Weekly Reading Thread: December 26-31

I read a book Richard Paul Evans called The Mistletoe Promise, which was sappy but still good. 4/5 stars.

And I also read Sooley by Grisham, which I loved. I did not see that ending coming. Not at all. 5/5 stars.

I'm now reading a book called The Trees by Percival Everett. Oh my. Dude can write like nobody's business. Based on comments from a few people on Goodreads, they worship the ground this author walks on. This book is sooooo snarky. Dark humor on a serious topic. The basic plot is that someone in the fictional southern town of Money, Mississippi is getting revenge for Emmett Till's death. I'll do a review next week.

Lisa

I finished Behind Her Eyes by Sarah PinBorough. I was enjoying it but the ending was so far fetched, it totally ruined the whole story for me. It was a twist and something that I sure didn’t see coming. On the plus side, it was only 300 pages!
Just started the Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel

Finishing the year with a really good one-These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant.

This was a November release with great reviews, but kind of flying under the radar.

“Vividly atmospheric and masterfully tense, These Silent Woods is a poignant story of survival, sacrifice, and how far a father will go when faced with losing it all.” I think some people may find it a bit slow, but I found that it paired well with the life they were living.

That sounds so good - The Trees is now on my 2022 must read list.

I read Dopesick which was very interesting but very detailed.

A Hulu limited series inspired by the New York Times bestselling book by Beth Macy.
Journalist Beth Macy's definitive account of America's opioid epidemic "masterfully interlaces stories of communities in crisis with dark histories of corporate greed and regulatory indifference" (New York Times) — from the boardroom to the courtroom and into the living rooms of Americans.

I also read Mary Jane which I really enjoyed.

Almost Famous meets Daisy Jones & The Six in this "delightful" (New York Times Book Review) novel about a fourteen-year-old girl's coming of age in 1970s Baltimore, caught between her straight-laced family and the progressive family she nannies for—who happen to be secretly hiding a famous rock star and his movie star wife for the summer

I finished The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams. Really enjoyable book, though there was a really sad bit that seemed to wrap up a bit neatly. 4/5

While I was on vacation in St John for 3 weeks I decided to take a paperback copy of the Outlander book number 6 "A Breath of Snow and Ashes" with me. I'd read all of them 4 years prior and the new one had just been released. I was anxious to read it but because so much time had passed I'd forgotten what happened in books 6, 7 and 8. I chalk this down to all of the reading I do-I remember the general idea of what happened in those books but to really enjoy the newest released Outlander book I decided for myself to reread books 6-8. 

To my utter surprise I finished "A Breath of Snow and Ashes" while on vacation. I did get sick for two days with an intestinal thing so that allowed me a lot more reading time. I really enjoyed the book very much and it reminded me how much more are in the books than in the TV show. I decided for myself to reread the entire series from books 1-9 one of these days when I have the time and inclination. 

Rating-what else...5 big huge stars!  This is my favorite book series of all time. I love so much about it-the story, the characters, the history. 

Finished an oldie that was recommend by katiescarlett after I reviewed the new Jodi Picoult book, Wish You Were Here, a couple of weeks ago.

CHANGE OF HEART (‘08) BY JODI PICOULT : 4 STARS

DESCRIPTION: One moment June Nealon was happily looking forward to years full of laughter and adventure with her family, and the next, she was staring into a future that was as empty as her heart. Now her life is a waiting game. Waiting for time to heal her wounds, waiting for justice, in short, waiting for a miracle to happen. For Shay Bourne, life holds no more surprises. The world has given him nothing and he has nothing to offer the world. In a heartbeat, something happens that changes everything for him. Now he has one last chance for salvation and it lies with June’s 11 year old daughter, Claire. But between Shay and Claire stretches an ocean of bitter regrets, past crimes and the rage of a mother who has lost her child. Would you give-up your vengeance against someone you hate if it meant saving someone you love? Would you want your dreams to come true if it meant granting your enemy’s dying wish?

REVIEW: The Story starts and then proceeds quickly and is pulled in a few different directions (court & prison) in the first 10%. The jail scenes remind me of Stephen King’s Green Mile movie. Not even half way through this book, but I’ll always remember this book as “deep”. Very thought-provoking and stirring feelings of religion, murder, forgiveness/acceptance and, most of all, looking into oneself. Loved the ending.

I got into a reading slump again so hadn't read anything the past couple weeks. I have a GoodReads challenge to finish 36 books this year (normally I aim higher, but I didn't read anything for almost 9 months of the year) and only needed 2 more so felt a little motivation to at least try.

I started "Love and Other Consolation Prizes" by Jamie Ford, but it just wasn't grabbing me.

So then I tried This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens. It was a very predictable, fun read that I finished in one day. 5 stars on Goodreads.

Not sure what I'm going to read next for my last book of the year. Nothing is jumping out at me from the bookshelf.

 I really enjoyed Mary Jane too!

At first I thought this was a tree made out of ice cream sandwiches 😁 Yum!

I read Carly Simon’s Boys in the Trees.. I didn’t love it - found it to be a bit too much of a tattle rag and not enough about Carly herself.

Now I’m reading one for my book group called The Skylarks Secret. It’s ok, but I feel like the story of searching for my unknown WWll father has been told.

I'm reading two books right now. I'm moving a bit slow as it was the holidays and I've been so on screen overload I haven't the focus to read an actual hardcover book, Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown (halfway through) and I haven't been crocheting much either so I have now 4 audible credits too! But on audible I'm reading Good Morning, Monster: A Therapist Shares Five Heroic Stories of Emotional Recovery by Catherine Gildiner. I am immensely enjoying both books, though. I hope to have more reading time on my hands this weekend.

I'm doing something I never do - reading two books.

The first one, Postcards from the Past by Marcia Willett is a wonderfully written story of two brothers and one sister, and the intrusion into their contented lives by their old nemesis, who is bent on once again causing them grief. This is my first experience reading Willett and I am really enjoying this book.

Then, just before Christmas, The Wish by Nicholas Sparks became available at my library. I thought it would be good to have another book to read over the holidays, but in large print, it's 608 pages! And it's due back on January 11th. I can't renew it, as there are others on the wait list. So, I started reading it, too. I haven't read much of it yet, but so far, it's pretty good. It always amazes me when Sparks writes with the principal character being female. He has more insight into how a woman's mind works than most males. I'm not far enough into the book yet to have developed a connection with the main character, so I'm hoping it will improve as I go on.