Hi all,

As you may be aware, I attempted a Spring Reading List and figured I’d have all five books done and dusted by the end of Spring. Oh, how wrong I was. Instead, four of the five are still unread and I apparently hate The Great Gatsby as spoken about in my update post. I’m not sure if that one book put me off reading the rest or I just got lazy. Nevertheless, I’m starting from fresh with a completely new list of books I’ll read over the next couple of months.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Blurb

Mariam is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry Rasheed.

Nearly two decades later, a friendship grows between Mariam and a local teenager, Laila, as strong as the ties between mother and daughter.

When the Taliban take over, life becomes a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear.

Yet love can move a person to act in unexpected ways, and lead them to overcome the most daunting obstacles with a startling heroism.

My Thoughts

My friend is absolutely obsessed with this author and we got talking about this novel which led to me wanting to read it immediately. I’m only a few pages in currently so it’ll be a while before it’s finished but I’m looking forward to really delving into this one. I adored ‘The Kite Runner’ (even though it broke my heart) so I’m hoping to feel the same about this one too!

After Anna by Alex Lake

Blurb

A girl is missing. Five years old, taken from outside her school. She has vanished, traceless.

The police are at a loss; her parents are beyond grief. Their daughter is lost forever, perhaps dead, perhaps enslaved.

But the biggest mystery is yet to come: one week after she was abducted, their daughter is returned.

She has no memory of where she has been. And this, for her mother, is just the beginning of the nightmare.

My Thoughts

I am interested to see where this novel will take the reader. As far as psychological thrillers go, they are usually my novel genre of choice because they tend to be the most gripping. I’m definitely curious to what the nightmare entails.

Copper Sky by Milana Marsenich

Set in the Copper Camp of Butte, Montana in 1917, Copper Sky tells the story of two women with opposite lives.

Kaly Shane, mired in prostitution, struggles to find a safe home for her unborn child, while Marika Lailich, a Slavic immigrant, dodges a pre-arranged marriage to become a doctor.

As their paths cross, and they become unlikely friends, neither knows the family secret that ties them together.

My Thoughts

It’s always interesting when characters stories get the opportunity to intertwine due to unlikely events. A family secret often leads characters down a dark path, I wonder where it’ll take these women. I’m sure this will be an interesting read.

Winter Gets Hot by David M. Hamlin

Winter in Chicago journalist Emily Winter is the first reporter on the scene of a gruesome murder in the offices of CARD, a civic organisation that investigates corruption in City Hall.

Although she has proven herself to be a skilled reporter with at least one headline making story to her credit, her new TV boss assigns her to a more “ladylike” beat—lifestyle and feature stories.

Determined to overcome the sexism that inhibits her career, Emily works her way into hard news coverage, including the story of the murder at CARD, but she faces major obstacles on all fronts as she pursues the killer.

As the case twists and turns, Emily navigates the city she loves, relishing Chicago’s architecture, neighbourhood restaurants, culture and her beloved, if hapless, Chicago Cubs.

Will she uncover the murderer and bring justice for those who depend on hard-working journalists to write the stories that define their lives?

My Thoughts

Here is a crime novel which is another love of mine. More often than not, crime and psychological thrillers often become one in the same in my opinion. This one caught my attention as I’m studying Journalism. It’s cool to see books that have a journalist as the protagonist. I’m interested to see how she overcomes stereotypes she’s faced with in the newsroom.

A Conversation with a Cat by Stephen Spotte

Blurb

Stephen Spotte’s imaginative novel recounts the tales of a scroungy former alley cat named Jinx, whose memories aren’t just his own but those of other cats who existed before him, one of which was Annipe, Cleopatra’s pampered pet.

Through Annipe’s eyes the ancient Mediterranean world of Cleopatra and her legendary lovers, Caesar and Antony, spread before us in all its glory, pathos, and absurdity.

Jinx reveals these stories telepathically one night to his stoned and inebriated owner just home after gall bladder surgery.

Annipe’s memories are bookended by Jinx’s own that detail his early scavenging days in bleak urban alleys.

My Thoughts

I’ve never read a novel from the perspective of a cat before which I find incredibly interesting and imaginative. It’ll be really fascinating to see what twists and turns this book has to offer. I’m hoping for some beautifully descriptive moments as well about the scenic areas in the Ancient Mediterranean.

Well that’s all from me. Which books are on your ‘To Be Read’ pile? Would you be likely to give any of these books a try?

Until Next Time,

Luce xo