Embracing the approach of autumn with a bookish glee

Granted, the calendar proclaims it to be September but I suspect that the weather will be taking it's sweet time before allowing those chilly breezes and falling leaves to properly make it so.

Nonetheless, I decided to start this season off right with a visit to my local library, a joy that I delayed due to the excessive heat that runs roughshod over August.

 It helped that I went close to my limit of book renewals to get as much time as possible to finish most of the literary loans that I made(3 out of 4, not too bad!) to tide me over. Returning those books,plus renewing my library card, to get a fresh batch of new reads was a wonderful way to begin the fall here.

The first book that I knew on sight that I had to have was The Bride Test by Helen Hoang, a novel that I've heard nothing but great things about.

Esme Tran is a single mother working at a hotel in Vietnam when she gets a most unusual offer from a well-off woman who emigrated to America.  This lady is looking for a wife for her younger son Khai, who is considered "shy" and willing to sponsor Esme for the summer in order to see if they might make the perfect couple.

Khai has no interest in getting married or being in any sort of relationship but reluctantly lets his mom have her way for just this summer. While Esme has no wish to marry someone simply for money, she does see the chance to better her life as well as her five year old daughter's, so she takes this opportunity to find out if America or Khai could be right for her.

As Khai and Esme get to know each other, some sort of spark begins to grow between them and the possibility of this arrangement actually working out is strongly increasing. However, there are a few things that Esme hasn't told Khai or his family about that might become a deal breaker yet maybe not, if their feelings are true for one another.

So far, this is an immensely likable book and while I know that this story is a standalone that is within the same universe as Hoang's earlier novel The Kiss Quotient, it looks like I may have to get that one,too, as these engaging characters will no doubt have equally engaging friends to get to know and appreciate all the more:

Another title that I was delighted to find was Miriam Parker's The Shortest Way Home, set in Sonoma Valley where our leading lady decides to make a major change in her life.

Hannah Greene does have a good job waiting for her as soon as she and boyfriend Ethan Katz finish up business school together but upon visiting a beautiful family owned winery, feels as if she is meant to be part of that seemingly sedate world.

While Hannah is considering exchanging one dream for another,perhaps better one, she's not alone in wondering what the next step in life ought to be taken. Linda, the matriarch of the winery clan, still has her heart set upon Jackson, a former love who became a musician and who has always managed to pop in and out of her life.

 In addition to that, Linda's son William wants to pursue his dreams of film making yet a family crisis forces him to rethink that notion, not to mention Hannah becoming another compelling reason to stay around.  With so many different pieces in play, it can be hard to see the big picture until the puzzle is complete and yet, Hannah is willing to make her move in order to do just that.

A major reason that I was happy to borrow this book is that I've meet the author, back when she was a book rep and a nicer person would be harder to find. She was kind and generous enough to meet up with a small book store clerk at BEA (yes, I mean me!) and I've never forgotten her good nature and love of books. She mention back then that she was working on a novel and I'll be pleased to savor the fictional fruits of her labor this season:

To round things off, I thought it would be fun to check out Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid which is a Reese Witherspoon book club selection and plans for a miniseries adaptation are already underway.

Told via interviews, this fictional look at a rising rock band from the 1970s and how they fell apart focuses strongly upon two people; Billy Dunne, the original lead singer of The Six and Daisy, the new addition to the group. Like it or not, her sassy soulful style changes the band's fortune yet at quite the cost.

I do like the type of books that Reese Witherspoon picks out and since this author is new to me, that's a solid enough recommendation there.  Also, TJR has said that she was inspired by Fleetwood Mac and their inter-band struggles on and off stage for this novel, which is fine by an old school Stevie Nicks fan like me:

 After checking that trio out, I come home to find a brand new book awaiting me in the mail. I happily binge read Kendare Blake's Three Dark Crowns series over the summer and a bonus in doing that was being ready in time for the final chapter in this smartly sinister saga.

Five Dark Fates picks up where the previous book had left off, as the island of Fennbirn is dealing with a rebellion that's supposed to be lead by the "Legion Queen" who is no longer able to control her complex powers.

Reigning Queen Katherine has many secrets to keep,including a deadly alliance that brought down one of her most trusted advisors. However, she's about to have one of her fugitive sisters join her side, more out of duty for the protection of the realm rather than willing to concede to her cruel sibling's hold on the throne.

 Can the dark legacy of the past queens be cast aside for a brighter future or will these royal sisters be the last in line for all time? Kendare Blake certainly has a killer cool instinct when it comes to portraying the power games that many of her fierce heroines have no choice but to play and this finale should be richly rewarding indeed:

Well, my fall reading is certainly off to a fine start and hopefully, the one place that we can all take solace in these days is within the pages of a good book. I really do love fall, it's such a calmly exciting time of year.

While some might feel that it signals the end, it's actually more of a beginning as the old season sheds it's skin in vivid colors to reveal a new stage for the coming winter to present itself in all of it's frosty glory.

Okay, I'm getting a bit carried away there but this is a crisp pause between seasons that makes me feel like taking a brisk walk to a bookstore or library and maybe picking up a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils along the way: