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pan

House of Leaves, or When Houses Attack!

Thank God that's over.

The Pan relates to my reading experience. I do have respect for this book's originality, complexity, and creepiness, but boy did the whole thing give me a headache.

I hated most of this, and yet it is something of a creation.

Esoteric, unconventional, genre-defying, masturbatory, sanity-draining - this is a book that will truly divide opinion.

⭐️⭐️

TrishB Can‘t believe you didn‘t bail! 13mo

RaeLovesToRead @TrishB Neither can I, Trish. Neither can I. 13mo

julesG Love the review. It's a #MarmiteBook, I suppose. And, I should pick it up again. Shelved it and ignored it. 🤣🤣 13mo

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RaeLovesToRead @julesG Don't say I haven't warned you! 😉 13mo

SamAnne 😂😂😂😂. This is one I‘ve been contemplating….hmmmm 13mo

RaeLovesToRead @SamAnne If you fancy a creepy, esoteric, maddening, multi-layered onion of a book, give it a go! I know lots of people who savoured every bite. For me, it was a bit like eating the whole raw onion bit by bit, but its got an incredible cult following! 😊 13mo

DaveGreen7777 After reading this review, I feel “sanity draining” should now be an official sub genre of books! 😁 13mo

RaeLovesToRead @DaveGreen7777 I should start a new shelf 😅 What else would you put on there? Infinite Ground, definitely! (From 2 months ago).. perhaps some Jeff Vandermeer... 13mo

Branwen I really respect you for getting through the whole thing! 😵‍💫 I definitely wouldn't have made it! 13mo

BonjourYall 😬 completely understand. Definitely was somewhat of a struggle to get through 13mo

RaeLovesToRead @Branwen @BonjourYall I can't quite bring myself to get rid of the book now I've finished it... 🙈 Maybe because it cost me so much 😅 c'mon Rae, are you honestly going to read it again?? 🤔 13mo

BonjourYall Same 😆 13mo

60 likes12 comments

julesG

Station Eleven: A novel | Emily St. John Mandel

so-so

A #MarmiteBook.

I'm not sure whether it's the characters that I didn't connect with, or the prose that I found a bit too much sometimes. Or the jumping around the timeline from before the epidemic to after? Or maybe I missed some more background information about this dystopian world?

#MountTBR -1 😁

TrishB I loved this one but hated Glass Hotel- not sure how eager I am for the next one! 2y

fredamans I didn't like this one that much either, but I loved her not-so-popular read, The Singer's Gun. 2y

BarbaraBB And I didn‘t love this one but did love The Glass Hotel 🤷🏻‍♀️😉 2y

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mcctrish Oh I loved this. Although I read pre-pandemic? I was so happy the Arts survived to brighten our lives 2y

Cathythoughts I did like the book. Not so sure about the marmite 🤔😬 2y

Lindy @mcctrish I loved it too, especially the message about the Arts being what makes us human. @julesG : I‘m sorry it didn‘t work for you. I have been fussier than ever about my books lately, that they really have to match my mood. Is it possible that‘s what happened with Station Eleven? 2y

julesG @Lindy I don't think it was a mood thing. I would have put it away otherwise. Religious zealots in dystopian novels don't work well for me. Further I'm always hoping people want to return to some sort of pre-catastrophe life rather than just accepting the situation as is and finding their niche in it. It's how I am wired, always trying to solve the problem. 🥴 2y

julesG @Cathythoughts Smuggled the marmite home from Gladstone's. The kids fell on it. It's harder to get here since the British Forces moved out. So it's a special treat now and then. 2y

julesG @TrishB @BarbaraBB Glass Hotel is on my list, since I have Sea of Tranquility as an ARC, and we wanted to read it for the Gladstonerds book club. 2y

julesG @fredamans I'll keep this book in mind. Thanks. 2y

BarbaraBB I can‘t wait to read Sea of Tranquility! 2y

Lindy @julesG But what if our current society is the problem? 2y

julesG @Lindy I'm not sure how to answer this. Not that I think you expect an answer. There is so much wrong with society today, yet there is also so much "right". 2y

Lindy @julesG Yes, I posed a rhetorical question, but I think it‘s an important subject to think about. I like it when authors explore the question in fiction. Actually, I like it in nonfiction too: I‘m currently listening to

Humankind: A New History of Human Nature

RaeLovesToRead This is a weird one. I gave it 3 stars when I read it for various reasons, but it's haunted me since. I remember it's atmosphere, but the characters and storyline weren't as memorable. @BarbaraBB @TrishB I have Glass Hotel to read too... interested to know which I'll prefer! 2y

73 likes15 comments

Dolly

My Year of Rest and Relaxation | Ottessa Moshfegh

bailed

OMG, 2 hours of my life I‘ll never get back. In the running for one of the worst books I‘ve ever picked up.

Nessavamusic I have heard this from a number of folks here on Litsy. Not adding this one to my TBR! 5y

britt_brooke Oh no! 😆 I liked this one a lot, but it‘s definitely not for everyone. The trick is not to take it too seriously. But I respect that you were not a fan. 5y

jenniferw88 It's definitely a marmite book! Unlike the condiment, I liked this book. 5y

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Blaire I loved this one...but could see it being a book you either love or hate. @jenniferw88 exactly. 5y

BookishTrish #Marmitebook love that description! 5y

Cinfhen Ha! I didn‘t hate it but I didn‘t think it was anything special. Just read McGlue and I appreciated what she did more with that novella. 5y

Dolly @Nessavamusic @britt_brooke @jenniferw88 @Blaire @BookishTrish @Cinfhen I suspect most of my dislike comes from the numerous references to drug use and celebrity name dropping. Drug abuse is a dealbreaker for me 10 times out of 10. 😧 5y

britt_brooke @Dolly Completely understand. 5y

48 likes8 comments

Melli

Outlander: A Novel | Diana Gabaldon

I have never in my life taken so long to read a book but it will literally be a year since I started this book and journey into the world that is Outlander.. I'm in page 530.. my goal finish it before I go to bed tonight. It sure didn't take me this long to read 1Q84 and that book is massive.

julesG Is this a case of a #marmitebook? 😉 7y

Mariposa_Bookworm I think it took me less that a week to read this one once I got started, but the 5th book, The Fiery Cross went on FOREVER! I thought I'd never finish. The last 20 pages hooked me again and went on to read A Breath of Snow and Ashes. 7y

9 likes2 comments

TheLondonBookworm

A Discovery of Witches: A Novel | Deborah Harkness

Will they ever stop describing drinking tea and wine???????? Honestly it's driving me crazy and I actually like tea and wine haha. I'm not sure about this book I picked it up without knowing much about it but I'm struggling with the urge to bail. The Witch and vampire romance is just really blah but the discrimination of races/secret hidden book side plot line is quite interesting. Can anyone tell me if it's worth pursuing?

TrishB I really enjoyed the series, but it might just not be for you! 7y

ErikasMindfulShelf I read about 100 pages and gave up. Not for me. 7y

mklong I managed to finish the first book, but didn't read the rest of the series. Not for me either. 7y

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Soubhiville I read the first book, bailed on the second one very quickly. 7y

Notafraidofwords I read 100 pages and bailed :/ 7y

Laalaleighh I read all three. I liked the first two. The third one is one of two books I've ever taken the time to write a negative review for on Goodreads. I think I described it as "all of twilight stuffed into one book" 7y

julesG The third is the worst book in the trilogy! But anyway, the main plot is the vampire-witch-romance and the interesting races topic is just an aside that isn't fully explained/reloved in the end. (My 2 cents on this.) 7y

Bklover I made it through the first one but bailed a third of the way through the second one. 7y

Emilyrjones22 I liked the first one ok, but I don't think I got 50 pages into the second before I bailed 😏. 7y

DGRachel I read all three and overall enjoyed them, but in the same way that I enjoyed Twilight, which is to say there was much that annoyed me, but I got sucked in anyway and will hate-reread anyway. 😂😂😂 7y

TheLondonBookworm @TrishB it really seems to have split people's opinions! 7y

TheLondonBookworm @irre haha I persevered for a bit longer than that but that might be because it's an audiobook! 😂 7y

TheLondonBookworm @mklong hmm that seems to have come up a lot! Given how long winded the first book is I don't think I could keep going afterwards! 7y

TheLondonBookworm @Soubhiville That sounds like a common theme! I'll stick the first one through I think but don't think I'll worry about the next one. 7y

TheLondonBookworm @Notafraidofwords I bordered on that 😂 but I used my audible credits on it so felt like I had to keep going! 7y

TheLondonBookworm @Laalaleighh haha oh wow I'll have to look that up! I don't think I'll pick up the second one tbh 7y

TheLondonBookworm @julesG ah that's a shame I thought that was the most interesting point of the book! Haha 7y

TheLondonBookworm @Bklover I think I'll struggle on through the first but maybe no worry about the second one. 7y

TheLondonBookworm @Emilyrjones22 haha oh dear it seems like quite a few people had that problem! Thanks for warning me 😅 7y

Laalaleighh If you're reading it bc you hope the mysterious plot points will ever be fully resolved. Don't. That was my mistake. 7y

TheLondonBookworm @DGRachel hahahaha that's a brilliant description of My relationship with Twilight! 7y

TheLondonBookworm @Laalaleighh ah man that's THE most irritating thing to happen particularly in a fantasy book :/ maybe I'll just not bother why waste the reading time right! 7y

Laalaleighh Idk. Some people with taste I respect really loved them. I think it's a you either love them or hate them type series. 7y

julesG @Laalaleighh Exactly. I was left with so many questions unanswered - but I think I know quite a lot about tea and wine now. 😝 7y

Laalaleighh @julesg and vampire sex 🙄 7y

julesG @Laalaleighh I had forgotten about the sex, for real! 🙈 7y

Laalaleighh @julesG sorry for reminding you haha 7y

TrishB It's another one of those marmite series! 😀 7y

julesG @TrishB We should make that a tag: #marmiteseries #marmitebook 7y

LauraBrook I really liked this book, and what hooked me was the house - it's further in than you think, and you'll know what I mean once you get there. If you get there. 7y

TrishB @julesG 😂 done 👍 7y

Dogearedcopy I hate-listened to this audiobook one summer; and i wish I could get their time back! As for the writing, for me it was tea and yoga; and as for the audiobook narration, it was the reader's mispronunciation of "Magdalen" College at Oxford... It's never a good sign when you really want the main character to die (Needless to say, I did not continue with the series.) 7y

rubyslippersreads @Laalaleighh 😂😂😂 7y

rubyslippersreads I read the first one and didn't like it well enough to continue the series. But other book club members loved it. 7y

TheLondonBookworm @julesG oh dear I had not yet hit the vampire sex yet- dare I ask? 7y

TheLondonBookworm @TrishB @julesG @Laalaleighh marmite series for sure! This book has really divided opinions... 7y

TheLondonBookworm @LauraBrook oooh intriguing gotta love a mysterious house... 7y

TheLondonBookworm @Dogearedcopy ah yes the yoga it was very weird to read that bit. Haha I had some problems with the narrator as I was going along as well. Got quite frustrating. Still that's one extreme reaction ! I see myself getting there though if I keep reading! 7y

TheLondonBookworm @rubyslippersreads it's definitely split down the middle for this book - people love it or they hate it. A lot of readers also seemed to have made it through one, maybe two then given up after that 😂 7y

julesG I honestly can't remember about the sex and now I wonder whether that means it was quite bland. 😶 Ugh, now I'm thinking about digging up the book to read about the sex. 🙈 7y

TheLondonBookworm @julesG 😂😂😂 we've all been there and done it! 7y

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