The Bad Friend

 Book 99 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read from December 20 - 21

The Bad Friend

by Caroline Kepnes

My Opinion

2 stars

This short story is part of the Never Tell collection available through Prime Reading.  When I woke up this morning and got onto my Mac, this story popped up because I'd started reading it yesterday but walked away and completely forgot about it.  That's not a good sign.  Also, the story itself was an odd combination of people being so distant they didn't know the basics about each other yet also telling deep secrets within 5 minutes of seeing each other because it was needed for the plot.

Jackrabbit Skin

 Book 98 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read on December 20

Jackrabbit Skin

by Ivy Pochoda

My Opinion

5 stars

This short story is part of the Never Tell collection available through Prime Reading.  It was absorbing and so vivid even with the starkness of the land and loneliness.

Scorpions

 Book 97 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read on December 14

Scorpions

by Rachel Howzell Hall

My Opinion

3 stars

This short story is part of the Never Tell collection available through Prime Reading.  It was fine while I was reading it but unmemorable when it was over.  I wish there had been a more resolute ending.

The Other Side of the Road

 Book 96 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read on December 11

The Other Side of the Road

by Andrea Bartz

My Opinion

3 stars

This short story is part of the Never Tell collection available through Prime Reading.  The story kept my interest but it was so heavy-handed on the suspicion toward one person that I knew that wouldn't be the outcome and a "twist" was coming.

The Ghost Writer

 Book 95 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read on December 10

The Ghost Writer

by Loreth Anne White

My Opinion

5 stars

This short story is part of the Never Tell collection available through Prime Reading.  It was gripping from beginning to end and I was constantly flipping on who was telling the truth.

I've heard a lot about this author recently and will definitely read her novels.

Everywhere You Look

 Book 94 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read on December 10

Everywhere You Look

by Liv Constantine

My Opinion

1 star

This short story is part of the Never Tell collection available through Prime Reading.  There were too many things that happened so implausibly that I couldn't come close to justifying it.  To have something be secret for 10 years (and actually almost her whole life) just to come together and be solved in 48 hours was a letdown, even without the unnecessary shoehorn of the plagiarism.

Good Wives

 Book 93 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read from November 16 - December 9

Good Wives: Image and Reality in the Lives of Women 

in Northern New England, 1650 - 1750

by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

My Opinion

2 stars

I know, I know, how am I going to complain about how dry this book was with a title like that?  But the cover is beautiful and it's a thinnish book and I really thought it would read like engaging non-fiction.  Unfortunately that wasn't the case and although there were pockets of interest, I found myself zoning out frequently while reading.  I would not be able to pass a test on the information I just read.

So why 2 stars instead of 1?  Because the book is well-researched and could be a good resource to someone.  So it could have a purpose, just not in my casual reading.