What You Leave Behind - Wanda M. Morris

This book is what used to be called a "serviceable thriller." The writing is very "bestseller" but I did like the characters and I had no idea about the situation that drives the plot - that was very eye opening. This would be a great beach read. 

Vanishing Treasures - Katherine Rundell

Disclaimer: this post is mostly going to be a misanthropic rant. Sorry. I did like the book. 

Why is it that humans are so greedy and destructive? This well written book is subtitled "A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures" and reading it raised my blood pressure considerably. I am so incredibly tired of reading, daily, accounts of the horrible things humans do, actively destroying the planet, the environment, animals, fellow humans, just anything in their path. Seriously. So incredibly tired. I am sick and tired of how disgustingly stupid and selfish the vast majority of humans are. I guess I am glad there are people like the author who care enough to do something concrete to draw attention to the plight of these amazing creatures who will most likely be extinct in my lifetime. I'm just sorry that there aren't enough humans who care to stop it, and there are relatively so few of us there isn't much any of us can do. Oh well. 

I guess the subject matter was depressingly appropriate for a season all about scares and frights, so there's that. 

But really, the book is lovely, informative, and well written so I do highly recommend it. 

James - Percival Everett

Readers, I have a new favorite author. WOW. The writing in this book is so good I kept thinking of the word "butter." Despite the actual length of the story, not to mention the content, I read this book in 3 hours. The writing was that good. And of course the story was amazing - I loved having this new take on the classic Twain characters. James is an amazing character and I could read thousands of pages about him and his life. This is another character that I wish I could pluck out of this book and give a whole new life (of his choosing) - I hope that makes sense. I cannot wait to read this author's other books. Highly, highly recommended. 

City of Night Birds - Juhea Kim

Another book about the ballet world. I really liked this one. The atmosphere was very well done - I felt like I was in the various places where the story occurs. The writing was good. Ultimately it was a bit more of a character study than a plot driven book, but I enjoyed it. 

The Briar Club - Kate Quinn

September's Book Club choice was .... OK. I have gotten to the point where I am not sure if it some faulty perception on my part, or if the writing in these "bestseller" type books really is this meh. Is it me???? I also feel like this book could have just been a drama and didn't need to be a "mystery" if that makes sense. I did like some of the characters. Sometimes with books like this I like to check out the Amazon reviews and I was stunned to discover that something in this book that I really liked was something that a lot of readers hated. LOL LOL LOL I guess I am just far out of step with most people but what else is new. 

Reread: The Giver - Lois Lowry

Reality is more and more dystopian by the minute, so why not kick off autumn/fall (I know it's technically still summer, but as far as I'm concerned, Sept 1 = the first day of autumn/fall) with a classic of the genre. I actually first read this book ~25 years ago, long before this blog, when I was reading a bunch of Newbery Medal award winning books. My local library had its annual book sale a few months ago, so of course I could not help myself and added a bunch of books to the ever-growing and never-shrinking TBR Pile, including this book. Another reason of course is because if I recall correctly, this is a frequently banned or challenged book, and frankly I would like to have copies of some of these books ... just in case. 

This book is a deceptively fast read but I am still thinking about it. My lousy memory meant that I remembered next to nothing about it, except that I had liked it, so it was as if I were reading it for the first time. And I am pleased to report that I liked it again. I am still thinking about the story and how I feel about it. Without getting spoiler-y at all, I am not sure how exactly I would want to live. I think the me that existed in, say, 2019 would make a different choice than the me that exists today. But who knows. 

The High Mountains of Portugal - Yann Martel

This book was really enjoyable. I liked how the stories came together. The setting was very interesting - I know literally nothing about Portugal beyond where it is on the map, so I had no idea what it looked like, and the description was really vivid. 

The Trackers - Charles Frazier (Spoilers?)

What a terrific choice for this month's Book Club! I loved this book. It's basically a film noir in book form (I guess that would make it a livre noir?), so much so that I mentally cast Barbara Stanwyck as Eve and pictured that character as looking like Phyllis Dietrichson from Double Indemnity, one of my favorite movies. The writing is great, the setting is fascinating, I liked the characters even when they were rather unlikable - this was just a great read. Highly recommended. 

The Deerfield Massacre - James L. Swanson

This book's subtitle draws us in and gives us more context: A Surprise Attack, a Forced March, and the Fight for Survival in Early America. I was not familiar with this event in history, and the author has clearly researched it in great detail and used a wide-ranging compilation of sources to paint a picture of colonial America that I don't think we hear or see much about these days. I would love to read more about Eunice Williams (the daughter) - that is a fascinating story in itself. 

Family Lore - Elizabeth Acevedo

July's Book Club choice grabbed me and would not let me go. I was compelled to keep reading and I resented any time I had to stop. OK, there was a bit more "adult content" than I would like, but this book was worth it. I am really looking forward to the discussion! Recommended.