Sunday, August 6, 2023

Monday Mini-Reviews: It's August Which Means My Reading is Slowing Down

 Now that the days of summer break are truly numbered, I can tell my reading is slowing down.  I continue to try and pick up some books to read, but I can tell my attention isn't on what I'm reading. Instead I'm thinking about school and constructing my mental to-do list.  

I've still got a few to share this week, and can hopefully focus again very soon so I can enjoy the books that I have sitting around here.




Hello, Stranger by Katherine Center- you know, I take credit for the early discovery of Center since I read her very first book as an ARC (and all the others that have come after). I still enjoy her novels, but maybe not quite as much as I once did since she seems to be on the yearly publication cycle.  In this newest romance, Sadie is finally seeing some success with her career as a portrait artist. Until she has brain surgery that results in temporary (hopefully) facial blindness. This hurts her professionally, but it also throws Sadie for a loop in her personal life.  This is a nice romance and Center fans will enjoy themselves once again.  


All The Sinners Bleed by S A Cosby - when I think of Cosby, the word gritty comes to mind. Last year I read and enjoyed Razorblade Tears and as soon as I heard this one was coming out, I quickly preordered it.  Titus has returned home to help care for his father and look out for his brother. He's the first black sheriff in the county, a place where discrimination is the norm.  When a school shooting takes place, killing a beloved teacher-  and Titus' officer fired the shot that killed the teenage gunman- the community is in an uproar.  Titus is in charge of the investigation and the secrets that are uncovered isn't what anyone was expecting.  This is the title we'll be discussing at book club later this month, and with issues of race in the South, I think we will have plenty to discuss.


Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent- I've been seeing this one all over Instagram and gladly endorse it right along with everyone else.  I read this during a layover and flight home from Montgomery, AL, a week ago and actually was happy to have time to devote to this book. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. Sally Diamond was adopted by her parents after some childhood trauma.  Sally doesn't remember anything before her seventh birthday, but she becomes the source of media attention after her father dies and she takes it upon herself to burn his remains.  As the story unfolds the secrets of Sally's past are revealed.  I am never opposed to an ambiguous ending with things left up in the air, and that is the case in this novel.  I already handed this one to my mom who generally enjoys suspense.


I'm hoping I can stay awake long enough tonight to finish up another solid novel I started just yesterday, and will be stopping at the library tomorrow to pick up a bunch of holds that have come in for me.

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