EPBOT Readers discussion

Hello everyone,

For my first retirement trip we went to our ski timeshare and I was able to ski the whole day instead of staying in for the afternoon and meetings. Great spring skiing in very warm temps in western Maine. Next week we travel across the country to visit our daughter who's expecting in May to help set up the nursery.

I do not have any finishes this week. But I have made good progress on most. I am listening to Service Model. I am just over halfway through.

I am reading Not Quite by the Book from Amazon first reads. It is the light, not stressful easy reading that I want before bed. So far it is cozy.

For neighborhood book club I'm reading People of the Book. It switches back and forth between a book restoration character and then stories about the book. I enjoyed the first restoration chapter well enough but I've had a hard time going back to it for the first back story. I'm not likely to finish it before the meeting. I don't want to carry a large heavy book on the plane.

QOTW:
Are you good at guessing plot twists?

I would definitely say no. I mostly don't read mysteries, a common genre for plot twists, but not the only by any means. But when they happen I am usually surprised along with the character. A plot twist that is self-inflicted is often annoying to me particularly if it is due to the "lack of communication" trope.

Happy check-in!

Not much going on with me this week. We've started planning our September trip already. I think we both just want to go on vacation already!

Finished:
It Goes Like This by Miel Moreland - 3.5 stars - for Popsugar's book where music plays an integral part of the storyline. Overall I enjoyed it. The characters were fun but I felt like it needed a few more chapters to breathe and develop the relationships outside of the main romance pair.

The In-Between Bookstore by Edward Underhill - 3.5 stars - for Popsugar's 2024 prompt redo, a fiction book by a trans or nonbinary author. This was a slow, introspective book about a trans man named Darby going home to the small town he couldn't wait to escape as a teen and reevaluating his life. This one adds in a former best friend turned romantic interest and a dose of magical realism in the form of the old bookstore where Darby used to work, where he gets thrown back in time whenever he enters the store and meets himself as a teenager.

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher - 5 stars - for Popsugar's book about chosen family. You know who the villain is from the very start of this book, and she's so evil, I spent my whole time with the book rooting for her downfall. Excellent retelling. (view spoiler)[Richard announced that he intends to adopt Cordelia at the end of the story, which fits the chosen family prompt. (hide spoiler)]

Comics & manga:
Honey Lemon Soda, Vol. 5
Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 13
Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 33

Currently reading:
Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite - not currently for a prompt.

Upcoming/Planned:
Reread Little Thieves by Margaret Owen for Popsugar's book with a great last line, and the sequel Painted Devils for Popsugar's book about a cult.

QOTW:
Sometimes. It depends a lot on the foreshadowing and the type of book. I don't read a ton of mysteries, but I do read some fantasy and sci-fi where there's a mystery to solve or secrets to uncover. I used to really love guessing and posting theories on what was going on when reading a book with a group.

Oh I'm really curious about Murder by Memory! I have read a historical romance from that author, and if she'd written a historical mystery I'd be all over it, but sff mysteries are tough.

Not Your China Doll: The Wild and Shimmering Life of Anna May Wong - This was really great! I'm still kind of on my 1920s kick, and Anna May Wong is of course fabulous. The author really found a ton of primary sources: movie reviews, interviews, letters, there was a surprising amount of stuff. I was aware that the current view is that she was not given the sorts of parts she deserved, but it was really interesting to see that many of her contemporary reviewers had the same opinion.

QOTW: Yeah, sometimes. I do read mysteries, but I'm not sure I'd count the whodunnit reveal as a plot twist. I'm way better about picking up plot twists if I have time to reflect. When I was reading books for school, I would just plow through and be totally shocked by the twists. Partly I think it's maturity that helps me catch some of them now, but also it's reading a bit every day and getting to literally sleep on it. One time I was telling my husband about a book I was reading, and I said, "and now he's talking to this guy online...who I have just this instant realized is his estranged father."

Hi all,

Been kind of scattered the last couple weeks and missed check ins and postings everywhere. Fighting off a cold, almost through it. Thankfully, since i'm leaving on a much needed vacation tomorrow!

I've had several finishes:

Bookshops & Bonedust - finished audio re-read, i really like travis as an audio book narrator which makes sense, since that's what he started as. Normally i don't love listening to female-led books read by male narrators, but he did a really good job with the voicing.

Apprentice to the Villain - i really like this series, can't wait for the next book. It's fun and charming, and different from a lot of fantasy romance type stuff out now.

Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books - my books & brews book for april. I liked it quite a bit, feels rather timely. Maybe if more people would actually READ the book instead of banning them, lives would improve.

What Feasts at Night - another tbr pick, this was interesting. Don't think it was more Poe, but exploring more mythology. Will be interesting to see if the series continues, and how that goes with what stories get pulled in.

Clockwork Boys - read for the vaginal fantasy book club, though it really isn't much of a romance yet. There's some tension but it's much more of a standard epic fantasy/doomed quest sort of book. Looking forward to continuing the series. I really like the range she writes under the T Kingfisher name.

Currently reading:

Once Upon A Ghost - another tbr challenge pick. It's a book of short stories by various fantasy authors with haunted twists of fairy tales. It's fun, if not amazing.

Poor Things - current audio book. I love the movie, it's so strange and beautiful. thought I'd check out the book. The book is also strange, but much different.

QOTW: I do tend to guess plot twists. I read a lot, and it also might be something to do with being auADHD, i can kind of see patterns forming so I can a lot of times see where things are going and make a guess to where things will end up. Depends on how much I'm paying attention though. If I'm distracted i'll miss obvious tells. If i'm focused I'll make really big jumps and be right.