It’s time! It’s time! Put your wallet in the freezer, get a good drink, ring the bell, whatever – it’s time to talk about what we’re reading in the most enjoyably expensive monthly thread! I want to hear about what you’re reading, because I’m sure you’re currently engrossed in something awesome and we all want to know about it. You do have excellent taste, after all.
Also, the kitten is absolutely NOT judging you for buying more books than you intended to. The Kitten Approves. As do we!
So, let’s get started!
Sarah: I just finished something. I’ve already forgotten what it was. I need kickass witch books without too much violence and slut shaming.
Right now, I’m reading Yasmine Galenorn’s Flight from Death ( A | BN | K | G | AB ), because dragon shifter.
So far it’s good, though I’m not wild about the heroine talking to me directly and introducing herself. I’ll keep going – it’s not gay sword fighting dragons or whatever that story I read was.
Carrie: Edith Cavell! ( A | BN | K | G ) A bio by Diana Souhami.
Amanda: I’m getting ready to start Too Hot to Handle by Tessa Bailey ( A | BN | K | G | AB ). I’m not shy about talking about how amazing Tessa Bailey’s sex scenes are and this is the start of a new series! A group of somewhat estranged siblings go on a cross country journey together.
After that is Stealing His Thunder by Sparrow Beckett. I loved the first book in their Masters Unleashed series and this is a new series by them, as well. The hero catches the heroine trying to steal his car.
Elyse: I just started Only You by Denise Grover Swank ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) and I’m also reading Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting by Ann Hood ( A | BN | K | G | AB ).
Right now I’m looking for books that can be picked up and put down easily
Redheadedgirl: I just finished the Nacho Figueras series ( A | BN | K | G | AB ); I am very interested in polo now.
Also just finished Once Upon a Dream, a YA retelling of Sleeping Beauty by Liz Braswell
Now I need a new book.
What about you? What have you been reading this month? Which ones have been hits?
By request, since we can’t link to every book you mention in the comments, here are bookstore links that help support the site with your purchases. If you use them, that’s wonderfully awesome of you, and if you’d prefer not to, no worries at all. Thank you so much for hanging out with us, and hopefully you found something good to read!
I just finished Lauren Dane’s Hurley triology. Three books in 3 days. i think I will read more of her books while waiting for all the books to be released in June. (BTW Sarah, Lauren Dane is GREAT at writing kick ass witches. Even if the Rowan books didn’t work for me. *sadface*)
This month I read a lot of books I had on my TBR and most were great so, yay! My favorites were:
– “Every Heart a Doorway” / “Chaos Choreography” by Seanan McGuire – “Every Heart” managed to feel so real and “Chaos” was delightful.
– “A Gathering of Shadows” by V.E. Schawb – OMG, I LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH, YOU GUYS! PIRATE MAGICIANS!
– “The Magpie Lord” / “Think of England” by K.J. Charles – I liked “Think” better, but this is the first time I’ve read Charles and I’m going to read her whole catalog. I love the mix of sexy and humor.
– “Fellside” by M.R Carey – totally different from his last book but great in a Stephen King sort of way.
– “Lost Among the Living” by Simone St. James – I mean, I love everything she writes.
– “The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories” by Angela Carter – Disturbing and amazing
– “The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet” by Kate Noble and Bernie Su (audiobook) – if you loved The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, this is a worthy addition to the universe!
– “Just Kids” by Patti Smith (audiobook) – Omg, it’s a love letter, to art, to Robert Mapplethrope, to New York of the 70’s, and I cried.
– “Jane Steele” by Lyndsay Faye – So much better than I thought it was going to be! Faye totally sells “Jane Eyre as serial killer.”
Currently Reading
– “Kiss the Girl” by Melissa Brayden (audiobook) – I’ve read three of Brayden’s books before this, but something about listening to a well narrated lesbian romance… I end up smiling like a dork everytime I turn it on.
– I haven’t started it yet, but Maggie Stiefvater’s “The Raven King” is waiting for me at the library and OMG, I CANNOT EVEN WAIT!
I’ve been fighting my reading slump with audiobooks*. Recently I finished:
•Animal Farm, by George Orwell -It’s been on my “I really should read that” list for ages
•Romancing the Duke, by Tessa Dare -Fun, but I wasn’t a fan of the narrator
•The Giver, by Lois Lowry -Interesting.
•Emma, by Jane Austen -Just started it. It’s been on my tbr list since I learned it existed, for personal reasons. 🙂 Not sure about this narrator.
I’m also reading High Fidelity, by Nick Hornby(?) (The book’s downstairs and I’m feeling too lazy to Google.) Interesting, so far
*And by buying a bunch of promising looking books.
I reread Jane Eyre and Little Women recently. You really can’t go wrong with either of those.
I also read Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy. It was sweet and sad and funny all at once. I’m not usually a fan of YA/NA, but this one and Honey Girl by Lisa Freeman have been among my most enjoyable reads this year.
Next was The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh by K.J. Charles. I love her stuff; she’s the only m/m historical author I find believable. It’s so refreshing to read a historical without ridiculously anachronistic “witty” banter and self-conscious anvils.
Currently, I’m reading Three-Martini Lunch by Suzanne Rindell. It takes place in 1958 New York and I am enjoying it a great deal. This was the most I’ve ever paid for an e-book ($18.99 CDN), but when I stopped to think of the number of .99 and 1.99 books I have languishing on my tablet, I can’t help but think that there must be a co-relation between price paid and actual probability of the book being read. The 9.99 and up books get read as soon as they are downloaded; the freebies and inexpensive ones stare reproachfully at me from my library.
I have been on a serious reading kick this month. On the romance front:
– Tessa Dare’s When a Scott Ties the Knot is one of those totally improbable books with a very loud hot Scottish hero that ends up being madcap fun.
– Elizabeth Harmon’s Pairing Off which I loved so much that I might have to hunt down the other books and give them a shot, especially if they’re also about ice skaters.
– Jill Sorenson’s Aftershock that I really, really wanted to like because the premise (she’s a paramedic, he’s a war vet and they’re trapped in a freeway tunnel after a major earthquake) is really awesome, but I just can’t get into it. I think it’s because I don’t like the heroine who seems to vacillate between becoming really weepy and obsessing over how hot the hero is, despite doing some useful stuff. I don’t know. For whatever reason, I haven’t made it past the first few chapters yet.
On the fantasy side:
– Laura Anne Gilman’s Silver on the Road for the Goodreads Vaginal Fantasy Book Club, which is a weird western where the main character works for the Devil in his territory in the wild west (it’s not as evil or as dark as it sounds). Great world building and interesting characters, and I’m really enjoying it so far.
– Catherynne Valente’s The Bread We Eat in Dreams which is a collection of her amazing short fantasy fiction. I normally don’t like the literary end of the speculative fiction pool, but her stuff is so strange and dark and creative and beautifully written that I love pretty much everything she writes.
Finally for Science Fiction:
– Donald Moffitt’s Children of the Comet which I have to mention because while the characters were very bland, it has such a weird and imaginative premise (primitive tribal space faring people who live in enormous trees growing on comets) that I enjoyed it anyway because it was just so different.
I’ve had a lot of disappointments in the past month, but I did really like [i]Exit, Pursued by a Bear[/i] by EK Johnston. It’s a YA novel about a high school girl who is drugged and raped at a cheer camp, and the aftermath of her dealing with it. It’s extremely loosely based on [i]A Winter’s Tale[/i].
I also enjoyed [i]The Unleashing[/i] after reading about it here. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I’ve been in the mood for paranormals/urban fantasy ever since reading the Mercy Thompson books, but most of what I’ve tried hasn’t worked for me. I was happy that this one did.
Right now I’m reading [i]Wake of Vultures[/i], by Lila Bowen, which is a weird western about a mixed-race girl who discovers that monsters exist and she can fight them. I’m enjoying it, although the language is occasionally repetitive and overdone, and it gets a little heavy-handed at times. It’s a fun world with good characters.
I forgot to add, as soon as I finished “Chaos Choreography”, I started watching old clips of So You Think You Can Dance and, omg I forgot how much I love that show!
I’ve been reading some comics collections, including the Punisher Max Collection by Garth Ennis.
Next up, I’m hoping to read The Scorpius Syndrome by Rebecca Zanetti and The Talon of the Hawk by Jeffe Kennedy. I also want to read Hidden Huntress and Warrior Witch by Danielle Jensen.
*pulls up reading spreadsheet*
— The Friend Zone by Kristen Callihan. I enjoyed the whole series but this friends to lovers was by far my favorite.
— How the Duke Was Won by Lenora Bell. I know the internet is already squealing over this one so please allow me to add my squeals to the masses. So good!!
— It Takes Two to Tackle by Jeanette Murray. Amanda reviewed this one. I really loved the depiction of the recovery the hero goes through as he battles his alcoholism.
— Cold Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas. I bought this one when it came out but I had been saving it for a special occassion. The audiobook is currently getting me through the trials of the end of the semester and commencement week. It’s so great being surrounded by the glory that is Kleypas historical writing again.
— The Grantchester Mysteries by James Runcie. This is the series the Grantchester show (of PBS for those in the US) is based on. A vicar in a small village solves crimes with his police officer buddy. I’d also recommend the show though it is pretty different from the books.
Let’s see….hold on, need to pull up my Goodreads.
It’s been kind of a slow month, mostly due to the fact that I’ve been highly busy (work stuff, testing for purple belt, and then once I pulled that off, I promptly got sick), and the books have been big.
To start with, I’m currently reading A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah Maas. I loved A Court of Thorns and Roses and have been bouncing up and down like a little kid waiting to get this at the library (I was slow on the trigger finger and ended up second in line for it). In the first book, I remember feeling like I was pretty much here for Rhysand, and this one is making me think I was right. Give me a hot Jareth/Loki hybrid where I can picture Tom Hiddleston or Matt Bomer as I’m reading and I will love you. I am finding Tamlin’s behavior a bit frustrating. Dude, pay some attention. Not all is well in Camelot, big boy.
As for what I read earlier in the month, I tore through The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett (well-written, generally enjoyed myself), Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here (deep snark, loved the fanfic sections), Broken by Cynthia Eden (I do love a well-done romantic suspense, and although I was pretty sure I knew who did it from the jump, seeing how they got there was fun, also I read the majority of it at a water park while my daughter was off with her friends, which quite frankly made my heart sing, because she’s autistic and social acceptance is an autism parent’s dream), The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan (it was fun, but his stuff mostly is), The Unleashing by Shelly Laurenston (too much fun, I’ve decided I love me some Crows), and Queen of Shadows by Sarah Maas (Aelin is pretty much turning into Daenerys Targaryen, only sneakier, and with a little more tendency to get off her butt and wreck stuff, and I am here for it).
This month I did quite a bit of reading.
First, I read The Apprentices which is a sequel to Apothacary, a middle grade book with alchemy( of the magical variety ) set during The Cold War. I loved the unique setting and the romantic subplot is very sweet. I loved the chracters too! Fair warning though, The Apprentices is set during the Vietnam War and while it isn’t the main focus of the book and the violence doesn’t get passed PG-13 I thought I should mention that.
-The next book I read was Miss Pereguin’s Home for Peculior Children. I didn’t love this book enough to read the other books in the series, but it was quirky enough to be enjoyable, I can see why Tim Burten decided to direct the upcoming movie adaption of it . It also ends of a cliffhanger, which o know a lot of people don’t like.
-Lastly I read Captured by Beverly Jenkins which has been reviewed more than once on this site, so I won’t go into to detail . To summerize my feelings about it , it was enjoyable and I liked the chracters, but the writing was a little too cheesy and flowery for me. However if you want something a little different I’de give Captured a read.
Have read:
Eligible by Curtis Sittenfield. A modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice. Loved it.
Anne Calhoun’s Seals novellas. Liked The Seal’s Secret Lover the best.
Who’s that girl by Mhairi McFarlane. A contemporary romance by a British writer. Loved it.
Wilde Lake- mystery by Laura Lippmann. Not a romance but still good.
Suddenly in Love by Julia London. Ok. Can’t even remember what it’s about.
Longbourn by Jo Baker. Set in the same world as Pride and Prejudice but focusing on the lives of the Bennet’s servants. It was fantastic. I like P&P but am not a rabid fan so it didn’t upset me that it wasn’t a retelling of P&P which some reviewers seemed upset by. The events of P&P happen in the background. But Longbourn is actually a romance and it’s so lovely. I think I have to go reread it again.
The Raven King. Good. Glad the story is finally finished.
Hoping to read:
City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin. Final in a trilogy. Can not wait.
Just binge read the first 5 books of the Mercy Thompson series and Shifting Shadows, the anthology of novellas and short stories. I read that the Alpha and Omega series has more romance in it, so I may try that next.
Read Bounty by Kristen Ashley, but it took me a really long time to finish it. I switched to another book in the middle and when I went back to reading Bounty, it was like I was reading another language. It took me a few chapters to get used to the way KA’s characters talk.
Waiting (im)patiently for Marrying Winterbourne and Duke of Sin on May 31st!!!
Not reading much at the moment (book slump, blaaaaah), but I recently discovered Love Light Press (www.lovelightpress.com) – they are a new GLBTQ e-novella publisher and specialize in a variety of romances. I read one f/f from them in the adventure category with an archaeologist heroine and an Army vet heroine on a dig in the jungles of South America. I enjoyed it a lot! If GLBTQ romance is your bag, I suggest checking them out.
This week I’ve read Zane by Brenda Jackson, Back to the Good Fortune Diner by Vickie Essex, and Act Like It by Lucy Parker. I bought them all in February during the Harlequin sale, but I was in an historical mood and thus put them on the back burner. I loved them all.Now I’m trying to figure out what to read next. I’ve finally downloaded Onedrive, which is going to make my hour+ commutes so much better.
I re-read Shelly Laurenston’s The Unleashing and just started The Undoing, which is equally awesome. I think I missed a lot of the details the first time I read The Unleashing because of there are a lot of characters and POVs, so I had to force myself to read more slowly deliberately this time. Laurentson is one of my go-to authors when I need a comfort read. I love how much she centres female friendships and writes her characters with such over-the-top personalities while still being 100% sympathetic.
In the mean time, I’m desperately waiting for Rachel Goodman’s Sour Grapes to show up on my e-reader next week. I devoured her first book, From Scratch, in one sitting.
SPTB #193 with the delightful Lia sparked an interest in me to re-listen to Joe Manganiello’s narration of Patricia Briggs’ Hurog duology. He’s wonderful, amazing, and almost perfect—my one issue is that he mispronounces “geas” in the second book and it matters because the word is mentioned so. Many. Times. (FWIW, I’m of the opinion that it should be pronounced [geSH].) Geas aside, he’s swoon-worthy. And the story is great, too.
In the past couple of weeks or so, I’ve been rereading the latter half of Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling books. The stories are always great, but there was an added satisfaction to sneak-reading the mass market paperbacks while packing for a move. Heck, I’ve been doing a lot of rereading and -listening in the past months. It’s like my brain can’t accept too much new stimuli while occupied by the logistics of the move. *shrug*
Loretta Chase’s Don’t Tempt Me was as delightful as ever, and only enhanced by Kate Reading’s narration. (I’m so glad that Chase managed to snag Reading for her audiobooks! Best combo ever!)
Lorelei King’s narration of Patricia Briggs’ Fire Touched made me happy. It’s so relaxing to listen to a good narration of a book you’ve already read. I enjoyed the MLM part at the beginning, and the jokes it inspired. Nudge.
I first read and then listened to Suzanne Wright’s Savage Urges in the space of one week, because why not? I do so enjoy the Phoenix Pack series. (If you like you PNR hot, snarly, snarky, irreverent, and with issues, I highly recommend the Phoenix and Mercury Pack series.)
I did start to listen to Katy Sobey’s narration of Naomi Novik’s Uprooted, and it was awesome and delightful, but my brain was not accepting of the story so I put it aside to continue at a time when I can appreciate it more. The narration is wonderful, so I’m looking forward to my brain getting back in gear!
Until this move is done, I foresee a lot of rereading. Oy. Or, more likely, re-listening. My print books are being packed away and my brain can’t handle the decisions brought on by a large digital library. Unless I glom another series. Series are a blessing: once you start on one, you just move from book to book in the order they’ve been given.
I’m considering of doing a combination read/re-listen of Andrew J. Mellen’s Unstuff Your Life! while I pack, move, and eventually, unpack… because stuff. So much stuff!
I recently finished Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyte, which is a retelling of the Rapunzel story. I very much enjoyed it, although it made me want to re-read The Oracle Glass by Judith Merkle Riley (set during the time of Louis XIV), because parts of Bitter Greens are set during his reign in France. I am in the midst of reading The River of No Return by Bee Ridgeway, which is very good and I am reading it verrrry slowly, so that I can enjoy it and make it last. It has time travel and also the Regency — what more could I want?
In the midst of the paranormal historicals, I read Until You by Jeannie Moon, which was recently on sale and The Player and the Pixie by L.H. Cosway and Penny Reid. Until You was about a hockey player and an “older woman” and was a nice change of pace. The Player and the Pixie made me laugh out loud several times and was a definite break from the paranormal historial (and sometime very intense world of Bitter Greens and The River of No Return).
Next up, London Gambit by Tracy Grant and then A Gentleman’s Game by Theresa Romain.
Where to start, where to start?
A Bride In The Bargain by Deanne Gist which my was catnip for my inner 10 yo Here comes The Brides fan girl. Mercer Girls, lumberjacks, Seattle, yum.
The Beast: A Novel Of The Black Dagger Brotherhood. I know, I know, I said nhever again. But it was, purportedly about Mary & Rhage. Mary. And Rhage. Unfortunately, it was mostly about a lot of other crap. And the usual lack of respect for her own continuity. Really, NHEVER again.
Then I was traveling, so between the 40 minute TSA line I found out I didn’t have to stand in when I finally got to the front of it. Always check your boarding pass. Lesson learned. And three hour flights, 90 minute shuttle rides one of which got me to Sky Harbor almost three hours early (where I skipped through the precheck line). There was:
The Game Plan by Kristen Callihan. Every time I say NA is not my genre, one of my favorite authors will prove me wrong. Picture a giant lineman with a tiny baby strapped to his chest. CATNIP!
Delicate Ink by Carrie Ann Ryan a disappointing tattoo parlor romance.
A Dance In Moonlight by Sherry Thomas. Just saying it’s by Sherry Thomas should tell you how good it was.
Trade Me, Courtney Milan. See previous comment about NA not being my thing. This was a wonderful book. GO READ IT!!
A Study In Silks Emma Jane Holloway. I’d read the prequel a while back and traveling seemed to be the perfect time to die in. Steampunk featuring the niece of Sherlock Holmes. Great world building. Looking forward to the next one.
And this morning I finished Wolf At The Door by MaryJanice Davidson this morning. I’d been avoiding her for a while because I was getting so frustrated with the Betsy Taylor books. But this was a Wyndam Werewolf story so I bit, although we did end up in Minnesota with the Vampire Queen. Still, reminded me why I enjoy her snarky voice so much.
Next up is JAK’s latest Amanda Quick novel, ‘Til Death Do Us Part. I feel the need to get it read so I can return it to the GBPL for one of the other 168 people on the wait list, but…
I also have an ARC of League Of Dragons (thank you GoodReads FirstReads), the latest Temeraire book. Sure, I own it, so I can read it any time, but DRAGONS!!
Decisions, decisions, decisions.
Wow, really long post. Sorry.
I’m approaching the end of Courtney Milan’s Brothers Sinister series, which is phenomenal. I’ve read a good deal of it on the bus and train was curious if the other commuters wondered why I was grinning like a fool and occasionally emitting a faint squeak of joy. Probably similar to RHG’s Good Book Noise. If you haven’t read it yet – and I’ll bet a lot of people on this site have – it contains a small dash of alternate history, scientific shenanigans, radical pamphlets with an excess of exclamation points, a protest involving goats, a feminist investigative journalist who gets hate mail of a sort unfortunately still familiar today, exuberantly gaudy Victorian gowns, and lots of delicious wit. It’s also very much a series to be read in order.
I’m also doing some research reading on European history for my writing works-in-progress, including rereading an old college textbook (Denys Gay’s Europe in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries) – or, rather, for the first time reading it cover to cover. That class had so much reading I couldn’t keep up…
Sometimes I also trawl the archives at DailyScienceFiction.com (science fiction and fantasy short stories, mostly under 1500 words) and GoblinFruit.net (fantasy/fairytale/mythic poetry). I highly recommend both.
Next up on the TBR: Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novels American Born Chinese and Boxers and Saints. Then probably all the Courtney Milan I haven’t read yet!
Based on the recent review here, I read Shelly Laurenston’s Unleashing and Undoing and liked them so much I went ahead and checked out the rest of her books. Now I am not one for shifters, and dragon shifters especially (so many laws of physics being violated and also I tend to picture them with tiny T-Rex arms so the battle scenes with sword wielding draqons are super ridiculous in my mind) but Laurenston gives her characters such vivid personalities and tells her stories with so much humor that I read them all and just wish I had more. I highly recommend them even if you aren’t that into PNRs. They are super violent, though (lots of the humor is black humor based on the violence) so you probably should be into that. Sigh…want more!!!
I’ve been doing a lot of treadmill reading – stuff that is fast, and makes me walk faster. I just binged on ALISHA RAI – the Billionaire Bedroom Games trilogy, which I really liked, and Serving Pleasure, Falling for Him, etc. All very good, and I’ve almost started to reread them already when something else fell a bit flat even though I just read them last week. I can’t wait for the next installment after “Be My Fantasy.”
Earlier in the month, I read Molly O’Keefe’s westerns Seduced and Tempted – they were excellent! I think they were recommended to me by Wendy the SuperLibrarian, or maybe here. But too short, woe is me, and I’m also waiting for the next one of those.
I pre-ordered the GAMBLED AWAY anthology with Joanna Bourne, Jeannie Lin, Molly O’Keefe, Rose Lerner and Isabel Cooper – it comes out May 31. That will be a four mile day on the treadmill!!!
Since I know a lot of people here are fans of those authors, I thought many of you might want to know about Gambled Away – I actually opened one of those Amazon marketing emails that I usually delete, and there it was recommended to me. I bought it before I even realized it wasn’t out until the end of the month.
I’ve been buying way too many books because of the exercising, so I’m #10 on the holds list at the library for Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt.
Oh – and just finished How to Tell a Lie by Delphine Dryden. IT IS FREE AT AMAZON – FREE! And it’s adorable. Two professors, both studying internet gaming, meet up on line. She freaks out over a real life connection because she’s over-invested in her “I just broke up, I can’t commit” self-narrative. (Been exactly there when I reconnected with Mr. Richland, so this took me right back fifteen years, perhaps why that story line didn’t bother me as much as the drawn out aspect of “no I really can’t just because” might bother some of you. But it’s FREE.).
A couple things I skimmed over and jumped around before I realized they were reissues of old, old books. Gave away five cookbooks. Read a lot of home decorating and self-improvement mags, also on the treadmill.
I will be using this thread on Monday to restock while I walk!
I had a great reading month, and a varied one. Some great stuff:
Kate Williams’ Becoming Queen Victoria: The Tragic Death of Princess Charlotte and the Unexpected Rise of Britain’s Greatest Monarch was really fascinating. As the subtitle suggests, it’s really about the 40 year period from Charlotte’s birth to the beginning of Victoria’s reign, with an emphasis on how they were raised (ugh) and the maneuvering around the throne.
If you’ve read a lot of Heyer, you’ll recognize some of the big events, but there’s a lot more surrounding them that I didn’t know. The shorthand version of the “heirstakes” after Charlotte’s death is tidier than the reality too. If you read it, take the family tree and make yourself a cheat sheet of George III’s kids, titles, years of birth, and whether they had kids – you can thank me later.
My big takeaways: 1) Britain was lucky Victoria wasn’t completely useless, given how she was raised; 2) the death of Charlotte and her son might be one of the more interesting alternate-history branch points out there, for how it could’ve rearranged European dynastic planning. But it isn’t, as far as I know, presumably because it’s just some pregnant woman and not a big battle.
David Finch’s The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man’s Quest to Be a Better Husband was another delight. Finch learns he has Asperger’s/autism at 25, and sets out to fix his marriage. Heartwarming revelations and cringeworthy mistakes ensue. Frequently hilarious too.
Elizabeth Moon’s Remnant Population is an SF novel from a few years back about an old (getting-fragile-old) woman on a colony world, who decides to stay on her own when the colony is disbanded. It gets a bit too loudly “we treat old people like idiots” when the inevitable re-encounter with other humans occurs, but only a bit, and it’s a fun read with an atypical protagonist.
Patrick Ness’s A Monster Calls is about a boy visited by a monster – but not the one he’s expecting – at a difficult time in his life. Becoming a movie this year, I think. Particularly enjoyed the very real relationship with his grandmother.
I read and loved Seanan McGuire’s Every Heart a Doorway too – will look forward to seeing what’s next.
Thoroughly enjoyed Ilona Andrews’ Sweep in Peace, the second Innkeeper book. I think this may have become my favorite of their series – it doesn’t take its tropes too seriously, just a lot of genial fun.
Ruthie Knox’s Roman Holiday was just OK for me, but I mention it because the heroine was such a complete Manic Pixie Dream Girl – not my catnip at all – and I kept reading anyway.
I’ve been reading Clara Benson’s mysteries, so I took a look at her new P&P Austenalia, The Lucases of Lucas Lodge. As the author warns, there are no Bennets in the book (off visiting), which I appreciated – just a not-too-big story of Maria Lucas with a nice use of Mary King. The way Maria picks up one of her suitors is disturbingly plausible, too. A bit rushed, but enjoyable overall, and I have a wary eye for Austenalia in general.
Someone pointed me toward Tanya Huff (whose vampire books I already loved) and the Valor space opera series. So much good book noise! I’m telling everyone who looks in my direction to read these. Smart, funny, a multi-alien-worlds-species crew led by the capable and outstanding Staff Sergeant Kerr on whom I have an enormous girl crush. Five books in the series, which I’m trying to dole out slowly and savor.
Leaning towards YA this month.
Tiny Pretty Things which was good but I didn’t love like the buzz made me think I would.
Carnival at Bray & Saving June were both well written solid reads.
Undecided, this book was just fun. I enjoyed how she played with some tropes, plus great hero and heroine.
Rebel of the Sands I on clicked while listening to last week’s podcast. It was great, read it in a day.
I was sick for two solid weeks this month and it was a drag, but also kinda awesome, because it was slow at work and just kept raining, so no kids sports. So I read and read, including rereading the Psy-Changelings books which I contue to love, love, love.
Also devoured the Game On trilogy by Kristen Callihan and so glad I did. I enjoyed her Darkest London series but kept passing on this series – college sports? Yeah, no thanks. But the books were awesome. I really can’t choose a favorite.
I am finishing a Christina Lauren book from the library and then the second I’m done, I have The Raven King on my list.
I’ve been sad, which means comfort rereads so I’m deep into Trollope now, and keeping Wodehouse handy.
I had been enjoying discovering Kinsale’s back list and tearing through the Phryne Fisher mysteries.
I’m getting ready to move after 17 years in the same house so I’ve been going through my books and rereading to decide which ones to keep. I never knew I had SO MUCH 70’s HISTORICAL CRAZYSAUCE YO. Went through Robin D Owens’ Celta series (not keeping) Juliet Marillier’s Sevenwaters trilogy (definite keeper, and I’m SO excited she will be at a convention here later this year where I can meet her!) and a bunch of my late hubby’s classic SFs that I’ve never read (Tintagel by Paul Cook is weirdly meta right now, with its focus on the first woman president, whom nobody likes, a movie star whom everybody is fixated on, a Donald Trump figure who owns all the corporations and is in process of assassinating people left and right so he can become President, and a mutated virus that makes people literally get lost in their dreams. And the 70’s vision of the future — for example there is a version of the internet but computers don’t have screens, they print everything out like fax machines.) In between my breakfast read has been “An Astronaut’s Guide to Life On Earth” by Chris Hadfield, which is a manual on how to be a success at whatever career you’re in disguised as a wonderful series of anecdotes about getting to and from and living in the ISS. My son bought it for me for my birthday (he couldn’t find Cinder by Marissa Meyer and thought it might do just as well) and I didn’t think I’d get into it but it’s really engrossing and entertaining and teaches you a lot about a lot of things while still being funny and entertaining.
I thought I hadn’t read very much this month because I was finishing up a Letterboxd challenge and then watched a lot of romance movies, but a look at Goodreads tells me I actually read quite a bit. I’m also, as I always seem to say, trying to read as much as possible off of Scribd and finishing library books. My Scribd subscription ends next week and I’m not renewing it. I have way too many books I actually own to get through. As for what I read in the last month I’ll start by saying that the latest Simone St. James, C.S. Harris, and Patricia Briggs did not disappoint. Here’s the best of the rest:
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes- I stayed up until 4 AM last night finishing this. I had avoided reading it since it came out because I knew it was going to be sad, but with the movie coming out I decided to finally read it. I really enjoyed it. It was more bittersweet for me than full-on tearjerker, probably because I had figured out what was coming based on all the reviews I had read. It’s well-written and dealt with some issues that are near and dear to me. I put the second book in the series on hold at my library and look forward to spending more time with Lou.
Hollywood Dirt by Alessandra Torre- Cute story, enjoyed both the hero and heroine
The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly- I read this because it was on Scribd and I had heard it was Jurassic Park with dragons. That is exactly what I got and it was great.
The Player and the Pixie by Penny Reid- Really cute, love the hero and the storyline about him being bad in bed
Foxing the Geese by Janet Woods- Enjoyable characters and dialogue, but it’s almost all dialogue and I could see people having a problem with it being too much showing and not telling. The heroine is a daughter of a vicar who comes into an inheritance from a relative she never knew. The money was made off of sugar plantations and she’s not happy about that and also doesn’t want men all of a sudden decide she’s worth marrying based only on her money (she’s described as plain). Hero is an impoverished lord who needs to marry for money, but would rather marry for love.
Dark Wild Night by Christina Lauren- I listened to this and the fourth book of the series and read the second (I read the first a while ago). Owen and Lola’s story was my favorite although I also enjoyed the other two.
Once Upon a Marquess and Her Only Wish by Courtney Milan- I enjoyed Marquess, but loved Wish so much. I am a complete cheapskate when it comes to novellas since they often aren’t that great so it pained me a bit to pay $2.99 for a novella. I had to remind myself that Courtney Milan does great novellas and I really want to support her so she can continue to write. It had great characters and a wonderful plot although it did have a ‘big misunderstanding,’ but I think it worked in this case, since it was a short story and wasn’t dragged out forever.
Fall of Poppies- Collection of short stories about WWI by several authors, including Lauren Willig, overall, a solid collection
For anyone interested in checking out some romance movies here’s a recap of a few I enjoyed to varying degrees:
Sleeping with Other People- Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie and friends who lost their virginity to each other back in college. I would describe it as a dirtier, modern When Harry Met Sally. I really enjoyed this one.
Man Up- Simon Pegg and Lake Bell are really good and there’s some good lines about dating after 30. There’s also a supporting character that basically sexually harasses Bell’s character and it seems to be played for laughs. I think maybe they were going for a combination of satire/tribute to the genre, but the satire part fell flat and just came off as offensive. Also annoying was Pegg’s reaction to finding out Bell is not as young as he thought. If you can get past that, Pegg’s running the streets to find Bell and tell her he loves her with drunk teenagers following him while Here I Go Again by Whitesnake plays is cheesy greatness.
Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong- Jamie Chung and Brian Greenberg (real-life married couple) meet in Hong Kong, he lives there, she’s visiting for work. They instantly connect and he walks her to meet the friends she’s gotten separated from. He has a girlfriend, she leaves then they meet again by chance the next year and connect again. The ending is left up in the air, but I loved these characters and their banter.
Up next in books is A Wild Ride by Vivian Arend on Scribd and A Grave Matter by Anna Lee Huber on audio also at SCribd.
I mostly read short stories this month, plus something for the RITA challenge. But I do have two (short) books to mention that I loved:
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (which I raved about at length on my blog): lovely character-focused story about a boarding school for teens who previously visited a magical world, for whatever reason could not stay there, and now don’t feel at home in the real world.
This Census-Taker by China Miéville: Definitely not for everyone, but Miéville at his most obscure and oblique somehow is just what I like. Intricate writing; precise descriptions of a hard-to-understand landscape and the actions of hard-to-understand people.
Also, I read the space opera The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers; it was not bad, with lots of interesting things in it like reflections on interspecies relations, pacifism, and a varied cast of characters amiably getting along on their spaceship… but there was just too much in it and not developed enough. Major character development arcs for half-a-dozen crew members could not do justice to any of them.
I’m reading “Vienna 1814: long subtitle about the peace conference after the Napoleonic wars” by David King and you guys, this is a great book. King makes history so dang interesting and scandalous and amusing. I’ve been picking it up for several months while I languish through two separate bouts of pneumonia; it’s been my go-to book in between lighter fare by Grace Burrowes and Diane Farr and Lorraine Heath and Elizabeth Hoyt and Sophia Nash and Miranda Neville. It has been a long, long winter and spring. At this point, my biggest fear is running out of decent Regency-era romances for those bad days.
This is about two weeks worth of reading. I enjoyed all of these.
— Tigers & Devils by Sean Kennedy. While this is a male/male romance; it is not explicit. I also learned some Australian slang.
— On a recent road trip, my husband and I listened to One Second After by William R. Forstchen (and read by Joe Barrett). It was an engaging/terrifying book, and it generated a lot of conversation.
— Beyond Repair by Susie Tate — I’d read a couple of other books by this author. It was an entertaining contemporary romance with lots of Welsh slang.
— Red Dirt Heart by N. R. Walker — a contemporary romance set in Australia featuring two men.
— Several books in the Portland Storm series: Breakaway (Portland Storm Book 1) currently free to Kindle readers, On the Fly (Portland Storm Book 2) currently free to Kindle readers, and Holiday Hat Trick (Portland Storm, Volume 8)
— A Forbidden Rumspringa (Gay Amish Romance) by Keira Andrews — I really enjoyed this one. I would have liked it even better, I think, had it been somewhat less explicit as I think that might have better suited the storyline. And I say that as someone who has no issue reading books with adult content. I hope to read the two sequels.
— Valor on the Move by Keira Andrews — This was very different than the book above as it was a romance between the president’s son and a secret service agent.
— The Game Plan (Game On, Volume 3) by Kristen Callihan — a contemporary romance.
— a reread of the paranormal romance novella The Wicked (Elder Races) by Thea Harrison
— a re-read of Jo Goodman’s historical romance Beyond A Wicked Kiss (The Compass Club Series, Book 4). While Jo Goodman is a favorite author of mine, the Compass Club series is not a particular favorite. The way the series is written though is interesting in that all four books overlap in time (they are not sequential), so one encounters familiar scenes written from different characters’ points of view. There is some disquieting content (kidnapping and sexual abuse of teens).
— the contemporary romance Falling Under (Ink & Chrome) by Lauren Dane
–the contemporary romance Wicked Sexy Liar (Wild Seasons Book 4) by Christina Lauren
— the historical romance Tempest by Laura Parker; it was an unusual romance in that it featured three couples. (No, it was not polyamorous.)
— Dearly Beloved by Mary Jo Putney. This historical romance had a bit of everything — courtesan heroine, brooding hero, epilepsy, rumors of a mad wife in Scotland along with some disquieting events (rape, incest).
I saw a commercial for the Wayward Pines TV show that looked like my cuppa, so I got the trilogy while it’s on sale. Finished the first book. Felt like I’ve read or watched the same story fifty times and will probably never open the second book. The writing isn’t bad, just me being burned out on the general concept.
I read The Unleashing and would have liked it more without the romance. All they did when they finally got scenes together was infodump world building and screw, so I wanted to get away from the protagonists and back to the more interesting secondary characters as quickly as possible.
I enjoyed Anything for You by Kristan Higgins (“Marry me” “lol What’s wrong with you, doofus?”) enough to buy The Best Man, so that’s on deck next.
Right now, I’m reading Terry Pratchett’s The Wee Free Men. I can tell I’m missing out on verse subtleties by jumping in here (what is it, book 30?), but it’s not problematic in respect to understanding the story, and I’m suitably charmed.
My suggestion for a witch book (though probably technically witch-adjacent) is The Accidental Alchemist. It’s mystery rather than romance, but the main character’s a nice smart kickass woman, there’s a gargoyle that’s a trained chef, and there might be a budding romance blooming. I have the second book, The Masquerading Magician, waiting in my audiobooks but haven’t had a chance to start.
Grace Draven’s Radiance was probably one of my top 5 from last year, and the sequel Eidolon just came out last month, and I also haven’t had a chance to start. I have not read fantasy I really loved in a long long time (much less fantasy romance), and Radiance scratched a deep itch.
I read A Head Full of Ghosts last weekend in an afternoon, the day after it won the Stoker. It was great, and scary.
I’ve been exclusively attached to nearly every historical series formerly stored in my Nook archive for about 2 or 3 months – it’s been such a free experience!
Lemme see – the Naked series (N.Duke, N.Earl, etc – 7 books) & Duchess of Love (3 bks) by Sally McKenzie, Scandalous Sisters (3 bks) by Rose Gordon, Noble (3 bks) by Katie MacAlister, Wicked Little Secrets (2) by Susanna Ives, The Derrings (4, I think) by Sophie Jordan, Wallflowers (4) and Hathaways by Lisa Kleypas, Lively St. Lemeston (3) by Rose Lerner, Eton Boys Trilogy by Ashlyn MacNamara, Wallflower Trilogy by Maya Royale, Rarest Blooms (4) by Madeline Hunter, Duke Trilogy by Adele Ashworth, approximately every anthology including Loretta Chase or Grace Burrowes, Carharts/Turners/Brothers Sinister by Courtney Milan + first Worth series book,
…hmm, maybe it’s been more than 3 months straight…
Spindle Cove (? 135 bks-ish?) by Tessa Dare, all of the new(er) releases by Lorraine Heath (+ Waking Up with the Duke – possibly my favorite book ever), Sarah MacLean, Loretta Chase, Mary Jo Putney, Monica McCarty,… I think that’s most of them.
Prior to moving to Regency/Georgian/Victorian England, I devoured the Camelot series by Ruthie Knox, Men of Smithfield by LB Gregg, BOI and One-Eyed Jacks by Cindy Gerard, and everything currently published in the Tracers series by Laura Griffin.
Obviously pulling everything out of the ether or finding and then following through with the whole series speaks highly of my enjoyment.
I’m also participating with the Slate Plus Year of Great Books and the Colette Patterns habdcraft/slow sewing book club.
My current read is The Irish Warrior by Kris Kennedy.
*whew* I am reading about 1 book a day.
I just finished Kylie Scott’s dirty and now I really wish she would come out with Nell’s book soon but I know that it is not next. in series.
Now I am thinking about starting Nalini Singh’s Rock Kiss series
I’m trying to make my way through the collection of books on my Sony eReader, so some are older.
I’m currently reading DESIGN FOR MURDER by Carolyn G. Hart. A bookseller and a gorgeous wealthy fiance who is a non-practicing lawyer who are involved in a murder that occurred during a Murder Mystery event. Romance and mysteries are my cup of tea. This is the second in the series.
THE STEP by Martha LeMasters. Non-fiction account of a woman who worked for IBM at Kennedy Space Center during the Apollo missions. I have to admit that this was so much better than I expected. She does change some names to protest the guilty, including the moon-walking married astronaut she had an affair with. The writing was engrossing and, since I grew up in that very area with a father who also worked on the Space Program (but not with IBM), I could recognize the accuracy of what she wrote.
RODEO SWEETHEARTS by Lilian Darcy. Not my usual novella, but I did enjoy it, even though I thought her children probably knew her secret.
A STUDY IN SHERLOCK, a collection edited by Laurie R. King & Leslie S. Klinger. Fantastic stories about or including Sherlock Holmes. Although not all of the stories contain the Great Detective, they all address the heritage Conan Doyle left us.
Currently reading Amy Poehler’s Yes, Please. Enjoying it.
Read After the War by Jessica Scott. Second chance romance for two officers. The hero has some definite changes to make and he does make them. Plus there is a mystery.
The Memory Closet by Ninie Hammon was interesting. A woman returns to her childhood home in west Texas looking for her childhood memories. Has amnesia and she does get involved with a man there. Big trigger warnings for abuse.
Mistaken Kiss by Kathleen Baldwin was a bit over the top but a fun historical.
Until You by Jeannie Moon. Older woman, younger hot sports star, evil ex-husband, what’s not to like. Initially, I was put off a bit by the style of writing but, by the end of the second chapter, either it go better or I got enough into the story to not care.
A New Hope by Robyn Carr. Two divorced people, still in pain and avoiding relationships, meet and begin to move on. Nicely done, I thought.
The Unleashing by Shelley Laurenston. I liked this better than her bear books, to the point at I dreamed about her characters the other night. Woman Marine dies and comes back to life as a warrior for Norse gods, thanks to the intervention of a Viking who has the hots for her. Her acceptance of and adaption to her second life are nicely done. Does have a bit of a cliffhanger at the end but not a bad one.
Divorce for Grownups by David Magnuson. I hope you never need this book but I am finding it helpful.
I think I’ve done more buying, hoarding and planning in preparation for summer vacation and the annual read-a-thon.
I did manage to read…
The Cinderella Princess by Melissa McClone
The Making of a Princess by Teresa Carpenter
a re-read of A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux.
I’ve got several romances that I’m reading right now…
Remembrance by Jude Deveraux
My Fair Concubine by Jeannie Lin
Corazón Salvaje/i> by Caridad Bravo Adams
Plus several other manga/graphic novels/non-romance
Oops, correction – historian I mentioned is Denys Hay, not Denys Gay. But I did remember the odd spelling of his first name!
Also, I forgot to mention the hilarious To Terminator With Love, by Wes Kennedy. Sweet SFF m/m novella in which an MIT student builds a children’s storytelling robot but ends up pursued by Men In Black types who are convinced his robot will destroy humanity. I read the blurb and immediately was like OMG MY EYEBALLS NEED THIS and it delivers.
(Also excitedly awaiting Gambled Away!)