No.747: What I Read in May 2023

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#30. THE ITALIAN BULLDOZER by Alexander McCall Smith // ★★☆☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “It was the first time that Paul made duck a l’orange for friends since Becky left him for her personal trainer.”

I have really enjoyed Smith’s No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series in the past, so I was excited to pull this book off the shelf.  I found it to be an easy to read and quirky story, but without a clear point.

#31. THE SECRET OF THE HOLY FACE: THE DEVOTION DESTINED TO SAVE SOCIETY by Fr. Lawrence Daniel Carney III // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “‘I will set my face against you, and you shall fall down before your enemies, and shall be made subject to them that hate you, you shall flee when no man pursueth you.’ (Leviticus 26:17)”

One of our parish priests recommended this book, so you know I had to check it out!  it was a little redundant toward the end, but I really enjoyed learning about this devotion and am happy to add it to my weekly prayers.  3.5 stars, rounded up.

#32. THE SURVIVORS by Jane Harper // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “She could – almost – have been one of The Survivors.”

I’ve read many of Jane Harper’s novels and have enjoyed them all.  This may have been my least favorite so far?  While the book had beautiful descriptions of the setting (per usual for Harper), the story line was quite complicated and I struggled to keep everything straight.

#33. THE FOREVER WITNESS: HOW DNA AND GENEALOGY SOLVED A COLD CASE DOUBLE MURDER by Edward Humes // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “The sixtyish man with the plain gray suit and pale blue watchful eyes had just finished lunch when his phone buzzed.”

This book chronicles the horrible murder of a young Canadian couple in the 1980s, whose case sadly turned cold due to a lack of evidence.  Fast forward 30 years.  New technological advancements using DNA and genealogical websites have emerged and the case is finally solved.  I found this topic fascinating and appreciated the ethical arguments on both sides regarding police using online genealogy sites to solve crimes.  Very thought-provoking.  (And thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book!)

#34. ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE by Mike Gayle // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “Moments before Hubert met Ashleigh for the first time, he had been settled in his favorite armchair, Puss curled up on his lap, waiting for Rose to call.”

If you’ve read A Man Called Ove, you may enjoy this book!  It’s a heartwarming story about an older man trying to make new friends and finding them in unexpected places.  I really enjoyed about 75% of it, but the last quarter felt a little too neat and tidy.  3.5 stars, rounded up.

#35. THE LOST DINOSAURS OF EGYPT by William Nothdurft // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // better world books)

First line: “No one knows what brought the huge animal down.”

A book very outside of my comfort zone!  You know that I’ll read just about anything, so I decided to try this one about dinosaurs that I’ve had on our homeschool shelves.  The gist of the book is that a German scientist named Stromer went to Egypt in the early 1900s and discovered a treasure trove of bones in the Bahariya Oasis.  Sadly, Stromer’s discoveries were destroyed in a WWII Allied bombing raid.  Thirty years later, a new group of young scientists embarked on a trip to retrace his footsteps and find this treasure trove that Stromer wrote about in his journals.  I’m no dino fanatic, but did find parts of this really interesting and I learned a lot!  (I also read this for my Reading the Alphabet Challenge.)

#36. FAITHFUL PLACE by Tana French // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “In all your life, only a few moments matter.”

This is number three in the Dublin Murder Squad series.  It’s been awhile since I’ve read this series (October 2019!) but I remember enjoying the first two.  I’m not sure, after all this time, this is the series for me?  I’m still undecided about continuing on.

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MY UNREAD SHELF PROJECT

Unread Books as of January 1, 2023: 207
Books Finished in May: 7
Finished Books Donated/Sold in May: 2
Books Added: +1
Unread Books Remaining: 193