Finished Circe, by Madeline Miller

Aahhh someone please talk to me about this book because I can't stop thinking about it! I guess I'll pick up her other book, Song of Achilles?

Started Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens

This has been on every "best of summer 2019" list and I needed a beach/pool read.

Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens Man... this book had so much hype and was SO not worth it. Overtly stereotypical southern characters, a really predictable but unlikely plot line, and the main character in my opinion had no real voice and was often only described for her physical looks. The descriptions of the marsh were the only redeeming part of this book.

Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery, by Robert Kolker Still working on this, about halfway done...it's kind of hard to follow because it constantly jumps around from each victim's background to another victim's. It also does not include a lot of information about the actual murders so far but perhaps that's because it's an unsolved crime.

The Collector, by John Fowles Wow, I just started this last night and did not want to put it down after 50 pages. So creepy and disturbing but I'm loving how it's done.

Finally reading again after about two years of not being interested in books at all and it feels so good. I have a pretty long list to get through haha. Finished An American Marriage by Tayari Jones. I liked the story and enjoyed reading it but wasn't amazing. Also read Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens which was another book that didn't live up to the reviews for me. I didn't like any of the characters and the whole book seemed a little to YA-ey for me.

Starting There There by Tommy Orange which I am really excited about and seems good so far.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Oh my goodness this book has blown me away. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a phenomenal job.

The story itself is haunting, beautiful and heartbreaking. When I was finished I began listening all over again. I just wasn't ready to let go of that world.

Where The Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens

Finished:

Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman

Starting:

My Life on the Road, by Gloria Steinem

Finished: Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens No crawdads were harmed or did much singing in this novel Educated, by Tara Westover Buck's Peak is about 60 minutes from where I live. I'm surrounded by Mormons, so the religious element was particularly intriguing.

Starting: All We Ever Wanted, by Emily Giffin

Where the Crawdad’s Sing, by Delia Owens

The first novel I’ve truly lost myself in in years. An amazing story of a girl with unfortunate beginnings

Finished Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin. It was an enjoyable, interesting way to explore lore. But probably could have been 100 pages shorter and we would have been none the wiser.

Started In the Night Garden by Catherynne M. Valente enjoying it thus far. She's always been a favorite of mine

Listening to Where the Crawdad's Sing by Delia Owens because the hype is real

Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens I am currently in the middle of it and I am enjoying it a lot. A tale of a little girl growing up and surviving in terrible loneliness.

Just got back from a trip to China and I got a lot of reading done on the long flight!

I finished Misery, by Stephen King and loved it. Very creepy and really engrossing.

I also finished The Book of the Unnamed Midwife, by Meg Elison and it was ok. I love post-apocalyptic stuff and this definitely had a Handmaid's Tale vibe to it. But some of the "wokeness" felt a bit heavy handed. Also, the story telling format seemed to be inconsistent. Sometimes it was like a journal, but then sometimes there was this omniscient narrator describing what happened to characters who left the midwife.

Still trying to work through The Stranger Beside Me, by Ann Rule which I'm finding frustrating. It's a compelling story, I suppose, but I don't love her writing style and I hate the way she talks about Ted Bundy and the victims.

Also finishing up Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey Through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy, by Angela Garbes. It's definitely a lot of in depth info about pregnancy and childbirth, but I like her approach to discussing it.

Annnd last night, I started Where the Crawdad's Sing, by Delia Owens for my book club's book this month. Not too far in, but I've heard great things!