Throwback Thursday #2; Books from the Backlog #4; Shelf Control #4
THROWBACK THURSDAY #2 - sharing an old book review
Davida at The Chocolate Lady hosts a monthly meme the first Thursday of every month, giving the opportunity to revisit/share an older blog post. I love that - gives me a chance to look backwards and see how far I've come, and to share a review that newer visitors might have missed. Win / Win. Check out the details here. #ThrowbackThursday
Originally reviewed on the blog January, 2020
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Genre: Historical Fiction / Magical Realism
Published 2019; 403 pages
What a remarkable first fiction book. This is the first novel written by Coates who has 3 well-praised nonfiction books to his name. Beautifully written prose with dialog that feels so authentic. Slightly formal speech patterns yet with bad grammar which felt 'of the south' in that time. The novel is another entry in the historical fiction field about slavery and the underground railroad, but this one feels so much more ...... real somehow, in spite of being full of magic. It was the writing more than the story, I think. I love this reflection on his young love: (quote follows)
Shelf Control and Books From the Backlog #4
Both of these memes target a particular problem of mine - reading books I already own. Like many of you, I'm sure, I can't stop adding to what I already own and my stacks grow while my pocketbook shrinks!
Shelf Control is hosted by Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies. Every Wednesday you have the opportunity to peruse your shelves and share one that is STILL sitting there. Details here. I may not make it EVERY Wednesday, but I'm interested because my shelves are TOO full.
Books From the Backlog is hosted by Carole's Random Life and, similar to Shelf Control, it's about acknowledging and READING something I already own. Posted weekly on Thursdays, just visit the link, leave a link to your post about a book you have on your shelves that you'd like to read sooner rather than later.
This is one of the oldest books on my Kindle shelf - it was a December 2017 Amazon First Read choice.
Pretty Girls Dancing by Kylie Brant
Genre: Mystery
Published: March 2018; 370 pages
from Goodreads (currently has a 4.03 rating):
Years ago, in the town of Saxon Falls, young Kelsey Willard disappeared and was presumed dead. The tragedy left her family with a fractured life—a mother trying to numb the pain, a father losing a battle with his own private demons, and a sister desperate for closure. But now another teenage girl has gone missing. It’s ripping open old wounds for the Willards, dragging them back into a painful past, and leaving them unprepared for where it will take them next.
Bureau of Criminal Investigation agent Mark Foster has stumbled on uncanny parallels in the lives of the two missing girls that could unlock clues to a serial killer’s identity. That means breaking down the walls of the Willards’ long-guarded secrets and getting to a truth that is darker than he bargained for. Now, to rescue one missing girl, he must first solve the riddles that disappeared with another: Kelsey Willard herself. Dead or alive, she is his last hope.
Honestly, I don't know why it's been sitting on Kindle so long - maybe it's because I have so many newer ones and it keeps getting pushed further down the stack. At some point I'm going to have to weed them out and decide if I'll EVER read it!
Hope you join the fun and share what's been lingering a LONG time on your shelves. Happy Reading.
