WWW Wednesday - August 13

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I am in the middle of Dear Miss Lake by A.J. Pearce, fourth book about Emmy, the advice columnist for the Women’s Friend magazine. The entire staff has temporarily relocated to the country, which is a welcome break from the stress of bombing. This series is just delightful! But do start with book 1, Dear Mrs. Bird.

I am also reading this article: 9 Books About Female Friendship in Every Decade of Life by Michelle Herman, a Betsy-Tacy fan.  My book group is meeting tonight and I am bringing copies because there are some intriguing recommendations.

Recently Finished

I spent more than a week listening to All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker. It’s about two misfits who become friends at 13; it’s got a serial killer, mesmerizing artwork, orphans, bullying, bribery, and much more. It was certainly unusual and had some memorable characters but I thought it really dragged in the middle. I was reminded of The Goldfinch, another book I felt would never end, although in both instances I was sufficiently intrigued to keep reading.

I just read The Great Misfortune of Stella Sedgwick by S. Isabelle, which was a poorly written version of Bridgerton. From the grammatical mistake on page 1 to a 19th century British heroine and her friends saying, “Okay” to each other, this was a big disappointment. So sloppy! So anachronistic! Why does such drivel get published?  Or not edited if they feel it has commercial potential?  Wouldn't that sell more copies?

Next Up

I have a couple days off this week and am looking forward to some uninterrupted reading. I have from the library Welcome to Murder Week by Karen Dukess: When Cath goes through her deceased mother's things, she find tickets for an upcoming "murder week" in England's Peak District: a whole town has come together to stage a fake murder mystery to attract tourism to their quaint hamlet. Baffled but intrigued by her mother's secret purchase, Cath decides to go on the trip herself.

Biographer Paula Byrne has written a novel about Jane Austen, Six Weeks by the Sea. It’s set during a six-week seaside visit the Austens spent in Sidmouth and has received great reviews. Byrne also wrote a book about Dido Belle called Belle: The Slave Daughter and the Lord Chief Justice that was made into a movie.

I also have Guy Gavriel Kay's newest book for my mother and Michael Connelly's newest book for me.

What are you reading this week?