Continuing on my reading journey to complete 75 books this year, here are my most recent reads. It seems that I tend to read in 2 categories-books for either of my 2 book clubs and then psychological/mystery thrillers for fun. Nothing wrong with that but I am still working on adding in other types of books like personal development, best sellers, non mystery, etc…I do enjoy historical fiction but haven’t read any in awhile. On to the journey………………………………………………..
Together Tea by Marjan Kamali
This book is the typical culture clash of the new and old. Mina wants to find love on her own without the help of her meddlesome mother who wants her to have an arranged marriage. Mina thinks the old ways are less sophisticated and does not respect them. Her mother thinks the new ways are too dangerous and not good for her daughter. Through a series of events they travel back to the old country together where they both learn to appreciate each other’s perspective.
I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next one by this author, The Stationery Shop.
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
This book is based on true events and it is a rough read. It is about a juvenile correctional facility in Florida that operated for 111 years. Ultimately, it’s history was exposed as well as all of the horrors contained in it. The story though is riveting even if it is sad. There is a bit of mystery as well which I will not give away here but I will tell you that I did not see it coming. This book really takes you on a journey and helps you to see how easily someone’s life can be upended.
It boggles the mind how adults who are supposed to be pillars of society can justify the perversion of justice purely for financial gain. It is also so very sad that some people choose to work in these types of facilities not to help rehabilitate but to destroy.
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
I recently read this book because it was written by a woman that I attended Junior High and High School with and her newest book was recently released to rave reviews. One review recommended reading this book because some of the characters from it appear in the new book, The Candy House. I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it. The characters are “characters” and the stories are interesting and inter-related. As a San Francisco native, it is always fun to have books reference the time and place where I grew up.
There is a section later in the book where the writing style is very different but definitely helps to move the story forward. I’m not a fan of that style and wouldn’t want to read it often but it worked in this book.
A Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon
This book is part of a series of novels by an Italian novelist about an Italian detective. This is the first of 31!! I don’t know that I’ll read all of the books but I certainly liked it enough that I’m going to read more. La Fenice is an opera house in Venice, Italy. The way the author describes the opera house and the scenes around Venice really brings the city and everything to light.
This book and series was recommended to me by a high school friend who loves Italy probably more than I do! This book is definitely a much lighter read than the others but it was still interesting and delightful.
The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
This is another really good thriller by these authors. I have read/listened to a few of their books and have really enjoyed them. There are many twists and turns in this book and many that I did not see coming. This book is also interesting because one of the main characters is a therapist who lost her license because of her techniques but then parlayed that into a major career. It’s really interesting to hear the therapist voice and her explanations for what is happening. The life of the therapist is of course a mess as well!
I really enjoy psychological thrillers where the story doesn’t wait until the very end to unfold but gives you bits and pieces throughout. Of course, the ultimate reveal is at the end of this book and it made me gasp!
Rock, Paper, Scissors by Alice Feeney
This book is not what it seems and I don’t want to say anymore about it. I did not know what would happen and I did not figure out the big reveal!! What I will say is that this book is about marriage, relationships and the secrets people keep (that maybe they shouldn’t). Sometimes, it’s hard to know though. This book really takes you on a journey through different relationships and it is really hard to nail down what is what.
This book though is a good demonstration that our lives are truly about the choices we make based on the information we have. Sometimes, we just make bad choices and sometimes we just have bad information!
Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner
This is a debut book this author and it is excellent. There are so many twists and turns but they add value and don’t just keep you guessing. At the end, I had kind of figured out the what but definitely not the why. I like books where none of the characters are perfect-everyone has their own issues. This makes it harder to really figure out who did what! The twists go to the final line of the book and I hope that she continues the story. I don’t know if she will or not but it would be great. There’s so much of this story left to tell! Definitely recommend reading this book!
2022 Reading Journey: Goal=75 books
Jan: 8 Feb: 4 Mar: 6 Apr: 6 May: 6 Jun: 6 Jul: 7
Total: 43
I have to read 32 more books before the end of the year to meet my goal! Will I make it? Only time will tell but wish me luck!
If you have any book recommendations, please list them in the comments and let me know if you read any of these on my list! And, the journey continues!
thank you for the book recommendations!!!