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Hosted by Kathryn at Book Date
Happy Memorial Day! I hope everyone lucky enough to get a long weekend has found it restful, relaxing and full of fun. Thanks to not having any snow days this winter (sorry East Coast), we got Friday off, as well. This time of year a four day weekend is heavenly and I’m loving every minute. So far, my weekend has been the perfect combination of getting things done and having fun. It hasn’t left me with a whole lot of reading time, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.
Last Week’s Reads
I finished both these beautiful books on Friday morning. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to How to Walk Away by Katherine Center. It was truly a wonderful story. I’ll be reviewing How to Walk Away tomorrow in a pair of mini-reviews on feel-good audiobooks. I also enjoyed Aja Gabel’s debut, The Ensemble, but I definitely don’t think it will be for everyone. The story moves at a slower pace, and is all about the characters and their relationships within the ensemble they’re all a part of. It was a different book that worked for me.
Currently Reading
Finding the right book to read next has been a struggle. I tried You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld and just wasn’t feeling it. I think it may be that short stories really aren’t for me. After three, I’m not quite ready to call it a DNF, and may read more of her stories here and there between other books. I really don’t know what to say about In the Distance With You by Carla Guelfenbein. I’m at 20% and have thought about quitting several times, but then something happens to pull me back in. At this point, I have enough questions about the characters that I’m feeling eager to get back to it, and that’s a good sign. Thanks to a tip from Sarah at Sarah’s Bookshelves, I picked up the audio version of Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties by Camille Pagan for only $1.99. So far, I’ve only listened to about 45 minutes, but I can tell this story of a woman trying to find herself after an unexpected divorce in her 50’s is really going to work for me!
Likely to Read Next
I’m full on into June books now and will either read A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza or Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata next. It will very much depend on my mood as these two books couldn’t be more different. The much buzzed about debut, A Place for Us, tells the story of a fractured Indian-American family as they come together for a traditional Indian wedding. Convenience Store Woman is a light-hearted take on a Japanese woman who has spent half her life working in a convenience store. Both promise to give insight into their cultures, but in very different ways!
I hope you have a great week in books!
Disclaimer: There are Amazon Associate links contained in this post.
I recently read another book by Camille Pagan, Forever is the Worst Long Time, so I’ll be looking forward to review for Woman Last Seen in her Thirties.
So far, so good. Woman Last Seen is my first book by Pagan.
How to Walk Away is near the top of my list, though I think I’ll be reading instead of listening.
I loved How to Walk Away…and thanks for the heads-up for Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties. I just downloaded it!
Enjoy your week, and here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES
I’m glad the deal was still going on. I always like those $1.99 books!
I’m glad you are enjoying your Memorial Day weekend. Short stories aren’t for me either. Even novellas often leave me wanting more. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
I agree with you, Kathy. Novellas rarely work for me either.
I wish I had DNF’d You Think I’ll Say It. Some of the worst stories ever. My opinion, skip to the last two. They were the only reason I gave the thing a 2 and not a 0. The Pagan book was ~meh~ pretty light weight. Entertaining but I’d call it a beach read.
Have heard good things about A Place for Us. Hasn’t made my TBR list so I’ll wait to see what you think.
I don’t think I’m going to even bother with the last two in You Think It. I just feel over it already!
Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties looks like one I’d like too! Have a great week.
P.S. NO snow days? Not one?? Lucky you! 😀
No, we didn’t have single snow day. I’d say that happens every three or four years and I always LOVE it!
I’ve seen a lot of hype about A Place For Us. I hope you like it. I might have to pick it up eventually. Have a great week!
Thanks for stopping by, AJ.
A Place For Us and Convenience Store Woman are both going on my wishlist. My weekly update
Nice looking books, Convenience Store Woman is now on my list also!!
I’m 100 pages into A Place for Us. We will have to compare notes once we both finish. A pretty stringent upbringing but still waiting to see what happens. Enjoy your week.
We are on the same page with You Think It! I gave up at almost 70%. I just didn’t care enough to read the remaining stories and only stuck with it as long as I did because so many people have loved it.
I would read Convenience Store Woman for the cover alone. I love it!!
I hope you’re enjoying a shorter week and am glad you’re heading into the home stretch. Two weeks and Georgia Hunter in Seattle!
Gosh, I’m glad to hear others who didn’t like You Think It. I feel like I’m done with short stories!
I’m very excited to meet Georgia Hunter and see you again!