It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? (4/18/16)

Hosted by The Book Date.

I was back in my hometown last weekend for my 20th high school reunion. It was fantastic to see some of my best friends and catch up with people I hadn’t seen in quite awhile. There was lots of socializing, so I think I’ll be spending this week recovering with books!

I got a lot of reading done last week, but it wasn’t as quality as the past few weeks have been for me. I also tried The Regional Office is Under Attack and it just didn’t stick for me. I know people have been loving it, but I put it aside for now.

I finished reading…

Why We Came to the City, Sunset City


Why We Came to the City
 by Kristopher Jansma (February 16, 2016)
I didn’t love this one as much as some others did. Did I miss something? Mini review to come.

Sunset City by Melissa Ginsburg (April 12, 2016)
I did not get this one at all. It was blurbed by Megan Abbott, included in Book Riot’s Best Books We Read in November, and recommended by Book Riot’s Liberty Hardy on Goodreads. But I thought it was an unsurprising, run-of-the-mill thriller. What am I missing?!

I’m currently reading…

Midnight Assassin, Skip Hollandsworth


The Midnight Assassin
 by Skip Hollandsworth (April 6, 2016)
This nonfiction about the hunt for America’s first serial killer in Austin, Texas in 1885 is off to a good start. But, I’m only 4% in, so I’m hoping this one sticks!

Upcoming reading plans…

Zero K, The Bricks That Built the Houses


Zero K
 by Don DeLillo (May 3, 2016)
I’m not really sure what this book is about (see confusing blurb: “seductive, spectacularly observed and brilliant new novel weighs the darkness of the world—terrorism, floods, fires, famine, plague—against the beauty and humanity of everyday life; love, awe, ‘the intimate touch of earth and sun.'”), but I’ve been meaning to try DeLillo for awhile now.

The Bricks That Built the Houses by Kate Tempest (May 3, 2016)
Another confusing, but intriguing blurb for this debut: “Explores a cross-section of contemporary urban life with a powerful moral microscope, giving us intimate stories of hidden lives, and showing us that good intentions don’t always lead to the right decisions.”




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28 Comments

  1. I hope this week is better for you in reading. Aren’t class reunions always fun? I love seeing old classmates and learning where they are now and what they’re doing. It’s nice to go home sometimes.

    Posted 4.18.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Yes and yes!

      Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  2. I can totally understand needing some reading time after all that socializing. I’d need to hole up for a bit, too. Sorry nothing seems to be working right for you! I have my eye on The Bricks That Built the Houses, too, so I’m curious what you’ll think!

    Posted 4.18.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Too bad my first day of “holing up” was actually insane – ha! I hope it works out! I have some May books I’m excited about, so hopefully one of those will pan out…and if not..The Girls is getting an early read!

      Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  3. Naomi wrote:

    Why We Came To the City has been getting so many good reviews, so I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts (I like getting mixed reviews, so I can figure out where I fit in).
    I’ve also been meaning to try Don DeLillo, so will be watching that one closely. The one I own is Underworld, which is quite a chunkster!

    Posted 4.18.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I literally haven’t seen anyone else not love City, so I’ll be interested to see the reaction to my review 🙂 I think this DeLillo is short, so yay!

      Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  4. Zero k is on my list, too, so hopefully it will be a better read. I hate that when you feel like you’re missing something.

    Posted 4.18.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I know, right?! It’s like I’m not smart enough to “get” some message that everyone else is getting.

      Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  5. There’s no way you’re old enough to go to a 20 year reunion. (I don’t even want to tell you how long it’s been since I graduated from high school.) I’m usually the one who doesn’t “get” the books everyone else loves.

    Posted 4.18.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Haha! I definitely am! I feel like I’ve been the contrarian a number of times too….so glad to have a buddy!

      Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  6. Glad you enjoyed the reunion. They are so much fun, but totally exhausting!
    Maybe you should stop reading books with “City” in the title for a while 😉

    Posted 4.18.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I thought the exact same thing when I was putting together the graphic and noticed the 2 titles and that all 3 books had cityscape covers!

      Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  7. Tara wrote:

    Well, thanks for saving me some time on Sunset City, my friend; I can take that one off my list – yay! I may add Tuesday Nights, instead; just started reading The Throwback Special! I’m definitely intrigued by Zero K, but also wondering if it will live up to the hype; I may wait to see what you think before I hit the purchase button! Hope you had a blast this weekend!

    Posted 4.18.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      No problem 🙂 And Catherine loved Tuesday Nights – it’s on my list to get to before the end of the year! So glad you’re reading Throwback Special – I hope it works for you!

      Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  8. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who didn’t “get” Why We Came to the City. I think i was just expecting something more special with all of the praise it got. I’m convinced my expectations of what I think the book will be ruins things for me lol.

    Posted 4.18.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Oh yay – you’re the first person I’ve seen that didn’t love it (other than myself) – I’m glad to know I’m not the only one!

      Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  9. Lindsay wrote:

    I keep seeing “The Regional Office is Under Attack” EVERYwhere and I feel like I really should try it… but somehow it just doesn’t appeal to me. I’ll be intrigued to see how you like the serial killer book. I was pleasantly horrified by “The Devil in the White City” and I could always go for more murdering psychopaths (between the pages, of course!).

    Posted 4.18.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Oooh – White City was SO good! I’m still on the fence about Midnight Assassin…I’m still in the murder rampage phase and want to get to the real investigation phase!

      Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  10. I finished Me Before You late last week, and now I’m diving deep into Brandon Sanderson territory – I just picked up the Mistborn trilogy on my husband’s recommendation, and I’m completely engrossed! Not my regularly literary fiction, but I am enjoying it a lot!!

    Posted 4.18.16 Reply
  11. Stefanie wrote:

    I hope you end up with some good reads this week.

    Posted 4.18.16 Reply
  12. Lindsey wrote:

    Haha, I love these vague blurbs. “It’s a book about things. There are themes and probably some characters.”

    I have read another book by DeLillo, so I will be interested to see what you think of Zero K!

    Posted 4.18.16 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Haha! That’s exactly how I felt about both those blurbs!

      Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  13. Amal (AMB) wrote:

    Sorry to hear your latest reads weren’t winners! I hope this week is better. I really like the title of “The Bricks That Built the Houses”–I’m surprised there aren’t bricks or houses on the cover–but it’s hard to tell what it’s about from the blurb.

    Posted 4.18.16 Reply
  14. My reading quality hasn’t been great lately either. I’m having a hard time focusing on the book I’m reading now…maybe that’s a sign I should move on. Thanks for sharing!

    Posted 4.18.16 Reply
  15. Gabby wrote:

    I’ve got an ARC of the DeLillo and I’m really looking forward to it…I’ve never read him before!

    Posted 4.18.16 Reply
  16. I’m reading Why We Came to the City right now. I’m not that far into it but I’m liking it so far. Maybe we’ll flip flop on this one like we did with The Interestings!

    Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  17. Catherine wrote:

    Oh Lordy, how you even have the energy to get out of bed is beyond me. The socializing would be awesome but it wears me out.

    I’m knee deep in trashy British fiction and loving it. Skim reading, for sure. I also just got approved for June by Beverly-Whittemore. Woo hoo!

    Posted 4.19.16 Reply
  18. Athira wrote:

    It bugs me when I just don’t get a book but everyone has been raving about it. Happened to me with Beautiful Bureaucrat and it still bothers me. The Regional Office… has been getting a lot of press lately and it is on my list.

    Posted 4.20.16 Reply

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