Setting up a new series of reading for 2024

 As this year is soon drawing to a close(not fast enough for some folks, I’m sure!), plans for the new year are about to be implemented and for this blog, one big change will be both a beginning and and a temporary ending to a regular feature here.

For now, however, let’s wrap the tail end of my Series-ous Reading , which had me read five of Rhys Bowen’s Her Royal Spyness historical cozy mystery novels.

 Starting with Crowned and Dangerous, then going to On Her Majesty’s Frightfully Secret Service followed by Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding (yes, there is definitely a wedding!) with Love and Death Among the Cheetahs and finishing up with The Late Mrs. Summers, my adventures with Georgiana “Georgie “ Rannoch /O’Mara have been quite the giddy trip indeed.

For those unfamiliar with this series, it’s set in 1930s England for the most part with Georgie being the thirty fifth member of the royal bloodline in line for the throne yet having to make her own way in the world due to not wanting to marry someone “suitable “ out of obligation.

While occasionally dealing with murders that fall her way(plus various secret tasks for the queen), Georgie has to deal with obnoxious relatives, her globe trotting mother and a delightfully ditzy maid named Queenie. Also, she falls in love with Darcy O’Mara, a nobleman with as little money as herself who goes on mysterious errands for king and country.

What I’ve always liked about these books is the screwball comedy vibes within the various plots, with the humor being aimed at both upper and lower levels of society.

However , these last few entries have given plenty of character development to supporting players such as Belinda,Georgie’s best gal pal who went through an experience involving a secret relationship that appears to have matured her outlook on love(for the most part) and even Queenie has gained solid skills as a cook that moves her up in the world (although not without a slip up or two there).

In addition, Georgie herself has gone from a shy young miss to being strong enough to stand up to bullies of all sorts and pursue justice for the recently deceased, regardless of risk or rank. While I may take a break from this series (I did just finish one more HRS title, God Rest Ye, Merry Noblemen, kind of extra credit , I guess) do recommend it for those looking for an engaging romp into the past that can reflect on the present at times:

Now for the big announcement: my Series-ous Reading is taking a hiatus next year . Instead, my regular reading challenge will be to read three sets of trilogies within a year and it’s going to be called Trilogy Time.

I’m also giving myself prompts for this challenge, the first being to read an author that I haven’t read before and for that, my choice is Nora Roberts and her Irish Born trilogy, starting with Born in Fire.

The books chronicle a trio of sisters, Margaret Mary, Brianna and Shannon, who find their true purpose as well as true love in their lives. Granted, I was once a serious snob about this genre(and Roberts in particular) but hopefully, I have gotten over such nonsense and willing to discover what so many others have enjoyed with Nora Roberts on page:

My next prompt is to reread a trilogy, which was tricky to decide upon but ultimately, I chose Adriana Trigiani’s Valentine novels.

The first one, Very Valentine,introduced me to Trigiani’s lively writing along with her zesty leading lady who wants to continue the tradition of making handcrafted shoes that gave her family a foothold in America when they first arrived to this country.

Learning from her beloved Gram the dedication it takes to create unique footwear while battling with her brother over selling their family’s iconic storefront, Valentine happens to fall in love with Roman, a rather appetizing chef yet on a buying trip to Italy, her eye is caught by Gianluca-and that’s just part one!

I’ve read other works by Trigiani(one of my favorites is Lucia,Lucia) and plan to read one of her newer books next year but revisiting this set of sweet and savvy stories will be a real pleasure for me:

For my last prompt, the challenge is to finish a trilogy and I’m sure some of you are wondering what would stop you from doing just that?

Well, during a sad time in my life, Cornelia Funke released Inkheart and this tale of a young girl and her father having a magical connection with books was like the porridge that Goldilocks chose, just right.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that she had two more books in mind and while I did read the second , Inkspell, the third one , Inkdeath, has been languishing on my TBR for a good long while now.

I plan to change that but of course, need to reread the other two first(which is why this set is going last). Since I do want to read more fantasy in the new year, this will help a lot. Should be a good way to wrap up this challenge and perhaps inspire more to come:

While all of my reading resolutions for this year didn’t go off quite as well as I planned, at least I did finish Alison Weir’s Six Queens series of books(looking forward to her novel about “Bloody Mary “ Tudor due out in the spring!) and still working on my Jane Austen journey of nonfiction there.

Making resolutions can be daunting but I think that if you’re willing to be flexible when necessary and take your time with certain goals, you can achieve plenty there. 

This trilogy challenge, for example ,is going to be done seasonally (starting with Nora Robert’s this winter into early spring) with check in posts every so often. Trying to keep things fun as well as functional.

One thing that we all can pledge to do next year is to stay positive about what lies ahead of us and focus our energies on making things better for all in need. That’s not going to be easy, no doubt about it, but I do think that we are capable of more than we truly know and can fight the good fight honorably.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year of reading and life in 2024 and happy to see more good things on and off page for us all together:

Enjoying some Happy Holidays of Reading

We’re a couple of weeks away from Christmas (as well as in the midst of Hanukkah) and honestly, I wasn’t planning on doing any seasonal reading this year.

However, the holiday fates thought otherwise so here I am with a trio of books that are sure to keep my spirits bright indeed.

It started off with one of my Book of the Month Club selections having their plot line tied into New Year’s Eve, 
 The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner. New York pastry chef Sophie is dreading New Year’s as this past twelve months have been the worst of her life.

She lost her job, her boyfriend Alex and her apartment in one fell swoop, leaving her nearly broke and staying in a spare room at Jacob’s(her brother’s best friend) place. When one of Sadie’s gal pals drags her to a New Year’s party, she expects very little to happen but so much does.

Using a spell that the party fortune teller gives her, Sadie wakes up the next morning on January 1…but not in the new year! Instead, her wish to have a do-over and fix those mistakes from last year comes true, an opportunity that she doesn’t want to waste.

As time goes over, though, Sadie starts to wonder if those mistakes really were mistakes to begin. Perhaps she should try to make newer and better changes for herself, including taking a romantic chance with Jacob who she surprisingly kissed before the spell kicked in.

So far, this book has been a lively page turner yet it’s also thoughtful about Sadie’s situation and her indecision about where her path in life should be headed towards. While the rest of my BOMC picks are going to be saved for under my Christmas tree, it just made sense to read this one sooner and it’s definitely making the upcoming New Year’s Eve worth looking forward:

Then, I wound up making a last minute holiday purchase and couldn’t resist adding a nice Christmas themed mystery into that mix.

God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen is the second holiday related book in Rhys Bowen’s Her Royal Spyness series (as well as being the fifteenth entry) and here we have the newly married Georgiana “Georgie “Rannoch getting to celebrate her first Christmas with her beloved husband Darcy O’Mara.

As the two of them are having trouble settling up a house party on their own, an invitation from Darcy’s Aunt Ermintrude sounds ideal. The guest list, however, includes many of Georgie’s royal relatives, including her cousin Prince David and his unsuitable date, Mrs. Wallace Simpson.

Even more hectic than annoying relations is murder which takes down one of David’s friends but was the heir to the throne the real target? Georgie, as per usual, is asked to help solve the crime before a truly deadly blow strikes the future of the British crown.

I’ve been reading five of these books in a row to complete my Series-ous Reading challenge for the year(actually on the fifth one in that batch as you’ll see on the sidelines here) and was going to take a break from them but picking this one up now felt as picture perfect as a holiday postcard. 

Plus, a holiday house party murder mystery is as British as you can get this time of year without leaving the comfort of your home indeed:

At this point, I figured why not make this a proper reading list and add a third title onto this TBR.

With rewatching holiday being part of the season, choosing a book to reread sounded ideal and Sophie Kinsella’s Christmas Shopaholic  was my instant go-to.

Rejoining Becky Bloomwood as she attempts to host her own Christmas party with her parents off living in a very trendy for younger people neighborhood is grand fun to be sure. Whether she’s scheming to get the hottest holiday ornament, inventing a new buying trend to help her friend’s gift shop or getting hooked on Christmas romance movies, Becky tends to give it her all, even if she goes past the point of return.

I’ve read this book a couple of times already and for me, it’s become a charming treat to go back again and again. Becky Bloomwood is as iconic as Mr. Bean to me when it comes to holiday specials, well worth visiting at least once a year:

I am going to take a bit of blog break for the rest of the season although my Series-ous Reading wrap-up will be posted before the end of the year (with the special announcement of a new reading challenge that I am just about ready for in 2024!). 

I just want to say thank you to everyone who takes the time to read this blog and I do hope that my small book space here does some good in encouraging folks to read and think for themselves (something that’s in short supply these days). I do appreciate it more than you can know.

With that, I wish you all happy holidays and season’s greetings for the remainder of this year, along with great promise of better things to come next year. After all, a page turn is sure to bring something new into our continuing story that we share together:

Love is in the air for my last library haul of 2023

Another year is heading to a close yet the promise of better things to come is still strong enough to keep me looking for one last batch of books at my local library before the holiday season hits hard.

I don’t know why exactly but for some reason, the romance section just called out to me loud and clear this time around. Sure, I enjoy this genre quite a bit but everywhere I looked at the library last week, certain titles seemed to sparkle a bit brighter.

One of those was Emily Henry’s  Happy Place, which just won the Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Romance (a subjective selection, I know). The residence of the title is a summer home where Harriet and her former college friends gather once a year, with a few add-on companions, to relax and reconnect.

This year, however, Harriet has some bad news to share as she has broken up with her fiancé Wyn, also part of their group, over six months ago. She was hoping to tell her best gal pals Sabrina and Cleo on what was to be a ladies only get together but Wyn has arrived before her and it appears that their mutual friends have something to share as well.

As it happens, the house is being sold (due to a divorce settlement in Sabrina’s family) so this is the last time any of them can get together here. In addition, Sabrina is now marrying her longtime boyfriend Parth in a week and wants all of them to attend, sort of a final goodbye celebration.

Not wanting to dampen the spirits of their good friends during this time, Harriet and Wyn agree to pretend that their relationship is still on for now. However, the longer they playact their romance, the more it might not just be for show.

So far, this story is pretty entertaining, kind of a more sophisticated take on a romantic sitcom plot line (yes, I mean that in a good way!). While this book received mixed reviews from readers earlier this year, I’m willing to stay tuned into it for awhile:

I paired that up with Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly. The story is set on the Pacific Coast Trail where Alexei is doing a solo hike in order to clear his head about what’s next for him in life.

While there, he keeps running into Ben, who is getting over a string of bad decisions in his love life and not looking to make any more.

Yet as the two of them constantly find themselves meeting up again and again, it just makes sense to team up and hike together. Will this be the start of a great friendship or perhaps something much more?

I read Kelly’s first novel, Love and Other Disasters(a Book of the Month Club pick, actually) and it was a lovely read so I am very glad to have found this one readily available. This is one of those “grumpy meets sunshine “ kind of romances that I have no doubt will bring more of the latter than the former in the love department:

To set up a perfect trio of page turning, I decided to try an author that’s new to me with Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez.

Alexis is an ER doctor whose family would prefer that she follow tradition by becoming a highly paid top surgeon instead.

Daniel is the mayor of a small town as well as a carpenter who is expected to live up to his family’s legacy as well. When Alexis winds up needing help getting her car out of a ditch, it’s Daniel who happens to be on hand and the two of them seem to fit like puzzle pieces, despite their very different settings in life.

Can Alexis and  Daniel find a way to make their own mark on the world with each other or was this chance encounter merely a chance and nothing more?

I’ve heard good things about this writer and was pleasantly surprised to learn that she’s also a baker who won an episode of Cupcake Wars! That is so cool, some truly real icing on the creative cake there:

Well, this set of lovelorn tales ought to tide me over until my next library visit in the upcoming new year. I suppose it’s really not surprising that love was in the air for this bookish trip as a library can be one of the most loving places in any community, for books and people alike. May we all embrace our library kid selves, both now and in the years to come:

 

My choice of the Goodreads Choice Awards nominees to read

Happy December, folks and let’s start off with how my Thrill Ride TBR went.

I made good time with Razorblade Tears(that book slaps hard enough to leave a mark!) but Just Another Missing Person turns out to more of a slow and steady ride than a fast and furious one. 

So, my overall results are one finished, one in progress and Maisie Dobbs will be a go-between for my Serious Reading challenge there. Not too bad but maybe next year, I’ll do better.

In the meanwhile, I’m not doing any major readathon reading from now until the beginning of next year yet The Goodreads Choice Awards are inspiring me to clear up some of my TBR piles before New Year’s Eve. Turns out many of the nominations come from Book of the Month Club, of which I have quite a bit on hand and no better time like the present to start those pages a-turning!

So far, I have finished The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer, which is up for Best Fiction and Best Debut. It’s quite the gem that makes the line in You’ve Got Mail about childhood reading forming the person you’re going to be ring true.

When Lucy Hart was thirteen, she ran away to the island home of her favorite writer, Jack Masterson, creator of the Clock Island books where brave children had their wishes granted. Despite being sent back to her lonely home, she always dreamed of returning someday.

That wish has now come true as the reclusive author announces the long awaited release of the final Clock Island book and a contest where one former runaway visitor (Lucy wasn’t the only one!) will be given the one and only copy in the world to do with as they will.

Lucy is a grade school teaching assistant, trying to adopt a student of hers named Christopher, a young boy stuck in the foster care system. When her invitation to return to the island and win the book arrives, she’s thrilled at the chance to make her and Christopher’s dreams of being a family come true.

The contest does have its challenges, including a bribe from a greedy book collector and dealing with Hugo Reese, the illustrator of the Clock Island series who keeps an eye on the aged author. The greatest challenge, however, is facing a personal fear which must be done in order to win. Can Lucy summon up enough courage to do so or will she and Christopher share more mutual disappointment in life?

This is a charming story, told without resorting to overdone sentiment or cloying whimsy. Rather, Shaffer pulls off the trick of being sincerely heartfelt with her characters and even with more than one tip of the hat to Roald Dahl, gives us an original tale that weaves an emotional spell on the reader that holds long after the book is closed:

At the moment, I’m in the midst of Crystal Smith Paul’s Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?, also a double nominee for the Goodreads Awards for Best Historical Fiction and Best Debut.

When legendary actress Kitty Karr dies and leaves her vast fortune to her next door neighbors, the daughters of the St. John family who are an entertainment empire themselves, many questions arise both publicly and privately about this gesture.

As Elise St. John, who was closest to Kitty, goes through the various papers of the estate, she uncovers some hidden truths about the late Miss Karr, whose career began in the Hollywood of the 1950’s, that could still send out shockwaves that could resonate with past and present consequences to more than one generation.

The vibe of this book is family saga with touches of heartbreak and hope. So far, so good and I just know that it will make for a great miniseries someday soon:

Also hoping to get into the latest Ali Hazelwood((up for Best Romance) and Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, a Best Fiction contender.

The latter is said to be a modern take on Little Women, told from the viewpoint of William Waters who marries into the Padavano family of four sisters, his wife Julia being the eldest.

William, despite his own situation in life, can’t help but be drawn into various familial dramas, even though his connection with Julia ends in divorce.

 As bookish sister Sylvie finds love in all the wrong places while artistic Cecilia seeks fulfillment and sensitive Emmeline does her best to nurture them all, their former brother-in-law knows he should pull back from their troubles yet there are emotional ties that still bind in more ways than one.

The word of mouth on this book has been wonderful to say the least and as a fan of Little Women, it’s great to see that American classic be reimagined for new audiences, especially on the page:

I am hoping to finish at least a couple of these before the end of the year but no hard or fixed deadline am I putting on this small set of reading. Just taking it easy as we wrap another year of books together.

The Goodreads Choice winners will be announced on December 7 and that should give us all more literary food for thought indeed. 

While it is a shame that the children's categories (along with poetry and graphic novels) were removed from contention (why not just have a separate awards for the kid’s books?), the conversation about what was the good, the bad and the poorly written for this year is worth having there.

I would like a Best Author to ReRead category myself and my vote of course would be for Jane Austen. That is one writer who stands the test of time over and over again despite never being officially recognized in her day. Something to think about as another good year of reading comes to an end and a new one begins:

 

The LRG Best Books of 2023

 

Well, this is the time of year when best of the year lists start popping up (especially in the book world) and with the online voting for the Goodreads Choice Awards set to begin this week, it only feels right to share my selections for the LRG Best Books of 2023 right now.

This year, my picks are all fiction and new releases as of this past January. Also, several of them were my Book of the Month Club blue box buys and I have to say that thanks to BOMC, some of these titles might have never been on my literary radar (I am only a customer not a sponsored reader).

 While I am listing a Top Five, it’s in no particular order, except for the Number One read for me and that happens to be The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty.

This tale of the title retired pirate queen ,called back to her former sea faring ways by an insistent wealthy widow who wants her missing granddaughter found, is an old fashioned romp with modern flair and freshly made creative touches that make you wish that this story would never end.

As Amina rounds up her old crew, faces renewed dangers and deals with challenges more startling than even she expects, you can’t help but cheer her on yet she’s not some cut and paste heroine; her humanity in the midst of it all is what endears the character to the reader and keeps those pages turning.

This is said to be the first in a new series by Chakraborty (who is well known for her other fantasy novels such as the Daevabad trilogy) and hopefully, we won’t have long to wait before that story telling ship sails in:

Next up is Victor Lavelle’s  Lone Women, a book that more than lived up to the hype from amazed readers.

The basic plot points are that in the year 1915, Adelaide Henry leaves the burning remains of her family home to resettle in Montana, where land is easily accessible to single women and widows.

Her only major possession is a heavy trunk that is always locked, with Adelaide carrying the only key. Beyond that, I will not say more because the wonders to be found in this darkly engaging novel are best to be discovered on your own.

It does sound like a Western horror story but rest assured, there is truly more than meets the eye with this richly layered look at the choices that people make in the most unexpected situations and ways of life:

One of the most talked about novels this year was Yellowface , a bookish social satire with thriller vibes that made folks either love it or hate it and as you can see, I’m of the former camp.

This sinister snarky narrative by glowing green with jealousy June Hayward, a young writer whose love-hate relationship with popular author and former college colleague Athena Lu takes many dark turns indeed. The story begins when Athena dies by accident, with June the only one on hand to snatch up the work in progress novel that Athena hadn’t shown to anyone other than her that fateful night.

Convincing herself that the “editing” she’s doing is the right thing to do, June gets the book published, using the racially dubious name of Juniper Song. While the novel becomes a critical and financial success, the work is still tainted by June’s pretzel twists of justified logic with public exposure an ever present threat to her career.

To me, this contemporary novel has the media adjacent energy of Robert Altman’s The Player with the emotional echoes of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley cleverly funneled into our current book media realm both online and off.  Smart and savvy with a bittersweet edge, definitely one not to be overlooked indeed:

For something completely different, Vampire Weekend by Mike Chen is a good natured take on the undead with heartfelt emotions and a rebel rocker edge.

Louise Chao has found  out over the years that the vampire lifestyle is not as advertised with most of her existence being about obtaining leftovers from the hospital blood bank that she works at as a janitor.

Keeping company with only an adorable corgi named Lola, Louise is stunned one evening when some long lost relatives show up on her doorstep, looking for some assistance for the dying mother of Ian, whose father recently passed away as well.

Reluctantly bonding over a shared love of music, Louise does what she can to help Ian, doing her best to conceal the bloody truth about herself. That secret doesn’t stay buried for long and that discovery leads both of them down a most unexpected path that could bring either renewed hope or fresh heartbreak for their future.

The book is a grand wild ride with numerous salutes to the punk rock genres and even if you’re not into vampire lore, this is one pulse pounding beat that is perfectly suitable for a mental musical journey worth taking:

To wrap things up, this tribute to the glories of a Nora Ephron movie is more than ready to become a solid romcom In it’s own right.

In the meanwhile until that happens, You, Again by Kate Goldbeck is a When Harry Met Sally for our modern times.

When struggling comedian Arianna”Ari”Sloane first meets uptight chef Josh Kestenberg, the two of them most definitely get off on the wrong foot, especially since they’re both dating the same girl.

They keep running into each other over the years, with their mutual dislike intact until one such encounter occurs at emotional low points in their lives. 

That shared sense of misery begins to turn them into unlikely friends (particularly among their regular set of family and friends!) and possibly something more along the way. Can they really make this work or are Ari and Josh simply meant to be frienemies at best?

While I’m more of a You’ve Got Mail than a When Harry Met Sally fan, this book not only had me rewatching that movie(after a decade or more!) but appreciating the wry dialogue and clever emotional nuances of the characters for their own sake. Goldbeck does her movie maven muse proud and here’s hoping for a sequel:

There were so many other great books that I read and throughly enjoyed this year but due to wanting to keep this post at a reasonable length, didn’t make my main list yet deserve a shout out as well as a whole hearted reading recommendation:

Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen: A matchmaker modern vs. traditional romance by a debut author that you ought to keep an eye out in the near future (her next book, Red String Theory , is due out in 2024).

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canas: A mix of historical romance and gothic terror that makes this writer’s next book a definitive must read for me.

Everything Fine by Cecilia Rabess: The ultimate story of a mismatched couple who can’t seem to stay away from each other (and they really should!) with searing social commentary. Very overlooked and well worth checking out.

I’ll be taking a blog mini-break for Thanksgiving but just wanted to say thank you to those who keep tuning into my little corner of the online world and hope you all had good books to read  this and every year wherever you found them.

Also, I am sadly aware of just how chaotic our world has become right now and the rising levels of social discourse both on and off line , particularly with both home grown tensions and certain international events in the headlines.

The best that I can say about all of this sound and fury is instead of overindulging in anger and frustrated sorrow is to try and  stay connected with one another by finding the collective good(or good enough) to help each other through these difficult moments. 

Things don’t have to be picture perfect but even those family fights at Thanksgiving can be overcome with some sincere effort and a well timed joke or two. Maybe it’s a foolish notion but hey, you never know until you try, right? Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving is all and to all, a good read:

A bounty of book mail ready to harvest upon my shelves

 Granted, the world around us seems to be getting rougher by the minute but a good way to deal with it, I find, is to take joy where you can find it, especially if said joy is between the pages of a book.

My book mail haul has been bountiful indeed of late, starting with my newest Book of the Month Club selections-the main attraction being This Spells Love by Kate Robb(an early BOMC release btw-this debut novel will be officially available elsewhere on December 5).

Gemma Wilde ,despite her lively last name, is the type to stay on the steady path in life even if that means she’s stuck in a job that pays well but crushes her spirits and her boyfriend is the dictionary definition of reliable.

That is, until he dumps her, leaving Gemma feeling out of control so much so that she and a group of friends try a love memory spell during a night of drinking that works way too well.

Gemma walks up the next day to discover that more that her recent breakup has been erased; her old job is gone, she lives in a completely different place and worst of all, her best friend Dax doesn’t know her at all.

Since Dax kissed her as part of the original spell, he has to do again in order to reverse it. However as time goes on, Gemma starts taking chances in this new life she’s magically given and finds herself falling in love with Dax this time around.

 Is it worth the risk to  return to her old life to put this perhaps meant to be romance in jeopardy, possibly for good?

This just sounds like such a charmer, a cross between Practical Magic and Sliding Doors movie wise, that promises to be as comforting as cup of cocoa while watching your favorite romcom there:

My add-on choice for this BOMC box was Meg Shaffer’s The Wishing Game, which I have heard wonderful things about.

Ever since she was 13, Lucy Hart dreamed of going to Clock Island, the magical realm created by the series of best selling books by reclusive author Jack Masterson.

She even tried running away from her neglectful home to the real world counterpart owned by Masterson once but that failed attempt turned into something more years later.

Lucy is now an adult, hoping to adopt a lonely child but lacking the financial means to do so. When given the opportunity to compete for an exclusive edition of what may be the final Clock Island book , not to mention the only copy in the world, she takes that chance with the fervent wish that it might solve many of her problems.

Joining three other fans who also ran away to the island as children, Gemma soon learns that the numerous riddles and challenges presented to each of them are personally tailored to them and their greatest fears. Not to mention that Jack Masterson has a secret of his own that may reveal his true reasons for holding this contest in the first place. Can Gemma truly win here, even if she doesn’t get the book?

Word of mouth about this story has been amazing and it does sounds like a Willy Wonka tale for grownups in the best sense. I’m eager to see if this book is as magically delicious as those Wonka bars always seemed to be:

Then I received a pleasant surprise as an advance copy of a debut mystery novel due out in January of 2024 arrived at my door.

The Night of the Storm by Nishita Parekh is set in modern day Houston, TX as newly single mom Jia Shah has to take refuge from an impending hurricane with her family, who is far from happy with her current set of life choices.

Jia has enough on her plate as it is, with her twelve year old son Isshan being suspended from school and dealing with being able to financially support them both. By staying at her sister’s house to avoid the roving wreckage that is Hurricane Harvey, drama with her relatives is the last thing she needs right now.

That truckload of trouble gets heavier as more relatives arrive and during the height of the storm, one of them is found dead by untimely means. 

With no way to get official help on this matter, Jia finds herself playing detective to both clear herself of suspicion and to prevent another death on their doorstep. Can she do that without being attacked by the killer or the lethal force of nature trapping them together?

Getting a new book, particularly one that won’t out until next year, is such fun and also a debut novel to boot is total chef’s kiss there! This book has the flavor of one of those iconic Agatha Christie closed room mysteries and should be a great bookish companion for cold weather reading indeed:

Just yesterday, my mailbox had a special prize awaiting me, courtesy of a giveaway held on Instagram for Amiee Gibbs’ The Carnivale of Curiosities.

This debut novel(I am having so much luck with debut novels lately!) is set in Victorian London, where the title traveling show is setting up for a new season.

It is said that the lead magician Aurelius Ashe can actually perform real magic and will do so for a select few that meet his standards. Wealthy banker Odilon Rose demands that Ashe grant him a cure for his ailing ward Charlotte but since his true  intentions towards the young woman are impure to say the least, Ashe refuses his demands.

When Rose threatens the life of one of Ashe’s performers if his wish is not granted, the magician gives in..but not without a price that must be paid. Thinking he can get out of anything, Rose agrees yet the aftermath of this bargain resonates with more than one person in more ways than one.

I am so thankful to win such an intriguing book and hope to be spellbound by this fantastic tale for many nights to come:

We’re a couple of weeks away from Thanksgiving and I have much to feast upon in a mental banquet sort of way. I know it is difficult to keep your spirits up during these troubling times but when good things come your way or good news like the SAG/AFTRA strike coming to an end(congratulations to all concerned on that front!) pop up, rejoicing is indeed in order.

With any luck, things might get a bit better before this year finishes up; let us hope so at any rate. In the meantime, gathering some good books together for the cold days ahead is important, as important as making that holiday gravy on time for the big day there to be sure!:

A trio of treats to read this FrightFall

 

Happy November, folks and I hope you all had a pleasant Halloween experience earlier this week. I also hope that those who took part in this year’s FrightFall readathon (hosted by Michelle Miller at Seasons of Reading) had a great time as well.

I’m pleased to report that I was able to finish all three of the books on my TBR for this challenge, starting with Vampire Weekend by Mike Chen. Our leading undead lady is Louise, who has not found that particular brand of eternal night life to be anything like the media myths make it out to be.

For one, she doesn’t have any powers beyond staying young and most of her after dark existence involves a night shift job at a local hospital in order to poach blood bags for the vampire collective community. Her main companion is a cute Corgi named Lola,due to the loss of her last human friend who Louise fears she may have doomed by revealing her true nature.

When a couple of long lost relatives literally turn up on her doorstep, Louise is not inclined to let them get beyond the front door but upon meeting Ian, whose father has recently died and his mother not too far gone from that fate, she winds up bonding with him over their mutual love of music.

Of course, their tastes in music differ but soon enough, Louise starts to teach Ian the basics of punk rock and guitar playing, opening up her former passion for being a member of a band. However, when Ian catches on to what she really is, he makes a request that’s she understandably reluctant to grant. Can their friendship survive this impass or is there a way to save the metaphorical day for them both?

I’ve read Mike Chen before and he has a great knack for blending in everyday realism into otherworldly genres with a seemingly casual ease. It helps that Chen aptly adds touches of humor and heart into his characters and their situations with out going overboard on either story element.

Vampire Weekend was a great bookish beat to dance to and one way or another, I plan on reading more of his work soon:

After that, I visited Miss Marple in Agatha Christie‘a A Murder is Announced.  The title refers to an unusual advertisement in the local newspaper in the village of Chipping Cleghorn, inviting anyone interested to the home of Letitia Blacklock that evening for such an offbeat event.

Those who attend believe that it’s some kind of party game that Letitia’s mischievous nephew Patrick has set up yet he insists that this is not of his doing. When the lights go out and a stranger appears, real bullets are fired and someone does dies. 

The why and how of it puzzles the police but fortunately, Miss Marple happens to be in the area, visiting some friends of the family and very willing to help with her subtle style of observations on such a matter. The major part of this mystery is who was the real target of the killer and will they strike again?

I do prefer the Marple mysteries to the Poirot ones in Christie’s body of work yet I also like them more when Miss Marple is more front and center to the action. 

AMIA does take some time to get to Jane Marple but the book does make up for that wait with an array of interesting oddball characters that do engage your attention quite nicely. All in all, it’s a clever story that does keep you guessing in the best sense until the bittersweet end:

The best I saved for last and trust me when I say that Victor Lavelle’s Lone Women was well worth the wait.

The novel begins in California of 1915 as Adelaide Henry leaves her family home in actual flames in order to conceal the gruesome nature of their untimely demise.

She heads out to Montana, where unmarried women and widows are able to claim land grants and start a new life for themselves. The only big ticket item that Adelaide has with her is a mysterious trunk that is always locked and for good reason. While she desperately wants to leave her past behind her, Adelaide has no choice but to drag this unwieldy family secret along with her into the unknown.

That’s all I’m going to say about the plot because this is a story best appreciated by discovering it’s creative charms for yourself. What I will say is that Lavelle is an amazing writer with an imagination that can’t be beat and this is one of the best books that I’ve read this or any other year.

Such a wild ride of emotion, terror and the lore of the Ild West as you have never seen before awaits you on the page and then some:

So, out of the four readathons that I participated in this year, I completed all of the books chosen for those challenges three times out of the four, a nice little achievement that I’m way too proud of there.

Nonetheless, reading is its own reward and much thanks is due to Michelle Miller at Seasons of Reading who makes these readathons the fun and friendly events that they are. There is a Christmas challenge on that horizon but I might take a pause on that for the holidays.

In the meanwhile, this November, I gave myself the challenge of a Thrill Ride TBR(to catch up on a few mystery/thriller stories) and planing to indulge in the second seasons of cable/streaming shows that may take awhile to get third seasons due to the actors’ strike still ongoing(as of this writing, SAG-AFTRA is still waiting to hear from the studios about a counter offer). 

With any luck, the actors might have things settled soon but in the meantime, let’s be grateful for the good stories that are available to us all and hopefully, those who work hard to share their talents with us are given the full slice of the entertainment pie that they truly deserve-in other words, bon appetit!:

Gearing up for a Thrill Ride TBR this November

I’m currently reading the final book in my FrightFall readathon(Lone Women was so worth the wait!) and already planning another reading challenge for next month. This one, however, is one set up just for me.

November is a pretty busy month for book folk, with Best of the Year lists and various themed readathons like No-Buy November or Noir November ,for example,and of course National Novel Writing Month to boot!

However, I thought this might be a good time to clear up of my regular TBR piles and since there are a few mystery/thriller titles that I’ve been meaning to get to for awhile now, so I’m taking a literary thrill ride with page turning instead of putting the pedal to the metal there.

My challenge TBRs tend to use the rule of three and the first of that trio is Maisie Dobbs, the first in a well renowned series by Jacqueline Winspear. Our title leading lady has gone from being a housemaid in a Downton Abbey type of situation to a college student, then a WWI nurse and now opening up her own private detective agency in London.

Her first case appears to be just a standard infidelity investigation yet as things go on, Maisie uncovers a scheme to cheat military veterans out of their finances run by a former officer whose need for control risks many lives in more ways than one.

Can she reveal the truth and protect these men from someone claiming to protect them from themselves? I won this book in a giveaway earlier this year and have consistently heard great things about this series so the opportunity to see if these books are something I need to get into is ideal indeed:

Next in the docket is Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby, a tale of revenge and unlikely fellowship. 

Ike Randolph and Buddy Lee Jenkins are far being any sort of friends, despite the shared fact that their sons are married to each other. 

When their children are murdered via hate crime, Ike and Buddy find themselves compelled to dig back into their former criminal ways and work together to avenge the deaths of their sons once it’s clear that the law is than motivated to do so.

S.A. Cosby’s works are being hailed as modern crime fiction classics and this particular book seems to be a great place to start. This part of the thrill ride is going to be rough but I have no doubt that this journey is worth the taking:

For the third act, Gillian McAllister’s Just Another Missing Person  promises to be quite the conclusion to say the least.

When DCI officer Julia Day is called away from a family dinner to look into the disappearance of a young woman named Olivia Johnson,  she’s more than ready to tackle this case as per her usual.

What does surprise her is the appearance of a strange man in her car who demands that Julia plant evidence that a man named Matthew James is responsible for Olivia’s vanishing. If not, he’s willing to reveal that Julia misused her authority to cover up a crime for her daughter Genevieve.

While Julia is willing to go along with this for the sake of her child(not to mention using this demand as potential evidence towards finding Olivia), things become more and more complicated as time goes on to the point where she doesn’t know who or what to believe here. 

By untangling the truth from the fiction, is Julia able to save Olivia, Genevieve or even her own career from utter ruin? 

I read McAllister’s Wrong Place, Wrong Time a few months ago(based on a BookTube recommendation) and that time travel mystery was an amazing read. When I saw this new release as a Book of the Month add-on, my response was “Yes,please!” This sounds like what some fans of British detective shows might call a cracking good read and I have high hopes of that being true:

While I might include a couple of other mystery related books into the mix, these three are my main mission for completing in November. If you’re interested in trying this out for yourself, please feel free to do so-I am not a proficient arranger of readathons but more than willing to offer any inspiration there!

Thrill rides are rather scary outings as well as exciting ones but confining such antics to the pages of a book seems reasonably safe to me. A good release of tension and hopefully truly entertaining, like a well made action cinematic romp or an old school spy movie, only you have to supply the theme song yourself, plus a solid bookmark there:

 

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:

 

A Book of the Month Club haul & book review!

With the holiday season approaching fast, cutting back on extra spending seems like a good idea. 

Oddly enough, Book of the Month Club helps me do just that because, as the title says, you can buy only once a month! Skipping a month is an option, of course, but if you really feel the need for something new on your shelves, BOMC definitely scratches that particular itch.

My latest BOMC selections were not current new releases yet one of the authors was rather familiar to me. Adriana Trigiani’s  The Good Left Undone begins with elderly matriarch Matetilda Cabrelli Roffo deciding to share the stories of her past with granddaughter Anina.

It’s not just her own past; how Matetilda’s own mother came to leave their beloved village of Viareggio due to her personal convictions to wind up in Scotland where she falls in love with a navy captain on the cusp of WWII is an epic tale in and of itself.

How these stories affect Anina and her outlook on the past, present and future choices in her life are at the heart of this novel. It’s been awhile since I’ve read a Trigiani book but her story telling skills are gorgeous to behold. Also, I have plans for a reading project next year that includes a well known set of her works so this is the perfect opportunity to get reacquainted here:

I paired it up with Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, which is getting a lot of bookish love these days.

The story introduces us to William, who has married into the Padavano family of four sisters, his wife Julia being the oldest one as well as his college sweetheart, and takes comfort in the strong familial bond from them that he never felt from his own parents.

Despite getting a divorce from Julia years later and falling out of touch with his young daughter Alice, he still crosses paths with Padavano women time and again. Eventually, there comes a point where reconnection is unavoidable and emotionally necessary for all concerned.

One of the main attractions that this book has for me is that the core concept is a modern take on Little Women, one of my all time favorites. This does sound a bit like “what would happen if Jo and Laurie got married “ and that such a relationship didn’t quite work out makes complete sense to me( sorry, shippers but I do believe it was right of Jo to turn him down!).

Anyway, I have heard plenty of good word about this book and willing to give it a try regardless of that literary connection, although it does sweeten the deal for me:

I am sure that most BOMC members get asked this question on occasion-“Do you actually read all of those books?”

My answer is yes, just not as soon as I would like to. With that in mind, I thought a review of one of my most  recent BOMC picks would be worth sharing.

Kate Goldbeck’s debut novel You, Again is a lively look at old school romcom energy with an updated twist. When uptight chef Josh first meets livewire comic Arianna (aka Ari), their mutual dislike is immediate as they both happen to be dating the same woman (Ari’s roommate) and have very different approaches to love and romance.

A few years and several more bad interactions later, Josh and Ari run into each other while having the worst time in their lives; Josh’s attempt to put a new spin on his late father’s iconic deli crashes and burns his culinary reputation. Meanwhile, Ari is going through a rough divorce and feeling less than thrilled about her stalemated comedy career.

With such shared misery, the two of them form a friendship that slowly yet surely promises to become more than just funny texts and movie night binges. When that threshold is crossed, the chances of resetting that relationship become a deal breaker but is that what either of them really wants or needs from each other?

Author Kate Goldbeck claims Nora Ephron‘a When Harry Met Sally as her muse for this story and the influence definitely shows yet this is not a cut and paste take on that film at all.

Goldbeck creates her own version of New York based characters and modern situations (some of which I wish were more detailed, especially the ones where Ari’s mischief making comes into play) that dazzle and delight on the page. Her quirky style and steady sense of storytelling makes this book immensely engaging and a writer to watch out for.

Also, You,Again got me to rewatch When Harry Met Sally(I’m more of a You’ve Got Mail fan and yes, I watched that one again to boot!) and yes, it does hold up pretty well there. I don’t know who the present day version of Meg Ryan is but if and when the actor’s strike is settled, I hope that she is cast in the movie adaptation of this love story:

We’re going to need more good books as the world is getting more challenging by the moment and wherever you find them, do cherish them indeed.

With the state of the world as it is right now, taking some time away from the headlines to replenish your spirits is a good idea. Hopefully at some point, we can all work together to make right what has gone wrong and most importantly, act like reasonable adults (a scare commodity these days, sad to say).

So I find a good way to avoid complete despair is to curl up with a pile of great books and perhaps a comforting TV show or two, preferably something British, although the new season I’m most waiting for is not until January. 

Perhaps by then, things might be a little bit better and a new package from Book of the Month Club will certainly be a welcome sight to be sure: