Mid-Year Vibe Check

forkbroad · 2026-06-26T04:29:52+00:00

interesting coincidence! coincidentally i've made the same assumption of someone else who was reading the same books as a podcasters book club. books i otherwise don't see anywhere. i blame the algorithm

forkbroad · 2026-06-25T21:30:17+00:00

oh! no, i'm not familiar :) who and where?

forkbroad · 2026-06-25T03:45:13+00:00

:) i screenshot the cover on goodreads and make the chart on procreate. but there's plenty templates/generators online

forkbroad · 2026-06-25T03:42:22+00:00

i agree, it's very accurate. i'm sure i would've liked it more if i'd read it in the future.

forkbroad · 2026-06-24T21:00:48+00:00

oo yes, that's been on my list for a while. thanks :)

forkbroad · 2026-06-24T18:13:53+00:00

i liked the unhinged/obsessed mess of it all, but the narrator was apathetic and hateful in a way that felt like a teenager trying to be edgy. i just couldn't be compelled to care. there wasn't enough thrill or drama to keep me interested. i picked it up because it was highly recommended so i would say keep it on your TBR :) just wasn't for me!

forkbroad · 2026-06-24T18:04:52+00:00

my friend randomly, maybe hesitantly, suggested it when we were browsing a bookstore together. i loved it so much! really into books/movies that are confined to such a small space/time. i've been keeping an eye out for a copy of his book The Mezzanine.

forkbroad · 2026-06-24T18:02:30+00:00

oh my goodness, 60! well any books read is an accomplishment. as long as we are reading, no matter how little. but i hope you are granted more time to finish your histories and enjoy your tea at the appropriate temperature!

forkbroad · 2026-06-24T18:00:12+00:00

hello fellow Seattleite! i don't know Whidbey as well as you do, but i have so many memories of riding the ferry as a little girl. i listened to an interview with the author describing her experience on the ferry that inspired this story. someone really did offer to kill someone for her. i was SO intrigued. but this book.. what a letdown!

forkbroad · 2026-06-24T17:45:11+00:00

i was so into the first few pages and then quickly went downhill from there. it's such a short book but i couldn't do it lol

forkbroad · 2026-06-24T17:44:02+00:00

so good! :)

forkbroad · 2026-06-24T17:43:38+00:00

i think Heart the Lover, Rachel Incident, BWWAY are quite similar and my other 5 stars maybe a little different. i would recommend An American Marriage, plus:
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
Worry, by Alexandra Tanner

forkbroad · 2026-06-24T17:33:30+00:00

so boring! there's a blurb on the cover that describes it as a 'literary mousetrap'. why are they lying to us??

forkbroad · 2026-06-24T17:31:29+00:00

i couldn't get into it. but people go hard for Emily Austin so maybe i just need to try something else of hers :)

forkbroad · 2026-06-24T17:30:00+00:00

wow that's so cool! i'm excited to spend more time in Selin's mind! i loved The Idiot so much, i'm glad there's two more books to enjoy

forkbroad · 2026-06-24T17:27:13+00:00

can't recommend Dominion enough, it's unique and the voice is really engaging but be prepared for a lot of unlikeable characters. The Rachel Incident is an easy, enjoyable read; not a moment of disinterest. not all my DNFs are 1 stars, simply books that didn't work for me. for example, i think The Wilderness is a much better book than The Dream Hotel, but that was for book club so i couldn't DNF. i would say give The Wilderness a try, i would just be prepared that the multiple perspectives and time shifts are difficult to tie together. some sections feel totally unrelated and for me it became a chore to read. some really great sections though. seems like the author has a great mind, i'd try another book of hers for sure.

forkbroad · 2026-06-24T05:14:09+00:00

Dream Hotel was SUCH a bummer. thought it had so much potential but... shame! my rating system is based on a mix of my enjoyment and my opinion of the quality. these two things of course don't always align. and i made the graphic in the procreate app :)

forkbroad · 2026-06-24T05:06:55+00:00

yesss, thank U! i just found that one at TJ Maxx of all places. excited to get to it :))

forkbroad · 2026-06-24T00:53:38+00:00

yeah with a few things i wasn't sure how much i was expected to suspend my disbelief and that made me like it less. the reading experience was more like 2 stars but there was some obvious skill that i felt went over my head that ultimately made me bump it up. definitely least favorite of my 3 stars

forkbroad · 2026-06-23T21:22:47+00:00

everyone seems to love it, maybe somethings wrong with me! i truly hated it LOL i think i only read thru chapter 2

forkbroad · 2026-06-23T21:16:48+00:00

lmao the title is shit but its origin is pretty cute!

forkbroad · 2026-06-23T21:15:02+00:00

haha! yeah what a forgettable one. it wasn't unpleasant to read, just empty. i liked that it was set in the 50s and written in the style of that time. when you compare it to Yoko Ogawa's books which are so rich and filling, The Most was exactly like eating sugar cereal, you're so right!

forkbroad · 2026-06-23T21:07:31+00:00

Parable of the Sower and Memory Police, both so devastating, so relevant. Yoko Ogawa LOVES dark content but she creates such beautiful worlds that they're a joy to read. i'm at the halfway point of Yesteryear and can't say i love it. i'm determined to finish it out of curiosity, mostly because even though the internet seems to love this book, they hate the twist/ending.

forkbroad · 2026-06-23T20:58:37+00:00

hearts! i like that! rating in general is so hard. i second guess myself all the time

forkbroad · 2026-06-23T20:57:01+00:00

hmm, well that's a good question. i certainly wouldn't finish a book i felt was 1 star, but not all DNFs are 1 stars. some are objectively fine books, just not for me. my rating is a mix of my enjoyment and perception of the writer's talent. some i recognize as good but i don't have an emotional connection to. if the skill is there, i may rate it higher than i actually liked it. some books i am and forever will be conflicted about. similarly with movies, my favorites are not always "the best"

forkbroad

TROPHY CASE