I know, I know. It has been way too long since I last updated my blog. I would love to give some great excuse about how exciting life has been, but alas, my only defense is that the hours of my day are hungrily eaten up by work, kids, making meals and trying to maintain some sense of order around the house. Thus my reading, and writing, rates have steadily declined as of late. Too bad my list of titles to read is going in the opposite direction.
So what have I been reading since I last posted? Well, I finished Karin Slaughter's FALLEN, which is the latest installment of what was previously the Grant County series. Georgia Bureau of Investigations agent Faith Mitchell returns home to find her infant daughter hidden in the shed, a dead guy in the laundry room and two armed gang thugs in the bedroom, but no sign of her mother. From here, her partner, Will Trent, and boss, Amanda, embark on a trip through the underbelly of Atlanta's drug world to discover how retired cop Evalyn Mitchell ended up in this mess and bring her home. Sara Linton, the one carryover character from the series's Grant County roots, is of course along for the ride, and as a possible love interest for Will.
Overall, this was a good mystery that made me want to keep reading. Now, I am not sure if it was the book or my overly occupied mind, but, at times I found myself slightly confused by what was going on. Plus, there is A LOT of backstory surrounding most of the characters, and I had trouble recalling all of it...which is possibly why I found myself slightly confused. Don't get me wrong, this was a good read, but it would be difficult to jump into the series with this book instead of starting back at the beginning.
Now, I know that a lot of people have already read Sue Monk Kidd's THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES, especially in light of the popular movie released several years ago. I just finally jumped on the bandwagon and read it for one of my book clubs. The book, set in 1964, focuses on young Lily Owens, whose tragic past leaves her in the hands of her abusive father. Enter Rosaleen, the African American maid brought in from the family peach orchard to run the house and care for Lily. Lily, being progressive for the time and place (South Carolina) is supportive of Rosaleen when she decides to go register to vote, but unfortunately, not everyone in their small town feels the same and trouble ensues. This trouble gives them the opportunity to run away to Tiburon, where Lily is hoping for to find answers about her mother. Enter the Boatwright sisters, August, June and May. In the embrace of these three women, Lily and Rosaleen are introduced to a new way to look at the world, rediscover themselves and find a new lease on life.
All of that being said, I am hoping to get down to business and do some serious reading in the coming weeks, which will hopefully correspond with some blog writing and good recommendations to pass along to other readers. The only problem is that I have so many books that I want to read, I am actually struggling some to decide what to read next. Tis the season for something a little spooky...but we'll just have to see where the reading mood takes me.
