csdaley
The voices in my head think you are cool! Just kidding, they are anti-social and probably indifferent.
17582 points
csdaley wrote a review...
I am always a little amazed at how much I like Ann Cleeves writing. Her Vera books have a lot in common with Columbo and always take their time getting to the solution. Her Shetland books, of which this is one, often verge just this side of ridiculous. In that they take place on an island that seems to have the murder rate of Chicago. Her writing hooks me, though. She had an ability to weave a web of deceit around my brain that apparently addles me so much that I suspend my disbelief that you have a legitimate chance of being murdered on this island. You should never visit there (or live there, or work there. I mean, seriously, the place is deadly). One of the main reasons I don’t read many cozies (I wouldn't consider the Shetland books a cozy mystery, but they do share some characteristics) is that I have trouble suspending my disbelief in them. It really is a testament to her skills as a writer that I think about it briefly, clutch my pearls, drink a dram of Scotch, and say fuck it, bedazzle me.
If you haven’t read Ann Cleeves, you should. Don’t start with this one. Pick up book one in the Shetland or Vera series and enjoy a great mystery. There are certainly better plotters out there in the mystery field (she is no slouch), but she is a master at character development and will keep you coming back for more. You become truly invested in all her detective squads, and it makes me a little sad that I am about to catch up on all of her series I read.
0csdaley finished a book
Cold Earth (Shetland Island, #7)
Ann Cleeves
0csdaley commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
Just saw a video of someone going to a bookstore to celebrate her own 30th birthday by bying 30 books. 🎉🤠
I immediately though OMG what an idea! Like for me, I have a year and a half till my 30th birthday, so it should not be that big of an issue to start saving. If the book, I ofc want mostly hard covers for my library, are between 30-50€, even 50€ a month saved would go very far.
However, I do recognize that buying 30 bookss at once is a big investment, and in general that it is a huuuuge amount of books to buy all at the same time. 🫠🤔
So, I guess I just wanted to hear some opinions on this from other bookholics, and about the pros and cons that you think would relate to this type of a project 😅
Also to give this lovely idea to others, if you want to celebrate your 30th but have no other ideas? 🌞
62csdaley commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
What is your reading toxic trait?
Mine: If I paid for the book, I'm finishing it. Even if I'm hate-reading by chapter five. 💀 & I judge a book by its cover 👀
203csdaley commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
I’m moving at the end of August to Tucson, Arizona and I’ll be there for 1-2 years as a year of volunteering service. I am bringing one suitcase and one carry on. I can buy books whilst there but want to be mindful of space. I’m in the process of trying to figure out if I want to bring old favourites to reread or books from my TBR or a combination of both, and if so, what books.
So if I have to have this crisis we all do! You’re moving and can only bring 10ish books with you. What books would you bring? How many books would be old favourites versus ones you wanna read for the first time?
And side quest: if anyone is from Tucson or has been there and has any tips (specifically re books and such but I’d also love whatever!) please share :3
69Post from the Cold Earth (Shetland Island, #7) forum
I just recently read a book that lost me because it couldn’t suspend my natural disbelief. This is an area that I marvel at with Ann Cleeves. She is a master of it. If you spend too much time thinking about how many murders happen on Shetland Island there is no way you should believe it. The murder rate is crazy for such a small community and yet book after book Ann Cleeves hooks me with a new and interesting mystery. I am all in almost immediately. It’s like a magic trick how she makes me buy in.
0csdaley commented on csdaley's review of Meddling Kids
Look it isn’t a bad book. I finished it and that means I did enjoy it a little. This doesn’t change the fact that I was mostly disappointed with this book. This might be entirely due to my own interior hype meter. I am not sure this book could live up to the book I had in my head. I was really looking forward to a modern more adult take on the Scooby gang and while that is what you get it mostly left me wanting more. I think the biggest problem I had with this book is I just could never get past my suspension of disbelief. I found myself questioning plot choices and pacing. There was more than one eye roll. I always felt like the author was trying to wink at me and show me how clever they were. It left me disconnected from the characters all the way through the story. When I was done all I could think was “so close.” There were many entertaining parts of the story. The writing was competent but ultimately I found myself struggling to finish and almost gave it 2.5 stars instead of three.
2csdaley started reading...
Cold Earth (Shetland Island, #7)
Ann Cleeves
0csdaley wrote a review...
Look it isn’t a bad book. I finished it and that means I did enjoy it a little. This doesn’t change the fact that I was mostly disappointed with this book. This might be entirely due to my own interior hype meter. I am not sure this book could live up to the book I had in my head. I was really looking forward to a modern more adult take on the Scooby gang and while that is what you get it mostly left me wanting more. I think the biggest problem I had with this book is I just could never get past my suspension of disbelief. I found myself questioning plot choices and pacing. There was more than one eye roll. I always felt like the author was trying to wink at me and show me how clever they were. It left me disconnected from the characters all the way through the story. When I was done all I could think was “so close.” There were many entertaining parts of the story. The writing was competent but ultimately I found myself struggling to finish and almost gave it 2.5 stars instead of three.
2csdaley finished a book
Meddling Kids
Edgar Cantero
0csdaley commented on csdaley's update
csdaley commented on csdaley's update
csdaley commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
Hi.
I’m the DNFing goober.
I’ve read 6 books so far this year, and I’ve DNF’d 25. This has been the worst reading year of my entire life. For context, I’ve ALWAYS been a big DNFer. Last year I read 27 books and DNF’d 59. The year before that, I read 32 books and DNF’d 57. I guess it’s just never been as bad as it is currently, and it’s never been sooooooooooo many DNFs in a row. I’m a pretty tough cookie, but it’s getting a little disheartening lol. I also feel super awkward logging my DNFs on here now because anyone that follows me can see that I’m CONSTANTLY DNFing books and I feel like it’s gonna start looking like I’m doing it on purpose? Like, “wtff, this chick just hates everything huh?”. I mean, I don’t care enough to stop 🤪🤪🤪, but it’d be cool if I didn’t seem like some overly critical crazy person lmao. I’ve been on a horror kick lately, and I finished off last year reading some books I really enjoyed, and I think I’ve just been chasing that high and getting disappointed left and right ever since. I think I’m gonna try another genre switch up and see if that does anything, and if not I’m probably gonna switch to some other hobby for a while or something.
Welp, that’s the end of my post. Also I might delete this later. Okay, bye.
48csdaley commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
Yesterday, I went hunting for books that capture what it’s like to live in New Mexico because I’ve never been there, and I stumbled across a Reddit post from someone asking for the same thing. Their ask was because they were homesick. They wanted to read some things to bring them back to where they missed the most.
It got me thinking about how important place and atmosphere is to me in a book, and how a book that can lend itself to making a person feel just a little closer to home can also help give other people a taste of what that place is like.
So! I figured I’d ask my fellow Boundlings! Where is “home” for you, and what books have you read that captured what that place feels like?
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