ALL THE SALTY BOTTOMS🧂📚 | THE WORST BOOKS FROM 2024 SO FAR!! | Literary Diversions

[@thebookishvalkyrie]

I love how unapologetically you discuss these books! I find myself trying to find the nicest way to say I hated a book and then I just end up talking in circles about it! 😤 Your way is much more efficient and entertaining!

[@amylouise3798]

It’s a 🤨 for me! I’m super nervous about The Examiner because I’ve enjoyed Janice Hallett’s previous books but heard very mixed things about this one from early reviewers. The premise sounds great but I’ll reserve judgment until I’ve had the chance to see how it’s executed.

[@Seolhe]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who couldn't stand The Final Strife, i DNF'd it a third of the way through. As someone who grew up with an alcoholic parent, I found the way the main character's drug use/addiction was handled so flippantly really insensitive, and the amount of fatphobia was disgusting, especially in a world that seemed to have no other isms/phobias. We can apparantly imagine a world where no one cares about ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, class, ability, etc. but a society that treats a fat person with dignity and respect? Unimaginable! 😒

[@hinomaruoao2605]

Glad I'm not the only one scratching my head at all the love thrown at Eric LaRocca 😅

[@adrienne_reads]

I love your shirt!! The print is so pretty 😊

[@Jessicab-u7c]

There was a cloistered order here in Canada and the government declared that it was cruel and unusual punishment and they took down the concrete wall separating them from the outside world.

[@OhioEddieBlack]

Looking super cute today!!

[@Sarasstorytime22]

The Examiner felt like I was reading a Course syllabus instead of a novel.

[@bluetheon]

I'm so gutted about this! It was one of my most anticipated of the year, but hearing that there are actual full college essays written by fictional characters included in the story has put me right off.

[@anikamercier2651]

🤨🙄I love these two emojis. Also, while I know ow you’re not continuing on I have heard the fat phobia isn’t in book two after The Final Strife.

[@Rainbopagn]

My POTSy ass feels awful and I definitely need all the salt right now. 😂

[@wh0sc4nd1ce]

oh no! POTS is awful! I'm so sorry you have to go through that!

[@jaimee-kate]

Oh no, really sad to hear that about The Examiner. I loved both The Appeal and Alperton Angels, so I was excited about this one.

[@TAbs_00_]

I HATED An Education in Malice. I also gave Dowry of Blood 5 stars and i still love it so much but I have refused to read Evocation bc i dont want any more aversion of Dowry.

[@mle12390]

The gasp I gasped seeing Janice Halett in this pic 😢 gutting!!

[@mle12390]

Well having watch your section of this, I need to watch your vlog now. All the points you make would frustrate and anger me so I think this is off my tbr now.

[@sophiecarbone4977]

I totally agree with your take on the Eric La Rocca! I think if the apple peeler had actually been used in a horrifying way or even alluded to something horrifying with it, I think it would’ve added to the payoff. And was honeslty where my mind went when first reading it in a Chekov’s gun sort of way.

[@CrystalPalmisano-Dillard]

The cover of Evocation suckered me in. It just didn't deliver what that gorgeous art promised.

[@lizhart81]

🤨 This my favourite WTF emoji, because it's almost exactly what my face does when I'm thinking that. I'm not what one might call inscrutable. I've been meaning to read some Saara El Arifi, but I think it'll be from the library, because although a lot of people rave about her, you're by no means the first person to find The Final Strife a big ol' miss. Anyway, I'm glad I spent my birthday book tokens on The Compleat Discworld Atlas instead of on any of these. You can't go wrong with another addition to the Pratchett shelves.

[@leeh4343]

We have had a very similar experience with ST Gibson …I’m nervous to pick An Education in Malice ….🙁 I DNFed Evocation…oh the repetition! 😩 oh dear I have the The Final Strife and the second one on my shelves - Becca made me do it! 🤣

[@ramblingenby]

🙃 is one of my top emojis lol. I read and enjoyed The Final Strife, though it's not a favorite of mine. I will say though, I also remember struggling through the first third of the book around 200 pages, and then the last 400 pages flew by. I think I read that section all in one day. So, at least imo, it picks up after that point and gets much more exciting/interesting. (I do generally feel like a book should get interesting before the 200 page mark though, so I'm not making excuses for it! I read that one with a readalong and I think that was the only thing that helped me push through it. Totally get dnfing it, no judgments here!)

[@nereis8792]

I was so disappointed by Evocation 😩 nothing happened and the chemistry was non existant. I still own An Education in Malice but I'm scared now. It's baffling to me as I loved A Dowry of Blood so much

[@TiffReadsBooks]

Having read Carmilla (finally) and then the first chapter of An Education in Malice I was so disappointed that I just don't want to pick it back up.

[@ljlitreader9707]

😑 loved this so much, I love Salty Lianne!

[@AbiofPellinor]

I'm joining people in throwing rotten fruit over The Final Strife! I adore that series so much!! Although I've not heard it talked about as super original, I would've disagreed with that haha

[@MsJaytee1975]

Great video. If you like a twist on Jekyll & Hyde have you read Hyde by Craig Russell?

[@teaspoones]

I’m so glad that I’m not the only one who didn’t get the hype surrounding Eric Larocca’s collection. I’ve only heard great things about the collection and it fell so flat for me. I only read Evocation by ST Gibson but this also fell flat for me. I do not understand why any of the characters fell for each other as they all seemed so one-dimensional. It’s a shame though because the naked hardback was so so pretty!

[@marisagettas]

😑 Consternation, ftw - great video

[@gabz49242]

So, I read A Dowry of Blood, and at that point, it was MEGA hyped so I was already just cautiously optimistic. For me, in such a little book (barely novella length) I would have liked to see more scenes that demonstrated different aspects of the relationship, or even some stuff about what made Dracula so appealing at the time. We only ever got to see him as monstrous and horrible, and there was a lot of telling/seemingly empty threats without a lot of showing/substance to them. Almost nothing happened until the deeply anti-climactic end. And then, having got to the end, I thought I would read the epilogue. What an absolutely pointless piece of...fanfiction about your own book? There was something about including something like that in a trad published book that just didn't sit right for me.

[@localabsurdist6661]

I read a different Eric LaRocca book this year and it’s also one of the worst if not the worst book I’ve read this year… I don’t remember the name but it’s the one with the bird eating a worm or smth on the cover

[@LizsReadingCorner-]

🙄 How I feel about ST Gibson books...

[@rhondasruminationsonreading]

😒 This is my most used one lol. I've only read The Alperton Angels so far by Janice Hallett and loved it, so I'm really curious how I'll feel about the others.

[@ChloeReadsBooks]

🙄 Two of these are on my TBR... welp!

[@sagekay]

🥴🥴🙄 I’m scared to read ST Gibson! What if I hate them!!???

[@jio5680]

An Education in Malice was complete garbage, and the fact that I don't care for dark academia didn't help. Happy to see others agree with me)

[@annajo6576]

oh boy - i love how this is how i learn 1. janice hallett has a summer release and 2. that it doesn't sound very good =[

[@N_Garamond]

🤨🤨😬😬 love the salt!!

[@sarah-mayoakley4162]

🙄 Love these types of videos!

[@polly2900]

Now I'm afraid An Education in Malice is going to be my first S.T. Gibson.

[@edwardsjarje]

😐🫠🙄😑 - grabbing my pencil to scratch all of these off my TBR

[@crimsonwhispersva2498]

I am a huge dracula retelling too so you might wanna read Tim Lucas The Book of Renfield: A Gospel of Dracula

[@ellyra412]

I have the Final Strife on my physical TBR. It sounded like something that would be totally for me. But i received Faebound in my Fairyloot subscription, read it and Dnfed it at 40%. I absolutely hated the main character and the worldbuilding was stupid with so many holes in it, the "romance" was only lust based to top it off. The only positive thing i have to say about it is that the writing style was pleasant and the book easy to read. I am very worried about The Final Strife. I didn't know that they were drugs so heavily included in it, no one has talked about it. That is a no for me. I guess I am just going to unhaul it I guess.

[@jaimee-kate]

Ya I really didn't like the Eric LaRocca either

[@writtendell]

I will never read "The Final Strife". Drug abuse is basically the surest way to create a completely bland and awful character that I would never in a million years relate to. I also agree with you on LaRocca. I don't understand why this author is so popular. I love short stories but this book was just gross to be gross and nothing else. Horrible.

[@heabooktubes]

Bad books are just part of it. We should at least get to rant about them. 😂🙄

[@ManEatingTeddyBear]

Evocation has fallen into the category for me of: Gorgeous cover, never going to pick it up. Mostly because I DNF'd A Dowry of Blood (bc the weird pseudo-incesty bits made me want to throw my Kindle into the wall) and An Education in Malice was just so unbelievably disappointing. I'm just planning on steering clear of ST Gibson books from now on lol

[@bookedbybrooke]

😑 love this emoji.

[@crimsonwhispersva2498]

My faviourte emoji is 😂❤

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

I feel like so many people have an education of malice on their worst books 👀

[@Katiedora122]

😑

[@bonniedoeswhat795]

Wooo🎉

[@WhatVictoriaRead]

😫😫😫

[@sludgeduke]

😞

[@books-on-a-wire]

😱

[@amotleyartwkatherine]

😮

[@bethmetcalf3447]

🥰

[@the_reading_apprentice]

🙄😔

[@ldavies3280]

😧

[@VerenaMaxwald]

I love these videos - give me all the salt :D - 😒

[@witchywheels44]

🤨

[@lindapatin6017]

😤

[@amyglamser4632]

🧐

[@doreenarcher8543]

😏😏🌻💛

[@amy_harboredinpages8272]

🧂🧂🥰🧂🧂

[@cloudedhalobooks]

😩

[@DebraDarkandTwisty]

🙄🙄🙄

[@dark.shelf.of.wonders]

🙄🥴

[@Jessicab-u7c]

😖🙄

[@toniweller6008]

🥴

[@sandrazboinski6473]

😵‍💫

[@agnesb4008]

😐

[@shannone3210]

🙄

[@insilencea4599]

😑

[@MattMilu]

🫢

[@savscomics]

😒😒😒

[@MidWestBookLover-jb6jj]

😒

[@maiadawncreighton1438]

🙄😮‍💨

[@FyreKatz]

[@lisaedwards8505]

🤨

[@halimamuslimah]

🙄

[@juliadreamer8327]

🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠

[@RadellasReadingRoom]

😑

[@TerminalThiccness]

😒

[@articia337]

🤨

[@KiraKiera]

🙄

[@iheartwalle]

😑

[@kelmoldenhauer]

😒

[@lorrainealba4105]

🤨

[@mariadamore1963]

🙄

[@sarahpnw720]

😒

[@Books_on_the_Brain]

🙄

[@krystin7740]

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