Meet George. My daughter works at Pet Supplies Plus. Someone came in the other day with this kitten they‘d found sitting on their engine. They couldn‘t keep her, so my daughter brought her home. She was sitting in my lap while I was reading and started chewing on my book.

I have started Janice Hallett‘s The Appeal, Alex Michaelides‘ The Maidens, and The Bookshop of Yesterdays trying to pick a new #audiowalk book. These are all books I‘m pretty sure I will enjoy, but none of them are sticking right now. I‘m hoping A Killing on the Hill will capture my interest. The rain stopped around 2:00, so I got to go for a walk.

I loved this story of a fox shapeshifter, Snow, seeking revenge for the death of her daughter. Her tale intersects with that of Bao, a human, who can tell when others are lying. The writing is beautiful and clearly evokes both a particular place and a particular time. I have always been interested in fox lore from around the world, and this book was a lovely take on that lore.

I didn‘t walk today because my knee was a bit tender, but I did finish this book. Don‘t be fooled by the cover — it‘s not as fluffy as it looks. There‘s mystery and a little romance, as well as betrayal and secrets coming to light. I found the ending particularly satisfying.

I‘ve got a little under two hours left in this book, so I‘ll probably finish it tomorrow, but I haven‘t picked a new book yet. I managed to walk and not fall today, so that was good. #audiowalk

1: I was able to get several resources my library needed but hadn‘t had access to before, but the most significant thing I did before I retired was I was finally able to get my two staff people‘s positions reclassified so they got huge raises.
2: 3 days a week work — rest free. Now it‘s all free.
3: No. I wanted to be an archeologist, but I became a librarian.
#wondrouswednesday

Shorter walk today because I tripped and fell on my bad knee and scraped my hand and cut my thumb. I‘m fine, but, weirdly, falling like that made me suddenly tired, so I went home. Tracy, in this book, is just not listening to me. I‘ve told her and told her not to trust a particular character, but she keeps on doing it. #audiowalk

I wasn‘t in the mood for the whiny breaking up characters of Funny Story, so I switched to the whiny for other reasons characters in Mary Kay Andrews‘ latest book. I‘ll go back to Funny Story later. It‘s getting to be in the 90s here, but at least there was a breeze. #audiowalk

I mostly enjoyed this compilation of stories from people who work in libraries and bookstores. Some stories touch on the current book banning efforts, but even these stories have a hope to them. I like that. The stories did begin to sound the same after awhile, though. If you work in a college or university library, you won‘t find your story represented here — public & school libraries (and a couple of special libraries) are all present, however.

I appreciate James Patterson taking a stand against censorship and for libraries, so I bought this book last week and I‘m reading it now.

The characters are likeable, and the story was interesting enough — Lila is asked to judge a teen beauty contest and ends up investigating a murder. However, this series is still just fine to me. There‘s so much description of the food, that it‘s easy to forget about the murder. I will probably listen to another in the series though, which is why it‘s a pick. Funny Story is my new #audiowalk book.

This book gave me Before the Coffee Gets Cold vibes, without the sci-fi touch to it. People come to the Kamogawa Detective Agency, which is also a cafe, looking to have a favorite dish recreated. These dishes have memories attached to them for the cafe‘s clients, who usually end up learning something from their visits. It‘s a quiet book and a quick read.

While I liked Arsenic and Adobo, I wasn‘t in love with it like a lot of people seemed to be. I decided to make the second book in the series my new #audiowalk book to see if I liked it any better. Another day with another 3 mile walk without pain. Yay! I considered 4, but decided not to push it.

Elijah Wood does a great job narrating this book; he was Huck. The story was a lot of fun, although the section with the King & the Duke was just a tad too long. My only problem with the book was the constant use of the n word; it made me cringe every time. On to Percival Everett‘s James after I finish The Fox Wife. 3 mile #audiowalk today with no knee pain!

I do reread. Every Christmas, I read A Christmas Carol. I‘ve read Stephen King‘s The Dark Tower series multiple times. When I am pensive and need a calming book, I read Anne Morrow Lindbergh‘ Gift From the Sea.
#SUNDAYFUNDAY

Not very interesting scenery but at least I got to walk today. I‘m still babying my knee but that steroid shot really did help. With such short walks though, it‘s going to take me longer to finish the 3 hours I have left. Huck is getting a master course on how to be a conman! #audiowalk

Starting this today. I love the cover.

This is the low end of the pick scale for me. I liked it better than his book about China, a place he actively seemed to hate. Headhunters is different than his usual travel books, however; here Troost is following Robert Louis Stevenson‘s trip through the South Seas while also dealing with his own alcoholism, so this book is less fun than some of his others.

People have compared this book to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and I understand why, but it gave me more of The Westing Game vibe. I enjoyed it, although it was a slow start for me. Some things weren‘t that realistic, but the story does show the power of hope (and buckets of money).

After 9 days of knee pain where I was unable to walk the entire time, I was finally able to get out for a short #audiowalk today. It was one mile. After only being able to walk a few steps, I‘m thrilled about that! Continued down the river with Huck and Jim. Mother‘s Day books:

Klara and the Sun
The Kamogawa Food Detectives
The River Runs South
The Comfort of Crows

Periodically, I get a short book on Serial Reader that I‘ve always meant to read. The Hound of the Baskervilles was my choice this time. I didn‘t guess the solution at first, but looking back on the story, all the clues are there. I enjoyed it.

Low end of the pick scale. To me, the structure didn‘t work that well. Horowitz interrupting periodically to report on the progress of his book and the questions he has didn‘t really add much. The story wasn‘t that interesting and the villain was obvious. I started Huckleberry Finn because I want to read James; I was a child when I last read HF, so I probably read the kid‘s edition. #audiowalk

Starting to be humid down here. Blech. I‘ve mentioned how I feel about the narrative pov in this book, but, honestly, I‘m not even sure I‘m interested in the mystery either. #audiowalk

I finally got out to walk today, but it was night and with my daughter; we were walking her dog. Since it was night, the pictures aren‘t that great. I‘m still not positive that I like the point of view of this book. #audiowalk

The tagged, plus:
1: The Wishing Game
2: Doppelgänger
4: Close to Death

#weekendreads

I needed something sweet, non-cloying, and warm this evening. I‘d read this years ago, liked it, and thought it would fit the bill. It did. I decided to listen to it. This version has several narrators, and they do an excellent job of catching the spirit of the book.

I haven‘t been walking this week at all or done much of anything because I‘ve not felt that great. My inactivity did allow me to finish both Holly (print) and The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell (ebook). Today I‘m starting The Frozen River.

While I liked this book, I think it‘s a bit overhyped. It‘s slow in some places, and, in others, I was either bored or didn‘t care about the situation. Other situations were very predictable. Overall, though, Sam‘s journey to accept himself and learn more about faith was a good story.

While this isn‘t my favorite SK book, I did enjoy it. Holly Gibney is a wonderful character, and it was great to be back with her. Many readers complain about the presence of COVID here, but was King really supposed to ignore it when the book is set during the time when it was rampant? In some places, the story slowed down a bit too much, so perhaps some elements could have been left out, but overall this is a good examination of human evil.

I love the Hawthorne and Horowitz books, so this is my new #audiowalk book. It‘s a little different because it‘s told in mostly third person because it‘s about a case Hawthorne solved before he teamed up with Horowitz. I‘m not sure how I feel about this because part of the appeal of these books is their relationship.

I liked this book. You can see the glimmers of the man Cork will become and the forces that shaped him into that man. I couldn‘t understand though why it took so long for Cork‘s father, Liam, to question a particular suspect who seemed obvious to me from pretty early on. #audiowalk

I‘ve got about 3 hours left in this book. It‘s interesting to see Cork as a 12 year-old boy. We‘ve gotten glimpses of him at that age before, but this is the first full-length novel where we get to see him with his parents. #audiowalk

I really liked Way Station. It‘s such a hopeful book. Simak‘s vision of humanity‘s future is an optimistic one of a united galaxy. When so many people — including me — view humanity through a negative lens, it‘s nice to read something with a more positive outlook. Read The Wishing Game sitting on the beach and listened to Lightning Strike on my #audiowalk #ClassicLSFBC

I wasn‘t in the mood for either The Mystery Writer or David Copperfield, so I went with a world I‘m really familiar with — that of Cork O‘Connor. I think I just needed something I didn‘t have to concentrate on. Cork is only 12 here, and his father is alive. #audiowalk

We went to Barnes & Noble for my birthday today. I‘m pretty happy with my purchases.

I wasn‘t in the mood for The Mystery Writer, and I was having issues with Hoopla anyway, so I listened to David Copperfield on my #audiowalk. It rained this morning and was pretty chilly this evening.

I had a nice day out with my husband. We drove to Weeks Bay and then to a couple of other parks. I‘d wanted to visit the pitcher plant bog, but it‘s closed — they‘re doing construction on the boardwalks. We listened to Way Station, which we are loving, and I listened to The Mystery Writer on my #audiowalk

For a book about the disappearance of a child, this is a surprisingly quiet, character-driven story. We don‘t remain in ignorance of what happened to Ruthie for very long, and that knowledge allows the story to just flow. After I finished it, I started Way Station, but I think it‘s something my husband will also like, so I‘ll choose a new #audiowalk book, and Way Station will become our road trip listen.

Short story collections are a mixed bag. I liked most of these, but some fell short. The stories are set in the same magical world as Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell, but only one (the title story — my favorite) features characters from that novel.

I started this yesterday after finishing Desolation Mountain in the middle of my #audiowalk. It feels very much like William Kent Krueger‘s stand-alone novels — especially This Tender Land. I like it so far.

This book was more interesting for character growth and a hint at a possible major change than for the plot, which involves a possible conspiracy. I enjoyed it. #audiowalk

This was a very quick, enjoyable read — I started last night, couldn‘t sleep, and finished it around 3:00am. I love Montell‘s blend of nonfiction concepts and personal history. In this one, she tackles cognitive biases such as the halo effect, sunk cost fallacy, and survivorship bias, making each concept clear with examples from her life. Montell narrates the audiobook and is engaging and relaxed.

Still enjoying this book, and it‘s interesting watching Steven‘s journey to manhood. I hate that white flower in the picture above the book cover. It‘s the only thing I can smell blooming before I see it, and it makes my eyes water and itch and my nose start running. 😣 #audiowalk

My favorite National Library Week quote because it‘s so true.

It was up in the 80s today, but it was still breezy, so I had a nice #audiowalk. Poor Steven! He‘s going through the young adult thing of wondering what kind of man he is, comparing himself to Cork and to his brother-in-law, Daniel. He‘s finding himself wanting; I‘m sure he‘ll eventually realize he‘s not wanting — he‘s just a different kind of man from them.

This evening‘s reading. I love this explanation of why one character is generally disliked: “ … never smiled unless there was some thing to smile at.” Makes sense to me! I‘ve spent most of my life being told I should smile more. Now that I‘m older, it doesn‘t happen that much — thank goodness.

This Cork O‘Connor mystery revolves around a vision Steven has. Steven is 20 and in college; he was 5 or 6 when we first met him! Bo Thorsen, from The Devil‘s Bed, also shows up. It was extremely windy outside today. That tree in the bay was not there the day before yesterday; I guess yesterday‘s storm was strong enough to bring it there. #audiowalk

I mostly enjoyed this, but, if the sheriff of Tracy‘s hometown had just told her what was going on, nothing would‘ve played out the way it did. But then we‘d have no story, so I guess his secrecy was a necessary plot point. #audiowalk

I really dislike Tracy‘s captain. They had a bad relationship from when Tracy went to the police academy. He was an instructor and groped her; she broke his nose. Completely appropriate reaction on her part, in my opinion. I think I know where the plot is headed; we‘ll see. #audiowalk

Low end of the pick scale. The stories from White House residence staff were interesting, but Brower was all over the place. My two favorite sections had themes — children in the WH and how residence staff dealt with traumatic events like 9/11 and Kennedy‘s assassination. In many ways, Brower turns the staff members into saints. No staff member ever talks out of turn. All staff members respect and care for the families they serve. Really?