What I'm Reading Wednesday #14 (December 13, 2017)

This week finds me still reading Extracted by RR Haywood.  I started out strong and then lost a little steam along the way.  I am still hopeful that I will meet my goal of 32 books this year.  I have a couple of weeks left.  Fingers crossed!

Here's my progress so far:
2017 Goal: 32 books

Books Read = 28/32

Books from TBR list: 6

Series completed: 0

*Erin's Book Challenge #6:  8/10  0/Bonus Round (Final Score)
**Erin's Book Challenge #7: 5/10  0/Bonus Round (Final Score)
BC = Book Club book

January

1.  Midair by Kodi Scheer

*2.  And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini (TBR)

February

*1.  Christine by Stephen King

2.  The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens (yup, I started a new series)

March

1.  The Fire Chronicle by John Stephens (second book in the series)

*2.  Wonder by RJ Palacio (TBR)

*3.  Matched  by Ally Condie

*4.  Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (TBR)

April

*1.  The Ancient Ones by Kirk Mitchell

*2.  The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

*3. The Breaking Light by Heather Hansen

May
*1.  11/22/63 by Stephen King (TBR)

2.  Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
3.  The Vines by Christopher Rice

June
0 books read :(

July
**1.  Yo by Ricky Martin
**2.  Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

August
0 books read :(

September
1.  The Passage by Justin Cronin (TBR) (BC)
**2.  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (TBR)

October
1.  Dualed by Elsie Chapman (BC)
**2.  Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig
3.  Breathe by Sarah Crossan (BC)
**4.  Little Town Lies by Anne Strieber

November
1.  Portrait Revolution by Julia L. Kay
2.  Interference by Amélie Antoine
3.  Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
4.  The Night Bird by Brian Freeman
5.  Skinny Liver by Kristin Kirkpatrick

December
1.  Art and Soul Reloaded by Pam Grout

Currently Reading:
Extracted by RR Haywood
The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

What are you reading this week?  How are your reading goals going?

I'm Sorry, NaNoWriMo. But It's Over...

Dear NaNoWriMo,

I'm sorry but it's over between you and me.  We've had a good run, but you're just not the right fit for me anymore.

I want you to know that it's not you; it's me.  Really.  You're a fantastic challenge!  Every year you help thousands of people to write novels.  Some folks even end up as published authors because of you.  I honestly don't believe I would have ever tried writing a book if it hadn't been for you.  Now I have three partial manuscripts and many more ideas banging around in my head waiting for their turn to meet paper.

I remember when I first met you.  It was 2009.  I was laid off, depressed, and searching for purpose when all of a sudden you came along.  You inspired me.  I planned.  I dreamed.  I wrote over 12,000 words.  That was the most I had written in a long time, maybe ever.  You gave me hope.  I am forever grateful for that.

I have clung to that hope for eight years now.  Every year I think I can do it.  I believe I can do it.  I can write 50,000 words in 30 days.  But it's time I admitted the truth, to you and to myself.  That kind of writing is not my style.  It does not work for me.  I prefer a more laid back approach to writing.  If it takes me years to finish my first draft, I'm ok with that.

So, I'm sorry NaNo, but it's over.  Next November I will ignore all the people chatting about you online.  I will go about my normal routine without you, and everything will be ok.  I will keep writing, but on my schedule.  You will move on and help thousands more people realize their dream of writing a book.

It's for the best.  I promise.
Love,
Lisa

Interference by Amélie Antoine

What it's About:  

Gabriel and Chloé are young, married, and in love.  They live a near perfect life until Chloé, who is very athletic, mysteriously drowns.  Gabriel is left to deal with the tragedy alone.  He joins a bereavement group where he slowly learns to deal with his wife's death and meets a beautiful photographer, Emma.  As Gabriel and Emma start to build their relationship, new revelations about Chloé emerge, changing Gabriel forever.  Will Gabriel be able to move on and start a new life with Emma or will Chloé's death haunt him?

What I Thought:

Wow!  Wow!  O. M. Goodness.  This book!

I almost put this book down.  I almost stopped reading.  I almost gave up.  But I am so glad that I kept reading.

Each chapter of Interference has three parts, each one written from the point of view of one of the three main characters.  The story is revealed to us through the experiences of each of these characters.  In the beginning of the book, one of these characters is already dead.  I found this detail very annoying at first and almost stopped reading the book (I don't always like books that are narrated by ghosts), but I am glad that I kept reading because the twists and turns that the plot takes kept me guessing until the very last page.  I think this book is the best example of the unreliable narrator I have ever read.

I don't want to give away any details.  No. Spoilers.  Which is really hard to do when talking about this book.  O. M. Goodness.  You just have to read this book.    You just have to read it.