Recent Reads - In a Slump
I have been in such a reading slump. The books may be perfectly fine and it's just me.. but whatever it is I don't like it. I love to read and not loving what you love is a real problem. Am I making any sense?
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
She never expects to fall in love with beautiful Prince Po. She never expects to learn the truth behind her Grace or the terrible secret that lies hidden far away, a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.
Thoughts - This was a fine book. I never finished it so I can't tell you if it got any better. It was interesting enough but I never really felt like picking it up. This was a busy summer and I was preoccupied with party planning and hosting so I wanted to get into bed each night and pick up the book and sort of escape but I didn't. Instead of slogging along I just stopped reading it.
On a Quiet Street by Seraphina Nova Glass
Cora thinks her husband, Finn, is cheating. She just needs to catch him in the act. That’s where Paige comes in. Paige lost her son to a hit-and-run last year, and she’s drowning in the kind of grief that makes people do reckless things like spying on the locals, searching for proof that her son’s death was no accident and agreeing to Cora’s plan to reveal what kind of man Finn really is. All the while, their reclusive new neighbor, Georgia, is acting more strangely every day. But what could such a lovely young mother possibly be hiding?
Thoughts - Okay so this was a little better.. especially the second half. The first have had me not liking any of the characters, I was mainly just annoyed with them. It was an audiobook and some of the voices were so shrill. I thought this was going to be another DNF.. but I stuck with it and it turned around. Will I remember this book months from now? Probably not but for the time being it was fine.
Synopsis - In Daretana’s most opulent mansion, a high Imperial officer lies dead, killed, to all appearances, when a tree spontaneously erupted from his body. Even in this canton at the borders of the Empire, where contagions abound and the blood of the Leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death at once terrifying and impossible.
Called in to investigate this mystery is Ana Dolabra, an investigator whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities.
At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol. Din is an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory. His job is to observe and report, and act as his superior’s eyes and ears, quite literally, in this case, as among Ana’s quirks are her insistence on wearing a blindfold at all times, and her refusal to step outside the walls of her home.
Din is most perplexed by Ana’s ravenous appetite for information and her mind’s frenzied leaps, not to mention her cheerful disregard for propriety and the apparent joy she takes in scandalizing her young counterpart. Yet as the case unfolds and Ana makes one startling deduction after the next, he finds it hard to deny that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.
As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the safety of the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.
Thoughts - So many unpronounceable names and places. Many of the characters names sounded similar to me and even now I couldn't tell you most of who was who. I did not dislike the book. In fact I enjoyed the characters of both Ana and Din. The world building while interesting, I felt I never fully understood. There more books in the series and I am not writing them off just yet.
Synopsis - Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town's most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.
Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
Called in to investigate this mystery is Ana Dolabra, an investigator whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities.
At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol. Din is an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory. His job is to observe and report, and act as his superior’s eyes and ears, quite literally, in this case, as among Ana’s quirks are her insistence on wearing a blindfold at all times, and her refusal to step outside the walls of her home.
Din is most perplexed by Ana’s ravenous appetite for information and her mind’s frenzied leaps, not to mention her cheerful disregard for propriety and the apparent joy she takes in scandalizing her young counterpart. Yet as the case unfolds and Ana makes one startling deduction after the next, he finds it hard to deny that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.
As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the safety of the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.
Thoughts - So many unpronounceable names and places. Many of the characters names sounded similar to me and even now I couldn't tell you most of who was who. I did not dislike the book. In fact I enjoyed the characters of both Ana and Din. The world building while interesting, I felt I never fully understood. There more books in the series and I am not writing them off just yet.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
Synopsis - Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town's most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.
Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.
Thoughts - I know this is a very popular book. I started the book not knowing anything about Martha Ballard. I didn't even know she was a real person until I got to the authors note. I listened to it and the first time I was only 25% in when I had to return it to the library. I waited some weeks to get my hands on it again. Though not due to anticipation or excitement but more of a curiosity as to why people were raving about this book because the first few chapters had not grasped me. I did not love it. First it was too long. Were people in the 1700's really this promiscuous? Most of the babies Martha delivered seemed to be out of wedlock. And as a character Martha was fine but knowing she was a real person made everything different for me because the real Martha was not so confrontational or outspoken. In fact she seemed out of character for a woman in the 1700's. She also seemed so very judgy as if she was better than everyone else. Oh and everytime time she and her husband where in the same room it was like they were horny teenagers. And while I have no issues with romance, it didn't add to the story and made an already too long book even longer. I am glad I read it because now I know about Martha Ballard and she was an exceptional woman.. other than that this was just an okay read.
Exiles by Jane Harper
Synopsis - At a busy festival site on a warm spring night, a baby lies alone in her pram, her mother vanishing into the crowds.
A year on, Kim Gillespie’s absence casts a long shadow as her friends and loved ones gather deep in the heart of South Australian wine country to welcome a new addition to the family.
Joining the celebrations is federal investigator Aaron Falk. But as he soaks up life in the lush valley, he begins to suspect this tight-knit group may be more fractured than it seems.
Between Falk’s closest friend, a missing mother, and a woman he’s drawn to, dark questions linger as long-ago truths begin to emerge.
A year on, Kim Gillespie’s absence casts a long shadow as her friends and loved ones gather deep in the heart of South Australian wine country to welcome a new addition to the family.
Joining the celebrations is federal investigator Aaron Falk. But as he soaks up life in the lush valley, he begins to suspect this tight-knit group may be more fractured than it seems.
Between Falk’s closest friend, a missing mother, and a woman he’s drawn to, dark questions linger as long-ago truths begin to emerge.
Thoughts - This is my third Jane Harper book. My second Aaron Falk novel. They are slow burns.. not exactly action packed, instead they are character driven. This book takes place a year after the crime, if it even was a crime. It's less an investigation but more a dark shadow that is lingering over the town and Aaron, the curious person that he is just can't help asking questions and realize that some pieces just don't fit together. I had not guessed the ending and I enjoyed the book.
Four to Score by Janet Evanovich
Synopsis - Nabbing Maxine Nowicki, thief and extortionist, would be the answer to Stephanie’s prayers and monetary woes. The only trouble is that Maxine is no where to be found, and her friends have been mysteriously turning up dead. To make matters worse, Stephanie’s arch nemesis since grade school is also looking for Nowicki, hoping to cash in first.
Stephanie’s mentor and tormentor, Ranger, needs her. Vice cop Joe Morelli has invited her to move in… temporarily. And Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur, sidekick, Lula, and a six-foot-tall transvestite rock musician want to take Stephanie to Atlantic City. One thing is for certain, no good can come from any of it.
Stephanie’s mentor and tormentor, Ranger, needs her. Vice cop Joe Morelli has invited her to move in… temporarily. And Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur, sidekick, Lula, and a six-foot-tall transvestite rock musician want to take Stephanie to Atlantic City. One thing is for certain, no good can come from any of it.
Thoughts - Nothing like the over the top ridiculousness of Stephanie Plum then to shake you out of a slump. This book like every other before it is just bonkers.. and I loved every moment of it.
I read a review of On a Quiet Street somewhere else and thought I could read it, but maybe not? And if like you it was in the audio book format, I would probably have stopped listening. The voices make all the difference.
ReplyDeleteI love the Stephanie Plum series too even though they are bonkers and over the top.
ReplyDeleteyou read a lot for being in a slump! I am reading Poppy Wars and sometimes it's great and other times not so much. I cannot decide how much I like it but I keep reading it before I go to bed.
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