Not my best reading week ever, but also not my worst. I had one book that was a bit of a flop, one that was good, but not fantastic, and one that was a very pleasant surprise. So here they are!
Just Shelved
Dark Sacred Night is the second Renée Ballard mystery that I picked up right after finishing the first. I enjoyed it, and it had some good edge-of-your-seat action. I have to say, though, that while I liked Titus Welliver being the voice of Bosch in this second audiobook (that actually has Bosch in it), I didn’t like it as much as Katherine Moennig’s narration of the first book. I just loved her voice and it worked so well for the story. Ah well, on to the next! I picked up an audiobook of the first few Bunburry mysteries and finally got around to listening to the first one. It was fine, there were some cute elements, some interesting characters, and a mystery that I didn’t really care too much about if I’m honest. It was fine, but I didn’t keep going when the first book ended even though the next was in the same recording… so I’m not sure if I’ll continue. It’s fine, it’s cute, if you’re looking for a cosy mystery set in a small English village it’ll be what you’re looking for. Then I picked up The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper on a complete whim, with next to no idea what it would be about. It ended up being delightful and pretty much what I had hoped The Extra Ordinary Life of Frank Derrick, Aged 81 would be. It’s about a widower, Arthur, who is 69 and has been set in his ways for… oh, about 60 years. He has strict routines and sticks to them to help him deal with the loss of his wife. One day he comes across a charm bracelet in his wife’s things that he doesn’t remember ever seeing, and in trying to figure out where it came from and what it means, he embarks on an epic adventure that will take him to another country, put him face-to-face with criminals and wild animals and will challenge him to live beyond his routines and build relationships with people around him. It’s sweet, it’s surprising, it’s fast-paced and fun, but it’s also got lots of emotion. I enjoyed it.
Currently Reading
After enjoying Arthur Pepper so much, I decided to try another Phaedra Patrick to see if she could pull it off again. So far I’m not as interested in this one, but we’ll see how it goes. Hopefully it’ll pick up. I’m still trucking along with The Appeal – it’s fine, and I want to know what happens, but I’ve discovered I need to read it in print as there are more notes that aren’t included in the audio or digital versions, and that’s slowing me down. It’s also dragging along and has a bunch of little details to keep track of that don’t seem to be pulling together fast enough. I’m about 40% of the way through it so far, and who knows when I’ll finally get through it. Which is disappointing as I’d heard it was a real page-turner. A Small Person Far Away is the third in Judith Kerr’s Out of the Hitler Time trilogy. None of the books have been exactly cheerful as the first was about Anna’s family fleeing Germany as Hitler came to power and then their struggles as refugees, and the second was set in London during the Blitz. But this one is…. man. SO dark. Right from the beginning. It’s uncomfortable, a bit slow, and lacking the moments of magic and wonder that were present in the first book and a bit less so but still there in the second. We’ll see how it goes as I’m only about a quarter of the way through, but I’m feeling like this isn’t going to be my favourite of the trilogy. I haven’t made any progress in What White People Can Do Next this week, but it’s still on my bedside table and I am planning to go back to it, probably when I’ve finished The Appeal as they’re both print and that’s the hardest for me to find time for. Phew.
Up Next
Oh. man, who the hell knows. I’m feeling a bit deflated with my reading this week as it feels like I’m on a downward trajectory and I’m having a harder time choosing the right books that will just have me immersed and wanting to keep reading. So we’ll see, I might be headed for a slump!
What about you guys? Which books did you read this week? Have you read any of the books in my post this week? If so, what did you think? If you’ve read The Appeal or A Small Person Far Away, does the former pick up in the second half, and does the latter remain such a downer? (No spoilers please, of course!) That’s me for this week! Happy reading!
A weekly post that encourages bloggers to share what they have read in the past week, what they’re currently reading and books they’ve recently added to their TBRs. Originally started by Sheila at Book Journey, it is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.
Becoming was excellent. I hope you like it whenever you may read it.
Me too! I expect I will. I have a lot of respect and time for the Obamas. I even like the kids’ programs they’ve been involved in – we liked Waffles and Mochi and are in the middle of the, oh, 15th full re-watch of Ada Twist, Scientist! So good.
I haven’t read any of the books you mention. I did read one this week that i was tempted to set aside but ultimately glad that I didn’t. I have been thinking about reading Becoming since it was published but haven’t yet. I so seldom read nonfiction that the book needs to be really compelling before I give it a try. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
Yeah, most of the time if I stick with a book I’m not loving I’m glad I did (with a few exceptions) because there’s almost always at least some silver lining! I love non-fiction, but there’s a catch – it HAS to be on a topic I’m interested in. And be well written. And engaging. Yeah, it’s got to be good to be worth it! Thanks for stopping by!