nomadreader

Four years ago I bought the audiobook of Crazy Rich Asians when it was the Audible daily deal. This month, I finally listened to it. These are the things I learned: 1. There are A LOT of characters. Don't let it worry you. In the first chapter featuring all of the mothers, I almost gave up or started over. Keep listening. The more important characters emerge, and I wasn't confused. Part of that is due to: 2. Lynn Chen's narration is excellent. She utilizes voices so well, I wasn't even aware of them. I soon could tell who was talking simply through her performance, which makes me sad because: 3. She doesn't narrate the next two books in the series. This book is the last one she narrated. I hope it's because her acting career has really taken off and she doesn't have time. 4. Speaking of the next two books, this book's ending is: abrupt and unsatisfying. I looked at my phone and couldn't believe the book was over. It begs the reader to start ...

Last week I shared the two February releases I'm most excited about from authors whose work I already know and love . Today I'm excited to share with you two new releases from I don't (yet?) love.  The Queen of Hearts   is Kimmery Martin's debut novel about two best friends, one a trauma surgeon and one a pediatric cardiologist. Martin is a doctor herself, and I'm intrigued at a glimpse inside the lives and loves of two doctors. It's being billed as a novel in the style of Grey's Anatomy , which sounds pretty great to me. Pre-order it now ( Kindle version .) It releases February 13, 2018. She Regrets Nothing   is Andrea Dunlop's third novel. I first saw this novel on Taylor Jenkins Reid's Instagram , and when I looked it up, I was hooked by the first line of its blurb: "In the tradition of The Emperor’s Children and The House of Mirth , the forgotten granddaughter of one of New York’s wealthiest men is reunited with her family...

Livia Lone, the first in a series featuring the titular character, was my favorite mystery of 2017 . I've been looking forward to The Night Trade  since I finished Livia Lone . I loved Livia Lone  so much that I also wanted to read Eisler's other books, and I read the first in his John Rain series, A Clean Kill in Tokyo , earlier this month. I knew from the blurb that Livia returns to Thaiand in this book, and I managed to wait until I was in Thailand to read it. The Night Trade  picks up shortly after Livia Lone , and, as should be expected, there are tons of spoilers from the first book. It's clear this series is not one that can be read out of order. Livia Lone is a critical foundation for both the characters and story of Livia. Eisler recaps the highlights well in The Night Trade  in case you've forgotten, but there's no substitute for reading the book itself. What I wansn't expecting in The Night Trade  was Dox, a character from the Rain books. I didn...

Dear Alafair, I am so excited The Wife  is making its way into the world this week. It was one of my favorite books of 2017, and I've been impatiently waiting to talk about it since I read it over Thanksgiving. You're in my Hall of Fame , and I've read and enjoyed all of your books , from the Samantha Kincaid series to the Ellie Hatcher series , all of the standalones, and even the Under Suspicion series you write with Mary Higgins Clark . But, let's be honest, the books you write yourself are the best. And The WIfe  is your best book yet. Not only is The Wife  your best book yet, it's unbelievably timely. The titular wife, Angela, finds herself in a situation that has become all-too-familiar in recent months: her husband, Jason, an NYU economist who has found relative fame after a book that helped launch a media career, is accused of sexual harassment by an intern. Soon, an allegation of rape from a colleague follows. This novel offers sobering, and often de...

Good morning (again) from Thailand! It's my last morning waking up in Chiang Mai, Thailand. This afternoon, we fly to Krabi, where we relax at the beach for a few days before beginning the long, long journey home. Two of this week's highlights were our visit to the Elephant Nature Park and the night we spent in a rural village with beautiful mountain views: This trip has been wonderful but challenging in many ways. I try to focus on the positive, and one of the things I've most enjoyed is how well I've integrated my reading and blogging into this trip. It's helped me stay connected to reality, as life in Thailand sometimes feels like I'm temporarily living in a different world. I'm thrilled that I've managed to still post each day this year. Considering I only managed 45 blog posts all of 2017, I think I've finally found my rhythm again, and it feels really good. If you only read one thing I wrote last week... Read my letter to Caroline...

Dear Ariel Levy, Many years ago, I read and enjoyed your first book, Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture . For some reason, I didn't make the connection between the your books until I was listening to you read your memoir, The Rules Do Not Apply.  Granted, the books are very different, and I read them thirteen years apart. I wasn't even tracking my reading in 2005. Still: knowing you wrote both of these very different, thought-provoking books makes it clear I will be in line to read any book you write. I'm so glad you narrated The Rules Do Not Apply . It's such a personal story, and I can't imagine anyone else capturing the emotion, insight and thoughtfulness. Listening to this audiobook made me feel so close to you. When I decided The Rules Do Not Apply  would be my next audiobook, I didn't know one of the themes of the book would be your international travel. It was such a happy accident for me, as I listened to it while I'm tr...

Welcome to the first installment of a new monthly feature: Nomadreader's Most Anticipated New Releases! Today I'm highlighting two February new releases from authors I already love. Next week I'll highlight February releases by authors I haven't read before.  As I looked over the long list of February new releases I'm really excited for, these two jumped right to the top.  This Fallen Prey is the third book in Kelley Armstrong's Casey Duncan novel. I loved the first one so much, I immediately picked up the second one . This series is so original, but the mysteries are still fantastic. Pre-order it now ( Kindle version ). It releases February 6, 2018. An American Marriage   is Tayari Jones's fourth novel. Her last novel, Silver Sparrow  ( my review ) was one of my favorite books of 2012 . I've been eagerly awaiting her next novel for may years, and the premise sounds fabulous:  "Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of ...