recent reads #2

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Pictured is what I just picked up from the library and below are some thoughts on what I’ve read recently!





Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore

3.5 ⭐️

I found this book while cleaning and then read it all in one go. I’m a sucker for a bookstore setting and I enjoyed the movement through time and perspectives; however, the characters all felt like characters, if that makes sense. They were there to connect a web vs being messy and dense and complex. It felt too planned out when what I wanted it to was breathe. Still, a fun enough read to fly through on a lazy afternoon. 


Bobbie Faye’s Very (very, very, very) Bad Day

Toni McGee Causey

3⭐️

It kind of reminded me of how I felt about the Stephanie Plum books. Crass but not gross, purposefully messy heroines, and a wacky cast of friends, enemies, and families. I don’t think I ever felt like Bobbie Faye was centered enough - she felt like more a plot catalyst than a character. 


We Solve Murders

Richard Osman 

4⭐️

I was ready to not like this book. I struggled on 3 attempts at reading The Thursday Murder Club and could never get into it. The start of this was the same - Steve and Amy didn’t grab me; it all felt so contrived. But, I stuck with it and then it really grabbed me. It’s broad characters and wild connections and lightly explained violence: basically, a great palate cleansing murder mystery that touches your heart without grabbing it. 


Silent Voices

Ann Cleeves

4⭐️

The mystery really grabbed me in this one; motherhood and messy connections and loss. I appreciated hearing more from Joe, but still have to wonder why he stays working with Vera. Honestly, I struggle with Vera as a character. There’s almost a lack of depth - she’s been made a blurry person by her looks and her quirks. But, I flew through this because I had to know what would happen which says a lot for the plot, at least. 


Small Town, Big Magic

Hazel Beck

3.25⭐️

I wanted some witchy fluff and I mostly got that. There’s a lot of interesting bits here, but I think what I struggled with was how Emerson didn’t feel fully fleshed out. She was all tell and no show, more of a catchphrase than a character. The side characters were charming where they needed to be (if more sketches than complex) and the villains messy, which I appreciated vs them being one note. I might give the series another book to see if it grabs me more.  


I’m loving my Saturday library hold pickup routine - and a stop by the coffee shop next door only makes it more fun, haha! 


A heavy week in so many ways. I’m so grateful for books to dive into to help slow the doomscroll and keep my mind occupied. 

Comments

  1. NicoleNovember 17, 2024 at 9:55 AM

    I haven't read a single one of those! I just finished Long Island Compromise and it was incredible.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lindsay42November 20, 2024 at 8:40 AM

      I saw this before I read your post this week and was like "does that mean the same thing I think it means?!!?" haha!

      Delete
  2. JennyNovember 17, 2024 at 10:45 AM

    I haven't read any of these either, but I have read two other Ann Cleeves, thanks to you. I really like her books, and this one sounds good. I'll definitely go on to read the other books (I started the Vera series) at some point. And, since I trust you, I MIGHT try the Richard Osman book. Up until now I just felt like his books were not for me, but maybe this one is.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lindsay42November 20, 2024 at 8:41 AM

      I really thought I'd DNF the Osman book - I don't want to oversell it, though! But I did enjoy it and kept going after the first 50 pages which is more than I can say about the others, haha!

      Delete
  3. Mom of ChildrenNovember 18, 2024 at 8:35 AM

    I think I may like the Silent Voices. I just finished The Need by Helen Phillips and liked it despite the fact that I usually don't dig the magic realism elements in a book. Just found Ann Cleeves at my Libby app.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lindsay42November 20, 2024 at 8:42 AM

      I am really enjoying Ann Cleeve's Vera series - I didn't LOVE the first but they have slowly won me over. Her Shetland series was great!

      Delete
  4. NGSNovember 18, 2024 at 8:57 AM

    I thought Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore was going to be a fun book because the cover looked vaguely cheerful. I was wrong. Never have I been so unprepared for the first ten pages of a book!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lindsay42November 20, 2024 at 8:42 AM

      Oh my stars, SAME! Not what I expected from how the book was "sold" to me.

      Delete

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