April Reading

Three books seems to be about all I can get through during COVID-19 in a month.

• I liked The Outsider best before it slipped into the paranormal. And, yes, I know, I should always expect that slide. However here it seems incomplete to me. Lots of threads picked up from other stories and a LOT of pop culture references like what folks watched on TV or what music they listened to. Lately, I always feel King could and should be edited down by about 1/3rd of the text.
• Last month I purchased Debbie Nathan's Satan's Silence after listening to the Uncover podcast season on Satanic Panic. Interestingly, the book is not available on Amazon, I suspect because a lot of SRA believers have tagged it as "inappropriate." I did find it on eBooks.com for sale (and the site looks legitimate--check it out if you are interested in a sales site for ebooks that isn't 'Zon). Sybil Exposed was a great listen from the library and if you've seen the movie version with Sally Field, you might find Nathan's uncovering of the truth behind the book interesting (and oddly comforting--that movie haunts me).
• Thief River Falls was a fairly quick read. I've read a couple of other Brian Freeman books, and while this one wasn't my favorite, I still say it's worth a look if you're into psychological thrillers. And, it appears to be on sale right now for $1.99.
• Books I didn't finish in April: Interview with a Vampire (Rice), Glass Houses (Caine), Trapped (Konrath). I'll likely revisit/return to Trapped, but it may take me a bit. I'm reading an upcoming release for a Reedsy Discovery Review that won't drop until June, as well as some other stuff related to Octave Thanet.

Writing these days is sparse. I keep picking at Long Weekend, and I'm finding myself slowly rising above the COVID-19 distraction on some days. I know if I can focus for a couple of days in a row, I'm likely to get hooked into the characters enough that I will pick up some speed.