It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
Recently Finished
I saw Hidden Falls by Kevin Myers mentioned in a post on Rose City Reader and borrowed it from Hoopla through the library right away. I’ve also ordering it for the library, and hope the book will get some buzz here in Massachusetts.
Hidden Falls is set in New Bedford, Massachusetts (a port made famous by the novel Moby-Dick) – a rundown city on the south coast of Massachusetts, with a reputation for guns and drugs that sometimes overshadows its whaling history, renovated working waterfront, and historic cobble-stoned downtown – where the main character and narrator of the story has returned for his father’s funeral.
Like his main character, newspaper columnist Michael Quinn, Hidden Falls author Kevin Myers grew up in Massachusetts (in a North Shore suburb with more country clubs than crime, though) and now lives in Portland, Oregon. Hidden Falls reminded me of a Dennis Lehane crime novel with its themes of corruption in the police department, long-buried Irish-Catholic family secrets, and references to writing and journalism, but it’s written in the first-person with a self-deprecating sense of humor and delves more into Michael’s relationships with family and family friends than into the workings of a police department.
With its locals speaking in broad Massachusetts accents, the frequent references to Massachusetts landmarks, and so many surreptitious, drunken meetings in the Irish- or mob-owned corner bar, Hidden Falls verged on cliche at times, but the numerous tossed-off, funny lines of dialogue and Michael’s dry humor at having everything he thought he knew about his family and old neighborhood thrown into question won me over.
Hidden Falls should be popular with readers of slow-burning suspense with an emphasis on character development and self-reflection rather than fast-paced plotting. I will definitely be talking this one up with readers at the library.
Currently Reading
Today Show – How This “Mr. Rogers” Moment Broke Race Barriers
I’m reading the memoir Officer Clemmons for book club this week. More on this one next week!
Recently Finished
I listened to Jasmine Guillory’s A Royal Holiday on audio, which was also narrated by Janina Edwards. Both are romantic comedies – my favorite kind of romance – but A Royal Holiday features older characters and the sex scenes aren’t quite as “spicy” as they are in The Wedding Party.
The Wedding Party features characters Alexa, Drew, Maddie, and Theo from the author’s earlier rom-com, The Wedding Date, with cameo appearances from characters from her breakout book, The Proposal. I hadn’t read those two earlier books before listening to The Wedding Party, and didn’t need to to enjoy this fun enemies-to-friends romance between Alexa’s two best friends, Maddie and Theo.
Hear an excerpt from The Wedding Party, read by Janina Edwards.
Currently Listening
Listen to a sample from Fair Warning by Michael Connelly.
Please comment on this post to let me know what you’re reading this week. Thank you for visiting!
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (#IMWAYR) is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It’s a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever-growing TBR pile! This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at Book Date.