Like everyone else, my book buying budget does have its limits(especially these days) yet I still consider it a necessity to get new reads whenever I can.
To that end, I was happy to get a June box from Book of the Month Club and to finally get one of their Centennial editions-celebrating the 100th anniversary of BOTM-which was Catcher in the Rye, a book that I haven’t read in a long time and should be an interesting cultural experience to go through again.
In addition to These Summer Storms(which I mentioned last time), my third pick was The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee. The title character here is a samurai swordswoman for an intergalactic corporation whose final ties to the company have now been severed, leading her to follow her former employer into eternal retirement.
However, the current powers that be insist that she take on one last mission which, due to personal connections, she really can’t refuse. Also, this gives Isako a shot at revenge as her former apprentice, Matim, is behind the corporate scheme that set all of this into motion.
Fonda Lee is best known for her Green Bone Saga trilogy, which I’ve wanted to get into but haven’t been successful on that front. Since this novel is a standalone, my chances of clicking with her work might be better.
With strong yet sensitive leading ladies and creative world building that Lee’s books have been highly praised for, it would be totally remiss of me not to give this story a serious try:
This past weekend, I went to my local library and after returning three books(two of them I actually finished), I only borrowed two, one of which is a cozy fantasy and the other a more ferocious one.
Julie Leong’s The Keeper of Magical Things is definitely on the milder side as we are introduced to Certainty Bulrush, whose minor magical abilities are not enough to be considered fledged mage in the guild that accepted her but potent enough for a special assignment.
She must work along side Mage Aurelia, whose off putting manner makes her difficult to say the least, in transporting a set of slightly magical items for storage in the remote village of Shpelling. They are to set up a warehouse to properly sort out the objects from counter spelling each other as well as keep an eye on the little cat dragon that followed them and maintain as low a profile as possible.
After awhile, Certainty and Aurelia not only find a way towards a friendship, they also grow to believe that some of the packed away items might be more useful out in the regular world. Can they discover a path to truly make that happen or will they bring down more trouble on their heads?
Leong’s earlier novel, The Teller of Small Fortunes, is on my BOTM reading challenge list(that I hope to get to very soon!) and I was going to wait until I read that one first but with both books being standalone stories(set in the same universe)it didn’t make sense to wait that long. Besides, these novels sound like total delights and why should I deny myself the joys of such an enchanting world:
The other library loan is quite the massive volume but having read Joe Hill before, it ought to be relatively fast paced.
King Sorrow begins with college student Arthur who is being blackmailed into stealing rare books from the university library and the only solution that he and his friends can think of is to summon the title dragon demon to rid them of their enemies.
Trouble is, King Sorrow demands an annual tribute for his services and as the years go by, the price becomes more difficult to pay. Can Arthur and company rally again to end this ongoing nightmare or are their real problems just getting started?
I’ve heard nothing but elaborate praise from critics and readers alike about this book and even if I completely exhaust my renewal options here, there is no doubt in my mind that this will totally be worth it. Plus, given the state of things right now, conjuring up a dragon doesn’t sound that bad:
Speaking of libraries, I must say a few words about the recent passing of a favorite fictional librarian who helped a certain Slayer save the world a lot.
Anthony Stewart Head had many featured acting roles in his life and career, starting with a series of coffee commercials that inspired a novel to roles in fantasy shows like Merlin, comedies such as Ted Lasso and even a Jane Austen adaptation (2007’s Persuasion).
However, he is and will be best remembered as Watcher Rupert Giles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, who began as the hapless school librarian at Sunnydale High and then later an owner of the local magic shop( which as one character noted had the longevity potential of a Spinal Tap drummer).
His blend of extensive knowledge, sharp movements of sarcasm and fatherly love for his charges made him a key player in this often changing yet steadfast supernatural drama that more than one generation calls their emotional home.
During these past few days, I have seen numerous fans and contemporaries give him nothing but absolute praise for his generous nature on and off screen and so many people crediting Giles with the reason they become librarians and that’s quite the legacy indeed.
It is beyond sad to see good folks leave us for worlds unknown yet it can be comforting to discover the positive impact they left for us, no matter how small it might seem.
Anthony Stewart Head was a fine figure of a person who used his artistic talents to breathe life into what could’ve easily been a stock character and made him someone worth living up to, flaws and all. Plus, instilling a love of literary based knowledge in the bargain is a great bonus, even if it’s a bit smelly:
While I am taking a break from book buying this month, that doesn’t mean I can’t do a little borrowing from my local library to help me curb any new book cravings there!
My latest library visit lead to a nice trio of novels that should liven up my spring reading and I’m already in the midst of one of them here; Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet, a debut YA novel that reimagines the Louisa May Alcott classic.
Yes, Beth March has died at the beginning of this story set in our present day and even before her untimely demise was rather famous as a character in the book written by her father( entitled Little Women, of course) which strangely enough, had Beth dying as well.
Since the book became controversial due to their father openly basing it on the real lives of his four daughters , he left town for awhile yet might be a suspect although most folks are hard pressed to believe that gentle, shy Beth had any enemies.
Determined to find answers and not trusting the police, particularly a certain detective, Jo decides to seek the truth out herself.
While plenty of their friends and relatives do have something to hide(especially her younger sister Amy, who took Beth to a party that night and Meg, whose college career is more complicated than anyone in her family knows)the secrets and lies that are revealed could either lead to mending hearts or destroying many other lives in the process.
As a longtime fan of the Alcott original, I’ve wanted to dive into this book as soon as I heard about it . Based on what I have read so far, Berber clearly knows the source material by heart and has crafted an engaging narrative that mixes Little Women with a CW style teen drama and yes, that is intended to be a compliment!
The smart and savvy storytelling doesn’t hesitate to keep the strong emotional notes held by the characters in tune while arranging them into her own operatic composition. I am trying not to rush through the book as such a modern blend with old fashioned flavor deserves to be slowly sipped as any storyteller’s brew ought to be:
Meanwhile, during that last library visit, I came a new Jane Austen themed novel from Gil Hornby(who wrote the lovely Miss Austen, a recent BBC/PBS adaptation) that was another must have for me.
The Elopement has as it’s leading lady Mary Dorothea Knatchbull, who becomes the stepdaughter of Jane Austen’s niece Fanny Knight once her father marries into the family.
At first, Mary is less than thrilled about this new extension of her family line but as time goes on , she begins to make friends with some of her new cousins and even Aunt Cassandra, who has some helpful hints to share about life and love.
When Mary becomes of age, those hints prove to be more useful than she ever imagined and like many an Austen heroine, she must make a choice between listening to sensible advice or following the sensibilities of her heart.
As I did greatly enjoy the Miss Austen miniseries and wound up reading one of Hornby’s other Austen family books (Godmersham Park), this new look at classic romance felt like the perfect page turning party to attend this season:
Speaking of romance, my last pick was Say You‘ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez.
When Samantha meets Xavier, it’s not a magic moment at first due to his diagnosis of a wounded kitten at his veterinary clinic.
However, they do find some common ground (yes, the cat gets better) and after one wild time in an escape room, the possibility of love is definitely in the air.
Unfortunately, Samantha must move back home to help her mother out(she has Alzheimer’s disease) and forces herself to break things off with Xavier before they get too serious about each other.
That doesn’t deter Xavier from trying to make a long distance relationship work, down to sharing musical playlists and providing emotional support when needed. Can their love really hold up under such pressure or should they truly go their separate ways?
Jimenez knows how to create realistic romantic couples that you can’t help but root for despite their situation and this sounds like a bittersweet joy to behold here:
Well, my bookish needs certainly feel met for the moment but rest assured, I will be back in buying mode for summer reads all too soon.
To wrap this post up, I just wanted to share my thoughts about the new movie version of Wuthering Heights that I watched on HBO Max the other week.
Let me start off by saying that I am NOT a big fan of the original Emily Bronte novel-read it once and once was enough-more of a Jane Eyre person( and yes, I need to read more Charlotte Bronte).
However, that doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate a good film adaptation of WH such as the iconic 1939 movie with Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon and the 1992 rendition starring Ralph Finnes and Juliette Binoche. Those films made changes from the source material yet still managed to invoke the spirit of the original work successfully enough to inspire viewers and readers alike for generations.
This current movie has it’s fans, no doubt, yet this fever dream take on the doomed love story and the traumatic consequences of that relationship is more fever than dream and not in a good way.
Setting aside the casting controversy, many of the changes made by writer/director Emerald Fennell(whose original film Promising Young Woman, I did like) just seem to be nonsensical; the wallpaper meant to look exactly like Cathy’s skin, a reoccurring bit between Cathy and Heathcliff to hide eggs under the bedcovers as a gag, the costumes that would be over the top even at the Met Gala?
I don’t even want to get into how Heathcliff turns into some BookTok Shadow Daddy(I know his character is supposed to be disturbing but this was repulsive in more ways than one) or how Nelly Dean seemed to be most sympathetic character out of the bunch.
If this was meant to be some sort of satire or twisted homage to old school Hollywood adaptations of classic books, I could be onboard with that yet Fennell insists that was her teenage fantasy take on the novel, one that I hope no one uses as a source for a book report there!
It’s a shame that such an immature overblown version like this got a green light in the first place. Look, I’m all for adding a new creative touch to classic material but when I’m reading a great updated take like Beth Is Dead and then seeing what a hot mess this version of WH is, the disappointment is great indeed.
On the positive side, the original songs created by Charli xcx for the movie are awesome and could’ve been a better blueprint for what this Wuthering Heights could have been; a gothic chiller with haunting flair.
Perhaps this take on Emily Brontë ‘s work will inspire a more thoughtful and innovative film in the future. My best recommendation is to just stick with the soundtrack and watch an earlier WH movie or play this music along with your favorite adaptation instead-now, that’s imaginative meta mixing there!:
As my birthday comes closer, the urge to buy books grows stronger and since I fully intend to take a break from biblio purchases in May, getting an Aardvark book box definitely was a good choice right now.
For the main selection, I went with Love Galaxy by Sierra Branham,a debut science fiction novel that blends reality dating shows with interstellar drama.
As a trash collector on a remote planet, Artemis intends to do nothing more than help her ailing mother survive yet a chance encounter with visiting royalty gets her an invite to the ultimate love matchmaking event in the universe.
With Prince Nix finding her forthright ways appealing and his sister Spielan promising her more than enough money to save her mother and then some, Artemis signs up despite having a few doubts about what’s to come.
Those doubts were good to have as Artemis meets up with several unexpected challenges during the competition, including a murder. In addition to that, she also finds herself attracted to the princess all the while, talk of revolution swirls around them…
This just sounds like glorious galactic fun and I plan to read this during the summer for the Sci-Fi June readathon (more on that particular TBR to come!). It’s also the first in a new series, one that should be quite the rocket ship of romance indeed:
I paired that with a book that I have eyeing for some time here, Keith Rosson’s Coffin Moon.
Set in 1975, Duane is a Vietnam veteran who has enough trouble in his life before a vampire biker gang invades the bar run by his in-laws.
The leader of the gang, John Varley, makes a point of brutally killing Duane’s wife Heidi as well as her folks, leaving him with only his distraught niece Julia as the lone ally on a road trip of revenge.
The rough and ready vibes of this story have serious pulp fiction energy but I suspect there’s more to this terror tale than that. Nonetheless, this puts me in mind of Kathryn Bigelow’s sleeper classic , Near Dark, which showcased a more down to earth style of vampire and who knows, maybe this book will be a future popcorn thriller someday soon:
Meanwhile, I did have to make a library trip sooner than I intended (ran out of renewals on a book that thankfully I finished in time) and naturally, added on a couple of paperbacks to my library loan pile.
Interestingly enough, both books had TV themes- one having recently adapted to the small screen (yes, Heated Rivalry and looking forward to season two!) and the other being adapted from a sitcom classic.
Murder by Cheesecake is the first entry in Rachel Ekstrom Courage’s cozy mystery series featuring the iconic Golden Girls as sleuths.
We begin with Rose arranging a St. Olaf traditional wedding in Miami for her visiting cousin. Such an occasion has Dorothy seeking a date from a VHS dating service(something that Blanche has no need of!) and despite the caustic commentary from her mother Sophia, Dorothy thinks she’s found the right guy.
While Mr. Right turns out to be a dud of a date, Dorothy is determined to make the best of things, especially since Rose is anxious about the wedding. But when he is discovered to be dead, face first in a perfectly good cheesecake, it’s up to Dorothy and friends to solve the case before more than just the wedding goes off the rails!
As someone who’s seen numerous GG episodes over the years, this sounds like excellent escapist entertainment to dive into. The second book in this series, Death on the Lanei, is due out this summer and it’s great to get a chance to check this out first via my local library.
I do know this show well enough to hear the characters’ voices in my head, not to mention that there was at least one or two episodes where Dorothy revealed a talent for detective work that makes me regret that Bea Arthur didn’t have a Murder She Wrote type of show of her own back in the day. Well, these books may give us a great idea of what that could’ve been like:
Speaking of libraries, next week is National Library Week starting April 19 and ending on the 25th(my birthday, btw) and now more than ever, it’s a good time to appreciate all that those literary institutions do for us.
In addition to providing people of all ages with plenty to read, other benefits such as computer access, research opportunities for students and outreach for each particular community’s needs are available at your local library.
Sadly as funds are being cut by cold hearted politicians and censorship threats are becoming all too real, this oasis of intellectual freedom is one of the many targets under fire these days.
Fortunately, we still hold true to certain establishments that provide true and lasting benefits to our society and the library is the steadfast standard bearer in that battle for preserving the best in our collective selves.
I know that there is so much going on just about every day now but do try and spare a moment to look in on your nearest library to see what they have to offer. You might be pleasantly surprised there:
The weekend before last, I made an unexpected trip to my local library; my sister suggested it as a good plan for the two of us and since I was feeling a little restless myself, it seemed like a good idea.
Turns out that was a much needed outing for me there(the reasons which I’ll get to in a moment) in more ways than one but first, let’s look at the books I borrowed that day:
First up was Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library by Amanda Chapman, set in modern day New York yet possessed of very Golden Age detective vibes.
Our leading lady is Tory Van Dyne, the curator of the title location in Greenwich Village, who spends her days caretaking the literary establishment set up by her late grandmother and is pleased to have such a quiet, uneventful life.
One evening as she’s closing up, a peculiar elderly lady has made herself comfortable in the building’s replica of Agatha Christie’s home library. This mystery guest is rather knowledgeable about the place and as she claims to be Mrs. Christie incarnate, it’s somewhat logical.
While Tory is convinced that her newfound friend is simply delusional, finding the right way to make her leave becomes rather awkward as she claims that her arrival from the great beyond is to help Tory solve a murder.
Just as Tory is about to send this charmingly determined woman packing, the doorbell rings and a series of events unfolds that does bring a murder mystery into Tory’s life, with her guardian angel of a writer popping in and out most conveniently to aid in the case. Is Tory being visited by the true Queen of Crime and if so, can such classic detective skills save the present day danger?
I am currently reading this novel right now and it’s one of those books that you have to make yourself put down in order to get your regular daily business tended to. Chapman has quite the flair for engaging characters and whimsical, screwball comedy mixed with true tension.
This is meant to be the first in a new cozy mystery series and I certainly hope it won’t be too long before this version of Mrs. Christie visits us:
My next find was R.F. Kuang’s Katabasis, which is about a literal journey into hell.
When grad student Alice realizes that the untimely demise of her mentor Professor Grimes will severely affect the status of her academic career, she undertakes a road trip through the netherworld to bring him back.
Forming a reluctant partnership with her rival Peter, Alice finds that many of the texts she’s studied regarding this realm are both more accurate than expected and yet not at all what they were said to be. Is this proverbial highway to hell worth the risk or are Alice and Peter just getting a jumpstart on their eventual damnation?
From I’ve heard about this novel, it should be quite the wild ride and some page turning perdition ought to be interesting indeed:
My last pick of that day was A Drop of Corruption , the follow up to Robert Jackson Bennett’s The Tainted Cup which introduces us to a fantasy world take on Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
Here, our amazing detective is Ana Dolabra, whose senses are so keen, she has to wear a blindfold in order not to get too overwhelmed by every day activity. Her assistant Dinios Kol is rather capable in her investigations but not without a few surprising tricks up his sleeves as well.
As their recent assignment changes from a disappearance to a murder and then into a plot to take down the very empire that rules over them all. Ana and Din find themselves up against a nemesis that might be their own personal Moriarty , a challenge that could prove to be beyond their own formidable abilities to defeat.
Having found the first book in this series at the library, it is fitting that I was able to find the second entry there as well. While I’m not a major fan of Holmes & Watson, my familiarity with these particular pop culture templates makes this blend of mystery and fantasy very alluring, especially with a big league villain in play:
This spur of the moment library trip was a great success, as it kept me from brooding about a sad piece of news that I had heard that morning.
The recent passing of actor Nicholas Brendon, best known as one of the key cast members of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, was quite sorrowful to many of us in the fandom as it also followed the demise of another major cast member , Michelle Trachtenburg, last year.
In addition, the abrupt cancellation of the reboot of the Buffy series with Sarah Michelle Geller reprising her role as a mentor to a new generation of slayers was a bit of insult to injury there.
I know that most folks will be rolling their eyes and be quick to point out that there are far more important things going on these days to even be expending any emotional energy on this but you know what? There’s nothing wrong in mourning such losses.
As a fan of the original show(as well as it’s spinoff Angel), this wasn’t just about wallowing into nostalgia for some escape from reality; Buffy gave a lot of us a true sense of community back in those early internet days and many friendships were forged both online and off due to our shared love of supernatural metaphors and high school angst. A couple of friends that I made through this fandom are sadly no longer with us as well and they would be just as heartbroken about these recent events.
It’s a series that never got the respect it deserved for taking creative chances and even heading down some dark places as the characters matured. Sure, it didn’t always hit the mark in certain seasons and the behind the scenes horrors that happened to many of the actors, such as Charisma Carpenter ,took too long to come to light.
However, despite all of that, Buffy was a meaningful part of our lives and while it would have been great to have many of the bad things reversed, there is still some good remaining that is still helping old fans and new get through these tough times.
Going to the library in this case was very appropriate as Buffy’s Watcher Giles briefly made being a school librarian be seen as incredibly cool(probably inspired a few people to enter that profession, I dare say).
Regardless, both BTVS and the library do have one thing in common; they give us something to sing about during our darkest times. As a wise woman once said, the hardest thing in this world is to live in it.
That burden is lessened by good books and great art, which can give us a showstopper of heartfelt hope when we least expect it and truly need it all at once:
While Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us, my big plans for this year’s celebration are all about reading.
Specifically, diving into my most recent library haul that included a nice surprise at my local Little Free Library (more on that in a moment). During this incredibly arctic winter, books have become more of a warm comfort than ever before, plus my best romances in life have always been page turners!
The excitement that I felt last week when finding Kelly Bishop’s delightful memoir The Third Gilmore Girl on the shelf was truly passionate in a pop culture sense there.
Being a fan of the now iconic TV series (which celebrated its twenty fifth anniversary last year), Emily Gilmore as critical mother and loving grandmother to Lorelai and Rory was a key component to the success of the show and one of my favorites.
Bishop, who had a thriving career on stage and screen beforehand, gives her personal take on the GG experience as well as her own life and times. While I am interested in seeing how she got along with co-stars such as Lauren Graham and the late great Edward Herrmann, learning more about this grand lady herself should be an adventure worth exploring indeed:
Another pulse pounding moment for me that day was finding a copy of Long Bright River by Liz Moore as well.
This Philadelphia set story follows a pair of sisters, one a police officer, the other an addict on the streets. Mickey hates running into her sister Kacey while patrolling but can’t stop looking out for her.
When Kacey goes missing for longer than usual, it is up to Mickey to try and find her, only to be caught up in a gruesome string of local murders that may or may not be connected to her sister’s situation.
While I haven’t seen the limited series adaptation of the book, I did get a brief start in Moore’s big bestseller The God of the Woods and wound up putting it on pause. I’m hoping that LBR might revive my interest in TGOTW before that book gets an adaptation onscreen:
Before I mention the last library book of this bunch, I do want to talk about the LFL find that I had there.
As I dropped off a Maeve Binchy title (Chestnut Street, which is fine but not a must have for me), my sheer amazement in seeing Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop tucked in there was palatable to say the least. This translated novel by Hwang Bo-Reum was all the literary rage a couple of years ago but I just never got a chance to read it for myself until now, that is!
This charming tale of Yeongju, who flees the corporate world to open up the small bookstore of the title, and the friends she makes along the way was well appreciated during it’s initial release yet with the way things are going these days, I have a feeling that the gentle sentiments of this story are more needed right now.
Plus, it sounds like the kind of low key engaging drama that folks would enjoy tuning into, with it’s takes on life, love and literature as a welcome relief from the hectic pace of reality in all forms:
Back to my haul, the last book that I added to the pile was the final entry in Nora Roberts’ Lost Bride trilogy, The Seven Rings.
Yes, I now have all three volumes on loan and this set combines two of my personal reading challenges for the year(finishing my library reads/Return to Roberts).
However , that’s not the only reason for choosing this particular trilogy here; some of it has to do with the upcoming release of the new Wuthering Heights movie. I know that as of this writing, there’s a big debate over the merits of this film for better or worse (especially the latter) and I have two things to say on this subject:
1) I am not a big Brontë fan (read Jane Eyre several times as a kid and liked it) but do like some Gothic flair from time to time in my stories. The Lost Bride trilogy has a haunted mansion with ghost brides and a new owner dealing with the ancient curse that set this whole thing off and that is really more my jam at the moment.
2) I read WH once as an adult and honestly, found it rather dreary. Yes, it’s a classic worth reading but Cathy and Heathcliff are just too miserable both together and apart for me to want to revisit them either on or off the page.
I have seen a couple of film versions of the book before (did like the one with Ralph Finnes and Juliette Binoche)so I suspect that I’m not missing out on much with what sounds like a very overheated and overdone production at best.
If you’re looking forward to this new Wuthering Heights for your holiday weekend entertainment, I wish you well. Hope you find the fun that you seek from it and plenty of popcorn on hand. As for me, my library finds are the best Valentine and the best version of WH is the Kate Bush song:
With the growing chaos in our world right now, it’s all too easy to feel completely out of control of things right now.
However, giving yourself an emotional breathing space is important and for me, setting up some reading goals for myself is a good way to do just that.
One of those goals is to continue doing my morning reading duets(read a pair of books that have a direct connection on and off a little bit each day). While I do plan to reread David Copperfield along side Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead, I think that I will start off with a reread of The Wizard of Oz with Wicked, since I finally got to watch the movie over the holidays!
Granted, I only saw part one(hopefully it won’t take me as long to see Wicked:For Good) but still, going down both of these versions of the Yellow Brick Road seems to be the best way to begin here:
Another bookish thing that I want to do is Return to Roberts-that I know that I like Nora Roberts’ work, I have fallen behind in reading her books.
Part of my plan to get back onboard is by reading the first two entries in her Lost Bride trilogy, Inheritance and The Mirror , which I picked up during my last library haul of 2025.
The first book has Sonya MacTavish discovering that her father had a twin brother that he didn’t know existed, that newly found uncle has died and left her a rather mysterious mansion in the bargain.
The house, as warned by estate attorney Trey, appears to be haunted by several spirits, many of whom were meant to be brides of the family in question. One of those brides was Astrid Poole, who was murdered on her wedding night and vowed to stay with her husband Collin despite the “death do they part” clause in their wedding contract.
Sonya becomes more convinced each day that the ghost stories are true and in the second installment, finds the title object that reveals what happened to Astrid all those years ago. Can this magical insight break the curse upon the family or will it draw Sonya in too far to escape its centuries old clutches?
I am still new to Nora, so finding my favored footing with her books is tricky. The Gothic vibes of this trilogy do sound eerily enticing and perhaps engaging enough for me to seek out book three(The Seven Rings) as well as more riveting Roberts fare:
Speaking of library loans, a major resolution that I have this year is to finish all of my library books.
Hate to admit but sometimes, I borrow books that I either don’t finish reading or don’t get to at all.
I do make sure to return them on time (occasionally stretching the renewal limits) but it is frustrating when I have new authors and stories that I want to try and for one reason or another, just don’t get beyond the first chapters or open up altogether.
Well, I am already making amends in that front by tackling Renee Rosen’s Let’s Call Her Barbie, a novel about the folks who brought the iconic doll to life and how that affected their lives. It’s a solid read that I should be able to finish in reasonable time.
Right after that, my next library read will be Voyage of the Damned by Frances White. Set in the kingdom of Concordia, a special boating trip for the heirs of the Twelve Provinces that make up the realm is being taken as a celebration of a thousand years of peace among them.
When one of the heirs dies under suspicious circumstances, it falls to the least likely of them to find the killer. Ganymede Piscaro is the only heir to not possess a magical ability( called a Blessing) which lead him to develop a snarky sense of humor.
That sharp wit is no protection from the menace onboard that is targeting the royal heirs one by one, which Ganymede realizes that the only way to not be next is to outsmart their mutual enemy. Can he trust any one of his fellow passengers or will those Blessings be counted sooner than he thinks?
This does sound fun and since this book is being touted as Agatha Christie style mystery with fantasy flair, I am ready to dive in:
I have a couple of other reading projects in the works (really to catch up with last year’s books!) but this basic three point plan ought to get my bookish motor running there.
While I know that focusing on fiction might seem trivial right now, it’s interesting at how relevant certain works turn out to be.
Last night, I watched the season six premiere of All Creatures Great and Small, which was set in 1945 England. By the end of the episode, WWII had been declared over(known as VE Day, I believe) and even in that small village, joy and relief were abounding.
Two of the characters, the Farnon brothers, were standing in the town square, watching the local celebration and remembering the past. One brother remarked how he had stood in that same spot with a friend when the war had started and that friend had told him that “we should be grateful for what we do have.”
The other nodded in agreement and said “Yes but we have to fight for it. It’s not enough to be grateful, we had to fight.”
Strangely resilient, that bit of dialogue, to what we’ve been going through at the moment. Being grateful for what we have is a strong motivation to fight for our freedom and whether or not those lines come from the original source material, such a sentiment still rings true even tucked into a literary adaptation.
Anyway, I do also want to shop more from Better World Books and one of my recent finds there is the first book in a Jane Austen themed mystery series.
Murder in Highbury by Vanessa Kelly has it’s lead detective in the form of Emma Knightley (formerly Woodhouse) being stunned to find the obnoxious wife of Mr. Elton deceased in her husband’s church and while asked not to interfere with the investigation, feels duty bound when one of the least likely residents of Highbury is targeted as a possible suspect!
The book is a charming tale so far and while Emma is not a favorite Austen heroine of mine, her talents for uncovering social secrets is rather fitting with her original literary incarnation. Having Emma as a Regency Nancy Drew is delightfully fine reading that I resolve to enjoy more often:
I know that October is supposed to be all about scary books(enjoying my current readathon read as we speak) for Halloween but my grown-up version of trick or treat this month includes getting my Book Boss prize from Book of the Month Club(it’s a book sleeve, my very first one!) and a couple of books with blue tinged covers to match.
For my main selection, The Second Chance Cinema by Thea Weiss , her debut novel,seemed like the perfect ticket.
Engaged couple Ellie and Drake feel as if their new life together is getting off to a great start yet that notion is challenged by an unusual film festival. Upon discovering the movie theater of the title, they are given 10 passes to a ten part film series called The Story of You, which is literally about their past memories.
Drake is rather freaked out by this but Ellie is not as much ,despite having a tragic time in her past that she hasn’t yet shared with him. Can they face their mutual fears in this unique movie viewing experience and be willing to step into the sequel of the rest of their lives together? Or is this cinematic adventure a one and done deal?
I do love a story with a movie themed plot and this story does sound charmingly refreshing. Plus, debut novels do have that inviting flavor of buttery newness like a fresh bucket of popcorn at a weekend matinee so this was a hard to resist choice for me:
For my add on , I went with Hayley Gelfuso’s The Book of Lost Hours that has more that one point in time for it’s characters to explore.
We start with Lisavet, who has been living in a special time space library since 1938 , making it her duty to protect the books that store precious memories of those departed within them from those seeking to rewrite history.
When an American agent named Ernest enters the library in 1949, at first Lisavet is curious about the world she had to leave behind. Yet, once she learns the true nature of his mission, hard choices that could change more than just the time line must be made.
Ernest’s quest is then followed up by his niece Amelia in 1965, with the assistance of a CIA operative with mysterious motives. While Amelia has an innate ability to travel between worlds, her special skills can’t fully prepare for what’s to come.
This novel is also a debut and a Good Morning America book pick to boot. Word of mouth has been good for this heartfelt tale of time , love and what our connections to the world are through each of those doors:
As it turns out, one of my recent library loans also has a blue hued cover and a story line with magical elements as well. Blue is not usually my go-to on the color wheel (that would be purple) but something about that shade is drawing me to certain books right now.
One of the big differences here is that my library book is not a debut; The Glass Maker is Tracy Chevalier’s eleventh novel and while it begins in the fifteenth century, it’s leading lady thrives all the way into our present day world.
Orsola grew up in a family of glass makers from the island village of Milano near Venice, Italy, wanting nothing than to be one of the best in that practical art. Such a dream was not encouraged for a woman in those days yet she still persisted in achieving it.
Through leaps in time, we see Orsola guide her family through the struggles of historical events such as world wars, technological innovations and plagues , all the while pursuing the wonders of glassworks even when such creativity is not as valued as it once was.
Chevalier is quite the literary maestra when it comes to historical fiction and thus touch of magical realism into this well crafted book seems to give it that extra special sparkle that many a glass blown creation encases in abundance:
So, in a weird way I’m feeling a bit blue about my new reads but in this case, that is not a bad thing. With all of the chaos swirling around us these days, finding a safe harbor in some good books is a great place to start clearing our hearts and minds of the distracting clutter out there.
Plus, sometimes, it’s fun to be “blue”, particularly when books are the reason for keeping a good thought or song in your head:
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:
I know that the term “beach read” has its positive and negative meanings but in this case, my definition of this well worn phrase simply refers to relaxing books during the heat of summer.
Speaking of heat, it was a thrill to discover that Book of the Month Club chose S.A. Cosby’s latest thriller King of Ashes as a main selection for June! Having skipped May, this was a great surprise for my summer reading pile.
We are introduced to Roman, the eldest son who goes home to his family upon learning that his father was in a serious car accident that landed him in a coma. Once there, he quickly discovers that this wasn’t an accident, due to his younger brother Dante owing a huge debt to some local bad guys.
As it turns out, money isn’t enough to keep his family out of trouble so Roman decides to offer his talents at making financial fortunes for others to the underworld figures after Dante.
Motivated by not only protecting his brother but his sister Neveah(who is looking into another family mystery)as well , Roman is a lot tough than his new clients realize and that’s to their disadvantage, not his!
I throughly enjoyed Cosby’s Razorblade Tears and have no doubt that this novel will be an awesome page turning ride to take. His last book, All the Sinners Bleed, is being made into a movie as we speak and surely someone will turn this one into the epic cinematic drama that it deserves to be:
Fortunately, I was able to pair KOA with the follow-up to A Fate Inked in Blood, Danielle L. Jensen’s A Curse Carved in Bone.
Reluctant shield maiden Freya must deal with not only the betrayal by Bjorn(the son of the ambitious king she was forced to marry) but the prophecy that shoves her towards a blood soaked destiny.
Forming an unlikely alliance in order to find the seer who marked her for divine power, Freya is determined to make her own path yet knows that brutal measures may have to be taken. Plus, her heart still yearns for Bjorn but should she love or trust him at all?
This is the second half of a duology so while I am glad to get the full action packed story , I hope this isn’t the last we see of Freya. Jensen knows how to pump up the volume on the romance as well as the adventure elements of her work , making her leading lady a warrior queen worth watching out for:
After those books arrived (along with an Ali Hazelwood that I haven’t gotten to yet), I struck gold at the library by finding a book that I have been wanting to read for some time now.
The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson follows two young women in the 1950s , starting with Ruby, who has her heart set on becoming a doctor. Upon being kicked out of her mother’s house, she stays with her Aunt Marie while pursuing an opportunity to get a college scholarship.
However, an unexpected romance with Shimmy, the son of her aunt’s landlord puts a few obstacles in that career path for Ruby with society‘s bigoted views on interracial relationships for one. An unplanned pregnancy is another that leads to some terrible times for her.
Our other heroine is Eleanor, already enrolled at Howard University and studying to be an archivist at the school’s library. When she falls in love with William , a handsome medical student, her future feels bright indeed.
His family has other ideas about who William should be with, especially since the difference in social class and race between Eleanor and William is strongly noticeable. Nevertheless, she is determined to make her life with him but at what emotional cost?
This novel was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick, which put it on my radar but the solid word of mouth praise this book has received from readers is what makes me want to dive into this swirl of storytelling voices that creates an impression of what the world is like for women of color in America both then and now:
I was really in the mood for historical fiction that day because the next book that caught my eye on the library shelf was Diva by Daisy Goodwin, a look at the love life of famed singer Maria Callas.
She was at the height of her career when introduced to millionaire Aristotle Onassis, finding a kinship with him due to their mutual background of childhood struggles.
Their romance lasted several years only to be eclipsed by Aristotle leaving her for Jacqueline Kennedy, no stranger to tragic moments herself. The affect that this betrayal had on Maria was a harsh blow even for someone whose fame came from songs of sorrow and despair.
I don’t know much about Callas beyond the basics but Goodwin has a knack for showing the inner emotional workings of her characters, both truly fictional and based on historical figures as well. This certainly could be a great introduction to Callas’ legacy; we shall see:
This isn’t the only summer reading on my plate as another book box is on the way(yes, I ordered from Aardvark again, despite wanting to take a book break! I am weak on this front for sure) and my SciFi Summer readathon is off to a good start(should’ve read Nnedi Okorafor much sooner, her writing is so damn good!).
I’m also making good time with my current library read (The Sentence by Louise Erdrich) but trying not to rush through it just to start one of my newer library loan(is it just me or has anyone else done this?).
Also needing some relief from the ever increasing awful news headlines out there yet staying informed enough to keep an eye out on the state of things. *sigh* I long for the day when such hideous behavior isn’t a daily event but hopefully that day will come sooner than expected.
In the meantime, I will do my best to maintain my spirits and share some good word about great books for others to enjoy. Summer entertainment is meant to give us all a mental vacation and whether it’s the big screen or the small, drama is definitely more bearable when it’s in fictional form:
While we are still at the start of May, I do have some last month book business to finish up, beginning with what remains of my birthday book haul.
Thanks to Book of the Month Club, I was able to gift myself the Legendborn trilogy by Tracy Deonn( book one was my free BOTM birthday bonus!).
Bree Matthews is still recovering from the death of her mother when at her new school for gifted students, she witnesses a supernatural attack on campus, followed by a “Merlin” mage attempting to wipe that memory from her mind.
As it turns out, Bree has magical powers of her own unleashed by this encounter and to learn more about these new skills (and how this connects to her mother’s demise), she joins up with the title group but not without keeping a cautious eye open.
Along with a former Legendborn named Nick, she discovers that this secret society has ancestors from King Arthur’s court and that a major otherworldly threat is preparing to do battle in a fight that could endanger the world. Should Bree go to war with this looming menace or take on the group that has plenty of dangerous secrets of their own?
I have heard so many great things about this series and plan to dive into Legendborn(along with Bloodmarked and Oathbound) as soon as summer arrives. A magical realm with a strong young woman lead and a twist on Arthurian lore? Yes, please, indeed!:
I did get a non book club read as one of my birthday presents; Hannah Nicole Maehrer’s Assistant to the Villain.
Evie Sage never expected to be working for one of the most notorious bad guys in the realm but in order to take care of her sickly relatives, this dubious opportunity was too good to pass up.
Bad enough that she finds her evil doing boss to be rather attractive, Evie soon realizes that perhaps there’s something much more dangerous than this particular criminal empire she’s employed by that wants to set them all up in a scheme to overthrow the status quo.
Can Evie warn her nefarious boss in time or should she really do that? Then again, a great job like this is tough to find…
This is the first in a trilogy and hopefully, I will get the other entries in the near future. I do find hench women to be engaging characters and this does sound like a real pop culture ride to enjoy:
A few days later my birthday, I made a library visit and was able to find exactly what I wanted on the shelves.
Due to a recent BookTuber video, I decided to pick up Louise Erdrich’s The Sentence , which is set at a bookstore much like the one the author owns.
Tookie, a new hire, is having enough trouble as it is restarting her life without the presence of a new ghost haunting the book shop. The spirit in question, Flora, died while browsing and persists in believing that Tookie is her best friend, despite their only connection being customer and seller.
As Tookie does her best to figure out what will help Flora move on to the next world, real life events crop up that change many lives outside of the bookshop. Yet, that bookish hub still has the power to assist both the living and the dead to deal with what’s to come.
It’s been awhile such I’ve read Erdrich and as a former indie bookseller myself, this novel feels like the perfect way to reconnect with her work:
I also picked up a short story collection, Out There Screaming, edited by filmmaker Jordan Peele.
This anthology has a number of horror stories written by such writers as Tannarive Due, Nnedi Okorafor and Rebecca Roanhorse that cover such things as a cop who keeps seeing literal eyes everywhere upon him, a young couple traveling down South only to have their bus strand them in a dangerous place after dark and a young woman seeking revenge against the unholy creature that killed her parents.
I don’t read short stories often but this book offers me a chance to check out a good number of authors that I have heard plenty about but haven’t gotten to yet all at once.
Not to mention that Jordan Peele has become one of the new vanguards of this genre and his recommendations for solid storytelling would be foolish to ignore:
So, old book business done for now. Despite taking a book buying break, I did weaken and ordered a new Aardvark box(just two titles this time!). In my defense, once I showcase these books here, you may understand why I couldn’t resist.
Even so, taking up positive energy in an increasingly negative world is challenging but necessary to counteract the imbalance out there. Books can bring us together, which is why fighting to persevere public libraries is important and spreading the good word about books can be a healthy emotional need for us all.
Plus, it’s spring and enjoying yourself every now and then is part of that season of that, so keep a good book in hand and a song in your heart:
