Sample Saturday is when I wade through the eleventy billion samples I have downloaded on my Kindle. I’m slowly chipping away and deciding whether it’s buy or bye.

Flesh by David Szalay

Why I have it: featured on this NYT list.

Summary: Shy and isolated teenager, István lives with his mother in an apartment in Hungary. His neighbor, a married woman close to his mother’s age, whom he begrudgingly helps with errands, is his only companion. But as these encounters shift into a clandestine relationship that István himself can barely understand, his life spirals out of control, ending in a violent accident.

I’m thinking: Maybe.

Lonely Mouth by Jacqueline Maley

Why I have it: As far as suspense goes, Maley’s last book – The Truth About Her – was good.

Summary: Matilda and Lara are half-sisters who share an unreliable mother and a chaotic past. In every other way, though, they are very different from each other. When Lara’s long-absent and erratic father returns to make amends for his past misdeeds, their lives go awry.

I’m thinking: No (but I’d listen to an audio if it popped up at my library).

The Opposite of Lonely by Hilde Hinton

Why I have it: Because I enjoyed her last book, The Loudness of Unsaid Things.

Summary: Rose knows that she should be happy but sometimes the brick in her chest gets so heavy that it’s all she can do to simply watch the minutes tick by on the oven clock. Things change when a stranger arrives – Rose can’t believe that someone like Ellie would want to be her friend and with Ellie by her side, things feel possible again. Sometimes, all you need is one friend to change your life. Because the best things in life are free. Aren’t they?

I’m thinking: Yes.