Pop Culture Princess

Pop Culture Princess
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Monday, October 11, 2021

A Fall Foliage of Reading

 

It’s better late than never as they say and that should apply to book preview posts as well.

Due to setting up a new late summer challenge (Autumn in August) and other matters at hand, my bimonthly book previews have fallen a tad behind.

Not to mention the growing concerns about a book publishing shortage, which is causing many release dates to be moved furthest and further back. However, all of that is no reason not to help spread the good word about upcoming titles for the rest of the season and to that end, let’s begin with a book that is arriving this week,  The Party Crasher by Sophie Kinsella.

Effie Talbot’s childhood memories have been upturned by her father’s announcement of selling Greenoaks, the long held family home. It’s bad enough that he divorced her well loved stepmom over a year ago and hooked up with Krista, who is way younger than him but now this?

As Krista is celebrating the sale with a “house cooling “ party, Effie declares that she will not attend yet this gathering could provide sufficient cover for her to reclaim a set of dolls that belonged to her grandmother.

Of course, such plans are never as simple as they seem and while finding her dolls,Effie unexpectedly uncovers a few secrets and lies along the way to possibly reconnect with her past and present life.

Kinsella is known for the good natured humor given to her character’s situations while not underplaying their problems as punchlines. This story feels like a solid example of her signature style that should provide welcome relief from your daily stresses indeed (Oct.12)

TASTY TALES TO SAVOR 


In Julie Tieu’s delicious debut, The Donut Trap, our leading lady is Jasmine, who left med school due to burnout and is now working in the family bakery called Sunshine Donuts.

While she does long to change her life, Jasmine never thought that change would come in the form of Alex, a guy she once met in school and has never run into since then.

Meeting up with him again sets off a serious spark between them that could lead to something more lasting. Can that happen,however, when a family dinner causes a commotion that promises to extinguish their spirits?

This look at life, family and the love of donuts sounds the perfect sweet treat of the season)November):


Abby Collette has shown a knack for crime solving stories served with edible intrigue and her new series , Books and Biscuits Mystery, is off to a fine start.

In Body and Soul Food, reunited twins Koby and Keaton decided to open up their own business , a bookshop with a soul food cafe.

This idea seems like a great way to begin their new lives in the small town of Timber Lake. Those dreams may be derailed unfortunately by the sudden demise of Koby’s foster brother who died in broad daylight in between light rail crossings.

While the police have no clue as to who and why, Koby and Keaton know only that they have to team up to discover what caused this sudden deadly  departure in the first place. 

Hopefully, they can find the killer before opening day of Books and Biscuits becomes a permanent closing day in more ways than one. Collette already has a fan in me with her Ice Cream Parlor mysteries (A Killer Sundae is set for next year!) and this double trouble detective tale is a welcome addition to her literary menu(Nov.).


TURNING BACK TIME WITH PAGE TURNING READS

Speaking of mysteries, the latest in Jane K. Cleland’s series of Josie Prescott Antique cozies should interest Jane Austen readers very much there.

In Jane Austen’s Lost Letters, Josie is surprised by an older woman who delivers a package supposedly from Josie’s late father without a word of explanation. The package in question not only has a letter addressed to her from her father , it also contains a pair of letters from Jane Austen herself!

Such items would be rare indeed and as Josie seeks out the mystery woman known as Veronica Sutton to learn what she knows about her father and these letters, she discovers that some secrets are deathly determined to be kept.

This series is new to me but the bookish combination of antiques and Austen is most inviting for further investigation (December):


Julia Kelly offers up a look at the end of an English era with The Last Dance of the Debutante.

In 1958 London, Lily is set to be one of the last young ladies to be presented at court, a honor that she doesn’t truly care about.

Wanting to pursue her dressmaking dreams rather turn into another society wife, Lily finds some support from her equally duty bound friends Leana and Katherine .

Yet with both her icy mother and monied matriarch of a grandmother united against her wishes, Lily’s situation is complicated even more by the discovery of a family secret that could ruin them all.

I’ve heard a great deal about Kelly’ books taking the historical fiction section by storm and it appears that her storytelling style is what truly grand excursions into the page turning past are made of(Dec.):


I hope this selection of fresh reads encourages some pre-orders and library holds for your literary season. Also, perhaps one or two of these tempting titles can give you some solace during these hectic times and let you enjoy a few holiday delights like decorating or baking a favorite dish. 

Reading is fundamental in more ways than one at any time of the year and a perfect way to relax in your own special way, despite what others think indeed!:



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