StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
Good to know - I couldn't remember what streaming service it was on!
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Reader’s Corner
- Thread starter k8einwdw
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StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
I just finished reading "This Time Next Year" by Sophie Cousens.
I can honestly say by the end I didn't care whether or not the two main characters ended up together. The female protagonist was well-developed and an interesting character. The male protagonist...was not. He had less personality than a wet sock. While the female protagonist has lots of friends surrounding her, the only central characters in the male protagonist's world was his mother and ex girlfriend. It mentioned a sibling, but then never developed that. His father left, but then it was kind of like he dropped off the face of the planet and that was never discussed. At the beginning of the book, he's supposedly at a NYE party with a bunch of friends, and then none show up later in the book.
And then at the end, I felt like both of them were just with the other because it was like "whelp, you're definitely a better person than my ex." Yeah, no, I need to know why you like the other person and why you're attracted to them. Wasn't getting that.
I think this book probably would have been better if it had just focused on the female protagonist and not tried to be a romance novel.
I can honestly say by the end I didn't care whether or not the two main characters ended up together. The female protagonist was well-developed and an interesting character. The male protagonist...was not. He had less personality than a wet sock. While the female protagonist has lots of friends surrounding her, the only central characters in the male protagonist's world was his mother and ex girlfriend. It mentioned a sibling, but then never developed that. His father left, but then it was kind of like he dropped off the face of the planet and that was never discussed. At the beginning of the book, he's supposedly at a NYE party with a bunch of friends, and then none show up later in the book.
And then at the end, I felt like both of them were just with the other because it was like "whelp, you're definitely a better person than my ex." Yeah, no, I need to know why you like the other person and why you're attracted to them. Wasn't getting that.
I think this book probably would have been better if it had just focused on the female protagonist and not tried to be a romance novel.
Book #13 for this year was “The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah. Wow, this one was good. It’s about a family that moves to Alaska in the 1970s, told from the perspective of their teenage daughter. They have to adapt to a different way of life in rural Alaska - hunting, fishing, and growing their food, living with no running water or electricity, and surviving the harsh environment. It’s a story about love, loss, overcoming struggles, and the bond between a mother and daughter. Trigger warning - there is domestic violence in this book. This one was tough to read at times, but overall such an incredible story.
erstwo
Well-Known Member
I read this a few years ago - I had to go back and look to make sure it was the same book because I am old and I forget!
- but will back up your recommendation! A not an easy read, but a good one.
Songbird76
Well-Known Member
Oh that one is such a good book!! I read it a couple of years ago and couldn't put it down. And it's so sad! It IS very hard to read in places though.
NiarrNDisney
Well-Known Member
Just started Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale on behest of my partner who has been pressing me to read it and watch the show.
Songbird76
Well-Known Member
The book is creepy, but so good. I didn't watch the show because apparently it does not follow the book at ALL. My daughter watched the first couple of episodes and was so angry. Margaret Atwood wrote a sequel, which I haven't had a chance to read yet, but my daughter loved it. It's called The Testaments.
Tiki Traveler
Well-Known Member
I read The Handmaid’s Tale years ago but haven’t watched the show. Didn’t know there was a sequel. Thanks for mentioning that!
Songbird76
Well-Known Member
Yeah I'm looking forward to reading it, but I wasn't in the right head space at the beginning of the year. E read The Handmaid's Tale for school and then we heard about the sequel, so I got it for her for Christmas because she loved the first one. I guess it's about the fall of Gilead and how it all happened. She said it's fascinating.
Songbird76
Well-Known Member
Just finished First Date Prophecy by Kate and Danny Tamberelli. It was really light and fun and is inspired by their own real life story. It was cute. If you like rom coms, I'd recommend it. But if you aren't a romance reader, it's probably not your thing. I happen to love from coms, so I enjoyed it.
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
Oh, I love that book! It's really thought provoking because the dad is a war vet who's suffering from PTSD, but he didn't get the help that he needed. So he became violent. It makes you think about whether he'd have been that way had he not gone to war and what it would have been like for them if he had proper mental healthcare. And then also the mother's struggle because he's not the same person he was before he came back from war, and now he's abusive. It also shows how women get into these terrible situations.
I love most of her stuff. Her latest is The Women, which I have in audiobook format but haven't started yet. I also really liked The Nightingale. The Great Alone and Nightingale are my two favorites; I have hardbacks of both. I wasn't as big a fan of her recent one before her latest; I felt like it was too depressing all the way through. Don't remember what it was called.
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
I read that back in high school. Haven't read it since then because, as much as I like dystopian fiction, every time I see it, I'm like "nope, too intense."
Agreed, you have to wonder whether things would have ended up differently had they had access to the same resources we have now.
I grabbed a copy of “The Nightingale” last weekend, I’m hoping to read it in April!
NiarrNDisney
Well-Known Member
Totally understandable. Honestly, I'm halfway through it and am a little disturbed.
Books 14 and 15 for 2024 were “In the Weeds” and “Mixed Signals” by B.K. Borison. These are the second and third book in the Lovelight Farms series. I read the first book in the series, “Lovelight Farms,” back in December and really enjoyed it, so I was excited to continue the series.
“In the Weeds” is a second-chance romance between Beckett, a grumpy farmer, and Evelyn, a popular travel influencer.
And “Mixed Signals” is a fake-dating romance between Layla, a baker, and Caleb, a teacher.
I was looking for something light and fluffy after the heaviness of “The Great Alone,” and both of these definitely fit the bill. I really enjoy the characters in this series, and I’m excited for the fourth book to come out in July!
“In the Weeds” is a second-chance romance between Beckett, a grumpy farmer, and Evelyn, a popular travel influencer.
And “Mixed Signals” is a fake-dating romance between Layla, a baker, and Caleb, a teacher.
I was looking for something light and fluffy after the heaviness of “The Great Alone,” and both of these definitely fit the bill. I really enjoy the characters in this series, and I’m excited for the fourth book to come out in July!
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
It's funny because as a teen, I loved dystopian YA, and I still sometimes read it. I really loved the Hunger Games books. But Handmaid's Tale is a big nope for me. At least with the YA dystopian stuff, the majority of the time, the characters have hope and are fighting for a better life. Handmaid's Tale was just one thing after another with no end in sight.
erstwo
Well-Known Member
I just finished this book, ‘Living with Intensity’. Great read.
My undergraduate degree was K-12 Special Education with a focus in working with students with Autism. An aspect of that degree was also learning about Gifted students. I work in a completely different field now - but the engineers I work with like to joke I have the perfect educational background to work with them.
As the mom of a gifted child - now a gifted adult (and just as someone who loves to learn) - I really enjoyed this book. Gifted children often feel things at a greater magnitude than those of us around them- intense feelings and reactions. That can lead to some misinterpretation by parents, teachers, etc of the natural behaviors that result from those intense feelings.
As the mom of an adult child - I found the stories from gifted adults most interesting (and somewhat heart wrenching) - as many learn ways to ‘tamp down’ their emotions to fit social norms. They discuss the repercussions of making themselves less so that they can fit into society.
All in all a good read for anyone really - but fair warning that parts of it read like a college textbook! Really great for parents who might have a gifted child - or suspect their child might be gifted. Lots of great info.
Songbird76
Well-Known Member
That's really interesting. My degree was k-12 music education and we got VERY little in the way of special education classes. We did a 2-day course I think, about doing IEPs and what fair modification in the classroom meant, and that was about it. Then I moved to the Netherlands, and they don't have music in schools the way we do in the US, so I don't teach here. But my son is Autistic and gifted, and it was SOOOOO hard to get him diagnosed, because everyone assumed that because he was so "smart", he couldn't possibly have a disorder. It was really frustrating. He was 9 before we finally got a diagnosis, and that was after they tested him and said it WASN'T Autism. It was a disharmonic IQ, because his verbal IQ was 123 and Performal was 89. His psychologist came to me after working with him for a few weeks and said the more time she spent with him, the more Autism traits she saw, and asked if we could do a more in-depth Autism test. The Psychologist also recommended we go to this reading by Colette De Bruin. She's kind of the Dutch expert on Autism, and she worked with a Neurologist to find out what exactly is happening in the brain of people with Autism, and why they have the behaviors they have. They wrote a book together called This Is Autism. (It's been translated to English) It was EYE-OPENING!!! So many things explained...from why he would cry for hours about a papercut to why he always wanted to take his pants and socks off as soon as he got home, and why he was TERRIBLE at looking for things. Anyway, not that it will help you in your job anymore, but you might be interested in it all the same. This Is Autism by Colette de BruinView attachment 776609
I just finished this book, ‘Living with Intensity’. Great read.
My undergraduate degree was K-12 Special Education with a focus in working with students with Autism. An aspect of that degree was also learning about Gifted students. I work in a completely different field now - but the engineers I work with like to joke I have the perfect educational background to work with them.
As the mom of a gifted child - now a gifted adult (and just as someone who loves to learn) - I really enjoyed this book. Gifted children often feel things at a greater magnitude than those of us around them- intense feelings and reactions. That can lead to some misinterpretation by parents, teachers, etc of the natural behaviors that result from those intense feelings.
As the mom of an adult child - I found the stories from gifted adults most interesting (and somewhat heart wrenching) - as many learn ways to ‘tamp down’ their emotions to fit social norms. They discuss the repercussions of making themselves less so that they can fit into society.
All in all a good read for anyone really - but fair warning that parts of it read like a college textbook! Really great for parents who might have a gifted child - or suspect their child might be gifted. Lots of great info.
erstwo
Well-Known Member
Okay - quoting myself to come back and add - since writing this review - I discovered the author of 'The Last Ranger' likes to write books in a series. So chances are, the reason the book felt incomplete and unfinished was because he plans to continue the storyline in a sequel.View attachment 767652
I can’t remember if I recommend this one yet or not. It was in a pile of books I’m about to donate - but it was excellent. An easy read. Romantic comedy about a female writer for a sketch comedy show (SNL essentially) an interesting look into that world.
View attachment 767653
A great one. I didn’t love the ending - it actually felt like he forgot to finish the book if that makes sense??
If you’ve ever spent time in Lamar Valley in Yellowstone, it’s easy to be immersed in this book - the author really transports you there. An interesting insight into the NPS, the life of a NPS ranger, nature, and how the general public interacts with all of that. A mystery/ crime solving book too -but that’s just kind of the thread that holds the books stories together. (That may make no sense !
