"The Manganese's Inheritance" by Brian Moore

This was definitely an odd book, and for the most part, I'd say it wasn't a good book. It was filled with so much useless exposition and description, that I ended up skipping over much of it. I did enjoy the final part, where the "loser" poet met his incestuous look-alike uncle and saw his own sad future, .... obsessing over a poet ancestor, who was really not that great. Much of the book takes place in Ireland, but not from an enjoyable point of view.

"Come Along with Me" by Shirley Jackson

This collection contains an unfinished novel, and Jackson's famous short story. "The Lottery." I enjoyed the book, though sometimes one gets tired of her grimness. The comical stories about her home life were a welcome relief. A fair number of stories made me quite grateful I wasn't a homemaker during the 1950's. I would have died of boredom and a feeling of imprisonment.

"The Redbreast" by Jo Nesbo

These Harry Hole books are definitely improving as they progress in the series. I took a pause of several days in reading this one, because I was very sad about the murder of Ellen, Harry's great friend in the police force. I figure Nesbo got rid of her to make way for Rakel, Harry's love interest.

"Beloved" by Toni Morrison

I guess I'm glad I read this book, but it wasn't the gothic horror story I expected. It was more a story about the horrible mistreatment of slaves in the US and the psychological toll it took on them. Thankfully for readability, it also described their coping mechanisms for survival.