TooManyBooksTooLittleTime

BkClubCare

Run Towards the Danger | Sarah Polley

Library book!! #nonfic #toomanybookstoolittletime

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squirrelbrain

Hello Beautiful | Ann Napolitano

Today‘s #litsytob24 bracket has another runaway winner!

Hello Beautiful gained 16 votes, with only 3 (Ruth, Holly and Debra)voting for Lovesick Blossoms. Personally I liked both of these books, but we had to pick just one, didn‘t we?! How difficult a decision was it for you?

We put these two books together due to their portrayal of entangled relationships - how do you think each book dealt with this theme?

Megabooks, BarbaraBB

squirrelbrain @Jas16 @Bookpearl @Bookwormjillk @AmyG @Deblovestoread @kwmg40 @Sarahbarnes @Hooked_on_Books @suet624 @BkClubCare @decalino @Ruthiella @Karisimo 9mo

squirrelbrain Karisimo

@Chelsea.Poole @Well-readNeck @cariashley @KarenUK @merelybookish @kitta @Kristy_K @MicheleinPhilly @leniverse @ReaderAnn @Catlass007 @Larkken @fredthemoose 9mo

Megabooks It was no question for me that Hello Beautiful was a better book. I think Lovesick really missed some opportunities to develop excellent secondary characters. Plus, I was just more moved emotionally by HB. 9mo

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Chelsea.Poole I also liked both of these but I had much more of an emotional reaction to Hello Beautiful so it got my vote. Lovesick Blossoms was also memorable for me. Well done to the hosts for pairing these two with “entangled relationships“. Hello Beautiful's entanglement was a bit more morally questionable for me, and the characters in Lovesick Blossoms had few choices due to the time and place they lived. 9mo

AmyG I haven‘t read Lovesick Blossoms. Hello Beautiful was my favorite book of last year. Oh how I love a good, damaged character and a dysfunctional family….and HB had it all. 9mo

fredthemoose I also enjoyed both of these, but also give Hello, Beautiful the edge. My reactions to LB were more about the restrictions based on the time and place the characters were in where for HB it was more about the choices they made and the family and interpersonal dynamics in play. 9mo

Ruthiella I am an outlier. I didn‘t believe any character‘s motivation in HB, so I was never invested emotionally. Lovesick Blossoms was a simpler story, but it at least rang true for me. 9mo

Deblovestoread I liked both books with Lovesick Blossoms getting the edge due to memorability. It stuck with me a bit longer than HB did. 9mo

Bookwormjillk I didn‘t get to LB but I really loved HB so happy to see it moving on. 9mo

BkClubCare @Bookwormjillk - Same 🙋‍♀️ I absolutely loved Hello Beautiful but didn‘t get to Lovesick Blosssoms - so many not available in time or not at all from the library. 😢 9mo

Bookwormjillk @BkClubCare same! I‘m waiting to see what makes it to the next round before I buy anything. 9mo

BarbaraBB I was underwhelmed by LS and loved HB so this was my easiest choice of all brackets! 9mo

squirrelbrain That‘s a great way of looking at it @chelsea.poole - thank you! 9mo

squirrelbrain It‘s interesting @Ruthiella @Deblovestoread - reading these comments I can actually recall LB more easily than HB, even though I voted for HB and it made my best of 2023. 🤷‍♀️ I wonder if it‘s because of the simpler storyline? 🤔 9mo

squirrelbrain @AmyG @Bookwormjillk @BkClubCare - do you think you‘ll read Lovesick Blossoms in the future after seeing reviews on here? Or is it a case of #toomanybookstoolittletime?! 9mo

squirrelbrain @fredthemoose - I agree - I loved all of the different interpersonal dynamics in Hello Beautiful, and also you never knew what was coming next, whereas LB was a bit more predictable, probably because of the social limits, as you point out. 9mo

AmyG @squirrelbrain Honestly, probably not. I have so many other books to read. 9mo

BkClubCare @squirrelbrain - I have it requested from the library so we will have to wait and see. If it comes as an ebook,yes, I will sample and see if I am hooked. If I see it FREE anywhere (like in a LFL or a friend offers, likely a YES) (edited) 9mo

squirrelbrain Yes, I think it‘s a #borrownotbuy @BkClubCare and I don‘t blame you! @AmyG 9mo

fredthemoose @squirrelbrain I‘m having the same experience! I read LB more recently, and it was a simpler and more predictable story, but it‘s definitely much clearer in my mind than HB. 9mo

Bookwormjillk @squirrelbrain I agree with @BkClubCare 9mo

Hooked_on_books I really liked both these books, so this was a hard choice for me. I read HB back in the early fall and loved it, but it hasn‘t stuck with me much. I thought LB was such a sweet story and its simplicity made it really beautiful. I figured it would likely be the underdog and wanted to give it my support. 9mo

squirrelbrain A great description for LB, @Hooked_on_books - sweet and simple! 9mo

kwmg40 I'm about halfway through HB and enjoying it. I've not gotten around to reading LB yet. 8mo

65 likes24 comments

BarbaraBB

Mercury Pictures Presents: A Novel | Anthony Marra

bailed

I am not going to finish this one. It is so long and it feels as if I‘ve read this story a thousand times before. I am being very critical about what I‘ve been reading lately. I am reading a lot but nothing really memorable. I think I should take a break from contemporary American/English fiction for a while but I probably can‘t! #ToB23

Megabooks, Hooked_on_books, Cinfhen, MicheleinPhilly, Aimeesue, merelybookish, batsy, Chelsea.Poole, squirrelbrain, Addison_Reads, Ruthiella, sarahbarnes

BarbaraBB #Pop23 #SetInHollywood @AshleyHoss820 @RaeLovesToRead @KarenUK @Cortg @squirrelbrain @kelly_the_bookish_sidekick @Misshel @ruthiella 2y

sarahbarnes Ugh. I haven‘t been able to motivate myself to read this one. I‘m sorry about the lackluster reading lately. 2y

Cinfhen Another great photo 🤩I totally understand your #ReadingFrustration 2y

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Jas16 Oh no! This is my TOB book! I, too, haven‘t been loving what I‘ve been reading lately so maybe I will put off picking this up for a week or two. 2y

BarbaraBB @sarahbarnes @Jas16 I can understand why you‘d put it off but many people did enjoy it so you can just ignore me too if you want 😊 2y

merelybookish Maybe time to read a #1001 or #nyrb selection. I get jaded if I read too much contemporary fiction too. Helps to mix in some other eras! And the general consensus seems to be that this year's #tob short list is kinda uninspired. 2y

batsy I have zero motivation to read this one, too. And I concur about getting jaded with contemporary American litfic. I've been reading Plato's dialogues as a cure 😆 And like with Die, My Love there's always something unexpected to be found amidst translated works. 2y

Cortg I can get bored with books if I don‘t mix it up. I need to read different genres, authors, etc. 2y

jlhammar I support your choice! With all of the ToB books I have remaining, including this one, my plan is to be kind of ruthless. If I feel early on that it will be a so-so at most, I‘m bailing. 2y

Megabooks I know we‘ve been talking about this, and it‘s funny that we‘re all going in different directions to read new books. @Cinfhen is reading romance, you had some books in translation and speculative fiction I think, and I‘m reading business books about the entertainment industry. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️ I did start this though. I like that it‘s set in Asia rather that the US/Europe. Thanks for sending it, B!

Burnt Shadows: A Novel

squirrelbrain We should all bail more - it‘s good for us! #toomanybookstoolittletime 2y

BookwormM Oh no I have an ARC of this 2y

Ruthiella Agree with everyone who says to put it aside and read what excites you now. Maybe a few months or even years down the line it will be the right book at the right time. I think we‘re all suffering from TOB fatigue this year. 2y

Hooked_on_books It‘s always good to shake up your reading so things don‘t get stale. And you‘re missing nothing by bailing on this one. There are some wonderful chapters in it, but overall I thought it was a missed opportunity. 2y

BarbaraBB @merelybookish @batsy @Cortg You are so right. I mostly combine them with translated lit, NYRB, classic 1001books and Persephone. Now however with the ToB shortlist I kept reading the same kind of books and I should have known better! (edited) 2y

BarbaraBB @batsy So happy about Die, My Love ❤️❤️ 2y

BarbaraBB @jlhammar @squirrelbrain @Ruthiella I wanted to read and love all of the shortlist but I just don‘t. Thanks for the support! 2y

BarbaraBB @Megabooks Yes! We are making different choices! And will definitely find eachother again. Speculative books are really my jam right now and I hope you‘ll love the Shamsie beside the entertainment business books 😉I really enjoyed it! 2y

Chelsea.Poole Uh oh. This is one of the 3 I have left and I just checked out the audio. I‘m going in with lower expectations. 😬 2y

BarbaraBB @Chelsea.Poole I hope it is just my mood and that you‘ll enjoy it! 2y

Suet624 @Ruthiella ‘TOB fatigue‘ is exactly how I‘m feeling this year. It‘s a bummer. 2y

kwmg40 That's too bad. I've seen mixed reviews of this book, so I've been holding off, but I did love a couple of Marra's earlier books. 2y

BarbaraBB @kwmg40 Me too but this one apparently is less good than both others. 2y

78 likes23 comments

Cinfhen

Maame | Jessica George

so-so

#UnpopularOpinion I really wanted to love this book but too much of it felt fabricated - A contemporary story of Maddie, a 25 yr old British girl born to Ghanaian parents. Maddie‘s father suffers from Parkinson‘s and she‘s his main caregiver leaving little time for herself & her own pleasures. A story of growing up, familia love, grief, acceptance and self love. Good for a debut but overall lackluster. #NetGalley #CoverCrush

Cinfhen #NewIn2023 #52Books23 @bookbelle84 @librarybelle @maclean4 @read4life @ravenlee @larareads @triplem80 @smarkies @bluebird @DebbieGrillo @Deblovestoread @ashleyhoss820 @barbarabb @jenniferw88 @squirrelbrain @karenuk @leerharry @carolynm @azulaco @Lizpixie 2y

Librarybelle I too have #covercrush with this one! 2y

Cinfhen I admit the cover @Librarybelle definitely added to my higher expectations 😄 2y

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squirrelbrain Hmmm, I‘ll probably skip this one. 2y

LaraReads Yes to that cover crush 🙌🏻 and to your flowers! Gorgeous as always! 💐 2y

Cinfhen Thanks @LaraReads 💐 I think it‘s ok to skip this one @squirrelbrain or wait to #BorrowNotBuy 2y

ErikasMindfulShelf I loved this book. 2y

Cinfhen See @squirrelbrain you might want to reevaluate your decision @ErikasMindfulShelf loved it. I knew my opinion might be the odd one out 🫢 2y

squirrelbrain Hmmm Cindy but #toomanybookstoolittletime - even if I put it on the TBR it would probably languish there for a LONG time! @ErikasMindfulShelf 2y

Cinfhen TRUTH @squirrelbrain 2y

ErikasMindfulShelf Everyone has different taste. That‘s what I love about books. 2y

KarenUK It was picked as our Discover pick at work this month…. I have an arc, but surprise surprise haven‘t got to it yet! 💕 2y

Cinfhen I‘ve seen mostly glowing reviews so I‘m the outlier @KarenUK I think you‘ll root for Maame and find her endearing- it‘s a bit like Queenie ( which I also did not love) Did you read Queenie @ErikasMindfulShelf ??

Queenie

KarenUK I LOVED Queenie, so maybe this will be my jam! 💕 2y

Cinfhen Yeah @KarenUK I think it just might be 😘 2y

ErikasMindfulShelf I read Queenie and did not like it. 2y

Cinfhen Ha @ErikasMindfulShelf that‘s funny 😆 2y

93 likes2 stack adds17 comments

IamIamIam

The Regulators | Stephen King, Richard Bachman

Some books are set in a certain time and feel timeless. King's books feel like the movies MST3K would make fun of. I was 18 in 1996 and have ZERO recollection of Hee Haw having been on tv... I think this is one of the hardest things to get past with his writing. It's like talking to that one relative you had who peaked in 11th grade in 1972 and can't talk about anything else...

Booksblanketsandahotbeverage That is tough 😔 2y

Kappadeemom Welp, you didn‘t miss anything. Hee Haw was just as bad as it sounds 2y

IamIamIam @Kappadeemom 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Spectacular, Melanie!!!! 2y

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5feet.of.fury I getcha I saw your 2nd post first but that makes sense. 2y

CSeydel I was 21 in 1996 and I grew up watching Hee Haw 🤷🏻‍♀️ 2y

IamIamIam @CSeydel Maybe it was a regional thing? 2y

CSeydel Yeah - I‘m sure I watched it in syndication but it was definitely on some channel throughout the 80s 2y

IamIamIam @CSeydel I just looked it up on Google and that was definitely not something I remember!!! LOL, I did watch Laugh-In and I guess they're similar but Hee Haw is a bit more country? A bit is being nice, though... HAHA 2y

CSeydel Do you remember in the song Punk Rock Girl where he says the line about the girl dressing like Minnie Pearl? She was a regular on Hee Haw. Fun fact 😆 2y

CSeydel Oh yes. Hee Haw was EXTREMELY country 2y

IamIamIam @CSeydel HAHA, I do know who Minnie Pearl is and it makes sense that she was on Hee Haw!!! 😂 2y

Megabooks I‘m two years younger than you and I do remember Hee Haw, but I grew up in the South. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️ it‘s hard to write a timeless popular fiction book. I enjoy the throwbacks to childhood, but each reader is different. If you‘re not enjoying it, bail. #TooManyBooksTooLittleTime 💯💯 2y

IamIamIam @Megabooks 🤣🤣 Good call!! It's just that King gets me all riled up... we've got a sordid history!! I can skim it but I think I may have just grown out of his style and I need to realize that's okay!! Lol 2y

30 likes13 comments

Megabooks

Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan

pick

What a difference 5 years and a deeper dive into her backlist makes! I didn‘t care for this in 2017. I found it slow and maybe a bit dull. However, coming back after reading her other books, I can tell it was a passion project for her, which I appreciate. The small details of WWII Brooklyn and the tenderness in her portrayal of Anna just touches me.

This is not the best place to start with Egan, but it is a fine place my dive to end.

Cinfhen

Megabooks And yes those fall roses smell divine! 2y

jlhammar So glad you enjoyed it more this time around! 2y

BarbaraBB I admire you for giving it another chance. I don‘t have patience for that, always thinking #toomanybookstoolittletime 🤷🏻‍♀️ 2y

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Cinfhen Clever review!!! #Punny xx I didn‘t care for this book but I appreciate the way you chose to highlight the finer qualities - like @BarbaraBB it‘s hard for me to re-read books, especially ones I didn‘t really enjoy 2y

squirrelbrain Like @BarbaraBB and @Cinfhen I rarely re-read books, especially those I haven‘t enjoyed, but your comments, Meg, are making me re-think this attitude. But…. Too many books, too little time! 2y

Cathythoughts It is so interesting the difference time makes ! How we change. 2y

Megabooks @Cathythoughts that is so true. It feels like each year I have a different focus and things I enjoy. 2y

Megabooks @squirrelbrain @Cinfhen @BarbaraBB kind of like I said to Cathy, I feel like my reading tastes change a lot year-to-year and I do find myself rereading quite a bit sometimes. I originally wasn‘t going to reread this, but reading some of Egan‘s thoughts on this book made me change my mind. Sometimes I do find a reread worthwhile, even or sometimes especially when I didn‘t like it and I like some of the author‘s other books. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 2y

BarbaraBB @Megabooks You‘re a real scholar! 2y

100 likes9 comments

dariazeoli

Untitled | Untitled

Canine reaction to the human who spends more time adding to #MountTBR than scaling it.

#millie #toomanybookstoolittletime

Megabooks 💜💜💜 2y

50 likes1 comment

Caroline2

July, July: A Novel | Tim O'Brien

It‘s the 1st July Baby! Wooo! This is my over ambitious July & August TBR pile. Can‘t wait to jump into these over the summer! 😎 🍹 🌞 #mounttbr

Caroline2 @squirrelbrain Did we have Overstory on our buddyread list?? 🤔 2y

charl08 Looks good, have fun☀️ 2y

LeeRHarry Enjoy! The top two are firmly on my all time favourites list 😊 2y

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squirrelbrain Hmm, yes we did. At the moment though it‘s #toomanybookstoolittletime for me… let me know when you start it though and I‘ll see what I think! 2y

Caroline2 @squirrelbrain Yeah I thought you might have a lot on at the mo. Prob be a while till I get to it any ways. 😉 I‘ll keep ya posted. 👍 2y

Caroline2 @LeeRHarry good to know! 😃 👍 2y

Jeg I loved Overstory. Will be keen to hear what you think. 2y

Caroline2 @Jeg Oh good! I‘m hoping to get to it soon. 👍 2y

AllDebooks Ohhh great mix x 2y

88 likes9 comments

kspenmoll

Moon Tiger | Penelope Lively

#gratefulharvest #moon #day5

This book sits on a TBR shelf, forlorn. Love the cover. #toomanybookstoolittletime
Outside my window is a waxing crescent moon.

Eggs, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Awesome cover!! 3y

CarolynM It is a great cover. It's a great read too🙂 3y

Eggs Brilliant 💛📚🌔 3y

56 likes3 comments

DivineDiana

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue | V. E. Schwab

I have way too many borrowed books right now. Libraries, Libby, Hoopla, ebooks, audiobooks, book books! So, I forced myself to assess the situation, with the hope that I will not lose any of them to missing the deadline! This one is due back first, and it has a waitlist. So, giving it some priority. 🤞🏻#toomanybookstoolittletime

CollapsingLibrary I flew through this book! 3y

DivineDiana @PurrfectFeministPerspective Now that I am prioritizing it, so am I! 3y

BookBosomed1 Loved this book. Took me a couple of chapters to really get into it. I also prioritized it bc it was due back at the library. :) 3y

DivineDiana @BookBosomed1 Sometimes, that‘s all it takes! I am loving it too. ❤️ 3y

damselsgotballs This is the most enchantingly beautiful and amazing book I've ever read. I hope you enjoy it🍻📚 3y

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