The unexpected joys of an unexpected library haul

The getting of books can be a very organized thing, with making lists and perusing reviews to find what is the best to gather up for a fresh new TBR pile on your shelves.

However, some of the real fun is being pleasantly surprised at what you might find during an unexpected moment of browsing in real time.

Last week, I made a sooner than planned trip to my local library (my sister needed to renew her card) which caused me to indulge in one of those up-all-night reading binges the evening before in order to finish a long Stephen King book in order to return it the following day(the book was Fairy Tale and well worth the library hangover there).

That massive reading was nicely rewarded as the first must have read that I spotted in the library was Queen Charlotte , the Bridgerton prequel adaptation by Julia Quinn and Shonda Rhimes. 

Having seen that Netflix series earlier this year, not to mention anxiously awaiting Season Three, I was delighted to have a chance to relive that miniseries magic via page turning. I’ve already dove into this book and marveling at the vibrancy of the characters, especially our title royale who brooks no nonsense about what she’s expected to endure for the sake of others:

Then I made the welcome discovery of spying on a shelf in the Mystery section a copy of Julia Seale’s A Most Agreeable Murder.

Set in Regency England, Beatrice Steele is expected as the eldest daughter to make a suitable matrimonial match but she’s much more interested in the true crime newspaper tales that Sir Huxley solves than seeking a husband simply to  free up those opportunities for her younger sisters.

When a ball at Stabmont Park leads to the demise of a very eligible bachelor, Beatrice is secretly thrilled to have the chance to actually be the detective of her dreams. Teaming up with another unlikely sleuth, she uses those lessons taught to her as a potential partner in love as the perfect arsenal for finding the killer, a task perhaps more daunting than she dared to imagine.

I have heard good word of mouth about this book, mostly that it’s sort of a Jane Austen meets Sherlock Holmes with a strong dash of whimsical humor. That certainly sounds like my preferred cup of tea indeed:

I thought that those two would be enough but just as I made one last run at the Fiction section, One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston came into view and joined my stack of library loans that day.

The story takes place in New York where new resident August is starting to settle in nicely with her roommates and travel routines.

Said routine has her making a possible love connection with Jane, who August always runs into on the Q train.

Those run-ins are not totally incidental as Jane is actually a time traveler from the 1970s who is literally trapped on the train. August , having spent a good part of her younger years helping her mom do some amateur detective work, decides that she is the most qualified to help Jane get out of her train bound time loop. 

If she succeeds though, will that mean that Jane goes back to her original place in the time line or will she be able to join August in the now current time flow? Most importantly, does Jane want to be with her  anywhere and will August have to make a choice that truly reflects true love?

I’m reading McQuiston’s Red , White and Royal Blue at the moment (and it’s such a joy to behold!) and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to dive more into their engaging sweet realm of romance:

So, this was such a good library trip as I picked up a nice set of books that should be satisfying fall reads that I can renew until well after Thanksgiving and my sister has discovered the joy of audiobooks, thanks to a very helpful librarian. All in all, a nice way to spend a rainy day.

Most of the surprises we see these days are not of the good kind(especially the headlines in the news) and while I long for the time where heightened drama can be more easily found on TV shows than real life, having a good book or two on hand is a guaranteed comfort to be sure: