Friday Reads 11/3/2023

First Friday in November!!! Also, three days to my birthday. No matter how old I get, I'm still excited about my birthday. I may not talk about it as much as I used to, but I still feel all giddy when I think about it.

For the first time in weeks, I have very little scheduled. I'm so excited to hopefully have a relaxing weekend. Here's what I have going reading-wise.

Jane and the Final Mystery by Stephanie Barron - I decided to start this highly difficult one. It's short and I've already giggled a few times. Barron really nails Austen's tongue-in-cheek delivery of her observations. I've only read the prologue, but it sets up the plot for Jane to be in Winchester in the spring of 1817.

The Woman In the Library by Sulari Gentill - I'm enjoying this mystery/thriller. I listen to it on audiobook when I'm driving and have run out of interesting podcasts. I might decide to listen to it while I do chores at home if I happen to be alone. Usually someone is talking to me while I chore. This is basically a story within a story. An author from Australia named Hannah is writing a story about a murder that happened in the Boston Public Library while 4 strangers were sitting around a table there. The strangers become close friends and then begin to be targeted by somebody seemingly related to the murder. Hannah sends the pages to a beta reader named Leo. The stories are told from the perspective of Freddie, one of the 4 strangers, and Leo, through letters to Hannah at the end of each chapter. It's an interesting conceit. I'm liking it.

Persuasion by Jane Austen - This will probably show up on this list for awhile. I'm doing a close reading of it with a group on Facebook. Every 4 days we discuss two more chapters. I have read it pretty closely before, so I'm really just here to see what other people get from it. We are only on chapter 3-4 now.

The Headmaster's List by Melissa De La Cruz - This is a YA thriller about a girl who was in a car crash, but she can't remember why she was in the car with the other people who were there or why the car crashed. She was seriously injured, one boy died. No one else is talking. And is it a coincidence that everyone who survived was on the coveted Headmaster's List? This is my lunch book for work. It just lives at my desk and I grab it when I sit down for lunch.

The First-Time Manager by Loren B. Belker, et. al. - I guess once I finish with Jane I'll pick up this one. It's the one that is giving me the most guilt. I need to read it to reach one of my work goals. At least it's short. Hopefully I'll learn something useful. Hopefully I'll get to use it one day.

I'm not very far through any of this books, but (except for Persuasion) they are quick reads and I can probably get through them quickly if I put my mind to it.