🟣 :::READING THREAD::: Week of January 14th

@the Great Carpezio, I loved The Covenant of Water! Just gorgeous!

I DNFd The Storm We Made. Major TW and CW, so I'm putting this as a spoiler although it's not technically. I had to DNF after that. I've read books with that before, but it was just too much for me atm.

Currently reading EyeShot by Taylor Adams. Great book so far.

I finally read and finished The Poisonwood Bible. Interestingly, it is both my sister's and my stepdaughter's favorite book. They have only met each other once! I am still processing it and haven't rated it yet.

Up next, Strange Sally Diamond.

Lisa

The Covenant of Water was one of my best of 2023, even thought I didn't love Cutting for Stone.


Enjoyed this frozen, quiet time of reading. The weather is heating back up – we should hit the 50s by this weekend, so my reading will probably slow.



Jack by Marilynne Robinson. The great Nancy Pearl says that there are four types of books (and therefore, readers,) people, place, plot, and prose. This is all prose and prose falls at the bottom of my favorites. Therefore, I found it a slog, but if you are a prose reader, this one is very good, I am sure. 2.5/5 stars.



Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson. After coming off of a prose book that wasn’t really for me, it feels odd to rave about the lyrical prose in this one, but it worked to enhance the story. The story of three generations of Black women in New York City, their loves, children, and lives. 4/5 stars.



Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler. A very nice palate cleanser after struggling with a DNF, this was a one-sitting read of a lovely story of a quiet life. This is Tyler’s genius, and I am there for it. 3.75/5 stars.



Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield. I remember having this book around as a kid, but I am not quite sure that I ever read it. It is an absolutely delightful book about a young girl who, raised cautiously by her great-aunt, goes to stay with cousins and learns to be resourceful, helpful, and to trust herself. If I missed it then, I am glad to have read it now. 5/5 stars.



DNF – Queen Hereafter by Isabelle Schuler. This is not the first book I’ve read called Queen Hereafter, nor the first backstory of Lady MacBeth (ironically, both written by Susan Fraser,) and I realized that, after 200 pages of this simpering, annoying character I was not at all interested in seeing where we went from here.

A better reading week for me than the last one.

Prima Facie by Suzie Miller.
Set in current day UK, and based on a popular play which was originally performed as a 100 page monologue.
Tessa is a criminal defense lawyer, and the first part of the book is about her career and how much she believes in the justice system...even though she defends the people who commit crimes.
In the second part of the book, Tessa has been raped and now she is the victim giving evidence and she sees experiences first hand all of the trauma she has previously put other women through.
An interesting book which delves into both sides of the legal argument.
4 stars.

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo
The perfect follow up read to the previous book! A dark feminist revenge tale.
Set in current day America.
Scarlett works at a university and the book starts with her killing a male student who was involved in the rape of a female student, and it seems this wasn't Scarlett's first kill...and we follow her story as she decides her sexist boss will be next. However, things don't go according to plan and his ex-wife has been hired to look into all the 'suicides' of men on campus over the last few years.
A dark feminist revenge tale, and I really liked it.
4 stars.

Last couple weeks I read The Last Devil To Die, the 4th in Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club series. Very good. 4 stars. (4.5 if I'm honest).
Next was In the Shadow of Queens by Alison Weir. These are short stories (2 per wife) that followed each of her Six Queens books. They were originally available as e-reads, and maybe only in the UK, or you had to do something to access them. Anyway, I noticed she put them together in a physical book and I asked for it for Christmas. Most were ok. She has a couple of theories regarding1 or 2 queens, and a couple of influential courtiers, that I'm not sure I believe. But most were entertaining enough. 3 stars.
Next was Don't let The Coffee Get Cold, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. This was fabulous! Took me a bit to get in to, but in the end I really loved it. Hopeful. Just really good. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.
I just started Cecily, by Annie Garthwaite, A fictional telling of Cecily Neville, Duchess of York. Back into the Wars of the Roses for me.

I just read The Story of Arthur Truluv. It was so good!

I have that as a reserve, will start after I finish The Frozen River!

I totally agree with all of this.  I also got this as a Book of the Month and loved every bit of it!

Last night I finished Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson which was recommended on one of these threads. I searched but couldn't find it. It was okay but, in my opinion, got too preachy. 3/5 stars

5 Stars for The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. "Memory is a wicked thing that warps and twists. But paper and ink receive the truth without emotion, and they read it back without partiality."

In the 1790, the the Kennebec River (of Maine) freezes. A man is pulled from the frozen river and Martha Ballard examines the body to determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, Martha keeps a diary - unusual for this time, to be a literate woman, and because of the nature of her "occupation", she has access to and is involved to happenings within her community. Earlier that summer, Martha describes an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected men; one who has now been found dead in the ice. Her diary becomes a prominent piece of this investigation, as well as keeping a ledger of births in the town.

This is not just a novel about the birthing of women (although I did get some Red Tent vibes, another book I so enjoyed). It is also a novel of how the US is birthing her justice system. There really isn't one in the 1790s, and women are barely a part of it, but yet such an integral part of exisiting. I loved Martha (this is not a historical account, but rather inspired by an actual woman and diary), and I loved the relationship she has with her family. She may be a tiny cog in the wheel, but she is important and I am happy to have spent the past 5 days learning about her and reflecting about small acts leaving big footprints.

"I want the world to remember that small acts, done in love, matter every bit as much as the ones that make the newspaper and the history books."

I’m off to a great reading start this year! This is going to be long because I included the descriptions of the books.
Now I have to figure out what to read next!

So far this year, I’ve read
Tomb Sweeping by Alexandra Chang. I gave it three stars. It’s a collection of short stories which is not usually my thing but I thought I’d try something new.
Amazon description: A playful and deeply affective short story collection about the histories, technologies, and generational divides that shape our relationships—from the award-winning writer of Days of Distraction

Compelling and perceptive, Tomb Sweeping probes the loyalties we hold: to relatives, to strangers, and to ourselves. In stories set across the US and Asia, Alexandra Chang immerses us in the lives of immigrant families, grocery store employees, expecting parents, and guileless lab assistants.

A woman known only to her neighbors as “the Asian recycling lady” collects bottles from the streets she calls home. A young college grad ponders the void left from a broken friendship. An unfulfilled housewife in Shanghai finds a secret outlet for her ambitions in an undercover gambling den. Two strangers become something more through the bond of mistaken identity.

These characters, adeptly attuned to the mystery of living, invite us to consider whether it is possible for anyone to entirely do right by another. Tomb Sweeping brims with remarkable skill and talent in every story, keeping a definitive pulse on loss, community, and what it means to feel fully alive. With her debut story collection, Chang further establishes herself as “a writer to watch” (New York Times Book Review).

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka which I gave 4 stars. I really liked this book and how it was focused on the women victims and families. I learned about this book here and I’m glad I added it to my tbr.
Amazon description: NATIONAL BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE 2023 EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL • NEW YORK TIMES BEST CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR

“Defiantly populated with living women . . . beautifully drawn, dense with detail and specificity . . . Notes on an Execution is nuanced, ambitious and compelling.” —Katie Kitamura, NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW (Editors' Choice)

"A searing portrait of the complicated women caught in the orbit of a serial killer. . . . Compassionate and thought-provoking." –BRIT BENNETT, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Half

Recommended by New York Times Book Review • Los Angeles Times • Washington Post • Entertainment Weekly • Esquire • Good Housekeeping • USA Today • Buzzfeed • Goodreads • Real Simple • Marie Claire • Rolling Stone • Business Insider • Bustle • PopSugar • The Millions • The Guardian • and many more!

In the tradition of Long Bright River and The Mars Room, a gripping and atmospheric work of literary suspense that deconstructs the story of a serial killer on death row, told primarily through the eyes of the women in his life—from the bestselling author of Girl in Snow.

Ansel Packer is scheduled to die in twelve hours. He knows what he’s done, and now awaits execution, the same chilling fate he forced on those girls, years ago. But Ansel doesn’t want to die; he wants to be celebrated, understood.

Through a kaleidoscope of women—a mother, a sister, a homicide detective—we learn the story of Ansel’s life. We meet his mother, Lavender, a seventeen-year-old girl pushed to desperation; Hazel, twin sister to Ansel’s wife, inseparable since birth, forced to watch helplessly as her sister’s relationship threatens to devour them all; and finally, Saffy, the detective hot on his trail, who has devoted herself to bringing bad men to justice but struggles to see her own life clearly. As the clock ticks down, these three women sift through the choices that culminate in tragedy, exploring the rippling fissures that such destruction inevitably leaves in its wake.

Blending breathtaking suspense with astonishing empathy, Notes on an Execution presents a chilling portrait of womanhood as it simultaneously unravels the familiar narrative of the American serial killer, interrogating our system of justice and our cultural obsession with crime stories, asking readers to consider the false promise of looking for meaning in the psyches of violent men.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. 4 stars. Quick interesting read. Parts were a bit unrealistic but I don’t read novels for true reality. I read this one in two days, which is fast for me!
Amazon description: The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman’s act of violence against her husband―and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive.

Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations―a search for the truth that threatens to consume him....

The Fury by Alex Michaelides. 4 stars. another good one from the same author. I liked The Silent Patient a little bit more but I definitely enjoyed this one too.
Amazon description: This is a tale of murder.

Or maybe that’s not quite true. At its heart, it’s a love story, isn’t it?

Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex–movie star and one of the most famous women in the world. Every year, she invites her closest friends to escape the English weather and spend Easter on her idyllic private Greek island.

I tell you this because you may think you know this story. You probably read about it at the time ― it caused a real stir in the tabloids, if you remember. It had all the necessary ingredients for a press sensation: a celebrity; a private island cut off by the wind…and a murder.

We found ourselves trapped there overnight. Our old friendships concealed hatred and a desire for revenge. What followed was a game of cat and mouse ― a battle of wits, full of twists and turns, building to an unforgettable climax. The night ended in violence and death, as one of us was found murdered.

But who am I?

My name is Elliot Chase, and I’m going to tell you a story unlike any you’ve ever heard.

Time Travel Inn by Bart King. This is a Choose Your Own Adventure book which I LOVED as a kid. This one was fun to read and I’m still technically reading it. I’m hoping I can get my ds into these books but he hates reading so we’ll see.
Amazon description: Acclaimed children's humor author Bart King takes readers ages 8-12 on an interactive science fiction mystery adventure. Battle gladiators and escape from dinosaurs in this funny romp through time and space.

Your adventurous Grandmother Dolores makes you and your family the unlikely stewards of her Time Travel Inn in rural Wisconsin. You move from Florida to Wisconsin with hopes of investigating more about the inn, and your grandmother’s disappearance, but quickly learn the inn is an epicenter for time travel research gone awry.

Choose Your Own Adventure is the bestselling gamebook series of all time. Empowering generations of children through choice, it is widely commended for its appeal to reluctant readers.

I just finished Murder In The Family by Cara Hunter. I’m deciding between 3 and 4 stars. It was entertaining but the format of the book is like a tv script. It was a little weird to get into at first but I eventually got there.
Amazon description: ONE BODY. SIX EXPERTS. CAN YOU SOLVE THE CASE BEFORE THEY DO?

Mega-bestselling British crime novelist Cara Hunter makes her big American debut with a wholly immersive thriller like none you've seen before: written as the teleplay of a true-crime documentary, it has the reader puzzling away, reviewing photos, maps, coroner's reports and other evidence as they read. Can you tell who's lying?

"An excellent, wholly original whodunnit! You won’t have read a mystery like this, and you’ll be kept in the dark right to the end." --Gilly MacMillan, bestselling author of The Long Weekend

It was a case that gripped the nation. In December 2003, Luke Ryder, the stepfather of acclaimed filmmaker Guy Howard (then aged 10), was found dead in the garden of their suburban family home.

Luke Ryder’s murder has never been solved. Guy Howard’s mother and two sisters were in the house at the time of the murder—but all swear they saw nothing. Despite a high-profile police investigation and endless media attention, no suspect was ever charged.

But some murder cases are simply too big to forget…

Now comes the sensational new streaming series Infamous, dedicated to investigating—and perhaps cracking—this famous cold case. Years later a group of experts re-examine the evidence – with shocking results. Does the team know more than they’ve been letting on?

True crime lovers and savvy readers, you can review the evidence and testimony at the same time as the experts. But can you solve the case before they do?