Welcome to this week’s Sunday Post. This feature is brought to you by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, so swing by after you are done here and get the full list of participants!
- [1 Jan] #SundayPost: Happy New Year!
- [2 Jan] Danger Rising by Katie Reus ★★★★
- [5 Jan] Aro by Marie James ★★★★
- [6 Jan] #FreebieFriday: January 6th
- The Sins We Hide by S. Cole
- Deal with a Demon by Meg Anne and K. Lorraine
- Interesting article about Coho…I personally don’t enjoy her books and this article touches on many of the issues I have. However, I don’t like to yuck other people’s yum…
Audio ARC thanks to Tantor Audio:
Physical Copies thanks to the publishers:
Short weeks are always a little tougher for some reason. Getting back into the swing of things was hard this week. Plus, a lot of stuff just sort of landed in my lap. I got back a bunch of consent forms I sent out before we left for winter break, I got a new evaluation request dumped on me that has to be completed by the 20th of January, and there is just so much stuff that needs to be done. I’m off on Friday for a doctors appointment, so that gives me one less day to get all this stuff done!
However, having Friday off means I have a 4 day weekend and I am okay with that! I’m off on the 13th for the doctors appointment and then Monday the 16th is MLK day. I’m hoping to get some more progress on my portfolio and thesis done.
The weather here has been a little strange. It’s well above normal for Ohio in January with temps in the 50’s and 60’s. Doesn’t look like I will be getting any snow days this year.
So, whats new with you this week? Did you read any of the same books I did? Did you find any great book deals I need to grab ASAP? Let me know in the comments!
I always find it hard to get going in the new year after the relaxing holiday time period. It’s like having to readjust your balance back to a work heavy mode. But you already have a 4 day weekend ahead! I really can’t believe it’s January or 2023 already. It’s too early to say you won’t have snow days I think. I hope you make good progress on your thesis and portfolio.
Anne – Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
I hope I’m wrong about the snow days, but we are suppose to be above freezing for the next couple weeks. By February it is usually getting too warm for snow as well.
Um, that article about Colleen Hoover seems to TOTALLY misunderstand the point of It Ends with Us. The point is NOT to romanticize the rape relationship, to show that women need to get out of it. It shows how people in those situations convince themselves to say usually. It is so easy for those of us not in those relationships and not having co-dependency issues to say people should just leave that kind of a relationship. It takes into no consideration how real people might deal with that. Such as CoHo’s mom who did leave a relationship like that. So, I don’t think that’s a great article myself. And I don’t like all her books, some I do, some aren’t for me. But this article just reminds me of the ridiculousness about how Twilight romanticized a stalker type of relationship. It’s fiction. If people can’t be okay with figuring that out, then we probably should be jumping all over any kind of murder mystery or anything that “romanticizes” anything. Sorry. I’ll get off my soap box. I hate when people pull the crap about how fiction is bad for a person. Let people read what they enjoy.
Yeah, the article is problematic as well. I do agree that some of CoHos books have issues with toxic relationships, but people clearly love them. What I struggle with is that this type of criticism is never directed at other genres. Its annoying that people feel the need to point out every flaw in romance, but let the same stuff slide in a mystery or literary fiction.
I so agree, Lisa. I just read the article and wondered if the author actually read IEWU. Hoover certainly wasn’t “romanticizing” domestic abuse/violence. She showed a woman who felt trapped in it and got out. I’m sure we could take any author’s work and find something “problematic” (oh how I have come to loathe that label), but at the end of the day I recognize I am reading *fiction.* I don’t need or expect it to model or mirror real life, nor do I look to books as a model for my own life choices.
I agree with you on this one Lisa. I reread It Ends With Us a few months ago and was even more amazed at how COHO made us see that nothing is black or white. And laso how it’s hard for abused women to leave their abuser, especially if they do not fit the “bad guy” model. What Ryle did was unforgivable and certainly not romanticized. But she alsi showed us that even abusers have a past that can complicate things. And I don’t like every book she writes either nor am a fan of the person self as she put some bad move on one author some years ago.
I will never say never about the snow. Though I am pleased with the winter so far. Yeah for a four-day weekend. I hope it’s very productive for you. You have the new Carter and Andrews books. I hope they’re great.
I hope they are great as well!!
Yeah I don’t understand this whole lets stop reading COHO type of thing just because its a new year. Like if you love COHO than that is completely valid. She isn’t for me at all and I have no interest in picking her up however I am not going to say others shouldn’t read her. If her books work for you, then read what you love.
We have lots of great books to look forward to this week. I am most excited for the Meghan Quinn!
I was feeling the New Year blues this week too – shorter week, but after time off and enjoying family instead of having to work, it’s just brutal. It’s like we got a taste of what life could be like if we didn’t have bills and responsibilities lol. Not that I can see myself ever truly wanting to not work. But not having to would be awesome lol
I hope you have a great week and enjoy that 4 day weekend!
I don’t/won’t read Coho, and it’s not because of their reasons, judgement of the toxic masculinity issues, etc. That gets thrown around about dark romance so much and it makes me so frustrated. It’s FICTION! I don’t need it to be a healthy relationship LOL.
And I agree with you about not yucking someone’s yum. I don’t like the negativity. I think joy and happiness are hard to come by for so many, why be negative?
Their website was full of articles that are negative. This trope needs to go… and on and on. So disgusting to me.
Four day weeks are always so hard! It’s like, trying to cram a full week of work into four days and it can be exhausting. But I’ll still never say no to a 3 day weekend. LOL It’s unseasonably warm here, too – in the low 70’s. Blah. I want some cold weather.
It feels like spring here. Warm days and cool nights. I’ll take it! Very fine haul of new reads.
I always have a hard time adjusting after holidays! Hope you had a nice New Year 🙂
Yes, shorter work weeks are nice! You’re having warmer temps than us here in Northern California! Enjoy!
Just because the weather warm up a little doesn’t mean it wouldn’t snow. I never read a Coleen Hoover book. If people enjoy it then that fine. People have a brain and decipher what fiction and what not fiction. Looking around that website it is fill with articles that are negative and they seem directive towards audience with a certain mindset.
Have a great week.
Last week was definitely a weird week because it was a shorter week. Even though I worked over the holidays I still struggled to get into the swing of things. I’m hoping this week is better. I’ve Just read that CoHo article and it was interesting. I was a big fan of her books maybe 4 years ago and I’ve got a couple more unread but I really started to go off her writing in a very real way so it really surprised me seeing her books blowing up on TikTok. It’s like everyone there were a few years behind me.
Sorry Samantha I hijacked a conversation above LOL Anyway thank you for sharing the COHO article and I hope this week will be easier for you!
I hope you find the time you need to get everything done.
I haven’t read any CoHo, her themes are too problematic for me
Wishing you a great reading week