Weekly reading thread - October 12

I'm half way through While We Were Watching Downton Abbey.
Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America is up next.

Love this thread every week!

I read Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore. It was interesting at the start then kind of leveled out and picked up at the end. Overall, a good book with an interesting ending. It makes you think what are you willing to do in the name of justice and what are you willing to overlook.

I finally finished my audio version of THE GOLEM AND THE JINNI. Loved it! I'm saving it to listen to again sometime.

Next up may have to be a thriller or something since it's about time for halloween!

I read the last book in Rick Riordan's heroes of Olympus series, The Blood of Olympus

gottapeanow I'm glad you enjoyed Code Name Verity and I agree it took a bit to get warmed up.

I gave up most of my life last week to finish Natchez Burning and I'd love to recommend it, but can't because



I am starting Liane Moriaty's Big Little Lies today.

I'm reading The Orphan Master's Son and really, really liking it.

I haven't posted for a couple of weeks, haven't really been in the reading mood.
My Dad died 2 weeks ago and it's been a very difficult time.
Dad was a big reader and we often discussed books and unfortunately one of the effects of all the pain killers he was taking was that he lost the ability to concentrate enough to read.

Dad was also a lover of art and a painter himself, so in September I only read books about art so I could tell him about them while he was in the palliative care ward (hospice).

My last art book was Madame Picasso by Anne Girard but I never got to tell him about it as he was too sick by then. I finished it anyway to honor his memory.
It's a mix of fact and fiction, the basic story is fact - about a young French girl who leaves home without her parent's permission to live in Paris and eventually she meets & hads a relationship with Pablo Picasso (who is just on the cusp of fame).
While that part is all true...the details of their relationship, conversations etc is speculative fiction.
I really enjoyed this and gave it 4 stars.

Then I needed to move away into something totally different, so I listened to Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes (the same author who wrote The Shining Girls which I loved). This is in the same vein, a serial killer, a bit of paranormal and some kick ass female characters. I really like her writing but I thought the paranormal aspect took a bit away from the story rather than added to it. Still liked it overall though. 3.5 stars,

Staying with the "not quite reality" theme, I am currently listening to The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton classed as magical realism it's the story of a girl born with the wings of a bird and she delves back in her family's history to try to discover why.
It's read by my favourite narrator (Cassandra Campbell) and I am being carried along with this story.

I am so sorry for your loss Pjaye.

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss, Pjaye.




I decided to try out one of the Kindle First selections for October.  It's called My Sister's Grave. 
Here is the description from the Amazon page:

Tracy Crosswhite has spent twenty years questioning the facts surrounding her sister Sarah’s disappearance and the murder trial that followed. She doesn’t believe that Edmund House—a convicted rapist and the man condemned for Sarah’s murder—is the guilty party. Motivated by the opportunity to obtain real justice, Tracy became a homicide detective with the Seattle PD and dedicated her life to tracking down killers.

When Sarah’s remains are finally discovered near their hometown in the northern Cascade mountains of Washington State, Tracy is determined to get the answers she’s been seeking. As she searches for the real killer, she unearths dark, long-kept secrets that will forever change her relationship to her past—and open the door to deadly danger.

Oh, pjaye, I'm so very sorry. May his Memory be Eternal

pjaye I'm so sorry for your loss and hope you do find comfort in books and stories you know your dad would have enjoyed too.

[HASH]Pjaye, I am so sorry for your loss. It sounds like you had a very special bond and have wonderful memories to comfort you. Hugs.
[HASH]bc2ca, I had won an ARC of Natchez Burning and loved it. Even so, I agree with your points. I felt that the lingering questions weren't terrible cliff hangers but piqued my interest enough to make me want to read the next books.

On the other hand, The Maze Runner drove me nuts because

Lisa

I'm so sorry Pjaye.

I haven't posted in a couple of weeks either. I was waiting on the MOBY Gabaldon book from the library. I got halfway done the first time around but couldn't renew because there was a wait list. I finally got it back and finished it. I really liked it. BUT- I thought I had 15-ish pages to go when the story ended. The rest was acknowledgements. When I finished the book and realized it was the end, I actually yelled at my ipad. Can't believe it ended on that note and now I have to wait years for book 9.

I followed up with Outlander 8.5- A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows. It deals with what 'really' happened to Roger's parents. I don't really know how I feel about it. It was a good read- and short! But it didn't add much to the story. It actually made it more tragic.

Still finishing the Theresa Caputo book There's More to Life Than This. It's kind of dragging, to be honest. I really like her, and there are interesting points in the book- but it feels very choppy and redundant at times. I find myself thinking about outlines and how I would have tightened things up- and it's very distracting.

I try to re-read a favorite King book in October - so now I've moved on to Night Shift.

I'm reading Lydia's Party by Margaret Hawkins for my IRL Book Club ... it's kinda dull so I wouldn't recommend it   

Can't wait to talk about Big Little Lies for the 2PeasRefugees Book Club at the end of the month