his masterpiece, 2001. Anyone read it? Spudd?

Now I'm reading When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara something. O'Neal? It's a melodramatic soap opera à la Kristin Hannah, a genre that sometimes works for me. This one was such a slow starter, I almost gave it up, but got better about halfway through.

[Spudd]

I read 2001 when I was in university. I think it was ok, I don't honestly remember much about it.

I finished Catcher in the Rye and found the ending unsatisfying but overall I liked it.

Now I started The Lincoln Highway, by Amos someone. I'm having a hard time getting into it but am intrigued, so we'll see.

[Rowan]

These are just my 4 and 5 star reads:

year Rating Title Author
2023 5 Lies I Tell Julie Clark
2023 5 Hello Beautiful Ann Napolitano
2023 5 The Last Animal Ramona Ausubel
2023 5 Nora Goes Off Script Annabel Monaghan
2023 5 The Whispers Ashley Audrain
2023 5 Next of Kin Kia Abdullah
2023 5 Happiness Falls Angie Kim
2023 4 Tranquility by Tuesday Laura Vanderkam
2023 4 All the Dangerous Things Stacy Willingham
2023 4 How to Sell a Haunted House Grady Hendrix
2023 4 Jar of Hearts Jennifer Hillier
2023 4 The Villa Rachel Hawkins
2023 4 The Soulmate Sally Hepworth
2023 4 Beyond That, The Sea Laura Spence-Ash
2023 4 Pineapple Street Jenny Jackson
2023 4 Immortality Dana Schwartz
2023 4 The Only Survivors Megan Miranda
2023 4 Happy Place Emily Henry
2023 4 The Half Moon Mary Beth Keane
2023 4 Drowning TJ Newman
2023 4 Yellowface RF Kuang
2023 4 Women Are the Fiercest Creatures Andrea Dunlop
2023 4 The Anthropocene Reviewed John Green
2023 4 The Last Word Taylor Adams
2023 4 The Spare Room Andrea Bartz
2023 4 These Silent Woods Kimi Cunningham Grant
2023 4 Tender is the Flesh Agustina Baztemca
2023 4 The Stand Stephen King
2023 4 The Many Lives of Mama Love Lara Love Hardin
2023 4 Bright Young Women Jessica Knoll
2023 4 Black Sheep Rachel Harrison

[Sílvia]

Thanks for sharing, Rowan! Some of those have been on my radar. I read another one by Julie Clark and found it super gripping. Hello, Beautiful I tried but gave up, that author's not for me. And the Sally Hepworth was as good as usual, I love her.

I finished the melodrama I was reading, bleh. Should have listened to myself and stopped at 37% or so.

Then I started a middle grade sci-fi, The Last Cuentista. I like it so far.