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(amazon // bookshop // better world books)
First line: “Bill never likes to leave town the same way twice.”
Rabbit Foot Bill is a short Canadian novel set in Saskatchewan and based somewhat on a real murder that book place in the small town of Canwood in 1947. The book deals with some psychology and childhood repressed memories, which was interesting to me. I found the ending “reveal” to be very thought-provoking too. Solid three stars.
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First line: “A friend once told me the story of how, when he was a graduate student at Harvard Divinity School, he went before the faculty to present his idea for a doctoral thesis: the obedience of Jesus in the Gospel of John.”
A really quick little book on the traditional understanding of obedience and how that translates to some of the issues going on in the Church right now. Kwasniewski has some interesting points and I have lots to think about. 3.5 stars.
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First line: “Today God still speaks to us as he used to speak to our ancestors at a time when there were neither spiritual directors nor any systems of spirituality.”
My spiritual reading for Lent this year and I really, really enjoyed it. A book I needed to read.
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First line: “Nobody ever visits the stranded little community of Waldron, Arkansas.”
Whew, did I learn a lot with this one! This is an eye-opening expose about rural America and the power that industrial meat farming wields over those farmers. The book focuses on Tyson Foods and the way they turn farmers effectively into indentured servants. While it looked primarily at the economic repercussions of the industrialized food complex, the descriptions of “standards” for large scale chicken and hog production were baffling to me. Both the animal and the consumer are getting the short end of the stick! I could only read it in small chunks because it made me so sad and angry. (I also read this for my Reading the Alphabet Challenge.)
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)
First line: “The following manuscript was found under the floorboards of an attic room in a bedsit in Stockholm in 1996.”
Have you ever unknowingly jumped into a book series or a TV show and realized that you were missing big pieces of the story? This is how I felt about this book. Apparently, there is a podcast where this dystopian world is explained and while the book insists that you don’t need to listen to the podcast to appreciate the book, I found that to be untrue. (I also read this for my Reading the Alphabet Challenge. Almost done with the Fiction section!)
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First line: “Everyone on the Internet is a liar.”
Super quick read about over-sharing one’s life on social media and how that can potentially make someone vulnerable.
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First line: “In the week after the tragedy, as he accumulates pieces of information, he continues to replay that morning in his mind.”
I think this is number nine in the Cork O’Connor series? The book started slowly, but quickly picked up the pace and I was definitely invested. I can’t say anything specific without giving away the plot, but man! WKK has put Cork O’Connor’s wife through the ringer in this series! 3.5 stars, rounded up.
MY UNREAD SHELF PROJECT
Unread Books as of January 1, 2023: 207
Books Finished in April: 7
Finished Books Donated/Sold in April: 3
Books Added: 2
Unread Books Remaining: 197
Impressive amount of books read, as usual 🙂