In the High Peaks
















Thursday, August 2, 2018

The Voracious Adolescent Reader is in Residence

For weeks, literally four weeks, I have been searching for a book to tempt me beyond 30 minutes of forced reading, when I plunk myself down on the loft bed or chair and task myself to read. I have searched and searched for a book that might pique my curiosity, to no avail. After the heat wave in early July, it was DARK TIMES for my reading. I read, but lackadaisically-I just couldn't get engaged.

But who knew, (not I!),  that I had a book-ravenous adolescent inside me, who has been longing for a tremendously TRASHY read?

I didn't know this, until I found The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine, by scouring the August edition of the advertisements in BookPage, which my library kindly distributes.  The link above does not go to GoodReads, because I found the novel description there to be way off, and readers' comments were either purely positive or full of venomous hatred for the book, giving too much away, I think.  Read it after you read the book perhaps. It seems to have aroused very strong emotions in some readers.

I'm two-thirds of the way through, and I can say that it's fascinating to my adolescent self who can't believe the things these people are doing. Occasionally, this creature comes bouncing up from the depths of my psyche and devours pure trashiness, which is lots of fun until the jag is over and I'm bored with it all.

So put this one on your list if you ever get into one of those moods... There's supposed to be a wicked twist at the end.

7 comments:

  1. I love the title of your post. It got my attention immediately. I have not heard of The Last Mrs. Parrish -- I did go read the summary. I hope to hear your final reaction to it.

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    1. Hi Tracy,
      Some people have called me an "eclectic reader," which is true. But more than anything I'm a mood reader, and even more than that, it can take me some time and stumbling to figure out which reader inside of me needs to choose a book.
      I will definitely deliver my final verdict on The Last Mrs. Parrish. I'm nearly finished, and then I think I'm crying out for another thriller. Sigh.

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    2. I just love this post, Judith! Enjoy your reading :)

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    3. Thanks, JoAnn,
      I am having quite a lot of fun with these titles.
      Sometimes my adult self asks sardonically, "But where and when will it end?"

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  2. Summer, especially August, I let myself just read easy, mindless thrillers or just fiction. So many books on lists of suggested summer reading, thrillers for the summer, beach reads, etc.

    So read away. I read whatever I want, no intellectual goals, eat frozen yogurt and drink iced tea or diet soda.

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    1. Hi Kathy,
      I feel this way about summer, but also about December, the darkest month, when I read all those Christmas novels and holiday romances. They keep my mood upbeat, which is hard at that time of year.
      Do you have any thrillers that you would recommend??

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  3. See above post. I think I tend to urban thrillers, but I liked Anne Holt's "1222," set in a Norwegian blizzard.
    I liked "Norwegian by Night," because the protagonist is a Jewish man in his 80s and he's saying a child in Norway.
    I have read some very blah thrillers and I'm fussy so I mentioned a few above.

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