On My Bedside Table #2

 Do you go through periods where you read a lot and other times where you read very little?   I fluctuate wildly when it comes to having time to read, that’s for sure.   Lately, I’ve been digesting books at a rapid rate.

Here’s what I’ve read lately:

Before I Go to Sleep.  This book is about a woman who suffers from amnesia and her romantic relationship that has gone terribly, terribly wrong.  She wakes up every morning with no memory.  The story is even creepier than Gone Girl, believe it or not.  I enjoyed it.  My only irritation with the book:  the repetitive story of how she wakes up every day gets a little tedious.  But, don’t take my word for it — this book is highly rated on Goodreads and Amazon.

The Beginner’s Goodbye.  I am a huge Anne Tyler fan, and when I saw this book for $1.99 at a thrift store, I was thrilled.  The book is about a middle-aged, disabled man who is grieving the sudden death of his wife and how he gradually heals, due to time and her frequent appearances.  Believe it or not, the latter is not creepy, but expressed in a poignant way.  This book is only 198 pages long, and I drank it up in about 2 nights.

Dairy Queen.  Corinne’s review of this book is what enticed me to add it to my “must read” list.  The lead character in this book is a high school girl named D.J. Schwenk.  Her observations and dry wit about farm life, her family, and football cracked me up.  I recommend this book if you would like a “light” tale.  It would also be great for a teenager in your life who loves to read.

Night Ride Home.  I became a fan of Vicki Covington when I stumbled across her second book, Bird of Paradise, at a library’s book sale.     (This book received a high rating from me on Amazon — you can see my review here.)      If you’re like me, once I discover an author I love, I tend to read many of their books, and Vicki is no exception.    Night Ride Home  is a story of a small southern mining community, and how the residents come together when there is a mining disaster on Christmas Eve, in the days just before the bombing of Pearl Harbor.    There were so many wonderful thoughts expressed in this book — I’ll have to share one of the quotes soon.  Fans of the southern literature and gritty stories of a hardscrabble life will enjoy this one.  Recommended.

P.S.  Yes, this post does contain affiliate links.