Loretta > Recent Status Updates

Reading things out of order - The Essays: the first several were pretty blah, straightforward factual narratives of this activist movement and that march etc. Then they got better - "Other people's children" about vietnamese "orphans" being brought to the US; the mothers of the disappeared; there was more heart to these, somehow. A couple of essays on writing craft that I also quite liked.

And now for some good fluff.

I am loving this so very very much. So good.

this book is BUGGING me. Is this narrator unreliable? Where the hell is this going? is this a queer story or exploring poly or just an obsession story? I've almost quit it a few times. But going to try to finish it before the library takes it back. (listening to the audiobook).

How have I never read Val McDermid before? This was good and covered a lot of what I like, and avoided what I don't like, in my lady detective books. Will carry on with this series and other McDermid books.

Oh wow. It took me a little while - I didn't love Roy's voice in the first chapter - but at a certain point, can't say exactly when - but still in Roy's voice - I got hooked. And I am now FULLY invested. The language, the structure (she's giving it all away up front! And I'm still invested!) Yeah. I'm in.

I am enjoying this. I am also going to have to re-read Pride and Prejudice next. Also, how had I never realized the extent to which Bridget Jones was a P&P retelling? (the fact I keep seeing Bridget scenes instead of the original story in my head is a sign of how very long it's been since I read the original. Literally Decades.)

I liked

I don't like to be spoiled so often don't read goodreads reviews before getting into a book. Which means I am 3/4 of the way into this and just now started peeking at reviews as my opinion is forming (i can see where this is going to end up). I mistakenly thought this was the first of Heller's books I should read. Wishing now I'd read Dog Stars first. Because I'm not going to give his a great review.

I....I might be done with these books. I started reading this, via library audiobook, and halfway through the second chapter, as Beauvoir was mooning over his new girlfriend and worrying about what Gamache would think I was like "nope. I don't care. I just won't subject myself to this." And turned it off and returned it to the library. I just might be done.

Dang it. Had to pause because the library needed its e-book back. I'm not quite halfway through and definitely invested. Waiting impatiently for the library hold to send it back to me.

This is a re-read - I recently started the second book in this series and could remember very little of this book. So I'm now reading the paper version. The world-building and politics seem to have not stayed in my head from the audio version. And I'm still interested enough - it's really well written.

Picked this up after listening to Lewis being interviewed on the podcast Why Is This Happening with Chris Hayes. Lewis has been on my to-read list forever, but that interview was excellent and really jumped him up the list. Off to a riveting (also terrifying) start.

Decided this was due for a re-read. God it's good.

This is just TOUGH. I have to read it in little bits, and never before bed. So far it's a fairly unrelenting account of murder and vicious atrocities. I wonder if it would have less of an impact on me if I were reading it visually rather than listening to the audiobook. Necessary, though. Some of this I knew in a general way, but the details are painful. And should be.

hooo boy. I should have been prepared. And yet. Now that we're getting into the details of actual brutal wars of settlement and colonization - this is hard listening. I think I'll have to do in small bits. Deeply shaken at learning the actual origin of a term I will NEVER use again, not even to quote (it is the name of a major sports team which should STOP USING IT RIGHT THE F*CK NOW).