nomadreader

The backstory: Last summer, I read and enjoyed Wendy Walker's first psychological thriller All Is Not Forgotten  ( my review ). ( Walker has also published several novels that aren't thrillers.) The basics: One night, two sisters, ages 15 and 17, go missing. Three years later, one of them comes back, and she's desperate to find her sister, whom she left behind in order to escape. My thoughts: When I read All Is Not Forgotten , I was enraptured. In my review, I wrote "ll Is Not Forgotten is an utterly gripping thriller. I read it compulsively. As I reached its conclusion, however, I realized the thrills were likely gone. In this sense, the novel is authentic and realistic--it's characters feel like real people. While I appreciate the novel's conclusion in this sense, for such a twisty ride, I was mildly disappointed there wasn't one more twist." In many ways, Emma in the Night  has the opposite problem. The premise is such an intriguing one, but I...

The basics: When Reconsidered, a podcast examining the murder of Charles Buhrman, becomes a huge hit, it sends many lives into chaos, including his daughter, Josie, who has done all she can to distance herself from the family after his murder. My thoughts: Although I didn't love it as much as some people, I was caught up in the podcast Serial several years ago. That podcast inspired the fictional podcast in this novel. Josie narrates this novel, but her narration is intermixed with podcast transcripts, Reddit forums, and Tweets. As a narrator, Josie is frustrating at times. She's not necessarily unreliable, but she doesn't share all she knows (and to do so would ruin much of the suspense.) As a reader, I know I see situations differently when I'm reading a book and looking for clues than I would if it were my life, but it can still be a frustrating experience. I knew very little about this novel going into it, and I think that's best. As we learn more about Jos...

And the great reading slump of 2017 continues, but I think it might actually be (finally) going away. I have lots of books in process, and I'm spending more time reading and listening the last few weeks. Here's what I read in October: Books read: 6 (it feels like cheating to count an individual issue of Paper Girls,  but I'm so into this series, I have to read them as soon as they're published instead of waiting for the new volumes) Fiction: 5 Memoir: 1 Short Stories: 1 Comics: 3 Audio: 1 New-to-me authors: 1 Re-read: 1 My Favorite October book: Paper Girls Vol. 2 Now tell me: what was your favorite read in October? As an affiliate, I receive a small commission when you make a purchase through any of the above links. Thank you for helping to support my book habits that bring more content to this blog!

The backstory: Michael Connelly is my favorite mystery writer. I've read and reviewed all of his books . The basics: The Late Show  is the first in a new series featuring Los Angeles detective Renee Ballard. "They worked the midnight shift, the late show, moving from case to case, called to any scene where a detective was needed to take initial reports or sign off on suicides. But they kept no cases. They wrote up the initial reports and turned the cases over to the appropriate investigative units in the morning." My thoughts: One of the (many, many) things I love about Connelly's novels are that they pass in real time. Harry Bosch, the series of his I love the most, was born in 1950. The first mystery featuring Harry, The Black Echo , came out in 1992. I've wondered how and when Connelly will end that series, and what might come next. The Late Show  attempts to answer that question. As a character, Renee Ballard thinks and acts a lot like Harry Bosch in her ...

When Ruth Ware's third novel, The Lying Game , came out this summer, I decided to finally read her first novel, In a Dark, Dark Wood , which I've been meaning to read since before it came out. I like to read books, particularly mystery and thriller authors, in the order they were written and published.  I liked In a Dark, Dark Wood  immediately. I realized for a book I'd been meaning to read for so long, I didn't really know much about it. I found the narrator's voice fresh, fun and deliciously dark. It didn't necessarily feel like a thriller, but there was a clear sense that something  was going to happen and make it darker. The novel is at its best when the narrative has two timelines. When the timelines merged, the pace slowed, and I grew impatient. The conclusion, however, reduced what was an enjoyable 3.5 or 4-star read to me to a 2-star read. I found it maddening and not grounded in the reality the rest of the book was. While I rated it only 2 stars...

I thought August was a disappointing reading month, but September was much worse. I hope October will get me reading more. Here's what I read in September: Books read: 5 Fiction: 5 Comics: 1 Mystery/Thriller: 1 Audio: 3 New-to-me authors: 2 My Favorite September book: Forever, Interrupted  by Taylor Jenkins Reid Now tell me: what was your favorite book read in September? As an affiliate, I receive a small commission when you make a purchase through any of the above links. Thank you for helping to support my book habits that bring more content to this blog!

After a fabulous reading month in July , August was a disappointment in terms of how much I read. Today a new month begins, and I hope I'm able to carve out more time to read. Here's what I read in August: Books Read: 7 Fiction: 6 Nonfiction: 1 Comics: 1 Mystery/Thriller: 3 Young Adult: 1 Audio: 1 New-to-me authors: 7 My Favorite August Read: Aftercare Instructions  by Bonnie Pipkin Now tell me: what was your favorite book you read in August? As an affiliate, I receive a small commission when you make a purchase through any of the above links. Thank you for helping to support my book habits that bring more content to this blog!