I had all of these bullets in my Random Thoughts Thursday draft for tomorrow, but it was getting way too long, so I will give this content its own post!

  • I finished City of Girls and started The Alice Network, which is the first book I’m reading on my Kindle! I like:
    • how lightweight and small the Kindle is – it doesn’t take up much space in my purse!
    • that I can lie on my side to read with it (since it’s “one page” instead of two)
    • that I can look up words by clicking on them
    • that I can read it with the lights off
    • that it can store so many books (I would sometimes bring two library books on the train if I thought I’d finish the first one – that got heavy!)!!!!!
  • There has been some user error with the Kindle. Of course, I didn’t read much for instructions and just dove in, looking up how to do things as I go along. It’s mostly intuitive, but a few times, I’ve somehow skipped way ahead in the book and had to find my way back to where I was. I’m getting better at using it!

  • As for the book, it’s funny to me that I finished one historical fiction novel set in WWII then started another in the same era (set in WWII and WWI)! <— that was NOT planned. The Alice Network goes back and forth between one female character in WWI who’s a spy, and one female character in just post WWII who’s looking for her missing cousin. Like many reviewers, I have a preference to one story over the other. I’m not in love with this book, but will finish it – the WWI character is involved with the WWII’s character’s story and I want to see what got her to the point of her life she’s in. (update, I read that part on the train this morning!)
  • I liked City of Girls, especially reading about all the seamstress work the main character did, and all the details about NYC in the 40s-60s. SPOILER I didn’t love how a major character was (re)introduced at the very end, and given so much importance, but so few pages. I actually liked the story best until that character was introduced. <— I may be in the minority with that opinion!
  • I met my 2019 Reading Challenge of 30 books when I finished City of Girls! I will probably extend it by 10 or 15 books. Weeeeeeeeeeeee!