Weekly check-in

Sunday, May 17, 2015 Permalink

That time of the week again—time to share my weekly reading and chat about life in general. I should also mention… life as a book blogger (even when it’s just a hobby) can be a bit lonely, so I enjoy participating in these weekly link-ups and appreciate the opportunity to engage with other equally obsessive like minded book bloggers.

What I read

I started the week with a bang, reading The Killing Lessons by Saul Black (in a night), as planned; and then Luckiest Girl Alive by Cosmopolitan / SELF editor Jessica Knoll.

LGA features one of the more unlikable characters I’ve come across in a while. And she’s not even psycho/sociopathic; just VERY class conscious in a world where I forget that stuff still exists. Fortunately Knoll intends for us to struggle with her lead character so the book delivers despite / because of that. The book’s out in early June so I’ll be blogging about it in a few weeks.

luckiest girl alive

Via Pan Macmillan

And finally I had to admit defeat again. First Hillary’s foray into foreign affairs (last week) and this week it’s Polly Samson’s The Kindness. I’d actually started this book a week or two ago and put it aside, thinking I needed a change in mindset, but after a second attempt I’m afraid it’s going on my DNF (did not finish) pile. It’s well-written, but I didn’t (or couldn’t?) engage with the characters and the plot was messy. I usually appreciate books written in multiple timeframes… however, I found I didn’t care enough to focus in this case. I think it’s a book for those whose reading proclivities centre more on the prose than the plot.

Via Bloomsbury

Via Bloomsbury

 

What I wrote

I reviewed Baby, It’s You by Joanne Tracey – a chick lit novel I loved. I’ve described its lead character as a more evolved and higher-functioning Bridget Jones and the book manages to touch on a heap of the author’s favourite things—music, food, travel, renovations, Melbourne and bucket lists.

I wrote about Trello, a new simple planning and project management which I’m using for my reading and reviewing. And I ended the week with my review of The Killing Lessons.

Other stuff I did

I saw the very beautiful award-winning Polish film, Ida at a local foreign film night. It was stunningly shot and the lead character (who’d never acted before) was ridiculously beautiful.

Unfortunately I failed to write / pitch any other articles for publication after my initial success but am determined I’ll do something this week.

What I’m reading this week

I’ve had a couple of new arrivals in the past two weeks. In addition to 2-3 ebooks I’ve got some great hard copies to look forward to.

books

In reading order… (And yes, I’ve already read the first two.)

Next on my agenda will be Julian Leatherdale’s Palace of Tears; and then Judy Blume’s In the Unlikely Event.

And that’s it from this not-so-little book blogger for this week.

What’s on your agenda for this week?

As usual I’m linking up with Sheila and the It’s Monday team (currently in hiatus) as well as the Caffeinated Book Reviewer for the Sunday Post. 

62 Comments
  • Stormi D Johnson
    May 17, 2015

    The Killing Lesson sounds great, so I put it on my list. 🙂 To bad you didn’t like that one book but it happens. Hope you enjoy those books you have coming up on our pile there. 🙂

    Stormi
    Week in Review

  • Bea @Bea's Book Nook
    May 17, 2015

    Not familiar with most of those but The Killing Lesson looks like it might be good. I hope you have a better reading week this week.

    • Debbish
      May 17, 2015

      I’m a big suspense / thriller fan Bea, so most of my reads sit in that genre. (And general literature too I guess.)

  • laurelrainsnow
    May 17, 2015

    Oh, I am envious of the new Judy Blume book…enjoy! I am also curious about Luckiest Girl Alive….enjoy your books and your week, and thanks for visiting my blog.

    • Debbish
      May 17, 2015

      Laurel, do you believe I’ve never read Judy Blume?! Looking forward to this one.

  • kimbacaffeinate
    May 17, 2015

    Until a few years ago I never DNF ‘d but now I do and I find I rarely have reading slumps now. Enjoy your new books and have a lovely week.

    • Debbish
      May 17, 2015

      I used to be the same and I’d put off my reading, but I’ve decided life’s too short. x

  • Greg
    May 17, 2015

    Glad it was a good reading week. Baby It’s You looks nice (even if it is chick lit LOL) and I hope she is successful with self publishing. Looks like it would make a good movie.

    Have a great weekend, and happy reading this week.

    • Debbish
      May 17, 2015

      It’d definitely make a great movie Greg. I’ve always wanted to be a screenwriter, perhaps I could offer to collaborate! 😉

  • Red Iza
    May 17, 2015

    Luckiest girl alive looks interesting, unlikable character included 🙂 I might read Baby it’s you, as an obsessive list-maker myself, lol ! Enjoy your new book haul 😉

    • Debbish
      May 17, 2015

      I could certainly relate to the list-making!!!!!

  • lizashaw334683818
    May 17, 2015

    Loving your taste in books, most of your upcoming books are on the to-read shelf.

  • Milka Reads
    May 17, 2015

    Oh, Ida is such a beautiful film! It has been a while since I saw it and I feel like I should watch it again – the first time around I watched it with a very academic focus (I was still a film undergrad at the time) and I feel like I probably missed something from the emotional side of the film.

    Have a good Sunday! 🙂

    • Debbish
      May 17, 2015

      It was beautiful. The staging of so many of the shots in the film was just stunning. (And the actress playing Ida – wow! We looked her up after to see what she looked like in colour!!!)

  • Michelle Weaver (@pinkypoinker)
    May 17, 2015

    I’m on the home run of my manuscript! Whoo hoo! About ten chapters left to write, so excited. The end is the easiest part!

    • Debbish
      May 17, 2015

      Oh well done. You make me feel quite guilty! x

  • shelleyrae @ Book'd Out
    May 17, 2015

    I Can’t wait to read In the Unlikely Event, I’ve always been such a huge fan of Judy Blume, though this novel is quite a departure from what may be expected from the author.

    Have a great week Deb.

    • Debbish
      May 17, 2015

      I haven’t read any of her work which I realise is a bit weird, but I like the sound of this new piece of adult fiction!

  • Elizabeth
    May 17, 2015

    I also appreciate having the weekly check in with the book world. Book blogging in a world where I live alone and none of my IRL friends read is definitely lonely sometimes!
    I’ve been thinking about Luckiest Girl Alive for a while. I can handle an unsympathetic character, if that’s part of the story, but I’ve read books with unsympathetic characters that the author doesn’t realize are jerks!
    Have a good week.
    Here’s My Week

    • Debbish
      May 17, 2015

      I’m really hoping the author realises this character was revolting cos otherwise I’ll have lost faith in humankind!!! She’s very materialistic, class conscious and a huge social climber. I’d be depressed if there were many people out there like her, though there may well be of course!

  • Grace @ Rebel Mommy Book Blog
    May 17, 2015

    I think it is great you know when to just DNF a book. I finally started to a year ago and it is so much better than suffering through book you don’t enjoy. Looks like you got some great books this week – Enjoy!

    • Debbish
      May 17, 2015

      True Grace. I love reading so much – having something put me off that (cos I dread opening the book) is a big mistake, but it took me a while to learn that!

  • Book Splurge
    May 17, 2015

    The Judy Blune book looks good. You have some great books, happy reading and have a great week.

  • yvonne473
    May 17, 2015

    Sorry you couldn’t get into The Kindness. It doesn’t sound like a book I’d be able to get into either. Baby It’s You sounds really good, though. Have a great week!

    • Debbish
      May 18, 2015

      Hi Yvonne and I did check some other reviews on Goodreads after my second attempt with the book and a lot of people felt similarly. (I checked as I wanted to make sure I wasn’t just in some belligerent frame of mind or something!!!)

  • fangswandsfairy
    May 18, 2015

    Ida sounds great! What a trailer. Sometimes after initial success it is hard to go on to the next step in freelance work. But if you persist it will be rewarding.
    My Sunday Post is: A Matter of Coincidence http://fangswandsandfairydust.com/2015/05/coincidence.html

    • Debbish
      May 18, 2015

      I should have acted on the freelancing thing last week while I was feeling excited and motivated… but I’ll make sure I do it this week so the momentum is not lost.

      And the trailer for Ida is very much indicative of the movie. Slow and stunning.

  • readerbuzz
    May 18, 2015

    I give up on anything that doesn’t prove reading-worthy. Life is short.

    Readerbuzz.blogspot.com

  • Rita @ View From My Home
    May 18, 2015

    The Killing Lessons is something I would certainly enjoy. I am into all kinds of suspense, thrillers, psychological fiction so looks good to me! Thanks so much for the tip about Trello; I just signed up 🙂 I am an old-school blogger.. most technology we have in place now came along well after I was middle-aged so I learn on the fly and spreadsheets are not something I care to learn after looking at it. Trello should suit me fine though.

    • Debbish
      May 18, 2015

      I’m enjoying using Trello Rita and – embarrassingly – I’ve even added house-related stuff to my General board. (Stuff like – vacuum, clean bathroom etc!) I love lists and this puts it all in one place!

  • Laura Thomas
    May 18, 2015

    The Killing Lessons and Time Of Death sound like some thrillers I’d enjoy. Wonderful mix of genres you got. Sorry that a couple didn’t work for you. I had one last week that I DNF. First time in a while. So glad it wasn’t one I had to review.

    My Sunday Post – http://fuonlyknew.com/2015/05/17/whats-new-on-my-bookshelf-109-and-the-sunday-post/

    • Debbish
      May 18, 2015

      I’m trying to expand my reading repertoire a bit Laura. I’m generally a die-hard thriller / suspense / crime fiction fan, who doesn’t mind a touch of (small L) literature, but am attempting to broaden my horizons! 😉

  • divabooknerd
    May 18, 2015

    The dreaded DNF. I have quite a few on my shelf sadly. I like to try to make it to around halfway through, but some books are just impossible to read that far and I figure why read something you’re not enjoying. This year has been great for books, especially young adult. So many emotional and poignant reads.

    Aww Deb, it’s never lonely being a book blogger, we have multiple groups you can join to chat about books. We have the Goodreads group for YA bloggers and readers https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/131300-australian-ya-bloggers-readers we also have a Facebook group too https://www.facebook.com/groups/856957937689414/ Every second Wednesday we have the #PTAchat on Twitter from 7:30pm, and on alternate weeks on Thursday’s, same time, we have #OzYAchat as well. We all read YA, but not exclusively. Some adult, some new adult, but we all love books. Join us <3 We'd love to see you on there more. Next time you're online, hit me up for a chat hun.

    • Debbish
      May 18, 2015

      Thanks for that! I don’t read much YA fiction but realise that genres rarely matter… it’s our love of reading and books we have in common. xxx

  • Trish @ Between My Lines
    May 18, 2015

    Luckiest Girl Alive sounds good, I kind of love unlikeable main characters as they intrigue me! And I’m so excited about the new Judy Blume book, I can’t wait to get my hands on it. I loved her back in the day 🙂

    • Debbish
      May 18, 2015

      I really struggled to engage with this character for much of the book Trish, but… a key part of the novel is finding out how she became the person she did. (The plot unfolds in two timelines and we also meet the lead character as a 14yr old!)

  • Melissa (My World...in words and pages)
    May 18, 2015

    Blogging and reading can be a bit on the lonely side. I agree. Looks like Ida is a beautiful and heartfelt movie. Wow. Thanks for sharing about it.

    Hope you have a great week!

    • Debbish
      May 18, 2015

      Thanks Melissa and you’re very welcome.

  • amyh90
    May 18, 2015

    Great post! I like the sound of “Luckiest Girl Alive”, look like it’d be worth keeping an eye out for. I’ve added it to my Goodreads page for now until I’ve got a bit more time to look into it 😀
    Have a great week!
    Amy x

    • Debbish
      May 18, 2015

      I think it’s out on 1 June here in Australia Amy, but I’m not sure about elsewhere. I hope you enjoy it if you track it down.

      Deb

  • Char
    May 18, 2015

    With that amount of books coming in regularly you must always be struggling for bookshelf space. Do you have regular clean-outs? I used to have issues before the Kindle and funnily enough it was Iven (who doesn’t read an enormous amount) who got all thingy about chucking out books. He wanted to keep stuff that we’d had for decades just in case he’d finally get around to reading them. Luckily he’s not home all the time and some of those books have, strangely, disappeared.

    • Debbish
      May 18, 2015

      Funnily enough Char I did a big rearrange yesterday and I think I’m going to have to cull. I got a new bookshelf last year sometime, but not they’re full again. I LOVE my books so hate the idea of getting rid of them—even if I’m not going to read them again. But space-wise another bookshelf is out of the question.

      Because I’m getting an increasing number of new and review copies—some of which I don’t want to hold on to—I’m thinking of looking for places to donate them locally. My mum takes some to the Op Shop she volunteers at, but I’m wondering about a women’s shelter or something. Will look into it. xx

  • Kathryn@Book Date
    May 18, 2015

    Sounds like a mixed reading week. I just couldn’t read a book where the plot doesn’t engage me, doesn’t matter how well written it is. All the best for the coming week.

  • Teddyree
    May 18, 2015

    Watched the trailer for Ida … I’d love to see it! Keen to see what you think of The Unlikely Event. Have a great week Deb!

    • Debbish
      May 18, 2015

      Yes… my first Judy Blume Teddyree!

      I think I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a particularly visual person but that movie REALLY made me appreciate its beauty. Of course being in black and white helped, but still…

  • Nyze
    May 18, 2015

    A pretty busy week you had 🙂 Hope this week will be nothing but amazing for you!

    WeeklyWrap@EverythingNyze

  • CARLA
    May 18, 2015

    I CANNNNNNOT WAIT to read the new Judy Blume.

    • Debbish
      May 19, 2015

      Will let you know what I think Carla.

  • Jess
    May 18, 2015

    Glad to hear I am not the only one whoputs books down that don’t flow for me. Doesn’t sound like my kind of book either!

    • Debbish
      May 19, 2015

      Years ago I’d persevere but when I got stuck on a book for a week or two and did everything possible to avoid reading, I knew it was time to pull the plug!

  • Harvee
    May 18, 2015

    All new books to me. But I’d give them a try!

    • Debbish
      May 19, 2015

      Good to hear and thanks for dropping by Harvee.

  • Nise' (Under the Boardwalk)
    May 19, 2015

    I’ve been a long time fan of Judy Blume, hope you enjoy the book. I am intrigued by hard to like characters. Have a fantastic week.

    • Debbish
      May 19, 2015

      Yes, sometimes an unlikeable character is a good thing (or a challenge) and the character in Luckiest Girl Alive was, but when I really don’t care about them it becomes a problem for me.

      Deb

  • shannonmiz
    May 20, 2015

    I don’t think I have heard of any of these before, but they do sound intriguing! Sorry that The Kindness was a DNF for you though 🙁 I also had no idea that Judy Blume had an adult book coming out, I will have to check that out! Hope you have a wonderful week!

I'd love to hear your thoughts