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.

Obitchuary

 Book 92 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read from December 3 - 8

Obitchuary

by Spencer Henry and Madison Reyes

My Opinion

3 stars

This is on the low end of 3 stars because I'm the target audience for a book with this subject and I was only "meh" interested.  It wasn't awful but it didn't stick with me either.

I did love the line, "Age is a number, and mine's unlisted", from Mickey Easterling's obituary, and the idea of a heart being removed from a body that died too far away from home to travel so at least a part of them could be buried in their area was beautiful.

The Keep

Book 91 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read from November 29 - December 2

The Keep

by Jennifer Egan

My Opinion

4 stars

This is the kind of book that I can't really describe even after reading it.  It gave me Shutter Island vibes with the gothic, isolated setting and unclear narration.  

I'm pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this book so much because I usually get frustrated quickly when I can't get a firm grasp on what's happening.  But this book sailed along and even though it didn't make sense, it made sense.  If that makes sense.  Like the characters weren't acting rationally and there were fantastical elements but they were also acting in a way that made sense based on how they were written.  Alternating scenes from the castle to the prison helped a lot.

 

Dead Feminists

 Book 90 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read from November 26 - December 1

Dead Feminists: Historic Heroines in Living Color

by Chandler O'Leary & Jessica Spring

My Opinion

3 stars

This book was an unique combination of information about historic women as well as the art design behind creating the series of broadsides that honor them.  It was really nice to have the extra "behind-the-scenes" details broken down to give more resonance to each creation.

When I went to their website for further information, I was sorry to learn that Chandler O'Leary passed away last year.