For What It's Worth


Monday, July 9, 2018

monday musings…(& a mini review)



I don’t know what it is about book conferences but whenever I get home from one with all my beautiful books I have ZERO urge to read.

I think it’s because I tend to get overwhelmed by all the new pretties, can’t decide what to start first, and shut down instead. lol

This made me think of this gif Roberta from OffbeatYA sent me awhile back poking fun at my contrary (against myself) nature.

via GIPHY

I even had a nightmare about bringing all my ALA books to a Veterinary clinic I was working at and storing them in the Doctors office. They were all organized on his shelves. I went home and to bed – then woke up in the middle of the night panicking that others would see and steal the books – broke into the office right then and carried my books back home - walking...in the dark...with piles of books. lol

Clearly book conferences stress me out! haha

Anyway…I still haven’t done a full ALA wrap-up post and at my current pace I probably will never get to it. I posted one pic of all my LGBQTIA books and here’s another.

These are all books that I’ve either wanted to try the author or heard great things about the books. I picked up the little cat notepad on the end at ALA too. They have adorable bookish things for sale there.

IMG_20180705_114529_241

Let's make this post even more random and throw in a mini review - shall we?

We shall.


Here’s a quick mini review for a book I read before ALA. It’s one of those twisty thriller type books so there’s not much I can say without spoiling the whole thing anyway.



Untitled-3Gabe and Elyse have never met. But they both have something to hide.
Quiet, shy Elyse can't believe it when she's cast as the lead in her Portland high school's production of Romeo and Juliet. Her best friend, Brynn, is usually the star, and Elyse isn't sure she's up to the task. But when someone at rehearsals starts to catch her eye--someone she knows she absolutely shouldn't be with--she can't help but be pulled into the spotlight.


Austin native Gabe is contemplating the unthinkable--breaking up with Sasha, his headstrong, popular girlfriend. She's not going to let him slip through her fingers, though, and when rumors start to circulate around school, he knows she has the power to change his life forever.


Gabe and Elyse both make the mistake of falling for the wrong person, and falling hard. Told in parallel narratives, this twisty, shocking story shows how one bad choice can lead to a spiral of unforeseen consequences that not everyone will survive. ~
GOODREADS

Source: Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

My thoughts: I’ve tried….I’ve really, really tried to like thrillers but for some reason they don’t work for me. Honestly, I guessed the twist in this one from the blurb and I wasn’t even trying to. I don’t even know why – because it’s not that clear and not your typical thriller twist kind of reveal. I can’t really say more than that without ruining it.

What I did like was how Donaldson tackled the consequences of abusive relationships and the struggle to break free from them and I loved how Gabe and Elyse’s stories ended up tying together.

On the other hand – things got pretty over the top. Especially when it came to Gabe’s ex Sasha. She, and to some extent, Elyse’s boyfriend, became cartoon-ish villains when this could have struck a more realistic and chilling chord.

As psychological thrillers go, it was a pretty good one but I had figured out the twist so early that it took some of the fun out of it and it got a little too outlandish for my tastes.

I would still recommend it to fans of thrillers because I do think the author did things a little different than from the other twisty thrillers I’ve read so far. And I liked the realistic ending.


***

So is my slump just me and post book conference stress or is it a summer thing??

I thought of taking a break but I have a few reviews I need to post coming up this month so I need to get over myself and start reading/blogging like…yesterday!

34 comments:

  1. Ha that dream is funny. I can almost hear it now- "my preciousesssesss..." lol. Emphasis on the plural since there can never be just ONE book. :)

    Love that GIF- go Jyn Erso!

    Lies You Never Told Me is one I've been looking forward to (although I think that cover has a lot to do with it) but I have heard it gets a little over the top, so that's good to know going in.

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    1. Yes! that many books scares me but...I neeeed them lol

      I think you would really like that book Greg. I can't say why - but it doesn't take the usual path which I loved! Just wish it didn't veer into OTT drama.

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  2. LOL, I struck a cord, didn't I? 😉 Maybe we should start calling you "Mary, Mary, quite contrary" 😂.

    Quote: "and carried my books back home - walking...in the dark...with piles of books."
    You didn't reveal this twist on Twitter LOL.

    I've been wanting to read a good YA thriller for ages, but I can't seem to find my match...

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    1. I think of that gif every single time I get obstinate with myself lol

      Me either with thrillers. I WANT to like them - but I usually don't. I either get the twist right away or get really bored trying to solve the crime - you know I hate procedural's too. SO damn fussy!

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  3. Yeah, it's tough to figure out which books to read after conferences. I really try and focus on going in order - I put them in stacks based on the month they come out, etc. Hopefully you'll find a great book to read soon!

    Sorry to hear Lies You Never Told Me wasn't as great as you'd hoped. Guessing the twist really can make a book less enjoyable.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. That's what I did but I just don't have the urge to read at all lol

      Although I did start a great book last night. Point of Contact. have you read it? I can't remember if you reviewed it already.

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  4. How in the HECK did you guess the twist from the blurb!?! That's some kind of voodoo.

    Thrillers are becoming more and more my jam--before i would skip right over 'em. I LOVE A GOOD THRILL!

    Annnywho!! I hope you pick up a good book soon, wifey!

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    1. I know! Isn't that weird???!!!

      You read it right? I thought...It sounds like....blah blah blah happens and that's exactly what it was lol

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  5. i'm the same when it comes to book conferences. i went to alaac three years in a row and all the books i took home i read maybe 20% of them. and have since donated 75% of them after holding on to them for a couple of years. which sucks because i spent so much $$ shipping them to hawaii. i've since avoided book conferences in the last two years, which is funny because now that i'm a legit working librarian is when i don't attend the alaac as oppose to before when i went & was just a library school student/blogger.

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    1. That happened to me my first few conferences. i'm MUCH better at picking up fewer books and books I think I'll enjoy. But it took me years to either read or pass on all the books I grabbed those first few cons.

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  6. Whoa, talk about post-conference burnout... LOL But I’m kind of the same. I always assume I’m going to come home fired up to Read All The Books but that never happens. Instead I’m overwhelmed and a little stressed over all the peopling I’m forced to do so it takes me a while to get back into my regular groove. Hope you feel like diving into the books soon! :)

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    1. I think you touched on what it is Tanya! Peopling!!!!! I'm such an introvert and that's the only time I really put myself out there. When I get back I'm mentally exhausted.

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  7. Thrillers are really hit or miss for me :(

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    1. They're so popular! I WANT to like them but eh

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  8. Your slump is probably a combination of both summer and the conference. I've been struggling with thriller's recently too. Tyler Johnson Was Here is book I've been meaning to pick up for a while, I hope you enjoy it!
    Tori @ In Tori Lex

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    1. I think they just aren't for me :-( Especially the unreliable narrator ones.

      I'm having so much fun in my garden that reading just hasn't appealed to me lately and conferences always make me feel like I need a break from books.

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  9. Do a poll! That's what I did the other day when I felt overwhelmed by my choices. I listed a few I needed/wanted to read and let someone else choose for me, lol. I ended up not liking the book, but it kept me from having to make a decision. ;)

    L @ Do You Dog-ear?

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    1. Whoops... missed your review! Ack, that stinks. I hate that you accidently figured the book out before you even started... only you! ;) I'm iffy about thrillers. I have to REALLY be in the mood for one.

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    2. OMG that would NEVER work for me! lol Did you not see the rebel thing??? hahaha I guess I could have people choose so I can pick the opposite book.

      But seriously, I'm not confused by what to read - more like - I was around so many books I want to get away from them right now. I have no urge to read. Is that a thing?? Can I be around too many books??

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  10. I know I got a little overwhelmed by how many books I added to my pile at ALA. I had to go through and set up a definite read list and one for if I have time. I like to keep them all in order of pub dates, well the ARCs. You can check out all my ALA haul HERE.

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    1. I always sort by release date and go from there. Sept and October are the biggest arc months I have.

      My bigger problem is not having the urge to read - at all lol

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  11. Your nightmare is too funny lol. But I get it, feeling overwhelmed by too many choices and instead just choosing none of them. I do that all the time lol. Sorry the book wasn't right for you.

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    1. It's weird that being around so many books makes me not want to read lol

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  12. WOw you can not deal with new books ;) But I hear ya. Ugh, all my new books stresses me out. I neeeed to read them but I do not have time!

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    1. I thought it was the books until I read Tanya's comment above about too much *peopling* and that's it! I'm just wiped out being around so many people and books and need to decompress.

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  13. I've also been having the strangest dreams lately - I tell them to my family at breakfast and they are like "you're so weird." I dreamed that we both did the same Instagram post and .... wait, that really happened....
    Jen Ryland Reviews

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  14. Could be the pressure of having so many books now to review, even unsolicited copies I usually feel obligated as well. It's probably the stress of having so many when you had t down to a small few. I got through stages of read avoidance and either watch TV series. I hope you're able to get back into the swing of things ♡♡♡

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    1. I think Tanya got it right in her comment - too much interaction at the conference and I need to decompress.

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  15. Hahahaha oh my god, your bookish nightmare sounds bizarre but I totally feel you. I also get really strange anxiety dreams when I'm stressed sometimes. Admittedly a big part of the reason I enjoy thrillers is because I almost never see the ending coming! What can I say, I guess I'm just easy to fool. 😂

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    1. I don't know what it is! I'm not even trying to guess lol

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  16. OMG, your dream is hilarious and also one that I would have. I can see myself breaking in to an office to pick up books I left behind :)

    Bummer you didn't like this book, but I'm impressed you were able to figure out the twists from this blurb alone! I love a good thriller, but I need to be in the mood for one, if that makes sense. XOXO and hope you're having a great week and recovering nicely from your conference!

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    1. I'm realizing they just aren't for me most of the time. I need to connect to characters more than the case and if it's more twist focused I zone out.

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  17. LOL You are too funny! Hope you're able to get into these sooner rather than later :D

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