Thursday, July 02, 2020

Where Is Your Bookmark? (My Current Read & Well-Hyped Books that Disappointed Me )

Happy Friday! What book is your bookmark in today? 

I thought I would share excerpts from a book I recently started called Westside (#1) by W.M. Akers I am not too far in, but I like what I have read so far. 

A young detective who specializes in “tiny mysteries” finds herself at the center of a massive conspiracy in this beguiling historical fantasy set on Manhattan’s Westside—a peculiar and dangerous neighborhood home to strange magic and stranger residents—that blends the vivid atmosphere of Caleb Carr with the imaginative power of Neil Gaiman. [from the Goodreads Summary]


A weekly meme where readers share the first sentence of the book they are reading and say what they think. Hosted by the wonderful Gillion Dumas of Rose City Reader.
I stole a glove.

It dangled off a table in a decrepit leather shop on Thieves' Market on the Eastside of Manhattan in sweltering late September 1921, and it was in my bag before I even knew it had been in my hand. 

My thoughts: The opening not only gives us the time and place, but also a bit of action right away. It had me wanting to read more.


A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Hosted by the wonderful Freda of Freda's Voice.

"Last night, one of her gangs was ambushed by men in your uniforms, firing pistols."

"My men are guardsmen - they guard. That's it. No booze, no women, and not a step across the Borderline, on penalty of death. They know better."

"They killed three boys."

My thoughts: I have not yet reached this point in the book, but the situation does not sound good. Did some of his men attack the other gang or was it another group trying to frame them? Hmm. I had better get back to my reading so I can find out! 


Have you read Westside or the newly released sequel, Westside Saints? Does Westside sound like something you would enjoy? 


Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

What book/books got a lot of hype but were a disappointment for you? (submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews)
Sometimes a book just is not a good fit for a particular reader. Given the number of books many of us read, there are bound to be disappointments. It is easy for our expectations to be built up by the praise (even from fellow bloggers) and creative advertising, which could mean the harder the fall into disappointment. Take that fudge ad that keeps popping up on my Facebook feed. It looked sooo good and, after seeing it multiple times every day, hearing about the different flavors, how many people love it, and the big sale prices, I caved in and bought some. I liked the peanut butter chocolate fudge okay, but the other flavors I tried were disappointing. Is it me? Is it the fudge? Maybe I do not like fudge as much as I think I do because I have yet to find fudge that I love the way I feel I should . . . 

We are getting off track here. Back to books. It's funny. Sometimes I run toward hyped books like it is their last day on earth, and then they languish on my shelves for years until I read them. Other times I dive right in. And then there are those books I avoid like the plague--because THE HYPE! There is no rhyme or reason to my reading behavior. At least none that I have found. 

Anyway, you wanted to know some of the well-hyped books I found disappointing. [Book titles are linked to my reviews.]

No one can deny the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy by E.L. James received a lot of hype--both positive and negative. I have friends who did not just dislike the trilogy, but hated it, and others who absolutely loved it. I went into the trilogy to see why the books were so polarizing. I managed to read the first two books of the three, and, well, I am not in the least bit a fan. 

John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany and One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez are two books that receive heaps of praise even today, years after they were first published. Neither won me over. 

There is also Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, which, for all intents and purposes, I should have loved. Witches, after all! I remember all the hype when the book first came out, and then again with the movie. Like the book I found the movie disappointing too. 

There have been other well-hyped books that have left me disappointed of course, but these are the ones that instantly come to mind. Just because they may not have been my cup of tea doesn't mean they weren't someone else's. And given the praise they've received, I would say that is a good bet. 



What well-hyped books did you find disappointing?


 I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading and are up to!

© 2020, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

26 comments:

  1. I've been visiting hoping you would have posted an update on what is happening over there! Hope all are safe in the madness of Covid.
    The second blog today that has a big review on Westside. It sounds different.

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    1. Mystica - You have already commented on my weekend post, and so you know my most recent update. :-) Not much has changed unfortunately, and in some ways I think the situation is worse. We are doing well though. Thank you for visiting!

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  2. Westside had me at "Neil Gaiman". Can't wait to read your thoughts on it!

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    1. Eustacia - I like it so far. :-) Thank you for stopping by!

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  3. That opening line certainly tells you quite a lot in just a sentence or two.

    Like you, I wasn't a fan of Fifty Shades, but I did love One Hundred Years of Solitude. It helped that I read it with a group and discussed it.

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    1. Marg - I wanted to love One Hundred Years of Solitude. Perhaps being able to discuss it as I read it would have helped. I just know it almost ruined me on magical realism. Thank you for visiting!

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  4. I read indie published books but even in that world they can be over-hyped. I think sometimes the hype itself leads to unreal expectations and without it we would have enjoyed the book/film/fudge more than we did. I'm often the person looking at all the five star reviews and scratching my head in puzzlement, so I figure I have very specific likes and tastes!

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    1. Louise - I tend to get suspicious when I see all five start reviews. I like to see a mix of reviews and opinions. I think you are right that sometimes the hype leads to high expectations.

      Thank you for stopping by!

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  5. I am intrigued! I do love how the opening lines give us enough to pull us in. Thanks for sharing, and here's mine: “THE SWAP”

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    1. Laurel-Rain - It is a good book so far. It isn't the most fast paced novel, but it is keeping me interested. Thank you for visiting!

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  6. That opening grabs my attention right away! Makes me wonder why they're stealing a glove. I do love the 56 snippet, too. I immediately thought they were being framed, too, so that's curious! Happy reading.

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    1. Sammie - The book has definitely turned in a couple of unexpected directions so far. I am enjoying it. :-) Thank you for stopping by!

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  7. Glad to hear that Westside is going well so far. That one's on my TBR list. :)

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    1. Lark - I hope you enjoy it when you read it! Thank you for visiting!

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  8. I couldn't even finish the first Fifty Shades of Grey book but I did enjoy the movies. Same with Beautiful Creatures.

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    1. Mary - I liked the ending of the Beautiful Creatures movie more than I liked the book ending. I haven't seen the Fify Shades movies. Thank you for stopping by!

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  9. I don't know how I forgot about 50 Shades, but seriously what was all that hype about?

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    1. Dani - I have long wondered why those books and not something else. Maybe it was the tie to the Twilight books? I really don't know. Thank you for visiting!

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  10. I wasn't a big fan of Fifty Shades of Grey either. I think I read the first one and wasn't interested in continuing.

    The excerpts from Westside sound interesting.

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    1. Yvonne - At least we can say we tried? Thank you for stopping by!

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  11. Westside sounds so good. I love historical fantasy. Thanks for sharing! Happy reading! :)

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    1. Ashley - It was good. I enjoyed it. :-) Thank you for visiting!

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  12. Loved your side story about the fudge. So true how we can get so excited about something that is over hyped and then reality hits. Oh and what about those books you just have to have because everyone is talking about them but then they stay on our shelves forever unread. Yep, count me in on that too. Loved the excerpt from the Westside book and hope it ends up being a winner!

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    1. Iliana - I can relate to that as well! A book sounds so good based on all the recommendations and so I get it, and there it sits. Thank you for stopping by!

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    1. R - That's too bad. It has such a good premise. :-( Thank you for visiting!

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