What Am I Reading – Chapter Twelve

Hi Everybody!!

I hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day! I sure did! When I wasn’t spending time with my mom, I was finishing the following two books in my reading bin: Inside the O’Briens by Lisa Genova and Around the World in 80 Days with Michael Palin by Michael Palin. Like before, after I got through both titles, I started two new, but truly polar opposite books/series that I would love to share with all of you.

Let’s get started!

Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante is about Dr. Jennifer White – a retired orthopedic surgeon struggling with dementia and who’s accused of killing her best friend. When her friend Amanda is found dead with four of her fingers surgically removed, Dr. White is a prime suspect. But she doesn’t know whether she committed the crime. She and Amanda were life-long friends as well as each other’s most formidable adversary. As the investigations progress and White’s relationship with her caretaker and two grown children intensify, a question remains: is her shattered memory preventing her from revealing the truth or helping her to hide it?

I started reading this today, and one of the first things that I noticed was how disoriented the tone is. This is not a bad thing because the protagonist is experiencing dementia. Disorientation is one of the symptoms, and LaPlante captures this beautifully, especially when readers are introduced to Dr. White’s son Mark.

I will also admit that the beginning is a bit slow, but I hope it picks up the pace.

Jean Reed Bahle – an actress and co-founder of the Actors’ Theatre Grand Rapids in Grand Rapids, MI – narrates the book. So far, she brings a Glenn Close-like energy as Dr. White. I look forward to hearing more of her narration as I continue to read the book.

And now from something suspenseful and eerie to something cute and adorable!!!

A Polar Bear in Love manga series by Koromo is about a lost seal who finds himself in the company of a polar bear. Instead of eating it (like most polar bears would), the latter falls madly in love with the former. However, the fearful seal constantly misinterprets the polar bear’s romantic advances as a strong desire to eat him.

I kind of cheated with this one since I recently finished the first volume of the series over this past weekend. However, I intend to read the next three parts of the series, so that’s why I mentioned it here.

I’ve known about mangas and watched many animes, which are mostly based off of those Japanese graphic novels. But, this is the first time that I’ve actually read a manga. The first volume was a super quick read with super cute visual moments like when the polar bear encounters the seal for the first time. It’s a great comforting contrast to something like Vita Nostra. I look forward to reading the rest of the series!

We now have come to the end of the twelfth chapter of “What Am I Reading?”

Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates. Also feel free to email me here for any review suggestions, ideas, or new titles!