Catherine Coles
Coles Notes
Like a lot of bookworms I usually have more than one (or two or three) books on the go at any given time. Usually this means a novel, a non-fiction title, and an audiobook or two. Take a (metaphorical) peek over my shoulder and read further to learn what books I’m enjoying now.
I love British psychological thrillers almost as much as British Chick-lit, and Give Me the Child by Mel McGrath is proving to be a great example of the former. Cat is a psychologist who specializes in psychopathic children. While she lives a relatively stable life with her husband and young daughter, she has had her own mental health scares in the past. One day, Cat’s life is upended when a big secret is brought to light: her husband fathered an illegitimate child years ago and the child, Ruby, whose mother recently died in an accident, is to live with their family.
Cat detects that there is something off about Ruby from the start, something that reminds her of the dangerous children she works with. While she has begun to fear for the safety of her daughter, the real problem is that no one will believe that this isn’t her clinical paranoia talking.
Is Cat having another mental health episode, or is Ruby a serious threat to the safety of her family? I do not yet know the answers to these questions or how the book will end, but I will soon because it is a serious page-turner.
You can reserve it in print at the library or in Overdrive e-book or audiobook through countylibrary.ca.
I’ve also been re-reading bits and pieces of Reading People by Anne Bogel.
In the same way that Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking helped scores of introverts gain some valuable self-understanding, Reading People offers the reader some much needed context for their personality quirks and ways of interacting with the world.
This book is basically a summary of the most well-known personality frameworks (Myers-Briggs, Enneagram, et cetera.) — but it is unpacked in such an accessible, engaging way!
I think most readers will discover a takeaway or two here. This book is available in print at the library, as well as instant-access e-book or e-audiobook formats through the library’s Hoopla at www.hoopladigital.com.
The audiobook I’m currently listening to on my commute and going housework is Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado, which is also available on Hoopla. It is very weird. This book is comprised of eight graphic and, I assume, metaphorical stories that touch on feminist issues. They are a compelling blend of literary realism and downright creepy, macabre horror. Sometimes the stories work (there is an interesting story about women literally fading away and being sewn into wedding dresses) and sometimes they don’t (there is another story about Law & Order: SVU doppelgangers that is way too long and confusing), but overall it is interesting. Her Body and Other Parties is definitely worth a read if you enjoyed collections like Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enriquez, or short stories by Shirley Jackson or Karen Russell. That said, I would not suggest it for everyone.
Talk to a library staff member about borrowing any of the books mentioned above, or check them out online at countylibrary.ca.