"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Monday, September 27, 2021

TTT: Books Others Seem to Love More Than ME

Top Ten Tuesday: Books Others Seem to Love More Than Me

I know everyone has different tastes, but as bloggers we often read books that other book bloggers recommend. I by in large read all of these books based on recommendations and then found myself not liking them as much as I expected to.


1. The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

The graphic novel that includes fairy tales from Southeast Asia. I liked the stories and found the similarities and differences with Western culture fairy tales fascinating. I just felt confused by the illustrations, not being able to clearly tell the differences between characters. My rating: 3.0. Goodreads rating average: 4.57.

2. Bird Box by Josh Malerman

The tension is palpable but the story moves along incredibly slowly. My rating: 3.0. Goodreads rating average: 4.02.

3. The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I just had no patience for it and found myself speed-reading great swaths of it. The last thirty pages were very sweet but I refuse to budge on my rating since I could barely make myself read the rest of it. My favorite parts were the few cultural references I gleaned from it. My rating: 2.5. Goodreads rating average: 4.31.

4. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Dimple and Rishi meet at computer camp and there is hardly any computer-related activities in this book. For some reason that really irritated me. My rating 2.75. Goodreads rating average: 3.69

5. We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

There was something so unbelievable in the way this story unfolded. I was in shock that it won awards. My rating: 3.0. Goodreads average rating: 3.94.


6. A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

This book won the Pulitzer Prize in 2011 yet I had a lot of trouble with it giving it only a 3.0 rating.

7. We Begin At the End by Chris Whitaker

I had some issues with this piece of detective fiction. Many of issues revolved around the California setting being very un-California and some boo-boos that really stood out. I liked, not loved it. My rating 3.25. Goodreads average: 4.20

8. Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth

I love the Call the Midwife TV series. The book is just okay, not nearly as good as the show made from it. My rating: 3.0. Goodreads average rating: 4.13.

9. The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

I am about 80% finished with this book. Unless things change dramatically in the last 20% I will admit to liking but not loving this book. My rating of it is lined up with Goodreads but not the reviews I've read from book bloggers who all seem to universally love it. Goodreads: 4.01

Update. After finishing this book I see what all the fuss is about and shouldn't have added it to this list. The plot twist is a shock you won't see coming.

10. Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau

Another book I haven't finished. I decided to read it because so many bloggers love it. Yet I am not in love with it at all, in fact I am considering not finishing it. Goodreads rating: 4.12

-Anne

36 comments:

  1. I'm glad we didn't chose "The Plot" or "Mary Jane" for Book Club. I too have read criticisms of the un-California feel to "We Begin at the End." Unfortunately, I'll miss that discussion although I am reading the book.

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    1. I haven't read anyone else felt that same way about the book and California as me. That makes me feel validated. At one point the author says that someone in town moved west. Where? Into the Pacific Ocean? Hawaii? A few blocks west from where the houses were falling into the sea?

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    2. There is a review of it on Amazon that speaks directly to some of the language that Californians would never use and some of the geographical blunders.
      And I meant CHOOSE.

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    3. I kept noticing how they kept referring to all the "Capes" I kept thinking that doesn't sound right. Then I realized we usually refer to Capes as Points on the West Coast. Capes make me think of the East Coast.

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  2. I was curious about Bird Box but then just ended up watching the show instead, which I thought was pretty good.

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  3. I read Visit From the Goon Squad years ago and the main thing that I commented on then was the unusual structure of the story.

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    1. Since I listened to the audiobook the structure variations weren't as obvious to me, though I did take a peak at the print version to get an idea of what everyone was talking about.

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  4. I was hoping to love We are okay but ended up dnf-ing and unhauling it.It has such a stunning cove though. Happy reading! https://readwithstefani.com/ten-books-about-books/

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    1. I am glad to know that I am not alone in my estimation of the book.

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  5. The Plot has so many mixed reviews! But I'm actually still rather curious...! I've started with A visit from the Goon Squad a couple of years ago and couldn't get into it at all. So I never finished it.

    The Travelling Cat Chronicles are still on my TBR and I hope to still read it one day. I got it as a present with the most beautiful cover.

    Happy TTT and like your idea for today!

    Elza Reads

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    1. One thing that bothers me about The Travelling Cat is the spelling that was used for "traveling." Ha!

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  6. Happy Tuesday! I fully agree with you about When Dimple Met Rishi. It wasn't a great book. But, the Netflix series is really good.

    Here is my Top Tuesday post for this week:
    https://introvertinterruptedcom.wordpress.com/2021/09/28/books-that-got-me-through-my-20s-pt-2/

    Have a good week!

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    Replies
    1. Goes to show what I know. I didn't even know it was a Netflix show.

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  7. A book that others loved (including my second-best friend) and I hated is A Prayer for Owen Meany. Another cult favorite that I despised is The Sparrow.

    I haven't read any of these except Call the Midwife, and Dimple, both of which I liked quite a bit. I've thought about reading Goon Squad but the subject (the music world) does not appeal to me.

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    1. Hmm. My mother has mentioned THE SPARROW. I've not read it but placed it on my TBR. I read A Prayer for Owen Meany so many years ago it is hard to remember my thoughts from the time. Don't read Goon Squad. Too many other good books to read instead.

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  8. I haven't read any of these, and it sounds like I'm not missing much. I was curious about Mary Jane when I first learned about it, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it wasn't for me.

    Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
    https://readbakecreate.com/10-indigenous-authors-to-read/

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    1. I wish I'd never started Mary Jane. I loved Daisy Jones and the Six so I thought it would work for me. I am still plodding along.

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  9. I DNF’d We Begin at the End. I had other things to read, and I didn’t think the first five chapters were bad or anything, but I just wasn’t hooked. *shrug*


    My list is here— https://fiftytwo.blog/2021/09/28/ttt-favorite-book-quotes/

    Happy TTT!

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    1. Glad to know I am not the only one who had troubles with this book.

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  10. I do think that's one of the wonderful things about books and reading. Each book works differently for each reader and there is plenty enough out there that we can all find something we love to read. I did enjoy We Are Okay, When Dimple Met Rishi, and Mary Jane.

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    1. I'm still plodding along on Mary Jane. My friend tells me the ending it quite good. Will I make it?

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  11. I wasn't a huge fan of When Dimple Met Rishi either - but I still want to try the tv adaptation though :)

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    1. I didn't realize it was a a show. But based on my bias agaist it I'm sure I'll skip the show.

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  12. I love this idea for today's prompt! I definitely thought The Plot was overrated. I'd probably have added The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue to the list - I just didn't love it, while everyone else seemed to love it so much.

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    1. Good to know about Addie LaRue. It is on my TBR. I am rethinking my attempts to read books that everyone is gushing about and sticking to professional reviews. I don't know.

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    2. Leah, I can't seem to find your blog address based on your title Leah's Books and Cooks. It helps me if you link your blog URL in the comments so I can return the comment favor.

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  13. Interesting prompt! Happy Tuesday! My link for this week: https://cindysbookcorner.blogspot.com/2021/09/top-ten-tuesday-20-books-for-christmas.html

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  14. I haven't read any of these books, so I don't know if I'd like them or not. But it's a great theme for this week's TTT. :)

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    1. Thanks for visiting me and for highlighting old reviews. That is a good plan.

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  15. It happens. There are a few really popular books that I did not like at all, but so many people love them.

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    1. It is the worst when the book is a book club selection but otherwise I don't get too worried about it.

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  16. FINALLY. Someone who admits that they didn't really enjoy When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon. I tried, but I just couldn't get into it!

    My TTT list

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  17. I always wondered what the Call The Midwife book was like, as I also love the TV show, so that's interesting to know.
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2021/09/28/top-ten-tuesday-335/

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  18. When Dimple met Rishi was cute, but not much more. I remember liking The Goon Squad, but the main takeaway I recalls is, "Oohhhh, the goon squad is TIME!" And I remember being vaguely surprised it won an award, because it felt more like a fancy potboiler with all the sex and drugs and rock and roll. I also liked We Are Okay, although I agree it was heavy on coincidence and was also kind of grim. At least there are always more books to choose from if something doesn't work for us!

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    1. I figured out the TIME thing after I finished the book and after I read a few others' reviews. Not very perceptive of me. Ha!

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