January 2022!

[Rowan]

Starting the new year/new month!

I have a bunch of ARCs on my Kindle that I want to tackle. I started Laura Lippman's collection of short stories Seasonal Work last night - I think it's out next week. I don't usually love short story collections but I got this one randomly from a publisher so I feel special and want to review it.

[Sílvia]

I finished The Echo Chamber by John Boyne today, which Blush brought to my attention (thanks, Blush!). It's a satire mostly about how social media has been running our lives. I found it very funny, though some situations were a bit much. Definitely not for everyone.

Now I've started Anxious People, which is SUCH a beloved book, but so far I'm not feeling it. I'm only at 9%, though. Will give it a little more.

[Spudd]

Just an update on The Cove by Catherine Coulter. OMG, this book is so badly written. The author is a hack. But I don't want to give up on it either.

[Bugsy]

Finished The Awakening by Kate Chopin (book club selection). It was ok.

Started The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson. So far so good, but I'm sure it will get kind of heavy. So I also started The Book of Mythicality by Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal for some levity.

[Spudd]

I finished The Cove. Would not recommend.

Started The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter. It's pretty good so far, although it doesn't have enough chapter breaks for my liking. I like to finish my nightly reading at the end of a chapter but the chapters in this one are too long so I don't have time.

[Sílvia]

I gave up on Anxious People. Not for me. It's the second book by this guy I've started and couldn't get into.

I'm reading Timeline by Michael Crichton. Fun so far, though the part I am now is less so.

[Spudd]

I'm reading Timeline by Michael Crichton. Fun so far, though the part I am now is less so.

Good old Michael Crichton. I went through a big phase of his books when I was in university.

[Sílvia]

Which ones did you read (and like)?

[Spudd]

I don't remember! I definitely read Jurassic Park, but I browsed through his bibliography and I can't really remember which ones I read anymore. I was thinking Congo and Prey sounded familiar, and maybe also Timeline. But it was so long ago.

[Sílvia]

They all sound like fun to me!

[Sílvia]

Finished Timeline on Friday. I loved the first half, the second one dragged and bored me a little. Still a good read, but not a great one.

Then I started The Andromeda Strain, also by Michael Crichton. It's his firs book and was released in 1969, I think. It's verrrry sci-fi-y, full of technical stuff and totally out of my comfort zone, but I'm enjoying it!

[Rowan]

Jurassic Park was a really good book - I read it before there was a movie. Not sure if anyone reading it now would feel the same because of the movie (which was cool but the book was groundbreaking).

[Rowan]

I finished These Toxic Things by Rachel Howzell Hall which was fine. I actually didn't enjoy the writing and I felt the author was really heavy handed in some of the descriptions. I also read The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell which was a really good 4 star read.

Not sure what's next. My pile is BIG.

[Sílvia]

Jurassic Park was a really good book - I read it before there was a movie. Not sure if anyone reading it now would feel the same because of the movie (which was cool but the book was groundbreaking).

I saw the movie back when it was released in the 90s, with the rest of mankind. I'm curious to read the book! I don't remember much about the movie, and people on goodreads are saying the book is so much better.

[Sílvia]

Haha! You're so young. I was finishing college!

[Sílvia]

Finished The Andromeda Strain. I liked it overall, but as I said, there was a bit too much science for someone who's not familiar with the genre (me), and not enough fiction. And the ending was a bit anticlimactic. But I still enjoyed it! Might pick up the sequel, written by someone else after his death, called The Andromeda Evolution.

Not sure what I'm in the mood for.

[Rowan]

I started A Flicker in the Dark by Stacey Willingham last night. It's good but I think that I'm topping out on murdered teen girls/serial killer stories.

[Sílvia]

I'm reading Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, which I was really not sure about, because the scientific explanations go right over my head. But always after 2-3 pages of scientific explanations, the author sums it up in a couple of sentences that the lay person can understand. So I'm not lost, but I was less than thrilled. Then something awesome happened at the 25% mark, and now I totally have to finish it! Honestly, what convinced me was watching a video by a Brazilian booktuber who has a background in journalism and said that she loved the book even without the science background to back her up.

[Rowan]

Glad you're enjoying it. I really liked The Martian and have been meaning to pick up Hail Mary.

I read Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins this weekend and really liked it. It's kinda deserted island-y which I like. Speaking of which ... anyone watch Old the movie by M Night Shamalayan. It didn't have great reviews but the 3 of us really liked it.

[Bugsy]

Project Hail Mary is high on my to-read list. Glad to hear you're liking it, Silvia!