Friday Reads 2.16.24
It’s Friday, and you know what that means. Let’s talk about what we’re reading!
There is such comfort in books and the quiet that comes with reading. When I have a week that finds me away from the pages of others, like last week, I get downright grumpy. But this week, all is well. I read a bunch, bought a few, and have lots to share!
I started THE STRANGER AT THE WEDDING by debut author A.E. Gauntlett, and I am entranced. The dread oozes from the pages… I feel like this might be a bit Silent Patient-esque, with a kitchen sink twist, and I am here for it. One heck of a novel so far.
I’ve mentioned already that has a new book coming, EVERY MOMENT SINCE, and now I’m halfway through. It is outstanding. I should be wrapped on it this weekend, too.
Lisa Unger, superstar and writer of has a new one out this coming in 2 weeks — THE NEW COUPLE IN 5B. I may have scored an early copy, and you know what I’m reading next…
I am also deep into Barrier to Entry, a short story in the Blaze collection from Amazon Originals. It’s the story of the mother of forensic science, and I have been dying to read it—it just came out yesterday, so perfect timing! Plus, the covers are wonderful!
My pal Barbara Peters at Poisoned Pen sent me THE BUSY BODY by Kemper Donovan. This book came up in our last discussion, and I’m excited to read it!
I snagged a copy of Samantha Bailey’s A FRIEND IN THE DARK — wow, that cover is hot stuff.
Mark Greaney’s new Gray Man thriller, THE CHAOS AGENT, is out! I love this series. Mark is one of the nicest guys on the planet, too.
I also read the opening chapters of A.J. Finn’s END OF STORY. It’s good so far; I liked the atmospheric opening. Has anyone finished it? Should I keep going?
I am so ashamed that I’ve fallen terribly behind in the Wolf Hall slow read (Sorry, ) But, in a wonderful discovery, I realized I have it on my Kindle from years ago! I’ve started reading it before bed, and I’m catching up. I’m going to set aside an hour on Sunday to read and hopefully get current with the rest of the read. It really is remarkable; Mantel is a genius. It’s sly, and smart, and so lushly beautiful.
In keeping with my sabbatical…I read a fascinating piece that I heard about on the Deep Questions podcast that’s unlocked a whole new world of thought about how social media is affecting girls, and the “conveyer belt” analogy is perfection. I can’t imagine it’s not hurting the self-image of our boys, too.
On the writing front:
A celebration is in order… I finished the page proofs of A VERY BAD THING. I really am getting excited for you to read this book. And I can’t wait to share the cover, which is 👩🏼🍳💋
And from the craft series, Step Six: The Outline, is now available. It was not the easiest entry because A - I had to teach myself how to outline, and B - did I mention I had to teach myself how to outline? And then relay that knowledge to you in a way that makes sense. Glad this step is wrapped!
If you want to lay some groundwork on your next story, here’s a taste of something I’ll be discussing in the upcoming Step Seven: The Daily Grind—how many words should we write in a day? At what point does the quality fall off?
That’s it from me. How about you? Good week? What are you reading this weekend?
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