Soooooo … it’s true. I only read one book. And barely. Like I read it on Monday. In the evening. And only due to an irrational need to participate in Show Us Your Books, the very bestest link-up. Jana even told me, multiple times, that it was okay if I didn’t have a book to share. That I wouldn’t be kicked out of the #booknerd club. But I’m no quitter, so read one book I did. Under my own duress.
To be honest, I actually read quite a bit last month, just nothing new. It was my comfort book month where I read bits and pieces of favorite books. Still … hold books came in from the library and sat unread and undesired on my dresser and Netgalley due dates ominously approached and past. And yet my new book apathy remained. But for the love of Jane Austen, I vowed to read a new-to-me book. Thankfully, it even turned out to be pretty good.
Yay! I Read a Book. And I Liked It.
Whew. A bad book would’ve made me grumpy. Heavens knows we wouldn’t that to happen.
Artemis by Andy Weir
Book Description: A small-time smuggler, Jazz gets caught up in plot that will change Artemis, a colony on Mars, forever and possibly end her life.
Book Review: I imagine there is a ton of pressure when writing a follow-up to a book as popular as The Martian. Thus, I tried to keep my expectations in check because Mark Watley is one of my favorite fictional characters and knew he was a hard character to follow. Much like Mark, Jazz Bashara has the snark down pat but unlike Mark, who you couldn’t help but root for, I didn’t feel the same sort of investment in Jazz as I did in Watley. I did, however, appreciate her smarts and toughness and desire to be her own hero. The story takes some time to get going but once it did, it engaged me. And like The Martian, there were parts that I skimmed because blah, blah, blah science stuff.
To Read or Not To Read: Sure. It’s no The Marian, but it’s still a solid read with some interesting characters. Also to be clear, this is not a sequel to The Martian. Some people thought it was and were disappointed. This is a separate, stand-alone story.
Note: I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. Artemis is now available.
To More Great Books
I hope to crack open a few more books this month as I still need to read a few netgalley books. Those always make me feel the guiltiest. I appreciate the chance to read ARCs and know the difference a good review can mean to an author and book … but I also know me. Forced reading brings out my mean girl. I will nit pick that darn book to death, which isn’t right or fair either. Still, I am hopeful that my urge to devour every book in sight will return. Perhaps, it will return today, when I see all the books my fellow friends and participants have read this month in the Show Us Your Books Link-Up hosted by Jana and Steph.
After all, enthusiasm is contagious, so show me (or tell me) what great books you read. 😀
Tanya
I felt the same about this book. Mark is a very hard character to live up to.
He really is. Jazz is fine but Mark was an exceptional character!
I am totally hearing you on the reading slump! I’m stopping by the library today and will hopefully bring home some books that will get me out of this slump! I’m on the fence about reading this one. It’s not my usual genre but I was pleasantly surprised with The Martian and how much I enjoyed it.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed The Martian too. I like sci-fi (to an extent) but all the math/science aspects kept me away from reading it initially. But it go so much love that I read it and really enjoyed. Artemis is good, not as great as The Martian but I have no regrets that I read it either.
I just finished Artemis on the weekend too, and I really liked Jazz! I agree that she was no Mark Watney and the book wasn’t QUITE as intense for me as the Martian but I still really liked it. His writing is quite funny and his characters are fun.
Reading slumps are no fun! I hope you get over yours but don’t sweat it! Books will always be there waiting for you 🙂
Weir has a great writing style and I do enjoy his character’s snark. That’s the right attitude – because books aren’t going anywhere. So when I’m reading to dive back in, they will be there waiting for me!
It’s on my TBR list – I’m coming out of a several-month-long reading slump myself so I know where you’re coming from. It happens and the books aren’t going anywhere. It usually takes me a few of my favorites to get me interested in finding something new again.
This has been my worst book funk ever. So it’s driving me nuts. I want to read but nothing appeals to me! #BookNerdProblems alert! Hopefully, I’ll be back in the saddle soon and reading lots of books again. 😀
Lol I only read two books this month so don’t feel too bad! Love that you read it last minute just so you could participate! That’s awesome.
I just couldn’t fathom not participating! Thankfully, Artemis was good, otherwise I would have been in trouble. LOL!
Reading slumps happen! I hope you find something in the upcoming month that really holds your interest 🙂
Thanks, Brittany! Me too! I have a ton of books that I “want” to read but when it comes time to read them … I’m like meh. 😀
I have this on my TBR and even though I’m really excited to read it, I kind of keep putting it off because I know it will be hard not to compare to The Martian because Mark really was such a great character. Your review makes me want to read it sooner rather than later though!
I definitely tried to keep my expectations in check, which isn’t always easy because I love Mark. It’s still an entertaining story and a worthy read. I hope you enjoy it!
This was a one-book-month for me, too. I’m in the middle of several that I’m enjoying, but I didn’t get them done in time for the link-up. It’s ok; I’ll review them next month.
Between your review and Jana’s, I’m adding this one to my TBR list. I haven’t read The Martian and I’m glad this isn’t a sequel!
Also- the new SUYB button looks AWESOME. Great job!!
Well, you had a busy October with all your moving and travel! 😀 I’ve never been able to successfully read several books at once. I get confused! LOL! It’s most definitely not a sequel and reading this before The Martian will definitely help with expectations too! Thanks – I’m so glad you like the new SUYB button!
I didn’t read the Martian, would you say it’s better than the movie? I didn’t care for Matt Damon in it.
What books do you like to read over again? I’ve been trying to find time to read Harry Potter again, this is the first year that I haven’t read it twice.
I remember The Martian, the book, more than I do the movie. One thing I liked better about the movie is they skipped over some of the more sciency stuff, which I skimmed in the book. But I like fictional Mark better the movie Mark but I’m not a huge Matt Damon fan, so that probably played a role. Last month, I re-read some of my favorite In Death books from JD Robb (Nora Roberts), I also re-read The Hunger Games trilogy too. I didn’t read every page in most of the books, but just read my favorite sections. It’s like visiting old friends to me. I did an HP reread earlier this year and almost revisit HP and Company yearly too.
i think i would have a heart attack if i didn’t have a book to participate in for SUYB. i think i’ve done the ‘quick read a book so i can participate’ thing too. so i feel you. Artemis is on my list, I know it can’t compare to The Martian, but still. I have high expectations so I’m trying to wait for them to settle down lol. and yes i am with you on netgalley books. it’s not fair to them but whatever lol.
Nothing new appealed to me but I was DETERMINED to participate in SUYB. Thankfully Artemis was a good read overall. I would have felt like I’d entered The Twilight Zone if I didn’t have at least one book to share! I tend to delay reading a book to help manage expectations too. Beartown is one book that I’m waiting to read. Everyone seems to really like it so I expect it to be walk on water good, which is a pretty high bar to set! I’m hoping to get caught up with my netgalley books before the next link-up. It’s just 2 books, I think, which is doable. Or at least that’s what I tell myself!
Yay, you got one in! I never did read The Martian but I’ve been seeing mostly good reviews for this new one. I’m glad you liked it.
-Lauren
I initially avoided The Martian because it seemed like too much science/math for me, which it was, but it was also really good. Thanks to a great character in Mark Watley. Jazz is fine but she’s no Mark! But few are.
I half want to read this book and half don’t. I LOVED The Martian and still recommend it to people. Perhaps it’ll be a good quick read one day when I need something immersive.
I hear you, Megan. It can be really hard to read a follow-up to a book you loved because expectations are so high. It’s definitely not as good but I still enjoyed it and have no regrets for reading it.
I liked Jazz a lot but like you said, she’s no Mark. I had to keep my expectations at bay when I read this book and I’m glad I did because if I tried to compare it to The Martian, I would not have liked it at all.
Agreed. I like that there were more memorable characters than in The Martian which lived and died on whether you liked Mark (and let’s face it – most of us loved him). I don’t think Jazz could have carried the book solo. But on its own merits, it’s a good book.
I have a weird feeling about reviewing books too… I’m like, Do you REALLLLY want me to nit-pick or just say, “Yeah, its alright”… its probably why I’ve only done 2 books on Netgalley 😉 haha
I know. Because there are lots of little things that I could nitpick over but generally I try to keep it big picture. There was one book that I did go off on a bit, but they deeply offended me with how they handled mental illness.
Glad you enjoyed the one book you read this month 🙂
I’m with you, forced reading makes me cranky. Probably why when I was in college, I always did term papers at the last minute because they always had to do with a book and/or topic that I wasn’t interested in and was forced to do it. Also, procrastination runs in my blood, lol 🙂
Yup, forced reading reminds me of college too. And I read today for entertainment, so if I’m not feeling it, then it’s better if I don’t read. But I just felt so weird about not participating in SUYB. Plus, I hoped reading something new-to-me would help me get over my book funk. I can’t say it did but I also enjoyed reading something new too — if that makes any sense. I am the Queen of Procrastination too! It’s no wonder that we’re buddies, Mackenzie!
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
My husband and I really enjoyed the Martian. I’m hoping that Artemis is one that we will also enjoy. We try to read one book a month together.
I love that you and your husband read a book together! I think if you enjoyed The Martian that you will both like Artemis too. It’s different from The Martian but still an entertaining, good read.
I think taking a month to revisit old favorite books sounds delightful! I rarely reread books (because, hello infinite TBR!) but there are so many that I really would love to revisit. I have Artemis on my TBR and definitely want to read it. The Martian is pretty fantastic so I will try not to hold it to that same standard!
I actually love to reread books. It’s one of the reasons why I don’t mind investing in buying books because I will often reread them several times. My TBR is infinite too but sometimes I just need to revisit a book. It’s like guilt-free comfort food to me!
hey, 1 is better than none, right?! there’s always next month!
Absolutely! And I’m hoping to at least have 2 books next month! 😀
This is on my list! I had it from NetGalley but forgot to download it and it expired, so now I’m on the library wait list. Boo!
Been there, done that. So frustrating! It’s definitely worth your time and while some of the science parts dragged a bit for me, it’s still a solid, entertaining read. Hope you enjoy it!