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2.27.2023

Looking Back: Books

I am not going to lie; lately I have been unmotivated to read real books. It may be that the one I am reading is not really gripping me and so I keep finding better things to do than read it. However, I am still going strong with the audiobook game, and in the first two months of the year have read some good ones! Here are a few of my favorites so far. 

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt: What can I say; this is a cute book. I did not hear all of the hype. I just picked it because it had a bright cover and came up on my list on Libby when I was searching for books. It is about the relationship between an old lady and an octopus and a younger, kind of troubled boy. I enjoyed the characters, the story was engaging but not too fluffy, and I was entertained throughout. 

Dinners With Ruth by Nina Totenberg: I do like RBG and enjoy learning more about her as well as hearing each different point of view from the different authors I have read. Nina was a reporter who became friends with Ruth despite their age difference. This book details their friendship as well as some of their accomplishments, especially geared toward equality for women. 

The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama: In this novel, Obama talks about her relationships in life, but especially the ones with her mother and her kids. She has some words of wisdom like "start kind" which could be kind of corny coming from the wrong person but from her it makes sense. 

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman: Once again, the story of the Thursday Murder Club participants did not disappoint. This is Osman's third in the series and you can't help but love the octogenarian citizen detectives. They are annoying at times but they get the job done! I was also happy that Bogdan is still around, as he was one of my (surprising) favorites in the first book. I listened to it on audio and I also enjoyed the interview with the author that was at the end. 

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult: This is a controversial book about LGBTQ, murder, and the controversies surrounding both. I don't want to spoil anything, but I can say that I always enjoy how much work Picoult puts into the research around the topics that she writes about. Most of them are controversial and she really digs in and gives readers insights that we may not have known about. I always learn something by reading her books and this one was no different. 

Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McCallister: This book may not usually be my forte, as it involves time travel which is not the most realistic, but I actually enjoyed it. A woman sees her son commit a murder and then she wakes up the next day and it has not happened yet. As the book goes on she learns more and more about the situation and in the end she has to decide what she wants to do about it. I was entertained and did not really see the ending coming, which always makes it more fun. 

Have you read any of the above books? If so, what did you think? If not, what has been your favorite book so far this year? 

10 comments:

  1. I think I've read something like 3 books this year so far so you're way ahead of me. The problem is exactly what you say - if it doesn't grab me in the first few pages then it's hard to stay with it. There's nothing "wrong" with the book that I'm reading now, but at 50% in I still haven't found a reason to care about any of the characters or the story, so I'm probably going to drop it as soon as I find something else to read.

    Wrong Time, Wrong Place was a good one!

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  2. I've read a couple of romance novels in the last month or so that I really liked: Georgie, All Along and The Cheat Sheet. I am sort of picky about romance novels, so I'm always thrilled when I read good ones!

    I only know Richard Osman from his appearances on Taskmaster and other game/panel shows, but everyone raves about his books, so maybe I'll pick one up.

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  3. I've only read the first and last book - but I enjoyed both. I didn't love Remarkably Bright Creatures as much as you did, but I enjoyed it. Plus I read it during a time when I was ready lots of other really really good books. Had I read it during a different period of time, it might have stood out more!

    My fave book so far this year is "All the Broken Places" which was the sequel to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. But overall I would say 2023 reading has been off to a weaker start than last year. But last year was an especially great reading year for me.

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  4. I think all the hype about Remarkably Bright Creatures and Wrong Place, Wrong Time made them a bit less impressive to me? I am so hard to please with fiction reads. For the most part I stick with non-fiction, but in 2023 have read almost exclusively fiction. I always feel so guilty that I'm a nitpick. Both those books WERE good...but I think I had such high expectations that I just didn't love them quite as much as a I thought I would.

    On the other hand, The Bullet That Missed was a 5/5 for me. I LOVE those books. Love, love, love the characters and the witty dialogue and think they are just so well written. I also think the series just keeps getting better. I have loved all the books, but The Bullet That Missed has been my fave (the scene where Ron is about to get a massage literally had me laughing so hard that I started crying!).

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    1. I love all of the characters in the TMC, and I love how the author has made them all a bit odd and difficult but also charming in their own ways. I also enjoy some of the relationships that have formed over the "years" (like Bogdan and Stephen) and am looking forward to what comes next. I actually listened to the author interview at the end and he said he may also try to start a new series soon! I will be sad to leave the TMC characters but am looking forward to seeing what he has in store.

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  5. I really enjoyed Wrong Place Wrong Time! And the Thursday Murder Club series is so fantastic. I cannot wait for the next one!

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    1. I agree! I cannot wait for the next one either. He mentioned that it took him about a year to write the last one so hopefully we will see something come out in the next 12 months! Fingers crossed.

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  6. I haven't read any of these, although I've heard of most of them. I've heard so much about Wrong Place, Wrong Time that I think I'm going to have to read it. I just finished a good book by Helen Dunmore, A Spell of Winter, and am now reading the latest Anthony Horowitz mystery, The Twist of a Knife. I love his books, so I'm happy to be starting this one.

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    1. I am actually also reading The Twist of the Knife right now! I like Horowitz too, and actually, if you like Horowitz you will probably like the Thursday Murder Club series, as it is also a murder mystery/detective theme (of sorts).

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  7. Wrong Place, Wrong Time was so good! It will be a contender for the top thriller of the year, that's for sure. It just kept me guessing and I love the way the time travel element worked in that book.

    I keep hearing about Remarkably Bright Creatures but I'm being stubborn about not reading it since I'm not sure if I'm on the octopus train lol

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