Ah, yes, the hazard of an uninvestigated synonym. Solved by a bit if dictionary time, if only they’d use one.

Yes: “smirk” is wrongly used and overused in too many romances. Apparently, people don’t look words up?

Same.

Bad books taught me to read the esamples on amazon before buying. That was the only actionable lesson, for me.

booktok is all about the hype and the quick buck. It has nothing to do with quality.

I’d read and enjoyed Upgrade, but yeah, could not get into Dark Matter at all. Then I read some reviews, and was assured I was right to avoid it.

Just admit you’re done learning new words, and move on with your life. No one has to agree. It’s your life.

Part of the difference is, each version of a book is formatted separately, and one of the things I’ll let other readers know about is any issues I had with my chosen version, Kindle editions. Many reviewers I follow on Goodreads will do similar, that’s where I learned it was a good idea. I’ve really appreciated this if I read a book, particularly when scene breaks are poorly distinguished, or a break is missing.

AUDIOBOOKS! Warning: soapbox:

All versions of written stories involve consuming those stories, all versions are valid. Let’s just stop being ableist about it, please. If you can’t see, you read via audiobooks, okay? Okay. Plus, it doesn’t have to be an ability problem; if you spend a lot of time traveling, same deal! When someone reads a story aloud, it’s from the written version.

end: soapbox

Oh, a friend of mine calls reading audiobooks “ear-reading.” Feel free to steal if that fits your experience.

It, not he.

Any search engine can answer this question for you and be more accurate (as far as averages can be accurate) than random reddit readers.

Yes, System Collapse (Murderbot Diaries #7). I’m in the Kindle Rewards program so with ebook purchases I got a $3 credit and bought it. I read it in two days, I can never read these with any decorum.

According to the series list on Goodreads, there are two more planned. Very curious where we’ll end up. :)

Me continuing to read a series is entirely dependent on 1) how well the author did in book 1 and 2) how well the second one has done with other readers.

The older I get, the less patience I have with some writers’ habits, such as over-describing things that don’t matter, poor editing before publication, repeating facts I’m having no trouble remembering in the first place, one or more characters reading as uninteresting, stupid actions by supposedly smart characters, and so on. I can’t remember which it was, by I eventually finished the not-great book one of a loooong series, then perused reviews of following books, read a sample here and there–and this author had not gotten any better, over years. That’s just tragic.

EVERY INSTALLMENT OF MURDERBOT DIARIES

People write like that, or try to, now. Why wouldn’t they attempt to then? We’ve always told stories from our past.

It was published in 1900-1901. So.

I think each of us has a different brain and a different life and issues diagnosed and undiagnosed and life pressures and so on and so forth.

For instance, my brother did not like to read when he was in school. His teachers asked Mom to send anything he’d read with him to school, so he read comics. Turned out, he is dyslexic.

Instead of judging others who are not like you, try reading about people who are unlike you, and learn to let others be as they are. There are reasons. Those reasons are none of your business.

Also, you will never, ever “make” anyone read something just because you want them to, if they dislike reading. All that does is alienate people. I imagine you already know that.

Not that it matters, but I wonder how many are ghostwritten. As many a would-be writer learns, the ideas are the easy part. :)

The Hardy Boys (didn’t like Nancy Drew).

Libraries pay for books, and authors get a cut. So yes, you are fine. No author worthy of the title would say otherwise.

I have comfort reads, which are books I’ve read and loved that I return to when life is argh and my brain’s a ball of anxiety. I re-read a LOT in 2020.

I read all fiction pretty fast; I read over 300 books a year. But science books slow me right down; no tropes, can’t assume anything, everything is interesting. :)