Reading! And, Update on the Update
First things first! Yesterday I mentioned green tea has been making me nauseous. One suggestion on the internet is to make sure it’s very hot, which seems to help (don’t ask me why). When I’m drinking it at home, I can put it in the microwave when it starts to cool down- this doesn’t work of course if I’m sitting at Starbucks. I drank my tea piping hot today and had no issues. Let’s talk about reading! I finished three very different books this week. First up was: I think you would describe this as “cozy fantasy” which isn’t a genre I would normally be interested in. But my son really wanted me to read this, so I did, and enjoyed it. It’s a magical story about… a moving castle, and the odd cast of characters who live there. There’s a witch, lots of magic spells, a dog, and some romance. It’s very cute, and I appreciated the humor. But because “cozy fantasy” isn’t my genre, I wouldn’t go on to read any of the other books in this series. Next, for something completely different, I read: This is a police procedural set in Norway. In the first chapter, a six-year-old girl is found hanging lifeless from a tree and dressed in doll’s clothes. Around her neck is a sign that says “I’m traveling alone.” A serial killer is on the loose. Despite the grizzly premise, I liked this book! We get a lot of details about the personal lives of the two investigators, which I enjoyed. In the past I haven’t loved police procedurals, but these days I’m liking them more and more. There’s a second book in this series, which I’ll read at some point. There are so many books on my TBR, I don’t want to repeat authors right now. But I’ll get back to it. And then, for another change of pace, I read: I had complicated feelings about this one. Meredith from Currently Reading Podcast absolutely loved it, so I went in with high expectations. This book is described as “a missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each.” The writing could be described as “poetic”, and I prefer a more straightforward writing style in my novels. The storylines of obsessive, unrequited love seemed fairy tale-ish to me, and I don’t love that. BUT! It is a mystery, and the ending is very, very satisfying. But it’s long and convoluted- I’m glad I read it to see what the hype is about, but I wouldn’t read anything else by this author. Next up… a mystery that takes place in Palm Beach, Florida: Have you read any of these books? What are you reading now? Top photo by Ed Robertson on Unsplash