What I'm Reading Wednesday
WHAT I FINISHED
Four books got knocked off the TBR:
1. Nurture Shock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merriman: Nonfiction about some of the myths we hold about child rearing. I wish I'd read this when it first came out, because other than being mildly entertaining, it's not very relevant to me anymore. It's insanely well referenced, though. There are over 80 pages of references and notes in the back of the book.
2. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes: A short novel that won the Man Booker Prize in 2012. It's the story of a middle-aged man contending with his past and dealing with his future, but honestly, not a whole lot happens. It's mostly focused on the philosophical questions both raise - how reliable is memory, of what use is regret - which bores me to tears. Plus, the protagonist is kind of an asshole, which didn't make reading about his navel-gazing very pleasant.
3. His 7-Day Fiancee by Gail Barrett: Harlequin romantic suspense about a self-made Vegas millionaire offering protection to a single mom who is convinced her abusive ex-husband is out to get her. I know what to expect when I read Harlequins, but there just wasn't much good about this at all. Too rushed and predictable.
4. Shocking Pink by Erica Spindler: Thriller about three teenagers who witnessed an affair that led to murder and how that has affected their adult lives. I have no idea why I finished with this one if only to see for myself if it would ever improve. There was no thrill - I had it all figured out by the halfway point so no surprises - and the primary girl who was the main protagonist was the stupidest psychiatrist I have ever read. On top of that, the entire first half - when they're teenagers - reeks of sex shaming because the couple they spy on are into BDSM and it's all made to look sick and perverted.
DID NOT FINISH
Two this time:
1. Hunters: The Beginning by Shiloh Walker. I got frustrated with this one early because it headhops and the author has a propensity for continuing dialogue into new paragraphs without leaving the quotes open to indicate it was the same person talking. I gave up in the second chapter.
2. I gave up on House of Whispers because the editorial mistakes started being too numerous and kept yanking me out of the story.
WHAT I'M READING
Still working on the three other books I was reading last time I checked in: Evicted, the nonfiction book about evictions in Milwaukee, The Killer Clause by Gregg Hurwitz, and The Edge of Lost The first two are slow-going. The third is my break reading at work, but I've been obsessed with a game on my phone for the past two weeks so I keep playing that instead of reading, lol.
Four books got knocked off the TBR:
1. Nurture Shock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merriman: Nonfiction about some of the myths we hold about child rearing. I wish I'd read this when it first came out, because other than being mildly entertaining, it's not very relevant to me anymore. It's insanely well referenced, though. There are over 80 pages of references and notes in the back of the book.
2. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes: A short novel that won the Man Booker Prize in 2012. It's the story of a middle-aged man contending with his past and dealing with his future, but honestly, not a whole lot happens. It's mostly focused on the philosophical questions both raise - how reliable is memory, of what use is regret - which bores me to tears. Plus, the protagonist is kind of an asshole, which didn't make reading about his navel-gazing very pleasant.
3. His 7-Day Fiancee by Gail Barrett: Harlequin romantic suspense about a self-made Vegas millionaire offering protection to a single mom who is convinced her abusive ex-husband is out to get her. I know what to expect when I read Harlequins, but there just wasn't much good about this at all. Too rushed and predictable.
4. Shocking Pink by Erica Spindler: Thriller about three teenagers who witnessed an affair that led to murder and how that has affected their adult lives. I have no idea why I finished with this one if only to see for myself if it would ever improve. There was no thrill - I had it all figured out by the halfway point so no surprises - and the primary girl who was the main protagonist was the stupidest psychiatrist I have ever read. On top of that, the entire first half - when they're teenagers - reeks of sex shaming because the couple they spy on are into BDSM and it's all made to look sick and perverted.
DID NOT FINISH
Two this time:
1. Hunters: The Beginning by Shiloh Walker. I got frustrated with this one early because it headhops and the author has a propensity for continuing dialogue into new paragraphs without leaving the quotes open to indicate it was the same person talking. I gave up in the second chapter.
2. I gave up on House of Whispers because the editorial mistakes started being too numerous and kept yanking me out of the story.
WHAT I'M READING
Still working on the three other books I was reading last time I checked in: Evicted, the nonfiction book about evictions in Milwaukee, The Killer Clause by Gregg Hurwitz, and The Edge of Lost The first two are slow-going. The third is my break reading at work, but I've been obsessed with a game on my phone for the past two weeks so I keep playing that instead of reading, lol.