Friday, October 30, 2020

October 2020 Books I read



American Serengeti by Dan Flores (library) basically a look at the Great Plains of North America and the animals that used to be there to today. 
A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin (library) His first book and a really good mystery thriller
All the Beautiful Lies by Peter Swanson (library) great thriller, I am working my way through all his books right now
Dead Wake by Eric Larson (audiobook) The story of the Lusitania, very good and I learned a lot.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell (library) creepy, very Lolita-esque told from the point of view of the girl. 
Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish Growing up on an Iowa farm during the Great Depression. Wonderful stories
Flyover Lives by Diane Johnson memoir about growing up in Illinois and "escaping" to travel the world but coming to terms with her mid-western roots. 
The Water's Lovely by Ruth Rendell psychological murder mystery. I always enjoy Ruth Rendell. 
Deep End by Geoffrey Norman The last of the Morgan Hunt mysteries. I did enjoy these Florida books by Norman
Murder on the Air by Ric Meyers A look at TV detectives from Martin Kane, Private Eye to Magnum, PI  Lots of behind the scenes info about some of my favorite TV series from Ellery Queen to Columbo to Murder She Wrote. If you are a TV detective fan, this is a fun book.  He has another one called TV Detectives that I am on the hunt for now too. 
The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane by Laird Koenig How many remember the movie with Jodie Foster? Nice and creepy for Halloween. And you know the book is always best. 
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey (library) almost like a fairy tale, set in the Alaskan outback during winter. I really liked it's otherworldly atmosphere
One Across, Two Down by Ruth Rendell (library) classic Ruth Rendell always enjoyable mystery
Firefly Cloak by Sheri Reynolds  dysfunctional family drama dealing with death and abandonment. 
Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith (library) rereading again after many years. So good
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel (library) a bit disjointed and confusing. I would just rate it a so/so
The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair (library) I think I am going to have to buy this book. It really is one of my favorites that I have read this year. It tells the story of colors from optics and light to artist palettes and pigments. 
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (library) maybe because of the title, but I went into this expecting the over the top drama that you see on Mexican soaps and that is what I got from it. It was good, very soapy in my opinion
Quitter: A Memoir of Drinking by Erica C. Bartnett (library) memoir of an alcoholic who quits then relapses, quits again and relapses again etc etc. How the AA, 28 days detox strategy does not work for everyone. Every addict is different. 
Coma by Robin Cook (library) recently watched the movie, so rereading a classic! 
Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson (library) The entire time I was reading this, I felt like I had read it before. It has some similarities with other thrillers I have read for sure. 
The Searcher by Tana French (library) I really enjoyed it.  An ex Chicago cop retires to a quiet Irish village and gets involved in a Missing Persons case.  Lots of really quaint Irish atmosphere. Makes me want to go retire there. 

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