Silversi's TBF (To be finished) pile..

My inability to actually finish a book is pretty sad. I apparently have the attention span of a 6 year old. I hope to finish several books before the end of the year.

A Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay: I got through all but the last 3 or 4 chapters. I should probably find out what happens.

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan : I'm almost exactly 50% through this book, I like it, really I do. It's just so long. I'm going to finish it!

Hour of the Witch: A novel by Chris Bohjalian : Half way through this one as well, however, I am still currently working on it. It's good but stressful.

Audio books : The Key of Light Nora Roberts and A breath of snow and ashes by Diana Gabaldon

Clearly my issue is too many stories going on at the same time. This is my list to get through, I will hopefully not start any more until I'm done with these.

>1 Silversi: Your post has reminded me of the 2020 unfinished books that I list at the top of my reading thread.

I have this problem too! I do find that listing what I'm reading in my thread helps keep me accountable - I imagine people reading my thread and thinking "Hmm, she hasn't mentioned Book X for a while, what's up with that?" (Please don't disillusion me!) But I have a bad habit of starting books and not noting them, and those tend to sit half-read for ages.

>That's why I rarely mention a book until I have finished it. Looking at the "currently reading" section at the top of each thread will demonstrate that I am bad at this too.

It is getting worse. It used to be just "books in different locations" and "books by mood". Now there "books too painful to hold, so I need to be able to sit at a desk for", "previously stored books that I can only read when immune system not too badly compromised" and "books that are fascinating but too complicated to focus on given current pain level" to taken into account as well. And so the "current" list gets longer and longer...

>1 Silversi: Yours looks quite restrained by comparison.

haha I'm glad I'm not alone in this.. honestly, I only added the books that I think I can actually get finished this year lol.

pilgrim I totally get the books by "issue" thing too. I don't have any particular group of them but I can absolutely think of a few that fall into categories. Have to be in the right mood is a big one. Having a good mental day, need to get away day.

>1 Silversi: I liked Roberts' Key trilogy, although the second one is the only one I've reread.

One thing that saves me from having piles of unfinished books is that I prefer to read only one title at a time. Oh, and I DNF quickly and liberally.

>6 libraryperilous: I like the first book so far!

I am going to call it done with The Hour of the Witch. I did skim a few chapters because it just got a little SLTM for me. Though it was really a lot of mud slinging rather than slogging. I thought this book was well done for what it was, but I won't be looking forward to any movie adaptation or anything. The author, Chris Bohjalian, is very good at bringing his characters alive so I very much enjoyed that aspect. I might even read one of his other ones.

I'm going to take a brain break and work on the Key Series now, nothing relaxes me like some good old Nora Roberts.

>7 Silversi: That one stressed me out as well. I stayed up one night to finish it because it was driving me nuts. It's not my favorite of his, but he really did make me feel like I was immersed in that period. It triggered quite a few other witch related non-fiction reads after I finished it.

>8 clamairy: Anything worth picking up?

>9 Silversi: I guess that depends on how angry you want to get. I listened to The Devil in the Shape of a Woman and I'm still boiling inside...

>10 clamairy: well.. I'll keep that in mind if I ever need some angry reading.

Is it too early to read cheesy Christmas stories? Oh well, I looked at my TBR pile and instead grabbed an ebook from the library and read the whole thing in 1.5 days. Starry Night by Debbie Macomber was easy and wholesome and I love Christmas so I had no problem breezing right through it. I will say though, it was certainly meant to be read fast and not much thought put into it. It kind of felt like an entire chapter was missing out of the middle, the one where everything was explained.
It was a cute story about a reporter looking for the author of a best selling book. He was a bit of a recluse in the Alaskan wilderness and did not want to be interviewed. If she could manage to get this interview, her career would take off though and she could quit writing for the society pages. Anyway, of course she found him, of course they fell in love etc etc. Spend Christmas together with both families. Strange gifts were exchanged (one of which almost made me laugh loudly at 1am while I was reading in bed and trying not to wake Jim up)

I'm hoping to add to my pile this afternoon. Our local library is having a book sale and I'm waiting for my dear husband to be able to find a moment to play hookey from work and go with me.

>13 Silversi: Oh, enjoy! Bring your own boxes or bags if at all possible. And we eagerly await a list of your acquisitions.

>13 Silversi: I hear we're going tomorrow to buy bags full!

>15 Karlstar: Boxes stack better on a trolly, and they do not put so much strain on your shoulders.

>15 Karlstar: haha yes! It's 2 dollar bags tomorrow and the lady at the table said "You can stuff them full" so bags it is.

>16 pgmcc: One of those is on my wishlist!

>18 Karlstar: I used to organise literary conventions (SciFi; Horror; Fantasy) and bought a small trolly for carting equipment and books in and out of the venue. It has proved useful at home now my convention-running days are over.

I have never thought of brining it to a book sale with me. You have given me food for thought.

>19 pgmcc: Didn't you give yourself food for thought?

Speaking of books and hauling, here is today's haul for both of us.

I kind of feel like the librarian that said she was kind of disappointed in us was right, it looks like a small haul now, but those bags were getting kind of heavy!

>20 Karlstar: Nice!

>21 Silversi: Hence my suggestion of a trolly. :-)

>23 pgmcc: Ha, we went back and filled another bag. I feel a bit more finished now, even though they didn't have a few that I had hoped would make it until we got back there.

>24 Silversi: Well done. I hope you crammed the bags this time as you were told on your last visit.

Happy reading.

>20 Karlstar: nice! you got a good haul there! I recently finished The Fatal Shore, and hope you enjoy it as well.

>26 Darth-Heather: Good, thanks for the recommendation. I'm suspicious of the Hambly, but apparently I haven't lost my book sense entirely.

>20 Karlstar: Great haul! I envy you the Barbara Hambly books, her titles are very difficult to find in the UK.

Nice book piles!

I have a what they call a hand cart, that has wheels and a long handle and does a great job moving things as long as they have flat sides and a flat bottom.

(I also have The Fatal Shore sitting around waiting for me.)

>28 Sakerfalcon: Barbara Hambly books...
I only spotted the one.

Although LT has done its usual trick of image degradation, making many hard for me to identify.

>26 Darth-Heather:, >29 clamairy: I too can recommend The Fatal Shore.

>30 -pilgrim-: There were two of Hambly's James Asher novels in the pile, though I've been warned they aren't as good as the first two.

>31 Karlstar: The story has very much been evolving over the years.

I enjoyed the St. Petersburg setting of Blood Maidens mainly because it is a milieu that I know well, found Magistrates of Hell comparatively weak for the reasons that I gave here, but I felt Kindred of Darkness was a real return to form (which I enthused about here).

Which one(s) are you planning to omit? Both the political situation and the relationships between the main characters have been evolving continuously; jumping over a bit may result in finding some of the changes puzzling.

>32 -pilgrim-: Good, what we picked up includes Magistrates of Hell and Kindred of Darkness, so 50/50.

>33 Karlstar: I would not say Magistrates of Hell is bad, just not up to Barbara Hambly standards. And it's probably needed to explain the shifting relationships and attitudes.

I think Blood Maidens is probably the last one that you CAN omit, without wondering why something has changed.Although Ysidro does something sufficiently unselfish there to explain why the Ashers are giving him a pass on his usual activities. Ysidro also realises something important about himself, while in Russia.MAJOR SPOILER (only read if you do not intend to read Blood Maidens first): Ysidro meets again a woman he made vampire at her insistence, who and discovers that she no longer has any interest in her unlife. He is far older than her, yet does not have this ennui. He realises that it is through Lydia that he remains connected to this world; the feelings she arouses in him - emotions, not sexual - are what keeps apathy at bay. This informs his subsequent actions.

When you're laying in bed reading and your husband asks what you're reading (on Kindle, in hopes that I'm not reading a sappy Christmas romance) and you have to snicker as say "Cowboy, it's Christmas" by Heatherly Bell and he's sad lol. However I've been following this author since her very beginnings, then she got a contract with Harlequin and has been pushing out several books a year. We were on some new writers group together and I'm really happy for her finding a way to make money with her skills. While, of course, these aren't books for everyone and they're not something people brag about reading, if you want a quick feel good love story, they're awesome for that.

I've been a writer for almost 9 years now, though I always wrote a little here and there, it's been a bit more serious this decade. I am always torn between having to write something profound that people will talk about and want to make a movie out of and doing something like Mrs Bell and just learn how to make money. I did make a bit on the new Kindle Vella format but it's very difficult to find readers on a format that is difficult to wade through and despite it's name, is not even available on the actual Kindle. So I had them delete my story.

Anyway, I am reading something not on my TBF pile again, but I'll probably finish it today so it's not worth adding. It's gloomy and cold outside, good day for reading.

>35 Silversi: I was having coffee with Catie Murphy one day. She was a bit annoyed about a review of one of her books. What annoyed her was the reviewer stating that her book did not have anything serious to say. She was very annoyed because, as she said:
"I did not want the book to say anything. I just wrote it as entertainment fodder."

I think that was a great way to react to the review. I also think the term "Entertainment Fodder" is great. I have used it many times after hearing Catie use it.

A book can simply be something that give a bit of pleasure and escape. Not every book has to have a message.

There are books that I hate, but those books are loved by others. My detestation of a book does not mean it is worthless and does not mean something to someone.

Entertainment Fodder is good.

>36 pgmcc: Entertainment Fodder, Escapism, these things are sorely needed. Just as I wouldn't make a steady diet of ice cream, I would soon lose my appetite if all I ate was oatmeal.

>36 pgmcc: Yes! Sometimes I just don't want the books I'm reading to try to inspire me or make me dig deeper, I just want to not think for a while. Entertainment fodder is good. Thank you.

>36 pgmcc: >37 MrsLee: >38 Silversi: Absolutely! Reading is for escaping from reality sometimes.

The Awakening: The Dragon heart Legacy By Nora Roberts is my reading pleasure this week. I am enjoying this book completely. The characters are so fun and the story is set in Ireland (sort of) which I'm always drawn to. I'll post more of a review after I've finished in a few days.

The The Awakening was one of the most enjoyable (I'm going to call it light fantasy) books I've read in a long time. The characters were fun and the mix of "real" world and fantasy world was just right. The new release The Becoming: Dragon Heart Legacy is next up, in-between picking at the Wheel of Time books and Trust: America's Best Chance by Pete Buttigieg that popped up on my kindle

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

What >42 pgmcc: and >43 NorthernStar: said.

Thank you, Happy New Year, everyone!