Reading a Book About a Pandemic During a Pandemic- BRILLIANT (and other book reviews)

Admittedly, I had no idea what Station Eleven was about (my Mom had given me the trade paperback a year or so ago and since I had run out of library books, I decided to read it). Once I started reading it and realized what the story line was, I thought twice about continuing. I was already struggling "in real life" with the pandemic, why would I want to spend my downtime reading fiction about a pandemic? I am glad I forged ahead, though, as it a very good read and didn't spend too much time on the actual pandemic (mostly about what happened after), which somehow made me feel better about continuing.

Here is the review of that book and the three I read after.


Book #21 of 2020: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Summary: This book takes place in the Great Lakes region after a fictional swine flu pandemic, known as the "Georgia Flu", has devastated the world, killing most of the population. The book mostly focuses on what happens after the pandemic and the way in which those remaining survive.

Rating: B-. Maybe I would've given it a higher rating if we weren't living through a pandemic?

Book #22 of 2020: Troublemaker by Leah Remini

Summary: Troublemaker  is a biographical memoir by the American actress, producer, author, and comedian Leah Remini. Published in November 2015, it chronicles her life, her acting career, her experiences as a member of the Church of Scientology from a young age, and her subsequent split from Scientology. 

Rating: B. I am fascinated by all things Scientology (cults, in general.) I watched Remini's Lifetime series about people who have left Scientology and went they went through and was excited for this book. There were some tidbits that I didn't already know (Tom Cruise is an even bigger jerk than I originally thought), but most of it was a repeat from her show. Still worth the read.

Book #23 of 2020: Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Summary: It promises to be a busy week for Lake Eden, Minnesota's favorite baker Hannah Swensen. Not only is she whipping up treats for the chamber of commerce booth at the local fair; she's also judging the baking contest, acting as a magician's assistant, trying to coax her cat to end his hunger strike, and performing her own private carnival act by juggling the demands of her mother and sisters. But moments before the fair closes for the day, Hannah discovers the body of Willa Sunquist, student teacher and fellow bake contest judge, alongside an upended key lime pie. Hannah smells a murder, and as the week draws to a close, she cranks up the heat in a bid to catch the killer red handed before it's too late.

Rating: C+. I'm pretty sure the last Hannah Swensen mystery I read, I said I couldn't get out of my head the cheesy Lifetime Mysteries movie series based on the book series starring the chick from Days of Our Lives & Biggest Loser- Alison Sweeney. Well, I can confirm that is still in the back of my mind as I'm reading these books. One more- I will give the series one more try.

Book #24 of 2020: Betrayal of the Blood Lily by Lauren Willig

Summary: In the sixth book in the Pink Carnation historical fiction series, Penelope Deveraux is whisked away to nineteenth-century India and plunged into the court intrigues of the Nizam of Hyderabad, where no one is quite what they seem. New to this strange and exotic country- where a dangerous spy called the Marigold leaves venomous cobras as his calling card- she can trust only one man: Captain Alex Reid. With danger looming from local warlords, treacherous court officials, and French spies, Alex and Penelope may be all that stand in the way of a plot designed to rock the very foundations of the British Empire...

Rating: A-. Unlike the Hannah Swensen series, this one seems to be getting better with each book. I enjoyed the change of scenery (not the usual England) and the story line had a little more pep than its predecessors in the series.