Book list #1.
With temperatures on the rise and construction taking over the house, I've been seeking solace outside a lot lately. Sans laptop, this leaves me less time to write here. However, it does give me the opportunity to continue reading at a voracious pace. So rather than wait until the end of the year to list out this year's books, I decided I'll do it every 3-4 months. Here is that list so far along with my recommendations:
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
- Coming Clean: A Memoir by Kimberly Rae Miller
- The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory by John Seabrook
- Moody Bitches: The Truth About the Drugs You're Taking, The Sleep You're Missing, The Sex You're Not Having, and What's Really Making You Crazy by Julie Holland
- The Art Forger: A Novel by B.A. Shapiro
- No Stone Unturned: The True Story of the World's Premier Forensic Investigators by Steve Jackson
- This Is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever You Are by Melody Warnick
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two by JK Rowling
- Big Little Lies by Lianne Moriarty
- The Rules of Magic: A Novel by Alice Hoffman
- Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot
- Brave by Rose McGowan
- The Group: A Novel by Mary McCarthy
- Commonwealth: A Novel by Ann Patchett
- Wildflower by Drew Barrymore
- The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate—Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben
- Flat Broke with Two Goats A Memoir by Jennifer McGaha
- Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick
- I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
- Hotel Silence by Audur Ava Olafsdottir
As you can see, I finally finished the Harry Potter series, which enjoyed more than I thought I would. After book number four on this list, I joined my local library and have been borrowing from their selection of e-books mostly. Biographies and memoirs continue to make up a lot of my reading but frankly, I felt pretty unsatisfied with what I'd read this year. There were a few standouts along the way (linked above) but nothing that gave me have that "can't put this down" feeling. Until I reached book number 20, I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara.
I've hinted at my interest in true crime before but I found this book straight up riveting. The book received a ton of press both because of how good it is and who wrote it, and let me tell you, it's well-deserved. McNamara dedicated her life to investigating cold cases and truly believed it was possible to crack the case of the Golden State Killer (a.k.a. the East Area Rapist or Original Night Stalker). And apparently, she might have been right. Just now, as I was double checking my work here, news broke that a man was taken into custody overnight. Whether or not this person is the culprit of those crimes remains to be seen but in the meantime, I highly recommend picking up McNamara's book.
Next up on my list? Probably another novel or two so I can get some sleep at night.
Edit 4/26/18: Oddly enough, I published this post at 10:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, April 25, hours before the Sacramento Sheriff's press conference about the Golden State Killer. It seems like the mystery is solved but until that's 100 percent confirmed, (try and) get your hands on I'll Be Gone in the Dark.
"One day soon, you'll hear a car pull up to your curb, an engine cut out. You'll hear footsteps coming up your front walk...The doorbell rings. No side gates are left open. You're long past jumping over a fence. Take one of your hyper, gulping breaths. Clench your teeth. Inch timidly toward the insistent bell. This is how it ends for you." - Michelle McNamara
