I think I’ve found my sweet spot of reading material and amount–I seem to be favoring two books a month these days, with one being fiction and one non-fiction.

The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin

I saw this one on the Instagram feed of someone I knew in high school a few months back, and I mentally made a note to track it down at some point. It follows the friendship of two female physicians who seem to have been the best of friends for decades until a long buried secret puts their relationship in jeopardy. I found the main characters to be pretty engaging, and I liked that some of the book seemed to focus on what it means to be a female in the medical world and have a family. I don’t have personal experience with this, but from what I gather, it’s neither easy nor fun. I found that some of the descriptions of the characters’ romantic rendezvous to be a little indulgent; I didn’t read this book for some Fifty Shades of Grey action. Then again, maybe I’m just being a prude (probably). The ending left me a little dissatisfied, possibly because it drives home the fact that humans are flawed and selfish sometimes. I don’t want to be more specific than that for fear of giving too much away. Overall, this was a quick, enjoyable read that Grey’s Anatomy fans would probably like.

4/5 stars.

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara

Oooh, buddy, this one was good…but also disturbing. I first heard about this book when the Golden State Killer made headlines earlier this year, and it was reported that perhaps this book aided in capturing the suspect (a claim that police actually deny). I’m on a major “true crime” kick lately, after having recently watched The Staircase and Evil Genius on Netflix, so it was only a matter of time before this odd infatuation started showing up in my library selections. Anyway, this book is a pretty comprehensive explanation of everything we know about the Golden State Killer, a man who committed more than 50 rapes and several murders over the course of the 1970s and 1980s in California. I made the mistake of reading this book while my husband Seth was out of town, and let’s just say I turned on every light in the house and triple-checked that the doors were locked every night. That being said, I think McNamara did a wonderful job of providing a judicious amount of detail–just enough to give some dimension to the criminal, but not so much as to overwhelm the reader or disrespect the victim. This book was completed before the suspect was caught, so immediately after finishing the book, I went on a wild Google rampage to learn as much as could about the case since the book’s 2016 publication. That story in itself is also pretty compelling! This is a meticulously researched book that I couldn’t put down. I only wish the author could have lived to see its publication and the resolution of the case that followed.

5/5 stars.

What did you read in August?