March was a pretty great reading month, or I am getting better at picking what books to read, lol.
Salvation of a Saint - Keigo HigashinoJapanese mystery, sequel to The Devotion of Suspect X, with the physics professor mentor back to help. I listened to this and it was good. A man is poisoned and the police try to figure out how, and whether it was his wife or girlfriend.
Bleeding Heart Yard - Elly Griffiths
I am really enjoying the Harbindur Kaur books. A death at a high school reunion of a politician is Harbindur's first case since moving to London. But this death appears connected to a death from when the gang was in highschool twenty years before. I missed her old assistant, but I liked her making new friends and her adjustment to a new crew. Excellent series, and mystery.
Intermezzo - Sally Rooney
Two brothers in Ireland, one a lawyer in his 30s, one a chess player in his early 20s, dealing with the death of their dad. Peter the lawyer is completely coming apart, but is apparently the more confident brother. Peter has two very different women, both with issues. Ivan is beginning a relationship with an older woman and I much preferred this half of the story.
Amy and Isabelle - Elizabeth Strout (ebook)
I recognized the names Amy and Isabelle from Olive, Again when Olive makes friends with Isabelle so I had to go back and read this as part of my immersion in Strout-land. It is an early book, but you can feel the beginnings of Strout's style and brilliance. It covers mainly one summer in their lives in Maine, and the 'incident' in this book is mentioned later in talks with Olive. It was a little slow as I was reading, but now as I think about it, it was very good.
The Favorites - Layne Fargo
Very much like Daisy and the Six as told like a documentary, with comments from characters interspersed. I like to read a book like this now and then, pure trashy characters with a fast moving story. This is set in the figure skating world, elite people with money and talented people with not much. I liked how it was a play on Wuthering Heights, with Katerina and Heath as the main star-crossed lovers. I hated Wuthering Heights in high school but I like retellings usually better than the originals. I also don't usually like love stories where the characters love so much they destroy each other (lol, not a spoiler if you know anything about Wuthering Heights) but this was a lot of fun!
Crooked Seeds - Karen Jennings (ebook)
I found this Women's Prize for Fiction longlisted book on sale on Kobo so grabbed it. It was a short book which is good because it was pretty sad. Deidre, living in South Africa is a pretty miserable character, to herself and others. It was billed a mystery, and while the police come around asking questions about her old house, I wouldn't really call this a mystery. This event causes Deidre to remember about growing up, so the mysteries are the reveals that happen, but it's not really a mystery. It's much more a story about alcoholism and defeatism, which can be pretty depressing.
I Hope This Finds You Well - Natalie Sue (Canadian)
I can't even remember why I requested this one but it was good, and a quick read. Jolene is working a soul-sucking job at a large business in Calgary. She is not getting along with her co-workers, and not doing well with her over-bearing Iranian mother wanting her to get married. She is called in to HR meetings after a complaint about her and meets cute Cliff. He accidentally gives her admin access to emails and Jolene, in desperation, can't help herself from reading what her co-workers are saying about her, setting off lots of office issues. There is a humour to the book, but much of the story is more serious. The author does a pretty good job of balancing the humor (two Iranians pretending to be engaged to keep their parents off their back, but that doesn't really help) with the seriousness of 'you never know what other people are dealing with' coworkers.
Very much like Daisy and the Six as told like a documentary, with comments from characters interspersed. I like to read a book like this now and then, pure trashy characters with a fast moving story. This is set in the figure skating world, elite people with money and talented people with not much. I liked how it was a play on Wuthering Heights, with Katerina and Heath as the main star-crossed lovers. I hated Wuthering Heights in high school but I like retellings usually better than the originals. I also don't usually like love stories where the characters love so much they destroy each other (lol, not a spoiler if you know anything about Wuthering Heights) but this was a lot of fun!
Crooked Seeds - Karen Jennings (ebook)
I found this Women's Prize for Fiction longlisted book on sale on Kobo so grabbed it. It was a short book which is good because it was pretty sad. Deidre, living in South Africa is a pretty miserable character, to herself and others. It was billed a mystery, and while the police come around asking questions about her old house, I wouldn't really call this a mystery. This event causes Deidre to remember about growing up, so the mysteries are the reveals that happen, but it's not really a mystery. It's much more a story about alcoholism and defeatism, which can be pretty depressing.
I Hope This Finds You Well - Natalie Sue (Canadian)
I can't even remember why I requested this one but it was good, and a quick read. Jolene is working a soul-sucking job at a large business in Calgary. She is not getting along with her co-workers, and not doing well with her over-bearing Iranian mother wanting her to get married. She is called in to HR meetings after a complaint about her and meets cute Cliff. He accidentally gives her admin access to emails and Jolene, in desperation, can't help herself from reading what her co-workers are saying about her, setting off lots of office issues. There is a humour to the book, but much of the story is more serious. The author does a pretty good job of balancing the humor (two Iranians pretending to be engaged to keep their parents off their back, but that doesn't really help) with the seriousness of 'you never know what other people are dealing with' coworkers.
