Bout of Books 31

by CarolNo Comments
Bout of Books 31 starts today! Here’s the info: The Bout of Books readathon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It's a weeklong readathon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 10th and runs through Sunday, May 16 in YOUR time zone. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are reading sprints, Twitter chats, and exclusive Instagram challenges, but they’re all completely optional. For all Bout of Books 31 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog.FROM THE BOUT OF BOOKS TEAM Reading-in-place times, or reading sprints, happen daily on Twitter. If you don’t have Twitter, make note of these times and report your reading progress on your platform of choice. 📚 10 a.m Eastern | 7 a.m. Pacific📚 4 p.m. Eastern | 1 p.m. Pacific📚 10:30 p.m. Eastern | 7:30 p.m. Pacific I’ll be keeping progress here, hopefully. I’ll also be on Twitter and Instragram. ...
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Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

by CarolNo Comments
Interior Chinatown merges the storyline of a TV crime procedural, Black and White, with the life Willis Wu. He and his parents live a fairly unremarkable existence in small one-room apartments in Chinatown. Their building is above the Golden Palace restaurant where the show is in constant production. Wu and his parents and most of their community drift in and out of the series, playing interchangeable parts and hoping their big break might someday come. And I think sometimes they work in the restaurant which seems to actually be a business, not just a set. Wu is often cast as as the "Generic Asian Man," and sees himself holding that role in real life too. It's a clever book, with parts written as a screenplay, parts as Wu's inner monologue, and using snippets of true historical documents. But maybe it's too clever. I appreciated the blurred lines between fiction and reality. I understand that America has been harming Asian...
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The Bounty by Janet Evanovich and Steve Hamilton

The Bounty by Janet Evanovich and Steve Hamilton

by Carol1 Comment
I thoroughly enjoyed The Bounty. That doesn't necessarily mean it's a good book, but for me, it was a lot of fun. Yes, it's over the top. No, it's not realistic. Don't expect character growth or believable scenes. There's non-stop action, decent chemistry between Nick and Kate, practically unstoppable bad guys, and a whirlwind tour of Europe. I will say the blurb is misleading in a couple of things. First, Quentin did not teach Nick everything he knows, Nick wasn't actually aware of much of what his dad was up to. They are very similar though. Second, Kate and Jake get along just fine. They recognize each other's skills and stubbornness and work well together. The story's a treasure hunt, with iconic places and dangerous obstacles. Even though it's not a scam, Nick's talents definitely have their uses. The bad guys are off course always right on Kate and Nick's trail and, for various reasons, Kate can't count on any official...
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Murder by Other Means by John Scalzi

Murder by Other Means by John Scalzi

by CarolNo Comments
First, go back and listen to The Dispatcher if you haven't already. Murder by Other Means is the sequel and I don't think it would be best as a stand-alone. The world is pretty much like our world except 99.9% of murder victims come back to life, transported from the murder scene to someplace they feel safe, usually their home. Tony Valdez is a dispatcher, someone who steps in and kills you when you’re at risk of an unintentional death, like a car accident or unsuccessful surgery, letting you live 99.9% of the time. This time around, Tony is taking some jobs that are maybe not as legal as he would like, but money is getting tight all around. It starts going awry when he is hired to help a businessman make it to China quicker than he could by plane. Then he's a witness to a bank robbery that goes bad. When people start dying and Tony needs...
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The Lost Village by Camilla Sten

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten

by CarolNo Comments
The Lost Village is trying to be both a ghost story and a mystery, and it left me a disappointed overall. Sixty years ago everyone in the village of Silvertjarn disappeared, leaving behind only a newborn baby and the body of a woman who was stoned to death in the square. Alice grew up with the story, her grandmother's parents and sister disappeared that day. Alice is determined to make a documentary based on the events in the town, hoping to find some answers in the process. Alice is not very likable- I'm not sure any of the characters are actually- well maybe one, mostly because we know the least about him. Things go badly for Alice and her friends/crew pretty quickly. We've got creepy abandoned houses, strange noises, "accidents." The Lost Village really does provide great atmosphere. Something out there is scary, but we can't see it clearly. Alice and her crew catch glimpses, but maybe it's just imagination, maybe the...
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