My first book haul of Fall

Despite the increasingly warm and wet weather these days, this is the Fall season which means a new reason to get new books!

Granted, I did get some fresh reads over the summer but between my latest library visit and September selections from Book of the Month Club, it seems fitting to turn those autumn reading pages forward rather than back, if that mixed metaphor makes any sense!

Anyway, starting with BOMC, my main pick was You,Again by Kate Goldbeck which I must confess is partly due to the cover art that just screams “Autumn Romance “ in a delightful way.

We met Josh and Arianna aka Ari, as they first meet at the apartment of the woman that they both happen to be dating at the same time. Their dislike is instant and opposites do not attract at first as Josh’s deep desire for a lasting relationship clashes with Ari’s sincere aversion to long term love.

Over the years, the two of them keep running into each other and quick to relight that torch of tension even that person who accidentally brought them together is in neither one of their lives. 

However, when Josh and Ari have a reconnection during low points in their personal lives, that mutual misery somehow brings about a friendship that might over time become something more.

I’m over a hundred pages into this book and it’s a real treat indeed. Goldbeck’s snappy writing and dynamic character development sets a well paced yet brisk narrative that has you happily strolling along, eagerly awaiting to see what’s next for these two.

This novel is already drawing comparisons to When Harry Met Sally and I do hope that when both Hollywood strikes are settled ( in the artist’s favor!)that a present day incarnation of Nora Ephron will be able to take this snarky sweet story from script to screen just as well as she would’ve:

I decided to pair it with the beloved modern romance that has recently been adapted for streaming, Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal

Blue.

Alex has enough problems being the son of the American president without constant comparisons to England’s Prince Henry, who he never liked in the first place.

When a cake crashing bout at a royal wedding stirs up plenty of bad PR on both sides of the pond, Alex reluctantly agrees to putting on a fake friendship with Henry in order to save his mother’s reelection campaign.

As things progress, Alex and Henry begin to form a real friendship and what’s more, some true romance as well. How will both sets of political powers that be help or hurt this relationship and what choices of the heart will have to be made?

I haven’t seen the movie but word of mouth about this book has been stellar, enough for me to enjoy a lovely love story like this indeed:

As for my library loans, the longest book of the three that I chose was Stephen King’s Fairy Tale and yes, I am at least a third of the way into this one.

Charlie Reade is a 17 year old high school student who is grateful enough that his widowed father has managed to overcome an addiction to alcohol that when the opportunity to help a stranger in need comes along, he feels that his debt to the universe is ready to be repaid.

However, his assistance to the reclusive Mr. Bowditch and his aging yet strongly loyal dog Radar becomes more than your typical good deed. 

Bowditch may live in a rundown house with a TV straight out of the nineteen fifties but his main source of income is literally a bucket of pure gold pellets. Not to mention the shed in the backyard that’s always locked with a padlock and chain, with strange scratching sounds coming from inside every now and then….

So far, this story is a steady blend of heartfelt coming of age saga and sinister mystery with some fearsome fantasy yet to come, no doubt about it. I don’t always clink with King’s fantasy works(did enjoy Eyes of the Dragon but only got a little ways with the Dark Tower series) but this particular telling certainly feels right as rain:

 To that, I added An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera (heard some good word on this from BookTube) and The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave.

Hannah Hall feels that her life is going along a smooth path as she and her husband  of one year so far ,Owen,are doing so well together. Her biggest challenge to date is forming a connection with her teen stepdaughter Bailey, who makes it clear that she’s not in the market for a new mom.

Hannah and Bailey find themselves forced to rely on each other when Owen goes missing, leaving Hannah a mysterious note and Bailey a bag of money. Owen’s work place is under investigation for possible fraud involving recently developed technology and while the authorities are saying that he’s not a suspect, the timing of Owen’s disappearance is a little too coincidental to say the least.

Can Hannah and Bailey find Owen and learn the truth or face the fact that, for better and possibly worse, they are on their own for good?

This book was recently adapted into a TV miniseries for a streaming service (that I don’t subscribe to) and it’s a Reese Witherspoon book club selection, the latter being more of an inducement to picking it up for me.

Also, the author is mostly known for her domestic drama style of storytelling rather than thrillers and that change of literary pace seems to have gone over well with readers and critics alike. The blending of such genres can work really nicely at times and with any luck, this one will work for me:

Speaking of luck, I do plan to finish a couple of these books before the FrightFall readathon starts this October (my TBR picks will be posted soon!) but in the meantime, rushing through a good book is never a great idea.

I am glad that September is Library Card Sign Up month; how appropriate is it that back to school time is also a friendly reminder to be part of your local library? Especially when libraries need all the patron support they can get, if you haven’t gotten your card, do so in all haste! That’s a good idea to hurry along there: