The Books I'm Reading Now
I'm reading Amor Towles's almost-600-page historical fiction story Lincoln Highway, listening to Robert Galbraith's 944-page fifth installment in the Cormoran Strike series, Troubled Blood, and reading Six Crimson Cranes, Elizabeth Lim's first book in her newest young adult duology.
What are you reading and enjoying these days, bookworms?
01 The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
It's June 1954, and eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson has just served fifteen months on a juvenile work farm for involuntary manslaughter. The family farm in Nebraska has been foreclosed upon, his mother is gone, and his father has recently died. Emmett's planning to pick up his eight-year-old brother Billy and head west to start a new life.
But when the warden drops him off at home, Emmett discovers that two friends from the work farm hitched a ride in the trunk, and they're set on having the group of boys light out for New York City instead.
Towles is also the author of A Gentleman in Moscow and Rules of Civility.
02 Troubled Blood by Robert Galbratih
In the fifth installment of the mystery series by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling's pen name), grumpy Cormoran Strike is visiting his ill aunt when he's approached on the streets of Cornwall. A woman recognizes him and impulsively spills the story of her mother Margot Bamborough's mysterious disappearance--back in 1974.
Strike, Robin, and the their quirky, imperfect, sometimes insufferable investigator employees have enough surveillance work to keep them busy, but Strike can't shake the story of Margot, her potential link to a famous serial killer, and all the ways the original investigation seems to have gone wrong.
But in taking on the first cold case of his career, Strike doesn't bargain for the current-day twists, dark turns, and the mortal danger he'll bring upon his team.
I'm listening to the audiobook version of this book, which runs 32 hours (!). I'm plowing through at 1.75 speed, so, math: 18+ hours? So far it feels nicely paced, and I like having time to dig into the characters' evolution and the mystery's twists and turns.
03 Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
In this young adult novel, the first in a duology from Elizabeth Lim, Shiori is trying desperately to hide the forbidden magic coursing through her veins. But when her power is revealed before her betrothal ceremony, she is banished, her brothers are turned into cranes, and Shiori is cursed to not speak a word--with each word she utters, one of her brothers will die. (How is Lim going to make this plot construct work? I can't wait to find out.)
Voiceless and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers--and discovers a dark, twisted conspiracy to take over the throne.
In order to save her kingdom, she'll need to rely on her instincts, her power, and her smarts--oh, and a shapeshifting dragon, plus the boy she was supposed to marry.