binge worthy reads | 03.24.19
I’m the literal worst. It’s been almost exactly a year since my last post 🤦🏻♀️
But to be fair…I’ve been hella busy. We moved (again) and that always takes the wind out of your sails. But I’ve been reading, traveling, and cooking just as much as always…I just haven’t had time to share any of it.
To make up for it. I’m sharing some of my most binge-worth ready.
the grisha-verse series by leigh bardugo
[shadow and bone, siege and storm, ruin and rise, six of crows, crooked kingdom, king of scars]
I love me a good fantasy series…and this one has it all. Magic, good versus evil, romance, and more. As much as I love Harry Potter, the Grisha world may be my official fandom. Set in a war-torn alternate universe, the world is split into humans and the Grisha, those born with powerful skills such as stopping another’s heart or summoning the elements. Though the plot varies by duology/trilogy, the premise remains the same - when you combine magic with power-hunger, things get interesting.
The series is split into several different parts and I recommend reading them in order:
The Shadow and Bone Trilogy (Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, Ruin and Rise)
The Six of Crows Duology (Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom)
King of Scars Duology (King of Scars, tbd)
Also I totally recommend taking a spin around the author’s website - you can take a quiz to see which Grisha order you belong to (Alchemist!) and which character from Six of Crows you’re most like (the one and only Kaz).
i’ll be gone in the dark by michelle mcnamara
If you’re a fan of true crime, this book is NOT one you want to miss. Released in February 2018, almost two years after the author’s untimely death, this book delves into a horrific group of cold cases almost 30 years old. Dubbed the Golden State Killer by the author, McNamara pieces together a string of ten murders and fifty rapes that plagued California in the 1970s and 1980s. The author manages to build the feelings of fear, tension and frustration experienced by residents and law enforcement officials alike without going into gory detail (in deference to the victims and their loved ones). The most amazing part? Shortly after this book was published, the GSK was captured after his genetics were linked to a relative who submitted one of those online DNA kits.
how to walk away by katherine center
My current read - I started it this morning and am already halfway there! Along the same vein as Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You, this novel focuses on the life of Margaret after she’s experiences a spinal cord injury following an accident caused by her boyfriend on the night of their engagement. Mix in some family drama with an estranged sister, an overbearing and narcissistic mother, and a mysteriously handsome Scottish PT (love interest or just drill sergeant-esque motivator? TBD)…and you’ve got a making of an easy read. I’m all for lift-up stories, but the story line has a bit too much going on at the same time.
dopesick: doctors, dealers, and the drug company that addicted america by beth macy
I’ve had this one on my wishlist for months and finished up the Audible version (read by the author) about two weeks ago. Starting as an article for The Roanoke Times, Macy quickly realized there was more than a newspaper exposé could contain. Starting with in-depth research into the beginnings of prescription drug addiction, the author carefully explains how OxyContin (and later, its cousins heroin and fentanyl) took hold in the Appalachian region. The combination of economics, mass marketing, and drug company sales objectives quickly introduced a new level of addiction to the American population. In interviews with healthcare providers, law enforcement, drug dealers, addicts, and their families, Macy weaves a tale of survival and struggle that is tough to forget. This one is one of those un-put-downable books that will make you cry from anger and disappointment in a system that is supposed to protect us.
