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.

I feel like I’m almost back to my regular reading pace, having read 7 books since last month. I don’t know if it’s the fact that I read better books or I’m finding more time or what but it feels good to be back to normal.

For this month, I tried to do a thing where I kept track of where I got my books from. Not so much the physical location but where I got the recommendation: this linkup, my TBR, Instagram, the brainwashing NetGalley emails. Things like that. I think I kept track for like 2 books and then forgot. But I’ll indicate where when I do remember. For those who are curious.

As always, reviews are copied and/or embellished from Litsy. Don’t forget when you’re done here to visit my cohost, Steph, and some other bloggers who joined us. And happy National Library Week! I could go on and on about why I love the library but you all know why. You’re readers, too.

Now, the books:

Providence by Caroline Kepnes. A book without Joe does not make for a very good book, tbh. I was THRILLED when I found out she wrote a new book and even more thrilled when it became available on NetGalley. I scooped that shit up faster than black licorice jelly beans on clearance. However. While I still love her writing, this book didn’t connect for me. I don’t generally care for the supernatural and I’ve never read Lovecraft (I only know who it is from listening to Welcome to Night Vale) and the book felt flat because of it. I didn’t particularly like the characters or the plot, either. Did like the epilogue, though. I can see why some might flip over this book but not me. ARC from NetGalley. Learned about it from Caroline Kepnes’s IG or Twitter.

The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez. This is a beautiful book about family, love, community, and friendships and it’s set in the Latinx community of Delaware (which is awesome since that’s where I live and the references are ON POINT). I love how she wove the stories of the families with the stories of the supporting characters, humanizing people we tend to ignore or forget. There were some plot holes and underdeveloped parts but nothing to detract from the rest of the story. On my TBR, reminded of it from someone who reviewed it last month for SUYB

Still Me by Jojo Moyes. Much better and less busy than After You but I am done with Louisa. She’s quirky and interesting but for me, her story is complete. I don’t need any more books about this woman trying to find herself both in and out of relationships. I like the way she struggles; it’s real and honest but it’s turned into rom-com at this point and it’s frustrating and annoying. Me Before You was excellent and it’s not fair to hold the other books to that standard but here we are. Moyes is a great writer but I can’t do this series anymore. I think I got this one from Goodreads. 

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. The only thing I have to say about this book is that it is magnificent. All other words will not do it justice. Was on my TBR, reminded of it by many SUYB friends including Steph whose rave reviews were dead on balls accurate.

Flat Broke with Two Goats by Jennifer McGaha. This book started off strong and then became terrible, tedious, and tiresome. I thought it was going to be a quirky personal finance memoir but instead it was an annoying, self-involved, self-important bougie snobfest filled with WAY TOO MUCH detail on goat mating and chicken raising. The author comes across as pretentious and overbearing and while she is a good writer, she mentions that she teaches composition writing so often the book felt like a job application. I actually have nothing nice to say about this book at all and I’m kind of angry at myself for finishing it. Found it on Libby when I was putting some books on hold. It’s the Great Library Read. Don’t be fooled by the advertising because it is a great title. 

Crimes in Southern Indiana by Frank Bill. A mediocre collection of graphically violent short stories. Not like horror graphic. More like thriller/real life graphic with shooting (LOTS of shootings) and drugs and fights and that kind of stuff. Some of the stories were good. A lot were just okay. But what I like about short story collections is that if one isn’t connecting, you don’t finish it and move on to the next. Some of the characters were connected in several stories but nothing so intense you had to keep track. I don’t know where I got this one from. Maybe IG. 

The Walls by Hollie Overton. I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it’s a pretty intense thriller, reminiscent of Sleeping With the Enemy. On the other, it’s an insane revenge fantasy book. It also needs to have a big fat trigger warning for domestic violence because that, and the justice system and death penalty, are the main focus of the plot. I did like it and read it fairly quickly but if you choose to, proceed with caution. ARC from NetGalley. And sorry for the Amazon link. I typed this review from my phone since I finished the book 10 minutes ago and Goodreads wouldn’t cooperate.

TL; DR: Homegoing and The Book of Unknown Americans are must-reads. If you want goats, do goat yoga instead of reading the piece of shit book I read. Still Me was a solid conclusion to Louisa Clark’s story. The Walls was a tough read but good. The others are okay. 

Currently reading: Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao (NetGalley ARC) with a Paul Cleave book and another backlogged ARC on deck.

Now it’s your turn! Link up and show us your books!

via GIPHY

This best describes my reading pace lately. It’s not that I’m not reading; I read every single day. I’m just reading painfully slow. I don’t know if it’s the books or me or a combination but it’s starting annoy me. I know it’s not a race. But still. You guys understand.

As always, make sure to visit my co-host, Steph, and some of the other bloggers joining in. Maybe visit someone you haven’t before. Nonbloggers, let me know in the comments what you’ve been reading. And mark your calendars for 3/13 for the next one.

Now, the paltry sum of 7 books I’ve read since the last time we all met.

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens. I liked this book. A LOT. It was everything I enjoy. Good writing, interesting and compelling story, great characters, mystery, conflict…all of it. Then the last 100 pages happened and it went off the rails into superfluous nonsense and too much story and trying way too hard to be action packed and just way too hard in general. It did cal itself down for the last 10 pages or so, which was nice. I still wound up liking but didn’t love it as much as I thought I would.

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke. This is a mystery that’s less about being a mystery and a thriller and more about being a commentary on family, secrets, racism, choices, and how they all intersect. It’s not an easy book to read, and there’s a ton going on (sometimes too much and it’s hard to keep track) but it’s engaging and interesting and well written. I didn’t love the ending, it seemed a little too neat within the context of the rest of the plot, but also open ended enough for another book. Which I’d happily read.

Dear Martin by Nic Stone. This is a Very Good Book about Very Important Things and I’m glad she wrote it and did so specifically for teenagers, It talks to them about issues in a way that they’ll understand and makes sense in their world. Doesn’t mean adults can’t read it but unlike The Hate U Give, which this book is often compared to, adults might not appreciate it as much. It feels juvenile. Which it should. YA books sometimes need to be written for that particular audience. They need to see themselves in literature. And in the book, the kids’ frustrations and anger are palpable and it’s maddening that this is the world we live in.

The Road Out of Hell by Anthony Flacco. I saw this on BuzzFeed(?) as described as the most disturbing book you’ll ever read. Awesome! Sign me up! And it was disturbing. Gross, horrifying, and also true. And I love some true crime. But something about this book was lacking. I think it was the writing. It just didn’t connect for me. I’m not sure if it’s his style or the way he dragged out certain parts, especially the end, or what but while the story is fascinating, it deserved a better telling. Oh, and Brother by Ania Ahlborn is WAY MORE disturbing.

The Dry by Jane Harper. I’m totally late to the party on this one but I liked every single thing about it. The plot, the writing, the characters, the setting. All of it. It’s such a well-done book, and exactly what a thriller should be. There’s really nothing left to say except I can’t wait until the library forks over the next one.

The Blinds by Adam Sternbergh. You know how when you watch a puppy it’s like the cutest most awesome thing but it’s also a disaster? That’s this book. The premise is fantastic but it’s all over the place. The writing felt like three different people wrote it, the plot was more consistent than the writing but there were too many damn people and I hated the character names. It read like LOST meets Welcome to Night Vale meets The Pines which is cool but also a hot mess. But also great.

The Comedown by Rebekah Frumkin. ARC from NetGalley. I don’t know what I think. I loved the main plot and how it read like Did You Ever Have a Family or the movie Crash, exploring the way different lives are interconnected by one single event or person and the ramifications of those and how even people that seem insignificant actually are. Her writing is excellent and I loved her respect and honoring of Judaism (like taking out the “o” when writing G-d. If you want an explanation as to why we do this, I’m happy to explain). But the extended backstories of each character was tedious and annoying. I think it’s a definite add to the TBR but also take your time.

TL;DR: Add The Dry if you haven’t read it, Bluebird, Bluebird, and The Blinds. The rest are good but not must-adds.

Currently reading The Breakdown with 13 Minutes, Providence, and a couple of others TBD on deck. P.S. Providence is the new Caroline Kepnes book. There’s no Joe but I’m excited to read it anyway.

Now it’s your turn. Link up and show us your books!