What I'm reading Wednesday...

I picked this up from the library.  It's a memoir by a journalist regarding a drunk driving accident and the aftermath effects on her family.  The topic was a hard one, but the author presented it in such an honest way, I couldn't put it down.

I love this author's non-fiction books.  This is I believe his first foray into fiction.  

It is set in 1905 on a small island in the North Atlantic.  There is a single cottage on the island from which all of its past inhabitants have disappeared without a trace.  A  group of scientists and mentalists go to the island to try to definitively solve the cottage's secrets. 

It's sort of Agatha Christy meets Ursula K. Le Guinn.  A bit of a ghost story, a bit  of science fiction, and a lot creepy.  The author only released it as an audiobook, because he says that ghost stories should be heard aloud.  I borrowed it from my library.

 

I gave this one a try.  First few pages:  on the first day at a family's beach rental the  toilet overflows during which wife slips injuring knee while accidentally hitting husband with curtain rod giving him the beginning of a black eye...also during which it becomes clear that husband forgot to load car with suitcase containing everyone's bathing suits...they go to beach store to buy new bathing suits for family (tell me why this family of middle age parents and two young adult children [plus son's girlfriend] didn't each pack their own suitcase but had all of their bathing suits in same bag?)...next morning they proceed to bakery because husband got wrong bread for breakfast...  Geez, I am bored to tears with the minutia of my own life, I don't find other peoples' entertaining, at least not this one.  I read a chapter or two, another page or two in the middle, another paragraph toward the end, and gave up as it seemed obvious that it wasn't going to get better.  Or maybe I was just in a grumpy mood.  DNF.

What I'm reading Wednesday...

The plot was interesting.  The characters were engaging.  The writing style was difficult for me to follow.  There were a lot of characters, some appearing only once to narrate a chapter, and not all chapters were told in chronological order.  If I wasn't concentrating or was interrupted, I would completely lose the thread.

What I'm reading Wednesday...

This is the second in a mystery series about a forensic pathologist, and an archaeologist who are called to work on cases of bodies found in bogs.  Bogs have a way of preserving bodies, so specialists need to be called in to determine if it is a modern case or a case from a previous age in history.  I read the first in the series a couple of years ago.  I think I bought the third one in the series at the same time for $1.99.  I wanted to read it recently, but thought I should read them in order, so I checked this one out from the library.

I loved this one!  I usually don't like reviews that say a book is funny...if you are the same, then pretend I didn't say it...but I laughed a lot.  I listened to this as a library audiobook, and the funny may have been due to the narrator, so if you are reading a hard copy and not enjoying it, I suggest trying the audio version.  The narrator was excellent (in my humble opinion).

This is by the author of Lessons in Chemistry.  Peck & Peck is about a boy who loves poetry.  His family is loving and supportive, but doesn't really think he can make a living in poetry.  

A local quilting group of mostly senior quilters find out a regional quilt show is set to come to a town near them.  They boost their membership by recruiting two gay men who have never quilted before, though one of them has worked in a quilt shop for several years.  As a member of a quilt group myself, I have to say the group dynamic is pretty spot on.  :)

What I'm reading Wednesday...

 

Why did I read another book by this author so soon?  I don't know...because it was available from library as an audiobook, I guess.  

I didn't love it.  The main character had memories for about a thousand years in different incarnations.  His life in Spain...no.  His time in 'hospital'...no.  His friendships in the nursing home...yes.  Oh, I also liked that he was once a cat belonging to Oscar Wilde.  Having recently read The Picture of Dorian Gray, it was a funny coincidence.

I'm not going to rush to read any others by this author.

On another note, I like that Goodreads just changed their rating system, and you can now give star ratings by fractions instead of just whole stars...quarter, half, and three-quarters options make it easier to choose a rating for me.

2026 Midterm...

First day of early voting, and happy to have it done.  Now I don't have to worry about becoming incapacitated in some way before I have my say in the vote!  LOL

An hour in line.  Several people were sitting at the table that was set up for people who had to fill out a provisional ballot by hand.  People who were not on the computerized list of registered voters...whether because they had registered a little late...or they had moved so their address didn't match what was on the list...etc.  Glad to see so many people at the polls.

And with a nod to the Boomer Girl, I decided to document the beautiful sage in the library's garden as I walked by it.  We are enjoying a few days of lower temperatures; low 60s overnight, mid 80s in the afternoons.  Would not be a bit surprised to see 90s again.  Heck, we've spent many a Christmas wearing shorts because of a non-wintery warm spell.  :(

What I'm reading Thursday?...

This was the third of the Cal Hooper trilogy.  I really liked all three...this one maybe not quite as much as the first two.  If I was writing this on another day, I might give it the half a star back.  I really enjoy the author's writing, and I think I will try some of her other books from the Dublin Murder Squad series.

This is the newest from Jonathan Evison.  I've never read any of his previous work.  This is a good read, but kind of difficult subject matter.  A couple nearing 90 have to deal with the realities of caring for each other and themselves.  Personally, it is a reminder that we need to make changes to our home sooner rather than later.  It is told in a dual timeline format, which I usually am not keen on, but it makes sense to tell the story of their relationship and family that way.

Well, I have gotten my numbering all mixed up  again.   I start a new Goodreads bookshelf at the beginning of each year, and add all the books I read within the year to it.  Goodreads says that you can add reread books, but I haven't had luck getting them on two different bookshelves.  So confusing.

What I'm reading Wedesday...

Fighting Edge by Margaret Mizushima

I was looking on library website for an audiobook I could listen to while I did some other chores.  I couldn't believe they had the newest book in this series, but boy was I happy!  

I love the characters in this series.  A female sheriff's deputy has a K9 partner, and I really like reading about their cases and training protocols, and the love they share with each other.  Also, one of the main characters in the book is a veterinarian, and I appreciate that the author's husband is also a veterinarian, so the fictional vet practice reads as very realistic info.

The topic of this installment of the series dealt with an illegal forced labor operation.  Reading this on the heals of Daughters of the Sun and Moon brought up comparisons in my mind of forced-labor practices then (19th century) and that we are still dealing with.  Today we call it human trafficking.  59th book of the year.

 

The Star Garden: A Novel of Sarah Agnes Prine

by Nancy E. Turner

This is the third in a trilogy.  First one is These is My Words, second is Sarah's Quilt.  All were very readable, but the first one was my favorite.  58th book of the year.

Currently I am halfway through The Keeper by Tana French which was published in the spring of this year.  It is the third book of a trilogy as well.