Reading RoundUp #45
It’s been a big week in our household because our ceiling is finally fixed!!! No more gaping hole in our bedroom. Hallelujah! With all that going on (and let’s be honest, catching up on The Bachelorette), I haven’t been reading quite as much as usual, but here’s what’s currently on my list. Also I’m linking up with Show Us Your Books and Modern Mrs Darcy’s Quick Lit next week!
This week’s Reading Roundup!
Work Book (for lunch time reading):
Paris By The Book by Liam Callanan – When a woman’s husband disappears from the lives of her and their two girls, they end up following clues to try to find him in Paris. Despite zero success finding him, they fall in love with the city and end up staying. For some reason, this isn’t pulling me in quite as much as I’d hoped. We’ll see if it gets any better in the second half.
House Books:
Force of Nature by Jane Harper – This is the sequel to The Dry, a popular murder mystery set in Australia. The main character is back on the case after five women go missing while hiking in the wilderness on a corporate retreat and only four return.
Kindle Books:
The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle – I received an advanced digital copy through NetGalley. Unfortunately, this wasn’t as enthralling as I’d hoped. I like the premise, the classic question of which five people living or dead you’d invite to dinner comes true. However, this is merely a recap of the main character’s relationship set against that backdrop. She looks for closure in both her romantic relationship and with her father. It’s not bad, just not what I was expecting.
Audio Books:
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance –This nonfiction pick caught a lot of attention for bringing awareness to a culture that’s often overlooked – the white working class poor. J.D Vance comes from Kentucky hillbillies and he does an admirable job explaining how this group of people thinks and acts. I appreciated that he doesn’t gloss over the unpleasant traits but also shows the positive sides of this community.
From Around the Web:
Upcoming Fall Books to add to your TBR List – Modern Mrs Darcy shares her 24 picks of the best new books coming out this fall. I just received an ARC of Becoming Mrs Lewis and finished The Clockmaker’s Daughter last month (but didn’t love it!)
The Real Family Behind Crazy Rich Asians – Kevin Kwan talks about his family history and how it inspired his popular novel.
Check out Reading RoundUp #44 for more of my recent reads!
*Disclosure – I earn a tiny commission if you purchase any items through the links above and the price you pay is the same. Thanks for supporting my reading habit!
I recently finished the audiobook of Force of Nature and loved it! It is such a wonderful story. Now, I have to go back and read The Dry.
I got Force of Nature from the library and need to make time to read it 🙂
Force of Nature has been catching my attention. I do hope to read it someday. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
Enjoy your books. My weekly update
I also read Hillbilly Elegy recently and have mixed feelings about it. I’ve lived and worked in communities in rural Appalachia, and I think he paints the region in too broad strokes. It’s definitely an interesting book though, and an engrossing read. Elizabeth Catte wrote a sort of reply book to Hillbilly Elegy that’s called What You’re Getting Wrong About Appalachia – I think I’ll pick that one up next.
My post is here. Have a great week!
Thanks for sharing about Elizabeth Catte’s book too. I’ll add that to my list.
Nice mix of reads.
Just finished Crazy Rich Asians, definitely checking out that interview! Thanks for sharing.
I like Kate MORTON books but feel like they drag on and could be shorter by at least 200 pages. Was that the case with The Clockmaker’s Daughter?
Ohh yes that was definitely one of the issues. Especially if you think her others tend to drag, I wouldn’t recommend her newest. Plus, there’s normally a satisfying twist or revelation that makes the lengthy stories worthwhile, but this just didn’t have that.
I really liked Hillbilly Elegy a lot more than I thought I would! Really interesting!
bummer about the dinner list! it sounded good but i’ve not seen great reviews so far. i just got a notification from the library that my copy of Force of Nature is ready to be picked up, yay. and oh no about The Clockmaker’s Daughter! i have it from netgalley. i normally like her books so fingers crossed.
I really liked Force Of Nature. Not quite as much as the Dry, though.
I have a sample of What You’re Getting Wrong About Appalachia on my Kindle. I probably need to get the whole thing. I liked Hillbilly Elegy from the perspective of a memoir rather than a statement or broad description of all people who live there.
Force of Nature is on my TBR but I still need to read The Dry first. 😀 So many books and only so many hours in the day!
Hillbilly Elegy is one of those books that I wish I had read in print rather than listened to via audiobook. Being that I’m originally from WV, I still consider myself an Appalachian even though I no longer live in that geographical region. All of my family is still back home, so much of this book and what the author described resonated with me and hit home in many ways.
Rachel … thanks for giving me some new titles to look at! So many books, so little time …
;-}
I have heard SUCH polarizing things about Hillbilly Elegy. Many are offended that it’s so generalizing of a population, and some say everyone should know about this culture… I am sure that my eyes would be opened and I grew up in the rural midwest, there’s a lot of implication that I guess people who didn’t know about it might be fancy upper-classers…? Like I said, so much going on with this one. I know some people found it eye opening and some didn’t appreciate it at all. Your reads sound a bit like my current ones… I am in a bit of a rut. Reading things that are slow and I’m not too invested in. Last month’s reads I posted for SUYB were really fun though. 🙂 XO – Alexandra
Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things
I have been wanting to read Hillbilly Elegy. Hope I get to it soon!
Hahaha you must be so glad to have your ceiling fixed! My husband and I lived with holes in our living room floor for nearly a year, and *finally* getting them fixed felt amazing, so I totally relate 😉 Sorry to hear that The Dinner List isn’t quite what you’d hoped (I can’t say it really grabbed me from the blurbs), but I’d love to hear more about what you think of Jane Harper’s new one! She’s on the fast-track to becoming a household name here in Australia 😉