AUGUST

 

Theft ~ Abdulrazak Gurnah

 

The South ~ Tash Aw

 

I finished this for 2 reasons :

It was very short and I loved Five Star Billionaire (and I guess because the previous two had been DNF books).

The only thing it had going for it was that it was short ...but a good edit of the rubbish in it could have made it shorter.

I guess the other good thing is that it is supposed to be the first of a set and it saved me having to buy the next ones

The Overstory ~ Richard Powers

 

I tried really hard to enjoy.

I read till I was past 50%

But then just had to admit : I do not like his writing style.

I find it superficial ... like author's notes needing to be fleshed out or made read-worthy.  His characters stay on the page for me.

He takes important-to-me issues and takes the passion out.

Murder Takes A Vacation ~ Laura Lippman

 I might give it another go.

There is "cosy crime" and there is "stifling schmaltz" ... this struck me as the latter.

The Correspondent ~ Virginia Evans

 Delightfully witty, subtle crafting of the character.

Told through letters written and received by the elderly, fusty, fiesty Sybil

JULY

 

Tilt ~ Emma Pattee

Too ludicrous. Too much suspension of belief. Too poorly developed.

A "thrilling literary debut about how we confront disaster" (gawd, there is no hope for us) and from the " hotly anticipated" list (someone must know someone)

Very (VERY) pregnant woman wandering around Portland after a massive earthquake.  Utter unfeasible rubbish.

Famous Last Words ~ Gillian McAllister

Wavering between a 3 and a 4 rating

A very enjoyable read. Not a who-dun-it but a why-did-he-dun it.

A loving husband "goes rogue", holds people hostage, shoots them and disappears.  I never quite knew where it was going or guessed the storyline.

The story is told from the point of view of the wife and the hostage negotiator.

Weyward ~ Emilia Hart

 It started as a DNF but I went back to it.  All about right time, and what you have just finished reading. In this regard it was a just-right light snack

3 story lines, 3 historical periods.

It was an enjoyable read.  The theme was a mix of female empowerment and supernatural witchy powers. Both themes were lightweight (it was heavier on the brutality of men)