Last week I finished:
The Survivors, Jane Harper
I'm a big fan of Jane Harper's books. They have become auto-buys for me, but I do like some titles more than others. The Dry, and especially The Lost Man, are favorites, and Force of Nature and this one are less so. This book finds the main character, Kieran, returning home after being away for the twelve years since a fatal accident claimed the life of his brother and a friend. On his return, a murder puts new light on that old accident. It took me a long time to get into this book. Once I was finally invested, I was pretty much all in, but I'm not used to waiting that long to care about a cast of characters. Harper's books are often a slow burn, which I enjoy, but this one took too long to take light. Also, I was literally suspecting everyone, and that suspicion kind of ruined things for me. When the murderer could be anyone, it distances me from the story, and I detach. I also think the ending was very abrupt and didn't tie things up well at all. Overall, it wasn't a bad book--much better than most thrillers--but not her best book, either. But, her characters are always well-written, and her superb ability to make setting a character is unparalleled, so don't miss out on her books. Note, this would make a good summer read, as it takes place near the water. My rating: 4 stars.
Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First., Laura Tremaine
What a charming, honest, fresh book. The depth of emotion here is a breath of fresh air. I was unfamiliar with Tremaine's podcasts until this book made me check them out. It's a little hard to describe this book. It's part memoir (she tells great stories), part self-help (the book is an urging to connect more deeply with people), and part, just, other. I enjoyed every minute of it. The author is known for her 10-item lists, and this is a book of 10 questions to ask people about their lives in order to get them to open up. The thing is, though, you have to go first with your ten things. It makes a person think about her stories, what she's comfortable sharing, how she shares, what she does and doesn't know about herself. I think this is a book I'll return to over and over again. My only quibble is that the final chapter "What Do You Believe?" felt like a rushed "not going there" tacked on at the end, when it was the most important chapter of the book, in my opinion. This is where I expected Tremaine to talk about where her faith lies now, after talking about her childhood faith a lot, and alluding to her adult faith journey throughout the book. Instead, she offered readers a rather limp list of belief leftovers. I bought this book from a Christian bookstore, but I'm not sure why it was being sold there, really. For its cringing tone toward the fervent faith of youth? I don't care that her faith changed or deepened, in fact, I'd be concerned to find out that it hadn't, but I did think she'd share it in those last pages. Maybe she has another book planned? At any rate, I still give this one a high rating, in spite of my dissatisfaction with the last chapter. My rating: 5 stars.
Seriously...I'm Kidding, Ellen DeGeneres
Seriously...I read it again. I wanted a short, fun audio for my first day back at work after almost a week off, and this hit the spot.
I'm currently reading:
I read this over my four-day "Readcation," and it was the perfect choice. It's a long book, but it reads so quickly. Taraborrelli has done it again!
And at night, I'm reading:
I'm not very far into this one, but I'm enjoying it more than I thought I might.
My next audiobook:
This is a re-listen from last year.
No comments:
Post a Comment