It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? 03-01-21 #IMWAYR

Bookshelf with text across the top reading "Speaking of Books..."

Something about March 1st falling on a Monday makes it seem like a fresh start, doesn’t it? Especially for anyone whose resolutions to be more organized and productive might have dwindled to mere hopes and forlorn wishes in February.

Here in New England, we’ve been getting tiny hints of spring coming – a couple of warmish days, and the daffodils have started to poke out from the hard dirt.

Currently Reading

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (Macmillan, 2020) by V. E. Schwab

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The Return (PFP, 2014) by Roland Merullo

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The Mentor (Thomas Dunne, 2017) by Lee Matthew Goldberg

The Mentor by Lee Matthew Goldberg (a thriller author, not to be confused with Lee Goldberg, also a thriller author) was an impulse check-out at the library, even though I had sworn off thrillers for a while as a relaxation technique.

I’m a sucker for books about writers and books with pictures of books on the cover, and this one was both. The Mentor then sat on my bedside table bookshelf for several weeks, gradually turning into just one more unopened, overdue library book. So this morning I took it off the bedside table to return it, but read a few pages first, to be sure…

Oh well, I can blame COVID for everything now, including overdue library books!

Recently Read

Don’t Overthink It (Baker, 2020) by Anne Bogel

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Don’t Overthink It has good tips to help you make easier decisions, stop second-guessing, and bring more joy to your life – just as the subtitle says! If you want to sample the author’s writing online, she writes the book blog Modern Mrs. Darcy, and hosts two bookish podcasts: What Should I Read Next and One Great Book.

I feel remiss at not recognizing the name of book-blogging author Anne Bogel before (as other bloggers who have commented clearly did), but I think I simply obeyed the title’s directive and borrowed this e-book through the library without thinking too hard about it! 😉

Recently Listened To

White Ivy (Simon & Schuster Audio, 2020) by Susie Yang

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Wow! White Ivy by Susie Yang literally stunned me. I listened to it on audio (and will definitely seek out others narrated by Emily Woo Zeller, who does an amazing reading of White Ivy) but I think the print book would make the same visceral impact.

I guess I put a hold on the audiobook of White Ivy because of the buzz about it, but I think I expected a novel about a young Asian-American woman’s experience of racism and finding her adult identity, along the lines of Days of Distraction by Alexandra Chang, which I posted about in January. I would have known better had I read the publisher’s publicity:

A young woman’s crush on a privileged former classmate becomes a story of love, lies, and dark obsession, offering stark insights into the immigrant experience

Currently Listening To

Anxious People (S&S Audio, 2020) by Fredrik Backman

I saw Anxious People mentioned on so many Top Ten Books That Made Me Laugh Out Loud posts last week that I jumped on it when the library hold that I have been postponing delivery became available just as I was desperate for something to lighten my mood after White Ivy.

This post is linked to “It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?” hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. Check out the link-up party there for more book lists!

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