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Hosted by Kathryn at Book Date
The second half of August is always a little bitter sweet for me. Yes, it’s still vacation, but the school year is looming out there and it’s hard to ignore. I actually went in and worked on curriculum with the math team two days last week and that made the school year feel all too close. I have two weeks left and they’re going to be filled with grandkids. Tomorrow I’m off to Bozeman for a visit with the two who live there and the following week I’ll have the 2-year old who lives here for a few days. Good thing I got a lot of reading in last week because I have a feeling I’ll be slowing down quite a lot. (Thanks for all the good wishes last week. I’m doing much better and the black eye gets a little lighter every day.)
Last Week’s Reads
I’m not sure how, but I had a four book week! It helped that I was already halfway through with both The Distance Home by Paula Saunders and A Double Life by Flynn Berry. You can check out my review of The Distance Home here. I listened to A Double Life and thought both the book and the narration (by Fiona Hardingham) were just okay. I’m saving this one for an upcoming set of mini-reviews pairing two domestic thrillers. Now let’s move to the realm of awesome. Both Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens and Vox by Christina Dalcher belong there. These debuts couldn’t be more different, except that I couldn’t put either of the books down. My review of Crawdads will post this Thursday and Vox will likely be the following Thursday.
Currently Reading
After finishing Where the Crawdads Sing and Vox back-to-back I was feeling a little hungover. I needed something really different, I had no August ARC’s left, and it felt a little too early to start in on September releases. So, I took a look at Amazon’s Best Books of the Year So Far list. I’ve had luck there in the past and thought it was worth a shot. The Oracle Year was on their list both in literature & fiction and in mysteries & thrillers, plus its overall rating was 4.5 stars. I tried the sample and was hooked. I’m only at about 15%, so hope this story of a man who wakes up one morning with 108 predictions about what the future holds up. I’m about to start listening to Our House by Louise Candlish and will eventually pair this book’s review with A Double Life. The premise of coming home and finding your family gone and strangers moving into your house is hard to resist!
Likely to Read Next
Next up I’ll be turning to September releases and plan on starting with The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling. This gritty debut features a single-mother trying to get by in a fractured California mobile home community. In Library Journal’s words, it is “Strongly recommended for readers who enjoy contemporary literary fiction and can handle a few swear words.”
I hope you have a great week in books!
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So glad you had such an awesome week last week! And look at you going to one of your trusted recommendation sources – I’m proud!
I have Golden State coming up too!
When relooking at The Golden State for my fall preview, I realized that it’s going to be a really different type of story.
What a great reading week for you Susie! Vox wasn’t on my radar but it is now and I definitely will be getting to Where the Crawdads Sing asap. Can’t wait for your thoughts on Our House, I’m unsure about that one. Have a fun time with your grandkids!
Thanks, Renee. I think you’d like Vox.
Our House sounds like an interesting novel! Here’s what’s on my reading list this week: http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/2018/08/what-im-reading-august-13-2018.html
Have fun with the grandkids. I feel the same way about A Double Life. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
Thanks, Kathy. Have a great week.
I must get my hands on The Golden State! I think it will resonate right now.
Enjoy your week…and here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES
I’m curious if you’ve read Mars Room, A Place for Us, or There There. They have all received a lot of positive buzz and I really have not enjoyed any of them.
I have read The Mars Room and didn’t care for it. There’s a review on my site, if you’re interested in reading my full review. A Place for Us was a DNF for me, so I can see why you might not have enjoyed it. I thought it would be a perfect book for me, but I just couldn’t get into it and I probably read a third of it. I haven’t read There, There. It never sounded like a book for me and even after reading some positive reviews, I haven’t had any desire to read it. From your comments it looks like I made a good call on that one. Thanks for stopping by, Jennifer.
Great selection of books this week. My weekly update
Thank you!
What a great reading week! Vox sounds so so interesting, as well as The Distance Home. I love reading from debut authors, it’s so nice to be able to follow an author from the beginning.
My post is here. Have a great week!
Debut authors are among my favorites and I think there have been a lot of good ones this summer, especially.
I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about Crawdads! Definitely going to pick it up ASAP once it’s finally out. Sounds like you had a great week of reading! I’ll be on the lookout for your thoughts on OUR HOUSE too, that’s been on my radar!
Yes! You must read Crawdads!
Oh all good things come to an end and sounds like vacation time is on its way out for you! Special time with the 2 year old, now that will be full on and so delightful I’m betting. I have seen some bloggers loving Our House so hope you enjoy it.
Thanks, Kathryn. I’m really liking Our House so far.
I’m stoked that you liked Crawdads. You’ve had good reading luck lately. Enjoy your time in Bozeman. And I hope your last two weeks last long!
You’re right. I have had some good reading going on this summer which is wonderful. I feel like last summer was just the opposite. Let’s just hope it continues into the fall. Have a great week, Susan.