Wednesday, July 5, 2017

June (and May) Book Recap

We've got six months left in 2017, and I'm a little behind on my reading goals, but not impossibly so.  Here's what I read in June:
mystery books
  • I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman was a really quick read and interesting but I just wasn't super satisfied with how it all wrapped up.  I wanted to know more about the other victims, I wanted to know more about Elizabeth's childhood and the time she spent with Walter that summer.  I felt like the surface was barely scratched.
  • The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty had been on my shelf for several months and while it was a fast read, I didn't like it nearly as much as What Alice Forgot.  I just felt like the whole big secret was something that would have had much less disastrous effects if it had all come to light at the time it was done.  I guess that's doesn't make this unrealistic, but it made me find most of the characters involved annoying.  Although it may just be that they were human.  Also, the big omnipresent epilogue also annoyed me.  I felt like it was unfair that I knew things that the characters never found out, which could have changed the whole course of their lives.
  • The Bat by Jo Nesbo was my first foray into the Harry Hole series and while there was nothing magical about this one, I will keep reading them because I've hear it does get much, much better.


I did find some good books this month too:
books to read
  • Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann is a murder mystery where the detective is a flock of anthropomorphized sheep.  For some reason, I'm a sucker for stories with animals that act human.
  • Cockroaches is the second book in Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole series.  The first book took place in Australia, this one takes place in Bangkok.  I'm hoping they move the setting to Norway soon.  I just miss my Billy's Pan Pizza and snow.  Basically it doesn't seem like Scandinavian Noir if it doesn't take place in Scandinavia.
  • Cooked by Michael Pollan is one of the few books I have left to read by him.  He always makes me want to eat healthier and consider what I thought I knew about healthy eating.
  • The Art of Eating by M.F.K. Fisher is a collection of five of Fisher's books in one.  She wrote on all things food related and the book is chock full of recipes, tips, and thoughts.  I wouldn't consider it a cookbook, but more a mediation on food related things.
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And here's a quick peak of my book activity for May

new books


My 2017 totals:  READ 19   ACQUIRED 21

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