The World's Common Tater

I read five books in October. That’s one above last month. I will take that as a win.

1. The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman

The Thursday Murder Club is back in action. This time they are investigating the murder of a news anchor from 10 years ago. All of the regulars are back and a few new faces are added.

I was skeptical when someone recommended this series and now it is one of my favorites. I love the characters, the mysteries are good, it is well written and funny. I hope they keep some of the new characters around. I think they are good additions.

2. Dead End Girls by Wendy Heard

Maude hates her family. Her mom has married a rich guy and ignores Maude in favor of her kids with him. Her step-grandmother is a terrible person who only cares about how the family reflects on her. Maude has worked on a plan for two years to fake her death and become a new person away from them. When her step-cousin Frankie finds out, instead of telling someone she says she wants in. The book tells the story of their attempt to run away with flashbacks to why Frankie needs to do so.

It took me forever to get into this one. Maude was a hard character to like. It seems extreme to fake your death in this situation instead of just escaping like a normal person by going away to college. Sure, she wants her mom to suffer, but she’s also OK with putting her innocent sibling through a loss like this. At least Frankie had a life-or-death reason for running. That made it a little easier to root for them. Maude seems to justify a lot of bad actions just to get away from a distant and unloving mom. The action picks up midway and I got into it a little more. Still only gave it three stars on Goodreads for the slow start and unlikeable lead.

3. I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

 A memoir of McCurdy’s struggles as a child actor and her decision to step away from her career.

I picked up the book because it got very good reviews and because my kids were the perfect age for iCarly when it was on Nick. I watched every episode with them I’m tempted to watch the reboot even though my daughter isn’t interested. 

The book was fine. I’m not sure if people with no knowledge of the show and McCurdy’s career will have the interest I had in it. It was very sad to read about how hard her life was before, during, and after the show. Especially considering how much joy it brought to others. I do think it got a little slow at times, and maybe a bit repetitive, but repetitive happens when you cycle through the same issues in life.

There is a lot of talk about eating disorders and alcohol abuse in the book. Just an FYI.

I would recommend it to people who read celeb memoirs and those who feel a connection to McCurdy through her shows.

4. Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Alice is a celebrated Harvard professor at the height of her career when she is diagnosed with early onset Alzheiners’s at 50. The book follows her struggle to live with the disease.

I would not have read this book if not for book club. I listened to it as I drove to and from work and other places. That helped. It was a very good book, but if I was reading it at home I likely would have taken a lot of breaks because it was not a fun read. I both hated and sympathized with the husband who was not great at dealing with Alice’s change. I’m not sure if I will ever watch the movie even though book club people said it is very good.

5. The Burn by Kathleen Kent

The second book in the Betty Rhyzyk series. Betty is on desk duty after the events of the first book. This doesn’t stop her from investigating a series of assassinations of drug dealers and the rumor that the killer is a cop. 

I have enjoyed both books in the series. Betty is interesting. She is a good cop but has a lot of psychological issues stemming from family stuff and her kidnapping in the first book. Characters are allowed to be flawed. It’s nice when a thriller series allows the characters to be real people. The story is interesting and exciting. I highly recommend it to lovers of mystery/thrillers.

I’m still 2 books behind my pace to make 60 books this year. Next year I’m going to start very low so I don’t stress myself out by trying to reach an arbitrary goal.