Thursday, June 18, 2020

Mid-month Wrap Up

Thus far, I've read 8 books.

Disability Visibility edited by Alice Wong which received it's own review. I gave it 4 stars.

Defending Jacob by William Landry. This was not the book for me. It's about a lawyer whose son is arrested for murder of another kid. There are long drawn-out court interrogations, there is only a slight twist which I saw coming, and generally did not thrill me at all. I wish I would've quit but I kept expecting something to surprise me. I gave it 2 stars.

The Attack by Loic Dauvillier. This is a graphic novel set in Israel about a doctor who works on a suicide bombing case and the victims. He later finds out that the bomber was his wife and he looks for clues that he missed that she had been radicalized. I thought this was deftly handled and intriguing. I gave it 4 stars.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. This is a favorite for this year! It is about a man called Linus who works as a social worker checking on magical children in orphanages. He is chosen to go to the most extreme orphanage on an island to report on it and ends up finding people he really cares about. The romance is very light but so heartwarming! 5 stars

Penance by Kanae Minato. I read her first book last year and loved it so much I decided I had to read this one. Everyone warned me that it isn't as good, and while that's true, I still gave it 4 stars. It's a psychological thriller about revenge on a young girl's death. Things were sometimes unbelievably convenient but it still had me hooked.

The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum. This was a compelling non-fiction about the birth of forensic science in the early 1920s, specially focusing on poisons. I learned so much and loved how the author weaved in interesting anecdotes about the poisons and criminals. I gave the book 4 stars.

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh. This was a funny graphic memoir about random stuff the author has gone through. Most of the time, they were wacky incidents with how much she loves animals but she also delves deeper into mental health issues. I gave it 3.5 stars and I'm looking forward to her follow-up which comes out in September.

Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe is a non-fiction book about the Irish "Troubles" between the 1960's-1990s focusing specifically on certain members of the IRA. I learned a lot about what was basically a civil war between Ireland and Northern Ireland. It also provided a little bit of information on why creating a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland due to Brexit would be harmful. The audiobook narrator had a lovely soft Irish accent and I enjoyed listening immensely. It would occasionally bog down in too many details but overall a good read. I gave it 3.5 stars.

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