With the fast approach of our first big hot weather holiday weekend, the time has come for Seasons of Reading’s Sci-Fi Summer readathon sign-ups to begin!
As hosted by Michelle Miller, this readathon is meant to be science fiction centric with fantasy also included in the mix. Usually, my TBR for this event is mostly fantasy forward but this year, all of my books for this challenge are definitely Category: Science Fiction!
My first pick was a rummage sale find that instantly caught my eye; a Star Wars novel by Dave Wolverton entitled The Courtship of Princess Leia.
This story is set in the aftermath of the original film trilogy where despite achieving a major victory against the Empire, the rebels are still fighting some of the last remnants of the former regime.
Leia has the opportunity to bring a major power player to their side but the Queen Mother of that realm insists that Leia marry her son Prince Isoldar as the price for that bargain.
Before she makes her decision on that, Han talks Leia into a mission on distant planet Dathomir, which is just an excuse for him to win her over romantically. Luke winds up forming an alliance with Isoldar to track them down in the interest of peace and all of this leads to trouble and chaos in more ways than one.
As a Star Wars fan, this just looks like fun and I’ve heard that it’s very entertaining to say the least. I really haven’t gotten into the Star Wars novels(quite the vast universe there) but Princess Leia is my all time favorite character from SW and her romance with scruffy nerf herder Han Solo is one for the ages, so how could I resist?:
Next up is one of my recent Aardvark selections that I decided to save for this occasion. Love Galaxy is a debut novel by Sierra Branham that takes reality romance shows to new intergalactic heights.
Artemis is struggling to keep her mother alive on the trash haul planet they reside on when a chance encounter with royalty gets her an invitation to participate in the title competition to win the heart of Prince Nix.
The money she can receive for taking part in this contest would be more than enough to help her mother and improve their lives yet it’s not the only reason that Artemis is willing to say yes. The prince’s sister Spielan is another serious inducement as well.
As the competition goes on, things become more complicated as the mysterious death of another contestant may have political implications that threatens to endanger all involved. Can Artemis keep her focus on what’s going on or should she get out before her time is prematurely up?
This book is the first in a series that does sound great and I love the genre blending that should make for a tasty sci-fi cocktail with a splash of strawberry storytelling flavor:
To round this reading pile out, I went with another Aardvark book that may require me to do a classic reread for my own personal refresher needs.
K.M. Farjado’s Local Heavens takes The Great Gatsby and sets that table at a cyberpunk party in New York of 2075.
Here, Nick Caraway takes on a corporate espionage job that brings him into the path of his unhappily married cousin Daisy who happens to be the former love interest of his target, mysterious billionaire Jay Gatsby.
Using his skills in cyberspace, Nick becomes heavily invested in reuniting Jay and Daisy, especially with the encouragement given by their new friend Jordan whose interest in body modification goes beyond his professional athlete status. However, the price for such high tech matchmaking is higher than any being ever imagined.
While I’m not the biggest F. Scott Fitzgerald fan, this new spin on his iconic tale of ambition and class is inspiring me to not only to read this book but to take the original novel out for a spin again.
It may not be necessary to do a Gatsby reread(only read it the once a long time ago)to enjoy Farjado’s debut here yet it just might be a nice background soundtrack for this reimagining indeed:
The Sci-Fi Summer readathon starts on June 1 and there’s a special three day reading event for Juneteenth scheduled (for more details, I have a link to the SOR sign-up section in the first paragraph of this post ) and there’s plenty of time to join in the bookish fun this summer season.
Next week, I’m taking a mini blog break due to Memorial Day weekend so I will see you all in June. Until then, it’s good to remember that despite the increasing chaos out in the wider world-as well as too close for comfort at home-that we do need to take some time out to enjoy a little bit of life as much as we can.
You don’t have to make elaborate plans either; my big holiday expectations are to watch a new comedy special by Josh Johnson and to finally get to watch Maggie Gyllenhaal’s wild ride with Mary Shelley in The Bride!
This Frankenstein meets Bonnie & Clyde movie is probably going to be a mixed bag of media delights at best but I suspect there is plenty of freaky fun to be had here. Plus, this mad science romp should be a nice way to get my Sci-Fi Summer off to a roaring start:
While I am taking a break from book buying this month, that doesn’t mean I can’t do a little borrowing from my local library to help me curb any new book cravings there!
My latest library visit lead to a nice trio of novels that should liven up my spring reading and I’m already in the midst of one of them here; Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet, a debut YA novel that reimagines the Louisa May Alcott classic.
Yes, Beth March has died at the beginning of this story set in our present day and even before her untimely demise was rather famous as a character in the book written by her father( entitled Little Women, of course) which strangely enough, had Beth dying as well.
Since the book became controversial due to their father openly basing it on the real lives of his four daughters , he left town for awhile yet might be a suspect although most folks are hard pressed to believe that gentle, shy Beth had any enemies.
Determined to find answers and not trusting the police, particularly a certain detective, Jo decides to seek the truth out herself.
While plenty of their friends and relatives do have something to hide(especially her younger sister Amy, who took Beth to a party that night and Meg, whose college career is more complicated than anyone in her family knows)the secrets and lies that are revealed could either lead to mending hearts or destroying many other lives in the process.
As a longtime fan of the Alcott original, I’ve wanted to dive into this book as soon as I heard about it . Based on what I have read so far, Berber clearly knows the source material by heart and has crafted an engaging narrative that mixes Little Women with a CW style teen drama and yes, that is intended to be a compliment!
The smart and savvy storytelling doesn’t hesitate to keep the strong emotional notes held by the characters in tune while arranging them into her own operatic composition. I am trying not to rush through the book as such a modern blend with old fashioned flavor deserves to be slowly sipped as any storyteller’s brew ought to be:
Meanwhile, during that last library visit, I came a new Jane Austen themed novel from Gil Hornby(who wrote the lovely Miss Austen, a recent BBC/PBS adaptation) that was another must have for me.
The Elopement has as it’s leading lady Mary Dorothea Knatchbull, who becomes the stepdaughter of Jane Austen’s niece Fanny Knight once her father marries into the family.
At first, Mary is less than thrilled about this new extension of her family line but as time goes on , she begins to make friends with some of her new cousins and even Aunt Cassandra, who has some helpful hints to share about life and love.
When Mary becomes of age, those hints prove to be more useful than she ever imagined and like many an Austen heroine, she must make a choice between listening to sensible advice or following the sensibilities of her heart.
As I did greatly enjoy the Miss Austen miniseries and wound up reading one of Hornby’s other Austen family books (Godmersham Park), this new look at classic romance felt like the perfect page turning party to attend this season:
Speaking of romance, my last pick was Say You‘ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez.
When Samantha meets Xavier, it’s not a magic moment at first due to his diagnosis of a wounded kitten at his veterinary clinic.
However, they do find some common ground (yes, the cat gets better) and after one wild time in an escape room, the possibility of love is definitely in the air.
Unfortunately, Samantha must move back home to help her mother out(she has Alzheimer’s disease) and forces herself to break things off with Xavier before they get too serious about each other.
That doesn’t deter Xavier from trying to make a long distance relationship work, down to sharing musical playlists and providing emotional support when needed. Can their love really hold up under such pressure or should they truly go their separate ways?
Jimenez knows how to create realistic romantic couples that you can’t help but root for despite their situation and this sounds like a bittersweet joy to behold here:
Well, my bookish needs certainly feel met for the moment but rest assured, I will be back in buying mode for summer reads all too soon.
To wrap this post up, I just wanted to share my thoughts about the new movie version of Wuthering Heights that I watched on HBO Max the other week.
Let me start off by saying that I am NOT a big fan of the original Emily Bronte novel-read it once and once was enough-more of a Jane Eyre person( and yes, I need to read more Charlotte Bronte).
However, that doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate a good film adaptation of WH such as the iconic 1939 movie with Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon and the 1992 rendition starring Ralph Finnes and Juliette Binoche. Those films made changes from the source material yet still managed to invoke the spirit of the original work successfully enough to inspire viewers and readers alike for generations.
This current movie has it’s fans, no doubt, yet this fever dream take on the doomed love story and the traumatic consequences of that relationship is more fever than dream and not in a good way.
Setting aside the casting controversy, many of the changes made by writer/director Emerald Fennell(whose original film Promising Young Woman, I did like) just seem to be nonsensical; the wallpaper meant to look exactly like Cathy’s skin, a reoccurring bit between Cathy and Heathcliff to hide eggs under the bedcovers as a gag, the costumes that would be over the top even at the Met Gala?
I don’t even want to get into how Heathcliff turns into some BookTok Shadow Daddy(I know his character is supposed to be disturbing but this was repulsive in more ways than one) or how Nelly Dean seemed to be most sympathetic character out of the bunch.
If this was meant to be some sort of satire or twisted homage to old school Hollywood adaptations of classic books, I could be onboard with that yet Fennell insists that was her teenage fantasy take on the novel, one that I hope no one uses as a source for a book report there!
It’s a shame that such an immature overblown version like this got a green light in the first place. Look, I’m all for adding a new creative touch to classic material but when I’m reading a great updated take like Beth Is Dead and then seeing what a hot mess this version of WH is, the disappointment is great indeed.
On the positive side, the original songs created by Charli xcx for the movie are awesome and could’ve been a better blueprint for what this Wuthering Heights could have been; a gothic chiller with haunting flair.
Perhaps this take on Emily Brontë ‘s work will inspire a more thoughtful and innovative film in the future. My best recommendation is to just stick with the soundtrack and watch an earlier WH movie or play this music along with your favorite adaptation instead-now, that’s imaginative meta mixing there!:
One of the scariest things about my reading for this year’s Spring Into Horror readathon (hosted by Michelle Miller at Seasons of Reading) was how out of control my library loans were, causing me to deal with either my renewal number reaching it’s limit or certain titles not being renewable at all!
Nevertheless, I was able to finish two out of the three books that were set aside for this challenge, starting with Chuck Tingle’s Bury Your Gays, set in a very modern day Hollywood indeed.
Misha is a successful screenwriter whose TV and film credits have garnered him much acclaim, not to mention an Oscar nomination for the quirky short film he created on the side.
However, the big studio executives producing his current hit show are insisting that he use the title trope against the female leads of the series for the season finale. Sick of that particular pop culture prejudice,he refuses only to be met with the strangest intimidation campaign ever.
Various characters from his horror/sci-fi catalog of work appear to be stalking him and his friends. Thinking at first that this is being either a studio stunt or deranged fans, Misha is annoyed at first. Yet, it all too quickly becomes way too real and much too elaborate for the average corporate boss to pull off.
Can Misha write his own happy ending or will this cinematic showdown destroy any chance of a sequel?
I don’t want to give too much away but this book is eerily prescient in its depiction of corporate Hollywood embracing high tech without considering the serious consequences of recklessly diving into these uncharted waters.
Yes, there are some heartfelt moments as Misha looks back on what inspired him to create the various monsters literally pursuing him and a touch of twisted humor as well. However, the fictional menaces imaged by Misha are incredibly creative and terrifying all at once.
If even a hint of such fright fiends were to be depicted on screen, quite a few fresh nightmares would be born. Of course, the worst villains are behind the cameras…
Tingle has a new novel due out this summer (Fabulous Bodies) and I’m looking forward to that as part of my regular reading. In the meanwhile, this meta take on Hollywood’s true horrors is hauntingly great, with some X-Files energy to boot:
After that, I picked up Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison.
Rory never planned to go back to her hometown, having a rather solid good single girl life in the big city. Yet, when her pregnant twin sister Scarlett asks her to be with her due to the father of her impending child being out of the picture, Rory can’t really say no.
Early on in her visit, she’s driving back home late at night and gets into an accident that may have caused her to hit a dog in the road. Upon investigating, Rory discovers all too late that it wasn’t a dog out there…
Recovering from that incident, she soon realizes that she’s now a werewolf with no hope of a cure. On top of that, her mother is coming for a visit and that’s just as bad as being bitten by a supernatural creature.
The already complicated issues of her life become even more so as she struggles to deal with some personal demons and a potentially serious romance with a former high school crush as well as seeing if she can control her full moon frenzy before her sister’s baby is born.
Thus is the second book that I’ve read by Harrison and I don’t know why it took me so long to give her work a try. Her emotionally complex characters and the fearsome situations they find themselves in have realistic depictions that refuse to shy away from the otherworldly (or body horror for that matter but not in excess) are smartly written and compelling reads.
Plus, her werewolf metaphors for women dealing with their outward appearance and inner rage are well crafted with a sense of snark that any Buffy fan(like me) would appreciate there:
Sadly, I didn’t have time to read Ava Morgyn’s The Bane Witch before the end of April but I will save it for the fall.
Part of that was due to my library loans getting out of hand yet I did manage to finish a couple of those books before too much time ran out. Since one of them happened to be a light murder mystery, I thought it deserved a honorable mention here.
Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library is a debut novel by Amanda Chapman, set in modern day New York where literary expert Tory Van Dyne runs the title establishment and for the most part, has a relatively quiet life.
That is, until an elderly woman claiming to be Agatha Christie suddenly appears in the section of the library that’s a recreation of the Queen of Crime’s own parlor.
Mrs. Christie(who prefers using the the surname of her last husband Mallowan for this particular occasion) has been allowed to return to the mortal realm in order to help Tory solve a mystery , one that doesn’t seem to have happened just yet. A knock on the door from her ditzy cousin Nicola changes all of that and leads Tory down a precarious path that she thought would only be available to her in the pages of a book.
Is this appearance of the world’s greatest literary detective most fortunate or oddly convenient at best? Can Tory save the day with or without the assistance of Mrs. Christie before the final chapter arrives for all involved?
This is such a charming read, light and lively with the right amount of pathos when needed. Tory and her new found group of amateur crime solvers that includes a clever pre-teen and her dog as well as Tory’s well attired assistant, form an engaging alliance that should continue for a few more books to come(Yes, a second entry entitled Mrs. Christie & The Mystery in the Mews is set for release this October!).
If you’re interested in a blend of Agatha Christie with Only Murders in the Building (which is name checked in this book btw!), this is definitely your cup of crime solving tea to enjoy:
My thanks to Michelle Miller for another round of great reading and my hope that everyone else had a hauntingly good time here.
I’m hoping to do better in June with the Sci-Fi Summer challenge, especially since my TBR is going to be fully science fiction this time around (fantasy is also included here).
One of my picks is an old school Star Wars novel where the romance between Princess Leia and Han Solo is the major plot point and this should be fun. I know Star Wars Day was yesterday but the force can be with you at any time, it seems to me:
Well, my birthday weekend was eventful to be sure and yet I did have some fun. My movie going plans went awry(more on that later) but that turned into an opportunity to do a little in-person book shopping.
Before that happened, one of the gifts I received that morning was a lovely edition of Swordheart by T.Kingfisher, a charming fantasy novel that I’ve nothing but wonderful things about.
Our leading lady is Halla,a widow who has just come into a sizable inheritance from a distant relative and already her family is trying to force her into a marriage arrangement that would benefit them much more than her.
Coming across an ancient sword, she releases it from its scabbard which also frees a knight named Sarkis from the blade as well. Due to a curse, Sarkis must defend the one who wields the blade and Halla does need the help, only she’s not too keen on resorting to a killing spree in order to solve her problems.
Can the two of them find a way to better their situations without bloodshed yet take a moment for a bit of romance for themselves?
Like I said, praise for this book has been solid and while I do already enjoy Kingfisher’s unique and occasionally gritty style with fantasy stories, this particular title has been compared to the iconic The Princess Bride in terms of tone. That sounds like a fictional flavor worth indulging in indeed:
Later that day, I wound up going to a bookstore instead of the movie I was planning to see(a last minute change that worked out better in the end) and the first book added to my purchase pile was Marian Kamali’s The Stationary Shop.
Starting in Tehran of 1953, Roya at seventeen is able to attend university for what her father hopes will be practical purposes but her love of fiction leads her to the literary establishment of the title where she finds true love with one of the other regular readers.
Bahman and Roya keep meeting each other at the shop on Tuesdays, forming a romance that leads to a proposal of marriage. Yet, his political activism leads him to disappear with the only remaining connection between them being letters that the shop keeper accepts on their behalf. Plans are made for their future, however, the forces of change are upon their country and even love has its limits when it comes to that.
Having read the amazingly wonderful The Lion Women of Tehran last year, I was thrilled to find a copy of this earlier work as it should hopefully tide me over until this author blesses us with another bookish delight:
Then, I came across Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower and eagerly placed it among my purchases.
This modern classic about a not too distant future, where climate change and economic collapse are holding hands and holding what remains of society down, has become a generational touchstone for many a reader and it certainly feels like a good time to explore this groundbreaking book and it’s many wonders.
While I’m not in an in-person book club at the moment, it certainly would be great to engage with the wider conversation that those groups have had and are still having with this novel, once I finish it and have something meaningful to contribute in that regard:
To finish up my shopping, The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst was the ideal topping for my bookish birthday sundae.
This YA fantasy introduces us to Calista, who is sent to her Aunt Zee’s inn over the summer for a much needed change of scenery.
While she quickly realizes that this place is no ordinary hotel, Calisa is delighted to help out as much as possible despite her aunt’s reluctance to accept any assistance, especially from her.
One day, Zee is not to be found and until she decides to return, Calisa has to keep things running as smoothly as possible and with the help of Jack, the groundskeeper’s charming son, she seems to be doing well. But how long can she maintain the magic required to hold the inn together and what will be the price of doing that for all concerned?
The word of mouth on this cozy fantasy has been lovely to say the least and I have been wanting to dive into more of Durst’s work since throughly enjoying her breakout hit, The SpellShop. This story is not part of that series but a good magical inn tale on its own is worth checking into there:
So, all in all, it was a pretty good birthday, especially when it came to books. I am definitely taking a book buying break next month(already paused my Book of the Month Club subscription) but will have to return a couple of library loans soon so not completely book acquisition free there.
To be honest, I did feel a bit bummed about missing out on the movie that I planned to see-with the world being as chaotic as it is right now, perhaps my expectations were a bit too high- but fortunately, I still had fun with family and friends which, if you’re lucky, is a year round source of comfort and joy.
On the bright side, we were able to switch our tickets for the movie we arrived very late to for another special showing in June for one of my all time favorites: Death Becomes Her!
This is a movie that I have loved since first seeing it when it was originally released in theaters (yes,
am that old and then some) and I immediately adored the Tales From the Crypt vibes of this wild ride that gleefully satirizes female rivalry, the seemingly insatiable quest for eternal youth and celebrity culture.
This cult classic will be well worth the wait to revisit on the big screen and the perfect belated birthday present, if you ask me. In the meantime, I am happy to have plenty of new books to open again and again without the need for a warning (if you know, you know)…:
Despite the ups and downs of the weather this spring(experiencing quite the cold snap at the moment!), summer is not too far off and considering the financial state of the world these days, a good book is still the best staycation, if you ask me.
In highlighting this trio of upcoming romance reads, I decided to pair each one with what I consider to be the best song for their potential soundtrack in case of potential adaptations. Even if these particular titles remain page only pleasures, a little playlist fun only adds to the love factor there.
Let’s start with Romantic Hero by Kirsty Greenwood, due out in June, where a broken hearted writer finds quite the muse on and off the literary ranch series she’s created.
Gertie Bickerstaff has a two week deadline to deliver the last entry in her cowboy romance novel series but her recent breakup is stalling her writing skills big time.
While having a good crying session in her bathtub, Gertie is interrupted by one of her own fictional characters, River Oakley, the main villain of that world. He’s just as surprised to see Gertie (plus, not as bad of a guy as she’s made him out to be) and eager to return home.
In order to set things right, River offers to help Gertie get her exe back by pretending to be her new boyfriend and making said former lover jealous enough to make up with her. As time goes on, however, Gertie starts to wonder if she really needs to be back in that relationship or is this the start of something truly new and better with River?
I did throughly enjoy Greenwood’s prior book(The Love of my Afterlife) and this sounds like as much good quirky yet sincerely compelling storytelling here. As for my song choice, it’s a bit obvious but hey, worth holding out for:
Set for a July release is the latest from Christina Lauren, The Romantic Revival, a light and lively take on a classic sci-fi trope.
Dr. Emory Martin is as devoted to her work as a biomedical scientist as she is to her beloved husband Luca yet those two passions become one and the same most unexpectedly.
When Luca dies in a tragic accident, she uses her experimental project to hopefully bring him back to life. It does work, with the catch being that he has no memory of their life together.
In rebuilding what was lost, Emery decides to become the perfect partner that she felt that she wasn’t before. Yet, isn’t the best love not meant to be perfect?
Lauren’s work has dipped its toes in scientifically themed waters before and this sounds more about romantic chemistry rather than laboratory lore. That’s perfectly fine with me as this sort of reminds me of the oddly engaging 1987 romcom Making Mr. Right, where a quirky PR woman and an android she is supposed to teach to act more human have quite the interstellar romance.
The main love song from that film is extremely suitable for this offbeat tale of renewed love in my opinion (also, if you can find Making Mr. Right on streaming, definitely check it out):
Also due in July is Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst, the third in her cozy fantasy SpellShop series.
We met Marin, who has been a sea faring supply runner for some time now, with a crew consisting of a friendly sea serpent and a sentient shrub.
Upon arriving at the capital city of Alyssium, Marin quickly realizes that there’s a fiery revolution going on and that her good friend Dax is in need of escape from the angry mob.
Rescuing Dax and giving him cover as a member of her crew comes with a price as Marin is in need of a fake boyfriend for the annual End of Harvest Festival back in her home town. The deal is made yet Marin begins to wonder who is actually getting the true benefit of this bargain indeed.
SBD has blossomed into quite the cozy fantasy/romance sensation with her charming characters and graceful writing that does cast a storytelling spell on its readers. Speaking of spellcasting, this magical cover of “Somebody to Love” from the 2004 adaptation of Ella Enchanted just feels so right for this one:
It may be extremely difficult to look forward to anything good right now but letting our spirits be permanently sunk low isn’t going to make things better.
Allowing ourselves moments of joy is important and celebrating the arts in all forms is vital to keeping our collective home fires burning, so to speak.Yes, romance novels are a part of that grand tradition and shouldn’t be scorned on that account.
I will be highlighting some more upcoming releases from other genres as summer grows near and like I said, books offer some reasonably priced vacation relief (especially when you calculate transportation costs alone!) there.
That doesn’t mean you have to constantly stay at home; for my birthday this weekend, I’m going to a special showing of a classic romcom that promises to be fun and audience participation friendly, just the kind of pop culture party many of us need right now.
Romance is a time honored genre with well known tropes that can still surprise and delight you when creatively written and presented. I have high hopes for this particular trio of love lorn stories that, much like a great song, can put a much needed spring in your step despite the season you’re currently in:
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:
April is one of my favorite months, due in part to being my birthday month as well, which makes ordering my Book of the Month club box all the more special.
To that end, my main selection was a deluxe edition of Blood Bound by Ellis Hunter(a writing duo who combined their last names here), that is as beautiful looking as any gift wrapped gem.
Our story is set in a mythical realm where in order to save her people from a deadly plague, Astrid must take up her mantle as heiress to the throne as well as the last witch of her order and journey to the Kingdom of Vatra to duel with Prince Zryan for control over all magic.
This duel requires them both to ride dragons, which is challenging in more ways than one. Astrid winds up also having to deal with Skylar, whose mother was killed by the king’s guard and has since become part of a traveling band of entertainers.
When she fears her best friend has been forcibly recruited into the royal army, Skylar seeks her out among the regals that she despises, only to be thrust into this battle to the death that decides the fates of the many. Can both of these women find a way to save themselves from being destroyed by such manipulative forces or is victory truly theirs for the taking?
This is a debut novel that is meant to be the first in a series and I hope that BOTM keeps up with these books as this initial outing is quite the pop culture package. Not only does this book have sprayed edges and gorgeous endpaper artwork (check my Instagram for a better look!) the cover jacket is reversible to boot. The couple of extra dollars that I paid this time around was definitely worth it.
Plus, a plot line where a witch and a wicked prince have to duel while riding dragons? Such a “Yes, Please “ and a please pass the popcorn while you’re at it there:
One of the fun bonuses of Book of the Month Club is that longtime members can get a free book for their birthday month and one that I chose was rather fitting for a lifelong reader indeed.
Meg Shaffer’s The Book Witch has the enchantress of the title seeking out a literary character to aid her in a real life quest.
Rainy March enjoys following in the magical footsteps of her family’s ability to hop in and out of the pages of books as a means of protecting those fictitious worlds from enemies both without and within. One major rule of her profession, however, is not to cross the line between reality and the written word for the good of all concerned.
However, when her beloved grandfather goes missing right around the time a rare volume is stolen, Rainy’s best chance to solve both mysteries is by enlisting the aid of her favorite British book bound detective known as The Duke of Chicago.
This team up could get Rainy expelled from her literary coven(not to mention surrendering her powers) yet the risks may be well worth the reward in more ways than one.
I did enjoy Shaffer’s The Wishing Game(and will soon catch up with her other novel The Lost Story) very much and this latest work sounds like a real page turning treat with perhaps a touch of noir, we shall see!:
To round this set of new reads off nicely, my final selection here was This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews(another writing duo, this time a wife and husband; twice in one box no less!).
Our leading lady is Maggie, who has been reading and rereading her favorite fantasy book series for years while waiting for the final entry to be released. She knows it so well, she’s practically living in that world far more than the real life she has in Texas.
Well, imagine her surprise when Maggie wakes up one morning to find herself in the kingdom of Keir Toren, only to die before the first chapter ends!
That death is brief but her time as a resident of Keir Toren is not(think Enchanted meets Groundhog’s Day) soon she is known as Maggie the Undying, whose near immortal status and through knowledge of the plot makes her a formidable force to be reckoned with.
Hoping to avert the gruesome event that the books bring the characters (some of whom have become her new found friends), Maggie creates a motley crew of unlikely companions to aid in her mission. Even with the likes of a former swordsman, crafty crooks and cranky servants, Maggie soon realizes that even an unfinished tale can be hard to complete and perhaps not easy to lead towards a happy ever after.
This is my first time reading an Ilona Andrews novel ( which is also the first in a trilogy) and I am looking forward to this twisty time loop of a book that promises a fun mix of humor, pathos and magic for quite the reality bending ride:
You may have noticed that all of my picks have been from the fantasy genre and it’s not a complete coincidence there.
Given the ever growing horror that our daily news headlines have morphed into, is it any wonder that a fantasy realm filled with otherworldly dangers sounds ideal right now?
I’m not the first person wanting some sort of escape from a reality that’s truly getting out of control yet what little I can do about this includes still holding on to hope. Yes, greater things are happening that are in dire need of serious attention and those with the power to affect the possible outcome of such actions ought to be doing so as we speak.
That doesn’t mean that I or anyone else stuck here on the sidelines have to put our lives on hold while this is going on. Give voice to your concerns to those in charge but don’t let this disaster in waiting overrun your whole life.
We’re not the first generation to go through incredibly challenging times yet I do wish that once this crisis is resolved, that it’s a good long while until another arises that we’re better prepared for.
So I am still finding good things to focus on as we move forward and so can you.
Whether it’s a good book, an upcoming TV show or the Supergirl movie due out this summer, there’s nothing wrong in lighting that spark of inspiration for better things to come. Sorrow is strong but so is joy, even during our darkest hour:
