In Which There Might Just Be A Reason To Light Up The Fireplace… Six For Sunday: Books I Would Torch

Six for Sunday is hosted by A Little but A Lot  and this week’s theme is actually oriented around something I’ve never heard of but everyone keeps talking about. Alas, I’m always out of the loop but fear not! Apparently I missed this amazing opportunity to be the MC of Snark last week! Going from books to snuggle with to books I would throw in a fire! And so I am gladly going to make up for that mistake today!

Ok- Don’t come at me with all the how dare you burn a book. It is a meme. If you have any questions about what I do with books that need new homes (not even because I’d torch them… just because), go talk with Sam at the Writerly Way or Leelyn at Sometimes Leelynn Reads (well she can vouch soon- her box of books is wrapped up and ready but was delayed by the second snowstorm. It will be mailed tomorrow). Anyhow each of these “books,” (wow this went straight to final jeopardy on the snark-o-meter fast), were read as eArcs. So, yeah, I don’t even own them. So just drop the pitchforks. Nothing is actually getting burned. And as always… one  reader’s trash is another’s treasure. You have your feels I have mine. No disrespect to anyone from creator to reader intended, ever. Cool? Cool.

Ok so back to that fireplace I talked about last Sunday that we had the whole discussion about. If you need a refresher… Six For Sunday: Dear Fireplace I’ll never use… Now that everyone is caught up… let’s do this, shall we?

And truthfully? Honestly? If you didn’t see this very first one on the list? You are really ignoring me (unless you are new my part in the world- in which case WELCOME <waves>) and now? Now…

And that really isn’t fair. Because the first book on this list? The one you should know is coming? It had me tired. It still has me tired. And isn’t that enough? I mean I think I deserve better. The boys deserve better. And it had THEM  tired.

1) Verify by Joelle Charbonneau

This book. Just thinking about it. I’m exhausted. Gomez is still exhausted. Pavel is asleep and it his sleep is exhausted. Liam has added a clause in Pavel and Gomez’s contracts that they are never to be asked to work with this book again. If I had an agent… Hey LIAM!? Nah. He doesn’t represent people. Damn.

2) The Last 8 by Laura Pohl

“The Last Eight by Laura Pohl: The End of the World Just Got Interesting”

No. No it didn’t.

But. Here’s what it did do, not that I knew it at the time. It was a warning. A red flag. A big old brick to my head from God warning me that there were going to be a whole slough of books that were not going to provide buy-in or get me to suspend disbelief. And had you told me that authors were going there? WITH ME? I’d laughed. Because. ME?

I watch the Walking F…. wait. Even the Walking Dead went there on me for two damn episodes. It recovered its mess and remembered it knew Jesus on Sunday (Guess Father G took Angela Kang to church and straightened that shit out). But it was a close thing. By the mid-season finale it had gotten its act together.

Sorry. I digressed.

But there were a handful of books this year where ME… ME… who watches the Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, leaves on a steady diet of Sci-Fi, Comics, Marvel (Eh, just throw Quantum in front of it and I’ll go with it for the same of being heart broken in End Game) and Fantasy, that couldn’t get to a plausible place of buy-in and suspension of disbelief? Dude. Then you are doing it wrong. You could drive a zamboni through those plot holes. Fix yourself before.. aw hell you already wrecked yourselves.

BUT A new year is coming- you can do better. Live. Learn. Get Huggies. 

PS For those of you that loved The Last 8 or anyone who is curious or hates themselves– apparently there is a sequel coming.

3) Pivot by L.C. Barlow

I think I was pretty clear about this one in my review. It could very well be that the author needs to hurl me into the fireplace. Maybe I’m just that stupid. I am more than willing to admit this upfront. All I know is that I read it and yet still all I’m left with is a blinding migraine and questions. I’m made of questions and confusion… a state of confusion.

4) Here There Are Monsters by Amelinda Berube

I felt bad about the fact that this was one of those books that I kept screwing up the title for in my head. I kept calling it Here There Be Monsters for some reason. Then I read it. Now I get to call it whatever the hell I want. Why? Read the review. Also. See #2 on this list.

5) The Devouring Grey by Christine Lynn Herman

Yeah Yeah. I know.

I’m perfectly fine being the lone ranger on this one. You have a right to your feels and I have a right to mine. I just didn’t get it.

6) The First True Thing by Claire Needell

Ending this post on a bit of a personal note that has lots of highly charged personal opinions. Also, to be noted is that again, I read this off the eARC. So any changes that might have been made to the final edition? I was not privy to because I didn’t seek it out. I had no want or need to. These opinions are my own. These observations are my own. They are, again, both highly personal and highly important to me, from the experiences from my childhood and trauma from my family (father, uncles, cousins etc…). I ask that you keep that in mind when reading my opinions.

Ok there you have it! What would you metaphorically light on fire with an evil gleam in your eye? Any on my list you’d gladly chuck into the burning fires of hell?!