It’s time to discuss everything you’re reading and then we’ll all go buy books.
Ok, I will go buy books because I’m in a bit of a slump. The last three books on my list that I tried (yes, I keep a list – it’s the only way I’ll remember what I’m supposed to be reading when) just did not work for me at all. Huge bummer! I started making frustrated noises one afternoon and Hubby turned to me and said, “Another book you don’t like!?” This is not usually what happens when I build a list of books I want to read. So bummed out, I can’t even.
So this month, I’m going to be reading everyone’s recommendations with a lot of interest!
Redheadedgirl:
I’m reading When a Scot Ties a Knot, the new Tessa Dare, and just finished Begging for It by Lilah Pace ( A | K | G | AB ) and Delicious by Sherry Thomas ( A | BN | K | G | AB ).
Elyse:
I’m reading What a Lass Wants by Rowan Keats. It’s a medieval Scottish historical with royal intrigue. I’m also reading Naked by Eliza Redgold ( A | K | G | AB ), a historical novel about Lady Godiva. And because I multi-task I’m reading An Abundance of Katherines by John Green ( A | BN | K | G | AB )but I think I’m going to give up on it because it’s really not doing anything for me.
Amanda:
Right now, I’m reading Need Me by Tessa Bailey. This is the second book in her Broke & Beautiful series. I loved the first book, Chase Me ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Scribd ), and I’m anxiously awaiting the third book, Make Me ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) – blue collar hero and Type A heroine. YASSSS. Bailey has some of the most hilarious characters and dialogue I’ve read in a long time. After that, I think I’m going to try my first Christina Lauren – Sweet, Filthy Boy ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au ).
Have you read anything good this month? What books did you knock off your TBR pile? Whatcha reading?
Shopping note:
After a Whatcha Reading? discussion, Lisa M emailed me to ask if I could link the books mentioned in the comments to the various retailers to make shopping a little easier. I wish I could! But I can drop some retailer links for you right here, so that if you feel like shopping, you can select your preferred retailer.
Some of these links are affiliate-enabled, and SBTB receives a percentage commission from purchases made. If you use them, many thanks. If you don’t want to us them, no worries, mate! (And if your preferred retailer isn’t here, let me know and I’ll add it for you if I can!)
I have been lucky recently. No less than five books on the wishlist have been discounted to 1.99 the last 10 days. Right now I am reading The Secret History of Mongol Queens. It is good!
Before that I read The Raisonne curse by Rinda Elliot. Recommended! I also read Edge of Dreams by Diana Pharaoh Francis. Also Recommended.
Pretty good reading/listening this month! So far, I’ve listened to:
– The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold (Scribd) – the first audiobook in this series I’ve picked up and I think I’ll continue in this format, it’s so … adventure-y
– Summer is for Lovers by Jennifer McQuistin (Scribd) – I LOVED all the swimming. Did not expect it
– Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews (Overdrive) – liked the book, but didn’t love listening to Curran’s voice
– Blood Rites / Dead Beat by Jim Butcher (Scribd) – I love James Marsters’s narration so much. He makes this series for me
I’ve read:
– Love, Life, and Elephants: An African Love Story by Daphne Sheldrick (library) – I wanted to like this but I just wasn’t feeling it
– Alice + Freda Forever: A Murder in Mephis by Alexis Coe (owned hardback) – so good, SO GOOD. And there are illustrations of the letters and stuff! And it’s going to be a movie!
– American Ghost: A Family’s Haunted Past in the Desert Southwest by Hannah Nordhaus (library) – I thank this book for teaching me about German Jews who moved to New Mexico in the 1800’s. I had no idea
– The Seduction of Moxie by Colette Moody (Scribd) – Scribd’s awful decision to slash romance titles came just as I had decided to read more f/f romance, it’s so upsetting, these never go on sale! This book wasn’t a winner for me, but I did learn I like Hollywood lesbian romances, so, if you’ve got any recommendations??
– Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews (Overdrive) – I really liked the Andrea/Rapheal romance!
Currently listening to & reading:
– The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray (Scribd) – I’m loving this trilogy
– North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell (Kindle) – Well, technically. I’m halfway through, but I definitely like the miniseries better
– Waiting in the Wings by Melissa Brayden (Scribd) – F/F Hollywood romance and I love it, yay!! I haven’t loved a romance this much this year since A Bollywood Affair!
I’ve just finished a Mary Balogh binge, all the Slightly and Simply books in two weeks plus a few others. I liked almost all of them, just a few annoying ones in the mix. But now I have a case of regency fatigue and and trying to pick something completely different next, just haven’t started anything yet. I have piles and piles to choose from.
My current audiobook is Tanya Huff’s Silvered. It is unexpectedly brutal at parts. I’m not fond of the narrator’s voice but it’s still an enjoyable tale.
After a rather slumpy first half of the year, I signed up for my local library’s summer reading program, in the hopes that firm goals and a deadline would help.
Recently I read, and loved, Swordspoint, by Ellen Kushner, Vision in Silver, by Anne Bishop and Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman. None are romances, but there are some romantic undercurrents to all of them.
After getting frustrated by my progress on Dhalgren, by Samuel R. Delany, I just started Santa Olivia, by Jacqueline Carey. No idea if either has anything resembling a romance. (The former, I’m pretty sure doesn’t.)
I have been in such a book slump lately; it’s lasted for months. My DNF pile is shameful and most of them are a case of, “It’s not you – it’s me.” I just can’t seem to get into anything.
I did, however, finish Hot Head by Damon Suede which I enjoyed for its sheer over-the-top qualities. I also read In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume. Having grown up with Margaret, Deenie and Katherine, hearing Blume’s voice again was like sitting down with an old friend. Otherwise, I retreated to my usual go-to when I can’t find anything worth reading and reread Kathleen Gilles Seidel; in this instance it was Don’t Forget to Smile.
A friend recommended a slightly older series to me way back in December, but I only just started reading it — Enchanted, Inc., by Shanna Swendson. I have glommed ridiculously. I read the first book on Wednesday, and today I am going to finish up book six and get started on book seven (the last one). Thee books have all been $4.99, so it hasn’t even been too expensive.
I’ve been in a slump as well. Because I do think it’s me mostly, it does seem like everything out there is the same-old, same-old. So I’m rereading. Might as well read the books the new books remind me of, right? So to that end, I’m rereading Shannon McKenna’s series. I started with Edge of Midnight, Sean and Liv’s story, but have to go back to Standing in the Shadows, Erin and Connor’s. Love McKenna’s alpha men. She knew how to write alphas without making them too mean. I have no idea when I’ll read a new book again, but right now I’m happy.
I just never seem to have as much time for for reading during summer as I have the rest of the year; there’s always something else to do and people to see, and because most of my reading is done while commuting … well, there’s no commuting during vacation, so less reading.
I have managed to listen to the audio version of “Uprooted” by Naomi Novik – I only have an hour or so left. It’s great. I love the mix of fairy tale, fantasy and horror. Not so much romance, but what little there is is just great.
Then I’ve read a few ebooks: “So wide the sky” by Elizabeth Grayson, it’s an older (late 90’s perhaps?) book turned digital I think inspired by the story about Olive Oatman who was captured by Indians and lived with them for five or so years. The main character has a similar fate as well as a clearly visible tattoo on her face, which makes her adjustment to “civilized” life so much harder. Great story as well as a great lovestory!
“The long fall of night” by A.J. Rose, is a M/M dystopian fiction with quite a bit of romance thrown into the mix. A light read, but definitely enjoyable if you like the apocalypse/post-apocalypse trend that seems to be a thing now. This has no zombies, but what may be a more likely reason for society’s collapse.
I also started a bunch of other books, but due to other activities, I lost interest and never finished them.
I just finished ‘Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy’ which I loved, although it did make me want to go off and read more about the peripheral characters. There was one gorgeous quote from the journal of a bored prostitute in there – something about a godly Confederate general wanting to pray for her sins when he was done availing himself of her services – and I think that I would quite happily read her entire journal with footnotes. I’ve just started Rita Mae Brown’s ‘High Hearts’ on the recommendation of somebody from here.
At the gym, I’m reading my way through Sarah Lyons Fleming’s ‘Until the End of the World’ series because I can’t concentrate on anything more challenging on the elliptical. It is junky apocalyptic zombie fiction, but actually quite GOOD junky apocalyptic zombie fiction, and I like the central romance of the series very much.
I don’t know if I could call it a slump, per se, but I found “The Martian” SO good that I’m having trouble getting into anything else.
I’m reading Redshirts by John Scalzi and snickering my way through it. It’s a quick, funny, sharp read, which is exactly what I need, since I too, have been fighting slumpage. I also finished Grave Phantoms by Jenn Bennett this week. Loved the main couple and the setting, felt rather meh about the paranormal plot. I don’t feel like it was well fleshed out. I’m also reading Bone: Tall Tales with my little girl and have Gotham Academy and Zita the Spacegirl for when we’re done with that (we read graphic novels together, unless it’s Saga, Rat Queens, or Sex Criminals, because those I’m not reading with her, she can have at those when she’s 17-18 years old).
I recently read the John Scalzi series (starts with “something soldiers” (or something) and really enjoyed it. It was like revisiting my youth of reading Heinlein, Asimov, EE Doc Smith etc etc. I also read Uprooted by Naomi Novik and highly recommend it.
In m/m at the behest of an amazon m/m book group I belong to, I read Josh Lanyon’s Adrien English series, which I thought was good. They improve as they go along. If you really enjoy mystery books, you will get a kick out of these. The POV character owns a mystery bookshop, and the narration is very enmeshed in the American mystery canon. In terms of plot, the final book has the best mystery. There is a romance plot that trails its’ way through the series. I think these are quality books, but I think I am more a Damon Suede reader than a Josh Lanyon reader. (this is tantamount to saying in the romance world, “I don’t really like Courtney Milan or Loretta Chase!”).
I haven’t read much this week because I’ve been busy moving. Some books I did get my hand on this month were Teton Sunrise and Teton Splendor( books 1 and 2 of the Teton Romance series ) both are awesome “dawn of the west” romances which basically mean they’re set at the beginning of Manifest Destiny and the h/h are simple pioneers which I don’t see a lot. Most romance novels novels around this time period seem to about Cowboys or British heiresses ( too be fair the heroine in Teton Splender starts as a Rich, spoiled American heiress, but she gets better
and is half-native American). I give those two books a high recommendation.
Currently I’m reading a steampunk Middlegrade book called Flights and Chimes and Mysterious
Times . It’s all right.
Lastly my husband bought me a mythology collection about various “goddesses” from many different mythologies ( goddesses also means characters like Eve and Lilith from The Bible)and I look forward to starting it.
I read “In the Midnight Rain” by Barbara Samuel and wow was that an awesome book. I think it’s categorized as women’s fiction (which I usually don’t gravitate towards), but it has a beautiful romance built in.
I followed that up with “Taming the Legend” by Kat Latham which was really enjoyable. I think I have a definite rugby fetish evolving.
I DNF’d “The Viking Wants Forever” by Koko Brown. Awful, immature, inconsistent, dreck you book which has the most awesome cover. Oh well, at least I can ogle the cover model!
I got back on track with two really great books: “Roark” by Jacqueline Rhodes is a surprisingly well written alien invaders on Earth romance which had well written, smart characters and a fun plot. “Burn” by Suzanne Wright starts off a new series about demons. Super sexy and entertaining. I just wish I didn’t have to wait for the next book.
My favorite read this month was The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal by KJ Charles (m/m, pnr) and it was so good – it’s an homage to Victorian occult pulp fiction and the story of a decades long secret relationship. Plus, ghost stories.
@Des Livres: Old Man’s War? I don’t think Scalzi has any other series yet. (I think Lock In is getting a sequel, which makes me happy because I really liked that one.)
I also read the next story in several of my favorite m/m series and they were all OK to meh – On The Clock (Market Garden) by Aleksandr Voinov and LA Witt, Shotgun (Coda series) by Marie Sexton, and Tigers on the Run by Sean Kennedy. I was most disappointed in the Marie Sexton – the romance was kind of blah, but it was fun to hang out in Coda again.
And I’m reading the Lord of the White Hell series by Ginn Hale (YA, mm, fantasy). I’ve finished the first book and there’s no hfn – I’m assuming / hoping there will be one at the end of the second and final book. It’s a fantasy school type book – it reminds me a bit of the Harper Hall books and the first Earthsea book. The romance is low key and the coming of age story is good.
I finished Rebecca Zanetti’s Wicked Shift last week and really liked it. It’s a spinoff of the Dark Protectors series, which I have not read, but plan to. I also just finished Bengal’s Quest by Lora Leigh and it was meh for me. It just seemed like she kept repeating things to fill up the word count.
My current read is When a Beta Roars by Eve Langlais. Her books always work for me and this is no exception. After that, we’ll see where the mood takes me. I have so many books on my reader it is overwhelming. I totally blame ARe and their 50% off sales.
I just read and really enjoyed Agnes Moor’s Wild Knight by Alyssa Cole. Very charming medieval.
Lostshadows:
Yes, Old Man’s War. I am abolutely horrible at titles. In my treebook days I’d ring up the romance bookstore and say “margaret can you send me the new Eloisa James?” and she’d say “you mean pleasure for pleasure?”….like I’d have a clue.
I was disappointed by the new Coda book as well (Marie Sexton). Everyone I’ve heard from about it was disappointed by the romance but liked hanging out with the people again. Me too. There is a new Andrew Grey book out, I have no idea what it’s called, but I’m off to read it. His work vacillates between okay-nice way to pass the time, to Really Good. It’s great if you enjoy his work, because he releases a book every month or so.
Bit of an unintentional Lauren Dane binge in that Opening Up and Back to You both hit the top of respective tbr piles (Kindle and books I own). Then there was Shannon McKenna’s In For The Kill for a crazysause wallow. I happily snapped up a copy of the first book in Molly O’Keefe’s first trilogy “Can’t Buy Me Love” when I spied it in HPB. There was a heady hum of good book noise floating through the house the whole time I was reading. Fell for the sale post on Silk Is For Seduction. Why do I not read more Laura Chase? Why? This morning I finished Uprooted and while I didn’t love it the way I do her Temeraire books I did enjoy it quite a bit. Lastly, in complete change of pace I’m a couple chapters into I Am Pilgrim a thriller by Terry Hayes, and it is calling my name, so, bye.
@Tracy: Yes, the Enchanted, Inc series is great! Read the first four when they were published and then there was a gap after her publisher dropped her before she self-published the rest I think. I need to finish the series.
Have discovered D.E. Stevenson, read both Miss Buncle’s Book and Miss Buncle Married – it felt like watching an old Cary Grant movie – loved them! Glad Sourcebooks is republishing these. Have moved on to The Martian, the rest of the family passed it around before I could get my hands on it but it’s finally my turn.
I’m listening to JR Ward’s THE SHADOWS. Oy. And ugh. But I’ve a long drive ahead of me and the agony of it should keep me awake.
Finished Catherynne M. Valente’s magical and fabulous THE BOY WHO LOST FAIRYLAND and nearly wept through the first chapters. Hawthorne is a young troll kidnapped by the Golden Wind, who takes him to Chicago. He grows up a changeling, a “normal” boy, except his troll nature makes him so decidedly not normal, and watching him learn to conform and be what his parents want broke my heart. He triumphs, but when I think of friends and relatives whose kids don’t fit in, you have to wonder if we’re all trying to make them into something they aren’t intended to be. Still, another outstanding and imaginative fairy tale from one of my favorite authors.
I’m currently trying to read as many of my soon to expire Scribd books as possible. I’m concentrating on Karina Bliss, Sarah Mayberry, and Jill Challis’s backlists. I really liked Karina Bliss’s What the Librarian Did; librarian heroines with rock star heroes are my catnip. It was the first book I read by her and after I read it I realized that it actually is connected to Rise, which I bought a few weeks ago but haven’t read yet.
Other Scribd books I read once the romance purge was announced were:
The Weaver Takes a Wife by Sheri Cobb Smith, I loved the whole snobby daughter of a duke heroine and rich, unrefined, self-made hero storyline
One Night with the Bachelor and Two Nights with His Bride by Kat Latham- I enjoyed Bachelor more than Bride but both were good
Mr. Unforgettable by Karina Bliss- I’m so glad I finally checked out Karina Bliss’s books. This, and What the Librarian Did, were my favorites of the Harlequin romances I read through Scribd this month.
Wrongfully Accused by Ana Barrons- I don’t read a lot of romantic suspense books but I enjoyed this one. It dragged on a little long in places but I liked the heroine/hero and the conflict felt real.
True Pretenses by Rose Lerner- I enjoyed this one. This is the second book by Lerner that I’ve read and I would say I appreciate her writing but something keeps me from loving her books the way some do. I can’t quite place what keeps me from loving them. I loved both the hero (a Jewish grifter that is trying to set his brother up with the heroine so he can be happy) and the heroine (strong, politically and socially active but needs to get her hands on her inheritance by marrying to continue her good works) and the storyline but it took me a while to get through.
The Daring Exploits of a Runaway Heiress by Victoria Alexander- this one was fun but the hero’s deception went on too long
Something About a Cowboy- Sarah M. Anderson- This is a sweet novella about a 45 year old widower and a 33 year old divorcee trying to move on and find companionship. It was really well developed for a novella.
Starlight by Carrie Lofty- I loved the setting of the mines and the backdrop of the union trying to fight for better conditions but overall it was a little boring and I kept thinking I missed parts but when I went back to check, I hadn’t.
The rest of the Harlequins I read on Scribd, all were decent but nothing special, include Burning Up by Sarah Mayberry, The Street Where She Lives by Jill Shalvis, and Flashpoint by Jill Shalvis.
Non Scribd books:
Uprooted by Naomi Novik- I found about this book on past Whatcha Reading posts and decided to check it out of my local library’s elibrary. I loved it. Magic, political strategy and a strong heroine is always a good combination.
The Friend Zone by Kristen Callahan- I’m sure this isn’t a perfect book but I loved it. Easily my favorite read this month. I loved the banter and friendship between the hero and heroine. There wasn’t a lot of conflict but what there was was well done.
Longing by Mary Balogh- This was another one from my library I really liked this one as well. It had a similar backdrop of Welsh coal mines and unions but both the plot and love story were better done.
The Hotter You Burn by Gena Showalter- I received an arc of this from a goodreads giveaway and enjoyed it overall. It took me a while to warm up to the heroine because she started off wanting to find a husband to give her a better life. It took her a while to realize that she liked the independence of making her own way but it did happen. The hero was sweet but I felt the conflict of his pushing the heroine away because he wasn’t cut out for commitment dragged on too long and got a little repetitive.
A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley- This was another library book. I loved the heroine who had Asperger’s and the very sweet, understanding father. All the supporting character were great and the historical storyline worked just as well for me as the contemporary.
Carolina Man by Virginia Kantra- I listened to this on audio. Loved the military hero trying to do right by the daughter he recently found out he had and the heroine lawyer who was trying to help people out of the type of bad domestic situations she grew up in.
Currently I’m reading One Good Reason by Sarah Mayberry on Scribd. It’s a little slow-going which I think is actually a sign I’m starting a reading slump and not due to the book content. After that I’ll continue to try to read as many expiring Scribd books in my library as possible. I’m very disappointed that so many romance books are leaving the service but I did the year long subscription and feel that I’ve already paid for the service. There’s still several books in my library that don’t seem to be expiring and the audiobook selection is great so I’m not as mad about the change as many people.
While not romance, I just finished Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel.
Amazing. One of the best books I’ve read in a long time.
I just finished the Katharine Ashe trilogy that begins with I Married The Duke. This is yet another rec I got here on the site, and might not have picked up otherwise. I really liked the first book, liked the second book, and LOVED the third book (it was stuffed full of catnip). Also finished Julia Quinn’s Just Like Heaven, which was a perfectly nice little book. Kind of like a Golden Retriever in book form.
Now I’m reading something COMPLETELY different – again, a rec from SBTB – Emma Holly’s The Billionaire Bad Boys’ Club. It’s better than I expected!
Next on the list: I’ll finally get around to reading Dreams of Gods and Monsters, which will require me to reread Laini Taylor’s first two wonderful books since it’s been a few years.
Sorry, to clarify a couple things in my previous post. Jill Shalvis instead of Challis. Also in my description of Desperate Fortune I said sweet father and I meant father hero (he has a son from a past relationship with another character in the book).
Just finished Indigo by Beverly Jenkins (thanks, Bitchery) and loved it beyond belief. Good story and lots of important history as a natural part of the story. Really liked the way John Brown was included. Sadly, it will not be on Scribd after mid August. I also read Blame It on Bath by Caroline Linden and enjoyed that. I read Polarity in Motion by Brenda Vicars, a YA that has some romance but is really about bullying in high school and living with emotional illness in the family. It was a teeny over the top in spots but that seemed appropriate, given the illness. I enjoyed it, too.
Currently reading Jennifer Crusie’s “Fast Women” which is so much screwball fun I’m tempted to call it a romp.
Recently finished Leigh Michaels’ Regency “The Wedding Affair” which features three heroines, and I do so enjoy odd numbers. I think she works in all three gals’ stories very well, and like that they’re in varying states in their lives (one’s widowed with a daughter, one’s in a quasi-arranged/business marriage that she’d like to see get more sex-ay, and one’s recently lost her remaining parent).
Also recently finished a book from Imogen Roberts’ Georgian-era mystery series, “Circle of Shadows” aka the Crowther and Westerman series. I’m largely into this series because in my mind Crowther looks like actor Jeremy Northam, so that really works for me. 🙂
I’m in a sweet read mood with the Marriage of convenience theme. I’ve read Only a Promise and Instant Prairie Family by Bonnie Navarro. I’ve also been watching the first 3 seasons of Death in Paradise on Netflix and the DVD library copy of the 4th season of Call the Midwife. I really liked both shows.
I am currently reading The Witch With No Name, the last in Kim Harrison’s Hollows series. It is so great to get into a series that has finished – no waiting for the next installment – but also bittersweet, because I’ve enjoyed this series.
A couple weeks ago I read The Martian, really devoured it.
I also read Grey, which was utterly panned here but which I did not hate. If I had read it without having read the trilogy, I can see hating it. Christian is a total d-bag. But he has a lot of emotional growth in the future so that was always in the back of my mind on some level. I can’t comment much on whether his approach to BDSM is the conventional approach, which seemed to be a big part of the criticism in the review I read here.
On my e-reader coming up next – two Liane Moriarty books. And on my commute I’m listening to The Chronicles of Nick (Sherrilyn Kenyon) – very fun.
Currently reading Heidi Cullinan’s NOWHERE RANCH. I love that the guys know who they are and aren’t willing to fall into each other emotionally right away. They’re stubborn and prickly (especially the narrator), but they operate on a different plane during sex. Scorching.
Other recent reads I’ve enjoyed:
* FROM OUT IN THE COLD, L.A. Witt – friends to lovers with a deft & thoughtful portrayal of PTSD (combat- and noncombat-related);
* HELPING HAND, Jay Northcote – study mates become sex buddies, then complications, then goodness;
* MAN HUNT, Luke Braun – an immersive erotica serial written in 2nd person;
* ALMOST LIKE BEING IN LOVE, Steve Kluger – jock & theatre nerd fall in love the summer between HS & college, lose touch for 20 years, then one sets out to find the other; so much heart in this one
* Goodreads M/M Romance Group’s “Don’t Read in the Closet” event stories — writers begin with a photo and prompt, then go to town (full disclosure, I participated).
my last four completed were:
1. The Federalist Papers, by James Madison and Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton has the more felicitous writing style, but the content throughout is stellar. Not very romantic though. 🙂
2. Ripped from the Pages, by Kate Carlisle. A “bibliophile” mystery, basically a light snack in the reading diet. Cozy, with an ongoing romance subplot.
3. The Black Count, by Tom Reiss, a biography of the father of novelist Alexandre Dumas (great stuff, also not romantic although Dumas senior did have rather a grand love affair with his wife)
4. Faking It, by Jennifer Crusie, for the fourth or fifth time.
Margaret Foxe’s Prince of Hearts and A Dark Heart, billed as “Victorian Steampunk Romance” have superior world building and good writing. There is a sameness about the relationships, but still all-in-all a fun, steamy read. Add some more STORY to the relationships, and this author will make the fictional earth tremble!
Vermilion: The Adventures of Lou Merriwether, Psychopomp gets a big thumbs up. If this author continues to up her game — look out! I imagined an Annie Wu graphic novel for much of the story. Lou is a half-Chinese woman who prefers practical male clothing, has a backstory of an emotional connection to a male friend, but never really connects emotionally to the odd, wonderful, and varied characters she meets in her quest to find out why immigrant workers are going missing in Colorado. Really recommended!
@mia west: Almost Like Being In Love is on my keeper shelf. It’s funny, smart, the supporting characters are legit (not cardboard standees with names), and it has twists and turns and all the feels. It’s one of the books I read for comfort when everything is going to pot in my life. It always makes me feel better.
I’m trying to finish “The Barefoot Queen” by Ildefonso Falcones – it is 600 pages and overdue at the library. Very richly detailed account of gypsies and a Cuban freed slave woman in mid-1700s Spain. Harsh but beautiful and very well written. I just picked up several books at the library sale today: Cold Comfort Farm (per SB rec), The Maytrees, As Meat Loves Salt, 84 Charing Cross Road (read it a few times before but wanted a re-read), Bosie (a bio of Wilde’s lover Alfred Douglas), and a Spanish translation of Fahrenheit 451. Also picked up copies of Lord of Scoundrels and Knight in Shining Armor for a co-worker.
One thing to add re: Grey – I got it from the library. I am pretty forgiving if a book is free (and I am good at skimming). Maybe if I paid for it my “didn’t hate it” review would be different. The story had a lot of unfulfilled potential.
I also listened to about a third of Persuasion in audio book while en route to a concert in Atlanta last week. It’s okay so far, but I still like Pride & Prejudice the best of Austen’s books.
I read Rebecca Zanetti’s Dark Protectors series, they are on the Kindle Unlimited list right now if anyone would like to check them out. I just finished Dark Horse by Michelle Diener, sci-fi catnip. Right now I am waiting for Fast Track by Julie Garwood to hit my kindle.
@Heather S: It surprised me so many times. (I was very worried for C.B. for a long while.) I loved the exchanges between Craig & Charleen, and between Gordo & anybody.