My apologies for my more than brief hiatus. This has been such a weird year fraught with unexpected hurdles. Henry and I are quarantined at home now after he got exposed at his preschool to Covid, and even before that there were many challenges that affected my reading productivity. I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things, but I fear that 2020 is probably a lost cause on my reading goal. That goal was already pathetically low and I’m still not on pace to meet it. Regardless of the circumstances, I am back with a new version of WWW Wednesday to help get me back on track. This is a weekly series hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. Be sure to visit her entry and leave a comment with a link to your own so other bloggers can visit. And let me know here what you’ve been enjoying this week as well. Without further ado…

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

As usual, I’m currently reading two selections. One on audio and one in hardback. On audio, I’m about 1/4 way through The Garden of Burning Sand by Corban Addison. I think I had previously said I was planning to read The Tears of Dark Water first, but I shifted gears. One thing is for sure, however, that Addison writes deeply engaging and powerful novels. This one is fabulous on audio, and it’s narrated by an extremely gifted Robin Miles. Miles has won two Audie awards for Best audiobook narration, and it’s easy to see why. I highly recommend this book, though Addison’s books are very difficult in subject. This particular book is a visceral look at rape, including child rape, and the AIDS epidemic as it’s raged through the African continent. Despite the difficult subject matter, his novels contain a superb balance of character driven suspense and lyrical prose. And the cover art on each of his books is immensely compelling and beautiful. Honestly, this novel probably has the least compelling cover art of his others, but I still feel entranced when I look at it.

In hardback, I’m reading something completely different. It’s a paranormal horror novel called Home Before Dark by Riley Sager. A friend recommended this one to me and I’ve only just started it, so I’ll hold off on any judgments except to say it’s delightfully engaging from square one. I greatly enjoy books that challenge me to question whether I’m really reading paranormal horror or something much more psychological in nature. When done well, this type of fiction is immensely satisfying and effective.

What did you recently finish reading?

I recently finished In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado, and I am planning to post my review tomorrow. It’s a deeply intimate and lyrical memoir and I think I’ll have a lot to say about its style.

What Will you Read Next?

Lately I’ve been talking a lot about a literary subject I’ve been mulling over writing about, and it’s really fanned the flame of my passion for learning more. A few months ago for my birthday, I told my husband I wanted to order some books about Mary Shelley, as I find her life and work fascinating beyond belief. I’m most excited to read Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and her Daughter Mary Shelley by Charlotte Gordon. So, there you have it, a return to research!

Thanks so much for stopping by to catch up with me. Have you read any of these titles or do you find them intriguing? I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to, so feel free to drop me a comment. Until tomorrow, happy reading!