Megan’s Comments (group member since Dec 05, 2019)

Megan’s comments from the Beyond Reality group.

My goal was 100, and my final total was 116 - but like most of you, that included some audiobooks, graphic novels, and other things that didn't really take significant "reading time."

My average rating was 4.3, but that's probably skewed because I don't do star ratings on Goodreads for 1 or 2 star books - if I didn't rate something, you can safely assume that I don't recommend it. :)

I did have a lot of five stars this year, though - almost 1/3 of what I read!:
Swipe Right for Murder
The Outsider
The Starless Sea
Britt-Marie Was Here
The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups
Unfamiliar Fishes
Two Boys Kissing
Ophelia
Half of a Yellow Sun
Just One Day
Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving
The Diviners
The Long Earth
The Power of One
Joyland
Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win World War II
What Christians Believe
The Swans of Fifth Avenue
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
The Calculating Stars
The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories
The Fifth Season
Violent Delights: An Alma Jaramillo Mystery
The Theft of Joy: An Alma Jaramillo Mystery
The Fire Next Time
A Wild and Precious Life
Bear Town
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
The Bone Clocks
I've Seen the Future and I'm Not Going: The Art Scene and Downtown New York in the 1980s
Once More Upon a Time
Coming Out Party
Assaulted Caramel
Silverswift

As you can see, I'm all over the place with genres, since so much of what I read is for my various book clubs.

I am no longer making predictions or assumptions about anything in life, but I do plan to continue with all of my current book clubs, so perhaps 2021 will be similar in terms of number and variety of books.

I took a ridiculously long time to read Black Sun, which was very good, but unfortunately I started it right before a very busy time at work and several personal projects, so it was a bit difficult to keep track of all of the intersecting storylines when days would pass between picking it up. That is not the book's fault, though, so I highly recommend it.

I am currently about halfway through The Silent Patient for an IRL book club, and while it drew me in quickly at the beginning, it's now starting to drag a bit. Other members who have already finished assure me that the ending is worth it, so hopefully the tide will turn soon.

I am also listening to Silverswift, which I picked up for free during a brief Audible membership. It's very good - I'm about 3/4 of the way through - but I'm not sure who the intended audience is. The main character is eleven years old, and the cover is very middle grade/young YA, but many of the primary threads of the story are pretty deep thoughts about aging and the complexity of relationships, which I'm not sure would hold the interest of a real eleven year old for 6+ hours. There hasn't been anything inappropriate for young ears in terms of language, violence, sex, etc. - but I'd still recommend it for an adult more than a kid.

I will nominate two that I believe were suggested previously by others without being selected - I added both to my TBR and haven't had time to get to them, so this is my reminder.

For Fantasy, I nominate After Alice by Gregory Maguire. There is no shortage of Alice in Wonderland-inspired works, but I'm interested in Mr. Maguire's take on something more Wizard of Oz vintage after reading several of his fairy tale related books.

For SF, I nominate Overclocked: Stories of the Future Present by Cory Doctorow. I enjoy the out of control technology genre more as short stories, so this seems right up my alley.

It's early yet, and like everyone else, last week I was a bit distracted...but so far this month I've read...

The Engines of God - enjoyable if not groundbreaking.

Dear Edward - not SF/F, good writing style but many plot holes.

Yellow Crocus - not SF/F, decent writing but would only recommend to a very young and sheltered reader learning about slavery for the first time.

A Town Divided by Christmas - not SF/F, cute, short, hallmark-movie type story.

Currently reading: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, which is starting to grow on me about 1/3 of the way through.

So far this month, I've read:
The Majesties - definitely not what I expected in the end, but I would definitely recommend it.
City of Golden Shadow - loved it and will read the rest of the series soon, I'm sure.
Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win World War II - for one of my IRL book clubs - very well-written.
Sword in the Stars - if you enjoyed the first one, you'll like the sequel.
Illuminae - such a cool format - I wish there were more books that used their physical formatting like that.
The Library at Mount Char - haunting is actually an accurate description rather than a figure of speech with this one.
Step on a Crack - for another IRL book club. Great characters and definitely hooked me into the series.
Joyland - the perfect summer book.
Lost - a fast-paced thriller.

Currently reading Misfits, which is a lot of fun.

For Science Fiction, I nominate The Heaven Makers - I believe the group has already read Dune, but the recent coverage of the new movie made me think about the author's other books.

I may have suggested this one before, but for Fantasy I nominate The Tiger at Midnight. I've heard really good things, and the sequel is either just out or coming soon.

I'm hoping to read it - just waiting for my request to come in through Libby! It sounds amazing, and I'm so glad it was chosen!

With all this time at home, I've read a few books already this month:
The Long Earth - loved it and can't wait to read the rest of the series.
No One Is Coming to Save Us - Not SF/F, but well-written and interesting.
The Emerald Circus - A good example of why not to judge a book by its cover - it looks like a kids' book, but the stories are great and aimed at older teens/adults, since they wouldn't make sense if you weren't familiar with the stories and historical figures upon which they are based.
The Winter Siege - A good premise, but the author died before it was finished and it was completed by her daughter, so it doesn't really live up to the full potential.
Just started Mr. Churchill's Secretary, and I'm only a few chapters in, so it's too early to have a strong opinion.

SF: The Atrocity Archives
It looks like it's been quite a while since this group read anything by Charles Stross, and I've heard really good things about this series. It seems a bit more light and humorous than some of the other SF selections recently, which is a nice change of pace.

Fantasy: The Diviners
Another series I've heard good things about - and doesn't a fantasy mystery set in the 1920's sound like fun?

So far this month, I've read:
Ophelia - not really SF/F, but very well-written and enjoyable.
Half of a Yellow Sun - the exact opposite of Fantasy, but so good.
Legend - quite reminiscent of Divergent and Hunger Games, but a lot of fun.

Currently Reading: Just One Day - not SF/F, but well-written.

Currently Listening To: Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving - also not SF/F, but I love Mo.

Since last month's post, I've read:

Britt-Marie Was Here - Great characters, just the right balance of snark and schmaltz.

Alice I Have Been - a bit of a disappointment, probably because of the difficulty of turning the available evidence into a narrative.

What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen - I read it in conjunction with an author event and never would have heard of it otherwise - very thought-provoking.

The Secret Adversary - Very enjoyable and light Agatha Christie.

The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups - I read it for an online group, another one I never would have heard of otherwise, but also very thought-provoking.

Lexicon - Great premise, but the plot had too many holes and the characters were too inconsistent.

The Paper Magician - Very Ghibli-esque, so it was fun to read - but I was hoping for a central revelation that did not violate the Bechdel test.

The Color of Magic - Enjoyable, but it didn't draw me in the way everyone said it would - I don't feel compelled to continue the series.

Currently Reading:
Imager - Fun and fast-paced, but the Italian-ish language is distracting.

Currently Listening to:
Maybe Someday - I was reading this in print and enjoying it when my Libby loan ran out, so I switched to audio, which is not as enjoyable for this one. It's an interesting premise, but I might need to wait for a readable copy to come back up.

This month I've read:

The Outsider - it took FOREVER to get this from the library, so by the time it arrived I had missed the discussion in the online book club I was reading it for - but I really enjoyed it anyway.

A Man Lay Dead - a quick and fun read for one of my IRL book clubs.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed - the current book for the aforementioned online book club. Not my thing at all.

American Born Chinese - another quick read for a different IRL book club - I was a bit disappointed after all the hype.

The Starless Sea - this was for both an IRL and online book club, and I was already planning to read it on my own - it was amazing, as I expected.

The Deal of a Lifetime - a strange little short story, not really my thing.

The Mist - definitely better than the movie.

Strangers at the Gate - well-written mystery

Currently reading:

Along Came a Spider - Somehow I never got around to reading this, and it's way better than the movie.

Currently Listening to:

Swipe Right for Murder - I couldn't find my paper copy for an IRL book club, so I'm listening to it with a free Audible trial, and it is SO much fun.

SF: Legend - The fourth in the series came out fairly recently, so this seems like a good time to catch up and start with the first.

F: The Merciful Crow - I've heard really good things about this one, and it made a lot of personal Best of 2019 lists from people I follow online.

Fantasy: The Tiger at Midnight - this has been on my radar since it came out, and it looks great!

SF: The Andromeda Strain - this one is back in the spotlight with the sequel just out, so it might be a good time to go back and revisit the original.