Strong Women in Books...and Four Jerks

So, I haven't been as good about blogging again this time as I would like. Sorry about that. I was taking a programming class that was totally kicking my ass. Basically, it stole all joy out of being on my laptop.

I'm in between classes now, so I figured I should go ahead and take advantage while I can. The class may have been manhandling me, but I still managed to sneak in time to read. I had to go looking through my Goodreads list, since that's how I keep track of what I've read. There are plenty of audiobooks in there right now, but since I commute a total of an hour every day, it adds up. I'll keep my reviews short, kind of like a round robin of what I've been reading/listening to for the last few months.

Books I've read:

• Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, by Liz Wiseman and Greg McKeown. I had to read this for work. It had confirmed that I self-help books are really not my thing.
• Cuatro Amigos, by David Trueba. I believe this one isn't available in English. I'm pretty sure it's available as an ebook in Spanish, if you're really interested in reading it. A Spanish friend of mine recommended this book to me. She really loved it, saying it was true to life and hysterically funny. I really like this person, so, of course, because I am how I am, I haven't texted her yet to let her know I hated this book. I read it ages ago, and I still can't bring myself to tell her. The book is about four friends that go on a road trip together during their summer vacation. In Spain, folks get a full month or some such off, so they have plenty of time. The narrator is an asshole. His friends are assholes. The narrator's ex-girlfriend is an asshole. No one in this book has enough redeeming qualities for me to enjoy the story. Maybe the dog, but even he was kind of pathetic. It's well written, but that's about all I can say that is positive about this book.
• Murder on the Champ de Mars, by Cara Black. Aimée Leduc is back and she has a baby! This is the 15th (yes, you read that right) book in this series. I've enjoyed all of them. This time around, Aimée has to balance her job with being a single mother. René still helps out more than he should, and Morbier is still trying to keep Aimée out of trouble. This one definitely had quite a cliffhanger/shock ending, so expect to be pissed that the next book doesn't come out until next year.
• As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust, by Alan Bradley. Flavia is back! For those that have been following the series, this book will definitely come across as different from the others. You have to expect this as the series progresses, since Flavia can't be a pre-teen forever. She still has a wicked sense of humor and, of course, she's still brilliant. I know some of the fans didn't like the changes that took place in this one, but I think they work. I'm looking forward to the next installment.
• My Wish List, by Grégoire Delacourt. The only thing I can say definitively about this book is that it's very quick to read. Jocelyne, the story's protagonist, is a middle age woman who has a pretty normal and quiet life, with her husband of over 20 years and two grown children. She wins the lottery--a pretty decently sized prize--and instead of yelling into the four winds that she won, she decides to keep quiet and not cash the ticket right away. A twist in the middle of the book really jarred me. I kind of knew something like that might happen, but still. I recommend it, though I really still don't know what to think.

That's it for the round robin. The next few books I read I wanted to review on their own. Stay tuned.