Howdy, folks. Can’t believe we’re already in the fourth month of 2018–time is flying! So, here’s the list of what I’ve read so far:
The Education of Dixie Dupree (2016), Donna Everhart. I feel like I know Donna from around the blogosphere. I enjoyed this book, in as much as you can be said to enjoy a book about a girl dealing with sexual abuse from an uncle.
The Girl in the Spider’s Web (2015), David Lagercrantz, translated by George Goulding. Shortly after starting, I realized I had never actually read the third installment of Steig Larsson’s Millennium series, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. It didn’t impact the reading of this all that much. I enjoyed the first two, mostly, but this was a battle.
The House on Hope Street (2015), Menna van Praag.
Vanishing Girls (2017), Lisa Regan. My old blogging buddy scores with another thriller!
The Woman in the Window (2018), A.J. Finn. Agoraphobic alcoholic woman spies on her neighbors. Reminiscent of The Girl on the Train, yet not derivative. I blew through this one in about 24 hours.
Cannery Row (1945), John Steinbeck.
At Heaven’s Gate (1943), Robert Penn Warren.
Stone Arabia (2011), Dana Spiotta.
The Great Alone (2018), Kristin Hannah. This felt a little too YA at times for my liking. Nothing against YA, but it’s like taking a drink from a glass thinking it’s Sprite and finding out it’s club soda instead.
Hey, how about that–not a single Stephen King book in the mix!
I feel like there might have been another book between At Heaven’s Gate and Stone Arabia, but I can’t remember what it was. Nine books in three months is perhaps a little slow; my reading definitely tailed off in March, for reasons I can’t explain. (Bruins too busy, perhaps? They’ve played literally every other day since around March 2, except for the weekend, when they played both days.)
Other things:
-Had an unusual dinner yesterday in which we Skyped the Catbird in from college. Set the laptop up on the end of the table and chatted with her while we ate. It was very futuristic in a 1960s kind of way.
-Last week during a program, I declared the end of winter. Thursday and Friday, I noticed actual, new green poking out through the mud. Yesterday, we had a dusting of snow. Right now, it’s about 28 degrees outside. This is upstate New York in April. It’s coming, but sloooooooooooow.
That’s it for me, what about you? What have you been reading lately?
8 Responses
You know what I've been reading. I'm almost done with Sleeping Beauties, though (today or tomorrow). Anxious to see how it turns out and if there's a WHY involved.
We’ve still got snowbanks. Cold today too (-16 C). I’m ready for spring!
Loved seeing what you are reading. Vanishing Girls and The Woman in the Window sounds good. I still like YA because to me the plots move faster sometimes.
-Stacy: I can't quite tell from today's post if you liked it a lot or a little! Hope it was a satisfying finish!
-Jemi: We've had intermittent snow (no accumulation, three cheers for that) yesterday and today, and a 20 degree (F) temperature drop between yesterday and today. Sigh.
-Natalie: Thanks! I do like YA, but I like to know I'm reading it from the start. This book was not listed as YA, but voice- and sensibility-wise, it came across that way. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it threw off my expectations.
Oh, I liked it a lot. Kept me turning the pages. Especially toward the end. Still really don't know what SHE was, but then I rarely discover what the antagonist is in a King novel.
It's been hardcore for weather in Scotland. Snowed all day yesterday and it's settled, but the sun is poking through today at least.
I think you're doing better for me in terms of reading. I have discovered a new author to me, Karen Lynch, hopefully with a fresh take on vampires.
-Nick–it's interesting how vampires get reinvented every 20 years or so, isn't it?
-Stacy–Yeah, SHE was kind of more mystical than the normal King 'villain' (though I don't know that she was exactly the villain in this piece).
Eve was the instigator!