I agree with Kathi, it depends on how it is presented. A lot of shallow, emotionally manipulative pieces of media that completely lack subtlety. I call it the "lifetime movie style", where every theme is like a bludgeon to the noggin.
A lot of the wildlife fiction books that were published in the 70's, 80's and 90's had this but it was done to make the reader empathize with animals and become supporters of conservation and animal welfare campaigns. Without them, the world would be in a worse state than it is now for animals if they didn't exist. I suspect most readers who object to Watership Down and Colin Dann's work is because they don't like being called out on the way they treat animals and the environment, not because of they were traumatized by it as a kid.
So fun to hear your thoughts about these worst reads experiences! I got to the end of A Court of Thorns and Roses and was so bored with most of it. I was not expecting that! I hope you have far fewer disappointments this year, Kathi! ❤
I am laughing on Merphy Napier because she is now reading the sequel. Seriously Sarah J Maas is not just a bad writer but also doesn’t not have a sense what racism is. She thinks because it’s fantasy it doesn’t matter how she represents. 🙄
@@NerdyKathi read Throne of Glass back at the day…. Before I realized what was the marketing….. fortunately I didn’t spend any money on it. Using a death of a person for marketing is extremely disgraceful. And then comes that she kills the only black character in book1 when she was asked she answered ignorant. Again: at that time I read in Hungarian and did not check her. 10 years ago or so. Acotar also when came out I read in (a borrowed book) because I don’t make opinions without knowing what is it. It’s incredibly bad I dare to say it’s worse because of the 1st person. I laughed when poor Merph’s friend put the sequel to read but I won’t spend money on her for sure and her numerous issues makes her worse than JK Rowling with the stand against the LGBTQ…
Good to see you in the garden Kathi. The cover of the Carolina Dunn book looked exactly like a Phryne Fisher book. I’ve forgotten which one. There’s not many books I DNF - I try to finish them ☹️ but I never keep these. They’re straight into the op shop bag. I do get cross if I’ve bought all the books in a series before reading one and then I hate them. Looking forward to the changes for this year xx
It was too nice a day to stay indoors. 😊 I have the Phryne Fisher books. I'll have to see if they reused the cover. Yes there's no point keeping books you've DNF'd. I might have to unhaul the Swan books. Thank you for watching. 🥰
Love your garden surrounds! Though it's a bit jarring when there's snow on the ground here in Virginia, US. 😂 I'm not afraid to DNF even very early in a book if it doesn't feel like my sort of thing--there are always (so so many) others to read!
Happy New Year! Trying vlogging and livestreams sounds like fun - appreciate how you always try new things. I love mysteries and want to read more this year. I like certain fantasy books but I think mystery is my favourite genre in that I am more forgiving of a middling mystery book than a middling fantasy book. Think it's because its usually much shorter and more of a page-turner on average.
Thank you so much Paromita.❤ Perhaps your tastes are changing? I know mine have. And I think it's natural to be less forgiving of a long middling book as it involves so much more of a time investment. Wishing you only great reads this year.
I totally agree about Murderbot. I DNF'd the series after book 2, but I should've done so after book 1. So forgettable and such a disappointment after all the praise I had seen online.
At this point I think I've seen more videos saying they dropped it than praising it. I'd like to know by someone that is articulate what they liked about it, but since 99% of booktubers don't do spoiler reviews I'll probably never know.
Yea! A visit from Kathi! Seeing your beautiful weather was a treat. We are expecting ice and snow tomorrow, which only happens once or twice a year here in Alabama. 🥶 I totally agree with you about Stevenson and McCall Smith. But, I really like Murderbot 🥰. I'm not familiar with the others in your garbage heap.🙂 My reading year was a productive one with 139 books, the most I've ever read! 54 of them were fantasy and 62 were mysteries. I DNF'd The Library At Mount Char by Hawkins and Silver Pigs by Davis (an historical mystery). I was very disappointed with Practical Magic by Hoffman. I look forward to your "top of the heap" video!!
Hello to sweet home Alabama! I love that film. 😊 Ah glad to hear I'm not alone on some books but we can't all like or dislike the same books. Wow you had an amazing year with only a few misses. I hope this year is even better for you.
Happy New Year to you! 🎉 Your garden reminds me of my garden in Southern California. It’s very pretty! If your introductions are any indication of your vlogs they will be great! 🤗
Happy New Year to you too! Thank you very much for your kind words regarding my garden. I hope the bushfires aren't near you and that you are safe. We'll see if the vlogs work out. I'm not so sure. 😂
Hi Kathi. Lovely to see you in your garden, I am in Northern England and it is freezing 🥶 I agree with you about the book Justice of Kings. I could not finish it and was very disappointed as I had looked forward to it so much.
I’m from Sydney! I always get jealous when I read about everyone’s cold, snowy, and cozy reads😅 I have All Systems Red on my TBR, so it’ll be interesting to see what I think.😊
Great Video Kathi thank you and a happy new Year to you too. I have read this year already two Louise Penny Books, The Brutal Telling, Bury your Dead and now I am at the Beginning of A Trick of the light, so Books 5 to 7 and i already had the feeling that Penny is starting preaching it was book 6 when I first had that feeling. You are the second book tuber in a short time who is saying that. Pat from the Channel Book chat with Pat had the same experience. I dont like preaching or lecturing in books too. Your Garden is lovely, only small critic on this video is the sound this time, I had to focus on you speaking, the background music this time was a little louder or you talking was quieter than usual but thats really just a minor "complaint". And I have to agree with another subscriber you are very polite and fair to all those "garbage":-) books.
Hi Michael! Ahh I should have realised the background music was too loud because I do speak much more quietly in the backyard as I'm self-conscious my neighbours can hear me. Thank you for letting me know. I hope that Penny drops some of the preaching in the future and that she goes back to more realistic plots. I didn't notice preaching in her earlier books myself. I always feel I'm too harsh on books I don't like though I try to be fair. Wishing you all the best in 2025. ❤️
I avoided Blake Crouch, Murderbot books, the McCall Smith ones, and Inspector Gamache books too, based on one read for each. Actually I could smell what to my mind was manufactured hype. Also you are a saint for your diplomacy and, I daresay, rampant politeness.
I actually disagree with you on Crouch and the Gamache books. I love many of their other books and don't think they are manufactured hype. I'm assuming you are being sarcastic about my diplomacy and 'rampant'? politeness, neither of which have been attributed to me before. 😊
@NerdyKathi I am not being sarcastic. I think you are particular in your critique. As for the two bookish series, what I meant was that there must have been a whiff of what bothered you later in the series, which put me off them in the first place. Unless you chalk them to coincidences. That too is fine by me.
Oh I'm sorry, it is hard to tell sometimes online. I appreciate that you think my critiques are particular. Hmm I honestly don't remember whiffs of preachiness from Penny before the last few books and I put my dislike of Snowbound down to it being an earlier book by an author I like.
@NerdyKathi Thanks for the replies. Have a nice day. Being on Goodreads for 11 years has nicely developed my 'read rage'. That's why I really appreciate your reviews.
Dear Kathi, i love yout videos, i started following you last year. If i may, i can suggest, in order to avoid all of this books that doesnt scratch the itch, to look for ratings in some app, and reviews. I use Goodreads, but i know that it can be misleading at times. For example i hated books that are 4.5 rated in the app, but, appart from that, i think it can help, save time and effort in books that doesnt deserve our eyes. Just saying, Greetings from south america
If it's on Amazon, I generally look at the read inside/look inside, if it's there and read the first few pages. If I find that the writing annoys me within the first few pages of the book then I most likely will not enjoy it. Date of publication is also an indicator, too, or when the writer started being published - the longer the author has been writing, or the older the book, the more I tend to like it but that isn't always the case as I'm not a fan of traditional classic books (in general - those published before 1910), and there have been some recent authors that I came across this year that have become favourites. I also look at the theme of the book as sometimes it's the theme that will get on my nerves, rather than bad writing, - in that case it's my tastes that are the problem, and not the book. I've also found that I prefer books from the 70's, 80's, 90's and early 2000's, but there are acceptions to the rule. One recent issue I've found is the use of AI in writing - since I got my kindle last year, I've found that there seems to be a lot of AI used to write books - if an author has suddenly had a load of books published the past 5 years, or is offering a lot of free kindle books and doesn't have a fantastic fiction profile, the chances are they've used AI somewhere.
You’ve just saved me from reading voyage of the damned! I thought it had an interesting premise too. I’m finding that frequently I’ll buy a “adult fantasy” or “adult sci fi” that just ends up being YA, with the same tropes and terrible writing. It is very frustrating. I have a soft spot for a court of thorns of roses even though the writing is terrible. The books get better as the series progresses. The latest book is written from the perspective of one of the sisters (Nesta) and it has a lot more depth and exploration of her character. It’s probably not worth suffering through the other 4 books in the series to get to that one though!
I always feel people should try out books even when I don't like them as we all have different tastes. And yes, I do not like being misled as to what a book is. I think I'll pass on ACOTAR series. I couldn't get through one let alone 4. 😂
I find it increasingly difficult to find good adult fantasy, too, due to YA, so I end up reading books from years ago. It's funny, though, since a lot of the classic fantasy do have teenagers and ten - twelve year olds, or people in their early 20's as their main character and I don't consider them to be YA (Shannara, most of Feist's Midkemia books, Juliet Marillier and a few others all have young characters as their main character so age of the characters doesn't seem to denote a YA book, so it must be the (usually) terrible writing, or themes that are included.)
@ Yes me too! I recently read the Dragonbone chair by tad williams. The main character is a 14 year old boy, but the book is very much high/ epic fantasy and he writes the main character in a way that relates to everyone. I wish new fantasy would go back to this style.
2024 Worst: Annie Bot (0 stars). 2025: Starts with 2 DNF's. Martha Wells: I've read The Fall of Ile-Rien Trilogy and Murderbot. I'm not a fan of her writing. Justice of Kings: top 5 trilogy of all time for me. Helena is the focus of the 3rd book.
Oh I'm sorry to hear 2025 started with DNfs. I don't think Annie Bot would be for me. I'm glad Justice of Kings worked for you. Hope your reading improves for the year.
The Justice of Kings landed on my most disappointing books list too. I just found the whole book 'okay'. I won't be continuing on with the trilogy since I'm not really all that interested in finding out what happens to these characters. It was lovely hearing your thoughts on why these books didn't work for you!
I also was disappointed in All Systems Red, just so underwritten that it was like reading about cardboard being moved around. I'll probably just read the Halo books if I want to continue to read about a "murderbot" lol.
I enjoyed most of the reads from last year - there was only one trilogy that I really hated and that was Naomi Novik's Scholomance Trilogy, but I hate YA as a genre in general as I've read too many 'bad' ones. I've had a difficult time getting into her work after she finished the Temeraire books. The only other book I didn't really enjoy was Echoes of the Runes by Christina Courtenay - it was OK for a romance book, but the author had this habit of avoiding confrontations with the antagonists which made the book a bit dull to read. My favourites of the year though were Marie Brennan's Lady Trent books and Heather Fawchett's Emily Wilde books. The rest were re-reads (or listens) of some of my favourite books, or ones that I liked but didn't stand out.
There's always going to be some misses with authors we like. I haven't read Novik myself as it seems her books are geared towards a younger audience. Thank you so much for sharing.
The Justice of Kings sequels were some of my biggest disappointments this year. The problems in the first just compound as they go on. It really needed some refinement and better characterization.
Murderbot…I enjoyed it, but I listened to it and I think that made a huge difference. I doubt I would have enjoyed it nearly as much if I’d read it. Number One Ladies Detective…I’ve always wondered about the white man using a black African woman as his main character as well. It has always felt a bit exploitive to me. I read a couple but just didn’t take to them. I gave up on thrillers because I became very uncomfortable with the level of violence against women and children. It just seemed too many authors rather reveled in gruesome torture, and I have to wonder about us that enjoy reading things like that. That, and how many times can our main character be hit over the head and not suffer traumatic brain injury? I think my worst book of the year was Empire of Silence…just so mediocre. I really don’t get the enthusiasm for it. Fine for a debut, but overall just very average, some very awkward clunky ways of moving the plot forward. I really enjoyed this video, being outside with the sound of the birds, and seeing the lovely garden. A nice break from winter here.
It sounds like we have similar tastes. I prefer mysteries to thrillers myself and Empire of Silence is one I'm going to read later in the year. I want to see if I will like it. Thank you for sharing and I'm glad you enjoyed the video. 😊
Justice of Kings is interesting. It’s a booktuber favorite, not yet read so I will try. The rest, what I read of them not a surprise. Hm… Blake Crouch is a hit or miss by experience. Dark Matter is pretty annoying.
@@NerdyKathi in Dark Matter I agree with Daniel Greene. It was a “dumb for the plot” issue. A genius character who makes several choices only for the plot is very annoying. Also (supposedly) he makes everything for love yet he doesn’t hesitate to cheat or be tempted.
I will absolutely DNF a book if there’s a scene of animal cruelty. 🙅♀️
Hmm. For me I think it will depend on why it was included in the book.
I agree with Kathi, it depends on how it is presented. A lot of shallow, emotionally manipulative pieces of media that completely lack subtlety. I call it the "lifetime movie style", where every theme is like a bludgeon to the noggin.
Yes I agree with this.
A lot of the wildlife fiction books that were published in the 70's, 80's and 90's had this but it was done to make the reader empathize with animals and become supporters of conservation and animal welfare campaigns. Without them, the world would be in a worse state than it is now for animals if they didn't exist. I suspect most readers who object to Watership Down and Colin Dann's work is because they don't like being called out on the way they treat animals and the environment, not because of they were traumatized by it as a kid.
We have changed significantly in how we view and treat animals.
So fun to hear your thoughts about these worst reads experiences! I got to the end of A Court of Thorns and Roses and was so bored with most of it. I was not expecting that! I hope you have far fewer disappointments this year, Kathi! ❤
Thank you Johanna. ❤ In truth I was only trying out ACOTAR. You are much more forbearing than I am.
Here's to us having great reads this year.
I am laughing on Merphy Napier because she is now reading the sequel. Seriously Sarah J Maas is not just a bad writer but also doesn’t not have a sense what racism is. She thinks because it’s fantasy it doesn’t matter how she represents. 🙄
You've read them? Good for you. 😊
@@NerdyKathi read Throne of Glass back at the day…. Before I realized what was the marketing….. fortunately I didn’t spend any money on it. Using a death of a person for marketing is extremely disgraceful. And then comes that she kills the only black character in book1 when she was asked she answered ignorant. Again: at that time I read in Hungarian and did not check her. 10 years ago or so. Acotar also when came out I read in (a borrowed book) because I don’t make opinions without knowing what is it. It’s incredibly bad I dare to say it’s worse because of the 1st person. I laughed when poor Merph’s friend put the sequel to read but I won’t spend money on her for sure and her numerous issues makes her worse than JK Rowling with the stand against the LGBTQ…
Good to see you in the garden Kathi. The cover of the Carolina Dunn book looked exactly like a Phryne Fisher book. I’ve forgotten which one. There’s not many books I DNF - I try to finish them ☹️ but I never keep these. They’re straight into the op shop bag. I do get cross if I’ve bought all the books in a series before reading one and then I hate them. Looking forward to the changes for this year xx
It was too nice a day to stay indoors. 😊
I have the Phryne Fisher books. I'll have to see if they reused the cover.
Yes there's no point keeping books you've DNF'd. I might have to unhaul the Swan books.
Thank you for watching. 🥰
Love your garden surrounds! Though it's a bit jarring when there's snow on the ground here in Virginia, US. 😂 I'm not afraid to DNF even very early in a book if it doesn't feel like my sort of thing--there are always (so so many) others to read!
Thank you, and I know what you mean as it feels that way when I watch videos from the northern hemisphere. 😊
Yes I need to get better at DNF'g a book.
@@NerdyKathi It's not easy, especially when you have hope that it will get better!
Happy New Year!
Trying vlogging and livestreams sounds like fun - appreciate how you always try new things.
I love mysteries and want to read more this year. I like certain fantasy books but I think mystery is my favourite genre in that I am more forgiving of a middling mystery book than a middling fantasy book. Think it's because its usually much shorter and more of a page-turner on average.
Thank you so much Paromita.❤
Perhaps your tastes are changing? I know mine have. And I think it's natural to be less forgiving of a long middling book as it involves so much more of a time investment.
Wishing you only great reads this year.
I totally agree about Murderbot. I DNF'd the series after book 2, but I should've done so after book 1. So forgettable and such a disappointment after all the praise I had seen online.
@@Coleton2573 Same story with Murderbot!
Yes exactly. I expected or hoped for much more.
At this point I think I've seen more videos saying they dropped it than praising it. I'd like to know by someone that is articulate what they liked about it, but since 99% of booktubers don't do spoiler reviews I'll probably never know.
I personally don't feel I should review a book if I haven't finished it. I'm sure there are some reviews out there that touch on spoilers.
@Johanna_reads Midbot!
Yea! A visit from Kathi! Seeing your beautiful weather was a treat. We are expecting ice and snow tomorrow, which only happens once or twice a year here in Alabama. 🥶
I totally agree with you about Stevenson and McCall Smith. But, I really like Murderbot 🥰. I'm not familiar with the others in your garbage heap.🙂
My reading year was a productive one with 139 books, the most I've ever read! 54 of them were fantasy and 62 were mysteries. I DNF'd The Library At Mount Char by Hawkins and Silver Pigs by Davis (an historical mystery). I was very disappointed with Practical Magic by Hoffman.
I look forward to your "top of the heap" video!!
Hello to sweet home Alabama! I love that film. 😊
Ah glad to hear I'm not alone on some books but we can't all like or dislike the same books.
Wow you had an amazing year with only a few misses. I hope this year is even better for you.
Happy new year to you too :)
Same to you!
Happy New Year to you! 🎉
Your garden reminds me of my garden in Southern California. It’s very pretty!
If your introductions are any indication of your vlogs they will be great! 🤗
Happy New Year to you too! Thank you very much for your kind words regarding my garden. I hope the bushfires aren't near you and that you are safe.
We'll see if the vlogs work out. I'm not so sure. 😂
How exciting to hear about vlogs and live videos in the future.
Let's hope they work out. 😂
Hi Kathi. Lovely to see you in your garden, I am in Northern England and it is freezing 🥶 I agree with you about the book Justice of Kings. I could not finish it and was very disappointed as I had looked forward to it so much.
I've always enjoyed seeing summer videos when we are in winter.
I'm glad it wasn't only me with A Justice of Kings.
Happy reading, and keep warm.
I’m from Sydney! I always get jealous when I read about everyone’s cold, snowy, and cozy reads😅 I have All Systems Red on my TBR, so it’ll be interesting to see what I think.😊
Hello! I know what you mean about snow, but I'll take summer right now. 😊
I hope you enjoy All Systems Red more than I did.
Great Video Kathi thank you and a happy new Year to you too. I have read this year already two Louise Penny Books, The Brutal Telling, Bury your Dead and now I am at the Beginning of A Trick of the light, so Books 5 to 7 and i already had the feeling that Penny is starting preaching it was book 6 when I first had that feeling. You are the second book tuber in a short time who is saying that. Pat from the Channel Book chat with Pat had the same experience. I dont like preaching or lecturing in books too. Your Garden is lovely, only small critic on this video is the sound this time, I had to focus on you speaking, the background music this time was a little louder or you talking was quieter than usual but thats really just a minor "complaint". And I have to agree with another subscriber you are very polite and fair to all those "garbage":-) books.
Hi Michael! Ahh I should have realised the background music was too loud because I do speak much more quietly in the backyard as I'm self-conscious my neighbours can hear me. Thank you for letting me know.
I hope that Penny drops some of the preaching in the future and that she goes back to more realistic plots. I didn't notice preaching in her earlier books myself.
I always feel I'm too harsh on books I don't like though I try to be fair.
Wishing you all the best in 2025. ❤️
Is this the first time you're filming in your garden? It looks beautiful! And it's very well shot, looks very professional
Thank you very much for the compliment. No I've filmed in my garden before but I'm an amateur. I have a great camera though. 😊
what a pleasant unintentional ASMR worst books of the year video 😅
Thank you. 😊 I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I avoided Blake Crouch, Murderbot books, the McCall Smith ones, and Inspector Gamache books too, based on one read for each. Actually I could smell what to my mind was manufactured hype. Also you are a saint for your diplomacy and, I daresay, rampant politeness.
I actually disagree with you on Crouch and the Gamache books. I love many of their other books and don't think they are manufactured hype.
I'm assuming you are being sarcastic about my diplomacy and 'rampant'? politeness, neither of which have been attributed to me before. 😊
@NerdyKathi I am not being sarcastic. I think you are particular in your critique. As for the two bookish series, what I meant was that there must have been a whiff of what bothered you later in the series, which put me off them in the first place. Unless you chalk them to coincidences. That too is fine by me.
Oh I'm sorry, it is hard to tell sometimes online. I appreciate that you think my critiques are particular. Hmm I honestly don't remember whiffs of preachiness from Penny before the last few books and I put my dislike of Snowbound down to it being an earlier book by an author I like.
@NerdyKathi Thanks for the replies. Have a nice day. Being on Goodreads for 11 years has nicely developed my 'read rage'. That's why I really appreciate your reviews.
Dear Kathi, i love yout videos, i started following you last year. If i may, i can suggest, in order to avoid all of this books that doesnt scratch the itch, to look for ratings in some app, and reviews. I use Goodreads, but i know that it can be misleading at times. For example i hated books that are 4.5 rated in the app, but, appart from that, i think it can help, save time and effort in books that doesnt deserve our eyes. Just saying, Greetings from south america
If it's on Amazon, I generally look at the read inside/look inside, if it's there and read the first few pages. If I find that the writing annoys me within the first few pages of the book then I most likely will not enjoy it. Date of publication is also an indicator, too, or when the writer started being published - the longer the author has been writing, or the older the book, the more I tend to like it but that isn't always the case as I'm not a fan of traditional classic books (in general - those published before 1910), and there have been some recent authors that I came across this year that have become favourites. I also look at the theme of the book as sometimes it's the theme that will get on my nerves, rather than bad writing, - in that case it's my tastes that are the problem, and not the book. I've also found that I prefer books from the 70's, 80's, 90's and early 2000's, but there are acceptions to the rule. One recent issue I've found is the use of AI in writing - since I got my kindle last year, I've found that there seems to be a lot of AI used to write books - if an author has suddenly had a load of books published the past 5 years, or is offering a lot of free kindle books and doesn't have a fantastic fiction profile, the chances are they've used AI somewhere.
Thank you very much but I generally find my tastes are not similar to many reviews. I also like to try books out for myself.
You’ve just saved me from reading voyage of the damned! I thought it had an interesting premise too. I’m finding that frequently I’ll buy a “adult fantasy” or “adult sci fi” that just ends up being YA, with the same tropes and terrible writing. It is very frustrating.
I have a soft spot for a court of thorns of roses even though the writing is terrible. The books get better as the series progresses. The latest book is written from the perspective of one of the sisters (Nesta) and it has a lot more depth and exploration of her character. It’s probably not worth suffering through the other 4 books in the series to get to that one though!
I always feel people should try out books even when I don't like them as we all have different tastes. And yes, I do not like being misled as to what a book is.
I think I'll pass on ACOTAR series. I couldn't get through one let alone 4. 😂
I find it increasingly difficult to find good adult fantasy, too, due to YA, so I end up reading books from years ago. It's funny, though, since a lot of the classic fantasy do have teenagers and ten - twelve year olds, or people in their early 20's as their main character and I don't consider them to be YA (Shannara, most of Feist's Midkemia books, Juliet Marillier and a few others all have young characters as their main character so age of the characters doesn't seem to denote a YA book, so it must be the (usually) terrible writing, or themes that are included.)
@ Yes me too! I recently read the Dragonbone chair by tad williams. The main character is a 14 year old boy, but the book is very much high/ epic fantasy and he writes the main character in a way that relates to everyone. I wish new fantasy would go back to this style.
I agree that it's not the age of the characters that make a book YA but rather the writing and story.
I just finished re-reading it and yes, same here.
2024 Worst: Annie Bot (0 stars). 2025: Starts with 2 DNF's.
Martha Wells: I've read The Fall of Ile-Rien Trilogy and Murderbot. I'm not a fan of her writing.
Justice of Kings: top 5 trilogy of all time for me. Helena is the focus of the 3rd book.
Oh I'm sorry to hear 2025 started with DNfs. I don't think Annie Bot would be for me.
I'm glad Justice of Kings worked for you.
Hope your reading improves for the year.
The Justice of Kings landed on my most disappointing books list too. I just found the whole book 'okay'. I won't be continuing on with the trilogy since I'm not really all that interested in finding out what happens to these characters.
It was lovely hearing your thoughts on why these books didn't work for you!
Hi Marianne! 😊
Oh I haven't watched that video of yours yet. Glad Justice wasn't just a miss for me.
Thank you so much for your kind words.
I also was disappointed in All Systems Red, just so underwritten that it was like reading about cardboard being moved around. I'll probably just read the Halo books if I want to continue to read about a "murderbot" lol.
Cardboard is a good description. 😂
I enjoyed most of the reads from last year - there was only one trilogy that I really hated and that was Naomi Novik's Scholomance Trilogy, but I hate YA as a genre in general as I've read too many 'bad' ones. I've had a difficult time getting into her work after she finished the Temeraire books. The only other book I didn't really enjoy was Echoes of the Runes by Christina Courtenay - it was OK for a romance book, but the author had this habit of avoiding confrontations with the antagonists which made the book a bit dull to read. My favourites of the year though were Marie Brennan's Lady Trent books and Heather Fawchett's Emily Wilde books. The rest were re-reads (or listens) of some of my favourite books, or ones that I liked but didn't stand out.
There's always going to be some misses with authors we like. I haven't read Novik myself as it seems her books are geared towards a younger audience.
Thank you so much for sharing.
The Justice of Kings sequels were some of my biggest disappointments this year. The problems in the first just compound as they go on. It really needed some refinement and better characterization.
Wow really Matt? Okay then I'm definitely not reading them. 😂
Murderbot…I enjoyed it, but I listened to it and I think that made a huge difference. I doubt I would have enjoyed it nearly as much if I’d read it.
Number One Ladies Detective…I’ve always wondered about the white man using a black African woman as his main character as well. It has always felt a bit exploitive to me. I read a couple but just didn’t take to them.
I gave up on thrillers because I became very uncomfortable with the level of violence against women and children. It just seemed too many authors rather reveled in gruesome torture, and I have to wonder about us that enjoy reading things like that. That, and how many times can our main character be hit over the head and not suffer traumatic brain injury?
I think my worst book of the year was Empire of Silence…just so mediocre. I really don’t get the enthusiasm for it. Fine for a debut, but overall just very average, some very awkward clunky ways of moving the plot forward.
I really enjoyed this video, being outside with the sound of the birds, and seeing the lovely garden. A nice break from winter here.
It sounds like we have similar tastes. I prefer mysteries to thrillers myself and Empire of Silence is one I'm going to read later in the year. I want to see if I will like it.
Thank you for sharing and I'm glad you enjoyed the video. 😊
Justice of Kings is interesting. It’s a booktuber favorite, not yet read so I will try. The rest, what I read of them not a surprise. Hm… Blake Crouch is a hit or miss by experience. Dark Matter is pretty annoying.
I hope you enjoy Justice of Kings more than I did. I love Dark Matter but Snowbound was definitely a miss for me.
@@NerdyKathi in Dark Matter I agree with Daniel Greene. It was a “dumb for the plot” issue. A genius character who makes several choices only for the plot is very annoying. Also (supposedly) he makes everything for love yet he doesn’t hesitate to cheat or be tempted.
I disagree about the plot and it is unrealistic to expect a person not to be tempted, which is very different to cheating.
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