It's time for a roundup of what I've been reading but haven't yet posted about.
Fool Errant, by Patricia Wentworth - I liked Dead or Alive so much that I immediately downloaded another to read during my May travels. Sadly, Fool Errant was not nearly as good, primarily because I simply couldn't stand the heroine, Loveday Leigh, who was breathless, dim, completely self-absorbed, and aggravatingly coy. Just a 3-star read, but I'm not giving up on Wenthworth and will try again.
The Resistance Man (Bruno, Chief of Police, #6), by Martin Walker - another solid 4-star treat with arm chair traveling to the Dordogne in France where Bruno keeps the peace. This plot was particularly appealing to me as it dove headfirst into the Resistance during WWII and the modern-day search for the spoils from a train robbery near the end of the war. Seriously good reading!
If We're Being Honest, by Cat Shook - another recommendation from Joann at Gulfside Musing. An interesting foray into a family grappling with a myriad of issues, secrets, etc. Nothing earth-shattering but fun to read and well put together.
Homo Sapiens Rediscovered: The Scientific Revolution Rewriting Our Origins, by Paul Pettit - absolutely outstanding nonfiction. I started it in March and finished it June--not bad considering it covers roughly 80 thousand years of human evolution. The same brother who gave me Sapiens a few years ago also gave me this book, and I loved it.
I Have Some Questions for You, by Rebecca Makkai - I heard an interview with the author on an NPR show a few months ago and knew I wanted to read this. It ended up being terrific, but initially I had some serious issues with the 1st person narrator, Bodie Kane. She reminded me so much of the awful main character, Ann, in The Cloisters, by Katy Hays, which I tried to read but abandoned because I simply could not spend any more time with this stupid woman. I think the stereotype of the smart, poor girl from a small town who is plagued by insecurity around more affluent, beautiful people is so tired and fundamentally flawed. Anyway, initially Bodie was annoying me, but then I got caught up in the story as she matured and didn't mind her so much. I thought the plot was good and the writing decent.
Call for the Dead (George Smiley, #1), by John le Carré - I figured it was high time I gave this author a try and so decided to begin with the first in his George Smiley series. It was good, and I think George and I will get along just fine.
The Rebecca Makkai book is one I want to read. Good to know the main character gets less annoying as the book goes on. And Le Carre is a good author; I read some of his books years ago and really liked them, even though I'm not much of a spy thriller reader. :D
ReplyDeleteGood roundup. I read the Makkai novel. Some good parts but it spins its wheels quite a bit. I still need to read the Bruno series. sometime.
ReplyDeletePeople seem to love or hate Rebecca Makkai and my sisters were among the haters but I am still curious.
ReplyDeleteThe Miss Silver Wentworths are usually better. Try She Came Back or Through the Wall, if you can. I agree some of her heroines are pitiful.
Hi Jane, I must read Martin Walker. I love Louise Penny and Donna Leon and I know that Martin Walker is the next writer to try in. this genre and I know I will like him.
ReplyDeleteI am torn about the Makkai novel. When I first read the plot maybe a year ago I was excited, a main character who is a podcaster going back to her old school to investigate a crime. Sign me up! But the reviews have been mixed. But your review has me interested and it got a starred review at PW so it's worth a read.
RE Patricia Wentworth. Because some Miss Silvers are un-put-down-ably great but some Miss Silvers are really bad, I wonder if Patricia Wentworth was not only one person.....but I'm probably wrong, look at Maugham, Razor's Edge was great, but couple years later Then and Now was terrible.
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