Something that cropped up quite often when I did my beginning of the year reader survey, was that a lot of you wanted to know what I had been reading. I was really surprised, to be honest! I’m a known bookworm, but I thought book reviews would bore a lot of my readers – it’s nice to know that I’ve been wrong!
Today I thought I’d give you a summary of what I’ve read since the new year.
Currently Reading || A Carnivore’s Inquiry
I’m only half-way through this one and so far I’m enjoying it! The characters are a bit unrelatable, and the plot is a bit slow at times, but I still find myself wanting to know what is going to happen next. This book is not for the faint of heart though as it is about cannibalism.
Death Comes to Pemberley
I’m a huge Austen fan and I’d heard good things about this “Pride and Prejudice” sequel. I enjoyed reading it, but mostly I think it’s because I enjoy period reads. For me, there was not nearly enough Elizabeth. In fact, there was practically no Elizabeth. Disappointing. Could Wickham be capable of murder? You’d have to read to decide.
Bride of the Innisfallen & Other Stories by Eudora Welty
I’m also a big fan of literature from the American South written by women. I adore “The Old Order” by Katherine Anne Porter and Eudora Welty was recommended to me based on that. This was my first exposure to her writings, and I have to say that I didn’t connect with any of the characters, and I felt that she was holding the reader at arms length the entire time.
Belzhar
I felt cheated by this novel. I loved it. And then 2/3rds of the way through the twist was revealed and I really didn’t get on board with it. It changed my views of an important character and I just found the rest of the book trite. Which is frustrating because I had enjoyed it so much up to that point!
Night Film
As you read this mystery novel, you can tell as a reader that you are being manipulated. But at the same time you enjoy it. Relish it even. You might be being lied to, but most of the time it’s a darn good lie. Maybe Pessl gets a bit carried away in the world of her own invention at one point in time, but I desperately wanted to know how this book was going to end. Interestingly, this book has been compared to “The Secret History” which I think is a pretentious load of toss and “The Goldfinch” which is a nap and a half after the first section filled with irredeemable characters. Does “Night Film” compare? Only in that it’s a modern novel, where the writer is clearly an artistic female.
The Quick
Okay, this is probably my own fault. I hadn’t read any reviews for this book, nor did I really read the back of the book. It looked good, and it was on sale so I grabbed it. I’m a lady who can’t say “no” to a Victorian mystery. And while the book was grounded in reality I loved it. Then bam! A plot shocker. And the book went spinning in a completely unexpected (to me since I knew nothing about it) direction. I literally said aloud, “Where did the ******** come from?” (The asterix are to protect the surprise for future readers, not to blur out profanity.)
The moral of the story? I read a lot of books by women. Follow along for more of my reading adventures on Goodreads.
And as one bit of housekeeping, for those of you who follow me on instagram, I’ve changed my username to rhymeandribbons. This doesn’t affect you at all, it automatically updates. But if you’re wondering who this stranger is on your feed….Surprise! It’s me!
