WWW Wednesday: What Are You Reading 12/27/23

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Taking On a World of Words. 

The Three Ws are:

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

CURRENT READ

This is the latest Eve Dallas. I’m only about halfway through, but it is COMPELLING. Teenagers are being murdered at clubs, and Eve is on the trail of the killer, who is injecting teens with a lethal substance while they dance, and then slipping away.

JUST FINISHED READING

I did a lot of reading while I was off for Christmas. 

CHRISTMAS PIE is another Christmas Story by Jodi Taylor, who always releases a short story on Christmas Day. This is my favorite one ever! For the last several years I’ve enjoyed the Christmas tradition of reading Jodi’s latest story, and I thank her for that. My review is here.

THE WOMAN IN ME by Britney Spears should scare the crap out of you, especially if you don’t have trustworthy people in your life. My review is here.

CHARLIE HUSTLE by Keith O’Brien shares all the dark secrets about Pete Rose, who I still think should be in the Hall of Fame. This isn’t published until April, so my review will come later.

WHAT AM I READING NEXT?

Publisher’s Description: 

As 1754 is drawing to a close, tensions between the French and the British on Canada’s Acadian shore are reaching a fever pitch. Seamstress Sylvie Galant and her family–French-speaking Acadians wishing to remain neutral–are caught in the middle, their land positioned between two forts flying rival flags. Amid preparations for the celebration of Noël, the talk is of unrest, coming war, and William Blackburn, the British Army Ranger raising havoc across North America’s borderlands.

As summer takes hold in 1755 and British ships appear on the horizon, Sylvie encounters Blackburn, who warns her of the coming invasion. Rather than participate in the forced removal of the Acadians from their land, he resigns his commission. But that cannot save Sylvie or her kin. Relocated on a ramshackle ship to Virginia, Sylvie struggles to pick up the pieces of her life. When her path crosses once more with William’s, they must work through the complex tangle of their shared, shattered past to navigate the present and forge an enduring future.

I will start this soon. I’m doing a blog tour for this book with Austenprose PR later this month.

Inspired by the true events of the most notorious evictions in Irish history…

1861, Donegal, Ireland

Ten years ago Declan Conaghan’s father died in the Great Famine, and since then, Declan has kept his promise to keep his family out of the workhouse. But all that is threatened with the arrival of new landlord, John Adair. Adair is quick to cause trouble and fear among his tenants. When he turns them off his land, Declan has no option but to break his promise…

Declan is in despair until he receives a letter from America offering him the chance of a new life and salvation for his family. But it would mean signing up to the US Army and fighting for Lincoln. Despite knowing nothing of war, or US politics, Declan leaves behind all he knows.

Set against the wild landscapes of Ireland and the turbulent times of the American Civil War, this sweeping narrative takes us on an epic journey to understand the strength and endurance of the human spirit.

This is the only book on my Netgalley shelf that is late, but I also picked up the audiobook and I’ll be listening to it soon.

UPDATE

Christmas was wonderful. I’m back to work, but luckily I can listen to audiobooks while I drive, and that helps me keep up with my reading. Looking forward to New Year’s and the Rose Bowl. ROLL TIDE!!!

Book Review: The Woman in Me, a #Memoir by #BritneySpears

This is written very simply as if Britney is speaking directly to the reader. She talks about her childhood, her father’s alcoholism and abuse, and her rise to stardom. Then she begins to show us how she ended up under her father’s control legally. My take on this is that she was overworked, reeling from a breakup and the loss of her kids, and her family took advantage. In my opinion, they’d been living off of her too long and didn’t want it to end.

The most shocking part of the book to me was that when her father got the conservatorship, he told her “I’m Britney Spears now.” Everything she did was with his permission. She couldn’t even eat what she wanted. And she remained under his control for 13 years. Yet while she was supposed to be so unwell, he had her working nonstop. She became his dancing puppet and golden goose. Her court-appointed attorney did nothing, and she was basically locked away, brought out only for performances. It is shocking and sad. Then she tells us how she finally gained freedom, and how close she feels to her fans.

It was a sad read. It reminds me of a book I read recently set in the 1920s about a husband who sent his wife to an asylum because he wanted her money. At the time I thought that couldn’t happen in this day and age. But I was wrong.

Nobody helped her for a long time. In my opinion: The media wanted its story. Her mother and sister wanted the life they were accustomed to, and her father wanted control. Britney just wanted her kids. This is a compelling story that I read in one sitting, and it’s a warning to women that things like this can still happen.

Although the writing style is not as complex as I would like, this gets 4.5 stars for the content and for shining the light on a situation that I thought couldn’t happen in the 21st Century. I think all women should read this. This is rounded up to 5 on sites with no half-star option.

PURCHASE LINKS

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