Finally, I am able to showcase my holiday book loot(or in this case, after holiday)in full. Lots of great book buying bargains tend to crop up between Christmas and New Year’s and I was fortunate enough to get a half off discount for a book that’s been getting great reviews along with wonderful word of mouth praise.
Jessica Knoll’s Bright Young Women follows several women who are sadly connected by a serial killer’s attack upon a college dormitory in the late 1970s. One of them in particular, Pamela, was an eyewitness that survived and is determined to see this man behind bars.
The tact taken with this novel is to solely focus on the women affected by the violence and to not even say the killer’s name (it’s suggested to be based on Ted Bundy).
I was a true crime reader way back in the day, with only books and made for TV movies to rely on instead of the podcasts, documentaries and websites readily available today. This book reminds me of those times and it’s good to see some of the old school techniques blended into the new:
Since I decided to skip the January selections at Book of the Month Club, I went shopping at Better World Books and along with My Roommate’s a Vampire, my main purchase was All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby.
Sheriff Titus Crown is new to Charon County in more ways than one and a deadly school shooting on his watch only adds to the mounting pressure placed on him here.
The shooting in question was committed by a former student targeting a teacher and the student’s demise at the hands of the police urges most everyone to have Titus wrap up this case quickly and quietly. However, his investigation reveals a number of hidden secrets that promise to be messy to bring to light.
Last year, I read Cosby‘s Razorblade Tears and that book seriously slapped, hard enough to leave a memorable mark on my brain. While the tone of this book might be slightly different from that prior work, no doubt about the same intensely engaging quality still being there:
Just when I thought I was done with newer books, one of my library loans was due back in and I couldn’t resist getting a couple of more reads.
Along with J. Ryan Stradal’s Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club, I borrowed Homecoming by Kate Morton, which was a contender in the Mystery category in the recent Goodreads Choice Awards.
This blend of historical fiction with mystery is set in Australia as Jess , a journalist who has come to the aid of her injured grandmother ,discovers a trove of information regarding a tragic event in her family’s past.
Seeing as this long ago happening still haunts her grandmother to the point where she’s risking her physical safety, Jess vows to find the truth about what did occur back in 1959 and what can still be done about it. Will that knowledge bring real comfort or open barely healed wounds for all concerned, though?
I heard plenty of people talk how great this book is during the Goodreads Choice discussion and it’s been awhile since I dove into one of Morton’s well developed tales of the past forming the choices of those in the present.
Plus. a good chunky novel like this seems perfect for settling down with under warm blankets as we are truly getting some real winter weather this season:
I seem to have caught the mystery/thriller bug this early in the year but I might save at least two of these books for a future readathon this spring.
Cold weather does feel ideal for mystery reading and viewing; something about the outer chills matching the inner ones from such materials, I suppose. As much as I am thrilled with the True Detective: Night Country premiere (first time ever watching this series and it’s already a must-see!), it would be nice to be able to check the new Agatha Christie adaptation as well.
Then again, patience is a virtue that readers know all too well and is usually well rewarded so perhaps time is not that flat a circle as some might think:
Already halfway through to the middle of the first month of this new year and I’m all signed up for my first readathon of 2024!
Seasons of Reading (hosted by the excellent Michelle Miller) will be holding its annual Winter’s Respite readathon this upcoming February which lasts the whole month long. You can read what you want, no theme necessary but I chose to do a themed TBR here.
My general idea for this challenge is “cosy magic”, a genre that’s getting more popular these days.
Not trying to bandwagon my book reading yet it does sound so appealing right about now that it is hard to resist.
Since the supernatural fits into this category (for me, anyway), my first selection is My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine.
Cassie is an artist living in Chicago who just lost the lease on her apartment and spots an almost too good to be true online ad for a new place. One if the catches is that this is a roommate situation, with the current resident keeping nighttime hours.
Despite her doubts, Cassie takes the deal and most of her communications with the mysterious Frederick J. Fitzwilliam are by thoughtful notes left for her, which is weirdly charming. However, one day she discovers bags of blood in the fridge and confronts him only to learn that yes, he’s a vampire and no, his intentions are not devious.
As it turns out, Frederick has awoken from a hundred years sleep and is really looking for a mortal friend to help ease him into modern society. Cassie decides to help him out but is their relationship going to be truly friendly or potentially something a bit more romantic?
I picked this book up as part of my after holiday shopping and it arrived in the nick of time for this readathon TBR lineup. Vampire stories are usually a favorite of mine and this light hearted approach to the genre should be quite entertaining:
For my next pick, I went with Kate Robb’s This Spells Love, which was a BOMC selection from last year (how odd it is to say “last year “ regarding a few months ago!).
Our leading lady is Gemma, who decides to get over a bad breakup by performing a spell with her giddy Aunt Livi that goes seriously awry. Due to spell casting under the influence of alcohol, Gemma wakes up to a whole new life that doesn’t include her best friend Dax(who she kissed as part of the enchantment).
While kissing Dax again could break the spell, it’s not as easy as it sounds since Dax has no idea who she is or once was to him. Along with getting reacquainted with him, Gemma finds better opportunities in this alternate universe than in her previous life and starts to wonder if this present reality is worth trading in after all.
With Valentines Day coming soon (according to all of the candy displays set up everywhere right now), this seems to be an ideal read indeed:
Speaking of ideal, Bookshops & Bonedust, the prequel to Travis Baldree’s Legends & Lattes, was destined to be on my reading list.
Apparently, the author intended to write a sequel that had a Murder She Wrote vibe to it originally but it just wasn’t working. Eventually, he chose to add a bookish take to the backstory of Viv, a warrior woman that ends up running a coffeehouse after her fighting days are done.
Just goes to show you that creativity is not a straight nor narrow path there and sometimes that is truly for the best:
Happy reading to all who sign up for this(or any other) readathon and there is a link above to check Winter’s Respite out if you’re interested.
February is a good time to catch up on your reading since the weather is usually pretty rough around that time and it looks as if we might be getting some real snow falling soon. A good steady flow of snow is perfect for cozy winter reading, if you ask me:
Now that the holiday season is mostly over for now, we can get back to the regular business of books. However, it’s still soon enough to chat about our holiday book hauls!
This year, I let my Book of the Month selections be given to me as family Christmas gifts (easier shopping that way) and I’ve already started one them, Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs. This debut novel focuses on two sisters, Joanna and Esther, who deal with the family legacy of caretaking magical books in different ways.
Esther moves from place to place, never staying longer than a year due to her father’s warning that those who destroyed her mother will be able to find her if she lingers too long somewhere. With her father being recently deceased, Esther decides to ignore that order but it turns out that maybe her dad was right all along…
Meanwhile, her half sister Joanna is stuck at home, tending the library alone and trying to unlock the secrets of the book that killed their father. If only Esther would come back to help her out…
So far, this book is an engaging slow yet steady burn that I know will be better to take my time with than to hurry up to get to the end. Magic books in any form are literary catnip to me:
Next, Nita Prose’s The Mystery Guest promises to be an unexpected delight. This follow-up to The Maid has the quirky Molly the Maid still working at the Grand Regency Hotel only now as head housekeeper.
When a famous mystery writer literally drops dead at a press conference in the hotel ballroom, Molly is considered a prime suspect due to serving him the last cup of tea that he would ever drink.
While she’s innocent of his murder, the victim is no stranger to Molly as she and her late grandmother used to be his house cleaner in the past. Can her insider knowledge help her find the real killer here?
While I thought the first book was good enough on it’s own to not need a sequel, this new story looks to be as smartly entertaining as an episode of Molly’s favorite mystery TV show, Columbo, which I have grown to love as well:
For something completely different, my last choice was Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher.
Art is a royal descendant of King Arthur’s son Mordred who is meant to marry Gwen, a reigning princess of Camelot. Neither of them like each other on first sight but the marriage is still to take place so they have to figure out some way of getting along.
It turns out that they do share one thing in common and that mutual secret helps them become allies who cover each other’s backs in that regard. With both of them falling in love with other people, can this friendly arrangement lead them to a true happy ever after one way or another?
YA historical romance is not something that I read often yet this story sounded like a welcome change of pace there. Nice to see certain genre tropes get shaken up a little in the best sense:
Lastly, I did receive one book that wasn’t a BOMC selection. Usually, prequels aren’t my jam but Bookshops & Bonedust is clearly the exception to such a rule.
This early look at the leading warrior woman from Travis Baldre’s Legends & Lattes shows Viv back in her mercenary days, having to temporarily leave her crew due to an injury.
Her reluctance to stay behind while her friends hunt down a necromancer brings Viv to channel her energies towards the local bookshop, where bookseller Fern has a nearly magical knack for finding the right book for any reader. As time goes by, Viv makes some new friends and perhaps an enemy yet despite enjoying her stay, is determined to rejoin the merc crew no matter what.
L&L was such a wonderful read that even a look into Viv’s backstory is a real treat indeed. This should tide over fans of that charming cozy fantasy until we get another book from Baldee. At the very least, it’s a great excuse to reread L&L, something a certain Disney princess would approve of:
Well, this was a Merry Christmas for me, book wise but those after holiday sales peaked my interest too, which means that I have a part two of this post as soon as the rest of those books come in!
Meanwhile, I hope you had a great holiday season of reading and find many more page turning treasures in this new year. As much as I like winter, this spring to come does give us a new season of Bridgerton that happens to be a two parter to boot! Perhaps duets will be the literary theme for this year, we shall see:
As this year is soon drawing to a close(not fast enough for some folks, I’m sure!), plans for the new year are about to be implemented and for this blog, one big change will be both a beginning and and a temporary ending to a regular feature here.
For now, however, let’s wrap the tail end of my Series-ous Reading , which had me read five of Rhys Bowen’s Her Royal Spyness historical cozy mystery novels.
Starting with Crowned and Dangerous, then going to On Her Majesty’s Frightfully Secret Service followed by Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding (yes, there is definitely a wedding!) with Love and Death Among the Cheetahs and finishing up with The Late Mrs. Summers, my adventures with Georgiana “Georgie “ Rannoch /O’Mara have been quite the giddy trip indeed.
For those unfamiliar with this series, it’s set in 1930s England for the most part with Georgie being the thirty fifth member of the royal bloodline in line for the throne yet having to make her own way in the world due to not wanting to marry someone “suitable “ out of obligation.
While occasionally dealing with murders that fall her way(plus various secret tasks for the queen), Georgie has to deal with obnoxious relatives, her globe trotting mother and a delightfully ditzy maid named Queenie. Also, she falls in love with Darcy O’Mara, a nobleman with as little money as herself who goes on mysterious errands for king and country.
What I’ve always liked about these books is the screwball comedy vibes within the various plots, with the humor being aimed at both upper and lower levels of society.
However , these last few entries have given plenty of character development to supporting players such as Belinda,Georgie’s best gal pal who went through an experience involving a secret relationship that appears to have matured her outlook on love(for the most part) and even Queenie has gained solid skills as a cook that moves her up in the world (although not without a slip up or two there).
In addition, Georgie herself has gone from a shy young miss to being strong enough to stand up to bullies of all sorts and pursue justice for the recently deceased, regardless of risk or rank. While I may take a break from this series (I did just finish one more HRS title, God Rest Ye, Merry Noblemen, kind of extra credit , I guess) do recommend it for those looking for an engaging romp into the past that can reflect on the present at times:
Now for the big announcement: my Series-ous Reading is taking a hiatus next year . Instead, my regular reading challenge will be to read three sets of trilogies within a year and it’s going to be called Trilogy Time.
I’m also giving myself prompts for this challenge, the first being to read an author that I haven’t read before and for that, my choice is Nora Roberts and her Irish Born trilogy, starting with Born in Fire.
The books chronicle a trio of sisters, Margaret Mary, Brianna and Shannon, who find their true purpose as well as true love in their lives. Granted, I was once a serious snob about this genre(and Roberts in particular) but hopefully, I have gotten over such nonsense and willing to discover what so many others have enjoyed with Nora Roberts on page:
My next prompt is to reread a trilogy, which was tricky to decide upon but ultimately, I chose Adriana Trigiani’s Valentine novels.
The first one, Very Valentine,introduced me to Trigiani’s lively writing along with her zesty leading lady who wants to continue the tradition of making handcrafted shoes that gave her family a foothold in America when they first arrived to this country.
Learning from her beloved Gram the dedication it takes to create unique footwear while battling with her brother over selling their family’s iconic storefront, Valentine happens to fall in love with Roman, a rather appetizing chef yet on a buying trip to Italy, her eye is caught by Gianluca-and that’s just part one!
I’ve read other works by Trigiani(one of my favorites is Lucia,Lucia) and plan to read one of her newer books next year but revisiting this set of sweet and savvy stories will be a real pleasure for me:
For my last prompt, the challenge is to finish a trilogy and I’m sure some of you are wondering what would stop you from doing just that?
Well, during a sad time in my life, Cornelia Funke released Inkheart and this tale of a young girl and her father having a magical connection with books was like the porridge that Goldilocks chose, just right.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that she had two more books in mind and while I did read the second , Inkspell, the third one , Inkdeath, has been languishing on my TBR for a good long while now.
I plan to change that but of course, need to reread the other two first(which is why this set is going last). Since I do want to read more fantasy in the new year, this will help a lot. Should be a good way to wrap up this challenge and perhaps inspire more to come:
While all of my reading resolutions for this year didn’t go off quite as well as I planned, at least I did finish Alison Weir’s Six Queens series of books(looking forward to her novel about “Bloody Mary “ Tudor due out in the spring!) and still working on my Jane Austen journey of nonfiction there.
Making resolutions can be daunting but I think that if you’re willing to be flexible when necessary and take your time with certain goals, you can achieve plenty there.
This trilogy challenge, for example ,is going to be done seasonally (starting with Nora Robert’s this winter into early spring) with check in posts every so often. Trying to keep things fun as well as functional.
One thing that we all can pledge to do next year is to stay positive about what lies ahead of us and focus our energies on making things better for all in need. That’s not going to be easy, no doubt about it, but I do think that we are capable of more than we truly know and can fight the good fight honorably.
Wishing you all a Happy New Year of reading and life in 2024 and happy to see more good things on and off page for us all together:
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:
Another year is heading to a close yet the promise of better things to come is still strong enough to keep me looking for one last batch of books at my local library before the holiday season hits hard.
I don’t know why exactly but for some reason, the romance section just called out to me loud and clear this time around. Sure, I enjoy this genre quite a bit but everywhere I looked at the library last week, certain titles seemed to sparkle a bit brighter.
One of those was Emily Henry’s Happy Place, which just won the Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Romance (a subjective selection, I know). The residence of the title is a summer home where Harriet and her former college friends gather once a year, with a few add-on companions, to relax and reconnect.
As it happens, the house is being sold (due to a divorce settlement in Sabrina’s family) so this is the last time any of them can get together here. In addition, Sabrina is now marrying her longtime boyfriend Parth in a week and wants all of them to attend, sort of a final goodbye celebration.
Not wanting to dampen the spirits of their good friends during this time, Harriet and Wyn agree to pretend that their relationship is still on for now. However, the longer they playact their romance, the more it might not just be for show.
So far, this story is pretty entertaining, kind of a more sophisticated take on a romantic sitcom plot line (yes, I mean that in a good way!). While this book received mixed reviews from readers earlier this year, I’m willing to stay tuned into it for awhile:
I paired that up with Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly. The story is set on the Pacific Coast Trail where Alexei is doing a solo hike in order to clear his head about what’s next for him in life.
While there, he keeps running into Ben, who is getting over a string of bad decisions in his love life and not looking to make any more.
Yet as the two of them constantly find themselves meeting up again and again, it just makes sense to team up and hike together. Will this be the start of a great friendship or perhaps something much more?
I read Kelly’s first novel, Love and Other Disasters(a Book of the Month Club pick, actually) and it was a lovely read so I am very glad to have found this one readily available. This is one of those “grumpy meets sunshine “ kind of romances that I have no doubt will bring more of the latter than the former in the love department:
To set up a perfect trio of page turning, I decided to try an author that’s new to me with Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez.
Alexis is an ER doctor whose family would prefer that she follow tradition by becoming a highly paid top surgeon instead.
Daniel is the mayor of a small town as well as a carpenter who is expected to live up to his family’s legacy as well. When Alexis winds up needing help getting her car out of a ditch, it’s Daniel who happens to be on hand and the two of them seem to fit like puzzle pieces, despite their very different settings in life.
Can Alexis and Daniel find a way to make their own mark on the world with each other or was this chance encounter merely a chance and nothing more?
I’ve heard good things about this writer and was pleasantly surprised to learn that she’s also a baker who won an episode of Cupcake Wars! That is so cool, some truly real icing on the creative cake there:
Well, this set of lovelorn tales ought to tide me over until my next library visit in the upcoming new year. I suppose it’s really not surprising that love was in the air for this bookish trip as a library can be one of the most loving places in any community, for books and people alike. May we all embrace our library kid selves, both now and in the years to come:
Happy December, folks and let’s start off with how my Thrill Ride TBR went.
I made good time with Razorblade Tears(that book slaps hard enough to leave a mark!) but Just Another Missing Person turns out to more of a slow and steady ride than a fast and furious one.
So, my overall results are one finished, one in progress and Maisie Dobbs will be a go-between for my Serious Reading challenge there. Not too bad but maybe next year, I’ll do better.
In the meanwhile, I’m not doing any major readathon reading from now until the beginning of next year yet The Goodreads Choice Awards are inspiring me to clear up some of my TBR piles before New Year’s Eve. Turns out many of the nominations come from Book of the Month Club, of which I have quite a bit on hand and no better time like the present to start those pages a-turning!
So far, I have finished The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer, which is up for Best Fiction and Best Debut. It’s quite the gem that makes the line in You’ve Got Mail about childhood reading forming the person you’re going to be ring true.
When Lucy Hart was thirteen, she ran away to the island home of her favorite writer, Jack Masterson, creator of the Clock Island books where brave children had their wishes granted. Despite being sent back to her lonely home, she always dreamed of returning someday.
That wish has now come true as the reclusive author announces the long awaited release of the final Clock Island book and a contest where one former runaway visitor (Lucy wasn’t the only one!) will be given the one and only copy in the world to do with as they will.
Lucy is a grade school teaching assistant, trying to adopt a student of hers named Christopher, a young boy stuck in the foster care system. When her invitation to return to the island and win the book arrives, she’s thrilled at the chance to make her and Christopher’s dreams of being a family come true.
The contest does have its challenges, including a bribe from a greedy book collector and dealing with Hugo Reese, the illustrator of the Clock Island series who keeps an eye on the aged author. The greatest challenge, however, is facing a personal fear which must be done in order to win. Can Lucy summon up enough courage to do so or will she and Christopher share more mutual disappointment in life?
This is a charming story, told without resorting to overdone sentiment or cloying whimsy. Rather, Shaffer pulls off the trick of being sincerely heartfelt with her characters and even with more than one tip of the hat to Roald Dahl, gives us an original tale that weaves an emotional spell on the reader that holds long after the book is closed:
At the moment, I’m in the midst of Crystal Smith Paul’s Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?, also a double nominee for the Goodreads Awards for Best Historical Fiction and Best Debut.
When legendary actress Kitty Karr dies and leaves her vast fortune to her next door neighbors, the daughters of the St. John family who are an entertainment empire themselves, many questions arise both publicly and privately about this gesture.
As Elise St. John, who was closest to Kitty, goes through the various papers of the estate, she uncovers some hidden truths about the late Miss Karr, whose career began in the Hollywood of the 1950’s, that could still send out shockwaves that could resonate with past and present consequences to more than one generation.
The vibe of this book is family saga with touches of heartbreak and hope. So far, so good and I just know that it will make for a great miniseries someday soon:
Also hoping to get into the latest Ali Hazelwood((up for Best Romance) and Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, a Best Fiction contender.
The latter is said to be a modern take on Little Women, told from the viewpoint of William Waters who marries into the Padavano family of four sisters, his wife Julia being the eldest.
William, despite his own situation in life, can’t help but be drawn into various familial dramas, even though his connection with Julia ends in divorce.
As bookish sister Sylvie finds love in all the wrong places while artistic Cecilia seeks fulfillment and sensitive Emmeline does her best to nurture them all, their former brother-in-law knows he should pull back from their troubles yet there are emotional ties that still bind in more ways than one.
The word of mouth on this book has been wonderful to say the least and as a fan of Little Women, it’s great to see that American classic be reimagined for new audiences, especially on the page:
I am hoping to finish at least a couple of these before the end of the year but no hard or fixed deadline am I putting on this small set of reading. Just taking it easy as we wrap another year of books together.
The Goodreads Choice winners will be announced on December 7 and that should give us all more literary food for thought indeed.
While it is a shame that the children's categories (along with poetry and graphic novels) were removed from contention (why not just have a separate awards for the kid’s books?), the conversation about what was the good, the bad and the poorly written for this year is worth having there.
I would like a Best Author to ReRead category myself and my vote of course would be for Jane Austen. That is one writer who stands the test of time over and over again despite never being officially recognized in her day. Something to think about as another good year of reading comes to an end and a new one begins:
Well, this is the time of year when best of the year lists start popping up (especially in the book world) and with the online voting for the Goodreads Choice Awards set to begin this week, it only feels right to share my selections for the LRG Best Books of 2023 right now.
This year, my picks are all fiction and new releases as of this past January. Also, several of them were my Book of the Month Club blue box buys and I have to say that thanks to BOMC, some of these titles might have never been on my literary radar (I am only a customer not a sponsored reader).
While I am listing a Top Five, it’s in no particular order, except for the Number One read for me and that happens to be The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty.
This tale of the title retired pirate queen ,called back to her former sea faring ways by an insistent wealthy widow who wants her missing granddaughter found, is an old fashioned romp with modern flair and freshly made creative touches that make you wish that this story would never end.
As Amina rounds up her old crew, faces renewed dangers and deals with challenges more startling than even she expects, you can’t help but cheer her on yet she’s not some cut and paste heroine; her humanity in the midst of it all is what endears the character to the reader and keeps those pages turning.
This is said to be the first in a new series by Chakraborty (who is well known for her other fantasy novels such as the Daevabad trilogy) and hopefully, we won’t have long to wait before that story telling ship sails in:
Next up is Victor Lavelle’s Lone Women, a book that more than lived up to the hype from amazed readers.
The basic plot points are that in the year 1915, Adelaide Henry leaves the burning remains of her family home to resettle in Montana, where land is easily accessible to single women and widows.
Her only major possession is a heavy trunk that is always locked, with Adelaide carrying the only key. Beyond that, I will not say more because the wonders to be found in this darkly engaging novel are best to be discovered on your own.
It does sound like a Western horror story but rest assured, there is truly more than meets the eye with this richly layered look at the choices that people make in the most unexpected situations and ways of life:
One of the most talked about novels this year was Yellowface , a bookish social satire with thriller vibes that made folks either love it or hate it and as you can see, I’m of the former camp.
This sinister snarky narrative by glowing green with jealousy June Hayward, a young writer whose love-hate relationship with popular author and former college colleague Athena Lu takes many dark turns indeed. The story begins when Athena dies by accident, with June the only one on hand to snatch up the work in progress novel that Athena hadn’t shown to anyone other than her that fateful night.
Convincing herself that the “editing” she’s doing is the right thing to do, June gets the book published, using the racially dubious name of Juniper Song. While the novel becomes a critical and financial success, the work is still tainted by June’s pretzel twists of justified logic with public exposure an ever present threat to her career.
To me, this contemporary novel has the media adjacent energy of Robert Altman’s The Player with the emotional echoes of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley cleverly funneled into our current book media realm both online and off. Smart and savvy with a bittersweet edge, definitely one not to be overlooked indeed:
For something completely different, Vampire Weekend by Mike Chen is a good natured take on the undead with heartfelt emotions and a rebel rocker edge.
Louise Chao has found out over the years that the vampire lifestyle is not as advertised with most of her existence being about obtaining leftovers from the hospital blood bank that she works at as a janitor.
Keeping company with only an adorable corgi named Lola, Louise is stunned one evening when some long lost relatives show up on her doorstep, looking for some assistance for the dying mother of Ian, whose father recently passed away as well.
Reluctantly bonding over a shared love of music, Louise does what she can to help Ian, doing her best to conceal the bloody truth about herself. That secret doesn’t stay buried for long and that discovery leads both of them down a most unexpected path that could bring either renewed hope or fresh heartbreak for their future.
The book is a grand wild ride with numerous salutes to the punk rock genres and even if you’re not into vampire lore, this is one pulse pounding beat that is perfectly suitable for a mental musical journey worth taking:
To wrap things up, this tribute to the glories of a Nora Ephron movie is more than ready to become a solid romcom In it’s own right.
In the meanwhile until that happens, You, Again by Kate Goldbeck is a When Harry Met Sally for our modern times.
When struggling comedian Arianna”Ari”Sloane first meets uptight chef Josh Kestenberg, the two of them most definitely get off on the wrong foot, especially since they’re both dating the same girl.
They keep running into each other over the years, with their mutual dislike intact until one such encounter occurs at emotional low points in their lives.
That shared sense of misery begins to turn them into unlikely friends (particularly among their regular set of family and friends!) and possibly something more along the way. Can they really make this work or are Ari and Josh simply meant to be frienemies at best?
While I’m more of a You’ve Got Mail than a When Harry Met Sally fan, this book not only had me rewatching that movie(after a decade or more!) but appreciating the wry dialogue and clever emotional nuances of the characters for their own sake. Goldbeck does her movie maven muse proud and here’s hoping for a sequel:
There were so many other great books that I read and throughly enjoyed this year but due to wanting to keep this post at a reasonable length, didn’t make my main list yet deserve a shout out as well as a whole hearted reading recommendation:
Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen: A matchmaker modern vs. traditional romance by a debut author that you ought to keep an eye out in the near future (her next book, Red String Theory , is due out in 2024).
Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canas: A mix of historical romance and gothic terror that makes this writer’s next book a definitive must read for me.
Everything Fine by Cecilia Rabess: The ultimate story of a mismatched couple who can’t seem to stay away from each other (and they really should!) with searing social commentary. Very overlooked and well worth checking out.
I’ll be taking a blog mini-break for Thanksgiving but just wanted to say thank you to those who keep tuning into my little corner of the online world and hope you all had good books to read this and every year wherever you found them.
Also, I am sadly aware of just how chaotic our world has become right now and the rising levels of social discourse both on and off line , particularly with both home grown tensions and certain international events in the headlines.
The best that I can say about all of this sound and fury is instead of overindulging in anger and frustrated sorrow is to try and stay connected with one another by finding the collective good(or good enough) to help each other through these difficult moments.
Things don’t have to be picture perfect but even those family fights at Thanksgiving can be overcome with some sincere effort and a well timed joke or two. Maybe it’s a foolish notion but hey, you never know until you try, right? Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving is all and to all, a good read:
Granted, the world around us seems to be getting rougher by the minute but a good way to deal with it, I find, is to take joy where you can find it, especially if said joy is between the pages of a book.
My book mail haul has been bountiful indeed of late, starting with my newest Book of the Month Club selections-the main attraction being This Spells Love by Kate Robb(an early BOMC release btw-this debut novel will be officially available elsewhere on December 5).
Gemma Wilde ,despite her lively last name, is the type to stay on the steady path in life even if that means she’s stuck in a job that pays well but crushes her spirits and her boyfriend is the dictionary definition of reliable.
That is, until he dumps her, leaving Gemma feeling out of control so much so that she and a group of friends try a love memory spell during a night of drinking that works way too well.
Gemma walks up the next day to discover that more that her recent breakup has been erased; her old job is gone, she lives in a completely different place and worst of all, her best friend Dax doesn’t know her at all.
Since Dax kissed her as part of the original spell, he has to do again in order to reverse it. However as time goes on, Gemma starts taking chances in this new life she’s magically given and finds herself falling in love with Dax this time around.
Is it worth the risk to return to her old life to put this perhaps meant to be romance in jeopardy, possibly for good?
This just sounds like such a charmer, a cross between Practical Magic and Sliding Doors movie wise, that promises to be as comforting as cup of cocoa while watching your favorite romcom there:
My add-on choice for this BOMC box was Meg Shaffer’s The Wishing Game, which I have heard wonderful things about.
Ever since she was 13, Lucy Hart dreamed of going to Clock Island, the magical realm created by the series of best selling books by reclusive author Jack Masterson.
She even tried running away from her neglectful home to the real world counterpart owned by Masterson once but that failed attempt turned into something more years later.
Lucy is now an adult, hoping to adopt a lonely child but lacking the financial means to do so. When given the opportunity to compete for an exclusive edition of what may be the final Clock Island book , not to mention the only copy in the world, she takes that chance with the fervent wish that it might solve many of her problems.
Joining three other fans who also ran away to the island as children, Gemma soon learns that the numerous riddles and challenges presented to each of them are personally tailored to them and their greatest fears. Not to mention that Jack Masterson has a secret of his own that may reveal his true reasons for holding this contest in the first place. Can Gemma truly win here, even if she doesn’t get the book?
Word of mouth about this story has been amazing and it does sounds like a Willy Wonka tale for grownups in the best sense. I’m eager to see if this book is as magically delicious as those Wonka bars always seemed to be:
Then I received a pleasant surprise as an advance copy of a debut mystery novel due out in January of 2024 arrived at my door.
The Night of the Storm by Nishita Parekh is set in modern day Houston, TX as newly single mom Jia Shah has to take refuge from an impending hurricane with her family, who is far from happy with her current set of life choices.
Jia has enough on her plate as it is, with her twelve year old son Isshan being suspended from school and dealing with being able to financially support them both. By staying at her sister’s house to avoid the roving wreckage that is Hurricane Harvey, drama with her relatives is the last thing she needs right now.
That truckload of trouble gets heavier as more relatives arrive and during the height of the storm, one of them is found dead by untimely means.
With no way to get official help on this matter, Jia finds herself playing detective to both clear herself of suspicion and to prevent another death on their doorstep. Can she do that without being attacked by the killer or the lethal force of nature trapping them together?
Getting a new book, particularly one that won’t out until next year, is such fun and also a debut novel to boot is total chef’s kiss there! This book has the flavor of one of those iconic Agatha Christie closed room mysteries and should be a great bookish companion for cold weather reading indeed:
Just yesterday, my mailbox had a special prize awaiting me, courtesy of a giveaway held on Instagram for Amiee Gibbs’ The Carnivale of Curiosities.
This debut novel(I am having so much luck with debut novels lately!) is set in Victorian London, where the title traveling show is setting up for a new season.
It is said that the lead magician Aurelius Ashe can actually perform real magic and will do so for a select few that meet his standards. Wealthy banker Odilon Rose demands that Ashe grant him a cure for his ailing ward Charlotte but since his true intentions towards the young woman are impure to say the least, Ashe refuses his demands.
When Rose threatens the life of one of Ashe’s performers if his wish is not granted, the magician gives in..but not without a price that must be paid. Thinking he can get out of anything, Rose agrees yet the aftermath of this bargain resonates with more than one person in more ways than one.
I am so thankful to win such an intriguing book and hope to be spellbound by this fantastic tale for many nights to come:
We’re a couple of weeks away from Thanksgiving and I have much to feast upon in a mental banquet sort of way. I know it is difficult to keep your spirits up during these troubling times but when good things come your way or good news like the SAG/AFTRA strike coming to an end(congratulations to all concerned on that front!) pop up, rejoicing is indeed in order.
With any luck, things might get a bit better before this year finishes up; let us hope so at any rate. In the meantime, gathering some good books together for the cold days ahead is important, as important as making that holiday gravy on time for the big day there to be sure!:
Happy November, folks and I hope you all had a pleasant Halloween experience earlier this week. I also hope that those who took part in this year’s FrightFall readathon (hosted by Michelle Miller at Seasons of Reading) had a great time as well.
I’m pleased to report that I was able to finish all three of the books on my TBR for this challenge, starting with Vampire Weekend by Mike Chen. Our leading undead lady is Louise, who has not found that particular brand of eternal night life to be anything like the media myths make it out to be.
For one, she doesn’t have any powers beyond staying young and most of her after dark existence involves a night shift job at a local hospital in order to poach blood bags for the vampire collective community. Her main companion is a cute Corgi named Lola,due to the loss of her last human friend who Louise fears she may have doomed by revealing her true nature.
When a couple of long lost relatives literally turn up on her doorstep, Louise is not inclined to let them get beyond the front door but upon meeting Ian, whose father has recently died and his mother not too far gone from that fate, she winds up bonding with him over their mutual love of music.
Of course, their tastes in music differ but soon enough, Louise starts to teach Ian the basics of punk rock and guitar playing, opening up her former passion for being a member of a band. However, when Ian catches on to what she really is, he makes a request that’s she understandably reluctant to grant. Can their friendship survive this impass or is there a way to save the metaphorical day for them both?
I’ve read Mike Chen before and he has a great knack for blending in everyday realism into otherworldly genres with a seemingly casual ease. It helps that Chen aptly adds touches of humor and heart into his characters and their situations with out going overboard on either story element.
Vampire Weekend was a great bookish beat to dance to and one way or another, I plan on reading more of his work soon:
After that, I visited Miss Marple in Agatha Christie‘a A Murder is Announced. The title refers to an unusual advertisement in the local newspaper in the village of Chipping Cleghorn, inviting anyone interested to the home of Letitia Blacklock that evening for such an offbeat event.
Those who attend believe that it’s some kind of party game that Letitia’s mischievous nephew Patrick has set up yet he insists that this is not of his doing. When the lights go out and a stranger appears, real bullets are fired and someone does dies.
The why and how of it puzzles the police but fortunately, Miss Marple happens to be in the area, visiting some friends of the family and very willing to help with her subtle style of observations on such a matter. The major part of this mystery is who was the real target of the killer and will they strike again?
I do prefer the Marple mysteries to the Poirot ones in Christie’s body of work yet I also like them more when Miss Marple is more front and center to the action.
AMIA does take some time to get to Jane Marple but the book does make up for that wait with an array of interesting oddball characters that do engage your attention quite nicely. All in all, it’s a clever story that does keep you guessing in the best sense until the bittersweet end:
The best I saved for last and trust me when I say that Victor Lavelle’s Lone Women was well worth the wait.
The novel begins in California of 1915 as Adelaide Henry leaves her family home in actual flames in order to conceal the gruesome nature of their untimely demise.
She heads out to Montana, where unmarried women and widows are able to claim land grants and start a new life for themselves. The only big ticket item that Adelaide has with her is a mysterious trunk that is always locked and for good reason. While she desperately wants to leave her past behind her, Adelaide has no choice but to drag this unwieldy family secret along with her into the unknown.
That’s all I’m going to say about the plot because this is a story best appreciated by discovering it’s creative charms for yourself. What I will say is that Lavelle is an amazing writer with an imagination that can’t be beat and this is one of the best books that I’ve read this or any other year.
Such a wild ride of emotion, terror and the lore of the Ild West as you have never seen before awaits you on the page and then some:
So, out of the four readathons that I participated in this year, I completed all of the books chosen for those challenges three times out of the four, a nice little achievement that I’m way too proud of there.
Nonetheless, reading is its own reward and much thanks is due to Michelle Miller at Seasons of Reading who makes these readathons the fun and friendly events that they are. There is a Christmas challenge on that horizon but I might take a pause on that for the holidays.
In the meanwhile, this November, I gave myself the challenge of a Thrill Ride TBR(to catch up on a few mystery/thriller stories) and planing to indulge in the second seasons of cable/streaming shows that may take awhile to get third seasons due to the actors’ strike still ongoing(as of this writing, SAG-AFTRA is still waiting to hear from the studios about a counter offer).
With any luck, the actors might have things settled soon but in the meantime, let’s be grateful for the good stories that are available to us all and hopefully, those who work hard to share their talents with us are given the full slice of the entertainment pie that they truly deserve-in other words, bon appetit!:
