It’s that time of year when book lovers both cheer and lament over the Goodreads Choice Awards, which opened up the voting last week for the long list of categories such as Best Fiction, Best Romance and Best Romantasy(looks like that one here to stay).
The final round of voting, which cuts down the number of contenders, begins on November 25 and the winners to b announced on December 4. While the GR awards are mostly the literary version of the People’s Choice Awards (if you know, you know), they still are useful as a way to go over your current reading for the year.
To that end, I decided to set up a TBR based on the long list of books I need to catch up on by the end of 2025 into the early part of 2026.
Two of these books are Book of the Month club and the other two are Aardvark selections. These are not the only GRCA nominees I have in the unread category but if those others make it to the finals, I might add them in(even one of my Cozy November reads is on the long list!)later. For now, this should be a good starting point:
Aardvark
In the Debut Nivel category, I was thrilled to see Venessa Vida Kelley’s When the Tides Held the Moon and yes, I voted for it right away!
It will be read, I promise. This gorgeously illustrated novel tells the tale of Benny, who used his blacksmith skills in the 1910s to create a unique cage for the sideshow in Luna Park that holds Rio, a merman captured in the East River.
While Benny finds friendship among his new coworkers, his feelings for Rio grow much stronger, leading him to choose between freeing his beloved or becoming another cynical human doing what he can to survive a harsh world.
This book is such a gem to behold in and of itself yet ultimately a book is made to be opened and appreciated for its words as well. Perhaps saving the best for last isn’t such a bad idea after all:
In the Fantasy section, The Devils by Joe Abercrombie was still among the unread on my shelf so I clearly needed to add it here.
I’ve heard nothing but praise about Abercrombie’s offbeat take on the genre and this book certainly sounds like fun. Set in an alternate medieval universe, Brother Diaz is tasked by the female Pope to claim an ancient crown with the help of a motley crew of mystical misfits before her political rivals can get to it first. Adventures, bloody action and a touch of romance follows along the perilous pages.
I don’t know if this is the best book to start reading of this author’s but since this does have The Suicide Squad(James Gunn.version) vibes, it sounds like the ideal one to me:
Book of the Month Club
In Historical Fiction, the latest by Fiona Davis, The Stolen Queen, was to be found and I wonder if being chosen by the Calvi Book Club earlier this season didn’t give this one an extra boost of reader attention.
Set in New York of 1978, museum curator Charlotte Cross must enlist the aid of Anne Jenkins when an Egyptian artifact is discovered missing during the iconic Met Gala, which Anne was organizing.
Charlotte is very familiar with the stolen item as she was on the archaeological team that found it in 1936, with dire consequences that came along with it. Having no other choice, the pair must go to Egypt to reclaim what was once owned by a female Pharaoh whose curse may doom them both.
I’ve enjoyed Davis’ work before, with her solid New York centric settings and well crafted characters. This book might benefit from the recent buzz around the Lourve heist but I prefer the focus on untold feminine rulers all the more:
The Horror section was pretty strong this time around and among the ones that I haven’t gotten to yet, The Posession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Canas stood out strongly to me.
With a demonic force taking over, Alba finds that Elias is her strongest ally in fighting off this particular evil and perhaps their true chance at some form of salvation.
Having read Canas before, it’s great to see her get more recognition for her increasingly good and sinister storytelling that ought to make her the next big thing in this field indeed:
Having a reading plan in motion for this time of yearly transition is good, especially since I will need room for the books I’m hoping to get this Christmas! Also, this gives me a nice focus for my page turning future.
While the Goodreads Choice Awards are far from perfect (having one author with multiple books in one category is way too much) and does need to showcase better diversity in books and authors, it can be a boon to highlighting many titles that could benefit from an extra spotlight here.
At the very least, it’s a worthwhile distraction from the real world chaos we’re dealing with right now and that’s not an excuse for the awards being less than fully representative of their entire audience. All I am saying is that for now, this can be both a rallying cry for change and a welcome relief from our collective anxiety. The two goals are not mutually exclusive.
Think of the Goodreads Choice Awards as akin to the Dundies given out on various seasons of The Office; somewhat well meaning yet awkwardly presented and at the best of times, enduringly amusing. Just don’t get too overwrought about it, find that Pam Beasley balance if you can!:
One of the reading adventures I took this year was trying out Aardvark, the book subscription service that offered rather more offbeat titles than the average book boxes out there.
As much as I enjoyed gathering up some new to me books and authors to engage with, my time with Aardvark had to come to an end due to the limits of my entertainment budget (we all know how the economy is these days..).
So, I was fine with that for the most part as I still had plenty of other affordable book buying options to work with. Yet, I did look in on their latest offerings every now and then, sighing longingly at times. It was nice while it lasted or so I thought!
Thanks to a very tiny windfall that covered the price of a one month gift subscription to Aardvark , my new box of September/October books are on the way!
My must-have title was Chuck Tingle’s Lucky Day, which happens to be a special edition, which looks at the seemingly randomness of the universe and just how random is it? When former statistics professor Vera is recruited by a special government agent to investigate the against the odds success of a certain casino, the stakes for her are quite personal.
The source of the casino’s luck can be traced to a bizarre event four years prior that caused multiple deaths in rather improbable ways(being attacked by a monkey using a typewriter for example and Vera’s mother was one of those casualties.
Her faith in her field of interest shattered, Vera was feeling useless until Special Agent Layne arrived. Given the chance to find out what really happened , along with possibly preventing another such occurrence from destroying more lives, she’s ready to resharpen her skills but can she truly play the game to win?
Tingle’s take on story telling is engagingly strange and emotionally touching, quite the fictional combination to be sure. However, like a top chef, Tingle blends those offbeat flavors into a satisfying plate of page turning delight:
I paired that with Mate, Ali Hazelwood’s follow-up to Bride, that has another paranormal romance in store for some supporting players from the previous novel.
Serena Paris is the first of her kind, a hybrid of human and were. With one foot in each realm and yet not being accepted by either side, her safety is at risk from more than one quarter.
Her best chance for survival is Koen Alexander, a powerful Alpha leader amongst the Weres whose authority is never questioned. Being his mate is an instant guarantee of protection yet the real risks here may be if the heart for them both.
I did like Bride, which I read earlier this year, and while my story telling tastes tend to favor vampires in this category, some heartfelt howling at the moon just feels so right to me these days:
To round things up, my choice was a magical romcom, Witch You Would by Lia Amador.
Penelope is hoping to make her dreams come true by taking part in a spell casting competition show with a huge cash prize at stake and a celebrity partner to boot,
Said partner is Leandro, a viral video magician whose gimmicky tricks may not be enough to get the win. As it happens, Leandro is actually Gil, Penelope’s secret pen pal who took on this goofy online persona in order to raise money to save the charity his grandfather created. Can the two of them cast the ultimate spell for love and victory in more ways than one?
This sounds like fabulous fun and I might even add this magical treat to my Cozy November challenge, we shall see:
With any luck, the Aardvark box should be here by Halloween, giving me the best grown up treat in time for the holiday. Believe you me, I could a little pick me up right about now.
Look, I do know that there are more pressing concerns when it comes to money at the moment and I seriously want to see those we put in charge of such things get their act together and work together to make life better for all concerned.
I do consider myself to be very fortunate in my situation with my loved ones that getting some new books is still a viable option yet it’s also important to realize that this is not even a practical concern for most people here. I want so much for folks to feel safe and secure in their lives when it comes to basic needs and rights and shame on those who are eager to rob them of that.
Taking this opportunity for some extra literary bliss is emotionally healthy for me as the state of the world is scarier than any horror movie marathon playing this Halloween week. Mental health refreshers are important to keep our spirits up and give us the fortitude to fight the good fight as best we can.
So, if you have a moment to yourself (or just make one a priority), eat that treat, watch that silly show or grab a hold of a good book to put your worries away for just a little while. Do what you are able to do for others but don’t neglect yourself in the process.
Also, as a fan of autumn vibes, this book box couldn’t arrive at a more perfect time. With the weather finally getting colder and the leaves on the verge of bursting into seasonal colors, curling up under warm blanket with one or two these Aardvark reads while rewatching Gilmore Girls is a simple joy to be sipped and savored as a cup of hot cocoa indeed:
Well, I did say that I might do an extra post this week and between my recent library haul and some book mail, it only seemed fitting to start the end phase of summer with new reads.
My library haul will go first; while I am in the middle of one book in that bunch, I’ll talk about it last.
In the meantime, I was happy to find at my local library one of Tarah DeWitt’s earlier novels, Funny Feelings. Our heroine is Farley Jones, an up and coming stand up comic who is on the verge of her big break. That chance at the big time, however, puts her into the position of fake-dating her manager, Meyer Hannigan, who was a comedy performer himself at one time.
Since Meyer and Farley are good friends as well as professionals, this ruse seems worth while yet as it happens, they both share feelings for each other that have been pushed aside in order to not endanger their already established bonds there. Can they showcase their true emotions in public and private while achieving the success that they’ve been working towards so long?
I recently picked up DeWitt’s latest book(Left of Forever, signed no less!) from Aardvark and even though I’m saving it for a fall read, was curious about her prior work. Glad to find a nice copy to borrow and looking forward to some love and laughs along the way:
Speaking of love, I also found a book club favorite from last year, The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lydia Cohen Loigman.
Upon a reluctant retirement at age eighty, Augusta moves to Florida and while settling in, runs into Irving, who worked at her father’s pharmacy in Brooklyn back when they were both young.
While planning on following her father’s footsteps, Augusta became intrigued by her Aunt Esther’s brand of homemade remedies, which bordered on magic. Using one of her aunt’s recipes, Augusta attempted a love potion for Irving that backfired big time for them both.
Now, after all these years, is Augusta able to make right what once went wrong? Also, can she do this with or without that special talent that her aunt had?
This does sound lovely and I do recall the very positive buzz the book got, particularly from reading groups(especially Club Calvi, run by a news anchor in my area!) and even though this is a solo journey for me, my page turning will have many friends traveling along, I’m sure:
As for my book mail, Harper Collins kindly gifted me a pair of romantic themed reads that are definitely cool for the summer and beyond:
Starting with The Build-a-Boyfriend Project by Mason Deaver, we meet Eli Francis,who is in both a personal and professional rut in life. In order to change things up a bit, he goes out on a blind date with Peter Park that goes horribly wrong yet makes for a great story to tell.
Upon hearing that story, Eli’s boss at the magazine he works at suggests that this experience could make a great series of articles about “teaching” Peter to be a better boyfriend. While this is a great opportunity, Eli wants to go for a more heartfelt angle and Peter is a good enough of a sport to help him out here.
However, as time goes by, Eli finds this assignment to be more meaningful than he or Peter ever expected it to be. Can he achieve career success without putting his true feelings for Peter in jeopardy?
Deaver is best known as a YA author and a film adaptation of one of their works(I Wish You All The Best) is due out later this year. This novel is their first one for an adult readership and should be a fine introduction to a fresh literary voice indeed:
The other title is Poppy Alexander’s The Battle of the Bookshops , set in a seaside town in England where Jules Capelthorne finds herself returning to after so many years away. She intends to save her great-aunt Florence’s bookshop that has been a solid staple of the community for nearly a century.
Apart from the financial woes that the shop has suffered lately, her biggest challenge is in dealing with Roman Montbeau, whose family owns half the town and has decided to open up a much larger bookstore directly across the way from her aunt’s shop. Is this rivalry personal or professional and can one shop be saved without destroying too many lives there?
I do like the notion of a Romeo & Juliet meets You’ve Got Mail tale with some British small town charm thrown in for fun fictional flavor. Definitely my cup of storytelling tea for sure:
So, my late summer reading appears to be all set to go and considering the chaotic weather these days, staying inside with a good book feels more and more like the best option for the season.
Oh, and the library loan that I am currently enjoying is The Little Lost Library by Ellery Adams, part of her Secret, Book & Scone Society series that involves murders in a small health resort town with an independent bookseller as one of the amateur sleuths.
When one of her homebound customers dies under suspicious circumstances, bookseller Nora not only has to figure out who did it but also follow a set of clues in a strange book left to her by the deceased.
These clues lead to a treasure hunt of sorts in the old manor house owned by the recently departed,which has various hidden compartments concealing miniature books that may be worth a literal fortune! Can more than one mystery be solved here without any other casualties occurring?
This book is one of those reads that you have to force yourself to slow down and savor, despite being swept up on such a riveting emotional ride. Instead, sipping it slowly is the best way to embrace the experience and take the time to learn a little something about miniature books to boot. Reading is truly fundamental in more ways than one:
As some of you may know, I was doing a trilogy themed reading challenge for most of this year but upon completing two out of the three sets of books for that project, I decided to pivot to a more achievable goal of reading down my TBR piles.
Thus named “Down The Reader’s Road”(yes, I enjoyed Agatha All Along very much!), I chose a number of my Book of the Month Club picks to tackle and the first one finished is The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani.
Thus multigenerational story introduces us to Matelda, an older woman living in the coastal village of Viareggio, Italy who is trying to preserve the family history for the next generation, particularly her granddaughter Anina currently engaged to be married.
Upon letting Anina chose a piece of heirloom jewelry as part of her engagement gift, Matelda finds herself sharing the story of her own mother Domenica, a woman well before her time who was determined to pursue a career in medicine and not hold back from doing what she believed to be right .
Her forthright approach got Domenica sent to France as a nurse and then later to Scotland just as WWII is gearing up. While over there, she meets John McVicars, a sea captain who becomes the love of her life and he hers:
This is more than just a love story, however; John comes to a tragic end after his marriage to Domenica due to being recruited to partake in the expulsion of Italian citizens from the United Kingdom as a pushback against Italy going forces with Germany.
These people considered themselves “Britalians”, loyal to their country despite their ancestry yet were punished for simply being who they were due to political reasons (a sentiment that is sadly still prevalent in the US today).
Trigiani chronicles this sad chapter in history as a natural element of the overall story without overwhelming the main narrative. She also skillfully showcases the emotional lives of her characters from one generation to the next in harmonious fashion, turning a tale of personal experiences into an universal meditation about accepting the challenges in life and making the best of the choices given unto you.
Granted, I had just finished rereading Trigiani’s Valentine series of novels before picking this one up, so perhaps I was in the right mindset to read this book at this time. However, even someone unfamiliar with her work would find much treasure to discover within these pages.
Ultimately, this is a book about one generation reaching out to another to appreciate what has been before and respect that knowledge on the road that lies ahead of them, something worth exploring at any time:
So, my next step on this bookish journey is Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and so far, this is one of those “what haven’t I read already?!” titles.
I’ve read TJR before (the latest being Carrie Soto is Back) but not this particular book , which chronicles the life and times of a renowned actress in Hollywood of the fifties and onward with her secrets being told to a potential biographer chosen for mysterious reasons.
It’s a lively and engaging book that I might finish by the year is out but no rush here. As they say, it’s not about the destination, it’s the journey and I intend to take the scenic route indeed:
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:
It’s been quite the week, with a lot of uncertainty both online and in the real world there. While things may not be as bad as they first seemed, the chaos is still too close for comfort.
Fortunately, the one constant that remains for me(other than family) is my ever expanding TBR pile.
For example, my latest Book of the Month Club selection was a pair of backlisted titles, the most recent being Helen Hoang’s The Heart Principle.
Anna Sun is a violinist who is feeling burnt out after a tour fueled by extra attention from a viral video. Upon hearing a mental health diagnosis that her relatives object to and her current boyfriend wanting an open relationship (on his terms), Anna decides to make a major change in her personal life.
She meets Quan, the owner of a clothing line who is recovering from cancer, on a dating app and even tho neither of them are looking for something serious, their connection promises to be more than casual. Especially when Anna’s father experiences a severe physical crisis that challenges them all.
I know that some readers found the switch in gears in this book to be off putting since her earlier works were very romance focused. Yet, I’m fine with a writer wanting to add some additional nuance to their work and Hoang’s prior novels with their engaging down to earth energy certainly make her future books worth checking out.
My other BOMC pick was a new edition of Little Women, a childhood favorite of mine that keeps popping up in some of my current reads lately.
With that in mind, I went to Better World Books for a copy of Beth and Amy by Virginia Kantra, the follow up to her modem take on the Alcott classic Meg and Jo.
Here, Beth is an aspiring country music singer struggling with an eating disorder and Amy is a designer of fashion accessories who once had a brief fling with Jo’s best friend Trey(who was still carrying a torch for her sister).
With Jo about to get married, all four sisters are reunited for the first time in a long while. This allows them not only a chance to reconnect but to face a few hard truths, particularly when it comes to Beth’s health and Amy’s love life with Trey being back in the picture due to Jo’s impending nuptials.
I did enjoy Meg and Jo(will probably reread that one) and this companion piece should make a nice set of satisfying reading with my brand new edition of LW. I do hope that Beth does better here than in the original as the idea of her sharing her talents with a wider audience is the best update for this character that I can imagine:
I paired that book with Jennifer Ryan’s The Kitchen Front, a WWII in England set novel about a cooking competition.
The big prize here is to be the co-host of a BBC radio show devoted to teaching British housewives frugal recipes for the war effort.
Anxious to do their part as well as take a much needed chance to change their lives, a group of four women from very different backgrounds find themselves in direct culinary competition with one another.
Will it be Audrey, a widow trying to get her bakeshop going or her sister Gwendoline, who thinks she’s above it all as the wife of a major manufacturer? Could the gently spoken Nell rise from her housemaid station with such a win or perhaps Zelda, the upperclass chef can claim victory despite the secret that threatens to destroy her personal and professional life?
Author Ryan does have a flair for making such women on the home front stories engagingly compelling without being overwhelmed by the standards of the genre, so I do look forward hungrily to this one. Plus,a cooking contest amongst the British is culinary catnip to me:
And yes, I did pick up a new release for my cozy mystery collection.
Donut Disturb is the latest in Ellie Alexander’s Bakeshop Mysteries series that has leading lady Juliet Capshaw preparing a specially requested wedding cake for her good friend Thomas and his bride/coworker Kerry.
Things get tense when an unexpected guest in the form of Kerry’s estranged father shows up but even more troubling is the sudden demise of the bassist from the band hired for the reception. Can Juliet lend more than her pastry prowess to the occasion to protect her friends from the “til death do us part” portion of the marriage vows?
Alexander is amazing at whipping up these tasty detective desserts and I hope to finish this book before her next one comes out later this year( Muffin But The Truth, another win in the punny title game there!). Plus, a donut wedding cake sounds awesome!:
No matter how wild the world around us can get, some ports in such storms are worth holding on to like family/friends, a good meal and a great read.
That’s probably why I like Thanksgiving so much. Yes, the origin story of this holiday is troubling to say the least(the Wednesday Addams speech in Addams Family Values is more historically accurate than some textbooks, sad to say) but the pilgrim pageantry is not what interest me.
It’s the concept of gathering together with loved ones to celebrate the good in our lives that is of real and lasting importance, if you ask me. A good dinner can’t solve all of our differences yet it’s a good place to start as any. After all, kitchen tables do make for welcome conversation for a reason:
Despite being more of a cat person, I do appreciate the dog days of summer when it comes to catching up on reading.
At the moment, my current reading rotation is a blend of new releases and backlist titles, starting with the former via Not All Supermen by Tim Hanley.
Hanley is a comic book historian who has written about such well known and yet under appreciated female icons in this genre such as Wonder Women, Lois Lane and Catwoman. The subtitle of his latest book, “Sexism,Toxic Masculinity and the Complex History of Superheroes “ explores even further into those topics with a broader range than his earlier works did.
From the beginning of the superhero genre where strong female characters were sidelined or meant to be arm candy for the male hero to the rise of the feminist movement that brought about reluctant change, Hanley shows us how even though superhero characters were intend to showcase the best in humanity, they also hold up a powerful mirror to our worst natures as well.
I’m at the halfway mark with this book and since I’ve read his other titles before, Hanley’s entertaining educational style is always engaging to me. It’s like hanging out with a cool teacher in a comic book shop for extra credit.
One on my favorite chapters so far draws comparisons between the classic Dark Phoenix Saga in X-Men to Teen Titans’ The Judas Contract, the latter being a story line that doesn’t get as much coverage in my opinion (plus, I do own a Terra/Tara Markov action figure!).
Not All Supermen is due out on July 15(I was lucky enough to receive a review copy) and I highly recommend it to not only comic book/superhero fans but to those interested in seeing how influential our ongoing debates about gender roles in society are showcased in such a public forum. Even Superman is as vulnerable to these cultural forces as he is to Kyptonite:
Meanwhile, my latest Book of the Month Club selections are from a couple of years ago but still very much on the forefront of the literary scene.
Along with Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore, I chose Angie Thomas’ On The Come Up, which is about to have the film adaptation be available for streaming very soon.
This YA novel stars Brianna “Bri” Jackson, who is determined to follow in her late father’s footsteps as a rap singer yet be seen as her own person to make her own mark upon the world.
That’s hard to do in so many ways as Bri discovers upon releasing a song online that grows popular and gives her a fan base yet gains negative attention from unwelcome corners. Wanting to also help her family out financially is another strong incentive but her mother prefers that Bri focus on school first, plus Supreme, her father’s former manager, offers plenty of career opportunities but at what artistic price?
I haven’t read Thomas’ The Hate U Give but did like the movie a lot and upon hearing that OTCU was about to on screen soon, I thought it would be good to read the book first.
The story is as engagingly energetic as a good song that you add to your permanent playlist is, with heartfelt characters that deal with real world problems as well as personal challenges along the way. I’m nearly finished with the book and hope to see the movie sometime soon :
For my summer library haul, I went with a pair of books by authors I haven’t read before such as Stacey Abrams’ While Justice Sleeps and Normal People by Sally Rooney.
The Rooney novel starts in a small Irish town where popular teen sports star Connell has a secret relationship with quiet upper class Marianne, a connection that he is more invested in concealing than she is.
When they part ways to attend college in Dublin and yet are thrown back into each other’s community, their social roles as reversed. Marianne is the one shining in the spotlight while Connell is standing on the sidelines ,uncertain of what his place in the world is truly meant to be. Can they find love again or is their time together a thing of the past?
I have heard nothing but wonderful things about Sally Rooney’s writing but was unsure of where to start with her books. Normal People seems to be a good setting off point here(did hear good word about the Hulu miniseries adaptation) and this story has a bit of a Jane Austen vibe, perhaps a modern day Persuasion if you will. Definitely worth a try:
Speaking of Persuasion, I am looking forward to seeing the newest entry on Netflix this upcoming weekend, despite the mixed reviews that have come out already.
While it does appear that my concerns about Anne Eliot being given a Bridget Jones makeover have been unfortunately well warranted, I still want to give it a fair chance.
There are very good actors in the cast and if this leads to other Austen adaptations that are more complimentary to the source material, it’ll be worth the fuss. Goodness knows, there are worse things to worry about outside of our silver screens so let us engage in lively yet friendly discussion on this front!:
Between the horrid heat of the season and less than stellar headlines in the news, staying inside with some good books is becoming more and enticing there.
With that in mind, my latest library visit not only had me pick up another Christina Baker Kline novel(A Piece of the World) but a chunky new book from Marian Keyes as well.
Again,Rachel is a follow-up to her 1997 novel Rachel’s Holiday, where our title character Rachel Walsh is now a counselor at the very rehab center that ended her addiction cycle back in the day.
While she feels that her life is pretty much in order,despite a tendency to buy too many sneakers, Rachel finds that she is not over her former love Luke, who she divorced several years ago.
Luke is brought back into her world upon a death in his family and even she tries to maintain minimal contact , Rachel has to admit to herself the truth about her feelings both then and now.
I literally stumbled over this book at the library, taking a seat and pleasantly surprised to find it on a nearby display table. It’s been a long time since I’ve read Marian Keyes(did read Rachel ‘s Holiday as well as other stories about the Walsh family) and getting reacquainted with Keyes’ blend of engaging humor and well crafted drama has been well worth the wait indeed:
Meanwhile, I got a bit splurge-y and bought from both Book of the Month Club AND the Literary Guild! Yeah, feeling slightly guilty for that but I do intend to read most of them before Labor Day.
From BOMC, I chose The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan plus Elin Hilderbrand’s new beach read, The Hotel Nantucket.
The latter location is a newly renovated establishment bought by a rich Londoner and opening up under the hopefully steady hand of Lizbet Keaton, determined to make sure that everything goes smoothly.
While a main worry of Lizbet and her boss is getting a top notch review from hotel blogger Shelly Carpenter, there are other issues of concern such as a new employee trying to cover up a misdeed of his recent past, Lizbet’s ex showing up to rekindle their freshly ended relationship and a ghost.
I must confess that ghost character ( a young chambermaid named Grace who perished in a hotel fire or did she…?) is what sealed the deal for me on this one.
One of my favorite TV shows this year is Ghosts , the sitcom set at a old manor house being turned into a B&B by the current living owners with one of them being able to see their eternally present guests, making me so eager to meet the dearly departed Grace as soon as can be:
Also got a similar duo from The Literary Guild with Alison Weir’s The Last White Rose and The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner.
When twenty two year old Ruby announces her engagement to her rather new boyfriend Gabe, things are in an uproar among her loved ones for many different reasons.
Her stepmother Sarah is worried about the haste of this impending marriage while step grandmother Veronica is thrilled to have the perfect send off to her Cape Cod house that she’s planning to sell after so many years.
Sarah’s is equally concerned about her husband’s steady distancing from her(which might be a cover for an affair) and as both sides of the family converge upon Veronica’s summer house, she begins to wonder if holding this wedding there was a good idea after all.
Weiner has been putting out a set of Cape Cod themed novels the last few years, with this one being the third, and while they are stand alone stories, it’s hard to not complete the series so to speak.
Plus, this whole summer wedding setting is irresistible for heartfelt drama and relatable laughs, a page turning package of entertainment that Weiner excels at. Much like the upcoming HBO Max remake of Father of the Bride, The Summer Place is a welcome sight to see this hectic heatwave season:
Definitely, my book shelves are overflowing with potential ports of printed delight and yes, I am thankful for that privilege.
While the fact that the real world is in a bit of a mess on numerous fronts at the moment, I am doing my best not to despair at the state of things right now.
Instead I chose to hold onto to the notion of radical hope, that folks will work to make our collective future one that we can all look forward to with a sense of joy and achievement.
With that in mind, my stress relief includes good books and positive pop culture events like the upcoming Tony Awards this weekend. I may not be able to attend the theater yet the clips that I’ve seen of Six, the musical about the wives of Henry VIII, has me rooting for those royal rock stars to win big.
Plus, my favorite number is Anna of Cleves with “Get Down” as she revels over her divorced status with unabashed delight, something that hopefully the cast and crew of Six share in that night:
While my TBR piles are getting tricky to manage (yes, I have more than one or two there), I can’t entirely resist the urge to buy something new to read, especially when the daily headlines are getting worse every day (more on that later).
Truly, I did think that I would just skip the Book of the Month club selections for May but my literary eye was caught by Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly, which combines romance with cooking competition shows so how could I pass that on by?
The show in question is called Chef’s Special and intended for amateur cooks like Dahlia, who is feeling unfocused in life after her divorce.
She finds a friendly rival in London, who has enough troubles of their own as the first openly non binary competitor on the culinary series dealing with rather tasteless online scrutiny.
Word of mouth about this novel has been excellent to say the least. A nicely told romance like this sounds ideal for a spring to summer bookish menu indeed:
I paired that up with Jennifer Close’s latest release, Marrying the Ketchups.
Set in Chicago, the story lines follow the Sullivan family as they deal with the recent loss of their patriarch Bud, who ran a restaurant in Oak Park.
While new widow Rose adjusts to her relocated life at an assisted living center, two of her grandchildren are reconsidering their situations as well. Gretchen is having serious doubts regarding her rock and roll career while her sister Jane harbors suspicions about her husband’s fidelity.
It’s their cousin Teddy, however, who is determined to keep the family diner going even though his ex-boyfriend constantly shows up there for the dinner hour on the regular (talk about pouring salt into a wound there!).
Dealing with change is the ultimate theme of the book and having read an earlier novel of Close’s(The Hopefuls) awhile back , I know that her delightful low key story telling is built upon well honed character development worth it’s weight in page turning gold:
Meanwhile, on my recent birthday, I decided to get a physical copy of an ebook by Christina Lauren (The Soulmate Equation) that I was reading and it only made sense to add another book by that author as a proper gift.
The Unhoneymooners has a classic romcom premise as Olive Torres finds herself on a dream vacation with the one man in the world she can’t stand to be around.
With her twin sister Amelia coming down with food poisoning, along with her new husband, their already paid for honeymoon in Hawaii will go to waste unless Olive goes in her stead. The only catch is that Ethan Thomas, her new brother in law, has to join her.
At first, Olive plans to have fun on her own but when she and Ethan run into a pair of acquaintances from back home, they have no choice but to pretend to be their newlywed siblings or lose out on their vacation accommodations.
Despite these ruses, Olive finds herself liking Ethan much more than she had bargained for. Is that feeling mutual or is this just a potential fling and nothing more?
I’ll probably save this one for summer reading but rest assured that Lauren’s engaging romcom energy enhanced by lively developed characters is definitely a year round enjoyment:
Before I go, I do have something to say about those troubling headlines, especially the recent attack on reproductive rights by the Supreme Court. Don’t worry, this isn’t going to be a huge rant, just an affirmation of what we should stand for.
Freedom is a term that gets bandied about a lot but not very well understood by many, particularly those who think that imposing their beliefs onto the rest of us is their sacrosanct right.
Freedom means not only making choices but allowing others to do the same without impediment.
What we’re seeing right now( and have been for far too long) is an entitlement mindset that wants everything convenient for themselves and no consequences whatsoever for any negative results of their actions.
Well, as a MTV show used to say, it’s time for people to stop being polite and start getting real. Putting up with this nonsense is not how bullies like this are stopped and if being loud is necessary, then let’s get loud.
We see this in the increasing prohibitive laws attacking voters, the LBTQIA community, immigration and book banning, which targets everyone overall. Whether you sign a petition, join in a protest or just tell that rude person in your social circle to knock it off with the hate speech, every bit counts.
These oppressors love to justify their actions by insisting that “This is what the Founding Fathers of our country wanted!” but they -perhaps intentionally-forget that those folks were out and out rebels against the established authority, the very one that caused them to leave their former country for a fresh start in the first place.
The important thing here is to take a stand for the future of our country to progress forward for all concerned and not fall back into an outdated oppression that benefits the few. Regardless of century, we shouldn’t hesitate to take our shot for a better world:
Over the past two years, a certain portion of my daily reading has gone into a sadly steady decline and while nonfiction was never my strong suit, I did try to keep some of it on my regular literary radar.
Given the state of things for the last couple of years in the real world, my interest in learning more about it seemed repellant to maintaining a hopeful attitude there. Sure, I did read a little bit of good nonfiction once in awhile but more often than not, I strove to avoid it as much as possible.
However, my appetite for nonfiction has been revived lately, due to a renewed pop culture interest in Julia Child(from a Food Network competition and a HBO Max series). Fortunately, this wasn’t the first time that Julia had caught my attention and I happen to still have a copy of her memoir , My Life in France, on the shelf.
The book tells the story of how she took an interest in French cooking in the first place as her husband Paul was stationed as a diplomatic cultural liaison over in France after WWII.
Their life and times in Paris and Marseille, the friends made along the way and Julia’s collaboration with Simone “Simcha” Beck and Louisette Bertholie that lead to the ground breaking Mastering the Art of French Cooking are charmingly detailed in Julia Child’s down to earth manner, a delicious feast of personal experience that needs to be well savored:
My Life in France was co-written by Paul Prud’homme(a grand nephew of Julia’s) and he wrote a solo book about the later years of his aunt”s culinary career.
The French Chef in America is well subtitled “Julia Child’s Second Act” as it covers the creation of her iconic TV show which made public television audiences hunger for more edible education programs.
I happily recall discovering this tasty tome in my local library back in 2019 and now adding it to my personal collection and current TBR, ironically enough, my own copy is a former library edition. Talk about meant to be here!
I also find it fitting that Food Network is airing The Julia Child Challenge (which has its finale this week) as their existence is due to the first foodie steps that Julia made, bringing people together to share in her love of good cooking and good company:
Least you think that I’m just rereading here, I did get another Julia Child themed book that is completely new to me.
Love Always, Julia is a collection of letters between Julia and Avis Devoto(edited by Joan Reardon), the latter being one of Julia’s best friends and a major player in getting that first cookbook published. Avis was married to Bernard Devoto, a journalist who wrote an article about culinary knives that Julia liked so much that she wrote him a letter of praise.
Since Avis handled her husband’s correspondence, she answered Julia herself and the two of them became great friends both in person and in personal print. Avis helped Julia get an initial offer from an American publisher for Mastering the Art(that one didn’t quite take) and later got her connected to Judith Jones, the editor that did bring the book ultimately to bookshelves everywhere.
In the HBO Max series Julia, Avis is also a major supporting character, played by the incomparable Bebe Neuwirth and it’s great to see such positive female friendships like this onscreen that reflect on real life.
Being supported in such bold endeavors by sisters in arms, so to speak, does lighten the load but Avis was more that just a gal pal and these letters do showcase her inner life as well, I believe :
My regular fiction reading is doing well but it is nice to expand my mental horizons again. Who knows, I might also reread Julie & Julia again, it’s been some time since I took it up.
After all, J&J is part of the reason that I started this blog in the first place, Julie Powell inspired me to learn more about the culinary arts and to write online, much like Julia Child inspired her to attempt that culinary challenge that lead to her writing career.
Granted, they never met in real life(which just as well since Julia didn’t care for Julie’s cooking blog) and yet they inspired others to appreciate the simple joys of the world for the better.
While they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I think that inspiration is the truest element of sincerity, passing your deepest passion on to those out there who may not know they need it. Being a muse is one of those callings that when answered, gives as much as it receives in the long run.
At any rate, I hope that my Julia journey leads to more enriching reading and for now, my page turning path is firmly in front of me. If you are similarly inspired as well, I wish you a bon appetit!:
April is one of my favorite months, mainly due to my birthday coming up soon, which makes me more eager to stack new books upon my already staggering TBR pile.
Nonetheless, new reads are hard to resist especially when you’re surrounded by such fresh imaginative stories hitting the shelves. With that in mind, I decided to splurge on Book of the Month club’s latest selections starting with Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel.
This debut novel is set in the realm of the classic epic poem Ramayana, where the title character is the third wife of a great king, determined to have her son take the throne when the time comes.
However, each of the three queens have sons and when one of them,Rama, proves to have divine powers, Kaikeyi tries to show him how to properly use his gifts(having taught herself mystical skills over the years). Since he is not her child, the decision to have Rama banished is seen as an act of villainy on her part but what if Kaikeyi’s motives were truly for the good?
This retelling sounds promising and this trend of focusing on underappreciated female characters from classic literature is fast becoming a must read of mine:
I paired that up with Taylor Reid Jenkins’ The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, which is now being officially adapted for Netflix as we speak.
The novel not only focuses on Evelyn, an aging film star with plenty of secrets and lies to share, but her interviewer Monique as well.
Monique wonders why this still legendary diva would choose her, a relatively unknown reporter, to spill her glamorous guts to and is curious about her subject’s motives here.
Regardless of why, the tales that Evelyn tells are just as intense as any of the movies that she starred but perhaps her true stories have a twist ending that not even the most savvy screenwriter would imagine.
Having loved Daisy Jones and the Six, this book seems like one of those “why haven’t I read this by now?” deals. Not to mention that old school Hollywood stories are very alluring , whether on screen or on the page for me:
Before I get to either of those books, there is an upcoming novel that I’m happy to report that my blog is on the online tour for.
As a fan of Natalie Jenner’s previous book, The Jane Austen Society, hearing that her next release is set in a London bookshop makes my biblio loving heart beat faster.
Bloomsbury Girls takes place in post WWII England where three women are taking positions at Bloomsbury Book, which was previously an all male run bookstore. Evie is a Cambridge graduate who takes up cataloging upon being denied the chance to be a research assistant at her alma mater.
Grace helps to support her family by working at Bloomsbury but comes to enjoy this new sense of freedom from her at home troubles. With the shop in danger of closing, can this trio of new friends save Bloomsbury Books from shutting its doors for good?
Jenner’s last book was such a gem that it’s a real treat to be part of this tour(my turn will be in May, more info to come!) and much thanks to Laurel Ann Nattress at Austenprose for extending me this most welcome invitation.
The premise of this book puts me in mind of 84, Charing Cross Road, that wonderful real life story of a New York City writer who made long distance friends with a lovely London bookshop and it’s endearing employees. If you haven’t read the book or seen the movie, do so at once! You won’t regret it , trust me:
I know, having too many books on hand is a luxurious problem to be sure yet it’s one that brings more joy that sorrow, a rare thing these days.
If you have the opportunity to escape for a little while into such great page turning delights, simply refuse to feel guilty about that and carry on with one of the best coping methods out there for emotional relief!
To wrap things up, I’d like to share a few brief thoughts about the new season of Bridgerton(which I will keep as spoiler free as possible).
Penelope Featherington is in my Top Five list of favorite characters and despite her flaws, she’s certainly more sympathetic than her best friend Eloise , who is very reckless and annoying at times. She is quite understandably frustrated by the expectations for women of the time period but taking that out on Penelope is not right at all.
Perhaps Eloise will be less self involved in the next couple of seasons but I’m firmly Team Pen all the way here.
Otherwise, while I thoroughly disliked Anthony during season one, I must admit that learning more of his backstory made me think the better of him this time around.
He and Kate do make a good pair and I personally can relate to their shared sense of responsibility as first born sibling there. I know some folks were less than thrilled with the pacing of this central story but I think that a good slow burn like this was refreshing after the fierce intensity of the first season.
All in all, Bridgerton was grand fun and the next two seasons should be well worth the wait, like any true love tale would be indeed:
