Another year, so many more books to read! So here we go!
Never Lie by Frieda McFadden
I gotta be honest. I know she’s written a lot of books, and this was recommended as a “must read”, but I hated it. Not to insult myself, but her writing is too casual (like mine generally is) for such a dark theme. Not to give anything away, but the complete personality shift of the main character blew my attention completely out of the book. I only finished it because I’m a checkboxer.
The Institute by Stephen King
Did I think maybe this had some kind of connection to the Fallout series? Maybe. Did it? No. But Stephen King knows how to write and after I’d read Fairy Tale and thoroughly enjoyed it, I had started a new book (A Prayer for Owen Meany — I’m halfway through it and it feels like I’ve been reading it my entire adult life) but decided it was moving too slowly so I picked this up instead. Pretty good story. Kept me guessing. And he knows how to turn a phrase. Finished it quickly.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
I thought I had this book all figured out. It kept coming up as a recommendation, so I was like, “I dunno…the last one was kind of a dud…” but I persevered and went for it. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat, like I expected to be. I thought Mrs. Danvers was going to have a much larger role in the story than she did, and I was totally wrong on how I thought it would end. Also, a few plot points that were cleaned up a bit too neatly for my tastes, but it could be my “modern-day-woman” thinking attributing to a book written many decades ago. Daphne really knows how to illustrate a character’s mood, though. She was masterful.
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
I just started this and I have absolutely no idea what it’s about other than I think Matt Damon starred as Mr. Ripley in a movie a decade or so ago. So wish me luck! Stay tuned to off-the-cuff commentary once I’m done.
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