EPBOT Readers discussion

Hi Everyone!

My giant stack of library books is ticking away, unfortunately I only managed to finish 2 this week. This leaves 3 more to finish before the 11th or I have to renew. boo. I don't really want to make two separate trips over so I'd have to renew the whole stack, if I can't finish them up.

At least I got the meatiest one out of the way!

So finished this week: Stranger in a Strange Land - Had mixed feelings on this one. First half I really enjoyed, found it interesting with the man from mars learning to be human and such. However the second half of the book got all culty and weird, and I didn't really feel it. Thought the ending was kinda lame too. But i got through it, and I can mark off "banned book" from my read harder list, and that book from my "classic sci fi" list.

Anne of Green Gables This one is for read harder's book between 1900-1950. I enjoyed it more than I thought. A lot of time with "beloved classics" I just find them so dreadfully outdated, boring, and insipid. (I'm looking at you Jane Austen). It was a relief to find Anne delightfully engaging. Might read more of the series later, when I'm less pressed for "these books are going to be overdue soon".

Currently I am reading:

Information Doesn't Want to Be Free: Laws for the Internet Age Which is really fascinating so far. I should have used this for career advice, it's much more applicable to my life. I'm using it for a nonfiction book about technology, for read harder, though. It's pretty short so hoping to get through it quickly.

How's everyone else's reading going?

I'm still working my way through Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. I have bookmarks and sections marked in various places for my husband and youngest to read too.

I also started a somewhat obscure one The Lost Art of Finding Our Way. I consider navigation, map reading and knowing where I'm going one of my superpowers. I rarely use a GPS - when I do it is mostly for traffic not directions.

Greetings from Whistler, BC! I'm on vacation this week and next, so my updates will be shorter than usual. I'm also posting on my phone, so I see doesn't let me put links to the books.

Last week I finished reading A Faint Promise Of Rain. It was pretty meh. Luckily, it was a pretty quick read and filled my book with a character that has a different ethnicity than you, but I didn't truly enjoy it and I felt like the book was full of unexplored potential. I feel like the author wanted to do something along the lines of Salman Rushdie, but didn't spend the time developing the characters in it. Still, I learned some interesting things about 16 century India.

This weekend working on two books. Because I'm traveling, I have one in my Kobo for reading in the hotel after the lights are out, and one for the plane and other travel related times. Yesterday, I started The Year of the Flood, which is the sequel to Oryx and Crake. It's more like a parallel novel, though, because it takes place during the same time as Oryx and Craig, but from a completely new set of characters point of you. It's not nearly as dark and focuses on the lives of two women. There are hints of where it crosses over with the first book, and I'm really enjoying it so far! I got about a third of it read on the plane ride and the bus up to Whistler. I also started The Killer Angels on my Kobo. If it fills the prompt for a book that takes place during war. It's at during the battle of Gettysburg, and apparently the author want to pull it surprise for this novel. I was always obsessed with the Civil War when I was younger, even though I'm Canadian. I think it had something to do with Patrick Swayze in north and south! Anyway, I'm only about a present in so I will have more of an update on this one next week!

Urg so many typos in my comment and I can't edit. Darn you auto dictate and correct! 😃

Hi everyone! I've been pretty quiet lately due to life overwhelm, but I did manage to squeeze in some reading. Last week I had a library book coming due, so I ploughed through Jim Butcher's Ghost Story (book 13 in the Dresden files). It was absolutely the right book at the right time for me. I love anything ghost-y, and I love the Dresden files (and where the series is going right now), so yay!
I'm also listening to The Pioneer Woman's bio, The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels during my commute. I'm a casual fan of her show, and this is classic Ree telling her prairie romance story. Again, right book for my mood at this time.
My lunch-time read is Lost on Planet China: The Strange and True Story of One Man's Attempt to Understand the World's Most Mystifying Nation, or How He Became Comfortable Eating Live Squid. I read his first book, The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific, and really liked it. I think this one's even better. I'm a sucker for good travel writing and I really like Troost's voice.
Finally, my "read until I fall asleep" book is The Goose Girl, a YA retelling of (I think) a Grimm fairy tale. My best friend ADORES this book and has been singing its praises to me forever. I picked up a copy when I was at Powell's a couple of months ago and I'm finally reading it now. It's...not quite my cup of tea, but it's getting better the further I get into it.
Huh. I didn't think I had much going on in my reading life, but in writing, it sounds quite exciting :)

Oh Stephanie, so much Yes on Patrick Swayze in the North and South mini-series. That show turned me on to John Jakes and I read both his North and South series and his Bicentennial series (with my ABBA's Greatest Hits album constantly playing in the background) back in the late 1970's!

Kristi, I love Dresden Files! That one in particular is pretty cool. Also Dresden Files (specifically I think the book after that one) is the reason I yell "PARKOUR!" Any time I leap over something.

Stephanie, Have fun on vacation! hope you have lots of read time! I might check out that second oryx and crake one, I was hesitating because the first was kinda be of grim and didn't know if I was in the mood.

Susan, I liked Quiet, although it was a little slow. Made me feel less weird though!

I finished Quiet. I thought I had a long way to go but a lot of the back of the book is references and source listings. I found the first two parts better than the last ones.

I find I'm skimming some of The Lost Art of Finding Our Way because it is a pretty large book and parts of it are very dry. Then I need to retreat into some mindless fiction!

I haven't read any of The Dresden Files. So many books in that series by now. Makes it intimidating. But I hear great things. Maybe someday in the future.

My reading this week was okayish. I finished Shadowfever and I remain somewhat conflicted on the series. But I have the sixth book so I am likely to read on with this series for now.

And on Friday I read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe in one go during the afternoon nap of my son. So cute! I really liked Dante.

Annemeike, I listened to the audiobook of Dante and Aristotle for the audio prompt, it was really cute! One of the better ones for the challenge.

I recommend Dresden files. I think I actually like it better as it goes on, rather than starting strong and puttering out.