relaxed38. The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden – sequel to The Bear and the Nightingale which I read earlier this year – picks up the story almost immediately from the ending of the first book – I won this as a giveaway from Goodreads and will post a more thorough review there eventually – in a nutshell I loved it and can’t wait for the conclusion of the trilogy in January
39. This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel – a family with five sons goes on a literal and figurative journey when the youngest announces that he prefers to wear dresses – thought provoking and engaging story – based in part on the author’s experience of raising a transgender girl
40. If You Leave Me by Crystal Hana Kim – Korean War love triangle involving very cranky people – told from different perspectives spanning several years of a particular family’s life – sometimes the writing is too spare as we never fully get to know the characters or in some cases understand their motivations – depressing book with a beautiful cover
41. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi – promising young neurosurgeon develops lung cancer – this book did not wow me but I did find it to be beautiful and sad – fulfills the posthumous publication task for Read Harder
42. I Am the Only Running Footman by Martha Grimes – a young woman is murdered outside a London pub in the same manner as another young woman ten months previously near Bristol – part of the Richard Jury series – very much reminds me of a “typical” British mystery show that later shows up on PBS – October selection for a new mystery book club I’ve joined because I’m a knucklehead
