What I’m Reading Now (7/10/17)

I was on vacation and not posting on the blog last week, so here comes a double dose of books! Vacation was full of swimming (the kids…not me since swimming still hurts my back), boating, kayaking, fishing, and hanging out with family. I read some, but not a ton.

Highlights of the week were my son catching a good size Spanish Mackerel, which my brother turned into delicious fish tacos for dinner) and my daughter learning how to dive. Oh, and both my children participated in their first official running race. My son did great and I ended up carrying my daughter for the entire (fun?) run. 

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I finished reading…

Final Girls, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Double Bind


Final Girls by Riley Sager
 (July 11, 2017)
Yet another thriller that totally disappointed me. This time, it was because the ending completely jumped the shark (a frequent occurrence in thrillers that always turns me off) and I had trouble buying the main character’s decision-making.

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (May 9, 2017)
This debut novel is getting so much buzz and I liked it alright, but it definitely didn’t blow me away. I’m still processing exactly how I feel about it…though I do know I loved Eleanor. Things were a bit too neat and tidy for my taste, but that will definitely make it appealing to others. Review to come (most likely).

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Double Bind: Women on Ambition edited by Robin Romm (April 11, 2017)
I’d been reading an essay here and there from this collection, so it’s taken me quite awhile to finish it! Like many essay collections, it was hit and miss for me. But, it’s definitely chock full of sage nuggets of insight into the various ways women view ambition.

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I’m currently reading…

Quicksand by Malin Persson Giolito


Quicksand
 by Malin Persson Giolito
 (March 7, 2017)
I saw this Swedish “courtroom thriller” about a school shooting on Read it Forward’s Favorite Reads of March 2017, but I literally haven’t heard a peep about it since…except when I went to put it on hold at my local library, the hold list was a mile long! So, people out there are reading it…just not the corner of the bookish internet that I normally frequent. Anyway – I’m just over halfway through and it’s awesome…has a deliciously dark Cruel Intentions vibe.

I tried, but wasn’t feeling…

The Windfall by Diksha Basu


The Windfall
 by Diksha Basu
 (June 27, 2017)
DNF at 34%. I liked the very beginning of this novel, but quickly got bored. Nothing much was happening and I was hoping for more biting social commentary about the wealthy.

Upcoming reading plans…

What She Ate, American Fire


What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women and the Food That Tells Their Stories
 by Laura Shapiro
 (July 25, 2017)
I haven’t read a food book in awhile and this essay collection focusing on the meaning of food for famous women including Eleanor Roosevelt, Eva Braun (Hitler’s mistress), and Helen Gurley Brown (editor of Cosmopolitan magazine) caught my eye!

American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land by Monica Hesse (July 11, 2017)
This nonfiction about a series of arson fires in a small town on the Eastern Shore of Virginia supposedly reads like a page turner and is great for fans of the S-Town podcast (check!), In Cold Blood (check!), and Hillbilly Elegy (check again!). Plus, that small Eastern Shore town is about 40 miles north of where my father-in-law grew up, where my husband and I got married, and where we still vacation every summer.

was reading…

One Year Ago: I shared Catherine at Gilmore Guide and I’s ridiculous texts about the U.S. Olympic Swimming trials…and read a backlist winner.

Two Years Ago: I shared my July 4th vacation reading…one of which was one of my Best Books of 2015!

How was your reading week?

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29 Comments

  1. Beth F wrote:

    I have that foodie book on my list too — looks like it will be fab. The arson book is new to me. I remember you commenting on Final Girls before — I’ve moved it lower on my list. I’ve been curious about Eleanor Oliphant but haven’t had the urge to pick it up yet.

    Posted 7.10.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I peeked at the first couple paragraphs of the foodie book and I liked the writing! High hopes!

      Posted 7.10.17 Reply
  2. Sounds like a great vacation! I’ll try Eleanor Oliphant at some point and am interested in American Fire, too.

    Posted 7.10.17 Reply
  3. The Windfall looked good but it’s unfortunate that you didn’t like it. Wow! That’s a lot of books for one week! Last week for me was more of a reading slump.

    Link to my It’s Monday! What are YOU Reading? post

    Have a great rest of the week!

    Nobonita@TheBengaliNomad

    Posted 7.10.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      That was actually 2 weeks worth of books…I skipped last week b/c I was on vacation 🙂

      Sorry you’re in a slump…those are frustrating!

      Posted 7.10.17 Reply
  4. renee wrote:

    Your vacation sounds awesome! My son is very much into kayaking and fishing so he would’ve loved that. I had Elinor from the library, read about 20 pages and wasn’t feeling it so I ended up returning it. I’m sure I needed to give it longer but I’m pretty impatient these days since I have so many books I want to read waiting.

    Posted 7.10.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Phew – glad I’m not the only one who wasn’t blown away!

      Posted 7.10.17 Reply
  5. I’m so glad you had a great vacation!

    I liked Eleanor Oliphant more than you did. I’ll be curious to see what you think of Quicksand – I’m kind of over books about school shootings.

    Posted 7.10.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Most people did – haha! Quicksand is as much about what led to the shooting as it is about the shooting itself.

      Posted 7.10.17 Reply
  6. Angela wrote:

    That’s too bad about Final Girls! I just read a glowing review on another blog that made me add it to my TBR, but now I’m second-guessing that. Glad you had a great trip!

    Posted 7.10.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I’ve read a bunch of glowing reviews, so I think I’m definitely in the minority. But, I’m admittedly a tough critic on thrillers.

      Posted 7.10.17 Reply
  7. Sorry you didn’t love Eleanor as much as I did. I think the listening experience made me like the book more than if I’d read it and made me more tolerant of a tidy ending. I’ve looked at Quicksand several times, but never gone for it. Sounds like I need to take another look. What She Ate is another I’ve been considering, so I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts.

    Glad you had a nice vacation. (The run sounds fun!)

    Posted 7.10.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I’ve heard the audio is really good! But, you know how I am with fiction and audio…haha! I’m 95% through Quicksand…it will be 5 stars for me unless something totally derails in the last bit.

      Posted 7.10.17 Reply
  8. Kathy Martin wrote:

    Sounds like a fun vacation. You have lots of books that sound interesting on your list. I’ve not heard of any of them. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

    Posted 7.10.17 Reply
  9. Sounds like a wonderful vacation! I’m thinking that I should plan something for August, although I feel guilty taking vacations since I’m retired and can do what I want here. Except sight-see or spend time with relatives who don’t live here. I’ve talked myself into it.

    Quick Sand looks tempting. I think I’ll pass on The Windfall. The title sounded good, but the blurb did not appeal to me.

    Enjoy your week!

    Here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES

    Posted 7.10.17 Reply
  10. I am curious now about Quick Sand. It sounds like a terrific vacation overall with lot’s of excitement. I hope you have a great week.

    Posted 7.10.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Yup…it would make a great vacation read!

      Posted 7.10.17 Reply
  11. So much here! Eleanor Oliphant… is on my list, it looks fun. And I want to read Double Bind, but I have so many essay collections I’m puttering through right now. American Fire is coming in my BOTM box today (!!!), and I am excited to start it. So many books, so little time. Sounds like your vacation was a lot of fun!

    Posted 7.10.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      No kidding, right! I read Double Bind over the course of a few months…I’d read an essay or two each time I finished another book.

      Posted 7.10.17 Reply
  12. I am adding American Fire to my wishlist. My son has taken up cross country running this year (positive peer pressure in high school).

    We’re in the last few days in our current place. It seems like the work to move will never end. Come see what I’m reading when I’m not packing.

    Posted 7.10.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Yay – fingers crossed it lives up to the hype!

      Posted 7.10.17 Reply
  13. I’m reading Hillbilly Elegie…eyeballing Hello Vitamin for my next read…

    Posted 7.10.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Yay! Loved both!

      Posted 7.10.17 Reply
  14. Becky S wrote:

    Welcome back~ so happy to hear you had a nice vacation! I def. will check out Quicksand! I finished Lilac Girls this weekend! I enjoyed it and was impressed with her first novel! I listened to parts and read parts~ I preferred reading it more. Onto Anita Shreve’s latest, The Stars are Fire. Happy Reading!

    Posted 7.11.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Quicksand is super dark if you like that (I do!). I have seen it recently on a couple Best Books of 2017 So Far lists…more press than I’ve seen it get since it was published!

      Glad you enjoyed Lilac Girls…that seems to be a favorite among WWII fiction lovers!

      Posted 7.13.17 Reply
  15. Michelle wrote:

    I hate to say it but I am relieved to see you were not a fan of Final Girls either. I have been seeing way too many people who are so excited about it that it makes me question my judgment.

    Your vacation sounds just lovely. I do have to ask though how you ended up having to carry your daughter for the entire run!

    Posted 7.12.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Haha – I feel the same way when I find someone else who didn’t like a buzzy book that everyone else seems to love! I’m feeling that way about Eleanor Oliphant right now 🙂

      So, I picked my daughter up at the race start b/c she got nervous…she’s only 4 and all the bigger kids took off running all around her. Anyway – thought I’d just carry her a bit until we got away from the starting line, but then she wouldn’t get down. I kept thinking she eventually would and before I knew it we were close to the finish line. Was probably not a smart decision given my back injury…

      Posted 7.13.17 Reply
  16. Tara wrote:

    Quicksand sounds VERY interesting and, since you’ve mentioned podcasts, I’m curious about Chemistry, the book mentioned on a recent episode.

    Posted 7.13.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I think you’ll love Quicksand! I read the sample for Chemistry…didn’t end up buying the book, but not because I really disliked the sample or anything.

      Posted 7.19.17 Reply

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