Jan 27- Feb 2

 What's new this past week?

I got my second Shingryx vaccine, which knocked me out for a day. I lay shivering under my heated blanket all night, but my body temp regulated sometime through the night, and I felt better the next day. I had shingles when I was in university, and I definitely don't want it again. My province made the vaccine free for people over 50.

Reading wise, I only finished one book, All Fours but I did finish the 97 final exams, which makes this week-end very enjoyable with no correcting to do.

All Fours by Miranda July
This is a play-in book for the Tournament of Books. Mixed feelings on this one. The beginning was strong, I loved the main character's voice, as a woman of a certain age. Things started to go off the rails in the middle during the mid-life crisis, with some descriptive sx* passages, which I don't usually mind, but this felt off. The last third of the book was better, in showing how families can be different. I did appreciate the perimenopause focus of the book as I haven't noticed it in a lot of novels.

Still reading: The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier who does historical fiction, while also focusing on some type of art, so well. There is much quilting in this one. I've got two audiobooks on the go because of due dates: Martyr, and Wandering Stars.

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January 20-27

 What's new this past week?

Emma Donaghue is coming to PEI in April, to promote her new book, Paris Express. To PEI! I've already booked my free tickets. She's on my MRE list, I can't believe she's coming to little ol' PEI.

Not reading, but I watched a movie based on a book, Women Talking by Miriam Toews, and directed by Sarah Polley, who's memoir I really enjoyed last year, Run Towards the Danger. The movie was very good, very atmospheric, and infuriating- patriarchy and religion all mixed up. I read the book about 5 years ago, and felt the same.

Books Read:
Poemsia - Lang Leav
A young adult book set in Australia, where a young girl becomes famous through social media for her poetry. Since social media, there is also online bullying. This was from YA Sync free audiobooks that I am gradually working through.

The Stranger Diaries - Elly Griffiths (ebook)
It's exciting to start a new series, and Harbinder Kaur did not disappoint. I love trying to anticipate which characters will continue on to the next book. Lots of gothic atmosphere, lots of murder, interesting back and forth point of views. With only 4 books in this series, so far, I expect to enjoy this year of catching up.

Colored Television - Danzy Senna
I read this one because it is on the Tournament of Books shortlist, but I won't remember it next month. It might be a book that I understand/enjoy more once I've read some other explanations and reviews. I don't always see the layers or meanings in some ToB entries.

reading now: All Fours on audio, The Last Runaway from the library, and 97 final exams in math and physics

Jan 12-20

 My reading for the past week: 

The Vacancy in Room 10 by Seraphina Nova Glass
A TIOLI book, found while searching for an available audiobook, this wasn't a too bad thriller, and I'd read another by this author. It felt a bit like a Simone St James type book. Mysteries abound among the characters staying in a motel. Good twists, interesting characters.

For the Love of My Sister: Paula Gallant's Legacy by Lynn Gallant Blackburn
This was a personal read, a local nonfiction true crime book about a teacher who was found dead in her trunk in her school parking lot over Christmas, twenty years ago. My cousin R was her very good friend. Paula's two sisters fought for five years to see justice done (of course, it was the husband). The book tells their family story, the days leading up to her murder, and their struggle to keep Paula's story in the news. The police eventually did a huge undercover sting operation over a year, convincing him to tell what and how he killed her, as he thought the undercover cop was a crime syndicate boss who would help him get off. The book is also about the awareness they are fighting for about intimate partner violence. I spent yesterday in tears reading this tragic story.

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty
My audio book was also about three sisters, which did confuse me a bit at times with my other book, but this was much more fun. As part of my MRE, I read the first book by Moriarty and it didn't disappoint. It had her trademark style - perspective switching between several people, including random people recounting their view of events. They weren't the best of people, but they were dealing with pregnancies, marriage break-ups, sibling rivalries, past events. For a first book, I thought it was pretty good, and reminded me of Big Little Lies in style and theme.

Janury 5-14th

 My reading this week, or since my last update:

The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year - Margaret Renkl NF
I found this one on the Top Five of 2024 list on LT. Quaint, ecology, nature, southern, and a woman of my age, I enjoyed these weekly essays. I very much identified with the essays on her eyes/vision, and having young adult children who come and go. Easy listening, read by the author with her southern drawl adding flavour. It reminded me a bit of Bailey White's Mama Makes Up Her Mind.

Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout 4.5 stars
After reading Tell Me Everything, I wanted to go back and reread Elizabeth Strout. I loved Olive Kitteridge when I first read her, and also Olive, Again. Olive was a great part of Tell Me Everything, as she visits her friend Isabelle. It's Isabelle from Amy and Isabelle! We get to see how their friendship develops in Olive, Again which given how cranky Olive can be, is a little surprising. The Burgess brothers also show up in this book. I am so enjoying the Strout metaverse. Next up will probably be Amy and Isabelle, and then a reread of the Burgess Boys.

Dark Storm Rising (15.5) - Linda Castillo
I never thought I'd read an Amish book, but once I found this police mystery series recommended by lauralkeet rather than an Amish romance, I was hooked. I found the short stories that fill in between the main books which are a quick fix. I am up to date now on Kate Burkholder, and waiting for book #17.

Memory Man by David Baldacci
My dad (83) always read a lot and he has figured out how to borrow ebooks from Libby and to read them on his Ipad. He recommended this Amos Decker series so I am trying this first book. It's fast moving, lots of twists, mass market pb mystery. He's got synesthesia from a football hit, his family has been killed, and he gets pulled back into a case in his hometown. Some interesting production decisions in the audio - some weird background music to finish a few dramatic chapters, and a female to read only the parts of his cop partner. Slightly distracting, but I'd probably read another in the series.

Reading from Jan 1 - 5

I haven't been posting at all on my blog, but I do hang out and talk books at Librarything. I'm trying to do little book updates weekly, and will try to copy them over to my blog for my blogging pals. I fear I have a commenting issue, if you are unable to comment but want to, shoot me an email @ gmail.com with my raidergirl3 name in front to let me know if I need to check out my comment situation.

Reading this week: (January 1-5)

I was reminded about Heather O'Neill and discovered she has a new book coming out this summer, Valentine in Montreal. Looking around Libby, I found a short story I had not read, And They Danced By the Light of the Moon which was a delightful backstory to Lullabies for Little Criminals. I've got The Capital of Dreams on my kobo and must get to it this spring.

The Book of Love by Kelly Link
It probably didn't need to be so long (24h on audio) and it was okay. I blame this one on me because it wasn't the type of book I like - with a lot of magic and 'rules' in this world. It is on the Tournament of Books list, so I wanted to read it and sometimes even books not in my wheelhouse can be excellent, but this didn't make it for me. Three teenagers come back from the dead with a competition to get back alive. Everyone thinks they've been in Ireland while they have been dead. It wasn't awful, just didn't absorb me into an epic tale like I would have liked.

Good Material by Dolly Alderton
Much more my kind of book - modern British 30somethings, dealing with life. Jen has broken up with Andy and he isn't taking it well. We follow from Andy's perspective, as he tries to be a single again while all his friends are married with kids, manage his middling stand-up comedian career, and find a place to live. This book was on the longlist for the Tournament of Books but didn't make the shortlist. Too bad.