Priorities. Stuff gets in the way. We are having some exciting times around here but there’s always time for a few quick book notes:
It by Stephen King. I’m not intimidated by long books, but they do carry an extra burden of being good enough to carry the length. It was long enough that I tagged-teamed between the paper and audio books. I gave it an 8 and continue to stand by my opinion that Stephen King is a great writer. Some folks can’t get past the content to see that, but in addition to solid storytelling, King has a knack for conveying emotion into words. Mostly, the book carried well over its length although I did have a bit of relief when it was over. I spent about a month with this as my secondary book. I do not recommend if this is your first King book. This book published 1986 and I was reading it noticed the influences from this book on later non-King works, like Stranger Things.
The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager. I needed a filler audio book to cover some time while was working on a landscaping project. The library site said this was popular, and available, so I gave it a go. Like It, this book earned an 8 and had a pleasantly uneven pace. I’m reluctant to discuss any of the plot to prevent spoilers, but it was all over the place, which I really enjoyed. High recommend and as a bonus it was short.
I also finished The Tattooist of Auschwitz which was on my to-be-read list for a while. It was ok and I gave it a 6. I thought The Book Thief was a stronger and better read with a similar setting, and Maus was a more impactful read of a very similar story.