Show Us Your Books November 2023

My October was filled with cozy mysteries and thrillers, as is bookworm law. I had a lot of fun, but am enjoying the feeling of my brain coming back to life as I re-introduce deeper books this month. I don’t even know where I am with my reading challenges, but at this point I kind of want to just read what’s overflowing on my shelves and start again with the challenges in 2024. I saw a meme the other day that said something like “It’s officially let’s reconnect after the holidays season!” and that’s how I feel about reading challenges at this point.

Here’s the best of the best from what I read in October.

Five Star Reads:

Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy -- If you would have told 10th grade me that I would be willingly getting up pre-dawn on a weekend to finish Tess of the D‘Urbervilles I would not have believed you. This book touched me in ways teenage me would never have imagined. This book is wasted on High Schoolers. It hit way differently in my 40’s.

Four Star Reads:

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James -- Once I figured out the characters and the timelines I was really invested in the story of this boarding school for unwanted girls set in the 1950’s and the reporter who wants to learn more in 2014.

Malorie by Josh Malerman -- Bird Box scared the heck out of me so I had been saving this one for a good Halloween scare. I wasn’t expecting to relate so much to the story of a mom just trying to keep her teens alive when they think they are so much smarter and fight you on every damn thing 🤣 The whole blindfold wearing issue was interesting too after the last few years of mask wearing. So, not the scare I was looking for, but a relatable tale of motherhood.

Going Zero by Anthony McCarten -- A fast paced techno thriller. Bigger than life Elon Musk type Cy challenges ten people to evade his surveillance technology for thirty days. If they do they get 3 million dollars. This book moved, and was hard to put down once I started.

A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale -- I enjoyed this novel about Harry- a man who had to flee to Canada in the years before WWI just because of who he was. The author’s note at the end revealed Harry was actually a distant relative of his, and he got the idea for this novel after reading a family member’s memoirs.

Hotel California edited by Don Bruns -- I enjoyed making my way through this mystery anthology last month. My favorite was the last story, and the inspiration for the title. In Hotel California the famous song is told through the eyes of a social media influencer. And it was as creepy as it sounds.

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This is linked to Quick Lit on Modern Mrs. Darcy.

My Summer Reading List - Physical Books

Summer Reading Season is here!!

This summer I am throwing all of my reading goals out the window and just reading what looks fun. This summer I’m in the mood for travelogues, thrillers, and new books by favorite authors.

Here’s my stack for the next few months. These are a mix of library books and some I had on my shelves.

I haven’t read any of these, so I can’t vouch!

The Beet Queen by Louise Erdrich - This lovely yellow used copy called to me from my shelf because it promises to be a forty-year saga brimming with unforgettable characters. Bring it!

The Deep Blue Between by Ayesha Harruna Attah - This YA novel drew me in with its pretty cover, but the story about sisters separated and living worlds apart got me to buy it.

Bad Tourist by Suzanne Roberts - This book bills itself as an anti-guidebook and I am all about that. Flipping through this book I see short essays about varied places such as Peru, India, Mongolia, and England.

Empire Falls by Richard Russo - This book set in small town Maine has been on my list FOREVER, and I really want to get to it this summer.

The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon - This has a burning house on the cover, dual timelines, a fictional podcast, and monsters. Perfect summer reading.

Bleaker House by Nell Stevens - An author wins an award to go anywhere in the world to write and she picks someplace called Bleaker Island in the Falklands. It sounds terrible; I can’t wait. Bonus points because there’s a penguin on the cover.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry - Buying a paperback copy of Emily Henry’s new book to read at the pool has become an annual summertime treat for me.

The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani - I can’t wait to see what Trigiani does with WWII Italy.

The Last by Hanna Jameson - Every summer needs a good end of the world novel, except if it seems like the end of the world is actually happening I might skip this one.

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It's October!

I am so excited for reading this October. I have a whole stack of mysteries, horror, and thrillers all set to go. But first I am re-listening to Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner. The examination of adult friendships fits my dark nights just turned the heat on for the first time mood.

Show Us Your Books March 2021

Happy March. I went back to my post from last year to see if I had any profound just before quarantine thoughts to share, but it turns out I was just complaining about how many library books I had out at once. Guess what? After a year of so much change and strife I still have too many library books out. Some things will always remain constant.

My Favorite February Read

I put off reading Pachinko by Min Jin Lee forever, and I can’t figure out why. I absolutely loved this chunky story about a Korean family in Japan. It was everything I want in a book: sweeping, multi-generational, wistful, and touching.

Almost Favorites

On The Come Up by Angie Thomas - Angie Thomas is so good. I really don’t think she would even be capable of writing a bad book.

Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout - More tales about Olive Kitteridge in Maine. Strout treats getting older with dignity, and I appreciate that.

A Solitude of Wolverines by Alice Henderson - This thriller was fast paced from the beginning, and then 3/4 of the way through something totally bonkers happens. I really loved it.

Some Good Non-Fiction

Without You There Is No Us by Suki Kim - The memoir of a reporter who went undercover to teach in North Korea. I was extremely nervous for her the whole time.

Dolly Parton, Songteller by Dolly Parton - I listened to the audiobook for this one, and loved hearing Dolly talk about what was going on when she wrote her songs.

The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone - Books about women doing awesome things during WWII that men get the credit for are becoming more and more common, but that doesn’t mean we should stop reading them. This book about code breaking was fascinaing.

This post is linked to Show Us Your Books and Quick Lit.

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