Reading for Me

The Books I Have Read…..Just for Me

Nov 25

#34: The Black Ice (Michael Connelly)

by kennithfreeman

With a little extra time on my hands in the Geriatric Ward, I was able to finish the second book in the Harry Bosch Universe. The Black Ice took me back to the streets of Los Angeles and began with the apparent suicide of a police officer in a seedy Hollywood hotel. Although Bosch is not “officially” assigned to the case, something about the scene does not set well with him, so he begins to look at things off the record.

Black Ice is the latest drug of choice on the street and is the source of a major rivalry between makers in Mexicali and Honolulu. Bosch discovers that the officer was involved in a major drug ring that takes him south of the border and the workings of the powerful drug cartel.

The Black Ice certainly held my attention and was an entertaining read. A part of My Library Shelf, I found the novel very similar to the first volume in the series. I will continue reading the Connelly books on my shelf, but I’m hoping that the plot lines find some individuality in order to maintain my interest.

What’s up next? I’m returning to Karen Kingsbury’s 9/11 series and reading the final volume in the set – Remember Tuesday Morning.

fiction My Library Shelf

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Nov 21

The View From My Reading Chair – Nov 21

by kennithfreeman

Greetings from the Geriatric Ward in eastern Arkansas! I am so thrilled to finally be at home with my parents to enjoy a little down time after an incredibly exhausting fall semester. Somehow, I managed to get all of my finals given before leaving for the holiday and recorded multiple voice juries. To say it was a busy week would be a bit of an understatement. I’m finding myself quite tired.

This hectic schedule did impact my reading more than I had hoped. However, I have managed to make my way through about two-thirds of my current read: Michael Connelly’s The Black Ice. I decided to return to another mystery featuring Detective Harry Bosch. This novel centers around a police officer’s supposed suicide and a drug scheme involving criminals in Mexicali and sterile fruit flies. (I’m not kidding….sterile fruit flies!)

If all goes well, I should finish reading this novel early in the week and have time to finish another before planning for my return to Texas. Here’s hoping that you see a couple of book reviews in the coming days.

From our house to yours, despite the differences this year will bring, I hope that you have a very Happy Thanksgiving as you reflect on the blessings the last year has brought.

update

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Nov 14

#33: The House Girl (Tara Conklin)

by kennithfreeman

I just finished reading The House Girl this morning and absolutely loved it! I am anxious to read another of Conklin’s novels housed on My Library Shelf to see if the credit goes to the story line or Conklin’s writing. I have a feeling Conklin is going to ultimately get the credit.

In last week’s update, I explained my initial understanding of the novel. Shortly after posting the update, things turned around and I found myself enthralled in a gripping tale set in the Antebellum South and modern day New York City. The story centers around Josephine, a slave girl on a tobacco plantation in Virginia. She has been treated well for the most part by her mistress, Lu Ann Bell. As part of their relationship, Lu Ann and Josephine have both dabbled in painting together. Both women are tormented. Both find comfort in expressing their feelings in the visual arts. Only one of them is a master artist.

In the 20th century, Lu Ann Bell is regarded as an important figure in the art world. Credit for the outstanding paintings found on the plantation have been attributed to Lu Ann. Enter Lina, a NYC lawyer who has found herself involved in a slave retribution case when she first hears the story of Josephine. She begins a journey to find out if Josephine or Lu Ann should be recognized as the gifted artist. If she believes it if Josephine, then she must figure out a way to track down the slave’s descendants in order to have a plaintiff for her case.

The House Girl is an insightful look into the life of the slave in the American south while also exploring our continuing pursuit of freedom from those things that hold us captive – whether it be the past, our job, or our beliefs. Conklin’s novel is not to be missed and has quickly found itself ranked among the best books I have read in 2020.

fiction historical My Library Shelf

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Nov 7

The View From My Reading Chair – Nov 7

by kennithfreeman

This week, the National Election consumed my thoughts. As we waited to find out results, I was not in a head space to actually do much reading. This weekend, I was able to get away from the noise for a couple of days and dive into my latest read. I’m just glad to say that I have made a little progress and think I will get back on track next week.

What am I reading? I returned to My Library Shelf and picked up House Girl by Tara Conklin. I’m nearly 100 pages into it, so my knowledge of what the book is about is limited at the moment. What I do know is that it is two stories in one novel. Josephine is a house slave in confederate Virginia. Carolina is a modern-day lawyer in New York City who has been hired to try a case involving reparations. I anticipate that the two stories will intersect eventually, but I’ve not gotten there yet. Conklin’s writing is fine, I suppose. I have to decide if my struggles with getting drawn into the story is due to me or the novel itself. Still, I plan to keep plowing ahead and seeing what the book has in store in the week ahead.

update

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Nov 1

#32: Cometh the Hour (Jeffrey Archer)

by kennithfreeman

This week, I read the sixth volume of The Clifton Chronicles by Jeffrey Archer. Set in the 1970s, the novel opens with Emma finally being vindicated in her libel case filed by Lady Virginia. Giles and Seb both find love — one relationship looks very promising while the other is shrouded in questions of espionage and deception. Harry Clifton’s efforts to have a Russian author freed from prison finally have success, but at what cost?

Cometh the Hour is a fast-moving read that keeps the reader engaged. While this volume has many scenes in the English court system, the writing is more interesting than the long political battle that stymied in an earlier novel of the saga. I’m looking forward to reading the final book in The Clifton Chronicles later this month. First, I plan to spend the week reading The House Girl by Tara Conklin as part of My Library Shelf.

fiction historical Series

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