EPBOT Readers discussion

Hi everyone!

Had a little bit of a slow week this week. I think I was in a bit of a reading funk, where I didn't know what to read so I just meandered through Reserved for the Cat . It was a holiday this week, which kind of threw everything off too. Had to work monday, but tuesday was off, so I did make up some time there.

Then I went through my unread kindle stash and settled on The Hero and the Crown. I really liked it! Good female-lead high fantasy. Kind of black-sheep of the family girl goes off and teaches herself how to slay dragons to prove she has use to the family. They're small ones, considered vermin so it's not really an honorable calling to the general public, but she figures she's helping her people out. It generally propels her on a quest to become an full fledged hero.

I started reading Magic Steps, but then a slew of library books came in.

Tricked is the first of them, which is a continuation of a series I started at the end of last year and only managed to read one more this year for the mythological prompt. Now that I'm basically done with it, aside from the last book I'm waiting on, I'm picking up on series I let flounder. I'm still doing Read Harder, but that challenge is less exciting so i'm just slowly hitting a book here or there.

How's everyone else's weeks going?

Hi Sherri!
I find myself fast approaching the "What to read next" territory, too. I have some library books coming in, so I suppose they will be next because of due dates (more on that next week).

Last week I finished reading Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood, which I continued to enjoy as much as anything that I've read during this challenge. And it was well-timed, too, as the CBC rebroadcast an interview with the author about the book right after I finished it, so it was nice to hear that.

I also read Divergent as my first book in a series you haven't read prompt. I whipped through this one pretty quickly and enjoyed it, but I couldn't help feeling that it was an intentional blend of Harry Potter, City of Bones/The Mortal Instruments Series, and The Hunger Games trilogy because it had a whole, "we're divided into separate factions, I'm actually a warrior and didn't know it, my mother was also a warrior, and we're living in a dystopia" thing. Now, that said, I read it because I enjoyed the movie and I'll likely finish out the series when I have some time. I'd classify it more as "good diversionary, end of the day, easy reading," and there's certainly a place in my life for that!

I've finally picked up Independent People again and am almost done it. It continues to tug at my heartstrings like I don't think any other book has, and I'm actually contemplating re-reading it at some point because it has literally taken me 2 years to get through it and I don't even remember all of the things that happened in the book now that I'm almost done it. BTW--does it still count if I started it in another year? This is my "book you bought on vacation" prompt. At any rate, I may check out some of the author's other books as I just discovered that we have most of his publications in one of the libraries at the university where I work.

As for what I'm reading after that--I'm not sure! It depends on when my library books come in, whether or not I'm up for the book after Oryx and Crake, or if I want to pick away at some of the other stuff in my Kobo. I'm also thinking about reading Boneshaker soon. So, I've got options!

What's everyone else reading this week?

Hi Stephanie,
I read the Divergent series, I agree with you that it's pretty derivative. I don't want to discourage you from finishing it, if you are into it, but the second two books were way weaker than the first. Just thought I'd give fair warning!

Oh no! Well, I can get them on my Kobo through the library, so it won't cost me anything but time. :-) And, Divergent was a Kobo freebie--so much for their plan to get me to buy the rest of the books!

I picked up Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking at the library today to read next week while on vacation. That was recommended on EPBOT yesterday and I'm definitely an introvert. I'm also still rereading Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners for the book club here as well.

I took out a random Jennifer Crusie for the trip, it is packed and I really don't remember which one it was. I just finished my first book by her, Bet Me and liked her style well enough.

Susan, I picked up quiet from the library too, based on Epbot. It's on the list as I read against due dates!

Oh I love The Hero and the Crown!! Have read The Blue Sword? It's a companion book. Robin McKinley actually wrote The a Blue Sword first and much of the folklore in it became The Hero and the Crown. Happy reading!

Julie wrote: "Oh I love The Hero and the Crown!! Have read The Blue Sword? It's a companion book. Robin McKinley actually wrote The a Blue Sword first and much of the folklore in it became The Hero and the Crown..."

Nope, not yet. Hero and the Crown was in one of my book bundles, the Blue Sword was not, haha. I did really like it, so I'll probably get it at some point.

I love the Hero and the Crown as well! I have reread that book so many times! Her other books are really good. You should definitely check them out.

I have read a few other McKinley books, usually as I get them cheap, haha. I read Sunshine when i was trying to go through the NPR top 100 Sci-Fi and Fantasy books, and I picked up Beauty at some point. And I think I had some random fairy type one from her, I don't remember what it was called. Most my reading anymore is library, or stuff from my "book deals of the day" emails that are cheap. Under $5 is impulse buy, over $5 I have to specifically really want a book. (over $7 I will probably waffle about it until I find a sale ;p)

Sherri,

You and I seem to have the same approach to spending our money on books! I also factor in whether or not I want/like the book enough to have it taking up physical space on my shelves or, if it's on my Kobo, whether or not I'm likely to read it again.

Haha, yeah. I pretty much only buy physical books if it's a favorite author, or I LOVED the book. Or comics that I really love the art for. Otherwise most my book buying is digitally where if I buy it and don't read it for a year or two, it's only taking up digital space. I have two 7 ft tall book cases, and I'm trying to keep my book collection confined to those (...its not really working) because I don't really have anywhere else to put book shelves right now. at least until/if we build our master suite addition and I can dub the current master bedroom as the "library/guest room if we really must have more than one guest at a time, but why would you do that to me? room"