Wednesday Reading Meme
What I Just Finished Reading: Since last week I read two books, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman and Dead Silence by SA Barnes, both recced by gilda_elise. Thanks! Reviews below.
What I'm Reading Right Now: I'm heading into the home stretch on Justin Cronin's The Ferryman, which I'm loving.
What I'm Planning to Read Next: Next up will finally be The Dreyfus Affair by Peter Lefcourt, which was recced to me eons ago by cmk418. Looking forward to it.
52. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Eleanor is a friendless 29-year-old bookkeeper who suffered unspeakable childhood trauma, which has left her with a prodigious vocabulary and sense of propriety, a lack of filter (though she always is trying to be helpful) and an inability to pick up social cues. When she and a coworker named Raymond end up in the right place at the right time to help an elderly man who’s fallen, a friendship is slowly and tentatively formed.
At times I didn’t quite buy into the depths of Eleanor’s ineptitude socially (her lack of some general pop culture information didn’t make sense to me, for example) but I fell in love with her earnest and awkward attempts to grow, and her bravery at finally accepting help as she came to terms with her past. This book is at once sad and shocking and uplifting and amusing, quite the task to pull off successfully. And while Raymond is an awesome pal and there are tentative hints that more may develop between them, I appreciate so much that the focus here was on Eleanor getting better with the help of a friend and not on love curing all. What a fabulous book.
Dates Read: May 10 to 12, 2023
Page Count: 425
5 out of 5 stars
Around the Year in 52 Books - Prompt 40 - with a full name in title (48/52)
Lost Challenges Pyramid of Books - Task 13 - read 13 books set in a country that is not your own [Scotland] (13/13) This subtask complete!
LJ Book Bingo - recced by gilda_elise (07/12)
Lost Challenges Tea,Coffee,Sugar Challenge - Prompt 11 - first and last name in title (13/15)
Challenge Factory Genre Roulette - Tier 1 - read one book tagged “contemporary” (01/01) (10/15 total)
Crazy Challenge Connection Aaah Walkers - Prompt 07 - read a survival story (01/52)
53. Dead Silence by SA Barnes
A soon-to-be-made-obsolete deep space communications repair crew comes across a luxury space liner that had gone mysteriously missing on its maiden voyage 20 years before. But they need proof that they found it first in order to claim the bounty and wealth that will come from it… so they decide to board it.
The focus of the story is on the team lead, who’d gone through a traumatic childhood experience that left her fearing for her sanity because she thinks she hallucinates. Now, aboard the ship, she’s not the only one seeing the dead. Though some of the tropes are a bit overplayed, this is still a truly creepy story where you’re never quite sure what’s real and what’s imagined. I made the mistake of heading to bed right after a particularly creepy part involving the MC and a bed, which was a realllllly bad idea.
Dates Read: May 13 to 14, 2023
Page Count: 343
4 out of 5 stars
Lost Challenges Pyramid of Books - Task 17 - read 17 books that have an E in the title (10/17)
Lost Challenges Want To Read Bingo - N44
LJ Book Bingo - recced by gilda_elise (08/12)
Crazy Challenge Connection Aaah Walkers - Prompt 10 - MC is leader of group (02/52)
.
What I'm Reading Right Now: I'm heading into the home stretch on Justin Cronin's The Ferryman, which I'm loving.
What I'm Planning to Read Next: Next up will finally be The Dreyfus Affair by Peter Lefcourt, which was recced to me eons ago by cmk418. Looking forward to it.
52. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Eleanor is a friendless 29-year-old bookkeeper who suffered unspeakable childhood trauma, which has left her with a prodigious vocabulary and sense of propriety, a lack of filter (though she always is trying to be helpful) and an inability to pick up social cues. When she and a coworker named Raymond end up in the right place at the right time to help an elderly man who’s fallen, a friendship is slowly and tentatively formed.
At times I didn’t quite buy into the depths of Eleanor’s ineptitude socially (her lack of some general pop culture information didn’t make sense to me, for example) but I fell in love with her earnest and awkward attempts to grow, and her bravery at finally accepting help as she came to terms with her past. This book is at once sad and shocking and uplifting and amusing, quite the task to pull off successfully. And while Raymond is an awesome pal and there are tentative hints that more may develop between them, I appreciate so much that the focus here was on Eleanor getting better with the help of a friend and not on love curing all. What a fabulous book.
Dates Read: May 10 to 12, 2023
Page Count: 425
5 out of 5 stars
Around the Year in 52 Books - Prompt 40 - with a full name in title (48/52)
Lost Challenges Pyramid of Books - Task 13 - read 13 books set in a country that is not your own [Scotland] (13/13) This subtask complete!
LJ Book Bingo - recced by gilda_elise (07/12)
Lost Challenges Tea,Coffee,Sugar Challenge - Prompt 11 - first and last name in title (13/15)
Challenge Factory Genre Roulette - Tier 1 - read one book tagged “contemporary” (01/01) (10/15 total)
Crazy Challenge Connection Aaah Walkers - Prompt 07 - read a survival story (01/52)
53. Dead Silence by SA Barnes
A soon-to-be-made-obsolete deep space communications repair crew comes across a luxury space liner that had gone mysteriously missing on its maiden voyage 20 years before. But they need proof that they found it first in order to claim the bounty and wealth that will come from it… so they decide to board it.
The focus of the story is on the team lead, who’d gone through a traumatic childhood experience that left her fearing for her sanity because she thinks she hallucinates. Now, aboard the ship, she’s not the only one seeing the dead. Though some of the tropes are a bit overplayed, this is still a truly creepy story where you’re never quite sure what’s real and what’s imagined. I made the mistake of heading to bed right after a particularly creepy part involving the MC and a bed, which was a realllllly bad idea.
Dates Read: May 13 to 14, 2023
Page Count: 343
4 out of 5 stars
Lost Challenges Pyramid of Books - Task 17 - read 17 books that have an E in the title (10/17)
Lost Challenges Want To Read Bingo - N44
LJ Book Bingo - recced by gilda_elise (08/12)
Crazy Challenge Connection Aaah Walkers - Prompt 10 - MC is leader of group (02/52)
.