Getaway
Currently reading:
The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor (how is that a real man’s name oh my GOD)
Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver by Mary Oliver [ongoing]
Books finished this week (plus last week): 3
★★★★☆
Where this book came from: Bibliotheque, during my (tipsy) birthday book-buying spree
Why this book: Tana French.
Thoughts: This was not my favorite Tana French (I’ve read two whole others; I know, I’m an expert). I also didn’t realize it was a follow-up to another book (The Searcher, which you’ll see below I purchased this weekend and which I look forward to reading). But I did still enjoy this as the standalone I accidentally made it! I feel like I got enough of all the characters and the town not to feel like I really needed to know the first book, though I can only assume having that added context might have meant I’d enjoy this more. I do love how French brings her characters and locations to life, and that (sometimes) balanced out repetitive thoughts and needless drama. Dear everyone in this book: just talk to each other, for the love of Christ! I’d say this was a solid three-and-a-half-star read, rounded up to four stars. But give me the Dublin Murder Squad any day.
★★★★☆
Where this book came from: An impulse purchase during my birthday trip to Kew & Willow.
Why this book: I’ve seen it everywhere and heard a lot about it, and also I’m a simple girl—you tell me mortal-enemy monsters are going to fall in love, and I’m all over it.
Thoughts: Overall, I enjoyed this! Did the humor/banter sometimes get cringey? Yes. Did I spot many supposed “plot twists” a mile away? Yes. Was I sometimes confused who was speaking or when/where we were because chapters would just jump into dialogue or a scene without explanation? Double yes. The mystery was slow-moving and, tbh, I wanted more smut, but though it might sound like I hated this book, I really didn’t! It’s a quick, entertaining read, worth it for paranormal romance fans.
★★★☆☆
Where this book came from: BookHampton during this past Hamptons Whodunit weekend<3
Why this book: The cover drew my eye, and the mention of big ’80s hair really did me in.
Thoughts: Thinking on it over the last day or two since I finished reading this, three stars might be a little generous. I’ll call it two and a half, rounded up. Other than ham-fisted pop culture references, this didn’t feel very ’80s to me, and I hated the woman-on-woman hatred that lasted through three-quarters of the book. I was expecting fish-out-of-water antics and unlikely alliances, which kind of happened eventually. But this wasn’t as quick or as fun as the cover and copy make it sound. In a word: fine!
Library updates:
You may have noticed that I’m no longer reading R. F. Kuang’s Babel. I think I’ve mentioned before that I am apt to finish a book, even if I absolutely loathe it, because Mama didn’t raise a quitter. But in all seriousness, something just compels me to keep reading. I think part of it is that I know that the sooner I finish the book, the sooner I can donate or sell it and get it out of my mind, especially when it’s just something unbelievably bad.
That isn’t quite the case with Babel. I think, maybe, in a different time, I’ll be able to finish it and give it a solid three stars, but for some reason, right now, I just wasn’t vibing with it. So I’ve set it aside for the moment, and almost immediately finished two books.
I also started rewatching True Blood this week, for no particular reason, and watched six and a half episodes in one day. Whoops. (Just kidding, I had a reason——in a roundabout way, this week’s episode of X-Men 97 made me do it. I was devastated and I needed some Cajun spice.)
(Sam called Sookie chère in the pilot and I almost sobbed.)
(Can someone please explain to me why Anna Paquin could do a Southern accent for eight years on True Blood, but everyone at Fox seemed to forget that Rogue is supposed to be from Mississippi??)
Ahem.
You may have also noticed that I didn’t post a Sunday Missive last week. This is because, quite simply, I forgot. It was maybe eight or nine o’clock last Sunday night night before I realized, fuuuuuuuck, it’s Sunday, isn’t it? I could have probably gotten something written and posted, to share my more timely thoughts on The Hunter, but I decided I deserved a break.
I know I don’t owe anyone a post ever, but by my own logic/rules, I especially don’t owe one this weekend, as I was out of town, but I wanted to share the books I read. I managed to finish two in just the last few days, which must be a new record for me. I think I was just inspired by Hamptons Whodunit, and also the fact that there wasn’t much to do in East Hampton after about 8pm (nothing within walking distance, anyway). The reading chair in my room at the Mill House Inn (with a view of one of the town’s many windmills, thank you very much) was also absolute perfection. See what I can do on a good night’s sleep and lacking any kind of responsibilities?
Anyhow, more on Hamptons Whodunit in a post to come. In the meantime, enjoy my book reviews above and the books I purchased below.
Closing thoughts:
Rest, shirk responsibilities, READ.
Total books read from the Moratorium Library: 77
(Total books added to the Library: 150)
I pre-ordered that copy of Amor Towles’ latest from Book Club.
And then I went to Hamptons Whodunit, and Dan Mallory was just so charming . . . ! (And I’ve had my eye on that MCU book for a long time.)
And then I drove out to Montauk before heading home and found out that they have a bookstore now??
And THEN I had to pick up a pre-ordered book at Kew & Willow DON’T JUDGE ME.
