My IRL book club met this past Friday to discuss February’s book, which was BOOK LOVERS by Emily Henry. We met a week later than normal and on a different day of the week so there were only 9 of us that met. Here are some highlights of our discussion:
There was a pretty even split between who loved and liked it vs. who disliked it.
I was the only one who rated it 5 stars. There were a few 4 stars, two 3 stars, and several 2 stars.
A couple people hated the characters.
A couple people felt like the story was too unbelievable.
One person loved the banter at first, but then felt it got old.
A couple people felt the characters got physical way too quickly.
One person hated Nora’s constant reminder that the events in the book were reminiscent of tropes.
Those of us who loved / liked it enjoyed the banter and sexual tension. We also loved the characters, especially Charlie.
Even though BOOK LOVERS is a contemporary romance, it still garnered a pretty good discussion. We often talked over each other trying to get all our thoughts out. We had a pretty lively discussion about sex in books and what everyone’s comfort levels are. I shared how I rate sexual content in my reviews and a few people really appreciated it, but a few others were annoyed by it.
Next month’s book is BEARTOWN by Fredrik Backman. I’m looking forward to reading it. I’ve only read one Backman, ANXIOUS PEOPLE, but it was one of my two favorite reads in 2022. Hopefully, I’ll love BEARTOWN just as much.
Have you read BOOK LOVERS? If so, what do you think about my book club’s discussion?
https://i0.wp.com/jennielyse.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/bookclub2-sq.png?fit=919%2C918&ssl=1918919Jenni Elysehttps://jennielyse.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/logo_2024_black-1030x312.pngJenni Elyse2024-03-04 00:00:002024-07-19 12:45:37February 2024 Book Club
Sunday Post and Sunday Salon are blog news memes hosted at Caffeinated Reviewer and Reader Buzz, respectively. It’s a chance to share news, recap the past week on your blog, andshowcase books and other things.
Feeling
I’m feeling less meh this week. I went to lunch with Corey during the week and we went to the movies a couple of times. I also hung out with my friend on Monday and attended book club on Friday.
I finished reading THIS SPELLS LOVE by Kate Robb and I also read DATING DR. DIL by Nisha Sharma. My reviews will be posting soon.
I listened to about 30 minutes of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO audiobook while I was driving this week. At this rate, I won’t finish it until the end of next year, lol.
Listening
Since I’ve been watching PRETTY LITTLE LIARS and I’ve listened to the opening song a lot lately, I thought I’d share it with you this week. It’s very short, but I still like the song.
Watching
Corey and I saw the new Dune movie in the theater twice this week. The first time was on Thursday and the second time was with some friends on Saturday. I loved the first Dune movie. I thought it was a really good adaptation. I think the new one is a fantastic movie by itself AND it pissed me off, lol. For those of you who don’t know, DUNE is my all-time favorite book. It has been since I was 17 so the movies had a lot to live up to. I really disliked how much they changed Chani’s character and I disliked what they did to the ending. I’m pretty sure Denis Villeneuve did it the way he did because he wants to make a third movie that follows part or all of DUNE MESSIAH. I’m okay if he makes another one. I just wish he would’ve finished the first book first before going into the next story.
Loving
I love Starbucks’ venti decaf iced lattes with vanilla syrup. I discovered these about six months ago. Before then, I didn’t drink coffee. Now, I’m obsessed. Whenever I need a pick-me-up emotionally, I can count on my coffee order to lift my spirits.
Wanting
I want to grow my hair out. I’ve had it in a pixie cut for most of my adult life. I’ve decided I want to grow it out to my shoulders at least. Right now, however, my hair is in that unmanageable phase when you grow it out. I’m trying to resist the urge to chop it off so I don’t look like a shagged dog anymore.
Needing
I need to remind you that my friend Suey’s hosting a FAIRY TALE read-along this month. Check out her post on TheStoryGraph.
February has been another awesome reading month. I read six books, which is the most books I’ve read in a single month since January 2022. Three of those six books were read in the last week–totally unheard of for me. I guess I needed to make up for not being able to read read while I was dizzy and nauseated because of my mega sinus infection.
My favorite book this month was THIS SPELLS LOVE by Kate Robb. I didn’t really have a least favorite book this month.
I participated (via chat) in my friend Suey’s live book discussion about 5-star reads on Sunday. She and her daughter Tori talked about why they rate books with 5 stars. It was really interesting.
In the chat, I said I reserve 5 stars for books I consider my favorites. Suey, Tori, and other chat members then said they don’t necessarily rate their favorite books with 5 stars. Because of that comment, I feel like I need to go into more detail by what I mean by a book being my favorite. My favorite books are books:
I want to reread every few years,
I couldn’t put down,
I wanted to last forever,
I wish I could read again for the first time, and
I’ll rush out and buy (and may have more that one edition in my library).
All other books I read get another rating. This includes books I love but something doesn’t resonate with me in some way. I have recently started giving half-star ratings to some books because I couldn’t decide where the book fit. Here’s the breakdown of my ratings:
In the chat, I also mentioned that I’ve ranked my 5-star reads and people were a bit surprised by that information. Am I the only one who does this? I’m really curious, lol. If you’d like to see what my favorites books are and how I rank them, click here.
What about you? What kinds of books get 5-star ratings from you?
Tonight, I finished reading THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins. It’s the first book in the The Hunger Games trilogy. The sequels haven’t been written yet. CATCHING FIRE, the next book in the trilogy, is due to be released in September 2009.
I started reading THE HUNGER GAMES yesterday and I finished this evening. I literally couldn’t put the book down, except when I went to bed, which Corey insisted I do, and to go to Church today. (I almost felt like I was reading TWILIGHT for the first time again with how enthralled I was with the story. And, knowing me, you know that’s huge!)
The story’s about a 16-year-old girl, Katniss Everdeen, who lives with her mom and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts rebelled against the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send two tributes, one boy and one girl, to appear in an annual televised event called the Hunger Games. The terrain, rules, and level of gamekeeper participation may change, but one thing’s always the same year after year, kill or be killed. When Katniss’ sister is chosen by lottery as one of the tributes, she volunteers to go in her place.
The story’s so compelling. Katniss is strong and likable. There’s tons of suspense and a little bit of romance. There’s just enough hope and compassion to balance the horror and barbarism. Honestly, I’m not sure how I’m going to survive the wait between now and September. I really want to know what’s going to happen. Collins has done an excellent job of setting up for the next novel. And, there’s a love triangle that could be brewing!
I don’t know why I get involved in these stories before the series is finished!
Catching Fire: September 6, 2009
Tonight, I finished reading CATCHING FIRE by Suzanne Collins. It’s the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy. The third book in the trilogy hasn’t been written yet. It’s tentatively scheduled to be released in 2010, probably around September since that’s the month THE HUNGER GAMES and CATCHING FIRE were both released in.
I actually started reading CATCHING FIRE this morning and finished reading it about two hours ago. Just like THE HUNGER GAMES, I couldn’t put CATCHING FIRE down and it has earned a place on my Favorites shelf.
I’m not going to write a synopsis of the story because it will give too much away about THE HUNGER GAMES if you haven’t read it already. Suzanne Collins is a master with imagery and character development. It makes the story seem so real. You can’t help feeling sorry for the residents of Panem, a post-apocalyptic North America, because of the oppression from the Capitol. However, because the themes do seem a little barbaric, she puts in just enough hope, compassion, and romance to balance the story.
I really enjoy the deeper, more adult, themes this series presents. It doesn’t seem like a mindless read because of the implications and horror caused by the Capitol in the ways they oppress the residents of Panem. It’s almost like the world created in FAHRENHEIT 451, but told in a much more interesting manner and most of the people aren’t oblivious to the Capitol’s efforts to keep its residents in ignorance by oppression.
Anyway, there’s a part of me that wishes I hadn’t started this series until all the books were written. They’re so intense and it’s hard to wait in between each story. I want to know how the series is going to end. I want to know if the characters I care about will triumph over the Capitol and how much of a difference it will make if they succeed.
Mockingjay: August 30, 2010
Last night, I finished reading MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins. It’s the final book in The Hunger Games trilogy.
I’m not going to write a synopsis of the story because it will give too much away about THE HUNGER GAMES and CATCHING FIRE if you haven’t read them already. However, just like its predecessors, I couldn’t put MOCKINGJAY down. (I was forced to at a couple of points, even though I didn’t want to.) It has also earned a spot on my Favorites shelf.
I can’t believe I know the outcome of this series. I feel like I’ve been waiting for so long and to have it over feels kind of surreal. I’m glad I was able to savor my first read through of the story, even though I did know about a few spoilers.
I do have a lot of mixed feelings about MOCKINGJAY. I’m happy, sad, and a little disappointed. Yet, I’m actually quite satisfied with how the series ended. There are a few things I wish would’ve happened differently, mostly because I just didn’t want them to happen because it was too sad. I’m very glad I got to enjoy more time with some of the minor characters in the first two books. But, I also missed the interaction between a couple of the major characters, even though it was pertinent to the story. The ending felt a bit rushed to me because I wanted to experience the aftermath in more than just a few pages or paragraphs.
MOCKINGJAY felt different from its predecessors. It wasn’t necessarily a bad different; it was just different and it took some getting used to. The story is still an emotional roller coaster and it’s very intense. I savored the beauty and sweetness when it was there because of the brutality of the subject matter. I expected to cry more than I did, but I only cried at one point during the story. Overall, I’m very happy and I look forward to reading more books written by Suzanne Collins.
Reread Feelings
I’m so glad I decided to reread this trilogy again. I still adore it just as much as I did the first time I read each book. I watch the movies fairly often and I had forgotten how much they leave out. It was nice to remember characters and events that didn’t make it into the movies.
Each time I read the books, I appreciate the deeper, more adult themes a bit more. I realize the dystopia Suzanne Collins created isn’t that far off. I also appreciate MOCKINGJAY more with each reread or watch of the movies. I know a lot of readers were unhappy with Katniss and how the first two books affected her. Having recently gone through PTSD therapy, I think she behaved very believably. I’ve always been happy with the result of the love triangle. I, however, appreciate it more now than I did back then. I now understand her choice and why she made it rather than just being happy with who she chose.
What about you? Have you read The Hunger Games trilogy? If so, what did you think about it?
https://i0.wp.com/jennielyse.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/beforeiblogged-sq.png?fit=919%2C918&ssl=1918919Jenni Elysehttps://jennielyse.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/logo_2024_black-1030x312.pngJenni Elyse2024-02-26 00:00:002024-06-30 17:58:20Before I Blogged: The Hunger Games Trilogy
