I'm pulling this together on Sunday and I'd rather be reading the book I'm reading right now (Long Bright River). Lots of kindle books this month because I had to get through a lot of Netgalley reads, other than that hi how are you let's talk about what we've read over the last month, okay?
Here's what I've been reading since the last linkup.
Buy it links are affiliate links and buying through them supports this link up
Long Bright River by Liz Moore - A contemporary book set in Philly, a mystery with female leads, the opioid crisis which is an every day conversation in our house, and the author uses the title of the book in the first 40 pages? How could I not love this. I was sucked in and couldn't put it down. This is my favorite read of the year so far. Thanks to Heather for the recommendation! I actually bought it because I was #366 on the library hold list and ain't nobody got time for that. Hard cover, own buy
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid - The second book one a row set in Philly and written by a woman. This book flew by - good writing and pace and managed to retain a certain lightness even through its heavy topics: race, class, ambition, intention vs impact. People are not liking the end but it fits the book and main character if taken in as a whole. Hardcover, own buy
Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore - I was desperate to get my hands on this book. It’s powerful and a lot to swallow: what women deal with in this world, have always dealt with from men and patriarchal society and yes, other women; and the avenues they take to exist without being crushed, the dark humor they bring, the hope that survives despite the big and small cuts men don’t feel, will never feel. Set against a desolate Odessa, TX, background, the writing is gorgeous and the story telling makes it feel far from a debut novel. Books like these are important, and I know saying that automatically makes some people not want to read them or some people want to read and shit on them, but I'm saying it anyway. If you are not a fan of books about hard things or unhappy endings or nuanced writing in which you can hate the situation or a character but still admire the writing and see what the author is doing, this book is not for you. Also, I pre-ordered a copy of this book even though I already read it which is not something I typically do because I think its cover fits it so perfectly and I think it's important to support books like this from debut authors and pre-order is the best way to do that. Netgalley, free ARC, book comes out March 31. pre-order
A Cold Trail (Tracy Crosswhite #7) by Robert Dugoni - Another solid Tracy read, story-wise. I like seeing Dugoni address working mothers/gender differentials of working parents as well. Can't wait for the next in the series already. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
The Museum of Desire (Alex Delaware #35) by Jonathan Kellerman - I cannot believe I've read 35 books in this series, I think it's the longest I've read. It's definitely surpassed the Kinsey Milhone alphabet books. If you are familiar with this crew, it's standard fare which at this point is sort of like pulling your favorite blanket over yourself and sometimes you find a piece of delicious candy in it and sometimes you find it needs to be washed. Netgalley free ARC
The Scholar (Cormac Reilly #2) by Dervla McTiernan - Solid second effort in this series. It's not setting the world on fire but I'll read more. Philly library paperback
A Good Neighborhood by Therese Ann Fowler - I have complicated feelings on this book. To start with the simplest item, there's a Greek chorus narrator aspect that I like that many people will not. The writing was good but the build up to action was long. There was also too much in here: racial profiling, frivolous lawsuits, hints of pedophilia...the racial profiling in this neighborhood would have been more than enough. And speaking of that...I could see trouble coming a mile away, and the detached tone of literally the entire book in the aftermath was hard to decipher - was that purposeful, meant to mimic the neighborhood, or was that a white author writing about an issue they can never truly understand? Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald - Everything including the kitchen sink can be found in this book and I found myself saying huh, now this quite a few times. Not always in a good way. It was a wild ride, that’s for sure. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Truly Devious #1 by Maureen Johnson - I like books about criminals and crime, but this book showed me that I don't have a lot of interest in the whys behind why people like criminals and crime LOL. I thought it was clever and I liked the back and forth in time but when I enjoy YA books there's a certain element to them that was missing in this one and I can't exactly iterate what that is. Philly library hardcover
The Misfortunes of Family by Meg Little Reilly - I liked reading about the Bright family and enjoyed the writing, but the end POV was pretty powerful and made me think about what that would have been like interspersed through the story. Solid read, I'll read more by Meg Little Reilly. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
All this Could be Yours by Jami Attenberg - Family dysfunction junction what's your function. There's eight loads of shit in this book, keep peeling back the layers. Philly library hardcover
Finding Claire Fletcher (Claire Fletcher #1) by Lisa Regan - I love Regan's Josie Quinn series, so I thought I'd try another by her. This was quite good while simultaneously being hard to read because of the subject matter. Kindle e-book
Not Worth It
n/a
This Bright River by Patrick Somerville - A classic case of the carpet doesn't match the drapes in which case the carpet is the interior and the drapes is the cover, which is the reason I plucked it off the shelf. Philly library hardcover
What have you been reading?
This link up is the second Tuesday of every month. The next linkup is Tuesday, March 10, 2020.
1. Visit and comment with both of your hosts, Jana & me, and check in with as many in our reading circle as you can - give some love to the later linker uppers! 2. Link back to us in your blog post - if you want the button you can get it from that link
Such a Fun Age by Kiley ReidSuch a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
No comments:
Post a Comment
Tell me what you think, leave a comment! I'll reply to you via email if you have an email associated with yourself, otherwise, check back here for my reply. Your data will not be used to spam you or sold for others to contact you.