January 2025

[Rowan]

Hello 2025 Reading

I read Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney yesterday. I liked the main character but the story resolution was weird. Not sure what is next.

[Rowan]

I started The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard and I'm really liking it. I've read a few of hers before but I had heard great things about this one.

[Spudd]

I forget if I posted this in the December thread or not, but my new read is The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. So far I'm enjoying it.

[Sílvia]

I finished Master Class by Christina Dalcher. It was good, I gave it 3.5 stars.

Now I'm reading The Physician by Noah Gordon, an older book set in the middle ages. It's the same setting/style as Ken Follett's Kingsbridge series. I'm enjoying it, but am starting to find the beginning a liiiittle repetitive. I'm on page 180 and starting to get that "ok, then what?" feeling, you know? But I've read that the first 1/4 is a little slower, then it picks up (it's 830 pages long.) Plus one of my reading goals for the year is not to give up if a book isn't absolutely riveting from page 1, you know? To be a less anxious reader. Let's see how long it will last

[Rowan]

I finished I Know Who You Are by Barbara Rae-Venter on Tuesday. It's about the amateur investigative genetic genealogist who helped the police find the Golden State Killer (and others). It was interesting to learn more about the beginnings of IGG but I have such concerns about the ethics of DNA data. It was good - not very well written despite her being a patent attorney back in the day.

Not sure what is next...I'm feeling in the mood for something different as I've been reading a lot of mystery/thrillers/murder. I guess we will see what I pick up next.

[Spudd]

I finished The Bluest Eye a while ago, forgot to post about it. I wouldn't say it was a great book. It was just OK.

Now I'm reading The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. It's pretty good, but not great. I seem to be in a bit of a book rut lately.

[Rowan]

I embraced winter themes this weekend.

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon - 4 stars

Edge of Winter by Darcy Coates - 3 stars

And yesterday was Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen. This one was very well researched (it's non-fiction) but I felt it was really dry. I think I was looking more for a person perspective and less military. I was that kid in the 70s who couldn't sleep because I was worried about nuclear war. Take home? Nuclear war is bad.

[Sílvia]

So much for trying to be a more patient reader. I think I've given up on 4 books this year already. I did finish a thriller (Beneath Devil's Bridge by Loreth Anne White.) Gave it 2 stars. That was my second book of the year

[Rowan]

Rowan, I was the kid who couldn't sleep because I thought Halley's Comet was going to hit earth.

So you would have been right with me worrying about nuclear war in the 70s. LOL

[Rowan]

I read The Favorites by Layne Fargo this weekend. I was really excited about this one about an ice dancing pair but it was disappointing. There was so many unrealistic decisions/scenarios. It was comped to Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid but I totally disagree. I didn't believe the badassery of the main character Katarina...but Carrie Soto was written so well you couldn't help but root her on despite her "anything to win" persona. Anyway I will try to get that back to the library today as it is very sought after as it just came out on Tuesday.

I have All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall which takes place in a flooded world at the top of NYC Museum of Natural History. Right up my alley - hope it's good!

[Rowan]

I put All the Water in the World aside. It just didn't grab me right away. Visit to the library and I found Jason Rekulak's latest The Last One at the Wedding about a father who was estranged from his daughter but is invited to her wedding. She's marrying into a very rich family and things don't seem quite right....I'm 150pp in and really liking it.

[Sílvia]

Ro, I started All the Water in the World a couple of weeks ago (it seemed so good!) and also couldn't get into it. I didn't say anything because you know me, I'm permanently bored/broken. Sorry it didn't work for you, but glad to know it's not just me.

[Rowan]

Sil - I might go back to it because I like the premise but I literally gave it 3 pages. We will see.

[Sílvia]

Sil - I might go back to it because I like the premise but I literally gave it 3 pages. We will see.

Oh, I gave it more than that. Maybe 30-35? I remember it took me several days to get to page 30. I felt as if I'd read way over 100.

[Spudd]

I finished The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, did I already report on this? It was OK. I started feeling like the intent of the book was to educate me about the Great Depression, which was a bit of a turnoff. I don't mind learning stuff from historical fiction but I don't want to feel like it's the main reason to read the book, I want it to be background behind the plot.

Then I downloaded Storygraph to track my reading because I always forget what I'm reading.

Now I'm reading "New York Dead" by Stuart Woods, which is a pulpy cop detective book. So far it's exactly like you might imagine.