WWW Wednesday – July 29, 2020

Since I’m really enjoying checking in here weekly, I’m going to continue doing the WWW Wednesday tag hosted by Taking on a World of Words. I like having a chance mid-week to share what I’m reading and see what you guys are up to, as well.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

I am currently reading Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and I really hope I can finish it before the end of the month. Noemí’s father receives a concerning letter from his niece and sends Noemí to check that everything is okay. It’s set in 1950s Mexico and the house makes strange noises and causes terrifying nightmares. This book is incredibly atmospheric and I’m really enjoying the commentary on imperialism. I also recommend listening to the Spotify playlist curated by the author. It really adds to the creepy vibes.

I am also listening to the audiobook for Lost by Gregory Maguire. I am trying to get through my physical TBR and was able to get this instantly from my library. It’s a little slow but I’m only about 15% into the book so who knows what will happen.

I finished three books since last Wednesday and DNFd an audiobook. First, I finished The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley. This books follows a group of friends who go on a New Year’s trip to a remote hunting lodge. Someone is dead and we’re not sure who or what happened. This sounds a lot like The Guest List by the same author. It is in premise but I did not enjoy this one as much. The twist felt a little cheap and one particular action by a character at the end didn’t seem realistic. I might have liked this better had I read it before The Guest List, though.

I also finished The Rise of Kyoshi by F. C. Yee. This is the first in a series of books that takes place before the events of the Avatar: The Last Airbender television show. This books tells the story of Avatar Kyoshi and her journey to realizing her powers. This book is definitely the first in a series because it spend a lot of time introducing characters and world-building – it might feel a little slow to some. I thoroughly enjoyed it, though. It’s so magical and full of political intrigue. I even almost cried at that one scene! Highly recommend.

I also listened to In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware. I think I listened to this too close to The Hunting Party. This books follows a group of friends who travel to a house in the woods for a bachelorette party. Leonora was invited even though she hasn’t talked to the bride in nearly a decade and when she wakes up in the hospital, she has to piece together what exactly happened at this party. I think this was a standard thriller – not bad but nothing special. I didn’t really feel connected to any of the characters but there was quite a bit of tension.

Lastly, I DNFd the audiobook for The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin. I listened to about 30% before I had to stop. This book takes place in 1950s New York and follows a woman who is friends with Truman Capote. The amount of ableist, anti-Semitic, racist, and homophobic comments made by characters in the book was truly bothersome. I think I picked this up and a thrift shop so I’m not too put out that I’ll be getting rid of it.

I’m not too sure what I’ll read next but I think I want to get to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I LOVE Daisy Jones and the Six by the same author; I flew through it in two days without even realizing how fast I was getting through it. I have hears wonderful things about Evelyn Hugo and hope to have a similar experience.

Have you read any of these books? What are you reading? If you participate in WWW Wednesday, link me your posts!