Having a fantasy-full reading time this Sci-Fi Summer

Things get so busy around the end of one month and the beginning of another that I took a brief blog break to do my bookish best to finish up my reading for Sci-Fi Summer, the latest Seasons of Reading readathon.

Since fantasy is an available option for this challenge, all of my picks were in that category. A couple of them are even considered to be “romantasy”, that currently popular sub genre, and I can now see why this fanciful theme has become such a diverting choice for readers these days; it’s rather fun and goodness knows we are in dire need of that this year!

Anyway, I completed two of the three titles on my list and got a good quarter of the way through the third(which I plan to continue with despite the end of the challenge). The first one was Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater, where our Regency era English heroine, Dora Ettings, has had part of her inner spirit ripped away from her due to a bargain her late mother made with a fae nobleman.

Now, seen as an oddity by most and unlikely to ever be properly married, Dora is fine with that as long as she can help her beloved cousin Vanessa make a match. Vanessa, however, is more interested in finding a “cure” for Dora’s condition and even manages to get the official sorcerer for the Prince Regent, Elias Wilder, to look into the matter.

However, Elias is very preoccupied with a troubling case of a strange plague that appears to be magical in nature. When Dora decides to get involved in the investigation, things become more peculiar than anyone could have imagined and then some!

This story was a real delight, with a blend of humor and occasional whimsy that never wore out its welcome. Atwater certainly knows her way around fairy lore and Regency themed social satire very nicely indeed. If you’re looking for a Jane Austen or Bridgerton type of tale mixed with magic, this should be your go-to cup of tea:

After that, it was time for Heather Fawcett’s big bestseller  in this category,Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries .

The story is told via a journal that our leading lady, a professional scholar of magical beings , is keeping during her latest expedition to Ljosland to learn about the courtly fae folk who are said to live there.

While making a less than favorable impression on the locals, Emily has to also deal with the unexpected arrival of Wendell Bambleby, a colleague who over relies on his charms and appears to trying to overtake her research.

Nevertheless, she makes some intriguing discoveries and despite wanting to stay neutral, winds up on an adventure or two to save a pair of young people from the clutches of energy draining fairy folk. 

Wendall, who Emily suspects is not entirely mortal, reluctantly agrees to help but perhaps his interest in Emily’s work is more than just an attempt at academic poaching. Perhaps he feels some affection for his seriously studious partner and it might be mutual yet there’s plenty of danger afoot to deal with first.

This book,much like Wendall, has its unique set of charms that manages to toe the line between faerie tale adventure and low key romance without toppling over into cutesy territory. One of the best elements of the book is the chemistry between Wendall and Emily, which has such a refreshingly old school Hollywood vibe to it; the most modern reference I can make to this are Rick and Evie from the first two Mummy movies(a classic couple, imo). I can see why Fawcett already has a sequel out to this and hopefully many more to follow:

At the moment, I am in the midst of  A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen, a Book of the Month Club selection that I saved for summer reading and that was a good plan that’s paying off super sweet!

The novel is centered around Freya, a Viking woman born with a power from the goddess Hlin that makes her a potentially mighty shield maiden  who, according to prophecy, will unite the people into one kingdom. For years, she was made to conceal her ability but due to the treachery of her vile first husband, is forced to marry a local chieftain who is determined to make this prophecy come true.

Freya is frustrated by the push and pull of this situation and to make matters worse, she finds herself attracted to her bodyguard, Bjorn, the son of the chieftain who is less than thrilled about this arrangement as well.

So far, the story is greatly entertaining and packed with enough drama to satisfy any fan of a fantasy TV aeries on cable, streaming or the CW(which I used to enjoy back in the day). Seeing Freya start to discover the depths of her own power is thrilling to behold and I look forward to more page turning good times here:

My thanks to Michelle Miller at Seasons of Reading for giving us all a great excuse to dive into science fiction and/or fantasy fun to start summer off right!

Well, I wish everyone a happy Fourth of July long weekend that’s only a few days away and here’s to more good books to keep us during the heat waves to come. It’s funny how fantasy is getting quite the glow up nowadays; seems this genre thrives well as the real world gets more and more chaotic.

Hopefully, these tales will be of some welcome relief as the follies of reality rage on and perhaps, help us make it through to the other side with a renewed sense of grace and savvy for what lies ahead. We shall see, in the best sense of that term:

 

Some summer time surprises to my towering TBR stack

No matter how many times you think that your to be read piles are high enough, an unexpected opportunity to gather up more good things to read can change your calculations in that regard mightily fast.

For example, the other weekend I went to a Pride event in my area and it was definitely a good time had by all; nice weather, great people and booths ranging from jewelry to crafts to music. What was the extra topping to that celebration sundae was the local library promoting their summer schedule and giving away free discarded books!

Offering free books to a reader is simply as irresistible as lasagna is to Garfield so I wound up bringing home eight books that day(been awhile since I had an in person haul like that). In the interest of brevity, I’m highlighting just four of them here, starting with Sag Habor  by Colson Whitehead.

This story is set in the summer of 1985 as fifteen year old Benji Cooper is getting ready to spend the season with his family at the title location and his various coming of age adventures along the way.

 This novel came out earlier in his literary career and may seem more lighthearted than some of his later works (The Underground Railroad, The Nickel Boys). However, I have no doubt that there’s plenty of food for thought in this tale of summertime joy:

Another gem that I picked up was Lev Grossman’s The Magicians, which would be called dark academia if released nowadays.

The novel follows Quentin and his friends Alice and Eliot who attend the Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy and along the way discover that the world of their favorite series of fantasy books is very real.

That world is also more dangerous than they expected despite learning the secrets of magic and could affect the reality from which Quentin and company still live. Is it worth the risk to go between worlds or are they destined to cause their own doom?

I remember years ago when this book (and its sequel series) were all the rage, even getting a SyFy Channel show that ran for five seasons. This does seem like the perfect time to see what all the fuss was about and maybe check out the show at some as well:

I paired that one with a Robin Hobbs book from her Rain Wilds Chronicles, Dragon Haven.

This second entry in the series follows a group of dragons seeking a legendary refuge in the form of the city of Kelsingra. Traveling with human keepers such as Alise and Thymata, dragons like Sintara must use what limited powers they have to find their way forward through dangers from without and within.

I’m sure some of you are saying “Uh, this is book two, do you have the first one?”. Well, thanks to Better World Books, I do now and it’s a library copy that matches this edition and if all goes accordingly, I might get the other two books in this series too. 

I still haven’t gotten far with Robin Hobbs(it’s not the books, it’s me) but maybe adding a couple more if her works might be the boost I need here. Plus, dragon stories are very popcorn friendly , page turning entertainment:

Last but not at all least, I found one of the latest Maisie Dobbs books by Jacqueline Winspear, The Consequences of Fear.

Set during WWII, Maisie is helping to recruit potential spies for the French Resistance while trying to aid a young London messenger boy named Freddy who witnessed a murder.

As it turns out, the killer may be a recently encountered French officer, who Maisie’s contacts are unwilling to accuse due to internal politics. Can justice be served without endangering Freddy or the war effort?

I have just gotten into these books(already have two and three on hand) and while this story comes later down the line, it’s worth holding on to, particularly since the series is coming to an end. Sad to see it go just when I got started but then again, I do know that there is plenty in store to explore as time goes by:

As for the other four books I bought home, one was a book that I’ve already read but didn’t own(The Wangs Vs.the World by Jade Chang), another was from a cozy mystery series cowritten by Laura Childs, one is a wedding themed romcom and the last is a book that I tried to read once before but didn’t get too far(The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry).

A nice bookish surprise like this was wonderful and made that particular day even more special. Too bad the next bookish surprise I encountered was the backlash to this season of Bridgerton.

The uproar over (spoiler alert) of a couple of characters being bisexual both in current and future storylines has really unraveled some people and I for one don’t get why a show that made it perfectly clear from the jump that it was going to be very different from the source material (with the approval of the author no less!) is just NOW getting outraged over changes.

The level of bigotry and ignorance on this subject being justified by arguments such as “I just want it to be the way it was in the book!” and “This character should be the gay one, not this person!” is head shakingly awful to say the least.

I did watch the entire new season and was happy to see my favorite character, Penelope Featherington, get her time in the spotlight. Sure, there are some plot points that I wouldn’t mind debating such as should we feel sorry for Cressida(I kind of do and don’t) and is Eloise a good friend to anyone?

Sadly, instead we got a lot of prejudice being spewed out during Pride Month and after pushing back on several fronts, I wound up leaving a FB Bridgetton group over this toxicity. It’s horrible enough that the LGBTQIA community is facing extra pressure these days without being harassed in a space that’s meant to be a welcoming escape from such harshness.

Hopefully by the time we get season four , some reasonableness will return to the fan base and maybe this show can be enjoyed for what it is rather than what certain people demand it be. In the meanwhile, I will try to think about the positive moments such as Penelope making her glow up appearances in that green gown, a bookish surprise for all to embrace indeed:

A summer movie blockbuster ‘s worth of reading from BOMC

 

Having skipped last month’s offerings from Book of the Month Club, I was extra eager to dive into the selections for June.

Ironically enough, all of my picks happened to be from the prior month. Listed as a members favorite, Mai Corland’s Five Broken Blades is a fantasy novel that feels like an awesome summer movie waiting to be made.

In order to take down the seemingly unstoppable King Joon, a team of unlikely allies is formed by a royal spy master determined to place his own candidate upon the throne. The plan is set to take place at a championship game but just getting there is a perilous journey with numerous foes to fight along the way.

With risky alliances and a potential traitor in their midst, can this rough yet ready crew pull this ultimate assignment off or become casualties of a never ending political battle?

So happy to have this book on hand and my elevator pitch for this would be “The Suicide Squad meets Game of Thrones“(no dragons here but still…):

As a double feature, I went with One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware.

The couple in question is Lyla and Nico, who having been dating for a few years but their relationship is starting to fade fast.

To strengthen their ties, Lyla agrees to go with Nico to a remote island for a romance themed reality show that could boost his flagging acting career. Things begin well enough for an experience like this but the tide turns in a very dangerous direction.

When a storm hits the island, the power source is damaged along with most of the supplies. In addition to that, a body is discovered and that demise doesn’t appear to be an act of nature. Faced with some serious reality issues, Lyla forms some new alliances to stay alive until a rescue arrives but hopefully to find the killer hiding among them in plain sight.

I’ve only finished one Ruth Ware novel(The Woman in Cabin 10) and would really like to complete another but my success in that goal hasn’t been achieved just yet. Since this story has a bit of Knives Out energy to it, my chances are considerably better towards that literary end:

For something a bit more chill, Christina Lauren’s The Paradise Problem is that cool drink of romcom punch just right for the season.

When Anna got into a marriage of convenience (for student housing in college), she never thought that her temporary husband Liam would be around after graduation.

A few years later, Liam shows to tell that a) they’re still married and b) he needs Anna to join him on a destination wedding trip with his family in order to claim an inheritance. He does offer to pay her and since she’s recently unemployed with her father’s medical bills as part of her financial responsibilities, Anna says yes to the deal.

Having not taken the time to know him beforehand, Anna is pleasantly surprised to learn that Liam is a good guy,despite his lengthy deception scheme with his rather obnoxious family. Liam starts feeling the same but in making this sham marriage too risky for all concerned?

Christina Lauren is a real charmer when it comes to making these familiar genre moves weave themselves into a fresh new pattern of romantic comedy style. I’ve already started this book and it’s an entertaining proposal thus far:

Well, my summer reading in general is going well as I finished the first book in my Sci-Fi Summer readathon and had a most unexpected book haul of major proportions (more on that one next time!)there.

With the warm weather fast approaching, seeking shade with a few cinematic worthy reads is a sensible solution indeed. After all, the remaining season of Bridgerton has only four new episodes newly dropped and as lovely as those are, it won’t be enough to fully sustain us gentle readers for the rest of the summer!:

A new season of Trilogy Time begins

Well, I’m back from my Memorial Day break and hope everyone had a good start off to the summer there.

My summer of reading is starting with the completion of round one of Trilogy Time as the last book in Nora Roberts’ Irish Born, Born in Shame, was on my shelf before the holiday officially began!

For this tail end of the literary trio, we meet American born Shannon Bodine, who learns from her dying mother that her biological father is Tom Concannon, not the man who married her outcast mother and raised her as his own.

After her mother’s passing, Shannon is notified about her half sisters in Ireland, with Brianna extending an invitation to her B&B for a visit. 

Feeling overwhelmed by both the secrets revealed and the angry last conversation with her mom, Shannon decides to take some time off from her work as a corporate graphic designer and head over to Ireland for a brief visit.

That visit turns out to be much longer than she had planned, partly due to Murphy, the original boy next door to the Concannon sisters. He takes one look at Shannon and is completely thunderstruck, no doubt in his mind that she’s the one he’s been waiting for.

They do have chemistry but I have to admit that there were moments(such as arranging for Shannon to meet his entire family all at once!)that I wanted to say to Murphy-“Dude, slow your roll a little! She’s dealing with her mom’s death plus learning about a whole new family that is trying to get to know her as much as she’s trying to get to know them and figure out what is next for her in life, step back a bit, my guy!”

Murphy is a good guy, don’t get me wrong and yes, this book was released in the late nineties so some allowances in the romance department for the time period are needed. To be fair, Shannon is up front with him about her feelings regarding her current state of flux and for the most part, he does respect her wishes.

However, when they finally do connect, the relationship feels well earned and you do root for them to get together in a way that is best for them both:

As for the rest of the story, I do like Shannon and how well she fit in with the Concannon sisters, even to the point of handling their temperamental mother Maeve(who was understandably upset about the news about what her late husband did but not to take it out on an innocent party there).

That’s what I find most engaging about Nora Roberts and her writing; she takes the time to fully develop her characters and devotes good portions of the plot to the central person discovering what they really want beyond a love interest. 

For example , in this book, Shannon comes to realize that her talent for painting is more that just a sideline to her professional work,not to mention something she has in common with her cantankerous yet loving sister Maggie May(who is more like her mother Maeve than she cares to admit).

Also, the whole cast of characters just grows on you and I don’t know if the Concannon family shows up in any of other books that Roberts has written (you could fill a whole public library all of her various novels in various genres !) but I wouldn’t mind running into them again, even the misery loving Maeve.

So, I completed my first prompt for this challenge, which was to read an author that’s new to me and yes, I do like Nora Roberts and wonder what took me so long to check her out(my own foolishness, of course). At the moment, I’m reading one of her standalone novels-Hideaway-and having a good time with it. Granted, there are way too many of her series to fully catch up on but I do plan to add more of her works to future TBRs.

I am curious to try one of her paranormal stories as we did get a hint of that with Born in Shame as Shannon and Murphy shared dreams regarding a local legend of a doomed love between a knight and a woman waiting for him in the midst of sacred stones. That ancient tale was hinted at beforehand in the earlier books but was highlighted strongly in this finale so seeing what Roberts does in a full on fantasy should be fun:

With that, my summer reading is fully underway as I have a Book of the Month Club box on the way plus my Sci-Fi Summer of Romantasy reading got off to a fine start with Half a Soul(which helps make the wait for the second half of Bridgerton S3 all the easier) and onto my next Trilogy Time prompt of rereading an author you know well.

My pick for that was Adriana Trigiani’s Valentine trio that begins with  Very Valentine , which introduces you to Valentine Roncalli, a woman determined to save the family custom made shoe business and find love on her own terms.  This was the first book that I read by Trigiani and being reacquainted like this is truly a pleasure indeed:

 

Ready for Romantasy this Sci-Fi Summer

With the first big holiday weekend of the summer season about to begin, the timing couldn’t be better to sign up for Seasons of Reading’s Sci-Fi Summer , which runs the entire month of June(hosted by the wonderful Michelle Miller).

Unlike most of SOR’s readathons, this one requires you to keep to the title genre yet fantasy is also allowed which explains the title of this particular post. 

Truth be told, I’ve always preferred fantasy (nothing against science fiction; my brain just clicks along more smoothly with magic systems than technological theories)
 and this new category of Romantasy , which blends romance and fantasy into a special storytelling treat sounds like fun.

My first pick for this TBR happens to be one of my birthday gifts from this year; Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett .

The scholarly lady in question is researching the existence of fairies and travels to a remote village to learn about fae beings who resemble humans. This set of fae happens to be prone to switching out local children for changelings, a tricky subject to be sure.

While trying to gain the trust of the villagers, Emily runs into Wendell Bambleby, a scholar in the same field who suggests that they join forces. She reluctantly agrees and while they do make some strides forward, a secret is uncovered that changes the dynamics of their professional as well as their potentially personal relationship.

I’ve heard so many great things about this book that finally getting the chance to read is a pleasure worth waiting for. There’s already a sequel out but I would rather take my time with this enchanting examination of fairyland first:

I paired this with another birthday book haul fairy themed tale; Olivia Atwater’s Half a Soul.

Dora Ettings has little hope of doing well in the marriage market of Regency England due to a curse that renders her mostly emotionless.

However, an encounter with Elias Wilder aka Lord Sorcier, may change her wallflower status in more ways than one. The question remains though-who is meant to benefit by this new association and is it worth risking even half a heart to love for such an alliance?

This sounds like Bridgerton with magic to me and since I have finished watching part one of season three of that show , this ought to tide me over until the latter part of June for part two there. By the way, I adore Penelope but would like to see her end up with Lord Debling(I know, it’s not supposed to be that way) somehow:

For my final pick, my Book of the Month Club membership comes in handy for this category!

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen brings us to Viking lore where Freya, a young bride traded to a chieftain by her cruel husband, is destined to become a shield maiden by the side of a new king.

Despite her enchanted bloodline, Freya is given no respect by the new family she’s now part of except for Bjorn, appointed as her bodyguard and intended to be the heir to his kindred’s throne. That affection goes beyond familiar and could risk several lives directly. Can Freya take control of her own destiny and her heart?

As it turns out, all of my choices here happen to be the first in a series and if this book is as cinematically entertaining as it seems to be, I sincerely hope that BOTM gets the next installment as soon as may be:

If you’re interested in joining in for Sci-Fi and/or fantasy this June, there is still plenty of time to sign up for page turning fun. My thanks to Michelle Miller for helping us all start our summer reading off right and hope everyone enjoys Memorial Day weekend with a bit of magic in their hearts:

Being bewitched by The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch

 Out of the batch of books that I recently received for my birthday, the one that I dove into first was Melinda Taub’s fantastical take on Jane Austen’s most iconic novel with quite the twist.

To start with, our leading lady here is not Elizabeth or Jane or even Miss Mary Bennet; rather we have The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch. Yes, as it happens, Lydia is the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter (due to three elder sisters that didn’t survive their early years) and the first sign of magic that she has is being able to claim a cat as her familiar and turn her into a sister named Kitty.

Lydia’s powers are noticed by her Aunt Phillips, who gives her some instruction into the mystical arts yet there is a limit to her aunt’s knowledge that causes Lydia to seek alliances elsewhere as times goes on.

A major reason for Lydia to find more skilled witches to learn from is due to mistakenly giving a promise to an ancient entity awakened by her powers; one of the targets of its wrath is Kitty, who has very few defenses against such malevolent beings.

The bond between Lydia and Kitty is one of the strongest emotional connections in the book. While Lydia, true to her original version, can be silly and selfish, here her humanity in caring about Kitty’s welfare (to some extent) is a step in the proper direction when it comes to expanding the character:

In order to save Kitty as well as herself, Lydia must go to Brighton in order to find the Jewel of Propriety , a source of power sure to appease such a dangerous enemy.

There, Lydia teams up with Harriet Forster , the new young wife of the regimental commander whose soldiers include Mr. Wickham, who has a deep tie to Lydia’s nemesis and dark intentions of his own. Harriet’s magical prowess and social connections do help her young protege out with her search but her search but not without a price to pay along the way.

As this story is told mainly by Lydia herself (via a long letter of explanation to a certain party), I couldn’t help but hear these adventures chronicled in my head by the voice of Julia Sawalha, who played this character in the 1995 miniseries adaptation.

No offense to any other portrayal of Lydia (I do like the 2005 version quite a bit) but between this version of Pride and Prejudice plus her role as the straight edge daughter in Absolutely Fabulous, this is the go-to voice of the character for me:

 

Meanwhile, one of the many pleasures that Taub’s novels offers to Jane Austen fans are the expansions given to such supporting players such as Mary King, a brief rival for Wickham’s affection who is a more devious and capable opponent here.

A welcome surprise was the introduction of Miss Lambe, who comes to Brighton from Sanditon and turns out to be a major player in the game of power that Lydia finds herself in. Bringing such a character from Austen’s unfinished final book was a good choice and a well thought out one indeed.

As someone who did enjoy the three seasons of Sanditon that we got on Masterpiece, Taub’s depiction of Miss Lambe is very well suited to the lovely compelling one shown on the small screen, in my humble opinion:

All in all, The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch was the ideal Jane Austen flavored birthday cake sprinkled with magic and I wouldn’t mind having another slice of this charming tale again.

I do hope that other Austen admirers take up this tasty tome and devour it with joy. I know that some might prefer the standard edition of Pride and Prejudice (which is perfectly fine) but do allow for the rest of us to have a little fun here. 

Also, for new readers to Jane Austen, a rethinking about certain characters encourages more creative insights and makes our mutual enjoyment of Austen timeless and timely:

Finding some flea market and better world bookish delights this spring

I know that I said that my book buying would be taking a break after my big birthday book haul yet I couldn’t pass up a couple of small opportunities for new reads that came across my way.

For one, there’s a church in my area that holds a flea market twice a year; spring and fall. It’s close enough to my home that going there is a regular event to look forward to and while I picked up some nice new linens and a magazine rack, there were a couple of books that I added to my must-get pile.

One of those books was The Library of Legends by Janie Chang. In 1937, a nineteen year old student, Hu Lian, is forced to flee her university along with most of her classmates due to bombing raids upon the city of Nanking.

Hu is carrying a set of ancient texts that contain the legends of the Ming dynasty that she and others are entrusted to deliver to a safer location.

 Along the way, she starts to wonder if one of her traveling companions, Shao and his servant Sparrow, have more than a scholarly connection to the work they’re transporting. Could it be that one of these legends of lore has been right beside Lian all this time?

The premise sounds intriguing and it’s been awhile since I dive into some historical fiction there. This certainly should be a fine read for book lovers indeed:

I also stumbled across a classic Christie novel or should I say collection of short stories featuring the delightful Miss Marple.

The Thirteen Problems aka The Tuesday Murder Club, happens to be the earliest work that Agatha Christie wrote about Jane Marple and introduces us to her nephew Raymond and her home town of St. Mary Mead.

The main thread of a plot connection is a local club that shares tales of mysteries with its members, encouraging them to see if they can figure out the solution before being told by the story teller. Miss Marple is invited to sit in on one of these occasions and her sharp skills of observation and understanding of human nature do come in handy to say the least.

Since Miss Marple is my favorite Christie detective, this was a must have for me. Some of these stories have been adapted for the Miss Marple tv series over the years and it might be fun to check a couple of them out, particularly to see if they altered any of the endings (I hope they didn’t but you never know…).:

While I did skip my Book of the Month Club selection (hard to do but necessary!), it was difficult to resist getting a nice trio of books from Better World Books as they were having a sale and they had a cozy fantasy novel that I’ve heard so much about available!

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna features Mika Moon, who keeps her status as a real witch under wraps, apart from the online videos she makes about “witch core.”

A request is sent to her regarding a trio of orphans who need to learn how to reign in their magical talents and it’s an offer that Mika is unable to refuse.

While feeling somewhat free to be her true self among these fledgling witches, along with Jamie, one their guardians, Mika is wary of getting too close to them but when outsiders threaten to break up this happy home, she must decide whether to stay or go.

This is the first in a series but I just want to see if this book is as charming as I’ve seen almost everyone who’s read says it is. It would be nice to enjoy a new take on magic schooling, that’s for sure:

I rounded this purchase up with a pair of Nora Roberts suspense thrillers. Being almost done with her Irish Born books that started off my Trilogy Time challenge, I thought it would be good to try some of her standalone titles.

My picks were Hideaway and Identity, the latter being the newest one of that genre from her.

The leading lady of Identity is Morgan, whose life is turned upside when a serial killer steals her money and personal information, ending her roommate’s life by mistake in the gruesome bargain.

Morgan goes home to Vermont to rebuild what she’s lost, including family ties and manages to do so yet the killer is determined to claim the victim he missed out on. This time, however, Morgan is ready to defend what’s hers.

This sounds like some awesome summer reading and with the frenzied  news headlines we see everyday, a Nora Robert’s thrill ride is a welcome relief from all of that:

Well, a little light spring shopping is fun and helpful for my budget as my mom’s birthday is near the end of May and of course, Mother’s Day is right around the corner!

Happy Mother’s Day to all those who celebrate and may every one have a bit of flea market fun this season. It’s something good to unite with others about and we certainly need more unity these days as well as good books:

 

Some twists and turns, plus a surprising switch made on this Spring into Horror

The month of May has begun and so ends the Spring Into Horror readathon at Seasons of Reading (courtesy of Michelle Miller).

This reading challenge worked out pretty well for me as I got reacquainted with a familiar author, discovered a new one and swapped out one book for another that fit this theme as perfectly as a glove there.

I have enjoyed many of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s books over the years but the last one that I read to completion was Mexican Gothic. Her more recent titles, I’ve started and stopped (pressed pause as I like to put it) but not Silver Nitrate; this one was a total page turner of the best sort.

The main focus of the story is the friendship between Montserrat, a sound editor constantly undermined by the inherent sexism of her profession, and Tristan, a former TV star whose career crashed and burned after a car accident where he survived but the troubled woman who was driving did not.

As lifelong horror movie fans, meeting the aged director Abel Urueta, whose time in the spotlight vanished quickly, is a definite bright spot in their lives.

 When Abel reveals that his last movie was never completed and carries a curse upon it, he offers the two of them a chance at reversing their luck by helping him break the spell. They do so but the results are far and away from fortunate and more frightening than any terror film they’ve ever seen.

SM-G once again showcases her talent as a genre writer with true cinematic flair and the emotional nuances brought to her characters that make them larger than life. Hopefully when her next novel arrives this summer (The Seventh Veil of Salome in July), I will be ready like Freddy to buy that ticket to ride:

My next read after that was The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett. I first heard about this book from Booktuber Mara(Books Like Whoa) who praised it to the skies. Her recommendation was not only a good one, it’s made me seek out of this author’s work.

Told by a series of text messages, emails and transcripts of recorded conversations, we follow a pair of British reporters, Amanda Bailey and Oliver Menzies, who are both assigned to write a book about a long ago sensational crime involving a cult that intended foul play with a baby believed to be the Antichrist.

Seeing no choice but to work together, Amanda and Oliver decide to see if they can find the baby who survived the ordeal and is now about to turn eighteen for the crux of their true crime story. However, the deeper they go in, the longer and stranger this particular rabbit hole goes defies any wonderland indeed.

I don’t want to give anything away so let’s just say that this book is a fantastic thriller that keeps you guessing up to the end and is well worth the trip. It’s like watching an entire season of one of those excellent British mystery series and appreciating all of the hard work put into such creative storytelling there:

Now, I was planning on having my final read here be Jessica Knoll’s acclaimed Bright Young Women but while I start it, my reading mind wanted something a little less stressful.

So I put that aside and picked up The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose, the follow up to the sleeper bestseller The Maid. Our leading lady is Molly, the maid accused unjustly of murder at the Regency Grand Hotel a few years ago and now has the title of Head Maid with more responsibilities than ever before.

One of those responsibilities is preparing a reception for famed mystery writer J.D. Grimthorpe, who is planning a special announcement for the public. Before he can make his statement, Grimthorpe adds more honey to his cup of tea which proves to be a truly fatal mistake.

His sudden demise is due to poison and a wide array of suspects are available, including Molly who did place the honey pot on the tea cart herself. Also, she hasn’t told anyone about the past encounter she and her late grandmother had with Grimthorpe that might be the roots of a motive…

I did enjoy The Maid and was interested enough to tackle the second book, which moves at a brisker pace than the first one. The tone is a touch lighter but in a good way that does make you want to follow Molly on her quirky detective adventures, much like that new show Elsbeth which is Columbo meets The Good Wife/Fight(that’s a compliment, I assure you!):

I do hope that everyone who joined in for this scary reading fun had a great bookish time(thank you as always to Michelle Miller for making this possible!) and I am pretty much ready for Sci-Fi Summer this upcoming June.

Although, my TBR for that event is more in the fantasy realm (which is allowed) particularly Romania’s, that new flavor of fiction these days. I do think that maybe it’s not as new because I can make a good argument that the Xanadu movie is very much a romantasy with music but nevertheless, I will dive into this genre with an open mind and literary heart:

 

A birthday book haul with some library love

Yesterday was my birthday and much thanks to all those who wished me well. How I spent the day , we’ll get to in a moment but first I need to share my delight in the many books I received as presents!

Some of these books are already earmarked for a readathon or two this summer so I won’t go into them just yet. One of the titles that I am happy to highlight is Iron Flame, the second entry in Rebecca Yarros’ series that started with the breakout bestseller Fourth Wing.

Book two chronicles the further adventures of Violet Sorrengail aka Violence, as she continues her dragon rider training while being separated from Xaden, her reluctant romantic partner whose dragon is bonded to one of the two that she has at her side.

In addition to Xaden’s absence, Violet also has to deal with the secrets and lies that she’s discovered about the true nature of her country’s enemies as well as a new vice commander targeting her for what she may know.

I know full well that many people who read the first book are not fond of this follow up (to put it mildly) but I found Fourth Wing to be fine popcorn entertainment and not placing high expectations on what’s to come here.

Don’t get me wrong; I do want to be reasonably engaged with the book and by that standard, this should be fun. Besides, a girl and her dragon tale is hard to resist:

One of my birthday books that I definitely will be reading this June for the Sci-Fi Summer readathon is Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater.

This Regency England set fantasy’s leading lady is Dora Etting, who suffers from the title affliction due to a fairy land noble making off with the part of her inner being that feels emotion.

Seeking restoration, Dora and her cousin Vanessa go to London in order to claim the assistance of the Lord Sorcier who may be able to cure her condition. However, that remoteness comes in handy when a mysterious plague of supernatural origins sweeps the town, giving her a distinct advantage in finding a solution for that sinister situation.

I’ve heard so many wonderful things about this story that sounds much like a Bridgerton with magic creation that my anticipation levels are considerably high indeed:

Meanwhile, my big birthday plans revolved around a trip to my local library where I just had to borrow a few choice morsels off the shelves.

One of those tempting treats was Nisha Sharma’s Dating Dr.Dil, which happens to be a modern take on a classic Shakespeare play.

On her thirtieth birthday, Kareena learns that her father is planning to sell the house that her late mother owned and that she herself is emotionally attached to. To stop this from happening, she promises her father that she’ll get engaged to be married within the next four months.

Kareena winds up making an agreement with Prem, who needs good PR for his charitable endeavor, to pretend to be engaged to him. However, this plan is proving to be very hard to abide by as time goes on, especially when these “fake” feelings become all too real.

This new twist on Taming of the Shrew sounds like a lively page turner that ought to be as romantically amusing as any funky film adaptation of this story:

I also added a pair of mysteries to the mix, one of which was The Appeal by Janice Hallet.

When a sudden death occurs among a small theatrical group with complicated family ties, two law students are assigned the not enviable task of sorting out the paperwork for the legal proceeding of the title.

As they sort through the mass of emails and other documents relating to this case, a pattern of potential deception begins to emerge that could explain why murder charges were brought but was the right suspect named? And if not, who might it actually be?

Recently, I finished reading one of Hallett’s newer books, The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, and that book was amazingly good. I will talk more about it once the Spring into Horror readathon is over but I am very happy to have made the effort to get a copy upon the recommendation of Books Like Whoa’s Mara indeed.

 Finding the author’s debut novel at the library like this was a grand stroke of serendipity and a strong sign of the tension to come within the book is that the theater company in question was planning on performing Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, quite the dramatic feast to savor:

After this, I am planning to take a mini break from book buying (for a while at least!) but don’t regret getting any of these reads at all.

What with summer hiatus coming up for some of my favorite shows and the headlines in the news getting more stressful by the day, a few good books on hand is truly a must have these days. Although I must say that I’m grateful to my family and friends for giving me their attention and support on my special day. This definitely has been one week to treasure in more ways than one:

 

 

Trilogy Time thaws out from being Born in Ice

 I wasn’t planning on updating my Trilogy Time reading challenge so soon but it turns out that I have a few thoughts to share about the middle book of this Nora Roberts trio, Born in Ice.

This second installment of her Irish Born trilogy focuses on Brianna, the younger sister of the previous novel’s fiery natured leading lady, Maggie May. Unlike her straightforward sibling, Brianna prefers a quieter life and tends to be the peacemaker in most situations, especially when it comes to Maggie and their constantly complaining mother Maeve.

Brianna makes her living by having her house become a bed and breakfast stop for tourists (back in those ancient days before Air B&B!), which works out well for her there. However, when she gets a lengthy reservation from an American writer, both host and guest find their lives changing in more ways than one.

The writer in question is Grayson Thorne, known for his successful string of suspense thrillers as well as never settling down in one place for too long. The man even sells his books to publishers in single shot deals,that’s how determined he is to come and go as he pleases!

Grayson intends to finish his latest book by finding some inspiration in Ireland yet it’s not long until Brianna becomes his true muse.

 There are scenes where she and Grayson walk about local ruins and even a castle at one point, with Brianna sharing a few legends passed down through the ages that hit his creativity like a thunder bolt; some of my favorite moments of this story as it’s like watching someone’s imagination unfold right in front of you:

Brianna’s calm demeanor is tested quite a bit, not only by the growing feelings between her and Grayson but a few secrets and lies regarding her family(one of which leads into the third book in this trilogy)coming to light.

Woe betide anyone thinking that Brianna is either a meek and mild miss or a cold hearted creature; while she knows when to chill her passions (a self protective mode for the most part), her wrath when unleashed is something to behold, even making her sister Maggie step back from those flames of fury.

At heart, though, Brianna is a loving soul who needs to learn to put her needs at the top of the list instead of the bottom and Grayson has to learn to face his nonfictional fears of allowing himself to make a long term commitment beyond completing a book.

It’s that mix and match of emotional intelligence that makes their romance as engaging and thoughtful a read ,almost like a duet of elemental proportions:

So right now I am in the midst of  Born in Shame, the last entry in this trio where we meet Shannon, a third sister born in America to a very different mother than Brianna and Maggie((yep, one of those family secrets uncovered there!).

Grieving the recent loss of her mother, Shannon is invited to meet her new found sisters and while that initial getting to know you deal is both awkward and enlightening, she also might find a potential love connection in Murphy, a longtime friend of the Concannon sisters.

So far, this reading time with Nora Roberts has been a lovely experience and when I make my next trip to the library, maybe I can find some of her other books to enjoy. Taking a chance on something new can definitely pay off, particularly when it means more page turning pleasure to come:

The lingering legacy of Carrie

April is a crucial month for Stephen King fans as this year marks the fiftieth anniversary of his debut novel Carrie, which began his career as well as set a tone for women in horror.

Even after so many decades, the legend of Carrie White still resonates and not just due to the various takes on her story. There’s something about Carrie that is sadly timeless and needs to be talked about.

My first encounter with Carrie was not the book(my first King read is in a similar vein that I’ll get to in a moment); it was the 1976 Hollywood film starring Sissy Spacek in the title role. While that movie does have its flaws, it excels with great character performances and by that standard, Spacek is still the killer queen here.

The relatable realism that she brought to this portrayal of an awkward outsider who becomes the doomed prom queen makes you root for Carrie , even when she unleashes hell on her high school tormentors. Despite the path of destruction she ultimately trods upon, you still want Carrie to reach a better place yet that was never in the cards for her:

My first Stephen King read happened to be Christine, which was dubbed “the male Carrie” but one of the main differences between these troubled teenagers is the power dynamic each is held to.

While Carrie is a complete outsider in her own hometown, Arnie Cunningham is not totally friendless-in fact, a good portion of the story is told through Dennis, Arnie’s best childhood friend who sees the signs that his nerdy pal is changing and not for the better with his new car obsession.

It stuck me upon thinking about both books that Carrie has no friends at all-the only constant connection in her life is her demented mother(the support from her gym teacher is too recent to offer any comfort or guidance once the vicious prank at prom occurs). 

Even classmate Sue Snell’s penance for an earlier incident is done remotely via the loan of her boyfriend Tommy. Perhaps if Sue had tried to talk to Carrie herself, things might’ve been different. Perhaps not as even Dennis couldn’t save Arnie from his own highway to hell.

In many ways, Christine is a bittersweet buddy story as Dennis tries to pull his friend back from the automotive abyss that is claiming him slowly but surely. Also, there are moments when Arnie(mostly in the movie version but a little in the book) seems to revel in his new found source of power, a luxury not granted to Carrie at all:

Along with friendlessness, Carrie is also imbued with a deep sense of guilt and shame about her powers, a trait that has been passed down to other paranormal heroines as well.

From Buffy Summers to Jean Grey and currently Eleven of Stranger Things, young women with supernatural gifts are made to feel “out of control “ with their abilities, which are their own birthright. More often than not, men are around to teach or take command of them and show them the “right” way to use them, usually meaning to  disconnect from their emotions.

Even when briefly unable to use their powers, any act of forcefulness is seen as shocking with the sense of fear about their own violent capabilities stopping these young women in their tracks. While reflecting upon your actions is a good thing, it does make you wonder why this particular prompt is placed on women and girls more often here:

I’m not blaming King for this at all; if anything, he tapped into that double standard and showcased it for all to see.

What does seem to be a positive change for those Carrie themed characters is pursuing the need for human connection; friendship helped Buffy(and later her best friend Willow) from being consumed by her powers and Eleven being  raised as a lab experiment becoming able to develop some true humanity is due in part to the gang of friends she’s made along the way.

Even Jean Grey has had her moments of clarity from her bonds with other mutant friends and able to make her own choices regarding her own power.

 Perhaps this is why Carrie is still relevant today-too many women and girls are feeling powerless despite what they bring to the table. Encouraging them to trust in their own abilities and make their own choices seems to be threatening to certain people. 

Carrie shows how dark that path can get without any sincere guidance and yet, has empathy for its leading lady, another quality in short supply these days. 

Hopefully, in the next fifty years, things may change for other women learning to deal with power and a story like Carrie White’s is merely a reflection of the past rather than what lies ahead. Perhaps Carrie’s legacy can be reborn as a phoenix in both fiction and fact:

 

Let the bookish birthday bliss begin!

 

They say April is the cruelest month but if it happens to be your birth month, as it is mine, then there’s plenty of good times to be had!

Of course, my idea of a good time is new books and that started off with selecting a trio of fresh reads from Book of the Month Club.

I was beyond thrilled to see that Abby Jimenez’s  Just for the Summer was a main selection! Having just read Part of your World and Yours Truly back to back, this book is definitely going to be cherry on top of this romance flavored sundae.

The story begins with Emma, a traveling nurse who reads an online forum entry from a guy named Justin in Minnesota that says his love life seems to be cursed as every woman he’s broken up with instantly finds her soul mate -the most recent ex girlfriend winds up with his best friend!

Since Emma has similar luck in love, the two of them decide to date each other over the summer as a way to break the mutual jinxes on their romantic futures. However, things become more complicated as time goes on and this supposedly seasonal fling may lead to something more serious there.

Jimenez has a wonderful flair for mixing an emotional cocktail of romance, humor and sincere heartache that keeps every element in perfect page turning balance. This book should be a real blockbuster of a read indeed:

One of the benefits of a long term BOMC membership is getting a free book for your birthday and my choice for that honor is a debut novel, How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang.

YA author Helen Zhang is thrilled to have one of her bestsellers be adapted for TV and is excited to move to LA to work with the team of writers involved.

Unfortunately, one of those writers she knows all too well: Grant Shepard, who was part of a personal tragedy for Helen’s family back in their mutual high school days.

Working with Grant is difficult at best yet she comes to see that perhaps he’s not the villain of the story here. Rather, the two of them might be able to heal from their shared pain of the past by creating a new bond of love in the present towards a better future.

This does sound intriguing and taking a chance on a debut novel is a great gift for any reader to give to themselves. Plus, as it turns out, Kuang is no stranger to TV as she’s written and directed several streaming series, including I Ship It for the CW(she is also adapting an Emily Henry novel for the big screen). Such insider knowledge is a good creative canvas to spread your imagination upon:

Just for something completely different, my last selection was 

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz.

When frustrated writer Alex gets the opportunity to attend a month long workshop held by renowned author Roza Vello, it seems almost too good to be true.

Doubts begin to surface as Roza issues a challenge to all assembled; complete a fully written novel within the month and the best one will receive a major publishing deal. On top of that, Alex has to deal with Wren, an old rival who relishes the chance to rub fresh salt into Alex’s emotional wounds.

However, when of the other attendees goes missing, the stakes become considerably higher and Alex finds herself having to choose between potential literary success and her own safety.

I have heard some good word of mouth about this book since it came out last year and felt like giving it a try. Also, this “women in isolation “ genre has being steadily gaining traction and I would like to engage with it more in book form:

While I do have to wait a few days for my BOMC box to arrive, in my mailbox today was a package from Better World Books, which did have a nice spring sale that I couldn’t resist.

Along with two more Maisie Dobbs mysteries(Birds of a Feather and Pardonable Lies), I went with Sarah Penner’s The Lost Apothecary.

As modern day American Caroline visits London as a means of getting over her cheating husband, she stumbles onto a mystery involving a strange vial that has a near etched into its surface.

This vial may have belonged to Nella, a 17th century apothecary who used her skills to create poisons for women seeking retribution against men who did them wrong. Nella’s death was deemed a suicide but was it really? Can Caroline’s investigation reveal the truth or is she setting herself up for a scarily similar fate?

This blend of history with mystery and perhaps a touch of magic sounds very enchanting and I’m happy to have it in hand as I speak:

I am getting more books for my birthday but will talk about them when that time comes. After the hectic days of wind and rain in my neck of the woods, it’s soothing to have a nice new book or two to start the month off with in a pleasant way. 

Also looking forward to making April a month long celebration-nothing too fancy, some good books, time with loved ones and maybe indulge in a Hallmark channel movie there-how can I ignore something called Blind Date Book Club, seriously? That’s like asking a baker to not notice a cake convention!: