Talk Healthy

I finished the new Caroline Kepnes the other night. Really good if you're not easily offended by language/sex.

I have Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf in my bag but I haven't started it.

I'm 15 pages from the end of The Forgetting Time. Thoughts to follow. I didn't know Heather Gudenkauf had another book out!

I finished Shelter Me. It was pretty good if a little churchy.

Now I have a memoir : What the Psychic Told the Pilgrim: A Midlife Misadventure on Spain's Camino de Santiago de Compostela by Jane Christmas

Finished The Forgetting Time. It had a very intriguing synopsis, but then it turned out the subject matter was something some people (myself included) might have a problem with. Sorry for being vague, but I'm afraid saying more would be spoilerish. Anyway, I liked it. Even with the problematic (is that a word?) subject matter.

Not sure what's next. I have 75 samples on my kindle. Sometimes I think my life as a reader was easier before I got the kindle!

I finished the Microbiome book. It was okay but I won't be following a lot of her suggestions. Like, never use shampoo or soap. Sorry, I like smelling good.

Now I'm reading Sacrifice by Sharon Bolton. I don't remember where I got the recommendation for it. It's good so far, except last night she described something as "a grizzly murder" which made me cringe.

Spudd, oh well. An honest mistake. The editor's fault. That's better than the book I was reading, in which a lot of words had the initial "fl" or "fi" missing. At one point a woman wants to have some "yers" printed. I hadn't figured out the mistake yet and it took me a while to notice that all words starting in "fl" had those letters missing. Anyway, I read Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton and loved it. It was a little far fetched in the end (well, a lot), but I still loved it.

I decided to start The Misbegotten by Katherine Webb. Historical fiction set in the 1800s in Bath, England. So far I'm really enjoying it. I hope it won't drag at some point. It has 542 pages and lately most books I've read with more than 350 or so have dragged.

Yesterday I went to the library and couldn't find anything great, finally deciding on an Elin Hildebrand novel. When I got to the checkout, the staff member there looked at me sort of shyly and said, "Do you mind if I make a suggestion? A book was just returned here that has to be transferred to its home branch. Before we send it, do you want to try it? I think you'll like it. "

I was all, "YES! Of course I'll try it! " It's "Best to Laugh" by Lorna Landvik, and I don’t think I've read any of her stuff.

I just finished What the psychic told the pilgrim by Jane Christmas. It was ok. A little whiny.

Next up is The Mistake I Made by Paula Daly. It's the next one I have due.

Yesterday I finished "The Danish Girl." It was pretty good...didn't love it, but I'm glad I read it. Haven't started anything new yet, as it looks like a couple of holds are about to come in.

Edit: yep, both "The Martian" and a career advice book both came today.

I finished The Mistake I made by Paula Daly. It was good but not quite as gripping as her other books.

Next up is Best to Laugh by Lorna Landvik.

I finished Best to Laugh. It was just ok.

Next: The Rumor by Elin Hildebrand.

Finished The Misbegotten. It was great, I loved her writing and it had all the ingredients of good historical fiction. It could have been a liiittle shorter, as I expected, but nothing that made me want to throw it at the wall in impatience. 4 stars.

Then I read Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero. I loved the writing, she sounded authentic and funny. There isn't much of a plot exactly, it's a Mexican-American girl chronicling her senior year in high school. Lots of things happen, but there isn't one major plot point you're waiting to read about. Tons of issues, though: teen pregnancy, drug addiction, rape, death, gay friend coming out of the closet (not a spoiler, this happens in the first few pages.) That sounds a lot darker than it is. 3 stars. I'd probably have given it 5 if I were a teen. The one thing that I thought was weird was how her mom (who worked to support the family) kept saying she shouldn't go to college, but instead focus on finding a good husband. Huh?? They're a low income family and her mom didn't have much of a formal education, but still. Everyone I know, even the least educated people I know would never insist on that. Everyone wants their kid (boy or girl) to go to college these days. And the book is set in the present! Had it been written by an American, I'd say this was demeaning to Mexicans and the author didn't know what she was talking about. But she's Mexican!

Not sure what's next. I started a sample of another one by Katherine Webb last night, I'll probably read that. I'm so excited I found a new (to me) historical fiction writer I like.

Last night I finished "The Martian." I didn't love it, but it grew on me as it progressed. I found the first maybe 25% to be pretty slow, but then it picked up. Gave it 3 stars.

Now I have "I Don't Know What I Want, but I Know it's not This" by Julie Jansen. Haven't started it yet, but I imagine this will be skimmed and not read word for word.

Last night I finished "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan. I thought it was really good.

Also, I would give "Sacrifice" by Sharon Bolton a thumbs-up. It's pretty entertaining.

I don't know what to read next, will have to decide. I think definitely fiction, though.

I finished The Rumor by Elin Hildebrand. It was about what I expected. Would make a good beach read.

Now I have The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende.

Blush, I hope you like The Japanese Lover. You know I love that woman.

I decided on the new T. Greenwood, Where I Lost Her. It's a family drama/mystery story. I loved it. Wasn't too sure about it in the beginning, but it got better. I couldn't put it down after the 75% mark, which is rarely the case for me. T. Greenwood has been a little hit and miss for me: I'd loved 2 of her books and hated 2 others. But even the ones I didn't like it was the stories I didn't like, never her writing, so I decided to give this a try. I'm glad I did.

Not sure what's next.

I just finished Finding Jake by Bryan Reardon, on Blush's recommendation. Loved it! It's yet another story about a school shooting, and I went in expecting just a regular thriller. Entertaining but forgettable. I didn't expect it to be touching. It was also about parenting an introverted child, which couldn't have come at a more appropriate time for me. People on goodreads are comparing it to We Need To Talk About Kevin and to Defending Jacob, but to me they're all different. They share some ingredients, that's all. I do think the author should have chosen another name for his character, though, because of Defending Jacob. Anyway, great read. Thanks, Blush

I'll start the sample of A Little Life now.

Woo!

On the bus I started "The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House" by Kate Andersen Brower. So far so good.

I've barely skimmed "I don't know what I want...."

I started "The New Neighbor" by Lois someone, I think. It's not bad. It hasn't really grabbed me, though.