Oh, smacked in the noggin with a 2x4 wrapped in velvet. Yeah, that's what it felt like.

Lorne ,'Smile Time'


Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.

There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."


Amy - Jan 30, 2024 3:13:34 pm PST #27899 of 28053
Because books.

Did anybody read The Cherry Robbers by Sarai Walker (author of Dietland) ?

I did, and I am so mad at this book. I can't even throw it against the wall because it's on my Kindle.

Short version: Theme worthy, plot did not pay off on several levels, and writing was insanely basic to the point of laziness, and missed a kajillion opportunities for both introspection on the character's part and scene-painting description on the author's.

Short short version: BAH.

Oh, and the reason I read it was because of the glowing! fucking reviews from authors who should surely know better.


Laura - Jan 31, 2024 5:24:07 am PST #27900 of 28053
Our wings are not tired.

That would anger me as well, Amy. I've decided that I have to drop books that don't seem worth the time much earlier than I used to as there are too many in the TBR list.


-t - Jan 31, 2024 6:49:21 am PST #27901 of 28053
I am a woman of various inclinations and only some of the time are they to burn everything down in frustration

That’s a bummer, Amy. Coincidentally, I am currently reading Everyone On This Train is a Suspect and authors blurbing each other (and why) is a plot point

Also, now that I have listened to The Mimicking of Known Successes I think I remember deciding to wait to read it until the second book was out (The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles, these titles are so good!) but at this point it’s only a wait of a couple of weeks so that has worked out well for me


sj - Jan 31, 2024 8:02:51 am PST #27902 of 28053
"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."

Amy, I read it, but I kind of adored it. Sorry.

I'm currently reading Fourth Wing, which I'm both loving and hating. On the plus side, it has a kick ass disabled main character, but on the negative side the writing is just so so bad.


meara - Jan 31, 2024 8:50:44 am PST #27903 of 28053

I haven’t read the second 4th wing book yet but the first one the end was rather predictable. But it wasn’t any worse than a lot of the stuff I read, so…


Amy - Feb 02, 2024 2:06:01 pm PST #27904 of 28053
Because books.

sj, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I just wanted to enjoy it much more than I did.

Everyone on This Train is a Suspect sounds great. I read West Heart Kill and it blew me away -- it's meta all the way, and in the best way.


-t - Feb 02, 2024 2:18:08 pm PST #27905 of 28053
I am a woman of various inclinations and only some of the time are they to burn everything down in frustration

Ooh, that sounds fun!


sj - Feb 03, 2024 2:57:40 pm PST #27906 of 28053
"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."

I’m almost done with the first Fourth Wing book. Meara, it isn’t really the plotting or such that I’m having a problem with. It’s predictable in places and definitely is derivative of a bunch of other books, but it’s the actual writing itself that is really annoying me. When I read on my kindle I tend to underline particularly fun turns of phrases or just sentences I really enjoy and 80% of the way through this book the only stuff I have underlined are plot points and world building that I expect to be important later, but the use of language itself is just very dull.


Toddson - Feb 13, 2024 8:25:53 am PST #27907 of 28053
Friends don't let friends read "Atlas Shrugged"

There's a new T. Kingfisher horror novel out.


sj - Feb 13, 2024 9:40:37 am PST #27908 of 28053
"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."

Oooh, thanks for the reminder, Toddson! I preordered it ages ago. So, it should be waiting for me on my kindle tonight!