Ah, the dreaded reading slump.  We’ve all been there.  Sometimes it’s the total lack of enthusiasm to pick up any reading material, other times it’s the feeling of not connecting with what you are currently reading.  This past week I fell into the latter category.  I found it so hard to concentrate on my current reads so I decided to try another book…then another…then before I knew it,…I now have 10 books I’m currently reading (all of which I made to at least page 75 or so, so not just “one-page wonders”).  *Sigh*

And it didn’t help matters when I received this awesome stack of bookmail today!!

Where do I begin?!  For nonfiction, A House in the Sky and Gone at Midnight couldn’t be more different.  Sky is the memoir of a woman who was held captive for 460 days by Somalian kidnappers.  Midnight focuses on a strange unsolved death at the notorious Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles (and if you’re not familiar with this hotel, be sure to google it.  It’s a truly extremely creepy place!).

For fiction, I went for some potential tear jerkers.  I’ve heard nothing but positive about Betty, a tragic novel based on the lives of the author’s family.  Valentine is a debut novel that also comes highly recommended, a story of injustice against women in 1970’s Texas.  Finally, The Animals in That Country involves a strange virus spreading around the world, one that allows those infected to “hear” what all animals, birds, insects around them are thinking and feeling.  This one could be very interesting.

Even with my current slump, I was able to finish a couple of books this past week…

The Week in Books

What’s Good:  A Memoir in Fourteen Ingredients by Peter Hoffman — 4/4.5 out of 5 stars

There were a lot of things I truly enjoyed about Hoffman’s memoir.  Each chapter is its own little story, from childhood tales to the love and pain of owning a restaurant, and every little bit in between, all revolving around his passion for good food.  And then there’s the actual food stories.  Shrimp, tomatoes, apples, kale, and beyond, each of the food-related chapters were not only informative regarding the histories but involved the stories of the real people who grow and harvest, the people who devote their lives to providing amazing foods  (the chapter that was my personal favorite was all about the making of maple syrup the “old school” way.  I loved it!!)  And let’s not forget the recipes!   It’s obvious that Hoffman has a deep love and appreciation for all food and has created a memoir to bring his passion to the masses.  My only complaint?  The seemingly petty and self-serving diss of a deceased chef which really had no place in this otherwise wonderful book.  Other than that, highly recommend.

The Man Who Smiled by Henning Mankell — 4 out of 5 stars

The fourth installment in the Kurt Wallander series has Wallander returning to work after a year’s leave to investigate the murders of two lawyers tied to a mysterious CEO billionaire.  As with all of the books I”ve read in this series so far, there are some great twists and secondary stories that keep the narrative moving.  If you haven’t checked out this series, I highly recommend it…however, be sure to start at the beginning with Faceless Killers.

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Stay safe and Happy Reading!