Reading, Life, and Times of Gilroy 2023

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Reading, Life, and Times of Gilroy 2023

1gilroy
Modifié : Avr 5, 2023, 2:57 pm

No change in reading goals again this year. Two books cross the year (again. sigh.) Hopefully, the year will be better which means more reading.

Each book will have an initial post when I start it, then will receive a bulk update of notes from when I finish it. These will be followed by a month summary of all reads. I'm a slow reader, so you'll have to forgive me updating backdated posts. The notes also will go into the reviews. If books cross months, they don't get a new post for the new month, but they also don't get counted until finished.

At the end of the year, I'll do a final goal count post as well as my annual book poll. That poll will also be posted in the new thread.

The hopeful goals:
Total books to read: 45 -- 30 audio, 9 physical, 6 e-books
(Count as of January 1 - 0 audio, 0 physical, 0 e-books)

The current reads:

Audio - The Time Traveler's Wife by Andrea Niffenegger
Physical book - Heat Rises by Richard Castle

E-book -
(Kindle) Rift by Andreas Christensen
(Google Books) Stronger than Magic by Melinda VanLone

2gilroy
Jan 1, 2023, 7:10 am

Dud Books - Books I attempted to read and gave up:
(Also known as Pearl Rule books)

Note on how I designate a dud book:
Unless the book is so horrid of prose/story/cliché that I can't get past the first few pages, I feel the need to give the author at least 50 pages or a quarter of the book, which ever I can make. This allows for initial bad openings and characters to grow enough. At that point, if I continue to struggle and can't get into the book, I'm done and it becomes a dud. At least that's the plan.

3gilroy
Modifié : Jan 1, 2023, 7:12 am

2022 Reading poll :)
Annual Book Poll on Google Forms

Links to all previous year's polls should be on my profile.

4gilroy
Modifié : Fév 28, 2023, 10:55 am

Overture (Earth song) by Mark Wandrey

Series Earth Song Cycle

Start 12/10/2022 End 02/28/2023

Thoughts
-- I always read the prologue when it's available. Maybe I should start. This one starts with the climax in the prologue. Ugh, no!
-- Okay so this is reading like one of those disaster movies as a book. One where there's a giant cast and they keep jumping from group to group until all the survivors end up together type. It has an ... interesting premise of aliens are trying to save humanity from a meteor crashing into the planet, but humans are too stupid and screwing it up . My objective is to either finish it or mark it a dud before the end of 2022. I was at 17% on my kindle at lunch today.
(Transferred from 2022 for tracking purposes)
-- There's a lot of moving pieces to this story, that you almost need a notepad to keep track of who is who.
-- Yeah, figured this would turn into one of those end of the world becomes dystopian becomes alien portal type books.
-- Wait. why did we have to read through all this crap of the various POV if all but one were going to die by the end of the book?!
-- Small relief. Billy Harper does survive to be with Mindy. So they should have stuck with those two and maybe Osgood through the whole book. Might have made it better. Definitely not drawn to read the next book in the series,

5gilroy
Modifié : Fév 4, 2023, 9:21 am

Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett
Series Discworld

Start 11/11/2022 End 02/03/2023

Thoughts
-- Light and fluffy satire. That's what I need right now. Let's see where Sir Terry takes it.
-- The concept seemed sound. Let's pick on Hollywood and all the movie making shenanegans. I'm not laughing much and honestly struggling to find a character to like. Not even the main character is much of a draw. Gaspode the talking dog isn't bad, but he's a minor side character. Detritus the Troll is ... unique. Maybe half way through with the objective to finish before the end of the year. Not sure I'll make it here.
(Transferred from 2022 for tracking purposes)
-- Maybe it's because this particular one doesn't strike home as much as a few others, but I'm just not liking this story. I've crossed the halfway point, though, so I want to see if it gets better.
-- Um, well, that's a glitch. I get to page 162 and everything is fine. Then it goes back to page 67 and reprints to page 90, before continuing from page 189. WEIRD. I'll have to see if it does that in another print run or if this is just a poorly assembled book. Update: this was a poorly assembled book. Ended up checking out the book from Hoopla to read those pages.
-- I don't know. This book just didn't feel like some of the others. It has digs but just doesn't ring as funny as some others. May be my mood (and why I drew it out as much reading it.)

6hfglen
Jan 1, 2023, 8:33 am

Happy New Thread

7clamairy
Jan 1, 2023, 9:32 am

Happy New Year, and happy new thread! Hope your year is full of great books.

8Narilka
Jan 1, 2023, 9:58 am

Happy New Year and happy reading!

9Karlstar
Jan 1, 2023, 10:18 am

Oooh, a poll! Happy New Year!

10jillmwo
Jan 1, 2023, 10:27 am

I took your poll, but I may turn out to be one of those dud respondents who didn't properly understand the question...Was I supposed to have read all of those during 2022? At any rate, gilroy, Happy New Year and congrats on launching the new thread for 2023.

11gilroy
Jan 1, 2023, 12:09 pm

>10 jillmwo: Not necessarily during 2022 but at any time.

12majkia
Jan 1, 2023, 12:12 pm

Happy New Year!

13haydninvienna
Jan 1, 2023, 1:21 pm

Happy new year!

14MrsLee
Jan 1, 2023, 6:16 pm

May this year's reading lift your spirits and help you discover thoughts and ideas you never knew you were missing.

15Sakerfalcon
Jan 3, 2023, 11:11 am

Happy new year! I hope it brings you lots of good books!

16Bookmarque
Jan 3, 2023, 11:45 am

17gilroy
Modifié : Jan 5, 2023, 12:53 pm

All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Narrator Kevin R Free

Series Murderbot Diaries

Start 01/03/2023 End 01/03/2023

Thoughts
-- wife has been reading this multiple times over the last few months, so figured I'd try it out
-- there's some good humor in here. Enjoying the feel of the book
-- Gotta love a bot who prefers soap operas to doing their own job.
-- lots of intrigue here. I honestly was picking up the fact that the "glitches" were hacks and not just small ones from the first instance. The incoming packet that Secbot refused to install, also a problem code box.
-- Wow, forgot this was a novella not a full novel. Fascinating read, lots of world building even without a lot of space to do it. The next one is queued up to read now.

18reading_fox
Jan 4, 2023, 4:28 pm

Happy New Year#!

>17 gilroy: Just lots of slightly sarcastic fun all the way through all 5 novellas. I'd rather they were novels though.

19gilroy
Modifié : Jan 7, 2023, 8:15 pm

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
Read by Kevin R Free

Series Murderbot Diaries

Start 01/05/2023 End 01/07/2023

Thoughts
-- Continuing adventures of the SecUnit. Now trying to avoid detection in a general sense.
-- Yeah, even SecUnits can be unreliable narrators. ART comes across as a bit of an ass, but how much of that is actually MurderBot's opinion?
-- I feel like the time spent digging in the pit at the mining colony took too little book time, even if it took more than 5 hours of in world time.
-- Somehow, the two plots didn't mesh well enough for me this time. They ran good in parallel, but not woven loosely as attempted. Still good book

20Sakerfalcon
Jan 6, 2023, 6:03 am

>19 gilroy: I'm envious of you getting to experience Murderbot for the first time! It is such a delight.

21gilroy
Jan 6, 2023, 1:26 pm

>20 Sakerfalcon: I quite like them. And the narrator has a dry enough tone that it feels more like a bot reading them than a human.

23gilroy
Jan 6, 2023, 1:36 pm

For those who are following along, more news. This one was harder so I had to take a bit to work through things before I could post on it.

I've now had to say goodbye to both my parents. My mom passed the Sunday before Christmas. Trying to get things planned during the holidays ended up being a bear. But we did get her buried in the cemetery nook with my dad this past Wednesday. All this has made reading difficult, writing difficult, and focus difficult. Especially focus on the bill paying work. Cleaning house seems to be a good distraction, though.

24pgmcc
Jan 6, 2023, 1:58 pm

>23 gilroy:
My condolences. I am very sorry to hear this news. I wish you strength at this difficult time.

25Narilka
Jan 6, 2023, 2:48 pm

>23 gilroy: Oh no! I am so very sorry to hear this. My deepest condolences. My thoughts to you and your family during this difficult time.

26jillmwo
Jan 6, 2023, 2:58 pm

>23 gilroy: I'm so very sorry for what you're experiencing. I too lost both of my parents during the month of December (although each in a different year) and it does darken the season. Try not to expect too much of yourself these next few weeks. (((Hugs)))

27NorthernStar
Modifié : Jan 6, 2023, 4:01 pm

>23 gilroy: My condolences, so sorry for your loss.

Not that there is ever a good time, but over the holiday season must be a particularly difficult time to be dealing with both the personal and practical issues.

28Bookmarque
Jan 6, 2023, 3:05 pm

Oh man I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine. I hope you and your wife find some peace and solace together.

29haydninvienna
Jan 6, 2023, 3:35 pm

>23 gilroy: so sorry. Our best wishes to you.

30tardis
Jan 6, 2023, 3:51 pm

My deepest sympathies on your loss.

31MrsLee
Jan 6, 2023, 4:33 pm

>23 gilroy: So sorry to hear this. May you find comfort and healing.

32Jim53
Jan 6, 2023, 10:07 pm

>23 gilroy: I stopped in to wish you a belated happy new year, and then saw this post. So sorry to hear about your loss. Will be holding you and yours in the light and hoping for good things for you.

33hfglen
Jan 7, 2023, 5:25 am

>23 gilroy: Ouch. What everybody else said.

34majkia
Jan 7, 2023, 10:49 am

So very sorry for your loss. Just because it is natural doesn't make it any easier.

35Sakerfalcon
Jan 9, 2023, 7:55 am

>23 gilroy: I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. I hope you will find peace and comfort in remembering good times you had together.

36clamairy
Jan 10, 2023, 9:06 pm

>23 gilroy: I am so so sorry. I can't add more than that, really. (Except maybe that this is an awful time of year to lose someone, not that there is ever a good time. )

37gilroy
Jan 11, 2023, 5:39 am

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells
Narrator Kevin R Free

Series Murderbot Diaries

Start 01/10/2023 End 01/10/2023

Thoughts
-- I feel like the sarcasm is getting heavier the more I read. Though I'm loving it just the same

38gilroy
Modifié : Jan 14, 2023, 9:37 pm

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells
Narrator Kevin R Free

Series Murderbot Diaries

Start 01/11/2023 End 01/14/2023

Thoughts
-- Graycris really wants to do some damage with hiring all these security folks...

39gilroy
Modifié : Jan 20, 2023, 10:48 am

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wels
Narrator Kevin R Free

Series Murderbot Diaries

Start 01/19/2023 End 01/20/2023

Thoughts
-- I read this one first, because I was told it makes more sense with regard to the internal time line to read it before the novel.
-- Kinda missed the lazy bot, just wants to watch media consistency of the first four. But I suppose even Murderbot can grow

40gilroy
Modifié : Mar 19, 2023, 12:55 pm

Turncoat by Jim Butcher
Series The Dresden Files

Start 02/03/2023 End 03/19/2023

Thoughts
-- Ah to get back to the world of Harry Dresden and his magical wonders. Like when reading Harry Potter, each book has gotten increasingly dark, so I'm expecting some major darkness, yet the continued snark that makes Harry . . . well Harry.
-- Oh we get to play with the White Court, Morgan, and a skin walker! This book is going to be loads of fun.
-- I feel like there are more tangled threads in here than even I'm picking up this first read. And not just because Morgan is accused of murdering a senior council member.
-- Definitely some good quips. I love a spot where Harry acknowledges he's not that smart and Morgan just says "Too easy."
-- Why do we not get any interactions with Bob until halfway through the book?! He's part of what makes these fun.
-- Okay, we just went way deep there. And the pit is yawing quite wide...
-- Harry got his butt kicked, as usual. But even Harry and Ebenezer acknowledge that the world is getting darker and grittier. With the strife in the White Council, all hell is breaking loose around him, then he loses his brother because of the torture that happened to him. The series continues to be a great read.

41gilroy
Modifié : Fév 12, 2023, 7:47 pm

Network Effect by Martha Wells
Narrator Kevin R Free

Series Murderbot Diaries

Start 02/04/2023 End 02/12/2023

Thoughts
-- Now this is the first full length novel of the group, so going to take some time to wade through, since It's 12 hours long versus 3+ hours of the others. I read this after Fugitive Telemetry because I was told internal chronology wise, this one came after.
-- Enjoying the Helpfile chapters. They add some ... interesting information to the set up.
-- Oh no. ART, what happened to you?!
-- I can definitely agree with Murderbot here. Sometimes, humans do stupid things. You're in a safety module (life pod basically) and you chose ot attach to the evil ship? No, but wait we have a hint that ART is still somewhere in there. YES!
-- Okay so things fell out quickly once they started happening. And the reason for the help files is ... interesting. SecUnit has now freed two other bots.
-- Yeah, alien remnant was expected, just not how it was found/ignored.
-- Fun book. Would recommend the whole series.

42nonil
Fév 6, 2023, 1:36 pm

>41 gilroy: I'm behind you in the series (just finished Rogue Protocol) and I'm worried now...

43gilroy
Fév 6, 2023, 3:38 pm

>42 nonil: It continues as an awesome series. No worries. I'm only on like chapter 5 with that one spoiler. Now up to chapter 8 (what? Not supposed to be listening to an audio book at work? How else do I drown out the loud people in the office down the hall?) and things are looking ... better.

44Sakerfalcon
Fév 7, 2023, 9:48 am

>41 gilroy: I'm reading this now too, so not clicking on your spoilers!

45gilroy
Modifié : Mar 4, 2023, 8:38 pm

Dungeon Eternium by Dakota Krout
Narrator Luke Daniels

Series Divine Dungeon

Start 02/12/2023 End 03/04/2023

Thoughts
-- Time for the final Cal and Dale book. Kinda sad the series is ending.
-- The change in the narrator was not a good move. Cal now has a Brooklyn accent. To quote Murderbot -- UGH.
-- Okay, I'm not sure how much of this is the new narrator and how much of this is the story, but this book just is NOT drawing me in as the other four in the series had. I just feel meh for it. Maybe its because Minya, Dale, Cal, Danni, and Hans all sound so off that I just don't get it as much as the others. I don't know. Some of the story feels rushed.
-- Thom returning to his people and getting his royal life back was a twist I didn't expect, but something about it felt ... shoehorned in? I'm not sure how to describe it.
-- Danni has a brother? Wants to go to the Wisp homeland? What the what? It's like let's drop a twist for twist's sake instead of actually writing a thought out story. Abyss feces.
-- The ending was kinda meh. The whole story felt compressed and something about this book just didn't feel like it fit the others in the series. Definitely not as good. A let down, really.

46gilroy
Modifié : Avr 3, 2023, 5:47 am

The Amulet Thief by Luanne Bennett

Series The Fitheach Trilogy

Start 02/28/2023 End 04/02/2023

Thoughts
-- I'd have thought they'd have done a vague opening scene with the theft of the amulet or something. Nope. We start long long time after with no details why this is called the amulet thief for more than five chapters. Wondering about the title now.
-- This is reading more like a bad romance (only seen from one POV) with a magical mystery thrown in to spice things up.
-- Oh look we have magical creatures now. A satyr? Huh. MAYBE this just got interesting. a quarter way through. +
-- The more I read, the more this feels like the writer chose the wrong point of view to write this book. The character is isolated and there is so little activity around her. Alex Kelley is just a 20 something who's thrust into a world she doesn't understand and we're not getting details filled in, because no one is filling in the main character.
-- I feel like the writer couldn't decide what type of story she wanted to write, so smashed all of them into a single story. It's a New Age romance. No it's a fantasy. Fantasy Romance. No wait it's Young Adult Fantasy with Romance. It's an Urban Fantasy. It's all over the place.
-- The sauna that is is chest? Really?!
-- Okay, the character is supposed to be 20 something. Why is she acting like a spoiled preteen? Then acting like a flighty teen? We rarely see the maturity the girl should have.
-- The point of her being the main point of view character never materializes. Yes, the last five or six chapters finally get some action, but was it the right action? We got some answers, but I feel like they were forced. ONE scene from earlier in the book paid off later. ONE. I don't recommend this book to others.

47gilroy
Mar 6, 2023, 1:18 pm

Phantom Kiss by Chloe Neill
Narrator Sophie Eastlake

Series Chicagoland Vampires

Start 03/06/2023 End 03/06/2023

Thoughts
-- I came back to this as it was a lone story I'd not read from the original series, i think. I wanted to get back into Merit's world before I started to read the books about the daughter.
-- Interesting take on the whole magical world after the events of previous books.
-- Lots of build, build, build, then cliff face crash to finish. But that felt right for this story.
-- I liked the twist of the graveyard shift to protect people from trying to mess with the wrong dead people.

48gilroy
Modifié : Mar 19, 2023, 8:41 pm

Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
Narrator Carrie Fisher

Start 03/17/2023 End 03/19/2023

Thoughts
-- The irreverence of Carrie comes through even in her writing. It's fabulous
-- Interesting details regarding family and how she might have gotten her mind screwed even at a young age.
-- The longer I listened, the more the stream of consciousness started to bug me. She jumped around the timeline too much and I had trouble following. And I wasn't even on drugs.
-- In a way I'm glad I dragged my feet to listen to this, because I had more time to prepare for such a ... questionable book or use of my time. That's three hours I want back.

49Bookmarque
Mar 17, 2023, 12:04 pm

Funny coincidence, I listened to the audio version of one of Fisher's other books The Princess Diarist and ultimately returned it to audible. Some of the actual diary parts were too disconnected and rambling; like dream sequences which always make me crazy in books. I liked the actual writing of those parts, they just went on forever. The time frame is the first Star Wars filming and her "relationship" with Harrison Ford, who frankly, seemed like a creep to me. Agree that she was pretty messed up from an early age, but seems to have gotten through it to be a mostly normal adult.

50gilroy
Mar 17, 2023, 1:15 pm

I admit the first hour of the book wanders and is scattered thoughts that are only connected by Carrie's brain

51gilroy
Modifié : Avr 23, 2023, 8:16 am

Heat Rises by Richard Castle
Series Nikki Heat

Start 03/19/2023 End 04/22/2023

Thoughts
-- New case, with some twists to begin the book. Not the place you'd expect to find a catholic priest. and also no Rook for the first two chapters? How can I not see Nathan Fillion for two chapters? I mean I love the Stana Katic, but the interactions are part of what make the show/book!
-- Huh. They're setting things up to look like Heat may or may not get promoted. But also twisting the characters about to make you ask all sorts of questions.
-- I really don't like Hinesberg. But I think that's the point.
-- Still can't read thus without hearing Nathan Fillion in my head. And the rest of the TV cast

52gilroy
Modifié : Avr 13, 2023, 3:33 pm

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Narrators Phoebe Strole and Fred Berman

Started 03/24/2023 End 04/10/2023

Thoughts
-- I had hopes that the storyline would be a single thread following her, with him popping in from time to time. No, it's a convoluted time line following them both. Why was this a popular book? I'm 15% in and seriously thinking of dropping it just because I don't like the convolutions.
-- When I first started listening to this book, I was uncertain I could take it. However, the longer I read, the more I realized this is a much better time travel/interwoven story than many others on the market. It also has smatterings of very descriptive passionate scenes. I even find myself surprised when I hear them use a certain word that most US residents find offensive.
-- I've mixed opinions on the book, though the last third is a bit depressing. I feel for Alba as a time traveler without her daddy to guide her.

53clamairy
Mar 28, 2023, 9:57 am

>52 gilroy: I enjoyed reading that book. I'm not sure how well it would work as an audiobook, though.

54gilroy
Mar 28, 2023, 10:16 am

>53 clamairy: The two narrators that separate out if it's Clair or Henry helps some.

55MrsLee
Mar 28, 2023, 11:39 am

>52 gilroy: I enjoyed that book, but I think it took me awhile to catch the flow of it.

56pgmcc
Mar 28, 2023, 12:24 pm

>52 gilroy:
I loved that book, but that is because I love complex and convoluted plots. The book is very much a love story. The Science Fiction is almost incidental.

Sorry you are not enjoying it. No book is perfect for everybody. When I find a book that is not working for me I move on to another book, no matter how many people praise the first book.

57gilroy
Modifié : Avr 23, 2023, 8:14 am

RIFT by Andreas Christensen
Series The Rift Saga

Start 04/02/2023 End 04/23/2023

Thoughts
-- One chapter in and I can already wonder if a beta reader or anyone else got a hold of this before publishing. One of the main characters describes them selves by looking in the mirror (*wince* and not really done well.) Also, this entire first two chapters appear to be a rehash of the reaping done at the beginning of Hunger Games. Complete with guards and registration and selection. In fact there's a version of this in several YA novels. It's gotten cliche.
-- The more I read the book, the more I feel like the first quarter of the book is backstory that the author felt everyone needs to know. Shoot, they even feed you the backstory through the Wardens in Dave's Point of View (POV). Am I compelled to read on? Mostly to find what the cover blurb talked about. But that's about it. Once I find that, I suspect I'll drop the book like a cat clawed my bare legs.

58gilroy
Modifié : Mai 3, 2023, 1:57 pm

The Beyond by Chloe Neill
Narrator Amy Landon

Series Devil's Isle

Start 04/13/2023 End 05/03/2023

Thoughts
-- Final book in the series. Want to see how the author wraps this up
-- Oh wow, let's batter the main characters with a hurricane! On top of the other plot points
-- The title seems too limiting. For all the title suggests, I expected most than 4 of the 20 chapters to be spent IN the beyond.
-- Romance had been building throughout the series. Kinda expected the one couple, since the author feels like a romance writer first. (Even if some of her romance is in how she describes food. ;) ) The new couple ... I'd like to have seen more from there, honestly.
-- Overall, a good wrap up to the series. Maybe a little rushed, but still decent.

59gilroy
Avr 14, 2023, 10:09 pm

60pgmcc
Modifié : Avr 15, 2023, 12:37 pm

>59 gilroy:
That looks like fun. Well done.

61Narilka
Avr 15, 2023, 8:13 am

>59 gilroy: Nice haul

62clamairy
Avr 15, 2023, 9:03 am

>59 gilroy: Oooh, some real gems in there!

63clamairy
Avr 15, 2023, 9:04 am

64MissBrangwen
Avr 15, 2023, 9:40 am

>59 gilroy: Great haul! The Name of the Wind has been on my list for ages.

65hfglen
Avr 15, 2023, 10:16 am

>63 clamairy: >60 pgmcc: fun maybe? The G is right next to the F key ;-)

66pgmcc
Avr 15, 2023, 12:37 pm

>63 clamairy:
I think that was supposed to be “fun”.

67pgmcc
Avr 15, 2023, 12:37 pm

>65 hfglen:
Thank you, Hugh.

68clamairy
Avr 15, 2023, 1:29 pm

>66 pgmcc: I thought as much, but did not want to "assume." ;o)

69pgmcc
Avr 15, 2023, 1:57 pm

>68 clamairy:
You obviously understand the dangers of assuming when I am around.

70clamairy
Avr 15, 2023, 2:14 pm

>69 pgmcc: Yes. I run the risk of making an ass of you and Vince. (My old boss, who first gave me the 'assume' warning.)

71Karlstar
Avr 15, 2023, 5:25 pm

>59 gilroy: Nice collection there. I was remarking recently that I hadn't read much Grisham in ages, are you a fan?

>70 clamairy: You and Vinny? It kind of works...

72clamairy
Avr 15, 2023, 5:33 pm

>71 Karlstar: But he was not my cousin... just to clarify.

73gilroy
Avr 15, 2023, 5:46 pm

>71 Karlstar: Yep. I've enjoyed reading Grisham since A Time to Kill. Not all his books are decent though.

74Karlstar
Avr 16, 2023, 10:28 am

>72 clamairy: Lol! Thanks.

75gilroy
Modifié : Mai 10, 2023, 3:28 pm

Castle Cay by Lee Hanson
series Julie O'Hara

Start 04/23/2023 End 05/09/2023

Thoughts
-- another mystery, though an interesting direction to come at it. A body language expert
-- This reads very quickly, and feels more like a cozy than a thriller/general mystery. It has a LOT of character related backstory being told that's suggested to be relevant to the plot, but I'm not sure how much it is yet. Quarter of the way through the book already, though, so it better become more obvious soon.
-- Interesting twists and turns. Somehow I knew that the half brother would be part of the conspiracy with very little need to sign post it.
-- Not sure if they needed to add the mob angle, but it does make for more long term story lines later down the road. As does the whole pissed off drug cartel situation.
-- Huh. Interesting pick for the actual killer. Not who you'd expect but definitely someone with opportunity...
-- Kinda liked this book. Might get around to more of the series later.

76Darth-Heather
Avr 24, 2023, 9:18 am

>59 gilroy: the Uglies series is well done; there are four books and there are a lot of cliffhangers going on until the final one so if you enjoy the first one you might need to get the last two.

77gilroy
Avr 24, 2023, 6:33 pm

>76 Darth-Heather: Sadly, they didn't have them at the book fair, or I'd have gotten them. 😀

78gilroy
Modifié : Août 17, 2023, 4:33 pm

Awkward the science of why we're socially awkward and why that's awesome by Ty Tashiro

Start 04/23/2023 End 08/17/2023

Thoughts
-- got this because I almost always feel awkward in social situations. Hoped it would help me out.
-- The book concentrates on social awkwardness and it points out the realm of awkward outside of trauma or mental illness.
-- It does offer some interesting takes on the realm of awkwardness and social interactions, brought up studies that I hadn't realized people had done.
-- Some new tools for the social toolbox. Though I'll probably forget them by the time I need them.

79gilroy
Avr 28, 2023, 5:45 am

*Looks at calendar*
*Pokes at the date*

Nah. Couldn't be.

*Looks again*

5 years married today...

80pgmcc
Avr 28, 2023, 6:28 am

>79 gilroy:
Congratulations. Happy anniversary

81Sakerfalcon
Avr 28, 2023, 7:33 am

>79 gilroy: Congratulations! May there be many, many more happy years in store for you both!

82hfglen
Avr 28, 2023, 8:13 am

>79 gilroy: Happy anniversary! Time does tend to fly when you're enjoying life, doesn't it.

83Bookmarque
Avr 28, 2023, 9:00 am

Happy Anniversary! It only gets worse - next year is 30 for us and it seems like 10.

84clamairy
Avr 28, 2023, 9:24 am

Happy anniversary! I hope you have something special planned.

85Karlstar
Avr 30, 2023, 1:22 pm

>79 gilroy: Happy Anniversary!

86Narilka
Avr 30, 2023, 6:40 pm

>79 gilroy: Happy Anniversary!

87majkia
Mai 1, 2023, 8:26 am

Congrats!

89gilroy
Modifié : Juin 10, 2023, 8:04 am

The Game by Terry Schott

Begin 05/10/2023 End 06/10/2023

Thoughts
-- I'm already having Ready Player One vibes.
-- Let me expand on those vibes: Ready Player One, Hunger Games, Left Behind, Maze Runner... There are a lot of similar story lines wrapped into this book.
-- They introduce a nasty item early in the book which you knew would be in play sometime in the end. And It hits just who you expect.
-- Okay book. Not sure the next one will be worth it.

90gilroy
Modifié : Juin 10, 2023, 8:05 am

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas
Narrator Elizabeth Evans

Series Throne of Glass

Start 05/11/2023 End 05/27/2023

Thoughts
-- It's been a while since I read the first book in this series and I didn't reread before starting this one. So I'm having to dredge up memories to remember what happened in the last book.
-- I find it interesting how the main character is dealing with ... doing the things she doesn't want to do.
-- If you're paying attention through this book, the final "almost" reveal is kinda a given, an expectation. The blocks were a little too huge to miss.

91gilroy
Mai 13, 2023, 10:34 am

On the life news front:
-- We're nearing the end of dealing with the estates for my mom and dad. So I'm drowning in paperwork. And lawyers. And Accountants.
-- I've developed an ambitious plan for a project with a potentially insane deadline. However, if things work right, I can have it available for Christmas. (Sadly, I can't say more without getting flagged for improper advertising.)
-- My car may have a defective wheel bearing. They are supposed to last up to 100k miles. I've not even reached 50k and it's going bad. So back to the dealer I go again. (This may even relate back to the last car break that happened because of the dealer. That's another story though.)
-- I feel like I've got too many irons and not enough hands to shuffle them in the fire. So need to breathe. And hope ambitious project isn't being used as a hiding spot/smoke screen for avoiding everything else.

92pgmcc
Mai 13, 2023, 2:24 pm

>91 gilroy:

I thought that was what ambitious projects were for.
:-)

Good luck with all the paperwork and administration, and best wishes for the ambitious project.

93jillmwo
Mai 13, 2023, 2:50 pm

>91 gilroy: pgmcc is absolutely right. Avoidance is exactly why one has ambitious projects. Otherwise you're just blowing the "grading curve" for everyone else here in the Pub.

94gilroy
Modifié : Juin 28, 2023, 3:29 pm

Verdicts of History by Thomas Flemming

Start 06/10/2023 End 06/28/2023

Thoughts
-- I'm definitely reading more history now, hoping to learn stuff I missed when I was younger.

95hfglen
Juin 10, 2023, 9:17 am

>94 gilroy: The worrying bit is when you read history that you remember seeing for the first time in the news, and realize that it happened 50 years ago.

96gilroy
Juin 10, 2023, 2:32 pm

>95 hfglen: the Nixon resignation happened the year I was born, so yeah...

97gilroy
Juin 18, 2023, 9:03 pm

News Update:
-- Car bearing not covered by dealership since they swear they didn't touch that part of the car when the other piece broke. So back to my other mechanic who will charge less than half of what the dealer wanted to fix it.
-- Ambitious project completed ahead of schedule. Will be available July 1. See my post in Hobnob With Authors for the link. ;)

98gilroy
Modifié : Juil 8, 2023, 10:00 am

Better than Before by Gretchen Rubin
Narrator Gretchen Rubin

Started 06/21/2023 End 07/07/2023

Thoughts
-- Started on this because I realized I'd not gotten the actual framework from other books. Plus I love listening to her podcast.
-- Even after having listened to the first 300 episodes of Gretchen's podcast, I've learned more stuff about the tendencies framework and habit creation.
-- I'd taken the quiz years ago and know I'm an obliger. And I learned enough to know my best friend is a rebel. (That's made for some interesting conversations.)

99gilroy
Modifié : Août 22, 2023, 8:50 pm

Neuromancer by William Gibson

Start 06/29/2023 End 08/22/2023

Thoughts
-- I thought I heard somewhere that this was the father of the cyberpunk novels, so I should start here. And they talk of the matrix, which makes me think of the Keanu Reaves movie...
-- I realize this was one of the first, if not the first, cyberpunk books. But it's disjointed and a little confusing. I think I understand what's going on.
-- The more I read, the more I realize this has to be read slowly, to catch details. Speed read it and you'll miss things. Race them to the end, and require multiple reads.
-- Something that keeps catching me as I read this. He wrote out the Jamaican accent. Nowadays, that's frowned on for writers to attempt, but this was definitely of a different era.
-- The end is kinda expected, kinda not. I'm definitely feeling a Shadowrun type vibe when I read the book. Overall enjoyable, but too many others between this one and the next in the series.

100gilroy
Juil 5, 2023, 9:49 am

Oh neat, I got my author badge. :)

101clamairy
Juil 5, 2023, 11:03 am

>100 gilroy: Congrats!! Good for you!

102haydninvienna
Juil 5, 2023, 1:09 pm

>100 gilroy: Well done! And the "Keanu Reeves movie": was that the one of which it was said that if Keanu Reeves is the Answer, it must have been a bloody stupid question?

103MrsLee
Juil 5, 2023, 1:42 pm

>100 gilroy: Terrific!

104gilroy
Juil 5, 2023, 3:34 pm

>102 haydninvienna: Is that the John Wick series? Because I've never heard that description for one of his movies.

105haydninvienna
Juil 5, 2023, 4:15 pm

>104 gilroy: Nah, it was of the first Matrix movie, said by a humorist on Australian radio years ago.

106gilroy
Juil 5, 2023, 5:20 pm

>105 haydninvienna: I quite liked that movie.

107haydninvienna
Juil 13, 2023, 6:27 am

>106 gilroy: So did I actually. Fun fact: In the scene near the end where Nemo is in the phone booth, you can see a Dymocks bookshop in the background. It's the shop that used to be on Pitt Street, Sydney (most of the exteriors at least were shot in Sydney). I have actually bought books in that shop (gone now, unfortunately).

108gilroy
Modifié : Sep 5, 2023, 10:58 am

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Narrator Xanthe Elbrick

Series Graceling Realm

Start 08/17/2023 End 09/05/2023

Thoughts
-- So this whole series revolves around someone having a "grace" which I take to as another term for gift or unique power. But they add the external cue of having multicolored eyes. I'm three chapters in and so far not finding it that bad. Main character doesn't seem unique, per say, though a lot of people are doing the female assassin, female killer route to be edgy and different.
-- A Lot of focus on eyes and eye color. I'm not talking about looking or gazing, but actual focus on the eye.
-- Oh geez, Don't get those two together in some kind of romance. Don't ruin another book by forcing a romance on the main characters...
-- Well, that ended differently than I expected.

109gilroy
Modifié : Oct 13, 2023, 8:11 pm

The Magnificent Nine by James Lovegrove

Start 08/17/2023 End 10/12/2023

Thoughts:
-- It starts with the HAT! And offers introductions to characters, just in case. But still...
-- Very interesting premise, and honestly, ended the way I expected after that opening revelation.

110gilroy
Modifié : Sep 20, 2023, 2:13 pm

Skeleton's Key by Stacy Green

Series Delta Crossroads

Start 08/23/2023 End 09/20/2023

Thoughts
-- Electrical short in an old house in the south. Say it ain't so...
-- Reading too much like a romance for a decent mystery. Bugging me that it keeps switching POV. Just settle in and pick one, dang it.
-- Continued reading makes me wonder if they are writing a romance, a mystery, or a thriller. The author is dancing along the tropes of all three genres but not really honing in on any one of them well. Right now, it is a strong cross between romance and thriller, though the line between mystery and thriller is a bit thin these days.
-- The culprit revealed but I don't feel like enough clues were dropped to justify the culprit. Even with the photo with the blueprints it felt too little too late.
-- I'm glad they also solve the secret of Ironwood Plantation.

111Karlstar
Août 23, 2023, 12:24 pm

>100 gilroy: Congrats! What exactly does that mean?

112gilroy
Août 23, 2023, 2:38 pm

>112 gilroy: It means I can claim to be a self published author here on Librarything now. :) I'm doing my best to NOT advertise here, only posting over in Hobnob.
Though anyone who wants to know can DM me for the title.

113gilroy
Modifié : Sep 17, 2023, 8:58 pm

Dinosaur Philosophy by James Stewart
Illustrated by K Romey

Start 09/17/2023 end 09/17/2023

Thoughts
-- I identify with Kevin the yellow dinosaur very much.

114gilroy
Modifié : Oct 12, 2023, 2:57 pm

The Marquise and Her Cat by Shari L Tapscott

Series Fairy Tale Kingdoms

Start 09/21/2023 End 10/12/2023

Thoughts
-- Just getting started on this one.
-- An interesting retelling of Puss and Boots. It had been so long since I'd read it that I'd forgotten many of the details. Though the final scene definitely felt familiar.

115gilroy
Modifié : Nov 20, 2023, 12:54 pm

Battleship by Peter David

Begin 10/12/2023 End 11/20/2023

Thoughts
-- The movie was cheesy and bad acting all around. Books are almost always better than movies. So wanted to read this one.
-- I suspect that the book was written from the script of the movie, rather than the other way around. As such poor Peter David had bad details to work with to begin with. But the book hurts as bad, if not worse, than the movie. And I can't believe I'm saying that.
-- Still bad and cheesy as the movie. Though I have to go back and rewatch the movie to see if they added to the end

116gilroy
Modifié : Nov 24, 2023, 8:05 am

The Rooster Bar by John Grisham

Start 10/15/2023 End 11/23/2023

Thoughts
-- First chapter plus and we're introduced to the important characters.
-- This plot feels weird, like there's two plots that don't quite fit together, yet meld perfectly.

117gilroy
Nov 11, 2023, 7:02 pm

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12003912/reviews?ref_=tt_urv

I'm not one to normally talk about TV or the stories they choose to write -- at least not on here.

But I watched this episode of the new version of SWAT the other night and it HIT the mark! Damn good acting and real touching on how the team raced to find their friend and former boss. And how they took the time to talk to him.

I've seen a review or two claiming that the debrief scenes were "Not believable" because they showed their sensitive side. Those reviews are Bullshit. Some of the best officers, the best military, the best people have emotion, have empathy, have trouble with life. But like Street, they compartmentalize, they develop strategies.

And as someone who's sat in Buck's place, who truly felt that the world would do better without, I can say having friends say "We Need YOU" means a lot. But it is only the start of a long road to recovery.

If you or someone you know is feeling they want to step off that ledge, please, have them talk to a counselor: call 1-800-273-8255 or text to 741741. And stay with them, talk to them, show them the world still needs them. Be their light in that dark, painful box.

118gilroy
Modifié : Nov 15, 2023, 12:33 pm

War of Honor by David Weber
Narrator Allyson Johnson

Series Honor Harrington

Start 11/13/2023 End

Thoughts
-- This is the audio reread for me to finally reach the end of the series. I think there are 3 books after this one.
-- I still want an editor to come in and strip out some of the off plot scenes that are more backstory and political details that aren't in the immediate knowledge of Honor. I feel like they make the book longer and detract from the overall story.

119gilroy
Nov 24, 2023, 8:09 am

The Aeronauts Windlass by Jim Butcher

Series Cinder Spires

Start 11/23/2023 End

Thoughts

120gilroy
Modifié : Déc 10, 2023, 8:03 pm

Half-Blood Dragon by K N Lee

Start 11/20/2023 End. 12/10/2023

Thoughts

121Karlstar
Nov 24, 2023, 12:59 pm

>115 gilroy: I had no idea there was a book to go with that movie. The movie ... wasn't good.

>119 gilroy: I'll be interested to see what you think about that one.

122gilroy
Nov 24, 2023, 3:25 pm

>121 Karlstar: The book ... matched the lack of decency within the movie, I fear.

123gilroy
Modifié : Déc 9, 2023, 12:44 pm

System Collapse by Martha Wells
Read by Kevin R Free

Series Murderbot Diaries

Start 12/08/2023 End 12/09/2023

Thoughts
-- I'm going to need to listen to this again, as I had to concentrate on driving and missed somethings.
-- Historian Corian? Really? (I might have heard it wrong. As I said, needs a relisten.)
-- I enjoyed that that there was only one major fight and it was the end of the book since I felt like that could make things get redundant. Also the whole Murderbot doubting himself throughout the book seemed interesting. And the REDACTED was amusing.
-- Okay, this was just a funny. The book aligned with the GPS way too well. Murderbot goes to speak, and the GPS breaks in with "Police Reported Ahead."

124gilroy
Modifié : Déc 15, 2023, 9:36 am

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
Narrator

Series
Start 12/12/2023 End 12/15/2023

Thoughts
-- Amusing, fun romp.
--More thoughts to come

125gilroy
Déc 13, 2023, 11:17 am

And bad internet information has lead to a complete factory reset of my phone.
*head bang against cinderblock*

126clamairy
Déc 13, 2023, 11:31 am

>125 gilroy: Oh no! 😵‍💫

127gilroy
Déc 13, 2023, 11:51 am

And it happened while I was at work, so I can't do anything with the brick, still, until I get home to a wifi network.

128clamairy
Déc 14, 2023, 1:06 pm

>127 gilroy: How'd it go? Did you get everything back?

129gilroy
Déc 14, 2023, 6:24 pm

Okay, so phone update:

It factory reset on me. I lost a lot of contacts and almost 2 years worth of photos. Some of the last of two pets I lost last year. Some of my mom and dad when they were still functional before their passing. And all the fun I'd had over the last year. For some unknown reason, Samsung feels when they reset the phone that they need to erase the expanded memory card too. Which was where all the photos were stored.

I tried a restore program but it found nothing. :(

Phone is up and functional again, and I'm rebuilding what I can, but the loss is greater than I want to admit.

Hurts.

130clamairy
Déc 14, 2023, 7:08 pm

>129 gilroy: Oh, I am so sorry.
:o(
You might consider one of those free back-up services, going forward. Amazon Prime gives you unlimited photo space, and Google gives you a goodly amount.

131gilroy
Déc 14, 2023, 8:33 pm

>130 clamairy: I had not wanted to, because it was a memory card, but after this experience, I'm shoving them into Amazon Photo.
Sad part was I was thinking I should back up my photos on Thursday, and my phone becomes a brick on Wednesday.

132clamairy
Modifié : Déc 14, 2023, 8:39 pm

Is there any chance you can ask friends and family you might have shared any of these lost photos with over the last couple years to send what they have back to you?

133gilroy
Déc 15, 2023, 5:20 am

Working on that now. But I lost some of my more recent ones that I hadn't shared.

134MrsLee
Déc 15, 2023, 9:03 am

>129 gilroy: I'm sorry. I understand the loss. It would break my heart to loose my mom and last friend's text messages.

135Narilka
Déc 16, 2023, 7:31 am

>129 gilroy: I'm so sorry :( That absolutely sucks.

136gilroy
Modifié : Déc 25, 2023, 8:50 pm

Gone the Next by Ben Rehder

Series Roy Ballard

Begin 12/11/2023 End 12/25/2023

Thoughts

137gilroy
Déc 23, 2023, 7:57 am

Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree
Narrator Travis Baldree

Start 12/22/2023 End 12/22/2023

Thoughts

138gilroy
Déc 28, 2023, 2:00 pm

Qualify by Vera Nazarian
Series The Atlantis Grail

Start 12/26/2023 End

Thoughts
- Earth is facing annihilation from an impending asteroid impact and now aliens who claim to be former Atlantis residents return to save the children. This concept sounds so familiar that I think I've read a book like it. Or very close to it.

139gilroy
Jan 1, 5:06 pm

I had taken my time writing this out this year due to other obligations. But here is my annual books read survey. Started these all back when I still had Livejournal and just had fun with them ever since. Feel free to play along.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScoLgcufLO60THG9B0wno_7GPAbPZ_S8fYj8tkG...

140MrsLee
Jan 1, 6:23 pm

>139 gilroy: Fun. I actually read 3 I think, and somewhat recently.