Let's Talk About Books

Don't read this in the tub. It removes all motivation to get out.

This book is getting hard to put down!

So, fun fact: I used to work in caves. It was all walking tour accessible but it gave me an appreciation for the caving sport. Caving is on my bucket list for sure. 

Anyway, I've ended my reading slump with this book, thanks to a gift card from Barnes and Noble. Isn't life neat? 

My Book Club decided this would be our next book. I just got it on audiobook today. I made it about 10 minutes in before having to call it quits. The writing is awesome. I just can't handle anything discussing medicine and illnesses. Just listening to descriptions of a woman's leukemia symptoms practically gave me a panic attack. 

I can read books about serial killers and horrible murders all day long. Can't handle cancer though. 

It really is a bummer. It seemed like it would be a good read. 

We all have them. I'm definitely in one now. I think it's just I don't want to read the books I have started/need to read right now. Like N0S4A2. Just not in the mood. Maybe I need to read something different to break it up. Not sure what though. It's a conundrum. 

Anyway, I don't think I'll be doing bingo this year. I love it, I just can't even THINK about reading books right now. It's a bummer. 

Okay, not exactly book-related, but what kind of friend would I be if I didn't try?

Some dear friends of mine are working hard to make their dream a reality. Beginning August 12, you will be able to listen to Bard Time Stories: A D&D 5e Podcast. I know there are books based off of the lore of Dungeons and Dragons, so I figured, why not spread the word? If you or someone you know enjoys the time of entertainment Bard Time Stories will offer, be sure to tune in! Link is in the title!

Thank you. As you were. 

These are the questions I came up with at Book Club this last week. Feel free to use them for your own. 

1: Why do you think McNamara blended her story with that of the GSK? How does her story parallel? 

2: What genre would you classify this book as: Memoir or True Crime?

3: The book gained high publicity due to McNamara's death and the arrest of the GSK. How do you feel the book holds up to the hype?

4: Traditionally, true crime is told chronologically. This one is not. Why do you think McNamara made this choice? What effect does it have on the narrative?

5: McNamara mentions obsession frequently during the book and draws comparisons between her obsessions and the killer's. Why do you think she does this? 

6: The true crime community has been criticized for glorifying the killers and forgetting the victims. How do you think McNamara handles this scenario? 

With only a few hours left of July, I have finished! 

So as mentioned in a previous post, I feel like this book was hyped more than deserved. It's promoted as something groundbreaking full of new information. But as I read, I found that not only did none of it seem groundbreaking, but none of it felt new either. I've listened to Generation Why's episode on the case - my first introduction - as well as Casefile's multi-part series. The latter especially seemed more in-depth, explaining not only the facts of the case but the cultural changes related to the case relevant to the investigation (apparently the rape kit came to prominence around the same time this creep was active). Compared to the detail and explanations these podcasts gave, this book felt shallow.

At book club this past Sunday, I realized a key reason WHY this book felt disappointing to me: I was already familiar with the case AND a true crime junkie. If this is your first exposure to the case, it's as terrifying as Gen Why's podcast was to me on a plane. So keep that in mind if you want to read it: if you're familiar with the case and/or true crime, it probably won't be as mind-blowing to you if you're not. I'm glad we discussed it at book club because it definitely gave me a new appreciation for the unique structure this book has compared to something like The Stranger Beside Me or In Cold Blood.

I had to smile towards the end because I can remember what I was doing that day. I first learned about the arrest on Twitter, but when I learned about the identity of the killer himself, I was in jail. It was for a training and I was just standing in the lobby but still. Oddly fitting. I sat there, watching them discussing this enigma on the TV and I just thought, "This is incredible. This is like my 9/11 or Kennedy Assassination". Less than a year before, I had been listening to two podcasters speculate whether we'd ever have answers. I'm glad we do now.

Final rating; 4 out of 5 stars.

Final thought: The biggest tragedy is that McNamara didn't get to finish this book herself. She was an incredible writer and I can only imagine what the book would have looked like had she lived. The Letter to an Old Man is without a doubt the best part of the book.

To be honest, this feels more like one of those books that got more than is actually due. It's good, but not the amazing true crime read I was expecting it to be.

Listened to this one on audiobook. It's hard not to like Anne Rule and this is the first of her multi-case collections I've listened to. I think she did an excellent job of choosing the cases as for the most part they all revolved a similar theme. There were a few that felt like they didn't fit her purpose quite as well but they were still good cases in their own way. 

Hindsight created weird feeling for me with the last story, a cold case that's still unsolved today. I couldn't help but think that Anne didn't live to see it solved which she expresses certainty that it will be. With the surge in cold cases being solved these days, I certainly hope her premonition was right.

Southern Fried and I have fallen behind in our buddy reads, but no longer! Together, we will read Close Call by Lori Foster! 

All right, we'll see how far on this list I'll actually get.

I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara

Fallout by Fred Pearce

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

Close Call by Lori Foster

I've been watching Chernobyl on HBO, which is fantastic for the record, and found this book at the library when I went last. Figured her it'd be a nice compliment to the show and so far it's giving me a lot more information to help understand the show. So far, a good random find. 

No big review because I'm tired but once again Foster nails it. I loved Leese and Cat's dynamic and the story had some pretty compelling edge to it. Well done, Ms Foster!

I volunteered to lead the July meeting of my cousin's book club. Here are my picks: 

A Head Full of Ghosts - Paul Tremblay (Because I haven't started it yet)

I'll Be Gone in the Dark - Michelle McNamara (Because I REALLY want to read it)

Women Talking - Miriam Toews (Because it sounds good!)

What do you guys think? Am I leading my book club in a good direction?