One of my resolutions, or new year challenges for 2018 was to read 50 books. Here are the titles I read in January (it was a lot as I spent most of that month on a beach in Goa). This month has been super busy so I’ve only managed a bit of reading – BUT some absolutely excellent books. Here are the novels I enjoyed in February…
The Most Dangerous Place on Earth by Lindsey Lee Johnson
This is probably aimed at the YA audience, but it’s a laser-sharp look at life in a suburban high school. In a series of interconnected stories from the point of view of multiple characters, a picture of teenage life is drawn accurately and thoughtfully. We meet typical teenage stereotypes that are then torn apart when you scratch the surface. Each narrative feels like a thread that stops suddenly then gets picked up, which makes for an interesting reading experience.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
I loved this book. It definitely lives up to the hype and I finished this in one sitting. The titular Eleanor is a self-contained, anti-social girl – when an incident forces her life open and introduces her back into the world. Each character is thoughtfully written and some of Eleanor’s comments will have you laughing out loud. Her sad past and some parts of the book will have you in tears though. Just an excellent, excellent book.
Dead Girls by Abigail Tarttelin
I was a little dubious at first when reading this. The subject matter is pretty dark, but the narrator is an eleven-year-old girl and most of the characters are primary school age – so it’s a little jarring. But I guess that’s the point and it’s really refreshing to read children portrayed in this way, rather than angel-faced innocents. After a friend dies, Thera takes it upon herself to find the killer with… unexpected results. I don’t want to spoil this book but after I finished reading I literally had the face of Kevin from Home Alone for about 30 minutes.
I’ll Be Gone in The Dark by Michelle McNamara
This book was written by the author of an unsolved crimes blog, quite well-known by all accounts, and she is a super (amateur) sleuth. The book delves into the case of the East Area Rapist who also, due to new DNA technology, was revealed to be the culprit of tens of other unsolved murders. McNamara leaves no stone unturned as she pieces together his many crimes and tries to find out just who this man is. I really enjoyed this book but it slowed towards the end. Rap, rape, rape, murder, murder, murder. The author sadly died before completion so the book was finished by friends – which might explain the change of pace.
That’s February, I’ve just started my first audio book… Fire and Fury: Inside The Trump Whitehouse by Michael Wolff, so that’s exciting. Plus, I have a GIANT stack of ‘to read’ for next month.
What are you reading – comment with suggestions.
Chez Shez 