Checked Out: Week 7

A rich white man commits suicide and leaves the vast majority of his fortune to his black housekeeper. In the 1980s. In the deep south. When the news hits, the gossip is a mile wide, and the lawyers come out of the woodwork to contest the will. And to add fuel to the fire, the lawyer who has been tapped to defend the final, handwritten will, is Jake Brigance, famous for his role in the previous novel in the series, A Time to Kill, by John Grisham.

Sycamore Row is the long-awaited sequel to A Time to Kill, and so far it definitely does not disappoint. It’s what I have Checked Out this week. I’m currently on page 192 and motoring right along. I’m so glad I saved it for now, and didn’t read it right away when it first came out a couple of months ago. But that’s not all I have here on my shelf. Here’s a list of what I have Checked Out for week 7:

1. Sycamore Row, by John Grisham
2. The Impossible Knife of Memory, by Laurie Halse Anderson
3. Pro Blogger, by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett
4. The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt

As you can see, I am reading a good variety of books this week. I had a conversation with my sister last night, who is reading a lot of short stories right now, and she inspired me to find a good book of short stories to read next. I have a book around here somewhere that includes selected short stories from last year that were supposedly good. I myself write short stories, so I’m surprised it took my sister to remind me that they are options to read as well.

I actually got back into The Impossible Knife of Memory this week, which is on my Nook, and my impressions to this point are that Halse Anderson uses a lot of swear words, which is authentic to the teenagers she writes about, and that there are a lot of serious issues that aren’t even remotely dealt with by this point. I think that by the end of the novel the “memory” aspect will come back with a vengeance and create a spiral that will be hard to get out of, even for the heroine.

I’ve also requested the next book in the Divergent series from the library, and I want to read the latest Bridget Jones book too. There are just so many interesting books out there. What are you reading lately?

Sam

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