Late again, but still here! As an American, I’m reeling from the political s$#tstorm we’ve got going on here, but I’m going to distract myself for the rest of the night by reading; blogging about reading; and thinking about what others are reading!
Please let me know what you’re reading in the comments and/or share your blog link! (If you can’t see where to comment, try clicking/tapping on the title of this post to open it in full.)
Currently Reading
Against All Obstacles by Jennifer Safrey
“At 45, Rachel’s given up on love. Competition ended all her relationships, and she’s fine running her race alone. At 38, Evan’s given up on love. He’s just not the commitment type, and he’s declared himself retired from trying. When Rachel, a teacher and obstacle-course racer, and Evan, a former English soccer star, meet as competitors in The Golden Crucible endurance race, winning is the only thing on their minds.
I’m enjoying Against All Obstacles by Jennifer Safrey. It’s a romance by a local author, which might be two strikes against it for some readers, but if you’re willing to read contemporary romance at all, I recommend this one!
Although I’m only three-quarters of the way through, and I don’t know how the endurance race they’re running will end, I can count on love winning out somehow.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
“The God of the Woods, like The Secret History, transports readers so deeply into its richly peopled, ominous world that, for hours, everything else falls away. . . . Breaking free of the spell Moore casts is close to impossible.” — Washington Post
Any time a book is compared to The Secret History, I feel compelled to check it out. The God of the Woods is suspenseful and it’s making me tense, which is not what I need right now. But the story is good, and I think it’s going to be hard to put down once I really commit to it after Against All Obstacles.
Recently Read
Nashville: Scenes from the New American South by Ann Patchett
I think I wrote a little about Nashville: Scenes from the New American South in my last post. It turned out to be one longish essay and all the rest was photos with captions, so it was a quick read on the flight home from Nashville last Monday.
Currently Listening To
The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
“Miranda Raison’s narration of this ghost-cum-mystery-cum-horror story is a genre mash-up that provides plenty of drama. Raison adds even more with her renditions of the dynamic characters of Lockwood & Co., a team of psychic young adults who struggle to rid London of the malicious ghosts that have plagued it for 50 years. Raison’s portrayal of the witty, sometimes combative narrator, Lucy Carlyle, is compelling. Her co-worker, George, drips sarcasm, and the layered picture of Lucy’s boss, Lockwood, is both caring and opaque. Dialogue sizzles throughout their plans and adventures. The pacing is fast, and Raison amps it up, utilizing pauses and rushes to intensify a book that sets a high standard for the series to come. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award” — AudioFile Magazine
Found this first book in the Lockwood & Co. series by Jonathan Stroud tagged as “England” in my Libby TBR and thought it might be soothing to my nerves to read a children’s book and I’m headed to England this week.
I loved Jonathan Stroud’s Bartimaeus books on audio, and this series promises to be just as good.
It’s a ghost story and even a little scary, so not as soothing to the nerves as I had thought. I’m going to have it finished before we leave for England, but I might listen to Lockwood & Co. #2 on the plane!
Recently Listened To
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
- A 2020 Audie winner – best female narrator
- A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!
- Audiobook performed by Marin Ireland
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson has been on my TBR since it came out, but I finally borrowed it from the library because it’s set in the Nashville area and I was traveling to Nashville over the MLK Jr. holiday weekend.
Loved it! I’m sure it’s great in print, too, but the audiobook is so good!
This post is linked up to It’s Monday, What Are You Reading, hosted by The Book Date. It’s Monday! What Are You Reading is a place to meet up and share what you have been and are currently reading each week. Visit the link-up for more books to your groaning TBR pile.
I really liked Nothing to See Here! I think you either gave it to me or gave me a different Kevin Wilson book that inspired me to get it.
Yes, I think I gave it to you or it might have been Family Fang.
I like that the romance has more mature aged characters. I loved Liz Moore’s debut and I’d like to read this.
Wishing you a happy reading week
I’m finishing Nigel Slater’s A thousand feasts and reading Jay Rayner’s Nights out at home, and a children’s book called The girl who saved christmas by matt haig.
sherry
It is hard for me to take my eyes away from the disasters that seem to be all around me. But I am going to focus on staying calm, speaking truth, and doing what I can to move in a positive direction for all people.