🟣 :::READING THREAD::: Week of July 7

I read 3.5 books this week.

The Paris Agent: This was WW2 novel based on real events. Such great research and very interesting. 4/5 stars.

The Perfect Child and the follow-up novella, The Welcome Reunion: Oh my. Reminder to self: Check a book's categories so you don't accidentally read horror, which you hate. Thankfully, the "horror" was low key. Both of these were a bunch of craziness. You think the novella will have some sort of resolution. Well, yes and no.

The Woman Inside by Edvardsson: This was solid and a fun ride with a nicely paced plot. No real surprises. 4/5 stars.

Lisa

I've actually read several books since the last reading thread:

Sleep Well, My Lady by Kwei Quartey. Second in a 3-book (with a 4th coming out soon) series about a woman, Emma Djan, who works for a private detective agency in Ghana. I read the first one ("The Missing American") last month. The author is Ghanaian-American, and he has clearly lived and worked in Ghana because everything he writes is just typically West African. I love it. His style of writing might seem a bit odd to some people, but if you've lived in West Africa it's totally natural. lol. 

Last Seen in Lapaz, also by Quartey. This one goes back and forth between Ghana and Nigeria, as the investigators search for a missing young woman who was taken by a sex-trafficking ring. THis is book #3 in the Emma Djan series.

The fourth one, "The Whitewashed Tomb" is coming out soon, and by the description it seems that Quartey is taking on homosexuality in Ghana. I'm looking forward to reading this one because when I lived in Burkina I was told by people that homosexuality didn't exist in Africa. Which of course wasn't true, but that was their view at the time. I actually served as "cover" for a gay Peace Corps volunteer. He lived in the capital so I stayed with him when I was in town and his neighbors all assumed I was his girl friend, an idea that we encouraged. That was to protect him from vigilante types.  

Anyway, the last book I've read this week is Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson. I read "The House of Eve" by this author last week and someone here asked if I'd read "Yellow Wife". I hadn't, so I put it on my hold list. I really liked it, although it was quite depressing. I'd like to read more of hers (if there are more...I haven't actually looked yet) but maybe not right away. I need something more light-hearted for awhile. 

I just finished Last Girl Ghosted by Lisa Unger. It's part of the Jones Cooper series that I've been catching up on after reading about 15 years ago. This was one of the better of the series and I'd give it 4/5.

She met him through a dating app. An intriguing picture on a screen, a date at a downtown bar. What she thought might be just a quick hookup quickly became much more. She fell for him—hard. It happens sometimes, a powerful connection with a perfect stranger takes you by surprise. Could it be love?

But then, just as things were getting real, he stood her up. Then he disappeared—profiles deleted, phone disconnected. She was ghosted.

Maybe it was her fault. She shared too much, too fast. But isn't that always what women think—that they're the ones to blame? Soon she learns there were others. Girls who thought they were in love. Girls who later went missing. She had been looking for a connection, but now she's looking for answers. Chasing a digital trail into his dark past—and hers—she finds herself on a dangerous hunt. And she's not sure whether she's the predator—or the prey.

I just finished China Rich Girl by Keven Kwan. 2nd book in the Crazy Rich Asians series. It was OK. New characters to keep track of and some old friends to keep me interested.

I am now listening to The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampire by Grady Hendrix. I know nothing about this one. I saw it mentioned while scrolling FB and one of my book groups mentioned it. Per Goodreads:

3.80 stars
Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Horror (2020)
Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula in this Southern-flavored supernatural thriller set in the '90s about a women's book club that must protect its suburban community from a mysterious and handsome stranger who turns out to be a blood-sucking fiend.

The slaying vampires book is one that I started at one point and then just couldn't get into it. Stopped, then picked it up some months later. Started over from the beginning and couldn't stop reading. lol. I thought it was going to be sort of campy/cheesy, but there were some very scary scenes in it!   You might not take your trash out to your outsides cans after dark after you read this one.  

And that is why I love love love this thread so so much!!!!

Great 4th of July reading week for me.  



MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT (‘24 - 5 STARS) BY RILEY SAGER
DESCRIPTION : The worst thing to ever happen on Hemlock Circle occurred in Ethan Marsh’s backyard. One July night, ten-year-old Ethan and his best friend and neighbor, Billy, fell asleep in a tent set up on a manicured lawn in a quiet, quaint New Jersey cul de sac. In the morning, Ethan woke up alone. During the night, someone had sliced the tent open with a knife and taken Billy. He was never seen again.  Thirty years later, Ethan has reluctantly returned to his childhood home. Plagued by bad dreams and insomnia, he begins to notice strange things happening in the middle of the night. Someone seems to be roaming the cul de sac at odd hours, and signs of Billy’s presence keep appearing in Ethan’s backyard. Is someone playing a cruel prank? Or has Billy, long thought to be dead, somehow returned to Hemlock Circle?  The mysterious occurrences prompt Ethan to investigate what really happened that night, a quest that reunites him with former friends and neighbors and leads him into the woods that surround Hemlock Circle. Woods where Billy claimed monsters roamed and where a mysterious institute does clandestine research on a crumbling estate. 
 
REVIEW :

Prior books by Riley Sager for me were The Only One Left (‘23 - 5 Stars), The House Across the Lake (‘22 - 5 Stars), Survive the Night (‘21 - 5 Stars), Home Before Dark ('20 - 5 Stars), Lock Every Door ('19 - 4 Stars), The Last Time I Lied ('18 - 3 Stars) and Final Girls ('17 - 4 Stars).

I love how this authors writing has an eerie feel too it. Creepy vibes all around this mystery. Really likes how the ghostly vibes kept increasing. The revealing of what happened years ago, piece by piece, kept me trying to put it all together. Somewhat of a slow burn mystery but the last 40% was so worth it. At the end I found myself letting out a big breath of relief that the truth was all revealed in such a dramatic way. Awesome ending.



THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING (‘24 - 5 STARS) BY KIMI CUNNINGHAM GRANT
DESCRIPTION : In this captivating novel of suspense, a wilderness guide must team up with the man who ruined her life years ago when the friend who introduced them goes missing.
Emlyn doesn't let herself think about the past. How she and her best friend, Janessa, barely speak anymore. How Tyler, the love of her life, left her half dead on the side of the road three years ago. Her new life is simple and safe. She lives alone in her Airstream trailer and works as a fishing and hunting guide in scenic Idaho. Her closest friends are the community's makeshift reverend and a handsome Forest Service ranger who took her in at her lowest. But when Tyler shows up with the news that Janessa is missing, Emlyn is propelled back into the world she worked so hard to forget. Janessa has become a social media star, documenting her #vanlife adventures with her rugged boyfriend. She hasn't posted lately, though, and when Emlyn realizes the most recent photo doesn't match up with its caption, she reluctantly teams up with Tyler to find her old friend. As the two trace Janessa's path through miles of wild country, Emlyn can't deny the chemistry still crackling between them. But the deeper they press into the wilderness, the more she begins to suspect that a darker truth lies in the woods—and that Janessa isn't the only one in danger.

REVIEW :

First book by this author for me was These Silent Woods (‘22 - 5 Stars).

Love this author’s ways with words. This book kept me entertained from beginning to end and kept me guessing. So much more than a “missing in the woods” tale. A strong female lead character, even if she doesn’t think so. Enjoyed learning some things about camping, fishing, hiking. She weaves a great tale in between imparting all this knowledge.



STORM CHILD (CYRUS HAVEN BK 4) (‘24 - 4 STARS) BY MICHAEL ROBOTHAM
DESCRIPTION : The mystery of Evie Cormac’s background has followed her into adulthood. As a child, she was discovered hiding in a secret room where a man had been tortured to death. Many of her captors and abusers escaped justice, unseen but not forgotten. Now, on a hot summer’s day, the past drags Evie back as she watches the bodies of seventeen migrants wash up on a Lincolnshire beach. There is only one survivor, a teenage boy, who tells police their small boat was deliberately rammed and sunk. Psychologist Cyrus Haven is recruited by the police to investigate the murders—but recognizes immediately that Evie has some link to the tragedy. By solving this crime, he could finally unlock the secrets of her past.

REVIEW:

First three books in the Cyrus Haven Series were Good Girl Bad Girl (‘19 - Bk 1), When She Was Good (‘20 - Bk 2) and Lying Beside You (‘23) which all received 4 stars and I was hoping the series would continue. Other books were When You Are Mine (‘22 - 5 Stars) & The Secrets She Keeps (‘18 - 4 Stars).

Author is great at bringing all the characters right back to you quickly. You feel like you never left them. It finally was time to learn all about Evie’s past amidst all the migrant drama. Looking forward to the next book.



Happy Summer Reading !

I'm already up to four from this week's thread alone, and it only just started! 

I really enjoyed this one as well and love her stories. 

Right? 

I've mentioned this before, but my library recently 1) raised the check-out limit from 20 books to 30 books and 2) extended the time for check outs from two weeks to three weeks. 

My bookish self was so happy. 

My TBR list is excessively long! As a result, I am becoming more ruthless about DNFing books. 

ETA: 

"THANK YOU @the Great Carpezio for starting this thread every week ! MUCH APPRECIATED !"  

I'm in complete agreement, mnmloveli! 

Lisa 

I almost forgot to post. Had to look on pg 2 for this thread.

I read One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin. It was OK. I reluctantly gave it 4 stars. I thought the writing was good, subject matter sad. At about 70% in I was getting bored with it.

I'm reading one and listening to another. I'm really loving both and almost done with both. So far both a solid 4 stars

Look on the Bright Side by Kristan Higgins

and

Before the Swallows Come Back by Fiona Curnow

I've been waiting for Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors to come out for months, Amazon offered me a free trial of Audible so I downloaded it thinking I could knit and listen to it. Oh lord, the narration was awful, I felt like I was being told off

Oh yes, I have Montgomery County, Arlington, Falls Church City, DC, and Fairfax. The first four have only the book or audiobook, but then when I went to Fairfax I remembered that I have to renew my card. I think I might actually have to drive out there to do that. ugh. They gave me a 30-day temporary card just now and they do have the Kindle version of the "Sylvia" book! woo-hoo! However, there's a waiting list and I'm sure I won't get off of it before 30 days are up, so I'm off to google which branch might be closest to me. I need to try Alexandria also. I always forget that Alexandria City is separate from Fairfax, like Falls Church City is.