Hi all! I’ve decided to do a weekly update post at the end of each week (hopefully), recapping what I’ve been up to, reading-wise. This week, I’ve gotten a few new books, done some reading, but mainly, I’ve been busy with work stuff (so sad). I’ll be traveling abroad in a few weeks, but hopefully I can stick to my schedule, which is my first update!
I want to try and post on Fridays, Mondays and Wednesdays, though this is not super strict, since I will be traveling soon, and eventually going back to school, which will be very busy. But for now, I’ll do my best to create content for you all weekly!
Now for the fun part–books!
Inbox:
My neighborhood holds a variety of “Little Free Library”-type things, and while I was walking my dog, I came across Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson. I think this may have Atkinson’s first novel, originally published in 1997. I believe this novel tells the story of a young girl, from conception (as specified in the summary!), and as she ages and grows older. If any of you have read it, let me know what you think, as I’ve yet to read any Atkinson novels!
I also got approved for The Night Child by Anna Quinn on Netgalley. I’m trying to begin grabbing a few more titles than I usually keep on hand, so that when I travel abroad I’ll have lots to read on my Kindle. I have to admit, I was hesitant about requesting this novel, but Lidia Yuknavitch, the author of, most recently, The Book of Joan, had a blurb praising it, so that intrigued me enough to go for it (while I haven’t read anything by Yukanvitch either, I have heard a few of her interviews and I really admire her). This novel tells the story of Nora, who sees a little girl’s ghostly face appear before her one day. This face appears again, inspiring intense fear within her. As Nora sees various doctors to try and find an answer, she moves closer and closer to a psychotic breakdown. It just sounds really dark and intense, so I’m excited to read it. The Night Child will be published on the 30th of January, 2018 by Blackstone Publishing (who I thank for providing me with this digital ARC!).
Outbox:This week I finished A Free Life by Ha Jin, which I am in the process of writing a review 
of, as well as My Last Lament by James William Brown. I really enjoyed My Last Lament, giving it four stars. I think it is a heartwarming and emotional coming-of-age story, told by a old Greek woman looking back upon her youth during World War II. I love war novels set between World War II and the Vietnam War, so I really enjoyed reading about a Greek perspective, which I’ve never been exposed to before. I enjoyed A Free Life less. It is very lengthy, which definitely began to grate on me towards the last 200 pages (yet somehow I just kept on reading!). I think it tells a really interesting and moving story about the struggles of being a Chinese immigrant in the United States, when you have no one to lean on but yourself, but I found it lacking in some areas. More to come in my review!
I am currently reading The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee, and Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore. I heard Radium Girls got a lot of love at BookExpo, which makes me really happy! I’m not very far into it right now, but I am LOVING it! Another WWI-related novel, and I have found myself empathizing with the women a lot so far. I’m really excited to get more into it. I am also really enjoying The Queen of the Night, which I’ve been wanting to read since it came out! I finally got a paperback in January, but it’s been sitting at home since then, so I’ve just finally gotten to it. And let me just say, my expectations are being very well met right now. I love the main character, Lilliet, and the story is so mysterious and secretive. I can’t wait to read more!
So that’s it for this week! I hope you all have a great weekend and read lots! Let me know if you’ve read any of these books, or what you think/have heard about them.
