Reading Log as of March 30th

 

Our 52 Books Dragon for the month of April is Querig from Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Buried Giant which I’m looking forward to reading.

Besides The Buried Giant, currently on my nightstand is middle grade book Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner and the classic Les Miserables which I’m turning into my primary book if I want to get anywhere with the story.

I finished the 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle which was a fantasy mystery which kept me on my toes keeping track of the characters and the storyline. Very convoluted, but intriguing and unique mystery which went all over the place.  Was everyone in on it?  Too many people, secrets, behind the stairs politics, above the stairs agreements, black mail, murder, and love affairs.  The characters never quite knew who to trust. Loved the description and imagery.  A definite 5 stars. 

Our Saturday night movie was James Bond's Goldfinger.  The guys loved it. 

Reading Log as of March 23rd

Happy Sunday! Literary Linguistics – the interface between literature and linguistics and the study and analysis of language. Since one of our 52 Books Bingo categories is linguistics, I figured it would be fun, and ended up following so many rabbit holes on the internet, I forgot what I was there for. 

One book I stumbled across was Lexicon by Max Berry which captured me attention right off and I had to work really hard to not to buy it right then and there. Listed as a cerebral thriller you just gotta read the excerpt to get caught up.  But that could be just me…. LOL!

“They recruited Emily Ruff from the streets. They said it was because she’s good with words.

They’ll live to regret it.

They said Wil Parke survived something he shouldn’t have. But he doesn’t remember.

Now they’re after him and he doesn’t know why.

There’s a word, they say. A word that kills.

And they want it back . . .”

It’s on my wishlist for later.

I finished Cassandra Clare’s Sword Catcher which is the beginning of a 4 book series which is full of dark magic and secrets and was excellent. The story captured me from the very beginning and held my attention the whole way through. Made me mad, confused, glad, and sad. Who would rue the day?  To be continued in the next book, The Ragpicker King. 

Currently reading The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton which is convoluted and thrilling and the writing is awesome.

“Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m.

There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit.

We will only let you escape once you tell us the name of the killer.

Understood? Then let’s begin . . .

Evelyn Hardcastle will die. Every day until Aiden Bishop can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others . . .”   So so very good.

Also dipping my toes into a light hearted romantic comedy (very flufferton) Lease on Love by Falon Ballard.

Our Saturday night movie was Electric State with Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt.  Enjoyed the heck out of it. 

 

Reading Log as of March 16th

 

Who else is kickin up their heels with the arrival of Spring on March 20th?  I think springtime is my favorite season. The temperatures are perfect, the flowers are starting to bloom, the urge to take on a new project, or declutter. And read new books or dive into old favorites.  

I gave up halfway through Marie Brennan’s 3rd book in her Lady Trent series – Voyage of the Basilisk because it isn’t holding my attention at all. Lot happening but it isn’t with the dragons. More about the characters than anything else. The first two books were excellent, this one not so much.

Currently on Cassandra Clare’s Sword Catcher which is holding my interest.

Continuing with Les Miserable and made it through Book 2 with the introduction of Jean Valjean.

Switched to reading Patricia Briggs Mercedes Thompson at bedtime and currently on Bone Crossed.

Have to figure out my Spring books. Added a few to my wishlist but will have to pick from my shelves since book ban is still in affect.

Our Saturday night movie was V for Vendetta with Natalie Portman which I thought I'd seen before. Maybe I had years and years ago but had forgotten so enjoyed it! 

Reading Log as of March 9th

 

I finished 3 books that had been in progress for a few weeks:

The Radcliffe Ladies Reading Club by Julia Bryan Thomas which was heartwrenching as well as heartwarming. Set in the 50’s, a divorced woman opens her own bookstore and starts a reading club. 4 students from Radcliffe college join her and the discussions surrounding Jane Eyre, Age of Innocence, A Room of One’s Own, Anna Karenina, and the Great Gatsby reveal the innocence and morals and upbringing of the 4 disparate 18 year olds.  Trigger warning: abuse and rape

Louise Penny’s The Grey Wolf, #19 in the Armand Gamache series was interesting as Armand discovers a conspiracy among the upper eschelon of the Canadian Gov’t. No one is telling the truth, hiding messages, and clues, misleading, and misdirecting him in order to foil his finding the truth.

Naomi Novik’s Black Powder War, #3 in the Temeraire series which had Laurence and co stuck in China, until they escape with 3 eggs, make it to Austria, only to be pressed into service to help fight the War against Napoleon.  Wonderful story but quite grueling for not only the characters but the reader as well as there was much action and many twists and turns.

My reading mood changed from a James Rollins thriller to Cassandra Clare’s fantasy, Sword Catcher which is capturing my attention.

Reading Log as of March 1st

 

Currently in progress:

 Naomi Novik's Black Powder War which is the 3rd in the Temeraire series:

"After their fateful adventure in China, Capt. Will Laurence of His Majesty’ s Aerial Corps and his extraordinary dragon, Temeraire, are waylaid by a mysterious envoy bearing urgent new orders from Britain. Three valuable dragon eggs have been purchased from the Ottoman Empire, and Laurence and Temeraire must detour to Istanbul to escort the precious cargo back to England. Time is of the essence if the eggs are to be borne home before hatching.

Yet disaster threatens the mission at every turn–thanks to the diabolical machinations of the Chinese dragon Lien, who blames Temeraire for her master’s death and vows to ally herself with Napoleon and take vengeance. Then, faced with shattering betrayal in an unexpected place, Laurence, Temeraire, and their squad must launch a daring offensive. But what chance do they have against the massed forces of Bonaparte’s implacable army?"

Paula Munier's Home at Night, #5 in the Mercy Carr Mystery series:

"It’s Halloween in Vermont, winter is coming, and five humans, two dogs, and a cat are a crowd in Mercy Carr’s small cabin. She needs more room―and she knows just the Grackle Tree Farm, with thirty acres of woods and wetlands and a Victorian manor to die for. They say it’s haunted by the ghosts of missing children and lost poets and a murderer or two, but Mercy loves it anyway. Even when Elvis finds a dead body in the library."

And Les Miserables in which I'm making slow progress. 

Our Saturday night movie was Lord of the Rings War of the Rohirrim, an animated story which seemed to be a reprise or repeat story from the Lord of the Rings. Didn't enjoy it all that much. 

February Reading Wrap Up

 

What do all my books have in common this month:  They are either about people finding themselves,  working through grief, or searching for that elusive happily ever after and realizing real life is better.  I read 8 books of which 6 were physical, 2 were ebooks, 4 were new to me authors  and a total of 2603 pages.  I enjoyed  journaling spoilery thoughts about every single one, what I liked, what I disliked, etc.   

What You Are Looking For is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama: The story was charming and revolved around books which helps the readers solve real life problems. A young girl on her own, learning how to cook and care about herself and take joy in life.  A working mother who faces all kinds of trouble after her baby is born. An accountant learning you can make a new start. An unemployed 30 year old man finally discovering what he was good at. And a retiree figuring out what he liked and enjoyed. Ordinarily I don't like books that reflect real life, but since the story involved Japanese culture and society, it made it more interesting. ****

Bookshops and Bone Dust by Travis Baldree:  Charming and entertaining, Bookshops and Bonedust is the prequel to Legends and Lattes which I haven't read yet, full of anthromorphic animals or not human, in which Viv the orc helps Fern, a rattkin, who is a walking, talking, foul mouthed rat with a pet dog who is a cross between a dog and a bird, fix up her bookstore while trying to solve the mystery of a necromancer. ****

Bonded in Death by J.D. Robb: #60 in the In Death series in which she hits it out of the ballpark.  We learn new things about Summerset and his history and those who were involved in the Urban Wars. *****

The Last Love Note by Emma Grey: A story about grief, love, loss. A story about powering through, resilience, humor, honesty, and family.  Never letting go, but moving forward, finding your way without the love of your life, and somehow falling in love again with the one was right in front of you all along.  I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more. e, ****

Starter Villain by John Scalzi:  Silly and ridiculous and entertaining with intelligent cats, foul mouthed dolphins, and a bunch of villains who try to threaten and cajole their way to a fortune after they’ve dug themselves in a hole, but the starter villain is smarter than they think. ****

You are Here by David Nichols: Some strangers, some friends begin a coast to coast walk from the Irish Sea to the North Sea of England and work through life issues in the process.  The story represented two very flawed, hurt, people not trying to get over bad relationships, until they were put together on this walk.  Was there too much angst, bitterness?  Not exactly. There was a just a right amount of humor to balance the story along with the revelations.  I liked that it didn't end with a happily ever after with all sins forgiven, but a 'let's try' together vibe.  ****

Comfort and Joy by Kristin Hannah:  Joy walks out of her own life, onto an airplane, crashes, walks away from the wreck, and has a bonding experience with a man and his child living deep in the woods. Yet, something is strange about the whole thing. Is is all real or in her imagination?  Once I finished the story, I want to read it all over again.  At the beginning it didn't seem like it, but Comfort and Joy is a charming Christmas story about hope and finding happiness.    e, ****

The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore:  Sloane, Maisey, Mateo, Greg, and Arthur. What do all these people have in common.  They've all experienced grief, or trauma in their earlier lives that have caused them to hide their true selves, burying themselves in other peoples lives, their children, their work, their books until one day Sloan decides to become involved in an angry old man's life.  From there, it snowballs, in a good way, until each one together, give each other the strength, the power to make the changes necessary to accept their pasts, and move on into the future. ****