Omg I would love a video of more romance recs without quirky writing because I love romance, but I get so pulled out of the story with quirky writing styles and have trouble sifting through books to find the right romance for me
@@bookslikewhoa exactly! A lot of them I enjoy the main story premise, but the execution falls short. I know I do like romance because I've read some good ones! I will keep searching
I felt the same way about Bittersweet - it should've been an article, not a book. A lot of non-fic suffers from that. When she mentioned how the movie Inside Out summarizes her argument, I chose to DNF there. I'll just go watch Inside Out, one of my favourite movies.
I read it kind of like listening to the podcast. I would read 2 or 3 chapters a day or every few days. I'd either sit outside in the sun or I'd make my room all cozy with candles and it was just nice bits of downtime. I definitely don't think this is one of those non-fiction books that you should read all the way through because the point of it is that you are ruminating on random topics and enjoying John Green's meanderings.
Kellye Garrett writes a series of Evanovitch style cozy mysteries set in LA that on audio are read by one of my favorite readers. They are bonkers, fun, maybe not good- but a good listen and finding poc cozy mysteries is a challenge.
I haven’t been happy with my BOTM selections this past year. I used to get so excited to see the choices, now I’m just meh …. Enjoyed your video, because I have some of these books!
Upgrade was my first Blake Crouch. The best part was the epilogue for me. Lol Then I listened to Recursion from the library and liked it much better but it still wasn't a favorite. I mean it's only been about a month and I can't really remember what happened in Recursion. I might try Dark Matter at some point, but only from the library.
I subscribed to BOTM in 2021 and loved everything and then something changed in 2022…….I felt so meh about most and what I did pick was just so bad, so I killed it in September, plus that whole monthly membership fee going on in the background felt so slimy to me…..I’ve had by far more success reading the book store staff and librarian picks then I ever did with BOTM. Anyway….thx for sharing and I’m glad you found at least one favorite. 💚🙂
Yes, there are hidden fees….if you purchase a book in the month, they charge you a separate monthly membership fee. I can’t quite remember the amount and I think it depended on how many you purchased in the month, but was around $20/$25
Hello, I loved your approach to your TBR BOTM's. You said something on your feel for A history of Wild Places that things were happening, but they were told in such a boring manner. That is exactly how I felt about People Like Her which was about a stalker to an Instamum. Sounded very interesting, but my gosh it was told in such a boring way. Now I know - DNF! I love your presenting style. I'm a new subscriber! Elizabeth
I read EmRata's book last year and I liked it (as much as one can like reading about someone telling about horrifying stories of their objectification - the photographer story still pisses me off majorly). Info: her last name is pronounced Rata-kow-ski (the j is silent). I also DNF'ed "The Dating Plan." As a South Asian person I want to support South Asian writers, but omg, this was so bad. I read her first book and it wasn't great, but I thought the second one (The Dating Plan) might be better.
I liked the Bodyguard to get me out of a reading slump, but you are correct in stating that it is not memorable. I am interested to hear your thoughts on My Body whenever you may come across it. I challenged myself to finish it because I really had conflicting thoughts on whether I liked it or not, mostly not. I continue to read Blake Crouch as something fun, but I was pretty bored in this last book. His Wayward Pines trilogy is really good though, or maybe it was the narrator.
Shame about the anthprocene reviewed. It was one of my favorite reads of 2022, but I read by audio and I think that’s the way to go with that book. There’s a bonus chapter that only works by audio and that nearly moved me to tears.
I'm so happy you enjoyed Like A Sister! Fun fact: Kellye Garrett was a screenwriter for Cold Case. And good for you for DNFing Upgrade. The ending is REAL bad.
I've only read two books from this video and both were 5 stars for me - one you loved, Somebody's Daughter, and one you didn't, The Anthropocene Reviewed! I always love seeing how tastes do and don't overlap and your reviews and thoughts are always interesting and well-expressed whether we share the same feeling or not. Feeling appreciation for you right now!
I love this video! I've noticed of the BOTM books I've read, I haven't jived with any of them... but I have saved the ones I think I'll enjoy the most to read later... which makes no sense haha. Maybe because I'm worried I'll be disappointed? I definitely need to do this challenge to see if BOTM is worth keeping (for me)🙃
I'm struggling with BOTM right now. With the price increase, I am paying almost full price for the book if originally published in paperback, and not a ton of savings for the books published in hardcover. However, I do think it broadens my horizons in terms of genres and authors.
This was really interesting. I was most curious about which Ted Chiang book you were comparing Upgrade to and really liked? I'm unfamiliar with that author
So I am curious… Can you think of any books where you weren’t that into it to start with but then it got significantly better? What books are you glad you pushed through?
I love this concept. Last month I went thru all my picks with your exact question in mind. I was surprised to find out I didn't like a majority of my picks, and if they weren't part of BotM I wouldn't have read them anyway. Made it easy to cancel my subscription.
Your analysis of True Biz is spot on (it’s funny you mention it in this video, I literally finished it this morning)- it’s definitely more contemporary fiction & the “mystery” part of it is only at the very beginning and like the last 50 pages (and in my opinion wasn’t very well-developed or satisfying as an ending, which dropped it to 4 stars for me). That being said, I thought it was pretty good for what it was, especially the integration of the non-fiction sections on Deaf culture, language, history, etc. between chapters
Love this concept! I definitely let my general book acquisitions pile up but the only subscription service I have is Raven Reads. Because it's quarterly, I'm able to keep a maximum of two unread on my shelves at a time and so I can read them at a reasonable pace. True Biz has been on my tbr for a while - I'm looking to pick up a copy when the paperback is released! Maybe similar to Bittersweet, I was intrigued by Chop Suey Nation - which is a travel history retrospective on the history of Chinese Canadian restaurants... and then I found it out was expanded from an essay/article of the same name. I read the article instead and got all I wanted out of it! (I do recommend the article ahaha). I do hope you enjoy The Anthropocene Reviewed - I've never gelled with his YA fiction but I love his storytelling and worldview (I listen to the podcasts etc.) and loved his nonfiction.
I’ve skipped like the last year entirely on BOTM I just never trust myself to pick a good one lol. I agree with you on just wanting to use it to pick up books I’ve seen buzz for
The Bodyguard was fun. It would make for a good movie I think! I liked The Anthropocene Reviewed but I listened to it on audio. Not sure how I would have felt about it if I read it physically!
I got so excited when I saw you were going to read The Collective and the. So sad lol. I was absolutely obsessed with it and I'd love to know your thoughts! It's definitely not a missing child thing :)
Love when you do these kinds of videos. Always appreciate your insight on the merit of subscription services. Also totally agree about John green. Just cannot get into the hype with him at all!
I haven't read The Bodyguard yet, but if you like Katherine Center's writing style you might try, Things You Save in a Fire. Also for good romance writing you might try Kate Clayborn's Love Lettering. Susanna Kearsley is also a favorite.
Good for you for unloading some books and setting boundaries for how much time you'll give a book that is not grabbing you. I'll have to give Somebody's Daughter a go. I know I'm not a BOTM girl. I usually only buy books that I love enough to read again, so the library is my good friend.I do have handful of auto buy authors though ;)
I just finished A History of Dark Places last night and while I did quite like it in the end, I think the book begins badly. I actually DID like part 1 and became invested in the story. My problem is that when you begin part 2, the story sort of resets and we have three completely new POVs to become invested in once more, 39 pages into the book. 🤦🏾♀️ I almost DNFd at that point. I kept going for Reasons, and because I did like the writing, and fortunately I ended up enjoying it. However, based on other books you've reviewed and boring writing aside, I suspect you wouldn't have liked where the story ends up going.
Oh, I should probably do this, since my BOTM stack is staring at me from across the room, trying to make eye contact 😅 Although, my OwlCrate stack is much more shameful, but in a way that has lead me to cancel that subscription until they do a little less fantasy. But I have read a few of these book separate from BOTM and enjoyed them. I'd preordered The Anthropocene Reviewed, but I read it over the course of a few months so I could sit with all the little chapters (plus I'd previously listened to some of the podcast). I also recently listened to the audiobooks for Bittersweet and Somebody's Daughter, but I've already learned to skip BOTM romances and mysteries because they are never quite what I'm looking for.
OK, so none of these were on my radar, but now Like A Sister is. But good decision me 🤗, for Not being caught up in the Book A Month box thing. Not gonna 🤥, they almost got me. 🤣 Books 📚 delivered to my house 🏡 each month sounds like a happy little 🎁 surprise (ya know for all my Unbirthdays 😉). Based on these and other Book Tubers end results though I'm glad I passed on it for myself. Love the video concept and the 😺 content is of course, top paw 🐾. 🤣
Contact BOTM and let them know that they sent you the wrong book. The do that occasionally but are really good about getting the right book out to you if you let them know.
Thanks for this--first you reintroduced me to BOMC then Pop Sugar Reading Challenge went all in THEN had HellBent at significant price point drop SOOOOO subscribed but slowly. Not LitFic guuurl and severe budget problems because of paying for both crushing health care costs and storm damage repairs. Careful math shows at $16.99 roughly $2+ cheaper than AMazon and our poor beat down library could use the books I dont keep. Fingers crossed
I read The Anthropocene Reviewed over a few months. Reading an essay every few days or so. I very much enjoyed it but doubt I would have appreciated as much if I had read it in bigger chunks. I had also listened to much of the podcast and honestly John reading the essays was much more powerful (he reads the audiobook but I haven't tried it.). There are also a couple of videos on you tube featuring essays which I think are great. The Auld Lang Syne one John posted this New Years had me in tears by the end (I am a crier though :) )
I wonder what your stats on the website/app are like? I know they do like love/like/disliked in the ratings. I only have two I’ve gotten that ended up in dislike but I am like 7 books behind 😅 It’s ok that you didn’t love John Green’s book. I listened to the podcast that then the book was built out of so I was hooked into the format and style. It’s actually surprising to me that people have enjoyed it so much because I’m sure not everyone was listening to the podcast.
True Biz has been the best of my BOTM picks. I just got Hell Bent because it’s the only way I would ever purchase a Leigh Bardugo book 😂 I’m hoping to enjoy more than one or two books…someday
To me, The Anthropocene Review could be better. It reads like his Instagram posts, where he does a little commentary about some daily life event. I was listening to it recently and dnf'd as well. I'm not a huge fan of most short vignettes in a book. I prefer his hot takes on Instagram to anything written in a book. And I agree about using BOTM for occasionally trying a genre or debut author that you wouldn't normally choose. I've found some great books that way.
This actually pushed me to cancel my BOTM subscription. I also have a stockpile, and while I mean to read them, I just don't end up choosing them over my other books on my TBR. I often almost have to force myself to read them, or I feel reluctant to do so (even though the synopsis usually sounds interesting). My big takeaway is that many of them are out of my comfort zone, and I while I do want to read more out of my comfort zone, I don't want to do it every month. I also have a lot of books to read, so maybe I might be more receptive in a year or two when I have read most of the books I have already purchased (which is one of my goals this year). So-thank you for this!
I also DNFed The Anthropocene Reviewed. I wanted to like it but it was just very meh. Way to many books out there to continue on with one you aren’t enjoying.
I don't know what to do with you now that I know you don't like the books of Blake Crouch... :D I liked most of his books, I loved Dark Matter and Recursion but Upgrade was not his best. I liked the idea but from the middle of the book it was much of an action movie and that was actually boring for me. On the other hand there will be a movie and I'm quite excited about that.
Haha! I was thinking the same thing and went back to see how I have rated his books. I have loved his books and I enjoyed Upgrade the best. My reason for this was the science behind it. I work in a STEM field and this is something that is definitely discussed throughout the scientific community, which made me interested in this one. He brought up many of the issues regarding genetic manipulation that argue the pros and cons. My negative about Upgrade is that you have to be interested or knowledgeable in the topic to really love it. He pushes a ton of big scientific topics, and not in a teaching way but to boost the background of the story. I find that this can turn readers off easily when there are big info-dump sections. That's on him rather than the reader. If he wants to use up to date scientific debates as the background for a plot then he should make it more enjoyable to read to someone who doesn't engage in the science of it in daily life. Everyone has a different background and the genres that they click with which makes him a tough author for less science readers.
@@hollyc4624 I didn't feel that it was too much but I enjoy reading or hearing about these kind of stuff. Reading the first part I thought it would be the best book of my year but the second half let me down a bit, I thought the whole book would be about the changes and development of the body and mind.
just letting you know that the newest update from the union is to hold all reviews, even Harlequin titles - there was a miscommunication with the social media accounts.
You're not the only person I've seen complain about the writing in The Dating Plan, and for those who did finish it, didn't have a lot of nice things to say about the romance itself 😬
Ha! Prolly first time almost TWINSIES! Avoided BOMC for VERY long time for this very reason and now little nervous. AGree about John Green. He speaks thinks out loud SO much better than this book. Frankly kinda insulted because it felt like "all hat and no cattle" without his name brand this book would have hit the slush pile. The Bodyguard just a little too sweet. His Mom! Ugh. Struggle with many SoAsian romcoms because in our community know MANY wonderful SoAsian--Pakistani and Indian females--that are treated like krap in that culture. My own dear friend had to quit visiting because I was ready to kick arse of her low life husband and his mother who made constantly negative comments about how dark her skin is! Rest were uninspiring to me as well. Yikes!
I guess I didn't understand your reading technique. I assumed (incorrectly) you stopped reading if the book did not catch your interest by the first chapter. So I'm surprised to learn (if I understand this project ) you usually keep reading the whole book, even if it is dreadful, or boring. You have the option to DNF but you rarely do this. I have to commend you are your dedication to your channel. I usually will not continue to read a book which doesn't get me hooked right away.
Haha you're touching on some of what I cut out at the beginning to explain because it was getting too long! :D So I do frequently DNF things; however, I usually give it between 50-100 pages unless I'm just immediately hating it. The challenge here was to make that decision based solely on one chapter, which is something I usually wouldn't do for a book I already own (I do it for library or subscription books all the time, but those are usually ones I'm less invested in). I don't even normally tell y'all about the ones I DNF that early unless I'm unhauling them or have a passionate hatred or something. So basically a more ruthless version of my normal DNF process was the concept
Getting a whole different book inside the expected cover is a little hilarious. 😂
Threw me for a loop there! :D
At that point is it even worth writing to BOTM to let them know? 😂
How does that even happen?
“Have the courage of your convictions, Susan.” 😂
Omg I would love a video of more romance recs without quirky writing because I love romance, but I get so pulled out of the story with quirky writing styles and have trouble sifting through books to find the right romance for me
It's really hard to find them! A lot of books with that writing style aren't really romances because they don't really have a central love story
@@bookslikewhoa exactly! A lot of them I enjoy the main story premise, but the execution falls short. I know I do like romance because I've read some good ones! I will keep searching
I felt the same way about Bittersweet - it should've been an article, not a book. A lot of non-fic suffers from that. When she mentioned how the movie Inside Out summarizes her argument, I chose to DNF there. I'll just go watch Inside Out, one of my favourite movies.
Omg the gaf with My Body was so funny 😂😂
The Anthropocene Reviewed started out as a podcast, and I liked that format of one small story each week
I read it kind of like listening to the podcast. I would read 2 or 3 chapters a day or every few days. I'd either sit outside in the sun or I'd make my room all cozy with candles and it was just nice bits of downtime. I definitely don't think this is one of those non-fiction books that you should read all the way through because the point of it is that you are ruminating on random topics and enjoying John Green's meanderings.
I am so glad you were ruthless and did not wrap these.
Kellye Garrett writes a series of Evanovitch style cozy mysteries set in LA that on audio are read by one of my favorite readers. They are bonkers, fun, maybe not good- but a good listen and finding poc cozy mysteries is a challenge.
Noted!!
I haven’t been happy with my BOTM selections this past year. I used to get so excited to see the choices, now I’m just meh …. Enjoyed your video, because I have some of these books!
Upgrade was my first Blake Crouch. The best part was the epilogue for me. Lol
Then I listened to Recursion from the library and liked it much better but it still wasn't a favorite. I mean it's only been about a month and I can't really remember what happened in Recursion.
I might try Dark Matter at some point, but only from the library.
I subscribed to BOTM in 2021 and loved everything and then something changed in 2022…….I felt so meh about most and what I did pick was just so bad, so I killed it in September, plus that whole monthly membership fee going on in the background felt so slimy to me…..I’ve had by far more success reading the book store staff and librarian picks then I ever did with BOTM. Anyway….thx for sharing and I’m glad you found at least one favorite. 💚🙂
Booksellers and librarians cannot be beat when it comes to recommendations!
thanks for the tip. Will look for the hidden fees. Creepers!
Yes, there are hidden fees….if you purchase a book in the month, they charge you a separate monthly membership fee. I can’t quite remember the amount and I think it depended on how many you purchased in the month, but was around $20/$25
Hello, I loved your approach to your TBR BOTM's. You said something on your feel for A history of Wild Places that things were happening, but they were told in such a boring manner. That is exactly how I felt about People Like Her which was about a stalker to an Instamum. Sounded very interesting, but my gosh it was told in such a boring way. Now I know - DNF! I love your presenting style. I'm a new subscriber! Elizabeth
I read EmRata's book last year and I liked it (as much as one can like reading about someone telling about horrifying stories of their objectification - the photographer story still pisses me off majorly). Info: her last name is pronounced Rata-kow-ski (the j is silent). I also DNF'ed "The Dating Plan." As a South Asian person I want to support South Asian writers, but omg, this was so bad. I read her first book and it wasn't great, but I thought the second one (The Dating Plan) might be better.
Loved this video concept! I somehow find watching other people tackle and unhaul their book collections so oddly satisfying.
I totally agree!
It doesn’t matter what the occasion is but I have major hubris over my picks. (Touches wood and conducts rituals to ward off evil spirits)
I liked the Bodyguard to get me out of a reading slump, but you are correct in stating that it is not memorable. I am interested to hear your thoughts on My Body whenever you may come across it. I challenged myself to finish it because I really had conflicting thoughts on whether I liked it or not, mostly not. I continue to read Blake Crouch as something fun, but I was pretty bored in this last book. His Wayward Pines trilogy is really good though, or maybe it was the narrator.
I totally agree - a good palate cleanser that was well done but not super impactful
Watches video. Puts Somebody’s Daughter on TBR. Thank you, Mara! Have a great day.
You too! :)
Shame about the anthprocene reviewed. It was one of my favorite reads of 2022, but I read by audio and I think that’s the way to go with that book. There’s a bonus chapter that only works by audio and that nearly moved me to tears.
Sounds like I may have had more luck with the audio :/
I'm so happy you enjoyed Like A Sister! Fun fact: Kellye Garrett was a screenwriter for Cold Case. And good for you for DNFing Upgrade. The ending is REAL bad.
Oh interesting that's probably why it was so good!
I've only read two books from this video and both were 5 stars for me - one you loved, Somebody's Daughter, and one you didn't, The Anthropocene Reviewed! I always love seeing how tastes do and don't overlap and your reviews and thoughts are always interesting and well-expressed whether we share the same feeling or not. Feeling appreciation for you right now!
Thanks for sharing!! Yes, it's always so interesting to see how people's tastes do/don't align with each other!
this is a very virgo moon version of the try a chapter tag and i love this. i am not sad u dnf'd the anthropocene review!
My Virgo moon cannot be denied
I love this video! I've noticed of the BOTM books I've read, I haven't jived with any of them... but I have saved the ones I think I'll enjoy the most to read later... which makes no sense haha. Maybe because I'm worried I'll be disappointed? I definitely need to do this challenge to see if BOTM is worth keeping (for me)🙃
Always loving your book recommendations. How fo you read so many 📚?
I really loved Somebody’s Daughter too. I like seeing folks wrestle with complicated parent-child relationships.
I'm struggling with BOTM right now. With the price increase, I am paying almost full price for the book if originally published in paperback, and not a ton of savings for the books published in hardcover. However, I do think it broadens my horizons in terms of genres and authors.
This was really interesting. I was most curious about which Ted Chiang book you were comparing Upgrade to and really liked? I'm unfamiliar with that author
He's got a story in his collection called "Stories of Your Life and Others" that is a very similar concept but much better executed IMO
@@bookslikewhoa Thank-you I'll give that a try!
So I am curious… Can you think of any books where you weren’t that into it to start with but then it got significantly better? What books are you glad you pushed through?
I love this concept. Last month I went thru all my picks with your exact question in mind. I was surprised to find out I didn't like a majority of my picks, and if they weren't part of BotM I wouldn't have read them anyway. Made it easy to cancel my subscription.
Your analysis of True Biz is spot on (it’s funny you mention it in this video, I literally finished it this morning)- it’s definitely more contemporary fiction & the “mystery” part of it is only at the very beginning and like the last 50 pages (and in my opinion wasn’t very well-developed or satisfying as an ending, which dropped it to 4 stars for me). That being said, I thought it was pretty good for what it was, especially the integration of the non-fiction sections on Deaf culture, language, history, etc. between chapters
Love this concept! I definitely let my general book acquisitions pile up but the only subscription service I have is Raven Reads. Because it's quarterly, I'm able to keep a maximum of two unread on my shelves at a time and so I can read them at a reasonable pace.
True Biz has been on my tbr for a while - I'm looking to pick up a copy when the paperback is released!
Maybe similar to Bittersweet, I was intrigued by Chop Suey Nation - which is a travel history retrospective on the history of Chinese Canadian restaurants... and then I found it out was expanded from an essay/article of the same name. I read the article instead and got all I wanted out of it! (I do recommend the article ahaha).
I do hope you enjoy The Anthropocene Reviewed - I've never gelled with his YA fiction but I love his storytelling and worldview (I listen to the podcasts etc.) and loved his nonfiction.
I’ve skipped like the last year entirely on BOTM I just never trust myself to pick a good one lol. I agree with you on just wanting to use it to pick up books I’ve seen buzz for
The Bodyguard was fun. It would make for a good movie I think!
I liked The Anthropocene Reviewed but I listened to it on audio. Not sure how I would have felt about it if I read it physically!
I agree, it would be a good Netflix adaption!
I got so excited when I saw you were going to read The Collective and the. So sad lol. I was absolutely obsessed with it and I'd love to know your thoughts! It's definitely not a missing child thing :)
Alas it was not meant to be!
I loved The Bodyguard. The two main characters grow on you.
I have read all of Katherine Center’s books and liked most of them. Yes, I believe she is a lot about Emily Henry.
Love when you do these kinds of videos. Always appreciate your insight on the merit of subscription services. Also totally agree about John green. Just cannot get into the hype with him at all!
Yeah I like him on social media but just not vibing with his writing :(
I haven't read The Bodyguard yet, but if you like Katherine Center's writing style you might try, Things You Save in a Fire.
Also for good romance writing you might try Kate Clayborn's Love Lettering. Susanna Kearsley is also a favorite.
Love Lettering is great!
Omg not BOTM trying to trick you into reading We Are The Brennen's 😂😂😂
Good for you for unloading some books and setting boundaries for how much time you'll give a book that is not grabbing you. I'll have to give Somebody's Daughter a go. I know I'm not a BOTM girl. I usually only buy books that I love enough to read again, so the library is my good friend.I do have handful of auto buy authors though ;)
Honestly thank god for the library!
I just finished A History of Dark Places last night and while I did quite like it in the end, I think the book begins badly. I actually DID like part 1 and became invested in the story. My problem is that when you begin part 2, the story sort of resets and we have three completely new POVs to become invested in once more, 39 pages into the book. 🤦🏾♀️ I almost DNFd at that point. I kept going for Reasons, and because I did like the writing, and fortunately I ended up enjoying it. However, based on other books you've reviewed and boring writing aside, I suspect you wouldn't have liked where the story ends up going.
Haha, well, it is good to have further evidence that DNFing was the right call for me - but I'm glad you ended up enjoying it!!
Oh, I should probably do this, since my BOTM stack is staring at me from across the room, trying to make eye contact 😅 Although, my OwlCrate stack is much more shameful, but in a way that has lead me to cancel that subscription until they do a little less fantasy.
But I have read a few of these book separate from BOTM and enjoyed them. I'd preordered The Anthropocene Reviewed, but I read it over the course of a few months so I could sit with all the little chapters (plus I'd previously listened to some of the podcast). I also recently listened to the audiobooks for Bittersweet and Somebody's Daughter, but I've already learned to skip BOTM romances and mysteries because they are never quite what I'm looking for.
Yeah, that's a good point about genre - I tend to like their picks for some genres more than others
OK, so none of these were on my radar, but now Like A Sister is. But good decision me 🤗, for Not being caught up in the Book A Month box thing. Not gonna 🤥, they almost got me. 🤣 Books 📚 delivered to my house 🏡 each month sounds like a happy little 🎁 surprise (ya know for all my Unbirthdays 😉). Based on these and other Book Tubers end results though I'm glad I passed on it for myself. Love the video concept and the 😺 content is of course, top paw 🐾. 🤣
The Keeper of the Night was very disappointing it started out decently but the end made me mad.
Unfortunately, I read the whole History of Wild Places and was no pleased I had spent the time on it. Keep of the Night was interesting to me.
Contact BOTM and let them know that they sent you the wrong book. The do that occasionally but are really good about getting the right book out to you if you let them know.
Yes, they have great customer service!
I'm hoping to read the Bodyguard next month. I really like My Body and Somebody's Daughter. They were some of my favorite reads last year.
Hopefully I will get to My Body at some point! Have to hit the library up for it
I just really need you to try ONE MORE book by Blake Crouch... Dark Matter
Thanks for this--first you reintroduced me to BOMC then Pop Sugar Reading Challenge went all in THEN had HellBent at significant price point drop SOOOOO subscribed but slowly. Not LitFic guuurl and severe budget problems because of paying for both crushing health care costs and storm damage repairs. Careful math shows at $16.99 roughly $2+ cheaper than AMazon and our poor beat down library could use the books I dont keep. Fingers crossed
I read The Anthropocene Reviewed over a few months. Reading an essay every few days or so. I very much enjoyed it but doubt I would have appreciated as much if I had read it in bigger chunks. I had also listened to much of the podcast and honestly John reading the essays was much more powerful (he reads the audiobook but I haven't tried it.). There are also a couple of videos on you tube featuring essays which I think are great. The Auld Lang Syne one John posted this New Years had me in tears by the end (I am a crier though :) )
Sounds like I may have had more luck with the audio :/
glad you loved Somebody's Daughter and I think you described the approach to the book the author took perfectly.
It's so good!
The bodyguard is great. I read it last week. I love how you’re just going in for the kill.
As a Booktuber, paper cuts count as an occupational hazard.
Glad you liked Somebody’s Daughter. I ended up reading it last year for the BookTube prize for nonfiction and found it a really surprising hit overall
It's so good!
I wonder what your stats on the website/app are like? I know they do like love/like/disliked in the ratings. I only have two I’ve gotten that ended up in dislike but I am like 7 books behind 😅
It’s ok that you didn’t love John Green’s book. I listened to the podcast that then the book was built out of so I was hooked into the format and style. It’s actually surprising to me that people have enjoyed it so much because I’m sure not everyone was listening to the podcast.
lol I never use the app but maybe I should!!
True Biz has been the best of my BOTM picks. I just got Hell Bent because it’s the only way I would ever purchase a Leigh Bardugo book 😂 I’m hoping to enjoy more than one or two books…someday
She will get better I think. Needs improved Editor and Support staff
I loved this video idea!
I really liked this experiment. It was great fun!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I freaking love this game 👏🏻
To me, The Anthropocene Review could be better. It reads like his Instagram posts, where he does a little commentary about some daily life event. I was listening to it recently and dnf'd as well. I'm not a huge fan of most short vignettes in a book. I prefer his hot takes on Instagram to anything written in a book. And I agree about using BOTM for occasionally trying a genre or debut author that you wouldn't normally choose. I've found some great books that way.
I really appreciate this video!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Love the DNFing!
This actually pushed me to cancel my BOTM subscription. I also have a stockpile, and while I mean to read them, I just don't end up choosing them over my other books on my TBR. I often almost have to force myself to read them, or I feel reluctant to do so (even though the synopsis usually sounds interesting). My big takeaway is that many of them are out of my comfort zone, and I while I do want to read more out of my comfort zone, I don't want to do it every month. I also have a lot of books to read, so maybe I might be more receptive in a year or two when I have read most of the books I have already purchased (which is one of my goals this year). So-thank you for this!
I have tried BOTM twice and cancelled both times. Did not work for me.
I also DNFed The Anthropocene Reviewed. I wanted to like it but it was just very meh. Way to many books out there to continue on with one you aren’t enjoying.
I don't know what to do with you now that I know you don't like the books of Blake Crouch... :D I liked most of his books, I loved Dark Matter and Recursion but Upgrade was not his best. I liked the idea but from the middle of the book it was much of an action movie and that was actually boring for me. On the other hand there will be a movie and I'm quite excited about that.
Oh no! Hopefully it counts that I want to like him ;) Happy reading!
Haha! I was thinking the same thing and went back to see how I have rated his books. I have loved his books and I enjoyed Upgrade the best. My reason for this was the science behind it. I work in a STEM field and this is something that is definitely discussed throughout the scientific community, which made me interested in this one. He brought up many of the issues regarding genetic manipulation that argue the pros and cons.
My negative about Upgrade is that you have to be interested or knowledgeable in the topic to really love it. He pushes a ton of big scientific topics, and not in a teaching way but to boost the background of the story. I find that this can turn readers off easily when there are big info-dump sections. That's on him rather than the reader. If he wants to use up to date scientific debates as the background for a plot then he should make it more enjoyable to read to someone who doesn't engage in the science of it in daily life. Everyone has a different background and the genres that they click with which makes him a tough author for less science readers.
@@hollyc4624 I didn't feel that it was too much but I enjoy reading or hearing about these kind of stuff. Reading the first part I thought it would be the best book of my year but the second half let me down a bit, I thought the whole book would be about the changes and development of the body and mind.
@@biankatoth1786 I agree with this comment. Definitely most engaging in the first half and the second half seemed to try too hard.
just letting you know that the newest update from the union is to hold all reviews, even Harlequin titles - there was a miscommunication with the social media accounts.
I saw that right after it went live :( :( :(
@@bookslikewhoa but did you see the (now) newest update? There's gonna be a meeting, so we might good news soon.
You're not the only person I've seen complain about the writing in The Dating Plan, and for those who did finish it, didn't have a lot of nice things to say about the romance itself 😬
I'm very happy with my choice to DNF :/
Ha! Prolly first time almost TWINSIES! Avoided BOMC for VERY long time for this very reason and now little nervous. AGree about John Green. He speaks thinks out loud SO much better than this book. Frankly kinda insulted because it felt like "all hat and no cattle" without his name brand this book would have hit the slush pile. The Bodyguard just a little too sweet. His Mom! Ugh. Struggle with many SoAsian romcoms because in our community know MANY wonderful SoAsian--Pakistani and Indian females--that are treated like krap in that culture. My own dear friend had to quit visiting because I was ready to kick arse of her low life husband and his mother who made constantly negative comments about how dark her skin is! Rest were uninspiring to me as well. Yikes!
I really liked the Dating Plan... some funny aunties in their. But I do remember the first two chapters didn't wow me but it gets better.
I guess I didn't understand your reading technique. I assumed (incorrectly) you stopped reading if the book did not catch your interest by the first chapter. So I'm surprised to learn (if I understand this project ) you usually keep reading the whole book, even if it is dreadful, or boring. You have the option to DNF but you rarely do this. I have to commend you are your dedication to your channel. I usually will not continue to read a book which doesn't get me hooked right away.
Haha you're touching on some of what I cut out at the beginning to explain because it was getting too long! :D So I do frequently DNF things; however, I usually give it between 50-100 pages unless I'm just immediately hating it. The challenge here was to make that decision based solely on one chapter, which is something I usually wouldn't do for a book I already own (I do it for library or subscription books all the time, but those are usually ones I'm less invested in). I don't even normally tell y'all about the ones I DNF that early unless I'm unhauling them or have a passionate hatred or something. So basically a more ruthless version of my normal DNF process was the concept
It's too bad you got the wrong book, because I think you really would have liked the "EmRata" book.
Blake Crouch is SO mid
Hated The Collective.