Getting some midwinter warmth from my latest book haul

While the chilly nature of this season can be a downer, one thing that always parks me up is the chance to add a new book to my reading stack. Corny, perhaps, but true nonetheless.

For example, I started February off with a Book of the Month Club box and my main selection was a debut historical fiction by Avery Cunningham, The Mayor of Maxwell Street.

Set in Chicago of 1921, young ambitious reporter Nelly Sawyer is eager to prove her journalistic merits by seeking out the facts about our title character, who is said to be the one running the criminal underworld in the city.

To further her quest, she enlists the aid of speakeasy owner Jay Shorey, whose charms are not lost on her at all. However, what challenges Nelly more are the elements of corruption within the system that Jay seems a little too well connected to.

Coming from a wealthy family, Nelly’s foray into the newspaper business was intended to just merely be a temporary stopover on the road towards a suitable marriage yet as time goes on, her dreams about the future are pointing more in the direction of an independent life with Jay by her side. Can she find the right path for her goals as well as her heart before it gets too late?

This does sound intriguing and discovering a new author is such a treat, especially when they’re expanding upon what we know about the past. A book like this is like diving into an epic miniseries that’s always on tap when it comes to the realms of fact and fiction playing well together:

Meanwhile, I received some book mail that also introduces me to someone I haven’t read previously.

Although in this case, this writer is not a first timer.

Sara Shepard is best known for her series (and popular TV show adaptation) of teen thrillers , Pretty Little Liars, but her upcoming novel Nowhere Like Home takes place amongst adults.

Our leading lady is Lenna, struggling to manage being a new mother with little emotional support from her husband. Running into her old friend Rhiannon from high school, she is relieved to find someone who seems to understand what she’s going through.

Rhiannon is not only happy to lean an ear to her troubles, she even suggests that Lenna join her at a “mommune” where she can get some relaxation and guidance from other women in the same situation. It’s an offer that Lenna doesn’t refuse but all too soon, she may wish that she did.

As I said, Sara Shepard is a new to me author and with that in mind, this ought to be an entertaining read at the very least. The story line here gives me that domestic thriller movie vibes from the late 1990s/early 2000s that packed quite a few punches there, plot and character wise so let’s see how this story cradle is rocked:

Finally, I decided to do a little “shopping my shelves “and discovered a hidden bookish gem of social climbing scandal storytelling.

Upon tuning into the new season of F/X’s Feud, I recalled a novel that dealt with the same subject and quickly searched my various TBR piles to see if that book I paused in was still on hand and thankfully, The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin was readily available.

The swans of the title are the upper class women that Truman Capote befriended, mainly Barbara “Babe” Paley during his literary rise of the mid 1950s and into the sixties/early seventies. 

His witty comments and wickedly gleeful gossip made him very well sorted after for parties and other social events among that crowd yet the trust placed in him by many of the ladies regarding their personal secrets turned out to be a serious mistake.

Eventually, Truman used those hidden insights as material for a book, excepts of which were published in magazines. While names were changed, it was crystal clear just whose dirty laundry was being aired. That unexpected exposure lead to those ties of friendship being broken between Capote and his beloved “swans” but what was the ultimate price to be paid by all involved?

While Feud: Capote vs. the Swans is based on a nonfiction title (Capote’s Women by Lawrence Leamer), Melanie Benjamin’s novel delves into the inner emotional stakes for Babe and Truman, showcasing just how much they felt like soulmates, which made their social severance all the more painful. 

I’m going to keep watching Feud while getting myself reacquainted with this book and hope that others do so as well. No doubt that the nonfiction the show is based on is good but this novel adds a certain nuance that the TV version might not display in the same way:

With the news getting as gloomy as the weather these days, it helps to have a few good books to find comfort in for a while there. Most of my reading is going well, especially my readathon pace and those Jane Austen Hallmark movies are a nice diversion too.

This weekend’s viewing has Love and Jane on the schedule as Alison Sweeney plays a woman getting romantic advice from Our Dear Jane directly. Certainly promises to be popcorn worthy amusement that allows for a proper book suitable for diving into during the commercials(a pastime that I eagerly encourage):