Weekly reading thread: Oct 21-27

I read an older book by Lisa Scottoline, Save Me. It was just okay. This jumped the shark in so many places. This suburban mother all of a sudden ran around investigating how an explosion happened at her daughter's grade school. 3/5 stars because it kept my interest.

I also read The Best American Mystery Short Stories 2018. So well-done with many of my favorite authors. 5/5 stars.

I'm near the end of November Road about a hit man on the run after JFK's assassination. While on the road, he meets a woman with two young girls who has left her husband. Of course, he falls in love. Really good so far, if violent. I'll review it next week.

Lisa

I just finished An Absolutely Remarkable Thing: A Novel by Hank Green. I have to say I think John is the better writer. Also, this is sci-fi, which is not generally a genre I read. I think my DD would like this book, and it's highly rated on Amazon, but I didn't love it. Probably 3.5 stars out of 5.

Before that, I read Clock Dance by Anne Tyler. I liked the first half better than the second half, which felt like a predictable Hallmark movie. I'd give it 3 stars.

I finished listening to Fates and Furies by Lauren Goff. I was also pretty meh about this one, but that may be in part because I didn't love the narrators. I'd give it 3 stars as an audiobook, and it probably would have earned a half-star bump if I had just read it.

I tried listening to The Misfortune of Marion Palm by Emily Culliton. Halfway through I realized that I just didn't care about Marion, her bratty kids, or her useless husband. So I just quit binged on Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me until I figure out what's next for my commute.

I sound like such a downer--it was just not a great book week for me!

Highly recommend “The President is Missing” -very good.

I finished the first Andy Carpenter book (“Open and Shut”) a few weeks ago. I agree, an easy, fun pleasant read. I don’t think I listed it on here, so can I count it? Lol

I’ve also recently finished:
Brad Taylor’s “The Forgotten Soldier” I have read the others in this series, and usually like them. This one was slow and draggy and took forever to plod through. 3 stars, mostly because I liked the rest of the series.

“You Will Know me”by Megan Abbott. 2 stars, saw the “twist” at the end coming a mile away. The characters were unlikable and I just didn’t care for them.

“Behind Closed Doors”by BA Paris. 3.5. Pretty good, a few holes in the ending, but entertaining.

A couple more of Stuart Woods’ Stone Barrington series. The books are starting to be interchangeable. Stone is a rich man whore who spends the book eating, drinking, screwing and wandering around until the killer confesses. Predictable, but entertaining. 3.5 stars. Not great literature but my escapist lunch book.

“Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine” by Gail Honeyman. 5 stars, and I don’t give many of those. Very very good, a one-day book. Really amazing.

I’m traveling for work this week, so either finishing “Agent in Place”by Mark Greaney or binging more of Call the Midwife.

Finished Musics of the Ghost by Vaddey Ratner, the same author who wrote In the Shadow of the Banyan, 3/5 stars. This book had so much potential to be a 5 star read but I felt that it was so overwritten. The author has an amazing way with words but I wished she focused on the top main characters instead. About the Cambodian genocide and what happens after. So many books deal I've read focused on the events but they really don't go into detail about what happens after a horrific event. And I thought it was an interesting perspective having a Cambodian American woman who survived the killing fields return to Cambodia in present day. 

Reading The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton and really like it so far, I like the mystery aspect so far. 

I finished Artemis by Andy Weir and it was just okay. I did not love it. I don't think he should write women, TBH, because I don't think he got it right at all. The premise was sort of interesting and the science was kinda cool, but aside from that it wasn't great.

I just started Everything's Trash, but It's Okay by Phoebe Robinson. I love her so much. She and Jessica Williams do Two Dope Queens (Podcast, HBO show), and they're so great. I read "You Can't Touch My Hair" a while back and was excited to read this one.

I also have April Ryan's memoir on deck, "Under Fire." Not sure when I'll start that.

I just got the President it Missing. It was Amazon's kindle sale for $4.99 today

Me either, I think I'm in a reading funk 

I tried Circe. I didn't think the genre would suit me and it didn't. I'm against popular opinion I know, glad I gave it a go.

Also started Three things about Elsie, Last time I lied and The book of Essie. Couldn't get into any of them. Now trying The girl on the page by John Purcell and it's going pretty well. 

Hopefully this week will be better


 

I must try Tana French. What do you think is her best book?

You’re not alone about Circe. I tried and tried; I just couldn’t get into it.

Most of her books are narrated by a member of the Dublin murder squad. I'd start with The Likeness and then read Faithful Place. Those were her first two books, and they remain my favorites. This newer one is her first set apart from the Dublin police (though still in Ireland) and I'll be interested to see how it turns out.

Just read the blurb for Dream Daughter - sounds great!  TFS!

Kindle has the first 3 chapters of Circe free if you read on a kindle.  It was enough for me to know I would like it.
Stacy

I’m reading THE SPACE BETWEEN US by Thrity Umrigar. Set in present day Mumbai it follows the lives of an upper middle class woman and her female servant (from the slums) and how they interact and have grown together. The writing is beautifully poetic and I’m enjoying it very much. I haven’t had much time to read but we are travelling this week so am hoping to finish it. I have a few I’d like to read next, including the sequel to this book just came out this year.

Paige.