Books #24 Reading Chats

[Caffeine Fiend]

Oh dear.

 

[Icbaaaa]

Oh dear.

I seem to reward myself by completing 1 book and purchase at least 3 more. My husband just gives me the look when I walk in sheepishly with them hahahahaha

 

[nbt]

Lads, I’ve created us a Christmas readathon thread for anyone who fancies it…

Christmas Book Readathon 2023

As discussed in the book thread, I thought it’d be nice to have an informal book readathon over Christmas. We can keep it going maybe a couple of days into the new year, when normal service resumes (booooo!) No pressure or set schedule, as people will have different amounts of free time, so...

tattle.life

 

[Ashlgr]

2023 Recap

How do you feel about your reading year? Good? Bad? Better than last year? Worse than last year? Spill all.
I didn't read nearly as much as I would have liked because I've had so much going on and the fatigue of ADHD brain, but I've enjoyed the majority of what Ive managed to read.

What was your average rating this year? (If you rate)
3/4 stars.

What was your favourite read of 2023?
Penance by Eliza Clark, I think because I got so invested in it like it was a real true crime case!

Any other books worth a mention?
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
The Women of Troy by Pat Barker
Really Good Actually by Monica Heisey
None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
Notes on an Execution by Santa Kukafka

What was your least favourite read of 2023?
Bunny by Mona Awad- weird and claustrophobic
Brutes by Dizz Tate- my expectations were far too high for this I think, was a different story completely to what I thought it was going to be when I picked it up!

What book exceeded your expectation?
Really Good Actually by Monica Heisey. I related to a lot of this more than I expected to, and made me question things about myself.

What book didnt live up to your expectation? Or just wasnt as good as you thought it would be?
Brutes by Dizz Tate- see above.

Favourite non fiction book of the year?
Strong Female Character by Fern Brady

Do you have any book goals for 2024?
Read more!!

 

[CommentBelow]

2023 Recap

How do you feel about your reading year? Good? Bad? Better than last year? Worse than last year? Spill all.

Good! More books than last year, some let downs, some average but a good amount of ones I loved too.


What was your average rating this year? (If you rate)

StoryGraph says 3.95 but I think I might have reviewed some too generously and will knock the rating down when I scroll through them all again.

What was your favourite read of 2023?

Beartown trilogy



Any other books worth a mention?

Talking at Night

Rose Code

Remarkably Bright Creatures

Fourth Wing

Maame



What was your least favourite read of 2023?

The Haunting Season

I’m a Fan


What book exceeded your expectation?

Talking at Night


What book didnt live up to your expectation? Or just wasnt as good as you thought it would be?

Iron Flame - I expected it to be the same addictive bingeworthy style as Fourth Wing but it took my over a week to get through it.



Favourite non fiction book of the year?

Reach for the Stars - the nostalgia!


Do you have any book goals for 2024?

Prioritise my 24 in 2024

Read the many books I already own and am excited to read - maybe I can give my husband £10 and he’ll give me a fake Waterstones stamp to make these feel like new book shopping?!

Only buy a book if I’m going to read it straight away… feels kind of contradictory to the above but I suppose it stops the TBR growing and growing…

 

[mindlessness]

i saw today on tiktok something about goodreads shutting down?!

Oh interesting! Maybe amazon just doesn't want to spend the money maintaining the website? (though tbf, it seems like they invest exactly zero dollars to make it a pleasant website to nagivate..)

If anyone is looking for an alternative, you can import your goodreads data into Storygraph. Saves a bit of time rather than going through and adding things manually.

 

[ordinaryjelly]

@ordinaryjelly I love Bert’s Books! He seems so sweet and genuinely passionate about books. If I’m buying a physical book I always get from him.

Isn't it nice to buy a book, know who you are buying from and know you are supporting him/them?

 

[Ashlgr]

2023 Recap

How do you feel about your reading year? Good? Bad? Better than last year? Worse than last year? Spill all.
I didn't read nearly as much as I would have liked because I've had so much going on and the fatigue of ADHD brain, but I've enjoyed the majority of what Ive managed to read.

What was your average rating this year? (If you rate)
3/4 stars.

What was your favourite read of 2023?
Penance by Eliza Clark, I think because I got so invested in it like it was a real true crime case!

Any other books worth a mention?
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
The Women of Troy by Pat Barker
Really Good Actually by Monica Heisey
None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka

What was your least favourite read of 2023?
Bunny by Mona Awad- weird and claustrophobic
Brutes by Dizz Tate- my expectations were far too high for this I think, was a different story completely to what I thought it was going to be when I picked it up!

What book exceeded your expectation?
Really Good Actually by Monica Heisey. I related to a lot of this more than I expected to, and made me question things about myself.

What book didnt live up to your expectation? Or just wasnt as good as you thought it would be?
Brutes by Dizz Tate- see above.

Favourite non fiction book of the year?
Strong Female Character by Fern Brady

Do you have any book goals for 2024?
Read more!!

ETA: Danya Kukafka, not Santa!! My phone is obviously on Christmas mode

 

[StrawberryBanana90]

Loved reading all your recaps! I don't think I'll manage to squeeze any more in with the festivities so here's mine

2023 Recap

How do you feel about your reading year? Good? Bad? Better than last year? Worse than last year? Spill all.

Numbers wise, I feel like I could've done better but I've definitely been more selective this year and curated my reading to my moods a lot so overall I'm happy with my year!

What was your favourite read of 2023?

SO hard to choose, I'll have to say Project Hail Mary though, that one has stuck with me throughout most of the year.

Any other books worth a mention?

I'm glad this comes directly after the previous question - Has to be the whole Beartown series, I can sense it will be a re-read for me for sure.

What was your least favourite read of 2023?

Either Lemon by Kwon Yeo-sun (picked up purely because of the cover) or Idol, Buring by Rin Usami - definitely some misses within the translated fiction I've read

What book exceeded your expectation?

Remarkably Bright Creatures - Did not expect to well up over an octopus on several occassions

What book didnt live up to your expectation? Or just wasnt as good as you thought it would be?

I feel like a lot of you can agree - The List

Favourite non fiction book of the year?

How Iceland Changed the World - I was quite surprised at the rich history of Iceland

Do you have any book goals for 2024?

Diversify! Dip my toes into some new genres I usually wouldn't and use my local library more.

 

[Rachel the reader]

Have you watched Shiny Happy People? Jill is so brave.

I watched it when it first came out but I'm going to have to rewatching after reading the book.

Edit to say the Goodreads closing rumour has been going around for years and it's still going. It's unlikely to close given the high number of users I would say.

 

[strawb]

Edit to say the Goodreads closing rumour has been going around for years and it's still going. It's unlikely to close given the high number of users I would say.

that's good to hear, i'm a creature of habit and i'm used to good old simple goodreads

 

[CommentBelow]

I doubt Amazon would give up all the free customer data they get via Goodreads!

 

[Millennial Pink]

I use a combination of Goodreads and a simple spreadsheet.

I did download that Netgalley reading journal thing, but I think for me it would be too much of a faff. I can see the appeal for people who are already into journaling, though. I couldn't even keep up with StoryGraph.

Goodreads always has some sort of drama surrounding it. Ultimately, I think it's too useful to the industry to do away with.

 

[Chocolategoggler]

I seem to reward myself by completing 1 book and purchase at least 3 more. My husband just gives me the look when I walk in sheepishly with them hahahahaha

I get this from the librarians. I am a book addict - there I said it .
I snuck in the library today and sighed with relief to see a stranger behind the desk. I was in and out like a thief.
New Year's resolution to say la la la in my head when someone recommends a book. It's a bit like saying om in your head and should keep me zen............. hopefully?

 

[smellsofbiscuits]

2023 Recap

How do you feel about your reading year? Good? Bad? Better than last year? Worse than last year? Spill all.

Last year I comfortably read 50 books over the course of the year. Based on that, I upped this year's goal to 60 but just scraped 50. The biggest factor was switching from a job that had a mandatory one hour lunch that was spent on my own to one with a shorter lunch and fairly social work team. I had underestimated just how much extra reading time that lunch hour gave me over the course of 2022!

What was your average rating this year? (If you rate)

4.13. I'm a pretty generous star rater


What was your favourite read of 2023?
The three books I awarded a (rather generous) 4.75 rating to were:

I'm Sorry You Feel That Way
The Colour of Bee Larkham's Murder
A Little Life (which was a re-read before going to see the cinema screening of the play adaptation).

Any other books worth a mention?

Road Ends blew me away with its storytelling and writing craft. I'll definitely be picking up more of Mary Lawson's books.

Send Nudes reintroduced me to the brilliance of short stories. The author, Saba Sams, is only in her early twenties and I'm excited to see where her writing goes.

Small Things Like These absolutely blew me away. I managed to read the entire book in one sitting which I haven't done in years. Can't wait for the film adaptation to come out.

In Memoriam had me sitting up until 4am to finish it. Again, I haven't done that in years. Such a stunning debute that utterly broke my heart.

For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain is a fascinating short novel exploring two medieval women: Julian of Norwich and Margaret Kempe. Their social class very much influenced how seriously their religious visions were taken by the (very) male establishment. It's not a book I've seen mentioned much but it ticks many boxes for me: medieval setting, core characters are women living outside the considered norm. It's less than 170 pages so a good one to read in an afternoon or on holiday, as I did

What was your least favourite read of 2023?

Seven Days in June. I think I bought into the Tik Tok hype too much and had high expectations. There was too much of a light touch to some quite intense subject areas. Plus I never really got the connection between the two mains lasting that long. It was my lowest scoring read at 3 stars which is saying something on how generous I appear to rate!


What book exceeded your expectation?

Probably In Memoriam. I did suspect it would be good but not in the category of staying up until 4am good.


What book didnt live up to your expectation?Or just wasnt as good as you thought it would be

Definitely Seven Days In June. Should stop believing the social media hype.


Favourite non fiction book of the year?

I don't read much NF but one of my Kindle reads was The Library Book by Susan Orlean. It focuses on the fire at the Los Angeles Public Library in 1988, deliberately started, and its impact on the users and community. Orlean also does an interesting deep dive into the history of the lending library system in the States which I found fascinating.


Do you have any book goals for 2024?

I definitely don't read many books by men but I'm not sure I want to, haha! One goal is to tackle my 200 plus physical TBR pile alongside my 130 Kindle list I try to aim to install a book buying ban most years but they never last long. My local library is reasonable but they rarely get books in that appeal to my tastes. That's my excuse for buying so many anyway.

 

[Chocolategoggler]

2023 Recap

How do you feel about your reading year? Good? Bad? Better than last year? Worse than last year? Spill all.

Last year I comfortably read 50 books over the course of the year. Based on that, I upped this year's goal to 60 but just scraped 50. The biggest factor was switching from a job that had a mandatory one hour lunch that was spent on my own to one with a shorter lunch and fairly social work team. I had underestimated just how much extra reading time that lunch hour gave me over the course of 2022!

What was your average rating this year? (If you rate)

4.13. I'm a pretty generous star rater


What was your favourite read of 2023?
The three books I awarded a (rather generous) 4.75 rating to were:

I'm Sorry You Feel That Way
The Colour of Bee Larkham's Murder
A Little Life (which was a re-read before going to see the cinema screening of the play adaptation).

Any other books worth a mention?

Road Ends blew me away with its storytelling and writing craft. I'll definitely be picking up more of Mary Lawson's books.

Send Nudes reintroduced me to the brilliance of short stories. The author, Saba Sams, is only in her early twenties and I'm excited to see where her writing goes.

Small Things Like These absolutely blew me away. I managed to read the entire book in one sitting which I haven't done in years. Can't wait for the film adaptation to come out.

In Memoriam had me sitting up until 4am to finish it. Again, I haven't done that in years. Such a stunning debute that utterly broke my heart.

For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain is a fascinating short novel exploring two medieval women: Julian of Norwich and Margaret Kempe. Their social class very much influenced how seriously their religious visions were taken by the (very) male establishment. It's not a book I've seen mentioned much but it ticks many boxes for me: medieval setting, core characters are women living outside the considered norm. It's less than 170 pages so a good one to read in an afternoon or on holiday, as I did

What was your least favourite read of 2023?

Seven Days in June. I think I bought into the Tik Tok hype too much and had high expectations. There was too much of a light touch to some quite intense subject areas. Plus I never really got the connection between the two mains lasting that long. It was my lowest scoring read at 3 stars which is saying something on how generous I appear to rate!


What book exceeded your expectation?

Probably In Memoriam. I did suspect it would be good but not in the category of staying up until 4am good.


What book didnt live up to your expectation?Or just wasnt as good as you thought it would be

Definitely Seven Days In June. Should stop believing the social media hype.


Favourite non fiction book of the year?

I don't read much NF but one of my Kindle reads was The Library Book by Susan Orlean. It focuses on the fire at the Los Angeles Public Library in 1988, deliberately started, and its impact on the users and community. Orlean also does an interesting deep dive into the history of the lending library system in the States which I found fascinating.


Do you have any book goals for 2024?

I definitely don't read many books by men but I'm not sure I want to, haha! One goal is to tackle my 200 plus physical TBR pile alongside my 130 Kindle list I try to aim to install a book buying ban most years but they never last long. My local library is reasonable but they rarely get books in that appeal to my tastes. That's my excuse for buying so many anyway.

That's why I put so many on hold on my library account as the books I want to read are miles away!
Maybe I need to move

 

[CoopsLoops]

Just found this thread, it’s great!
Seen some great recommendations here.
---
Definitely going to get ‘Penance’ or ask for it for Christmas.

 

[ToolaRoola]

Finally finished my first book of December, Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll.

I was in a slump this month and it took me ages but I actually really enjoyed the book.

Spoiler: Spoiler

I had no idea it was semi-fiction based on real life events to do with Ted Bundy! I thought it was a good take on a serial killer book without him being the main character.

 

[twilightgarden]

I've just picked up a paperback and had to google what a word meant on the first page. I love a physical book sometimes but you can't beat the convenience of dictionary on a Kindle!

 

[slugella]

I'm about to start Fourth Wing, got an afternoon and evening on the sofa with my blanket planned! It's not a genre I normally go for but was very influenced by this thread so looking forward to giving it a go.