unpopularopinions

Sea of Tranquility: A Novel | Emily St. John Mandel

Babel might have been the most surprising read for us this year. Most participants of the #LitsyToB23 enjoyed it more than expected. @Cinfhen @RebelReader and @kwmg40 even root for it in this years tournament.
It was up against Sea of Tranquility however, a book even more popular among us. Unfortunately Babel didn‘t stand a chance. Sea of Tranquility is our winner in this match! Unexpectedly, in my humble opinion, the #ToB23 judged likewise

BkClubCare, Megabooks, Hooked_on_books, Jas16, cariashley, Well-ReadNeck, Larkken, Suet624, Deblovestoread, merelybookish, batsy, Readerann, Sophronisba, Chelsea.Poole, rmaclean4, squirrelbrain, RidgewayGirl, jlhammar, Addison_Reads, Ruthiella, sarahbarnes, ImperfectCJ

Addison_Reads I loved them both, and I'm sad to see Babel out. I hated that these two were paired together. 13mo

Megabooks @Addison_Reads same!! 13mo

Megabooks Even though Mandel and that book have a huge place in my heart. I‘ll definitely read Kuang again though. 13mo

See All 23 Comments

jlhammar Pleased with this outcome. I have to disagree with the judge regarding the HBO Station Eleven adaptation. It‘s quite different from the book, but I absolutely loved it. Funny that someone who avoids sci-fi and fantasy gets stuck judging this match. Though I think Babel is one that many who don‘t usually read fantasy have loved and same for Sea and those who may not usually enjoy sci-fi elements. 13mo

RebelReader I‘m disappointed that Babel didn‘t move on because Sea was not my cup of tea, but on to the next matchup! 🤣 13mo

Jas16 Another match up of two of my favorites from the list and another outcome I wish had gone the other way. 13mo

kwmg40 Too bad for Babel, but I loved Sea also (just a tiny bit less) so I can live with the judgements. I do hope Babel returns as a zombie. 13mo

batsy I've not read Mandel because it does feel like I should start from the beginning which I think is Station Eleven (that I haven't read), but I think the assessment of Babel was fair. I liked it, but with the same qualifications as the judge—the heavy-handedness grew exhausting. 13mo

Deblovestoread I enjoyed both books. And although Babel got my vote I‘m not sorry to see Sea of Tranquility advance. 13mo

batsy ("I really wished Babel would branch out beyond the scone" made me laugh lol) 13mo

squirrelbrain I agree also! @Addison_Reads @Megabooks 13mo

Cinfhen I am disappointed since this was my least favorite book by Mandel but I‘m ok with Sea moving on. I do wish these two weren‘t up against each other but that‘s life. 13mo

Readerann I, too, wish both could have moved on. But Sea was my fav of this ToB. 13mo

Suet624 I believe I voted for Sea because a) I liked it and b) there was no way I was going to tackle Babel. I sing praises on all of you ambitious readers who read it and enjoyed it. 13mo

Ruthiella I definitely preferred the deft and understated writing in Sea over the didactic tone of Babel. 13mo

BarbaraBB @batsy I agree with the judge too, it was too long and turned exhausting. Buy it deserved to make it further in the tournament. The brackets suck this year! @Addison_Reads @Megabooks @squirrelbrain @Jas16 @kwmg40 @Deblovestoread @Readerann 13mo

sarahbarnes Agreed that I liked Babel more than I expected to, but as a huge Mandel fan, I was happy to see that one advance. 13mo

Larkken This is one where I changed my mind after voting! I think Babel was hugely cerebral and grows on me despite the dragged-on tragic ending while I‘m finding the long author-in-a-pandemic subplot of SoT is sticking in my mind and not in a good way. #unpopularopinions I think! 🤪 but I‘m also with all of you thinking both books deserved to move on! So it‘s nitpicky. Should I be more annoyed that genre books were pitted against each other? (edited) 13mo

Larkken @batsy just read that! Lol 13mo

Hooked_on_books Have you read a book where you enjoyed parts of it, but the author did something that made you by the end almost hate the book? Then every time you see someone say how great it is, you hate it a little bit more? That‘s me with Babel. I was so sure we were going to pick it and I‘m so glad we didn‘t. I‘m really happy to see Sea move on in both. 13mo

BarbaraBB @Larkken I wonder too why they set up genre books against one another. Did they always do this I wonder? 13mo

BarbaraBB @Hooked_on_books Yes! I know that feeling very well. Not with Babel though. I had it recently with

The School for Good Mothers: A Novel

13mo

Suet624 @BarbaraBB oh gosh, yes. School for mothers…grumble, grumble. Just no. 13mo

68 likes23 comments

Prairiegirl_reading

The Swimmers | Julie Otsuka

so-so

So far, I‘ve had a pretty decent summer for reading but it has also been full of disappointments. This was definitely one of them. To me, this felt like an outline to a really great novel, not a great read. It‘s short, choppy, and I didn‘t like the third person point of view. There were some very poignant sentences, a few laughs, and some gut punches. I can‘t “pan” it but I didn‘t love it as I was expecting. #unpopularopinions

31 likes

DGRachel

Rancher's Christmas Storm: A Western snowbound romance | Maisey Yates

pan

I‘m on a roll with #unpopularopinions. Clearly cowboy romances are not my thing. I found the writing clunky and repetitive. The MCs were immature, and for characters who were supposedly 34 (the hero, Jericho) and early-20s (the heroine, Honey), ridiculously childish in their behavior. Honey was also obsessed with her virginity and with finding someone to hook up with so she‘d no longer be a virgin. It was obnoxious.

Cinfhen Yeah/ that‘s a #pass 😁 2y

robinb Cowboy romances are not my jam either. ;) 2y

DGRachel @robinb I definitely learned my lesson. 🤣🤣 I much prefer historicals. 2y

52 likes3 comments

rrkreads

Untitled | Unknown

How unpopular are your bookish opinions? How about knowing about my opinions via the popular Unpopular opinions book tag? ⠀
⠀
#unpopularopinions #booktags ⠀
⠀
https://buff.ly/33tIP1v

6 likes

DGRachel

An American Marriage | Tayari Jones

so-so

I understand why people like this. It's a perfect example of contemporary fiction, which I happen to typically hate. I didn't hate this, but I didn't enjoy it either and read it out of book club obligation. I did listen to the audio, which honestly is the only reason I was able to finish it. So, if you have to read it (or enjoy contemporary fiction), I recommend the audio. It's an Oprah pick, so yeah - miserable people leading miserable lives.

Lcsmcat Love this review! 4y

Mdargusch Great review! 4y

Graywacke Now I‘m curious what you mean by what mean by what you don‘t like about contemporary fiction... 🙂 Caught my attention because I‘m have my own issues with the writing in my current book, a 2019 novel, but I suspect it‘s not the same style. 4y

See All 19 Comments

Leftcoastzen I love Litsy because of reviews like yours . No offense to people who love the book , and I have not read it yet.I suspect we have similar misgivings about some contemporary fiction.🙂 4y

DGRachel @Graywacke @Leftcoastzen My issue with most of the contemporary or literary fiction I've read, and again this just what I've been exposed to, is that it is typically full of angst and misery. It's supposed to be “regular“ people, whatever that means, and their life stories/experiences at a given point in time. They are usually unlikable or pathetic characters, and they usually leave me feeling sad, disgusted, and/or angry. (cont below) 4y

DGRachel The limited contemporary or literary fiction I have enjoyed tend to be quieter character studies and often lean more towards the historical (A Gentleman in Moscow comes to mind, but for more contemporary - A Man Called Ove). There's less angst and poor decision making. It's the really poor decision making by the main characters and hypocrisy that got me in An American Marriage. 4y

Suet624 I was definitely let down by all the hype. It was so-so for me as well. 4y

Leftcoastzen I get exactly where you are coming from.As I said , I haven‘t read this one.I think one bad decision can happen , but multiples not likely. I think some writers take the easy (though less realistic)way to drive the plot. 4y

Graywacke @DGRachel thanks for the explanation. Really interesting. Angst and misery can get to me, but when it‘s done well I‘m generally fine with it (whatever “done well” means in my case) (edited) 4y

Graywacke @DGRachel my issue with my book is different. It‘s plot book, characterizations are quick and sleek so we can get on with the plot. I‘m having trouble with that. 4y

DGRachel @Graywacke If you don't mind sharing, what are you currently reading? 4y

DGRachel @Lcsmcat @Mdargusch Thank you. :)
@Suet624 It's always nice to know I'm not alone! 4y

Graywacke @DGRachel sorry, it‘s a new, not well known book I‘m hesitant to criticize this way (cause it‘s kind of an unfair criticism). It‘s scifi, which I don‘t normally read. It‘s thoughtful, but not exactly “literary” as I imagine the word. But, having said that, the book is

Body Tourists

DGRachel @Graywacke No book is going to be universally loved, and if something isn‘t working for you, then I don‘t think it‘s an unfair criticism. If it lacks character development and is more plot driven than you prefer, someone else may be looking for exactly that. 😊 4y

Graywacke @DGRachel right, exactly. And there a are million other books written this way. Reader‘s taste problem... I‘m struggling getting over that. 🙂 4y

BookNAround I liked her earlier books a lot more than this one. But I‘m used to being the grumpy curmudgeon about highly touted books. 😆 4y

DGRachel @BookNAround I feel like I have a lot of #unpopularopinions, too. 😆 4y

TheBookHippie It‘s hard to know if I‘d like this if I wasn‘t physically visiting prison weekly. So much of it was enhanced by my sharing what I was reading and their thoughts -plus BOTM buddy read. Not sure if I would have enjoyed just reading it without all that. I personalised a lot of it saw faces in the characters. But I think books are personal anyway. Read what you love and everyone‘s entitled to their opinions and choices ❤️ I prefer the classics 🤣📖❤️ 4y

TheBookHippie @DGRachel also I don‘t like Harry Potter -this makes me a target often 🤣 typically I don‘t like the popular touted must reads 🤷🏽‍♀️ 4y

91 likes19 comments

Cinfhen

Case Histories: A Novel | Kate Atkinson

so-so

#BelowZer00s #BuddyRead It took me awhile to get into this one. Wasn‘t wowed and probably won‘t continue on with the series. Saving most comments for next weeks discussion 🤓

BarbaraBB

Cinfhen I didn‘t hate it @4thhouseontheleft but it won‘t stay with me either 🤷🏼‍♀️ 4y

Cinfhen Oh I forgot lots of challenge prompts #Jennyis30 #Thriller or is it #Suspense ?!?!! @jenniferw88 #ReadingEurope2020 #UK @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB #MandMchallenge2020 @BarbaraTheBibliophage #NewSeries (edited) 4y

Cinfhen #pop20 #StartASeries #PastPrompt (edited) 4y

See All 23 Comments

BarbaraBB So much prompts again! I just started it and really like the beginning. Let‘s see where it goes! 4y

erzascarletbookgasm All those prompts ✔️ 👏 4y

Cinfhen Always a silver lining @erzascarletbookgasm @BarbaraBB 😇 4y

emilyhaldi Hmmm well maybe I‘ll skip this one after all. I‘m not big on mystery / thriller books so unless it was a standout story I probably won‘t like it... 4y

Cinfhen It felt pretty ordinary to me @emilyhaldi but so far that‘s an #unpopularopinion / won‘t hold it against you if you decide to skip the party😘You‘re always invited 4y

Ruthiella Is this your first book by Atkinson Cindy? 4y

Cathythoughts Oh dear. I loved the sense of humour & the characters & the plot ... did you like Jackson ? 4y

Kalalalatja I‘m not a big mystery/thriller fan either @emilyhaldi but I think I‘m going to give this a try anyway. It is always good to have a few #unpopularopinions in a buddy read discussion Cindy 😉 (edited) 4y

Cinfhen No, this isn‘t my first Atkinson @Ruthiella and I didn‘t like her other books either. Nope, wasn‘t taken with Jackson @Cathythoughts (edited) 4y

Ruthiella @Cinfhen I had the same questions as @Cathythoughts ...I also love Atkinson‘s sense of humor. So she‘s not the author for you- which isn‘t a bad thing at all since it helps weed out books on the TBR. 😀 4y

Cinfhen That really might be the case @Ruthiella although this book felt very different than the other book I‘ve read by her. I HATED

Life After Life: A Novel

Ruthiella @Cinfhen I thought George Saunders‘ 10th of December was OK but hated Lincoln in the Bardo. I felt a little bad- he‘s so beloved-but ultimately relieved. Now I can freely avoid his other books! 😜 4y

Cinfhen That‘s what makes reading so wonderful/ we all respond so differently to the same book @Ruthiella 💜 4y

Ruthiella @Cinfhen Totally!❤️ 4y

Librarybelle Sorry it was just so-so, but at least it covered a lot of challenges! 4y

Marina_h I would have loved to join the buddyread but I've read the book before and really didn't like it. So you're not alone with your #unpopularopinion I hope you'll have a great discussion about the book 4y

Cinfhen Thanks for having my back @Marina_h You can still join the aughts celebration and join in on the discussion 😁 4y

TrishB I think you‘re probably fine with KA now 😁 I only ever give an author two books!! 4y

Reviewsbylola Like I said before, I think I bailed on this one. Quickly. 😆 Now I‘m thinking my initial dislike wasn‘t unwarranted. It was a shocking bail for me too because it felt like this book was so highly praised so I was sure I would love it. 4y

Cinfhen I‘m not sure why this book earned all the praises??! 🤷🏼‍♀️If your week is busy don‘t feel pressured @Reviewsbylola still pop in and share your aughts photos though 😘 4y

113 likes23 comments

megnews

Untitled | Unknown

We‘ve done #GratefulReads, we‘re voting on GoodReads awards. Soon we‘ll be doing #BestOf. I‘m curious what were your #WorstOf2019?
2 of mine were graphic novels, 1 middle grade, & 3 poetry which are probably #unpopularopinions based on, you know, little things like Pulitzer prizes 🤣.
So tell us, what would you recommend we stay away from? What books‘ great reviews left you scratching your head? What one(s) wouldn‘t you wish on your worst enemy?

27 likes

Daria.Adrianna21

Grave Mercy | Robin LaFevers

The beautiful details of Grave Mercy by Robin Lafevers!
I'm thinking about starting a book club, read-a-long, or something for young adult readers. I have so many thoughts that need to be discussed!
#booktalk #currentread #gravemercy #bookclub #unpopularopinions #goodreads

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Welcome to Litsy!! 5y

Daria.Adrianna21 Thank you! @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 5y

32 likes2 comments

BethM

A Discovery of Witches | Deborah E. Harkness

My aunt got me into these books so of course she came over to watch the first two episodes tonight. I feel very meh. I definitely don‘t think they‘ll attract new viewers. Now this coming week looks like it holds more promise. WhaT did you guys think?

Avanders I only barely started the first episode... but I actually totally want to watch them.. I feel like it will be ... a little easier for me to watch than it was to read 😜 #unpopularopinions or whatever that hashtag is 😁 5y

BethM @Avanders the books definitely got bogged down in the details at times. I‘m excited to keep watching, I just think the first two weren‘t very exciting and as such may lose people who were unfamiliar with the books. 5y

AnneFindsJoy Ha , I didn‘t even know there was a show out for this series! I‘ll have to check it out, as I liked the books. 5y

LeeRHarry I am a little bit trash for this series 🤣 possibly has something to do with Matthew Goode... 5y

Avanders Ahh, that makes sense! I wonder that sometimes, but it‘s so hard to see it from a perspective of not knowing, when I do know... 😜 5y

36 likes5 comments

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