My April Aardvark box and a slice of deadly cheesecake

As my birthday comes closer, the urge to buy books grows stronger and since I fully intend to take a break from biblio purchases in May, getting an Aardvark book box definitely was a good choice right now.

For the main selection, I went with Love Galaxy by Sierra Branham,a debut science fiction novel that blends reality dating shows with interstellar drama.

As a trash collector on a remote planet, Artemis intends to do nothing more than help her ailing mother survive yet a chance encounter with visiting royalty gets her an invite to the ultimate love matchmaking event in the universe.

With Prince Nix finding her forthright ways appealing and his sister Spielan promising her more than enough money to save her mother and then some, Artemis signs up despite having a few doubts about what’s to come.

Those doubts were good to have as Artemis meets up with several unexpected challenges during the competition, including a murder. In addition to that, she also finds herself attracted to the princess all the while, talk of revolution swirls around them…

This just sounds like glorious galactic fun and I plan to read this during the summer for the Sci-Fi June readathon (more on that particular TBR to come!). It’s also the first in a new series, one that should be quite the rocket ship of romance indeed:

I paired that with a book that I have eyeing for some time here, Keith Rosson’s Coffin Moon.

Set in 1975, Duane is a Vietnam veteran who has enough trouble in his life before a vampire biker gang invades the bar run by his in-laws.

The leader of the gang, John Varley, makes a point of brutally killing Duane’s wife Heidi as well as her folks, leaving him with only his distraught niece Julia as the lone ally on a road trip of revenge.

The rough and ready vibes of this story have serious pulp fiction energy but I suspect there’s more to this terror tale than that. Nonetheless, this puts me in mind of Kathryn Bigelow’s sleeper classic , Near Dark, which showcased a more down to earth style of vampire and who knows, maybe this book will be a future popcorn thriller someday soon:

Meanwhile, I did have to make a library trip sooner than I intended (ran out of renewals on a book that thankfully I finished in time) and naturally, added on a couple of paperbacks to my library loan pile.

Interestingly enough, both books had TV themes- one having recently adapted to the small screen (yes, Heated Rivalry and looking forward to season two!) and the other being adapted from a sitcom classic.

Murder by Cheesecake is the first entry in Rachel Ekstrom Courage’s cozy mystery series featuring the iconic Golden Girls as sleuths.

 We begin with Rose arranging a St. Olaf traditional wedding in Miami for her visiting cousin. Such an occasion has Dorothy seeking a date from a VHS dating service(something that Blanche has no need of!) and despite the caustic commentary from her mother Sophia, Dorothy thinks she’s found the right guy.

While Mr. Right turns out to be a dud of a date, Dorothy is determined to make the best of things, especially since Rose is anxious about the wedding. But when he is discovered to be dead, face first in a perfectly good cheesecake, it’s up to Dorothy and friends to solve the case before more than just the wedding goes off the rails!

As someone who’s seen numerous GG episodes over the years, this sounds like  excellent escapist entertainment to dive into.  The second book in this series, Death on the Lanei, is due out this summer and it’s great to get a chance to check this out first  via my local library. 

I do know this show well enough to hear the characters’ voices in my head, not to mention that there was at least one or two episodes where Dorothy revealed a talent for detective work that makes me regret that Bea Arthur didn’t have a Murder She Wrote type of show of her own back in the day. Well, these books may give us a great idea of what that could’ve been like:

Speaking of libraries, next week is National Library Week starting April 19 and ending on the 25th(my birthday, btw) and now more than ever, it’s a good time to appreciate all that those literary institutions do for us.

In addition to providing people of all ages with plenty to read, other benefits such as computer access, research opportunities for students and outreach for each particular community’s needs are available at your local library.

Sadly as funds are being cut by cold hearted politicians and censorship threats are becoming all too real, this oasis of intellectual freedom is one of the many targets under fire these days.

Fortunately, we still hold true to certain establishments that provide true and lasting benefits to our society and the library is the steadfast standard bearer in that battle for preserving the best in our collective selves. 

I  know that there is so much going on just about every day now but do try and spare a moment to look in on your nearest library to see what they have to offer. You might be pleasantly surprised there: