June 2022 Books I Read

 

Pushing Cool by Keith Wailoo (library) about the racist advertising aimed at Black consumers for menthol cigarettes

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (library) an interesting thriller set in Sausalito, CA and Austin, TX. 

The Hound of Death by Agatha Christie collection of short stories, one is the first incarnation of Witness for the Prosecution. 

Easy to Kill by Agatha Christie this one holds a fond place in my heart, because I think this was the very first Christie that I ever read. We bought it at a bookstore on Kauai, Hawaii in 1977. 

Steak by Mark Schatzker (library) another book about how food is just not as good as it used to be!

Mysterious Mr Quin by Agatha Christie short stories with a mysterious enigmatic Mr Quin

The Last Slave Ship by Ben Raines (library) the story of the Clotida and Africatown in Alabama. 

Something to Hide by Elizabeth George (library) ripped from the headlines. Lynley and Havers investigate deaths related to female genital mutilation among immigrants. It slogged on a bit and I found myself wanting to jump ahead to get to the good stuff. 

Billy Summers by Stephen King (library) really more of a thriller than a horror book. I quite enjoyed it. 

The Peach Rebellion by Wendelin Van Draanen (library) set in 1930's with immigrant migrant workers and 3 young girls who bond despite different backgrounds. 

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (audiobook) It has been decades since I read this book and it was fun to listen to it in the car.

An American Marriage by  Tayan Jones (library) I wasn't excited about reading this, picked it for my summer reading bingo card for the Seattle Library, but I was pleasantly surprised. A man and woman are married and he gets falsely charged with rape and incarcerated --she sticks by him for a while (he is innocent), but she finally goes back to an old boyfriend and wants out of the marriage. Then he gets released early from jail (the charge finally overturned) but it has been 5 years and he wants to get back together, but she has moved on. Set in Louisiana and Georgia.

Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole (library) a lesbian love story, which basically is just a regular love story, but the characters happen to be lesbians. Also picked for the summer reading bingo. This one reads like a Harlequin or a Hallmark movie type love story. 

The Intuitionist by Colon Whitehead (library) fantasy/sci-fi in a world wear elevators are new and amazing technology. I had a hard time getting into this one. But it all boils down to a mystery at it's heart. An elevator accident happened and a woman is being framed for the responsibility of it.She is trying to clear her name and figure out what really happened. 

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie still trying to read all of Agatha Christie before the end of the year. I still have about 47 more books to read yet!!!

Murder in the Mews by Agatha Christie (library) this one is actually 4 novellas. Easy reading and fun to pick up and put down again when I am reading at work. 

The Power of Regret by Daniel Pink (library) extremely interesting book about regret and how it affects our lives

Atonement by Ian McEwan (audiobook) UGH why did I listen to this? This book makes me so angry (and the movie) I think Briony is the most self absorbed, selfish, arrogant, self important character in all of literature. Every time I read or hear or see the movie I get angry all over again. It is a tragic tragic tragic story. be warned --I only read it because I needed to read something with an unreliable narrator for my summer reading bingo this year. As my evidence, when the older Briony is a nurse and comforting a dying soldier, she wants him to say her name (when he is mistaking her for someone he knew)  Because it is all about HER. She is being a nurse as her "penance" but she is still the star of her imaginings. UGH And so she as a writer creates this alternate reality where Cecilia and Robbie are together like a GOD (which they say in the book, about writers being like God) UGH the whole thing makes me angry all over again