Just a few things for the weekend. I will be spending most of my reading time with Kate Quinn's The Alice Network which I have been reading for my bookclub. I was hesitant to pick it up as war stories tend to wear on me, but this has a slightly different spin and I am really quite enjoying it. It is a dual narrative set in WWI France and post-WWII London and France. Whenever I think of the French Occupation by the Germans I always think of WWII, but this is a story of a women's spy network in the First World War. There is a dash of humor in the more contemporary setting, but a loathsome hotelier and collaborator in the earlier thread which feels pretty smarmy. I am looking forward to seeing how it all comes together!
B&N announced their next Book Club read (I've been going to my local B&N's book club and we choose other books to read in between the 'big reads'. Marie Benedict's The Only Woman in the Room will be discussed February 5. I'll start it as soon as I finish the Quinn. It had been on my wishlist, so it was bumped up the list and I've already got my copy.
I've got a few other books I'll be dipping into as well this weekend.
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I've come across oodles of interesting things online to read in my 'spare time', so perhaps I'll corral them here.
If I do a little double dipping (or maybe triple dipping between my prompts and Read Harder and now my library's challenge), I might be able to complete my public library's 2019 Reading Challenge. It is actually pretty low key and I think they might have been inspired by Book Riot's challenge but left the tasks a bit broader. Another list to tick away at. (Oh, and I think I am going to invest in the Read Harder log book, because it just looks like a fun journal to have).
You know how I like to anticipate new forthcoming books. I already have been eyeing a number of these on The Millions Most Anticipated list.
And I am all for adding more works in translation to my reading list!
And yes, more new and forthcoming books. Because you really can't have a wishlist that is too long.
I think I need to listen to this new podcast about libraries!
I want to diversify my reading this year and read more authors of color or #ownvoices authors (see Read Harder Challenge tasks), so this discussion of the Changing Face of Crime Fiction will likely give me a few new authors to add to my list.
The Costa Book Awards were announced and I think I need to read a few of them (most notably I need to get around to reading Sally Rooney).
I am currently (probably only temporarily) streaming HBO (so I can watch the first season of My Brilliant Friend) and I want to finally watch Big Little Lies. I love this promo shot they have of season two. It makes me think I have been missing out on something good. I have not yet read Liane Moriarty (Should I? In this case I think I am just happy watching the TV series)
I think I am going to follow this feature over at Criminal Element-they are revisiting all the Edgar Award winners for best novel from 1954 to present. I might add a few new books to my TBR pile, I think. And I am always interested in finding new crime novels that I have not yet come across.
So much reading to get caught up with, right? Is there such a thing as being caught up on your reading, though?