Talk Healthy

I finished The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue. Very good.

Now I have Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau.

Last night I finished Colleen Hoover's new one, Reminders of Him which I liked. Her novels aren't award winners but I usually really enjoy them.

Not sure what's next on the pile!

I finished "The Good Daughter" by Karin Slaughter. It was OK. I was interested to see what would happen. And one of the characters had a cat named Fosco, which is what our old cat was named. I never heard of any other cat called Fosco so I thought that was fun.

Now I'm reading "Habit Swap", don't remember the author. It's a non-fiction about how to swap out bad habits for good ones.

Finished The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain. The first half was SO SLOW. I can't believe all the 5-star reviews. I mean, there's a heartbreaking and infuriating story there (it's about segregation and racism and the civil rights movement, and the KKK makes an appearance.) but it took her so freaking long to get to the point. I was surprised because her books may often be cheesy and soap-opera-ish, but they're usually page-turners. Well, not this one. 3 stars.

Then I started the latest Liane Moriarty... and I don't like it! I mean, I liked ALL her books and loved at least 3 of them! How is that possible? I didn't think that woman could write anything I didn't like. All my GR people have given it 4 or 5 stars! But I'm finding it super boring! I haven't given up yet, but I got to 23% and just picked up something else (The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano.) I *might* try to read it slowly like I do when I'm reading a book with a student (20 pages or so a week, takes a year to finish), but I don't know.

I was really into the 3 sci-fi books I read earlier in January, which makes me think I really should start branching out more. General fiction has bored me way too often lately.

I finished Mary Jane. It was cute, but a little cheesy.

Now I have One, Two, Three by Laurie Frankel. I'm not sure about the premise. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/423 ... -two-three

Silvia - I liked Apples Never Fall but really hated the one before that: 9 Perfect Strangers. Funny.

I read Olympus, Texas by Stacey Swann and really loved it. There's Greek/Roman mythology supposedly woven into but outside of the dogs' names I didn't recognize any of it. Clearly it wasn't necessary for the story.

Rowan, I feel like I'm one of the few people who liked Nine Perfect Strangers. The plot may have been a little silly, but I was engrossed in all the backstories. In Apples I don't care about anything! Ugh.

I read Bomb Shelter by Mary Laura Philpot. A collection of essays. I'm not an essay lover although I have considered writing them myself. It was decent and an ARC so I always feel the need to read unsolicitated ARCs.

Not sure what is next on my list.

Finished The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano. Ended up skimming through huge sections because it was sooooo repetitive. Turns out 9 is way too many "what if" scenarios. 2 stars.

Still reading Apples Never Fall, a little bit every day or every other day. I got to 35% last night and started to see a glimpse of my beloved author in there.

Started a YA dystopia, Unwind. So far I like it.

Finished the 2 books I was reading. Unwind was ok, entertaining enough. Good for the genre, I guess. Leo will probably like it. Apples Never Fall FINALLY picked up in the second half and I ended up enjoying it. But the first half was painfully slow.

Then I started The Ones We Choose by Julie...Clark, maybe? I read another book by this woman a while ago and it was totally gripping. I'd also like to reread Station Eleven because I started watching the series on HBO, but I don't know if I'll do it. I'm not much of a rereader. Though I loved this one.

I never finished Habit Swap, because I read before bed, and after I got through the first little bit, it told me to meditate. I can't meditate in bed. And I can't seem to motivate myself to read the book outside of bed, so I guess I'll never swap my habits.

After that happened, I switched to "The Psychology of Retirement" which I found unsatisfying and boring. It's basically about how to be happy in retirement, but it didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know.

Now I'm onto "HyperFocus", which is a productivity book. I only started it last night, though, so I can't say yet if it's any good.

I finally finished One Two Three. I liked the characters but it was a slog.

Now I have Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

I never finished Habit Swap, because I read before bed, and after I got through the first little bit, it told me to meditate. I can't meditate in bed. And I can't seem to motivate myself to read the book outside of bed, so I guess I'll never swap my habits.

Blush, I loved Malibu Rising!

Finished The Ones We Choose. It was ok, but very forgettable.

I think I'm definitely rereading Station Eleven. I'm 39% in, almost at the point of no return. Plus I don't remember much (what else is new?), so it should be fun. I'm 4 episodes into the show and I don't like it much, but I always love to compare the movie/show to the book.

I finished Malibu Rising--loved it.

Now I have Seven Days in June by Tia Williams.