May Reading

I read In the Miso Soup while travelling in Japan had pretty much had to finish it on one day (on a train and then plane, and then got up early the next day to finish it). It's a horrible story but the menace is brilliantly created - you never quite know if it's real or not. That doubt you have when your intuition tells you something is off and then you start to question if you're just making it up. Piercing takes a little longer to start and for awhile felt like a clumsier attempt at the same, but then there's a shift and it's funny how you process the story. It's prompted me to order two more of his works. These are not pleasant stories, nor for the faint hearted but the artistry in the writing is worth it (for me at least, it's not for everyone).

I went and saw Kara Swisher talk and really enjoyed it. I found her very interesting so gave Burn Book a go. It's about all the tech leaders, and a little on the tech evolution. I found it amazing that most of the tech changes were really only 20 years ago. I can't remember life before it, and yet, I lived half my life without it. I enjoyed this book, and there's a lot to think about. Niche history, I guess you'd call it. Yet history that changed the world, both in lifestyle, dependance and influence - political and global.

This book I didn't love as much as my friend who recommended it, similar to the Before the coffee gets cold or Lost Recipes books, but with a library. If you like those, you'll like this. I just found it less charming (in the true sense) as those ones. Ironically, my friend loves this one, but didn't like the Coffee gets cold series. I'm the reverse....

This was a book club book by a local author. It has some good ideas but it didn't really work for me. I would have liked the Dice Man aspect explored more and I found the rom com movie aspect too predictable. There was one thing I didn't see coming and it's easy and fun.

I am not a fan of Matt Haig's fiction but I did like this one. I think there is something in it for everyone. I like the idea of advice helping when you need it most but you don't have to be looking for a life raft to learn something. It's a short book, and it little bits so you don't have to commit much time in any one sitting. Which I think is also good for people feeling overwhelmed or depressed. I really liked the bit about lighthouses, and we don't always need to be reading out to people.

Note spoiler in Trigger warning discussed.

I assumed this was junk crime but there's a little more too it than that. I like that the protagonist is a woman. I like the murky complexity. I do think it needs a trigger warning as I found it quite upsetting in one part re the loss of a child and the emotional fallout in grief. It's not a must read brilliant literature but there is a bit more to it than the cover implies.

I did enjoy it more than I expected to.

Linking with #WOYBS  #AGoodBook