CatherineJ
Read widely though romance is taking up more space on my TBR these days. GMT-5 šØš¦š
42272 points
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the way itās taken me 2x 45 minute reading sessions to reach page 23 (out of 1152)ā¦ when you still see me posting in this forum at Christmas, DO NOT be surprisedšššš
9CatherineJ is interested in reading...
On Immunity: An Inoculation
Eula Biss
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Post from the Something About You (FBI/US Attorney, #1) forum
CatherineJ wrote a review...
While have enjoyed most of SMās HRs, Iām afraid this one left me disappointed.
I found the story repetitive and in need of some serious editing, especially in the last third. In other words, it was an āold mattressā (see @guiltlesspleasuresās fun review below). How many times did we have to be told the FMC was from the south side of Lambeth? How many times did we have to be told that she didnāt feel worthy of a duke? How many times did we have to be told that the MMC was a good boxer but that the FMC didnāt believe him, even when she witnessed him fighting early in the book?
There was a lot of action in this book. So much so that imo the romance took second fiddle. Because the romance was underdeveloped, I really didnāt understand what drew the couple together.
But I think what bothered me most was the heavy-handed, preachy feminism. It was laborious and unsubtle. And in some cases, nonsensical. For example, the FMC notes that the network of 19th C. women (the Hellās Bells) helping other women escape bad matches were doing it to help these women āatone for the ultimate sinā of having a connection to a bad man. As if 95% of these women had any choice in who they married at that time!!! (The book was set in 1839.) Or that they would have known that their husbands and fiancĆ©es would be abusive or neglectful before actually being in an intimate relationship with them. Talk about patronizing. Also it blames the victim. There was more I didnāt enjoy, but Iāll leave it at that.
1CatherineJ commented on guiltlesspleasures's review of Heartbreaker (Hell's Belles, #2)
When I think about this book, I picture an old mattress. It starts out taut and bouncy, but as you roll toward the middle, it gets flabby and saggy. You find yourself wondering if youāll ever be able to get yourself out of this dip, what with your middle-aged back problems and all, but you persevere, because Sarah MacLean. When you finally manage it, it is taut and bouncy again, but youāre just a little too tired to enjoy it.
Basically, this book needs an unforgiving editor, stat.
That said, Clayborn was delectable.
1CatherineJ is interested in reading...
A Forever Kind of Love (Bayou Dreams #1)
Farrah Rochon
0CatherineJ is interested in reading...
Sleep Donation
Karen Russell
0CatherineJ commented on a post
so, obviously thereās a lot of genre crossover in these books! but i thought iād put together a little starter guide for this quest! below is a list of genres + the āstrange plaguesā books that i think best represent those genres! so if youāre a big fan of one or more genre in particular, youāll have some recommended titles to start out with :)
climate fiction: the annual migration of clouds, how high we go in the dark, wilder girls
fantasy: while none of these are strictly fantasy, the book of m is a good place to start for fantasy readers
horror: leech, wilder girls, suffer the children, black hole, uzumaki (for body horror i especially recommend you check out uzumaki, black hole, and wilder girls - for botanical horror check out wilder girls - for gothic horror check out leech - for supernatural horror see suffer the children)
humor: if youāre wanting something funnier or more absurdist, check out the animals in that country
science fiction: almost all of these books are at least a little bit science fiction, but perhaps the most science fiction-y books on this quest imo are sleep donation, how high we go in the dark (this one even has space stuff!), and the memory of animals
literary fiction: severance, how high we go in the dark, the memory of animals, the dreamers, the book of m
speculative fiction: similar to scifi, most of these books include some elements at least of specfic! but iād say maybe start out with the memory of animals or how high we go in the dark if specfic is your jam
magical realism: the book of m
thriller: the fireman, wanderers, suffer the children (the last one is more of a psychological thriller)
young adult: the annual migration of clouds, wilder girls
a lot of these are proper apocalypse/post-apocalyptic as well, but if youāre looking for something a little less apocalyptic in scope, iād point you to sleep donation to start.
if you want something a little quieter and gentler, the annual migration of clouds is a good bet.
if youāre more into geographically confined stories - less global epidemics, more localized ones - iād point you to the dreamers, uzumaki, black hole, wilder girls, and leech.
also, in terms of mediums!
- we have two graphic novels: one is a manga, uzumaki, and one is a renowned graphic novel, black hole.
- we have two novellas: the annual migration of clouds and sleep donation.
- two of these are pretty long epics: wanderers and the fireman.
- and the rest are average length novels!
if you have any further questions about genres / what books might suit your interests best, iām happy to help steer you towards some starter reads!!! happy reading yāall šš„³š¤øāāļø
36CatherineJ commented on a post
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Critically Acclaimed Memoirs
Bronze: Finished 5 Main Quest books.
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Feminism Without Exception
Sapphire: Finished 30 Main Quest books.
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Romantasy Starter Pack Vol I
Champion: Finished 5 Side Quest books.
3CatherineJ commented on a post
The majority of this book is telling me all the backstories. Hardly any dialog and the chemistry between the main characters is superficial, at best. Here's hoping that spending a third of the book setting up the plot means that the rest will actually be romance and action in this romantic thriller.
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