BI-Weekly Reading Update (May Pt.2)

 Hey hi hello, how are you all doing today? It's June! 5 months of 2021 are already over. WOW.

Alright, so here I am, back with another bi-weekly reading update. I've read 4 books in the last two weeks, so we are chugging along in the 100 books in a year challenge. 

Here are the four books: 

1. Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker : 😐 

So to no one's surprise, this is a mystery/thriller. We're following the story of the Tanner sisters, Cassandra and Emma, who went missing three years prior to the start of the book. In the present day, Cassandra returns, without Emma, and claims that she has escaped her kidnappers and that the police must find Emma. The reader follows two perspectives. One is Cassandra, while the other is Dr. Abby Winter, the forensic psychiatrist working with Cassandra, who for some reason has a vested interest in this case. 

This was a meh read. It certainly wasn't bad, but it isn't going to stick around in my mind for very long. On the plus side, it's fast-paced and good fun. On the not plus-side, it's too roundabout, to the point where, by the end, I was confused as to what the purpose of the entire book was. However, since I enjoyed the process of reading it and I enjoyed Walker's writing style, I'm going to give it a solid 3 stars. 

2. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry : 🙅

I....didn't enjoy this book. I have a lot of reasons for why, however, I'm not going to dwell on it too much because I think most of them stem from my oddly specific preferences in romance novels. The story follows Alex and Poppy, two friends who at the start of the book have not spoken for two years. They used to go on a yearly trip, but after something causes a rift between them, they stop going on the trip and don't speak anymore. Poppy, through some series of circumstances, decides to call up Alex and ask him to go on an impromptu summer trip to Palm Spring, California with her. The story flashes back and forth between present-day and past trips they've taken. 

What did I enjoy about this book? I like Emily Henry's writing style. I was a big fan of her previous book Beach Read, so I'm just as shocked as you as to why I didn't enjoy this book as much. I was really enjoying the first half of the book and got through it very quickly, however, I felt like the second half was literally written by a different person. The ending had me screaming and I felt like it literally made no sense. I felt like I was reading about two 15-year-olds rather than two people in their thirties. Overall, Henry's previous romance novel, Beach Read was far superior. 

3. How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa: 🍪 

For someone who claims to not really like short story collections, I really do read a lot of them. This is a short story collection written by a Laotian-Canadian author. Each story focuses on the lives of Laotian immigrants and the journey of assimilating into a Western country. There are a lot of really funny, cute and interesting stories in this collection including, "Mani Pedi", which is about a boxer who becomes a nail technician at his sister's salon, and "Chick-A-Chee", which is about a father telling his children about the concept of trick or treating but mishears the term as 'chick-a-chee'. My favorite stories were: "Ewwrrrk", "The Universe Would Be So Cruel", and "Randy Travis".  Thammavongsa also has some of the best first lines I've ever read. Overall, would highly recommend it. 

4. Broken Harbor by Tana French: 🍦

Oooo boy this book. This is my second Tana French, and I'll be honest, I loved this more than her previous book I've read, In The Woods. This was TOO good. The book begins with this man, Detective Kennedy, telling you that he was the right man for this case, even if it didn't work out. So you know right from the get-go that things aren't going to go well for this man. 

The best part of this book was the tension that kept building up. Every chapter you're just sitting there wondering, what's going to happen? The story follows Kennedy and his partner Detective Ritchie as they investigate the case of a family who was murdered in their home. French's characterization is really wonderful and the long length of this book gives you ample time to invest in everyone's storylines and the case itself. While this book is long, it is really engaging throughout. If you haven't already given Tana French a shot, I highly suggest you do, cause this gets an A+ from me. 

So that's a wrap on May's reading. Have you all read anything interesting this month? If so, let me know! Also, since June is Pride month, I'll be trying to read books written by LGBTQ+ authors. I'll also be trying to read books my friends have recommended to me! Happy reading!