This month was a lotta murder... & then I slow down & branched out a little to other topics: mommy playgroups, celebrity alcoholism, teen angst, & the Cleveland mafia. Listen, I'm a woman with many interests.
With this month's seven books, I've read 21 out of my goal of 55 books for the year, which puts me a little bit ahead of schedule. (Yes, I intentionally undershot my goal in the hopes of being able to meet it, & no, I am not ashamed of that.)
I currently have a billion books on my TBR list & literally a dozen of them downloaded from the Libby app & about six recently purchased audiobooks... & at this rate, I will never read any of them. But at least the ones I'm reading are good, right? Onward!
Murdered by Paul Alexander
In February of 1986, Sherri Rasmussen was found murdered in her home in what was staged to look like a botched robbery. The case went cold for more than 20 years, despite her family's pleas that the LAPD look into one of its own – Officer Stephanie Lazarus Sherri's husband's ex-girlfriend. This book was a heartbreaking account of one family's loss & a chilling story of a police department's refusal to turn inward for an investigation. ★★★☆☆
Murder in the Yoga Store by Peter Ross Range
In the affluent Washington, D.C, suburb of Bethesda, MD, a Lululemon employee came into work one morning in 2011 to find a grisly scene: two of his coworkers, unconscious amid chaos & carnage. One was dead, the other tied up after being tortured... or so she claimed. When the survivor's story started to become more & more unbelievable, police wondered: Were they chasing their tails looking for attackers who didn't exist? ★★★★☆
JonBenet by Steve Thomas
The JonBenet Ramsey murder was my "original story" murder, the one that got me into true crime, but I've never dug deep into it. This book was written by a former lead Boulder Police detective who believes Patsy Ramsey, the child's mother, killed her, & that her father, John, covered it up. I don't know what I believe, but this book shares a lot of insight I'd never heard, including just how bizarrely uncooperative the Ramseys were with police. ★★★★☆
Happy and You Know It by Laura Hankins
When Claire takes a part-time gig playing music for a Manhattan playgroup, she doesn't expect to become friends with the mothers – glamorous, wealthy influencers who seem to have it all, until she starts to learn their secrets. As much as I liked the story itself, I really loved the social commentary on the unspoken expectations facing modern-day mothers: the pressure to do & be it all, to be smart & successful & sexy & motherly all in one. ★★★★★
Open Book by Jessica Simpson
It took me awhile to get into the pop star's memoir, but once I did, I was hooked – like, stayed up late to devour it. I'd never thought much about Jessica Simpson, didn't like her or dislike her. To read everything she's been through, though – from sexual abuse to a patriarchal marriage to Nick Lachey to a toxic relationship to John Mayer to alcoholism to public scrutiny of her weight – I was blown away by her resilience, strength, grace, & insight. ★★★★★
Emergency Contact by Mary H. K. Choi
I'd had this book on my shelf for ages but never got around to it. Once I read elsewhere how good it is, I gave it a shot... & whyyy didn't I try sooner?! This book is so smartly written, so clever & thoughtful. On Penny's first day of college, she briefly meets her roommate's one-time step-uncle, the adorable (& age-appropriate, really) barista Sam. They start a friendship via text, without ever seeing one another again in person. It's told from both perspectives, & just... wow, I really loved it. ★★★★★
The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia by Rick Perello
This was a free audiobook that I couldn't pass up, given my loves of both Cleveland & true crime. it was an interesting look back at the city's history of corn sugar production & Prohibition-era trafficking, which frequently ended in... you know... murder. Sometimes it was a little tough to follow, as if it could've used better segues & more robust storytelling, but for free, it was a great read. ★★★☆☆
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