Preparing for the holidays with some November/December reads

Halloween is only a few days away but the end of the year with it's holidays is much closer than we think. Between getting that turkey dinner ready and selecting those potentially perfect presents, this could reasonably be considered the most stressful time of year.

Despite that, good times are meant to be had and whether you're in gift giving mode or just in need of a little portable entertainment, we have quite a number of new books arriving this November and December that should suit you fine.

My small handful of recommendations is rather fiction friendly yet it dips into history, mystery and a touch of magic to make your seasonal reading bright indeed:

PAGE TURNING MAGIC: After the success of The Night Circus, many have been waiting for another amazing novel from Erin Morgantstern and it appears that our patience will soon be well rewarded.

The Starless Sea gives us Zachary Rawlins, a dedicated book lover who once found a doorway into a mystical realm known as The Harbor on The Starless Sea, where stories truly come alive. Having lost his chance to explore this strangely wonderful realm years earlier, he joins up with a secret society in order to regain entry.

While Zachary is able to enter The Harbor, he discovers that it's in disrepair and in need of revitalization. Part of the problem is that the secret society he's in wants to close all of the doors for good so with the aid of Mirabel, whose motives are as secretive as her past, and Dorian, a society member who has broken away from the group's goals, Zachary takes up the quest to save the bookish day.

This sounds like a fairy tale written for readers to embrace and no doubt that many of them will want to see how this enchanting tale ends, happily or otherwise(November):

TALES OF TWO WIVES:

 In Caroline Scott's debut novel The Poppy Wife , our leading lady is Edie, whose husband Francis never came back from the WWI front and while she's had time to deal with his loss, her doubts about his demise resurface when a photo of him arrives in the mail.

Determined to know the truth, she recruits Francis' younger brother Harry to accompany her on a trip to France in order to trace what may have been  the final footsteps of their mutual beloved.

However, with Harry's haunted memories of the past and the possibility of Edie finding answers to questions many would prefer she not ask, this search for closure promises to be both painful and enlightening all at once. Scott was inspired by her own family history to write this emotionally compelling story and it may inspire others to find the fact within their own familial fictions(November).

Pride and Prejudice fans have enjoyed quite the literary year in 2019 with so many wonderful P&P retellings and author Molly Greeley has another fresh take on Jane Austen's iconic novel to add with The Clergyman's Wife.

The lady of the title is Charlotte Lucas, now settled into the role as Mrs. Collins, who spends her days at Hunsford being the dutiful "helpmeet" of her dull husband and dealing with the nearly daily demands of his patroness, Lady Catherine De Burgh.

Charlotte does find some joys in life, mainly her young daughter Louisa, but when she encounters Mr. Travis,one of Lady Catherine's tenants, her firmly held notions about the practical nature of marriage are seriously put to the test. Was her friend Elizabeth right all along about marrying for love and if so, is it too late for Charlotte to change her own fate?

It's good to see a familiar story with new eyes and Charlotte's perspective is a welcome one indeed. There is a blog tour planned for this engaging twist on P&P and I am fortunate to be included in that line-up, so watch this space, as they say! Meanwhile, let us all look forward to being pleasantly surprised by the spotlight to be shined upon our dear Charlotte this season(December): 

MYSTERY SOLVING MAIDENS:

 M.C. Beaton's upcoming Agatha Raisin adventure, Beating About the Bush, has the spunky lady detective taking on an unexpected client while diving into some corporate capers.

Agatha is asked to look into the goings-on at a factory in the Cotswalds that had a recent fire but also stumbles across what appears to be a human leg clad in the same sock and shoe as Mrs. Dinwiddy, the secretary to the factory owner Mr. Morrison.

As it turns out, the leg in question was a fake but when Mrs. Dinwiddy turns up dead, the culprit being blamed is a donkey named Wizz-Wazz, who Agatha likes much better than the folks at Morrison's. Determined to prove the donkey's complete innocence in the matter and get to the bottom of what's really happening at the factory, Agatha is on the case yet can she handle more than one crime at a time?

Having caught on to the delights of Agatha Raisin due to the current British TV series, this new mystery sounds as smart and funny as the episodes that I've seen on screen. Of course, books and TV do have different standards but in this instance, this series does well on either medium.

 However, that doesn't mean you should avoid the new book for the show-in fact, they ought to go great together like spiked tea and crumpets(December):

 Beatriz Williams is known for having her historically set novels have interconnecting characters but when it comes to her upcoming book The Wicked Redhead, the literary ties are a direct hit.

In this follow-up to her previous work, The Wicked City, we catch up with on the lam lady Ginger Kelly and her federal agent lover Oliver, who have fled to Florida upon the aftermath of their dealings with Prohibition gangsters.

A favor is called upon them both from Oliver's decidedly upper class mother, Mrs. Marshall, who is taking care of his younger brother Billy, who was caught up in their prior mess. Ginger is requested to help with his recovery by playing the part of his pregnant fiance.

While Ginger is less than thrilled with this situation, she is willing to go along with it. It would help if Oliver was standing by her side but his new undercover assignment has him keeping more than an understandable distance from her. Will this all work out or are Ginger and Oliver about to part ways for good?

This book is intended to be the second in a trilogy and while I do need to read the first one, Beatriz Williams knows how to make any new reader feel right at home in her past meets present world of feisty female characters(December):

I hope that everyone has a great holiday season and takes the time to savor the year's end, starting with Thanksgiving, a day that doesn't get the full attention it deserves these days. I know that I've said this before but I think a gentle reminder can't hurt.

Thanksgiving is a good way to slow down and appreciate what you do have in life, with a nice meal and some good folks to share it with. It's a time where the whole point is to enjoy yourself in the comfort of your own home, where ever that may be, and try not to fret about anything too much even if your turkey is deep fried instead of roasted(turkey doesn't have to be your main course but that's a whole other topic there). Savor the goodness, folks, and do it with laughter if you can: