Not a lot of reading this month owing to being busy and time away.
What You Are Looking if Is in the Library (audio), Michiko Aoyama, read by various
A charming pleasant listen with some life advice told by various characters who all visit a library, given guidance by the enigmatic librarian. Not sure what I was expecting, and I wouldn’t usually have chosen this, but some elements resonated and had me nodding. It’s too easy to get wrapped up in the worst occurrences when things go wrong, and these stories give us that much-needed poke to remember there’s more than one way to look at many situations.
The House That Horror Built, Christina Henry
I liked a lot about this book, though I guessed the way it was going, and even though it seemed to take a couple of twists, I predicted the ending. The style strikes me as YA and if that’s the intended market, then the book is excellent, though there’s enough light entertainment here for adults. I’ve another book by this author to get to.
Old Country, Matt Query & Harrison Query
I enjoyed this much more than I expected to as I often dislike books told in first person in two or multiple points of view, but this worked well in this book even though third person POV remains the best. The parts I disliked were more to do with the realities of living in the wilderness, farm life, and having to hunt. There were also moments when I was silently screaming in worry for the dog, the best character in the book. I cared much more about what happened to any animal than any of the humans. Much about Harry actually irritated me, and I cared least about him… until late in the book. This novel is the perfect example of why flawed characters are not only interesting but necessary. The plot wouldn’t have worked without the juxtaposition of Harry and Sasha’s relationship. People do things without thinking or with the best intentions that affect the lives of others, and sometimes, this applies to Harry. The ending is satisfying although I feel it has a slight plot hole if one wants to be pedantic, but I can’t say why without giving everything away. Delightfully creepy in expected places, scenes that would make a decent film.
