Four.
That’s how many books I’ve read since the last SUYB. I genuinely have no clue how or why that happened, except that I had zero reading time on any of the weekends and during the week…well, there’s no reason for it. I guess I needed a break. So I own it and move on.
Also, can I just say that I’m super pissed at the head librarian at my local library? She’s really unnecessarily rude to me. ALL THE TIME. It’s fine to hate me, I can deal with that, but seriously. Try to hide it at least A LITTLE. It makes me not want to use the library and I’ve been reading more eBooks as a result. But holy fucking hell are the wait times long for some of them!
Life is hard for a book nerd sometimes.
Anyway.
Here’s what I thought about the four books I read. Well, three that I finished. One was a stinker and went right on the DNF list.
Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao. Initially I thought I was going to love this story about female friendship and the depth and strength of the bonds. My heart absolutely BROKE from the abuse and violence these two women endured. Then it became repetitive, plot-wise, the abuse, the loneliness and longing to find each other and I skimmed some parts. The ending made me furious because sometimes you want a solid conclusion, not a choose-your-own and I felt that’s what we deserved this time. The writing is gorgeous, though, so that’s good. ARC from NetGalley that I learned about from IG. Liberty Hardy, most likely.
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer. I couldn’t even make it past the first chapter. I wanted to but it just didn’t connect for me. This is one of those rare times where I’ll just watch the show adaptation and it’ll be good enough. Because I can see how this will make good TV. On my TBR for awhile, I think someone read it last month and it reminded me to check it out. Also, not linking to it because if you haven’t read it yet, just don’t.
Five Minutes Alone by Paul Cleave. I love him and I love how his books are right in my wheelhouse. This one wasn’t my favorite but it did mention Joe Middleton quite a bit so that made me happy. I also like how he spins the whole threiller thing on its head by telling you the who, how, and why up front and then the rest of the book is watching the characters figure it out. That has the potential to make for a terrible book but he knows how to do crime fiction right. It’s equal parts graphic, funny, and intriguing. It had some annoying plot points but that’s okay. From my TBR and my personal library collection when I bought it during Amazon’s Cyber Monday sale.
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara. My review is best summed up in this tweet:
Roughly 30 years ago, I read my first true crime book (I was a weird kid). Today I finished I’ll Be Gone in the Dark and I think I might be done with true crime books now because I don’t know how it gets better than this one. Michelle McNamara did good.
— Jana (@saysjana) May 7, 2018
With the exception of In Cold Blood, which I have never read, I don’t see myself reading a true crime book for a long time because this is the gold standard. Everything else will be terrible. And it was weird reading it immediately following the arrest of the Golden State Killer suspect because you learn just how close she got to figuring it out. It makes me sad to know that she isn’t around to see what she did. I’m a true crime nerd so there’s no way I hadn’t heard about this book. Not sure of the exact source.
Currently reading A Cuban Affair by Nelson DeMille
TL; DR: All of the books are good. Read them. Except The Interestings because it sucked.
Now it’s your turn! Link up and show us your books! Don’t forget to visit my co-host Steph and some of the other fabulous book nerds joining us today.
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I like true crime reads, so I’ll Be Gone in the Dark sounds fascinating.
Olya @ The Siberian American recently posted…Three Books I Read in April
Five Minutes alone sounds good. I like it when crime novels take a different approach.
Confuzzled Bev recently posted…What I read in April 2018
I’m on the wait list for I’ll Be Gone in the Dark and I’m looking forward to reading it. I have a fascination with true crime but I don’t typically read them because it fuels my paranoia. 😀 I also skimmed some parts of Girls Burn Brighter because it did get depressing and I wanted a more complete ending too because we deserved it after reading so much pain, ya know. And I agree, the writing was quite good, which is probably why I stuck with it. Every time you mention Paul Cleave, I tell myself that I need to pick up another one of his books!
Tanya @ A Mindful Migration recently posted…April Bookshelf: The Unreliable Narrator Month
That’s such a bummer about the librarian and would probably keep me from going to the library too. It’s never okay to be rude to someone! I’m not familiar with any of these books, but get so many of my recommendations from Liberty too.
I was at a 1 year old’s birthday party on the weekend and someone there was telling me ALL about The Cuban Affair – which I had never heard of. Funny to read about it again here today. I feel like the plot was a bit ruined for me TBH but sounds really good! 🙂
Heather recently posted…Recent Reads (SUYB May!)
A lot of librarians are unnecessarily difficult. But I’ve never met an elementary school librarian I didn’t like!
Ebook waits are annoying because then they do come in all at once.
oh my gosh are you serious about the librarian? what a bitch. i have several locations i can go to and i no longer go to the one closest to me because of how rude the staff are. sure, the next location is only an extra 5 minutes, so it’s no hardship. definitely skipping the interestings, i had heard about i’ll be gone in the dark and it is a bummer she’s not around to see everything that happened. i don’t really read non-fiction but that one does sound interesting and i enjoy audio-booking non-fiction so i might add it to my list.
Ok Five Minutes Alone has me really interested!! I’m looking into that right now!
Yesss! I’ll Be Gone is already on my requested list at the library . Glad to see you loved it!
Heather recently posted…All About the Books May 2018
Four books is still four times more than average, so it’s still a lot for most people. 🙂 I’ll be Gone in the Dark is going on my list!
Gina || On the Daily Express
Well as a hopeful future librarian it makes me mad that your librarian sucks. You’re clearly awesome. One of my good friends also read The Interestings and didn’t like it at all, so I’ll stay away. I’m kind of a weenie, so I’m not sure I can handle I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, but maybe now that they’ve caught the guy I could do it. I’ve heard such good things.
Shea recently posted…In My Library Tote: April Book Reviews and Recommendations
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark is our July book club book, I’m so excited to read it. We’re also reading Devil in the White City and The Fact of a Body, which makes us seem like a true crime book club but we’re not, hah. I don’t think the non-crime fans are quite as excited for this season as the rest of us!
So I don’t normally read non fiction books, but I’m definitely going to read I’ll Be Gone In The Dark! I’ve never read a True Crime book before, but this one sounds like one that would have me hooked from the very beginning. And like you said, it’s even more interesting with The Golden State Killer’s arrest.
It took me no less than 6 months to read The Interestings, which I only bought because I liked the pretty cover and it was cheap. Nothing about the book was Interesting and mostly it just made me want to burn the book because of how much time of my life I would never get back. This is the first book that I remember thinking, I should have never picked this book back up after I put it down the first time…. I’m sorry that someone misguided you into thinking it was good. The cover was pretty though!
Teh Megan recently posted…Books Books Books (Spring)
I also wasn’t a fan of The Interestings… blech. But I did recently read her new one, The Female Persuasion, and liked it a lot better.
I did read In Cold Blood at a young age and proceeded to read true crime books. Heater Skelter. Ugh. And many Ann Rule books. And the Ted Bundy story. Jesus. Mary. And Joseph. I shy away from them now. However, I am intrigued by your review and may read that book.
Love , Steph’s Momma
So obviously I will be adding I’ll Be Gone in the Dark to my list! Though, I might hold off on actually reading it for awhile since it sounds like it will ruin me in the best way.
Nadine recently posted…Books
I don’t know if I’ve ever read a true crime novel before… The one you finished sounds very interesting, though!
I had a super weak reading month, too. April is just a crazy month for me so all relaxation and pleasure gets benched. Hopefully May is better for us 😉
Audrey recently posted…Books I Want to Read – Summer 2018
I cannot WAIT to start I’ll Be Gone In the Dark. I wish she was still alive to know that they finally got the guy, but I totally believe that she had a hand in keeping the case alive. So glad to hear that you liked it.
I strongly disliked The Interestings, too! It didn’t get better after the first chapter, it only increasingly got worst.
Do you have self check out at your library? I only talk to the library clerks when there is a problem, other than that I order all my books on line and check them out on the self check out. good luck!
What the heck Ms. Librarian!!!! …. I have so many books on hold for Ebooks at the library – I’m always amazed when one of them comes through.
Rebecca Jo recently posted…Show me your books – May 2018
The last book has been on hold at the library (ebook) for what feels like FOREVER! I am seriously #479 on 68 copies!
I’ll be Gone – adding it. Five Minutes Alone also sounds really good.
I am now 135th on the list for I’ll Be Gone in the Dark. LOLOL
Fuck that librarian. Ask her what gives
SMD recently posted…Show Us Your Books – May 2018
Great roundup, have to check out your list again when I’m ready to pick a new book.
xo
Pinksole
I love detective/mystery stuff but really haven’t read any true crime – clearly I now know where to start though!
Anne recently posted…wearing lately: current obsessions
I’ve heard such great things about “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark.” And I love that Patton Oswalt helped to make his wife’s book a reality.
BOO on your grumpy librarian! I often take my laptop to the library to work in the summer because I don’t have AC, and omg are most of our librarians annoying. They talk SO LOUDLY about things like how Obama was the worst president (grrrr), and it takes all of my self control not to get up and shhhh them.
The Interestings has been on my TBR for a while now. Probably going to skip it. Alot of people did not like it. Rude librarians = 🙁
I’ll Be Gone… sounds like a real winner. It can’t get much better than what your review says. Putting it on the TBR list ASAP. Sorry to hear about the librarian. We had a children’s librarian who had such a grouchy attitude. I wanted to run and hide everytime I saw her!
Too bad you weren’t able to get a lot of books read, but at least three of the four were good! I’m lucky that all the librarians at our small town library know my family and are super friendly. That would really suck having to deal with a rude person every time I went in. Hope next month is a better reading month!
Nancy @ NY Foodie Family recently posted…April 2018 Reads
That’s so right about the eBook wait! I was amazed at how much of my stupid eBook hold list I am cranking through just by going to the actual library. I think you have a decent posse of commenters to follow you into the library when you take on the grumpy librarian. We can be the literary Pink Ladies or something…
Ugh, The Interestings. I remember dragging my way through that.
Kimberly recently posted…Show us your books: May 2018
I’m sorry that most of your April reads were uninspiring. That blows. But at least you enjoyed I’ll Be Gone In The Dark. I’m adding it to my TBR list, especially after realizing that I don’t believe I’ve ever read any true crime. The librarian at my library recently passed away unexpectedly, and it breaks my heart to go in there now. I was thinking of switching to another library for a while : /
I only read a whopping three books last month, so I feel you on the slow reading month/busy life/not feeling like reading/insert any other excuses here thing. There were days I didn’t pick up a book at all (though that had a lot to do with the boring as fuck book I was reading).
It sucks about your librarian being rude. I feel like I have the exact opposite experience every time I go to the library. (Though it’s true that, for the most part, people are nicer in the Midwest. I was surprised when I moved here that that wasn’t just a stereotype.) I wish you could come to my library and feel welcome again.
I’ve heard bad things about The Interestings, so your review didn’t surprise me.
Girls Burn Brighter is on my list already.
I’ve never read anything by Paul Cleave, but I think it’s interesting that he’s able to switch things up the way you mentioned and still deliver a solid, interesting crime novel. I should check him out at some point.
I’ll definitely read I’ll Be Gone in the Dark at some point. I enjoy true crime (when I’m in the mood for it), and your review makes me want to read it much more!
Kristen recently posted…April 2018 Reads
I do want to check out in cold blood, I saw it on goodreads…but I also feel like it’s too real and I’m not ready to know!
Cleave sounds interesting, just because of all the upfront information. 4 books is still a great month, especially with such a great one as McNamara.
Oh, I loved I’ll Be Gone in the Dark. It’s just amazing. I hate that Michelle isn’t around to see all that’s happening now.
Sorry your head librarian isn’t nice – how rude!
-Lauren
ShootingStarsMag recently posted…Weirdest Place You’ve Read a Book, Part 1
Hi! I just heard about this monthly book link-up from Erin (Book Challenge by Erin) and I am sooo excited to find other book lovers!! Thanks for the anti-rec on The Interestings bc I also have had it on my TBR list for a long time. Make sue to read In Cold Blood sometime!!! Its really good. I have added the I’ll Be Gone in the Dark to my list. Thank you!
I don’t read much non-fiction but I’ll Be Gone in the Dark sounds really good!
It’s always great when you find that one book that is just so good. Sorry to hear about your librarian, that just stinks. I will also never understand why ebook waiting lists are so long.
Alison Puppies and Pretties recently posted…Reading Lately: April 2018 Edition
Oh man, sorry about the librarian! As a public librarian myself, I can’t understand why she would treat you that way.
Yeah, I’d say your tweet does best sum it up! What a compliment! I mean, seriously!
Just added I’ll Be Gone In the Dark to my TBR. Quite the endorsement. It sucks about the DNF and that the head librarian is so mean to you. I hate that kind of thing too. Just be civil, it’s part of your job to interact with people. Civil isn’t so much to ask for is it? XO – Alexandra
Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things
Alexandra Consolver recently posted…6 (More) Fairy Tale Retellings to Add to Your TBR! // Bookworm
I think all readers go through cycles where the reading progress ebbs & flows. I was fascinated with the story of how “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” came to be finished/published – now that the “capture” has happened, I’m even more eager to read it.
Amy recently posted…Seasons Change…