Monday, June 1, 2015

May reading

One of my resolutions for 2015 was to read at least two books (non work related) a month.  I've done pretty well so far: four books in January, almost two books and some comic books in February, two books in March, and two books in April.  Here is what I read in May:

The Abomination by Jonathan Holt.  This was a really good mystery novel!  It took place in and around Venice for the most part, but also briefly took place in Slovenia (home of Klara).  It has murder, war crimes, the US military, romance, and surprise, politics, suspense...all elements of a great mystery novel.  This isn't a difficult read, I read the whole thing in three days or so, but it was really engaging and made me not want to put it down.  Apparently The Abomination is part of a trilogy and I'd like to read the other two books at some point, though I'll probably wait until they are in the library or in paperback because I'm cheap.

TransAtlantic by Colum McCann.  I picked this one because the description on the jacket seemed right up my alley (historical fiction).  I'm honestly not sure why this book is rated so well on Amazon.  I think the author's intent was to weave a bunch of short stories together to tell a larger story of a whole family.  To me it just seemed to jump around a lot and had multiple characters and events that didn't really seem to go together and at times just felt like rambling.  I'm glad I stuck it out and finished the book, but it really wasn't good at all.

In Zanesville by Jo Ann Beard.  I'll be honest, I picked this book up for one reason, I'm very well acquainted with a small town called Zanesville.  As it turns out the book didn't take place in the town that I know and love, and it just went downhill from there.  This book didn't do it for me, though most of the reviews on Amazon see to be positive.

Descent by Tim Johnston.  This was another mystery/thriller book.  I loved the author's writing style.  He wrote in a why that I could really visualize the story, characters, and surroundings.  That being said, it felt like some parts were too long and not enough attention was paid to other parts.  All in all it was a good book, and it reeled me in and had me hooked early in the book.  If I were giving it stars, I'd probably give it 4/5.

I was able to read a bit more than usual this month thanks to taking two weeks off of work.  This month brought one book I loved, one that was ok, and two that I didn't really like.  If I count correctly, my 2015 book tally now stands at 13.75.  I'm pretty impressed that I've managed to keep it up.  :)

3 comments:

  1. You're doing very well with your book list. I love having the time to read. It's that whole getting out of my own head space feeling that is so attractive with reading.

    Where do you get your book recommendations from if you don't mind asking?

    I'm currently waiting on a book order from Amazon to arrive. I get a bit antsy whenever I run out of books to read. I had a pile of ten the last two months but I've finished them now and most are a part of series of which the next volume isn't released until end of the year.

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    1. I don't really have a source for book recommendations. Sometimes I rely on the recommendations of friends or family, but mostly I just go to the library (typically to the section with new and popular books), pull books with interesting titles or covers off of the shelf, read the jackets, and decide if I want them or not. I tend to be drawn to historical fiction and mysteries. If there is a book that the library doesn't have that I really want I either buy it on iBooks or my Kindle app (whichever is cheaper). I love the feel and smell of actual books, but also love the convenience of buying, downloading, and starting to read a book in less than two minutes as well as the portability.

      If you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them. Even better, you could write blog posts about books! :)

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    2. Oh I keep forgetting about the library. I haven't set foot inside of one for a long time now. I tend to just buy the books I want as I tend to re-read a lot. Like you, I love the feel and smell of a freshly pressed book in my hands.

      Hubby has one of those e-reader things but I don't have one myself. I tried reading on his once but it hurt my eyes a bit so I have stuck with books. Although I do envy the ability to download and read a book in such a short time. Instead of waiting for books to arrive (takes roughly 2 - 2 1/2 weeks to get to Australia from the US.)

      Oh a blog post about books sounds like something I might do at some point. Thanks for the idea! I tend to read a lot of YA fiction as it's the field I want to break into at some point so a lot of the titles are geared towards young adults/teens. Although I have been reading good things about Margaret Atwood so I've been wanting to try The Handmaid's Tale at some stage.

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