My Week in Books // 6-9-21

Holy moly…we went from damp and cool weather to blistering hot overnight. We’ve had five days in a row with temperatures at 95 degrees or higher…and we’re barely into June! I have a feeling it’s going to be a long, hot summer…I’m okay with that as long as we’re at the lake!

I only got through one book this week – but I’m in the middle of several. I’m around the 60% mark in Lida Taddeo’s fiction debut, Animal, but I think it’s going to be a DNF for me. I’m also around the 60% mark on the audiobook, Empire of Pain. While I like it, I am bored. I’m well aware of the OxyContin epidemic epidemic and how corrupt Big Pharma is, so it’s just not holding my attention. I think for a lot of people that haven’t read about the issues presented in this book, it will be an insightful and enlightening read, but I’m not sure I’ll be devoting any more of my time to this one.

How about you? Did you have a good reading week? Tell me about it!

What Comes After by JoAnne Tompkins

After reading the first chapter, I thought I was in for a fast-paced book, but it’s definitely more of a slow burn. It took me a minute to get into this one, but once I finally did, I really enjoyed it. It’s an intense exploration of some really tough topics: murder/suicide; abandonment; trauma; abuse; and grief; but also, forgiveness, strength, forgiveness, and survival. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I LIVE for books that hit me straight in the gut. Books that make me want to weep and throw them across the room. They dig into my soul, and then stick with me forever. I think that’s how I’m going to feel about this one for a really long time.

(#partner #freebooks: All books noted by asterisks (***) indicate I received the book for free from the publisher, the author, or another promotional company to review. All opinions are my own.)