Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Enjoyed But Have Never Mentioned on the Blog

 

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the topic is Books I Enjoyed But Have Never Mentioned. In theory this is a topic that I should be able to do quite easily especially as I had a couple of years where I didn't post much about books, but it has taken a while to compile because of the word "never". I ended up going back as far as 2014 to find books I couldn't find mentioned at all. Here's what I came up with.

City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin - The third book in the The Twelve trilogy

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne - I had forgotten that I had read this. As recently as a few weeks ago I was asked if I had read it and I was like...no, not yet. Wrong!!

Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen - This the first book in the series of the same name. I liked this but I never read any further.

Templar Silks by Elizabeth Chadwick - I really need to read some more Chadwick and soon!

A Kiss in Lavender by Laura Florand - Laura Florand is one of the authors that I still read during my massive reading slump.

Quarterback Rush by Jaci Burton - I read 9 books in the Play by Play series but not sure I mentioned many of them.

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante - I am not sure why I never read any more of this series after this book.

Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel - This is the second book in the Cromwell series. I was very excited about the third book when it came out last year in 2020 but still haven't actually read it.

First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen - I've mentioned lots of other SAA books on the blog but not this one. This was her last book and was published 6 years. That means 6 years of anticipation for her next book which is out later this year.

Evergreen Falls by Kimberly Freeman - I really enjoy Kimberly Freeman's books. I still have a couple to read.

If we do this topic again I might have to go back into the 2000s to find another 10

The Passage by Justin Cronin - aka the book that I forgot

Well this is a bit interesting. A book related post. I'm not sure I even remember how to do this, but I am thinking that maybe I will give this blogging thing a go but on the basis that it won't be a full on reviews. Maybe just pared back thoughts about the books I am reading. It still isn't many, but it does feel a little bit more likely that I will be reading or listening to more books this year. Not to the obsessive level of years past, but I am actually okay with that. If I can find a happy medium between the 200 plus books a year that I was reading a few years ago and the less than 10 of the last couple of years then I will be a happy camper.

I am also, once again, trying to focus on healthy eating as I have undone a fair amount of the good work I did in losing lots of weight a couple of years ago, so I will most likely be posting some updates related to that.

Really, what I am looking for this year is to have more balance in my life. So, less late nights at work making myself super tired all the time, more home cooked meals. More and less of lots of things really. Lets call that my new years resolution shall we.

So let's talk books. Or maybe book. Singular.

A few years go now (well, more than 6 but who's counting!) I read The Passage by Justin Cronin. Whilst I didn't review it, I graded it 4.5 out of 5 and so clearly finished it, and loved it. I went to a session at Melbourne Writer's Festival where the author spoke because the third book in the trilogy is now out and I realised that at some point I did want to read the second and third books but it had been a while since I read this one so it was time for a reread. Yes, I don't usually reread but things are definitely not usual in my world at the moment so why not.

One of the things that I pride myself on is that I have a pretty good memory. Normally I think that whilst details may be a bit blurry I can generally remember the major story arcs. Or so I thought. It turns out that maybe that is not the case.

When I first started listening, it was great. It was like revisiting an old friend. I remembered the story about a young girl being infected with a virus that in effect allows her to live ageing very, very slowly. I remembered how the FBI found her and took her to the army to become part of a top secret trial that goes awry in a big way and pretty much destroys the world as we know it.

Really, it was after the first third of the book and as the story moved 100 years into the future where I realised that my memory is nowhere near as good as I thought it was because I couldn't remember it. Not just that it was blurry or a bit fuzzy, but I literally had no memory of any of the characters, any of the storyline. So it was kind of like visiting a friend's house and then finding yourself at a party with complete strangers.

I decided to listen to the audiobook because I had so many credits on Audible, but it is a decision that paid off. The narrator for the majority of the book is Scott Brick and I look forward to listening to the next books in the series where he is the sole narrator. And who knows, maybe even looking for some other books that he has narrated at some point. Nothing wrong with following a narrator is there!!

Overall, it was an enjoyable listening experience. I think I will listen to something a little lighter before going back to listen to the second book in the trilogy. And catch up on The Walking Dead episodes that I didn't feel I could watch while I was listening to this! It would have been way too much to be listening to this post apocolyptic vampire novel whilst watching a post apocolyptic zombie TV series.

Well gee, it appears that I had plenty to say after all.

Will I ever read again?

So given how few posts there are on this blog, it is obvious that I am not blogging much at the moment and haven't been for quite some time. However, the problem goes deeper than that. I'm actually not reading either. Oh, I might start a book and read a couple of page then I will lose interest and just stop. It doesn't matter if we are talking about reading new books, rereading favourites, paper books, ebooks and even audio books. And this is a long term issue. My reading has become non existent over the last couple of years to the point that I haven't actually finished a book since March. Shocking I know.

I'm not sure this is a terminal problem though because even though I am not reading I am still happy to engage in conversations with people about books. Last week at work there was a conversation happening about starting a book club and I was quite keen about the concept even though I know that it is highly unlikely that I will actually read the chosen book. Luckily my actual book club doesn't really seem to care if I read the book or not. I haven't actually been to that book club for the last couple of months because I have been working late but I know when I do go back they will be glad to see me. I also know that when I say I haven't even read the synopsis the reaction will be okay and then ask if I want a party pie or sausage roll (to which the answer is obviously yes!!)

This weekend was the launch of the Melbourne Writer's Festival and despite my lack of reading mojo, I did end up buying tickets to a couple of sessions and also attended a couple of free sessions. I was reminded that bookish things are actually good for my soul and also a couple of other things.

Unlike previous years where I took copious notes so that I could blog in depth recaps of the sessions I attended, this year I have just sat and listened and just enjoyed being in the presence of authors whose books I have enjoyed previously.

The four sessions that I attended were:

Justin Cronin
YA Superstars featuring Rainbow Rowell and David Leviathan
Australia Through Time featuring Anita Heiss, Tricia Stringer and Kate Mildenhall
Wickedly Funny featuring Liane Moriarty and Rosalie Ham

All four sessions were really interesting and I have to say I was very impressed with the quality of the free sessions that were on offer. Both Australia Through Time and Wickedly Funny were free sessions and they were full houses. I only just got into Wickedly Funny even though I went and lined up half an hour before. They probably turned out away an equivalent of 50% of the crowd. The session was just that popular.

One of the things that I have taken away from this weekend is that maybe this might be a long break from reading but I don't think I am done forever and ever. Whilst I don't expect to go back to reading 200 plus books a year, I also don't expect to stay at reading less than 10 books in a year. Somewhere in the middle would be good.

I also came out of the sessions and a trip to a nearly bookstore I was reminded of a few things. Firstly, there are a number of authors who I used to wait avidly for each new book from and they have at least one and maybe two books out that I still haven't read yet. In other words my TBR list continues to grow even though I am not reading. Secondly, there were a number of books that I really wanted to read a couple of years ago that I still haven't read yet and thirdly, that there are any number of books that I wouldn't mind rereading at some point.

My reading life might be flat lining but it hasn't quite been declared dead yet. There's still a glimmer of hope. Just.

Book Blogger Hop: July 23 to 26

I don't always participate in the Book Blogger Hop, but I do often have a look at the blogs on the list. It really depends on whether or not I have time over the weekend to spend some time hopping from one blog to another as it isn't enough to post about the Hop, the idea is to spend time looking at other blogs!

I was initially also a bit worried about the fact that the post would be the same every week as well, but over the last few weeks Jennifer has started asking questions which makes it a little bit different each week. This week's Jennifer asks us to talk about the book that we are currently reading.

I am still reading, and enjoying, The Passage by Justin Cronin, but I have talked about that a couple of times already. The other book I am reading at the moment is The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer. Luckily it is short and I should be done with it soon. The only problem with it really is that it doesn't have any chapter breaks, which is one of my pet peeves for books! It upsets my reading patterns! I am planning to talk about this a little more in my Sunday Salon post tomorrow. Unfortunately, my next read is also from an author who doesn't seem to like chapter breaks either!

Want to know more about the Hop. Here's some information, but for all the details head on over to Crazy-for-Books.com.

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new book-related blogs that we may be missing out on!  This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!  It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!  So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list !!

Teaser Tuesday: The Passage by Justin Cronin

I ended up inadvertently having a couple of blogging free days over the weekend. Suddenly had a lack of inspiration, but I already have ideas for my weekend posts so maybe I just need a mini break or something. Of course, the lack of blogging time could be directly related to the fact that I wasn't home much.

Last week I shared the opening lines of The Passage by Justin Cronin for the Book Beginnings on Friday meme. I did get to read for awhile, but I am still reading it, so I thought that I would share more from the book for Teaser Tuesday. So far, I am enjoying this book a lot. One of the things that I am finding though is that as soon as I think I have figured out what is going on, then something changes. That's not a bad thing, just an observation.

My teaser comes from page 246:

When daybreak found him he would be no more. Amy, he thought as the stars began to fall, everywhere and all around; and he tried to fill his mind with just her name, his daughter's name, to help him from his life.

Amy, Amy, Amy.

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading. Head on over to find out all about it, and how to join in!

Currently Reading: The Passage by Justin Cronin

If you could nominate just one book as having been receiving a lot of hype over the last couple of months, then The Passage would have to be one of the books that comes to mind.

I had the book requested when I started hearing about it, and was number 1 on the list. When I picked it up from the library, there was noone after me, so I was thinking that I might even be able to extend it, however when I checked the catalogue the other day I realise that there are now more than 20 people in the queue behind me, so no extensions.

Becky from Page Turners hosts the meme Book Beginnings on Friday, where the idea is that you share the first sentence of your current read. I have been meaning to join in for the last few weeks, but this really seemed liked the perfect time to join in. So here are the opening sentences of The Passage:

Before she became the Girl from Nowhere - the One Who Walked In, the First and Last and Only, who lived a thousand years - she was just a little girl in Iowa, named Amy. Amy Harper Belafonte.

In addition, here is a video of Justin Cronin talking about writing The Passage: