One last slice of birthday book haul cake

Well, my birthday weekend was eventful to be sure and yet I did have some fun. My movie going plans went awry(more on that later) but that turned into an opportunity to do a little in-person book shopping.

Before that happened, one of the gifts I received that morning was a lovely edition of Swordheart by T.Kingfisher, a charming fantasy novel that I’ve nothing but wonderful things about.

Our leading lady is Halla,a widow who has just come into a sizable inheritance from a distant relative and already her family is trying to force her into a marriage arrangement that would benefit them much more than her.

Coming across an ancient sword, she releases it from its scabbard which also frees a knight named Sarkis from the blade as well. Due to a curse, Sarkis must defend the one who wields the blade and Halla does need the help, only she’s not too keen on resorting to a killing spree in order to solve her problems.

Can the two of them find a way to better their situations without bloodshed yet take a moment for a bit of romance for themselves?

Like I said, praise for this book has been solid and while I do already enjoy Kingfisher’s unique and occasionally gritty style with fantasy stories, this particular title has been compared to the iconic The Princess Bride in terms of tone. That sounds like a fictional flavor worth indulging in indeed:

Later that day, I wound up going to a bookstore instead of the movie I was planning to see(a last minute change that worked out better in the end) and the first book added to my purchase pile was Marian Kamali’s The Stationary Shop.

Starting in Tehran of 1953, Roya at seventeen is able to attend university for what her father hopes will be practical purposes but her love of fiction leads her to the literary establishment of the title where she finds true love with one of the other regular readers.

Bahman and Roya keep meeting each other at the shop on Tuesdays, forming a romance that leads to a proposal of marriage. Yet, his political activism leads him to disappear with the only remaining connection between them being letters that the shop keeper accepts on their behalf. Plans are made for their future, however, the forces of change are upon their country and even love has its limits when it comes to that.

Having  read the amazingly wonderful The Lion Women of Tehran last year, I was thrilled to find a copy of this earlier work as it should hopefully tide me over until this author blesses us with another bookish delight:

Then, I came across Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower and eagerly placed it among my purchases.

This modern classic about a not too distant future, where climate change and economic collapse are holding hands and holding what remains of society down, has become a generational touchstone for many a reader and it certainly feels like a good time to explore this groundbreaking book and it’s many wonders.

While I’m not in an in-person book club at the moment, it certainly would be great to engage with the wider conversation that those groups have had and are still having with this novel, once I finish it and have something meaningful to contribute in that regard:

To finish up my shopping, The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst was the ideal topping for my bookish birthday sundae.

This YA fantasy introduces us to Calista, who is sent to her Aunt Zee’s inn over the summer for a much needed change of scenery.

While she quickly realizes that this place is no ordinary hotel, Calisa is delighted to help out as much as possible despite her aunt’s reluctance to accept any assistance, especially from her.

One day, Zee is not to be found and until she decides to return, Calisa has to keep things running as smoothly as possible and with the help of Jack, the groundskeeper’s charming son, she seems to be doing well. But how long can she maintain the magic required to hold the inn together and what will be the price of doing that for all concerned?

The word of mouth on this cozy fantasy has been lovely to say the least and I have been wanting to dive into more of Durst’s work since throughly enjoying her breakout hit, The SpellShop. This story is not part of that series but a good magical inn tale on its own is worth checking into there:

So, all in all, it was a pretty good birthday, especially when it came to books. I am definitely taking a book buying break next month(already paused my Book of the Month Club subscription) but will have to return a couple of library loans soon so not completely book acquisition free there.

To be honest, I did feel a bit bummed about missing out on the movie that I planned to see-with the world being as chaotic as it is right now, perhaps my expectations were a bit too high- but fortunately, I still had fun with family and friends which, if you’re lucky, is a year round source of comfort and joy.

On the bright side, we were able to switch our tickets for the movie we arrived very late to for another special showing in June for one of my all time favorites: Death Becomes Her!

This is a movie that I have loved since first seeing it when it was originally released in theaters (yes,

am that old and then some) and I immediately adored the Tales From the Crypt vibes of this wild ride that gleefully satirizes female rivalry, the seemingly insatiable quest for eternal youth and celebrity culture.

This cult classic will be well worth the wait to revisit on the big screen and the perfect belated birthday present, if you ask me. In the meantime, I am happy to have plenty of new books to open again and again without the need for a warning (if you know, you know)…: