Friday Finds and Reader Recommendations – January 20th 2017

Awaken, the final book in the Brightest Kind of Darkness series comes out Tuesday! There’s also a bundle of the first 3 books on Amazon for 99¢!

Between The Raindrops is . 99 cents right now. I read out back in 2015 and still remember the story! It’s been re-released!!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N7SR3RZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ISLGyb3C7EDS2

I think I need to clean out too…..it will definitely reduce my stress level! I know that I downloaded a lot back in 2013/2014/2015 (and they were possibly free) that are just not so interesting to me anymore. But deleting a book….I don’t know…..it’s like throwing a book in the trash…..sacrilegious!!!

I still need to read Accidentally on Purpose!!

Right there with you Fabi.

Can’t wait for the weekend.

I forgot to ask at the beginning of the month…what did you guys pick for your Kindle First book for January?

I chose Never Again So Close, and even though it doesn’t have the best ratings (more 1-star than 5-star…ouch) I’m still willing to give it a try.

I haven’t picked mine yet either…

I haven’t picked my KF book yet either. Better check them out before I forget.

Jean, I haven’t read AOP yet either!

That’s funny that y’all mentioned cleaning because I spent about 3 hours deleting books from GR today–lots of freebies that I got a few years ago.

Nay…definitely check them out. Worst-case scenario is you end up deleting it later, right?

Wow–looks like six stinkers to me. I think I’ll pass! I have kindle unlimited, which all of these books always are, anyway. So if by some miracle I wanted to borrow one later, I could. Isn’t that two months in a row without any type of ‘romance’ choice??

None looked good to me either.

I don’t want to jinx myself before I actually get home, but I’m just over today.
I feel like I should knock on wood now.

I was just thinking that.
I wonder why?

I was thinking they used to have them kind of often.Maybe not anything classified specifically as a ‘romance’ but a literary fiction which you could tell was a romance. I could be wrong. I know I’ve picked a couple of urban fantasies or ya’s that at least looked to be romance(ish).

Since I was in the mood for m/m I almost picked Soldier’s Scoundrel, but picked September instead. Not just m/m, but May-September romance too! He’s 48, successful D.C. lawyer, falls for a 26 year old PT. Really like it so far! Very authentic.

Lol Fabi! I know zilch about Eversea except it has a pretty cover and it was signed so I bought it! I may be the one who doesn’t like it! But I probably won’t DNF because of that stupid GR challenge lol!

I have my “dnf” shelf set up as one of the main ones, so it doesn’t count it as read. I did it on purpose because I want to review all the books I read and I don’t feel right rating/reviewing DNFs because it’s most likely my fault for picking it.

I only count the books I finish in my year end count of books read.
Also, if I skim them I don’t count them.

Now if it is a book I read years ago……I can’t be sure if it was a skim or read. A dnf I will remember. But that doesn’t count to current goal anyway.
*shrug*

And.

Damn.

I had not realized I’d added that many to my tbr. I think I probably even have more to add. I’m sucking at this whole tbr resolution.

Um, sorry in advance Fabi…I’m about to update my GR account. *cringes* I just looked at my profile and realized it hasn’t been updated since I was reading Chimera and When We Collided, which was a while ago.

So, you’re about to get bombarded with my TBR books as well. 😉

Ok, so I still don’t get it. My dnf shelf is a main shelf I guess. Is it that you don’t want to mark them as read if you dnf? I prefer to mark them as read so they’re off my tbr list.

my currently reading list on GR is my DNF book in case I want to go back & finish – some good ones I just wasn’t “feeling” at the time. The To Reads are the ones that caught my eye & I want to check out possibly

Currently reading is also what I really am currently reading! I have a separate DNF on my Kindle too – so I don’t hurt anyone’s feelings too much….

bev if you just make your DNF shelf an exclusive shelf, it won’t count as read. Click on the button in “edit shelves.”

*u = “I”

Ok my Aussie friends, I need a translation please. I’m reading an N.R. Walker book. I love her and her stories. She writes in Australian English and sometimes provides translations for us provincials in the USA. But I just read a scene and am totally clueless what this word/phrase means.

Guys sitting at a table in a bar. One orders a shot of tequila for all after some astounding news from one friend at the table.

” No one spoke for a while, but everyone looked at me like I was a puzzle to solve. Then Connor held his hand up to get the bartender’s attention. “Five shots of tequila, straight up.” I laughed at that and drained my beer. “My shout?” I asked around the table. No one answered. ”

What does “My shout” stand for or mean in this context?

Fabi, if you go into your bookshelves, then click on edit, any one you make “exclusive” will be just like “read” or “currently reading” or “to read.” I discovered this when I had to set up the “year in review” book. Look at my shelves and you’ll see what I mean. basically, I don’t have to choose between “read” and “to read” anymore. https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/47734324-robin-hill

I probably should have!

es it’s really cool. And having the “considering” shelf really makes my TBR manageable. I noticed I spend a lot less because the books in there are books I REALLY want to read and I own several of them already. The only time I buy a book or start a non TBR book these days is if there’s huge buzz I can’t resist or I’m hooked on an author.

It’s perfect for that! And it’s great for adding book recommendations you don’t want to commit to *cough bev and Ela cough*

This is why Jean is my favorite.

R. I just looked at your GR shelf set up. I don’t see either a dnf or a GBL shelf. So where do you put those?

They’re either DNFs or books I own that I’ve lost interest in.

Thanks R for that about Goodreads. I don’t care if it’s in my read or not, but making it soley DNF does make it a lot easier. Though, I guess I should rename it? lol

I agree with both. I hate the phrase DNF because like I said earlier, it’s usually my fault for picking a book I know I shouldn’t have. However, how kind is it to put a book on a shelf called “in case of apocalypse”? 😀

Lol or they’ll think, oh great. The world will have to end before she reads my book!

I just opened my kindle app and 4 of my books say they are on loan and can’t be read, but I KNOW they aren’t! Has this happened to anyone?

My weekend reads have been fantastic. Very different plots and feels in each book but both great in their own right. *fist pumps air* good books = good weekend

Actually, I have no troubles saying, nope DNF because I feel that it’s saying the truth. For whatever reason, I didn’t finish it.

I guess it’s not uncommon for American publishers to change regional lingo for the American market.
I think that is sad.

Tessa, dnf doesn’t have negative connotations for me either. It could be personal triggers, it could be mood, it could be a simple squirrel to another book being gushed over. dnf does not mean “I hated your story” or “you’re a terrible writer” unless I specifically state in my review that the dnf was due to plot/writing.

Is a five star rating better than a dnf rating? Probably. Is a dnf worse than a 1, 2, or 3 rating? Not necessarily.

I do! I just made it an exclusive. I love that. Because, no. I’m not currently reading the story, but I know it’s my mood and I’ll go back later.

Fabi ‘shouting’ someone means paying their way for them. So if it’s Mum’s shout, that means Mum is paying for you e.g. she’s going to ‘shout’ (pay for) all of our movie tickets or our meal etc. The term is often used in regards to buying a round of drinks at a pub. I’ve got no idea what the origin of it is.

I guess Australian English does have a lot of seemingly incomprehensible (to others) terminology. It’s an informal and colourful variant of the English language. These days some of the more colourful terms are going out of general usage as technology exposes us more readily to ‘world English’. I can remember funny sayings my dad regularly used that I never hear these days. e.g. he used to use rhyming slang (which originally comes from Cockney London, but Aussies happily appropriated it, many of them being cockneys originally anyway!) for e.g. dad would say at the dinner table: ‘Pass the dead horse’ – rhyming slang for (tomato) sauce. I haven’t heard that in years.

Aussies also love to shorten words and add ‘i’ to the end. e.g. uni (university) barbie (BBQ) pollie (politician) etc and MANY similar terms are still regularly used. Also to refer give nicknames that refer to the opposite of a person’s features e.g. redheads would be called ‘Bluey’, though this is less common today.

End of Jan’s mini lesson on Australian English ;D

* with our pronunciation, horse and sauce do rhyme.

I see what you mean about bench and counter. I too really need to picture clearly where my protagonists are positioned. e.g. I hate it if they start pashing (OK, an aussie slang term for passionately kissing – I couldn’t resist) just inside the door but the writer doesn’t tell us that they closed the door. As I continue reading I feel uncomfortable, wondering if a passer-by is checking out their kissing etc. Silly, I know, but that’s how I feel when I read.

I wonder how many US or Canadian or English terms I have misinterpreted or not fully understood as I read?

And I see QC and my brain goes to DQ and suddenly I need a cheeseburger.

Ha! I’m like that with the doors too. lol

I think the meaning of most terms can easily be deciphered from context. For example

“I’m surprised I made it this far without stepping off The Gap.”

Even though I’ve never heard “The Gap”, it’s pretty obvious from the context that it would mean “the ledge” in American English.

Also, some terms are less important than others in the ongoing story and can be mostly ignored even if they’re not 100% clear.

I have to admit though that I basically have myself a private happy party any time I happen to land on a book that is written in a non-American English because I prize the learning opportunity.

When I was young I used to make a point of reading the occasional book in a foreign language (one that I knew just a little of). But as age and responsibilities crowded in, I started picking easier reads and now am basically only reading books in English.

Hey guys! Just took me so long to catch up on the comments! Hey, I’m in for the BR of Eversea. I’ve had that one for a long time.

Love learning new stuff – Thanks for that info Jan!

I’m reading the 3rd book of the Hearts series by L.H. Cosway (King of Hearts) – really loving the series!

Awww bev, I’m your favorite…..lol

DQ = Dairy Queen….yum!

Jean, you ARE a favorite. We just can’t figure out why you’re Bev’s favorite. She just throws statements out there and I never have a clue what they mean. lol!!!

Yeaaa! More for the BR.

DQ is Dairy Queen and has yummy burgers but even yummier Dudes… chicken fried steak sandwiches!

See again, I don’t know what chicken fried steak is. Sounds like a contradiction in terms. (Chicken AND steak??) And I’m pretty sure biscuits means something completely different to me than you. What you call a cookie, we call a biscuit. So ‘biscuits and gravy’??? Yecchhhhh!

*shakes fist*

Now I want a blizzard.
Thanks. Now I’ll be craving that all night. 😉

Oh, biscuits and gravy. Yum.

Jean you are but Leslie is my bff.

I was just pointing out to R that one of the many reasons is because Jean doesn’t put my recs on her “maybe someday I’ll consider reading” shelf. *cough* slush pile *cough*

Haha bev!

Oh bev your new little puppy avatar is super cute.

Biscuits and gravy for breakfast. And yes. Usually a sausage gravy but bacon is good too.

Or sausage

Lots of POUNDS

Jan come to me. Whenever you’re ready! I’ll fatten you up.

I eat biscuits and gravy with sausage. OMG. Soooo good. Never bacon!!

That’s bev “don’t touch me” face. 😛

Are we talking about food??? Biscuits and sausage gravy…oh YUM. I loved eating at Biscuit Kitchen when we lived in Florida.

And hey! I just went to DQ the other day for the first time in years. Peanut Buster Parfait is the bestest!!!

Instant biscuits in pop cans??? Sounds weird. Peanut buster parfait sounds good though….. mmmmmmm……. I’m getting hungry now, even tho I don’t know what the heck half these things are.

Jan, here are biscuits in a pop can…

R…come to my house. I’m making butter chicken with jasmine rice and sautéed spinach with garlic. 😉

I’m Bev’s BFF!! *fist pump*

I love the Aussie slang lesson. 🙂

I use “exclusive” shelves on GR and its a huge help. I have a special one for some of those Marmy reads I know I cant handle. “Too sad or non HEA”.

We don’t have DQ around me anymore!!! The two we had have closed!! I want a blizzard so bad.

I’m super hungry now for all those great foods. The parfait looks sooooo good. I can’t get over the biscuits in a can though. Just something we don’t really have down here. Novelty factor!

Ooooh. Add to this week’s pre-orders. A Crown of Bitter Oranges by Laura Florand is out on 24th Jan. I knew it was coming but it crept up on me! Oh yeah……………. *happy little dance*

monkey…. bread……??? Huh? There’s a whole new world of food out there.

Yeah, no. I don’t think the cookie dough in the plastic tube is gonna work. Ah well, maybe I’ll get across to visit you guys one day…..

You found an epic read for us?? YAY!!!

But…what is it about? *scratches head*

And I’m SO glad you clarified it’s not a Marmy so some aren’t scared off from it. 😉