Most of my reviews are 3 stars meaning it was good, but not great. There are a sprinkling of 4 stars and very few 5 stars ratings. You have to really impress me to get 5 stars.
So far this year I've read 147 books and given 3 books a 5 star rating. The latest one to get that is Beartown by Fredrik Backman and if I could have I'd have given it 6 stars----I loved it. I've read nearly all of this author's books starting with A Man Called Ove. I've enjoyed them all, but this one is the best of all.
I liked the writing, liked the characters, even those I hated. It was about hockey and I don't even like hockey. What a great book.
So what's my dilemma? Well I discovered that there's a sequel to the book, I ordered it and it will be here Monday. But I'm not sure I want to read it. I like how Beartown ended and even though I wanted more I liked imaging what might have happened next, I'm not sure I want to know for sure what happens.
I'm not good with sequels of books I really like. I loved Me Before You and absolutely hated its sequel, wouldn't consider reading the 3rd book.
So my dilemma is, should I read the sequel?
Don’t read the sequel yet.Savour Beartown and digest it and then give the sequel a go.147 books that is impressive.I am in a Book Group so each month I have a book I have to read and I know that impinges on general reading.My trouble is I do lots of crafts and that takes my time,I also enjoyed A Man called Ove so shall look out for Beartown.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the poster above. Give it a while and then read it. I read a lot too - as you said, mainly to entertain myself. I read a little of everything - romance, mystery, fantasy, sci-fi. Goodreads is a great way to keep track of books read!
ReplyDeleteBear Down is a term that many of us Arizona fans know. A very smart, student body president, well liked athlete John Salmon died 1926 and (short version) told the football team to Bear Down. The phrase took off and became the rally tradition. I remember the old Bear Down Gym and Football stadium.
ReplyDeleteHappy to know you liked the book. Save the new book for much later.
cheers, parsnip and badger
I loved Ove, liked but not loved Britt Marie. On reading this post I immediately went to library website and put a hold on Bear Town ebook. :) I SO agree with your rating system. I rate 1 - 10, with a 10 being only a book I may want to reread sometime in the future. Not too many of those. They would be the ones I pack to take to a desert island. :)
ReplyDeleteHey! I looked him up! He has his own blog at fredrickbackman.com
ReplyDeleteNot sure if I spelled it right. Anyway, thought you might like to know if you didn't already. x
I have been very interested in reading Bear Town Janet so thank you for this information.
ReplyDeleteYes. You bought it so obviously deep down you want to read it. Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteYes. Give it a rest. Forget about it a little bit and one day, maybe January or February when the nights are long and the days are cold, give it a read. If you've enjoyed his other writings, I'm sure you'll enjoy this but the comparison will be a bit further away. And now it's on my list, too!
ReplyDeleteI would leave it for the time been and savour what you have enjoyed before moving on.
ReplyDeleteI just started Beartown. I agree with the previous posts to wait awhile to read the sequel. I'm so impressed with how many books you've read this year!
ReplyDeleteI would definitely try the sequel but I like the advice to wait a bit. If I really love a book it's always hard for me to get into the next book I read, but maybe that's just me. I'm cleaning out my Kindle and haven't read anything great for a while but it feels good to be making progress there.
ReplyDeleteI'd wait a bit and then read the sequel.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Another one who is impressed by how much you read. I wish I had more time to read. At work, I read structural engineering reports all day long (I'm a proofreader), so when I do read for fun it's light, fun stuff (mostly chick lit).
ReplyDeleteI read Beartown and did like it. I didn't realize there was a sequel. I checked it out of the library, so I'll probably wait and see if the library gets the sequel and then may consider checking it out. I did find it an interesting book to read.
ReplyDeletebetty