Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come - Jessica Pan

Title: Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come
Author: Jessica Pan
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 274
Date read: July, 2019

What would happen if a shy introvert lived like a gregarious extrovert for one year? If she knowingly and willingly put herself in perilous social situations that she’d normally avoid at all costs? Writer Jessica Pan intends to find out. With the help of various extrovert mentors, Jessica sets up a series of personal challenges (talk to strangers, perform stand-up comedy, host a dinner party, travel alone, make friends on the road, and much, much worse) to explore whether living like an extrovert can teach her lessons that might improve the quality of her life. Chronicling the author’s hilarious and painful year of misadventures, this book explores what happens when one introvert fights her natural tendencies, takes the plunge, and tries (and sometimes fails) to be a little bit braver.


When I read the blurb here, I immediately felt a kinship with Jessica Pan. As an introvert myself (although fortunately not a shy one) the truth of the title resonated deeply with me, and like Jessica, I too have declined invitations simply because I was peopled out, and would rather snuggle up on my couch with a book or my knitting.

So her challenge of saying yes to everything for a change is one that at the same time appealed to me and terrified me. Yes to improv? Absolutely, sign me up! I LOVE that stuff! Yes to stand-up comedy? Meh... would require somebody else to write my material, but otherwise, ok (I don't have a funny bone in my body, but love being on stage). Yes to friend-dates? Sure... it's a one-on-one situation, it could work. Yes to a solo vacation where I'm not allowed to buy guidebooks but have to rely on asking locals for advice? Meep! Yes to networking events and - gasp - talking to strangers on the bus? Noooooooo!!!!

I was a bit hesitant at first, because it seemed like this could very easily just be one cringe-worthy experience after the other, and some of the first forays into the world of extroverting did indeed end up that way, but as the year progressed and Jessica found more and more mentors to help her through - and made more and more friends along the way! - it became both a pleasant and a motivating read. I don't know that I'll go out and sign up for the friendship version of tinder anytime soon, but it's quite refreshing to know that while people might not wave - everybody waves back.

Kaninjægeren - Lars Kepler

Title: Kaninjægeren (Joona Linna #6) (The Rabbit Hunter)
Author: Lars Kepler
Genre: Suspense
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 576
Date read: July 2019

It begins with a nursery rhyme.
Nineteen minutes later you die…

There’s a face at the window.
A stranger wearing a mask stands in the shadow of a garden. He’s watching his first victim through the window. He will kill him slowly, make it last – play him a nursery rhyme – make him pay.

There’s only one person the police can turn to – ex-Detective Joona Linna – but he’s serving time in a high-security prison. So they offer him a chance to secure his freedom: help superintendent Saga Bauer track down the vicious killer known as The Rabbit Hunter, before he strikes again.

Soon another three victims have been murdered and Stockholm is in the grip of terror. Joona Linna must catch a disturbed predator, whose trail of destruction leads back to one horrific night of violence – with consequences more terrifying than anyone could have imagined…


Unfortunately not nearly as good as the other books in this series, and I think it might be time for me to say goodbye to Joona Linna and his friends. The story was still captivating, and made it easy for me to read 576 pages in less than 24 hours, but it had so many minor issues that by themselves would be no problem at all, but put together just served to annoy me.

First and foremost, the plot just seemed extremely far fetched. While I don't particularly doubt the premise, there were just certain aspects that really, really didn't work for me.

Secondly, I've gotten tired of the writing style. I don't mind a lot of really short chapters, but I draw the line when a chapter break might JUST as well have been a line break.

Thirdly, the amount of stuff that goes on between the lines. I keep worrying that I'll miss important plot points, because there are so many things just hinted at, where I have no idea if they turn out to be important or not.

That said, it did have a lot of good things going for it as well. I really loved Rex and his son and was happy that so much page-time was spent on the two of them. I also did like the concept of a spree killer as a plot point, and just wish the motivation and resolution had been better executed.

So 3 stars, and a fond farewell to the series.