Books I Read in June

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book a long time ago, maybe 2010, before I kept careful track. I remembered that I liked it and when the title came up at a book club discussion, I recommended it. So, I reread it.
I'm not sure what I liked the first time around. It is not my style of book, although the prose is delightful and the story is a bit enchanting.
How does one adapt to a strange malady and how do the people around the subject, adapt.
I might have missed the point of this book. It is such a simple story that I feel that I might have missed something.
I was a math teacher. That part of the book, getting excited about math, was part of what I did with my students. I'm sure that my love of baseball is tied to its unending use of statistics. But sometimes the housekeeper seemed to get it much too quickly...
All in all I was glad I read it once, the second time seemed tedious.


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Smolder by Brett Battles
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Some of the magic is gone. Stuart Woods and a kind of convoluted sense of humor that made me smile through most of the book. This has a bit of that but for the most part it was a little dry.
The plot was interesting but seemed a little far fetched and remote. I may read more of these, if they continue to write them, but I won't put it at the top of my list. Sixty-four good ones is a pretty good run.

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Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Kept me glued to the book til the very end. Peter Swanson has become one of my favorite authors. He is a fit and healthy looking 56 so I expect to read his books for a long time.
This one presented some strange, yet believable characters. I did get the timeline mixed up a couple of times but he brought me back with ease. Did he mean to do that?
Cousins swap apartments... seems simple enough until he gives us their back stories and from then on the action is non-stop. Could not put it down. If you like mysteries of the murder variety, this is a must read. It is a stand alone novel.

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The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Peter Swanson is my new favorite author. I don't often read murder mysteries but I will read all of his. this story starts with a simple plot and explodes into a complex story. The characters jump out of the pages and it is almost impossible to put it down.
Without any spoilers, it is hard to imagine hating someone enough to plot their demise. That is a special kind of hate that must be reserved for some special kind of people.

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The Girl with a Clock for a Heart by Peter Swanson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the second book by Peter Swanson that I have read. Currently working on a third. I read Eight Perfect Murders in one day, could not put it down. The same with this one.
Weird story but he holds it up very well. Well written and carefully thought out. I love it when I haven't figured a book out until the end.
Interesting characters and a strong story line. I loved it.

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