The RAHM Report for 5/21/18

What I Finished Reading

I read for Bout of Books every day this week except Friday and ended up finishing six books. That's down quite a bit from the first few times I did Bout of Books, but up from my recent average of 3-4 books per week. I'm already looking forward to the next Bout of Books in August! Here's what I read, and the Goodreads rating I gave to each book:

• Wild Blues by Beth Kephart (digital ARC) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  This book was beautifully written just like the author's previous YA title, This is the Story of You. My review will be published on May 30. 
• Love, Ruby Lavender by Deborah Wiles (read on Open Library) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  I have The Aurora County All-Stars sitting on my nightstand but I wanted to read the series in order so I borrowed this first book from Open Library. It was mostly very sweet, but I was caught a bit off-guard when the main character made a reference to strip poker. It was so out of place.  But I liked the book overall. 
• By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleischman (hardcover) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  I was not crazy about this book at first, as the Gold Rush is not a topic that has ever really grabbed my interest. But this tale of a boy and his butler sailing to California to seek their fortunes ended up being a really fun (and funny) adventure story. The 1967 film adaptation - Disney's The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin - was entertaining, too, though the ending deviates quite a bit from the book.
• The Penderwicks at Last by Jeanne Birdsall (ebook) ⭐⭐
  This was such a disappointment. My review will be up on Wednesday of this week.
• The Princeton Impostor by Ann Waldron (paperback) ⭐⭐
  This was a strange cozy mystery. Everything about it was very tame and gentle most of the time, but then sometimes there would be 2 or 3 f-bombs on the same page. It didn't bother me, but it struck me as odd. The dialogue also felt stilted and the mystery dragged. This was the last book of the series, but the only one I've read, and I won't be seeking out any others.
• Send in the Clowns by Julie Mulhern (audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  Though I was initially put off by the audiobook narrator's mispronunciation of calliope as "callie opie," that wound up being the only mistake, and the word wasn't used again after the first couple of chapters. I did enjoy spending another book with Ellison, who was her usual witty and snarky self, and I do generally enjoy Callie Beaulieu's narration. 

What I'm Currently Reading

I have really only looked at the first page of each of these, but this is what is on my reading list for this week:

• Sixpence in her Shoe by Phyllis McGinley
  I borrowed this essay collection about the American housewife in 1960 after my husband sent me an article about her from The National Review. There are now 5 people waiting behind me and my loan ends on Saturday, so this is my top priority for the next few days.
• Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
  This is the book that comes between Love, Ruby Lavender and The Aurora County All-Stars, and it is also checked out to me from Open Library. I expect to be able to read it in just a couple of hours.,
• Lakeside Cottage by Susan Wiggs
  The weather is finally warm, so I'm ready for a light summery read. I hope to at least get halfway through this one this week. 
• The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
  I've been meaning to start this for weeks. I will definitely do so this week. I've had a good long break from Three Pines and I'm eager to go back!

I'll be linking up today with Unleashing Readers/Teach Mentor Texts and Book Date for It's Monday! What Are You Reading?