For those of you who like gritty cop mysteries, a friend recommended Val McDermid and I’m listening and liking. She’s quite prolific and Libby has a lot to choose from. I’m starting with an early one, The Wire in the Blood, about the beginning of criminal profiling in Britain.
More literary, on my Kindle I’m reading and LOVING Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead. I’m nearly halfway in and going slowly to savor. If you liked Deacon King Kong, which I did, you’ll like this one. What a writer. He makes me think and in a couple of places I’ve laughed out loud. Quite brilliant, and everything Whitehead produces is unique. I’m a fan.
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb -a story about a therapist (those she helps and she is getting help as well). I was laughing out loud at some of it. Some is poignant as well. Enjoyed reading the book. Completely different than anything I've read in quite a while.
Savage Run by C. J. Box - I think this was better than the first in the series and I liked the first one.
A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny - These are always great. I'm beginning to feel a sense of sadness/regret? I'm not sure. I'm halfway through the next book, read the following book before I began the series and then there is only the newest release left! All that to say: I really enjoy always having an Inspector Gamache book upcoming or in progress. I will miss that.
I was just finishing The Guncle and Ragged Company at the beginning of the month.
Fuzz- Roach. This is about how we intervene when plants and animals get in the way of humans.
The Reading List-Sarah Nisha Adams- a list of books bring unlikely characters together. Deals with grieving a loss and mental health issues.
Leonard and Hungry Paul- Rona Hession. A feel good story.
The Yellow Wife- Sedeqa Johnson- It was recommended here - an enjoyable story.
The Hummingbird's Gift- Sy Montgomery. I did the audio version read by the author. Fun facts about these incredible creatures told through a story of a rehab for 2 young orphans.
While I enjoyed everything I read this past month, I especially enjoyed Tangled Vines:Greed, Murder, Obsession and Arsonist in the Vineyards of California by Frances Dinkelspiel. Having taught California history for a few years, I enjoyed this version of early grape and wine industry in Southern California. I frequent the Napa Valley and am quite familiar with many of the people and businesses portrayed here. I remember the devastating warehouse fire that destroyed so much incredible wine. One of my book clubs is reading this and we will be enjoying wine tasting and lunch at a Napa Valley winery to discuss this book.
I am just starting Facing the Mountain by Brown. This is for my other book club. One of our members and a good friend has been researching her own family's struggles and successes to emerge as successful Japanese Americans following their dreams. She brought a great movie and her own history to our county education office.
I also read Penny’s new Madness of Crowds. I liked it but didn’t love it as I had earlier books in the series. Too political for me, I preferred the charm of Three Pines and its quirky citizens.
luvmycat, thanks for recommending The Hummingbird’s Gift. I loved it.
I also loved Facing the Mountain, the excellent and readable nonfiction recounting of Japanese-Americans in WWII. This one moved me to tears many times. Horrible story beautifully told.
At the moment, I'm reading An Observant Wife by Naomi Ragen. I enjoy her books - she writes mostly about the ultraOrthodox Jewish community and this one is a sequel to another one of her books, An Unorthodox Match.
In September I read:
The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel - about a young woman during World War II who helps Jews survive who have escaped into the woods
Survive the Night by Riley Sager - a college student whose roommate was killed by a serial killer is escaping the campus by sharing a ride with someone who isn't who he appears to be
Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica - twisty book about a couple of women in a quiet community who have disappeared
The Husbands by Chandler Baker - kind of a modern take on the Stepford Wives. I didn't enjoy this one as much as I'd hoped.
The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell - another twisty suspense about a teenage mom and the father of her child who have seemingly vanished with no trace
I enjoyed The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristen Hannah (I try to limit my WWII novels because they are too sad/overwhelming, but I loved this one!)
I also finished the Truly Devious trilogy by Maureen Johnson. I finished the first one in a day, not realizing it was broken up into three books, so I was a little frustrated I had to read thru two more books to find out the final answer to the mystery. But overall, I liked these ones.
Karin Slaughter’s newest book False Witness was also pretty good. About two sisters who have overcome abuse in the past but then come face to face with a problem that thrusts them back into that world. Pretty gritty, which I usually don’t prefer, but I liked the story.
I’ve been reading mostly cozy mysteries since school started. I need an escape I guess!
Currently I’m reading The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer by Krista Davis. It’s a sweet and a little silly cozy.
I recently finished The Dream Stalker by Margaret Coel. Her mysteries take place on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. They’re not quite as “cozy” but are really good!
I also recently finished The Names of Our Tears by PL Gaus. They take place in northern Ohio Amish country. I’ve liked the whole series! They’re a little darker than some but really intriguing. The author lives in Ohio and the way he presents the Amish is fascinating and seems accurate.
I read less during the school than I do during the summer. During the month of September, here were the books I read.
Black Buck: I gave this 3 out 5 stars. There were parts I enjoyed, but I thought it would be different/better and was a little disappointed.
God Spare the Girls: Again, I gave it 3 out 5 stars. It took a deep topic that I thought could have been handled better. Instead, even though it was a deep topic, it seemed sort of superficial to me.
Just started The Everything by Dave Eggers. It’s a continuation of The Circle.
Highly recommend How the Word was Passed by Clint Smith. He is a black man who decided to take in the plantation tours, civil war battle field tours, and other southern sights. It’s a reckoning of the history of slavery in America. His reflections and interviews are eye opening, even if you thought you were a liberal. Well written and thought provoking.
The World Played Chess by Robert Dugoni. A three character/three timeline story. One involves the journal of an 18 year old in Viet Nam in 1968. The other two time lines are modern day and are a father and son. Moving, sometimes hard to read. Excellent book.
And for fun, anything by Kirsten Weiss. Never Say Chai is current one in the Tea and Tarot cozy mysteries series.
The Outcast Dead and The Ghost Fields, I liked both.
For book club I'm reading a nonfiction, A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell. An American woman works with the French Resistance during WWII fighting Nazi Germany. Pretty incredible stuff. She recruited and organized hundreds of spies, safe houses and even prison escapes. Like many books that are coming out, it's another story of a strong, smart woman who wants to work for a cause but is frequently denied because of her sex. It's amazing that their contributions have been overlooked.
Three Words for Goodbye by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb: Historical fiction set on the eve of WW II. Two estranged sisters are gifted a trip to Europe to fulfill the last wishes of their terminally ill grandmother. Great book!
The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Rimmer: Poignant and emotional novel of a young man behind the wall of the Warsaw ghetto and a young girl who isn’t. Fantastic story, but keep the Kleenex handy, because you will undoubtedly need it.
In Polite Company by Gervais Hagerty: Fun read about the social strata of Charleston and how a young woman grows and changes. I enjoyed it and loved the Charleston setting.
It’s Better This Way by Debbie Macomber: One of her better books. Two families learn to adapt to divorce when a coincidence draws their families together.
Haven Point by Virginia Hume: A very good family saga told over several generations.
Island Affair by Priscilla Oliveras: If you love Key West like I do, this book is for you. I do not usually read many rom-coms, but this one was a fun read. I believe it is the first in a series.
Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland: An interesting novel about the end of the golden age of summer life in the Catskills.
My last two books, Family Law by Gin Phillips and The Beach House by Rochelle Alers, were awful. Same title as The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe, which is wonderful, but a different book. Don’t bother.
My favorite book I read last month was The Last Thing He Told Her by Laura Dave. It was a fast paced, intriguing, easy read. I find it more difficult to get into books during the school year and it was just what I needed to relax last weekend.
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson. I read this very quickly and was a little surprised by the not-ending. I have the second one on hold and I'll get to it later this month.
My Salinger Year by Joanna Rakoff. This was for my book club. It's not bad, not great. I think she's not as good a writer as she thinks she is. The movie is fun, though. I watched the movie because I wasn't sure I'd be able to get the book in time.
The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner. This is set in San Francisco in 1906 right around the big earthquake. It was fascinating and kept me interested to the end.
Maybe In Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Although something similar was done in Gwyneth Paltrow's movie, Sliding Doors, I liked this. It made me want to read other books by this author.
No Judgments by Meg Cabot. I kept reading this in fascination at the terrible and predictable writing hoping beyond hope that it would get better but no.
The Last Bookshop of London by Madeline Martin. This WW2 book was okay, not great, not bad. Sometimes the grittiness of war books gets too much for me but this writer held it back, maybe a little too much.
The Chalk Man by C J Tudor. A good mystery.
I'm currently reading A Burning by Megha Majumdar (slogging through) for my book club; The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow--so far so good; The Light Ages by Seb Falk is our non-fiction Read Aloud. It's fascinating but very dense.
Madness of Crowds-Louise Penny's latest. I did not like the beginning-it seemed forced that she had to describe all of the characters from the get go rather than weaving in their stories as she usually does. The story line was also a bit too fresh, I thought...
Book of Lost Names-mostly good, a bit sappy at times for me and I really disliked the mother!
Four Friends-I'm trying to read nonfiction or biographies at least once in awhile. It heavily detailed JFK Jr. experience the most. A really intriguing premise that four guys who attended the same college prep high school all died premature deaths.
I listened to Inside Comedy by David Steinberg. This was mostly his reminiscences of famous comedians, and some of the anecdotes were too long, but I enjoyed it.
I listened to I'll See You in the Cosmos, by Jack Cheng. This is a YA book. It was excellent and I was surprised it didn't win more awards when it came out. It was really well written and doesn't resolve the main question that you have in your mind from the first page until the very end.
I’m not able to read as much as I’d like during the school year but in September I read:
Beyond the Shadow of Night by: Ray Kingfisher
I often read WWI/WWII stories, this is a WWII story of two friends separated through the war. The author did a good job of showing both sides of the narrative.
Sorry Not Sorry by: Naya Rivera
I recently started watching Glee and read up on her tragic death and wanted to read her memoir. Lighthearted and I enjoyed it. I actually listened to the audiobook which she narrated herself.
Like Streams to the Ocean by: Jedediah Jenkins
I enjoyed his first memoir documenting his bike ride from Oregon to Patagonia. I’m enjoying his second book so far, I’m about a quarter of the way through.
I was gifted Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. It was not something I would've picked out for myself, but I really liked it. It is considered science fiction and dystopian literature.
Like others, I have a hard time reading much when school starts!
My 3 star reads this month were Night Road by Kristin Hannah, Sin Eater by Megan Campisi, and The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley. All were good and entertaining reads, but nothing mind blowing or anything. I think two of them only took me a day each to read.
My favorite read this month was Moloka'i by Alan Brennert - the story of a leper colony in Hawaii that existed until fairly recently (well, fairly recently if you're old like me ).
I also read The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. It was okay, but I have no desire to read more of the series.
I am in the middle of The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. I'm enjoying it, but it's definitely on the depressing side.
And in preparation for book 9 next month, I am listening to Written in My Own Hearts Blood (book 8 of the Outlander series). It's been 7 years - I can't wait for next month!!
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10-02-2021, 01:31 AM
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