Musings Archives - Novel Visits

2022 Hyped Books

Susie — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 11:00:34 +0000

Every year certain books get a lot of hype and that can be for various reasons. Most often it’s from the publishing industry, but sometimes it grows more organically from readers themselves. They hype can feel well deserved or it can feel like a whole lot of nothing. Undoubtedly, the opinions on hyped books vary from reader to reader. So today I’m sharing my opinions on Six 2022 Books That Deserved the Hype, Plus Six That Didn’t.

2022 Books That Deserved the Hype

To be clear, my focus is on the hype around a book and not whether or not I liked it. Some of these choices you’ll see on my Best Books of 2022 list later this month, but others you won’t. I don’t need to love a book to appreciate its hype!…

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My Year in Books 2020, plus Goals for 2021

Susie — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 11:00:16 +0000

Well 2020 certainly didn’t go as planned! What a crazy, scary, l-o-n-g year. It’s been a decades since the world was so united in being truly happy to turn the calendar to a brand new year. Despite COVID, teaching from home, and quarantining it turns out I had a pretty good year in books, hitting my all time high of 120 books finished. My reading was slow at the beginning of the lockdown, but after the initial shock wore off, my pace really picked up and as always books were a comfort to me. So, let’s look at how I did with books in 2020!

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The Night Swim by Megan Goldin | Discussion

Susie — Wed, 02 Sep 2020 10:00:09 +0000

Last month, my sister, Lori, and I needed to make a six hour drive to pick up our mom. Lori enjoys listening to podcasts, but wanted to try an audiobook, so I checked around to see what books people were talking about. I saw The Night Swim everywhere. It seemed to be pretty universally praised, had a podcast in the storyline, and was a thriller, so not too heavy. Plus, it had dual timelines, which is something I almost always enjoy. Bingo! I’d found the book….

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An Education on Racism in America

Susie — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 10:00:38 +0000

Before the murder of George Floyd, I though I was a pretty good antiracist. I live in a very liberal state and like it that way. I work with a population that includes Black, Brown, Red, Yellow, and White kids. My sympathy and horror have always followed the brutal killings of Black bodies by police. I’ve donated to antiracist organizations. I’ve spoken out about racist comments. I believed I understood racism in America pretty well. I thought I “got it.” Watching the protests that followed Floyd’s murder, reading articles online, taking in the heartfelt words on Twitter and Instagram from Black voices I don’t personally know, but none-the-less heard, all made me realize that clearly, “I don’t really get it.”

It quickly became overwhelmingly obvious that as a privileged White woman in America I had A LOT to learn about racism. So, I set off on a journey to become more educated, to be the student. Today, I’m simply sharing the learning path I’ve been on so far which has mainly been books (of course). These are not reviews, because I am in no position to review books on race. These are just what I’ve read and a little of what I’ve learned from each….

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Reading in the Midst of a Global Pandemic | Musings

Susie — Tue, 05 May 2020 10:00:32 +0000

My reading life has been a mess for the last couple of months. Even before school was canceled, and the stay-at-home orders began, there was already a growing sense of uncertainty that still rules today. That has profoundly changed my relationship with books, and today I’m going to go rogue and share a few random thoughts on reading during the era of COVID-19.

I apologize in advance, if my thoughts seem less than well organized or a bit rambling. I gave myself the freedom to simply capture my feelings in print. I hope you’ll join me in the conversation….

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Dead to Her by Sarah Pinborough ~ A Spoiler Discussion

Susie — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 11:00:27 +0000

Every time we pick up a book the hope is that we’ll get lost in the story and be left with a book hangover. Those hangovers are tough because we’ve left behind a book we loved. Then there are the other sort hangovers: those you get because you pushed and pushed to finish a book you should have probably quit on, and you’re kicking yourself for wasting so much time. That’s the sort of hangover Dead to Her left me with, so let’s talk.

Warning: There are spoilers in this discussion!

Dead to Her by Sarah Pinborough
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: February 11, 2020
Length: 400 pages
Amazon

We’ll begin with a blurb from the publisher:

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Year by Year: My Favorite Books of the Last Decade

Susie — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 11:00:52 +0000

Back in early December I first considered doing this look back post. I went through my old book journals, and narrowed down my options, but guess what? The holidays and life just got in the way and I ran out of time. Big surprise there! So, now I may be a little late, but life is also a little calmer, so I’m finally ready to share my favorite books from each year of the last decade.

Some years choosing a single book was easy, but other years it was a HUGE challenge. So much so, that I’m also going to give you my runner(s)-up for each year. I kept my choices limited to fiction, since I’ve only been seriously reading nonfiction for the last few years. It will be fun to see how many books others loved as much as I did, so let me know what you think….

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My Year in Books for 2019, plus Goals for 2020

Susie — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 11:00:28 +0000

Happy New Year! Happy New Decade! How is it that we’re already beginning the third decade of the twenty-first century? Time just continues to fly by and 2019 was no exception. Luckily for readers it was also a GREAT year for books, helping to more fully fill our days. The coming of a new year always prompts a look back at the past. Today I’m doing just that, looking back at my goals and stats for 2019 and setting just a few 2020 goals.

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BEST BOOKS of 2019 | More

Susie — Thu, 19 Dec 2019 11:00:05 +0000

I alway love this time of year, seeing what books others considered to be best, and what the bigwigs at places like the New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and Book Riot chose as their best. My own list rarely lines up with those, but I don’t expect it too. Their list pulls from almost everything, whereas mine pulls from the 110 books I’ve read so far this year. That made it difficult enough!

Putting together my Best Books of 2019 proved to be almost painful. 2019 was truly one of my very best reading years ever, with 20 different books that I gave a grade of A. It’s so difficult kicking any books out of that “better than the rest” club, but it had to be done! Even as I type, I’m still feeling badly for those books that almost made it. Never-the-less, I’ve done it and am thrilled to share my twelve personal Best Books of 2019….

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Audiobooks ~ My Favorites from 2019 | More

Susie — Thu, 12 Dec 2019 11:00:53 +0000

As anyone who follows me knows, I’m a huge fan of audiobooks. I ALWAYS have one going. Of the 107 books I’ve read so far this year 33 have been audiobooks and I’m nearly finished with another. When it comes to what I’ll listen to on audio, I’m pretty flexible. I just need a good story, be it fiction or nonfiction, and a great narrator. I tried to cull my list down, but 12 audiobooks, in three different categories, was the best I could do!…

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