Just finished I'll Be Gone the Dark, by Michelle McNamara which was very interesting. It's crazy to read about all the things the killer did to terrify his victims and know just how adept he was at escaping capture. It's good to know that he's finally been caught, but too bad Michelle is not around to see it.

Now I just picked up A Separate Peace, by John Knowles from the library. I've heard this was a required read for a lot of people in high school, but we never read it so I figured why not.

Finished Stoner, by John Williams last week. Wow. A book hadn't touched home so many times for me personally in a while. Thinking about making a separate post for my reactions and questions. After I check the archive...

Moved on to I'll Be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara. 1/3 finished, and I'm flagging a bit. Knowing the story behind the book, I understand. The portions assembled after her death lack the same polish as the rest. The time jumps, meant to connect the separate parts of the case leave me feeling lost sometimes. Still a good story, no intention to put it down.

I finished reading I'll be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara and I started reading The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson and A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas.

I really enjoyed reading I'll be Gone in the Dark and only had a few complaints. I found the book a little hard to follow but I don't know if that was McNamara's fault or the fact that it was put together after her death.

I am excited to continue the Mistborn series and I love Sanderson's world-building. I'm also excited to read ACOFS and see how they're all getting along after the end of the third book.

Finished:

I'll Be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara

Fell apart a little towards the end (for obvious reasons), but I'd still recommend it to true crime fans.

Currently reading:

No Is Not Enough -Resisting the New Shock Politics And Winning the World We Need, by Naomi Klein

Easy and interesting.

I will finally finish Words of Radiance, by Brandon Sanderson in the next 2-3 days. I must say that my feelings towards this series really turned around in this book, I am really glad I stuck with the series.

Picking up I'll Be Gone the Dark, by Michelle McNamara this week - excited to read this been hearing a lot of good things about it.

Started (28% in):

I'll Be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara

This true crime non-fiction tells the story of the Golden State Killer and it's utterly tantalising.

Finished:

Augustus, by John Williams

Wise, deep, historical. I'm certain a lot of people on this subreddit would really like this book.

Finally received I'll be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer, by Michelle McNamara from the library after waiting awhile. Had no idea this was Patton Oswalt's late wife. Additionally, the author grew up in my home town and referenced a murder I did not know of either so I'm very intrigued. Loving the writing style so far and wish I had more free time to just plow through it. Definitely recommend so far and it's even creepier now that they caught the guy.

Finished:

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas it didn't have the immediate impact on me that The Hate U Give had, but it's still a great read.

How To Be Right... in a World Gone Wrong by James O'Brien how you feel about this book will be determined, I feel, by how you feel about O'Brien. I'm a fan, so I enjoyed the book. I especially like that he's not afraid to admit where he feels he got things wrong or is open to persuasion on a subject.

Started:

I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara this is the paperback, so it's been updated to reflect the latest updates on GSK. McNamara's personality shines through the book (such as when she talks about being at the premiere of Funny People when she finds out about an arrest in a case she's following).

Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon bought for me by a friend who knows about my love of mythology. So far, not bad but not grabbed me either.

I've also tentatively started on the facsimile copy of Beeton's Christmas Annual containing A Study in Scarlet. Some of the adverts are hilarious

Currently Reading:

The Faber Book of Christmas, by Simon Rae - Been working on this one for a while, hoping to knock it out this week. If anyone reading this is looking for a nice Christmas anthology, I can't recommend this enough. Some of the inclusions are really, really funny, and I appreciate the inclusion of mostly older texts.

I'll be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer, by Michelle McNamara - Couldn't decide between Ishiguro and a fantasy/sci-fi book I've had on my shelf for a while, but ended up pivoting to this one. After a long period of reading exclusively fiction, I've been craving some non-fiction. I'm almost halfway through, and this one's really good so far.

Finished Reading:

Eragon, by Christopher Paolini - 2/5, But I have to acknowledge it still gets my imagination going like it did when I was a child, and for that it'll always hold a special place in my heart. I feel I have to be honest, though. I don't think it's as crap as everyone says - I know Paolini thought of himself as some literary great on par with Tolkein when he wrote this, but compared to other YA fantasy fare this isn't terrible. And, yes, it's the plot of A New Hope set in a Tolkein world, but my parents weren't Star Wars or LOTR fans who made me sit down and watch/read those before I read this, so it was new to me when I was 11. So, yeah, if you ignore claims of authorship (and questions of how much of this was Paolini and how much was his publisher parents), I think it's a solid children's fantasy novel, and it didn't disappoint me terribly. I'd forgotten how freaking slow the middle can be - the section with Eragon and Brom in Tierm was dreadfully slow and downright boring.

Technically Wrong: Sexist Apps, Biased Algorithms, and Other Threats of Toxic Tech, by Sara Wachter-Boettcher - 4/5, Feel like I'm pretty much falling in the camp of most people's opinion on this, which is that it's a great intro into issues for people who don't keep up as closely with the tech world, but it could easily have done with 100 more pages. Lots of the examples were already pretty well known to me, and she makes some assumptions that I would have appreciated with more basis/evidence. I get some of the research is difficult, what with NDAs limiting disclosure on the development process of certain software, but there are a couple of claims she makes (such as why Apple chose a female voice for Siri) that seem easy to verify with interviews. Still, it's made me think a lot more about the ways in which I approach developing new software at work. Overall. I think it's a great jumping off point for discussion, and I'm hoping to get a book club together at work to talk about it.

Late last week I finished The Rules of Civility, by Amor Towles. Excellent! Looking forward to reading his second book - A Gentleman in Moscow.

Started reading I'll be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara. It is one woman's obsessive search for the Golden State Killer. Less than 50 pages in, but it is so interesting and creepy!

I recently finished I'll be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara. It is her quest to find the Golden State Killer. Very interesting and creepy!

I started Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro. I am around 90 pages in and finally starting to see what's happening. I like it so far.

I fake finished Heart-Shaped Box, by Joe Hill. The beginning was SO amazing, but I just didn't want to keep going after Part 1-- I thought the story as a "haunted house"-esque horror short was absolutely perfect, and then all of a sudden there was a car chase and I just couldn't bring myself to continue. It works wonderfully as a novella. I'm not a huge fan of King, and I thought Hill's story was a little smoother than his father's in that first part, so I think I will venture into NOS4A2 and potentially actually finish it.

I'm currently reading Attachments, by Rainbow Rowell, which I'm enjoying plenty although probably not for the intended reasons (I'm pretty sure the male lead is an incel).

And finally, I'm about halfway through I'll be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara. It's too scary for me to read when my SO is out of town, so I can only read it on weekends. It's utterly transfixing, and I'm starting to think that quality True Crime is better than any horror story for the scare factor alone.

Last week, I finished Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood and I have to say that I really loved the book, as well as the series. I had no idea that it was based on actual murders that took place back then and it gave me an appreciation for modern day crime scene investigation and police work.

Over the weekend, I started I'll be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara and this book is really intense and Michelle is an amazing writer! It's crazy to see all the evidence and clues in the book being put to a name and face after so long!

I will also start A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas when it reaches my front door tomorrow, because I'm going to see need something to balance out reading about the Golden State Killer.

Still on I’ll Be Gone In the Dark, by Michelle McNamara. I’m pretty engrossed by it but just haven’t had the time over the long weekend!

Finished: I'll Be Gone In the Dark, by Michelle McNamara and Everything I Never Told You, by Celeste Ng

Started: The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, by Arundhati Roy

Keep forgetting to share on Mondays, but I remembered today! It's been a big week because I had one of those moments where everything on hold at the library mysteriously all came in at once.

Finished...

• The Thing Around Your Neck, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• I'll Be Gone In the Dark, by Michelle McNamara
• Becoming, by Michelle Obama
• Everything Here is Beautiful, by Mira T. Lee
• My Year of Rest and Relaxation, by Ottessa Moshfegh

Started...

• Educated, by Tara Westover
• The Last Report of the Miracles at Little No Horse, by Louise Erdrich

Finished:

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Some Kind of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce

A Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan

I'm on a bit of a fantasy/magical realism kick right now. I really enjoyed The Hazel Wood and A Secret History of Witches - The Hazel Wood has a bit of fairy tale and a bit of thriller interwoven into it, while A Secret History of Witches is more on the historical fiction side. I found Some Kind of Fairy Tale to be a bit of a letdown though, after I read some really great things about it.

Reading:

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara

I always listen to a non-fiction audiobook and I decided to try out the one on the Golden State Killer since I've heard so many great things.

Last week I finished I'll Be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara and started The Witchwood Crown, by Tad Williams.

I'll Be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara

Just finished this book today! I am somewhat loosely taking on the 52 Books challenge, so I've been really pushing myself to reach page counts each day so I can accomplish a book a week. I took a break while reading this book so I had to speed through the last bit of it today.

I became interested in this book after a friend of mine recommended one of her favorite "My Favorite Murder" podcast episodes. The MFM hosts sat down with Patton Oswalt to discuss his late wife's book "I'll Be Gone in the Dark" which is as much a portrait of a woman spiraling deep into an obsession as it is about the investigation into one of California's most prolific serial rapists-turned-murderers.

Definitely double checking my windows and doors at night now LOL. I found myself growing a little tired of it in the last third of the book, but overall I am pretty glad to have read it and would recommend it to anyone else who is a bit of true crime nut.

Will Start: Mistborn, by Brandon Sanderson

I'll be gone in the dark, by michelle McNamara

I'd been waiting to read this one, since i heard the person had been caught.

I finished The Alienist, by Caleb Carr and started I'll Be Gone In The Dark, by Michelle McNamara

I really liked The Alienist. It was a dark, face paced read. I'll Be Gone In The Dark is another grim read, but it reads really well. I haven't been able to put it down.

The Nix, by Nathan Hill Finished this...still don't know how I feel about it. I thought the satire was absolutely brilliant though.

I'll Be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara 50 pages deep and I like it so far. I think she has a very unique voice in her journalistic retelling of true crime.

I'll Be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara

Finished:

I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara I enjoyed this overall, but it did not blow me away like I was hoping for. Folks who like true crime will like it (and probably have already read it).

The Eye of Zoltar by Jasper Fforde This is the final in a young adult series by one of my favorite authors. I enjoyed them, but it did not have the magic his other books have for me, and I was not happy that things ended on a cliffhanger.

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn This was nicely paced, but I have many complaints. Chief among them: How do you write a book about a PSYCHOLOGIST and not even LOOK UP WHAT A PSYCHOLOGIST DOES??? It's fucking ridiculous how many times the author conflates various forms of mental health providers. In particular, the author does not know the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist (you definitely did not do a residency and you're definitely not prescribing meds in NYC), has the main character actively endorsing bad therapy practices, and has her take on really serious liability by counseling folks via the internet. In the author interview at the end of my copy, the author specifically states that they did not research (claiming they did not have to because they have bipolar disorder... which is not AT ALL the mental illness attributed to the main character). IT SHOWS, DUDE. I was holding out hope that there was another twist and the protagonist was actually not a psychologist at all, but alas...

The Vegetarian by Han Kang This is a weird book. Other people have written better than I can about how weird this book is, but it's really unusual. I would say I appreciated it, but I didn't necessarily "like" it and probably did not understand it.

Started:
Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Still chugging on:
Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link

In the past week I finished The Constant Gardener, by John le Carre and Gyo, by Junji Ito. Yesterday I started the paperback version of I'll Be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara.

Constant Gardener might be my favorite post-Cold War, non-Smiley novel of John le Carre's. I hope to watch the film adaptation sometime this week.

Gyo had plenty of great, messed up images, but the story and characters left quite a bit to be desired. Still, a good graphic novel to tear through in an afternoon.

I finished The Chalk Man, by C. J. Tudor and immediately started I'll Be Gone In The Dark, by Michelle McNamara.

Finished I'll Be Gone In The Dark by Michelle McNamara and it was super good. I just hated that you could very much tell which parts were things she had written and which were compiled from her notes. They open up the chapters letting you know, but the quality of writing is super noticeable. Still unlike any true crime book I've ever read.

Started and finished Less, by Andrew Sean Greer. The protagonist is a middle-aged writer traveling the world after an ex gets engaged and his latest novel is rejected. So of course it won the Pulitzer. I wish I would have liked it more (no pun intended).

Now reading I'll Be Gone In The Dark, by Michelle McNamara.

I’m about to finish reading I’ll Be Gone In The Dark, by Michelle McNamara.

Still working on Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis and I just started I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara.

I started reading I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer, by Michelle McNamara and I can't put it down.

Also reading Across the Universe, by Beth Revis

Slowly making my way through The Fact of a Doorframe: Poems Selected and New, by Adrienne Rich a few pages at a time so I can soak in the poetry.

About to start I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara. It's been on my coffee table for a month while I finished another book. I cannot wait.

I'm about a quarter of the way through I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara. I really love the writing style, and I really loved the chapter that infused memoir. I don't know if the chapters later are written from her notes, or if there's more of her original writing, but I'm really, solidly enjoying this. Which makes me happy and sad.

Just finished I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara. It took me about two weeks to read, and I only had a single nightmare about it, last night, which seems like a victory. It was so good. She really had a way with painting the picture, including so much detail, but never letting the reader get bogged down with it.

This week I read I Found You, by Lisa Jewell and I'll Be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara.

I think the McNamara book is a bit over-hyped. It was hard to follow and, no offence the deceased, she had a warped sense that her "investigating" was anything more than the amateur hour it was. Reminds of of when Reddit thought it found the Boston Marathon bombers

This week I finished I'll Be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara which I really enjoyed. I was very familiar with EAR/ONS so this was a good refresher.

I started and finished Baby Proof, by Emily Giffin I needed a nice, happy, floofy book. This one did the trick, a good palate cleanser.

Currently reading The Power, by Naomi Alderman which I'm liking so far.

Finished: The Outsider, by Stephen King

Started: I'll Be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara

I don't think I posted last week, so

Finished Reading:

The Faber Book of Christmas, edited by Simon Rae - 4/5, this is a truly amazing Christmas anthology. It's a wonderful mix of fiction and nonfiction, old and new. Taking one star off if only because there were a few longer pieces that were a slog. The rest of the book more than makes up for these though, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a Christmas-y read for next year.

A Maigret Christmas: and Other Stories, by Georges Simenon - 3/5, The last story was what earned it star number 3. That's not to say Simenon isn't an excellent writer, but I'm not sure crime & mystery novels are my thing. I'd give another of his a try, maybe in longer form, but I can't see this sticking in my mind 6 months from now.

Currently Reading:

I'll Be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara - hoping to knock this out today so it will technically count as a 2018 book. It's good, and I like the focus on Michelle herself too.

I finished:

I'll Be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara - 3/5, I liked Michelle's writing, especially her epilogue, but all the investigative stuff was pretty dry to me. I'm just not a crime person, I think.

All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque - 5/5, I loved this one; the prose was sparse, but amazing. It made me so sad, but I loved what it had to say about how those who suffer the most in war are rarely those who stand to gain anything from it in the first place. A wonderful book to start off the year with.

Currently Reading:

Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo (translated by Norman Denny) - About 200 pages in so far and loving it, even the parts most would call tedious. I love stories about the transformative power of compassion. Moreover, I think I'm coming to realize I like the Romantic period of literature more than the Victorian, though the two are always categorized the same in my mind (19th century).

Call the Midwife: A True Story of the East End in the 1950s, by Jennifer Worth - excited to start this, as I love the TV show. A bit dry in parts, but I'm only 58 pages in.

Cylcle of the Werewolf by Stephen King

I'll be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara

My Sweet Audrina, by VC Andrews. I liked it! It was only my second VC Andrews book and I thought it was interesting. A lot of buildup throughout and bits and pieces of the story which made me want to finish it more to finally get the full story.

I'll Be Gone In The Dark, by Michelle McNamara. I'm not finished with this one yet, but I'm very interested so far. I like the style and how the story is told. I like reading it now, knowing that the Golden State Killer/EAR-ONS was caught and reading it through that lens.

Over the weekend, I finished a few I had been working on:

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by JK Rowling Northern Ireland: A Very Short Introduction, by Marc Mulholland The Sun is Also a Star, by Nicola Yoon I'll be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara

Started: Marie Antoinette: The Journey, by Antonia Fraser The Likeness, by Tana French Circe, by Madeline Miller

Just finished I'll Be Gone in the Dark, by Michelle McNamara. Totally worthy of the hype, it was fascinating and sensitive. It was also interesting to see how theories about the GSK compare to what we now know.

Now I'm reading The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, by Stephen King. I've never read his short stories before, only novels, so I'm pretty excited about this.

And after that I will start Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward.