It’s Whatcha Reading time!
Where we talk about the books we’ve been loving (or hating) this month and try desperately not to BUY ALL THE THINGS.
Go forth into the comments, and godspeed!
Amanda: I treated myself to All the Single Ladies ( A | BN | K | G | AB ), which was mentioned on a podcast episode and sounds all around awesome and empowering.
In terms of romance, I’m reading the Billionaire Bachelor by Jessica Lemmon ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) and the setup reminds me so much of a kdrama and I’m eating it up with a spoon. Quick & dirty summary: The hero buys the heroine’s family’s boutique hotel. His family runs a hotel conglomerate. However, the board of directors refuses to make him CEO once his father retires in 6 months because of his playboy ways. So he proposes a 6 month marriage to the heroine to fix his image. Once he’s CEO, they’ll divorce and he’ll sign the hotel back over to her.
Sarah: I just hoovered the first two Heartstrikers, re-reading the first, Nice Dragons Finish Last ( A ), then reading the second, One Good Dragon Deserves Another ( A ). I have just started the third, No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished ( A ) (I love the cover art for this series) but am taking a break because I’m approaching burnout and don’t want to read it if my brain isn’t into it.
So last night I read a sample – a very long sample, and I thank everyone involved in that decision which may have been the author, so thank you – A Song of Blood & Stone, which is book 1 of the Earthsinger Chronicles. I really liked the heroine, who is very smart and very tired of everyone’s shit, but I am questioning whether to continue because of an attempted sexual assault and the threat of more assault and I’m not sure I’m in the right frame of mind to read more yet, though I want to.
Elyse: I’m reading Bohemian Gospel by Dana Chamberlee Carpenter ( A | BN | K | G | AB ). It’s historical fiction set in 12th century Bohemia with supernatural elements and a forbidden love subplot. The heroine is a little too perfect but I’m still really liking it.
I also just bought Nevernight by Jay Kristoff. It’s a YA fantasy about a girl who is apprenticed to an assassin. I’m hoping it’s the Arya Stark plot I wanted.
Carrie: The Shelf by Phyllis Rose ( A | BN | K | G | AB ). It’s a non-fiction by a literary critic who picks a shelf at the library and starts reading (she makes up rules, one is she can read in any order, the other is she only has to read 3 books by any one author – otherwise, it’s a straightforward “read everything from LEQ to LES” challenge. On the way she talks about gender in writing reading, and publishing, what makes for literary merit, personal taste in reading, etc. She’s not snobby regarding genre and I want her to be my BFF. We shall read and braid each other’s hair while discussing Phantom Of the Opera (Leroux).
Redheadedgirl: I’m reading Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova ( A | BN | K | G | AB ), I saw her on the We Need Diverse Books panel at RT and patiently paced the hallways of NetGalley until I could get my grabby hands on it.
And a Scot in the Dark, which is the perfect remedy for my anxiety ridden self right now.
Also paced the halls of Edelweiss, less patiently, pounding on random doors until they tossed it at me to make me go away.
(It worked.)
What have you been reading month? Did anything go on your keeper shelf? Wanted to toss any books across the room? Tell us!
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 so great of you, and if you’d prefer not to, that’s cool too. Thank you so much for hanging out with us, and hopefully you found something good to read!
I had a weird reading month. I had days where I read two or three books in one day then I would go for days without reading. I also discovered that I have done a pretty good job of keeping my book buying under control, but I seem to have replaced it with a bad library habit which means my TBR list is still going in the wrong direction. Of the fifteen books I read this month, only two were ones I own and one of those was a book I had very recently won. Here’s the highlights of my reading month:
The Perilous Sea and The Immortal Heights by Sherry Thomas- Both were solid ya fantasy books, but I still prefer Thomas’s historical romances.
A Season of Ruin by Anna Bradley- I won this in a goodreads giveaway and it was just okay for me. I liked the author’s voice, but the character development wasn’t very good. I never really understood why the hero/heroine acted the way they did and I didn’t feel any chemistry between them until about 3/4 of the way into the book. I did quite enjoy the last fourth of the book which was engaging despite being predictable.
The Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington- A fast, interesting read about the importance of sleep and the way our society associates sleep-deprivation with success, hard-work, and morality. As someone who’s struggled with insomnia for as long as I can remember, I knew a lot of the tips for better sleep already and the statistics about sleep-deprivation, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child- Not as good as the original books, mainly because it is a play and as such lacks the detailed description of the settings and of the inner thoughts of the characters. It was still an enjoyable story, but it reopened the wound that had finally healed when the original series ended. I had come to terms with no new stories, but now there was a new story and I want more. I want to learn about Rose and find out whatever happened to Teddy Lupin. I think I’ll just choose to think that someday Rowling will tell those stories.
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman- I loved the concept of this book, with its alternate universe and separate library that’s trying to preserve the great works of all the worlds, but the world-building lost me a few times. I think it was probably my brain’s fault and not the fault of the book. I was not really in reading mode, but I needed to get my million library books read before their due dates. I was able to fully appreciate the wonderful characters.
The Study of Seduction by Sabrina Jeffries- This one was a fake relationship turned marriage of convenience story with well-developed characters and nice banter.
Twisted by Emma Chase- This was my first big disappointment from Chase. The characters showed no growth from Tangled and the heroine actually came off as less mature. The conflict could have easily been resolved by an honest conversation.
The rest of the books I read this month were decent, but nothing really special. They were Luck, Love & Lemon Pie by Amy E. Reichert, The Curse of the Tenth Grave by DArynda Jones, Only You by Denise Grover Swank, Daughters of the Bride by Susan Mallery, Unforgiven by Mary Balogh, Wickedly Wonderful by Deborah Black, and Doing It Over by Catherine Bybee.
Up next is Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine, another library book. Then I have An American in Scotland by Karen Ranney, Wickedly Powerful by Deborah Blake, Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet, and Close to You by Kristen Proby currently checked out of the library. I should be getting First Star I See Tonight by SEP and Wild Embrace by Nalini Singh from the library soon. I also plan to read Listen to Me by Proby, Rock Wedding by Singh, Party Lines by Emma Barry (I tried to avoid buying the one book I didn’t have by Barry, but then Carina Press had a 40% off coupon and I gave in), then the rest of my Emma Chase and Sherry Thomas books. I also won the first two books in the Season for Scandal series by Kelly Bowen and I’m dying to read all my Sarina Bowen books, one of which I recently won. I guess we’ll see next month if my ambitious reading plans actually work out for once. I now have to stop typing so I can check to see if my library has All the Single Ladies. I think I just need to accept that my tbr list will always be never-ending.
Oh man, almost all the books I read and/or listened to this month were GREAT, so this is going to be a long list!
Faves
– “A Private View” by Irene Mayer Selznick – memoir of Irene, daughter of Louis B. Mayer, of MGM fame, wife of David O. Selznick, of “Gone With the Wind” fame, this is such a great read, if you like inside looks at early Hollywood fame. Like, she went to school with the daughters of Cecil B. DeMille and was besties with Kate Hepburn, you guys!
– “The Girls” by Emma Cline – this is NOT a thiller, it’s much more “Virgin Suicides-y”
– “All Creatures Great and Small” by James Herriot (audiobook) – delightful, heartwarming, read by the actor who played Herriot in the classic miniseries
– “Disappearance at Devil’s Rock” by Paul Trembley – GUYS, I won a copy of this from Goodreads, firs ever! At it was freaking terrifying! And, like, sad! But really good!
– “Brothers in Arms” by Lois McMaster Bujold (audiobook) – it still takes me awhile to get used to Grover’s classic narration style, but man, these books are great. And CLONES.
– “The Elephant Whisperer” by Lawrence Anthony (audiobook) – the title is unfortunate but the book is wonderful and the audiobook is narrated by Simon Vance!
– “The Unleasing” / “The Undoing” by Shelley Laurenston – Sarah is right. The covers are WRONG. Seriously, why?
– “The Star Machine” by Jeanine Basinger – So, I was listening to the podcast, “You Must Remember This”, and this book was recommended as a great breakdown of Hollywood’s studio system. It definitely is. Also! It used the aforementioned Selznick memoir as a source!
– “Bellweather Rhapsody” – by Kate Racculia – a weird, comedic, romantic take on “The Shining” and, like, Wes Anderson films? It’s listed as a YA novel, but it really, really shouldn’t be.
Currently Reading
– “Named of the Dragon” by Susanna Kearsley – Everytime I read one of Kearsley’s books, I end up being all, “Yes, yes, give me that remote cottage overlooking the sea and a rugged man who loves dogs!” God, I love her books so much.
– “Mirror Dance” by Lois McMaster Bujold – CLONES!
Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson: My favorite book of 2016, so far. I wasn’t blown away by the first Mistborn trilogy, but this was incredible.
Annihilation Score by Charles Stross: Told from Mo’s perspective and very good.
Murder is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens: Two 13-year-old girls solve a murder at their boarding school. It was ok and not a YA as far as I can tell, but I would have liked it more when I was 13. .
Awful heatwave+no AC, so not much got read.
The Obelisk Gate, by N.K. Jemisin came yesterday. So far, it’s as good as The Fifth Season.
I’m also in the middle of Career of Evil, by Robert Galbraith on audio. It seems to be consistent with the quality of the first two. (I suspect that J.K. Rowling may be a Blue Oyster Cult fan.)
The only book I’ve finished since last month is You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost), by Felicia Day, on audio. A lot of fun. I definitely recommend the audiobook version. She does a great job reading it. (And occasionally singing it.)
There were a bunch of DNFs, but nothing really worth mentioning.
Oh yeah, I also read Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones.
It really has almost nothing in common with the movie adaptation, which is good, because I was always vaguely disappointed with the movie. I loved the book. Sophie has so much more agency in the original.
Just nos I’m reading nonfiction and not romance novela. I started Just Kiss Me by Rachel Gibson but I left it because I was finding it a little depressing. Next romance novel I’ll try is a scifi oldie, The Silver Metal Lover by Tanith Lee and My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick. I wanted something different and I haven’t The slightest idea about The outcome.
I read Amanda Bouchet’s A Promise of Fire, which lived up to the glowing review on this site; Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which was like a tiny sip of whiskey to a recovering alcoholic and brought out all my love for the series; and I just finished Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series, which I inhaled in four days and now I’m listening to Chumbawumba on repeat.
I’m working my way through Kristen Callihan’s Darkest London series. I started out of order, so now I’m going back and reading from the beginning.
Next on deck is Monica McCarty’s Highland Guard series.
My local library just added hoopla so I have several graphic novels I’m trying out. Bitch Plant Vol.1, Rat Queens, and Batman Adventures: Mad Love are first up.
I also recently discovered the show The 100 on Netflix and really enjoyed the first season. So I added Kass Morgan’s series to my ever growing reading queue.
I just started Must Love Wieners by Casey Griffin.
I also want to read Wonder Woman ’77, which is a comics collection set in the world of the Lynda Carter TV series. It looks like retro fun.
I’m reading GIRLS ON GAMES: A LOOK AT THE FAIRER SIDE OF THE TABLETOP INDUSTRY by Elisa Teague and others. It’s a collection of essays from women working in the game industry.
I’ve just started Illusion Town by Jayne Castle. Good so far.
I’ve been working non-stop overtime for the past month and have had very little time for reading. I started Beatriz Williams’ Tiny Little Thing, but I think it’s going to be a DNF. I’m still waiting for something to happen and I’m about 30% in.
I finally caved and read A Game of Thrones, but I don’t feel any compulsion to read the rest of the books.
Because I adore the sex and shopping genre, I’m rereading Penny Vincenzi’s A Perfect Heritage.
I started reading “Beautiful Wreck” by Larissa Brown. I can’t tell if it’s a romance or historical fiction. In any case I like it. The author’s voice is a bit different from what I’m accustomed to which is interesting, too.
* Patrick Ness’s The Rest of Us Just Live Here is about the other kids who go to the equivalent of Buffy’s or Bella’s high school. They aren’t Chosen Ones, but they’re aware of the paranormal story lines. In the first chapter, there’s an odd incident, and the core group’s reaction is “I hope they don’t blow up the high school again before graduation.”
All of the chapters open with a slightly purple synopsis of what’s happening in the Chosen One’s adventure, and the lead intersects with it in peripheral ways. Plus a treatment of mental illness as neither all-consuming, nor a disad to buy down to zero with character points.
* I finally got to a re-read that’s been looming, Kathleen Gilles Seidel’s Again (originally published in 1994). I love this book so much, and everyone should read it. It’s my favorite book set on a soap opera, a Heyer-esque Regency historical soap. The heroine is the creator and head writer, the hero the newly cast duke.
And the romance is fine and all, but I love the book for all the character interactions and story lines and soapy bits, the affection for soaps with all their quirks. (Oddly enough, I’ve never been able to get into soaps myself, but I love books that understand them.) Read it read it read it.
* Attica Locke’s Black Water Rising is a mystery set in 80s Houston. The protagonist is a young black lawyer with a civil rights past that complicates his present. He stumbles into a shooting case that (inevitably) is more than it seems. I’m making it sound ordinary, but this was a time-and-place-and-characters experience for me. The author’s a Houston native and writer/producer for Empire, if that sways anyone.
* Michelle Diener’s Dark Horse might be the best SF romance I’ve read. Which is a pretty low bar, because most SF romances are crummy SF in cheesy settings. But this one has a better universe and more complex interactions than the usual – nothing too unexpected, but solid. If anything, the romance takes second stage to some of the other elements, so if you’re all about the romance it might not be your thing, but worth a look otherwise.
Off to look up more books, grumble…
I haven’t read much this month, mainly because towards the beginning of August I started a book called Uprooted. It is an interesting NA fantasy with a terrifying villain( basically A lovectaftian, sentient forest). The only problem is it really slow-paced and thus a bit of a slog to get through.
At one point I put Uprooted on pause and picked an old Skool romance novel written in the early 90s at my local used book store called Midnight Rose. It was full of all kinds of crazy sauce , but a fun read.
Currently I’m slogging my way through Uprooted again since I only have 150 or so pages left.
My husband, that I was divorcing, died two weeks ago so it’s all been comfort reads so far this month. Nora Roberts’ The Obsession and The Search, EM Tippett’s Someone Else’s Fairytale, Anne Bishop’s The Others series. I am about to hit some Heyer thanks to the sale prices that Smart Bitches mentioned. And I am still adding to my TBR, because what I also keep reading is SBTB and then I one-click.
I just finished Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler, which I really want to talk about with somoene. I think I liked it a lot, but I’m not sure. I just began The Sunlight Pilgrims by Jenni Fagan. I loved One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and I think the only other romance book I read this month was Roller Girl by Vanessa North, which was fun and I liked it well enough.
@Vicki: I’m so sorry for your loss. Comfort reads are essential for grief, I think. If we can help find specific themes or styles for you, please feel free to email me.
Just finished Midnight Soul by K. Ashley, which then led me back to rereading other books by her.
@Vicki: Divorce is so freaking complicated and I’m sorry for your loss. I’m nearing the end of a later-in-life divorce and have more than once wished my almost-ex would just kick the bucket. But I realize that would be difficult for our almost-adult kids, because he’s not a truly horrible person and he often tries to be a good dad. Thanks for sharing–you helped me re-examine my current unproductive frame of mind. I’ve found such solace in comfort reads over the last year, thanks mainly to SBTB and the magic of one-click buying.
Also: is anyone saying truly thoughtless things to you? I’ve found it helpful to write them down, read them to my best friends and my sisters, and get a good laugh out of a difficult situation. My personal fave so far, uttered by an executive search person while we were doing an interview, was “Wow! Did he find someone else?” My jaw literally dropped open.
This month I am doing a read-out of the Amelia Peabody books by Elizabeth Peters. We have a high probability of moving soon, and I have determined that All The Books cannot go with us, so I am trying to set a good example for the husband and his hundreds of mostly-unread books. Sigh. I am keeping the first four of this series because they are rare and I paid a lot for a couple of them and my “Lion in the Valley” is signed. It is odd giving up a hardcover first-edition collection, but I am pretty far down the decluttering road now, I have read all of these multiple times, and I know the Friends of the Library will be thrilled to get them.
I’ve not been in a mood to read this month, so not too much of that has happened. I did read and enjoy “The Run of His Life” by Jeffrey Toobin after binging on “OJ: Made in America.” As a child of the 80s, I didn’t remember anything about OJ besides the trial, so I’ve really enjoyed having that huge culture event that I remember from my childhood contextualized with respect to sports culture & race.
In terms of romance, I have to shout out “Chance of a Lifetime” by Marissa Clarke. I’m pretty sure I picked this up on a deal post here at SBTB, and I really enjoyed it. The heroine is blind and she has a very complicated backstory with the hero that I thought was played to good effect. I loved how Clarke handled the heroine’s agency. The hero was a part of her finding her own voice, rather than just “saving” her, but that he also learns how to be the supportive partner she needs. The brother is a huge dick for not really any reason, but other than that, I thought this was a great take on a disabled heroine in a contemporary setting, if that’s someone’s catnip.
Vicki, my sympathies on the death of your husband.
Sarah, I started Nice Dragons Finish Last, but it didn’t grab me. I may have to try again sometime.
Celine B, my feelings match yours on The Invisible Library. I’m interested though in continuing on with the series.
Lace, I second your recommendation of Michelle Diener’s Dark Horse.
This covers a couple of weeks reading. On a recent trip, my husband and I started to listen to Elizabeth Peters’ Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody Book 1); however, we gave it up after a couple of hours. We didn’t dislike it but put it aside in the hopes of listening to something a little more gripping. We went on to listen to Patricia Briggs’ Moon Called: Mercy Thompson, Book 1 as narrated by Lorelei King. I’d already read the book, but it was new to my husband. We both enjoyed it.
On our return trip and at home we listened to China Mieville’s The City and the City as narrated by John Lee. It was an intriguing book with a complex storyline. I’d describe it as detective story/science fiction.
— a re-read of the historical romance Marrying The Captain by Carla Kelly
— the paranormal romance Bleacke’s Geek (Bleacke Shifters) by Lesli Richardson; I had heard good things about this book but the reality fell a little short.
— a re-read of the contemporary new adult romance The Score (Off-Campus Book 3) by Elle Kennedy
— the paranormal romance Wild Things: Shifters Unbound by Jennifer Ashley which is still free to Kindle readers
— The most compelling book I read recently was The Last Hour of Gann by R. Lee Smith. This is a LONG book; I think my Kindle said it would take me some 13 hours or so to read. I’m interested in reading more by this author.
— Flesh & Bone: The Minstrel Series #2 by Lee Strauss. This was a light enjoyable romance but is not likely a book I’ll re-read. It is set in Germany which I found of interest.
— a couple of short books for my library’s summer reading program: Everything Is Going to Be Okay by Bruce Eric Kaplan and Now Go Out There by Mary Karr. I really liked the Karr book which is basically a graduation speech she gave.
— Ian McEwan’s Atonement for my book group. It was an interesting read.
— the contemporary new adult romance Boarded by Love by Toni Aleo. It was a pleasant read but not a book I’ll soon re-read.
— Caroline Angell’s All the Time in the World which is probably classified as mainstream fiction or women’s fiction. I recommend it even though it made me cry!
— How Not to Fall by Emily Foster which I hadn’t realized is part one of two. I want to read part two now!
— Sacked by Jen Frederick which I also enjoyed.
Read lots, only a few stand outs. I think this month’s theme may be: I liked it more than I expected to.
How Not To Fall falls into the dreaded YA romance but really worked for me(for the most part) as a romance, but also hit all my science geek buttons in a really great way. I recommend having a Wikipedia window open so you can read up on anything you’re intrigued by, and I was.
Burn Down The Night the latest M.O’Keefe title is the story of Joan and Max last seen in The Truth About Him driving off into the sunset… sunrise? with Max bullet ridden and unconscious in the back seat of Joan’s car. The liked it more than I expected to aspect is that I don’t get the current trend towards criminality in romance these days. Not characters with the appearance of criminality who we know are actually undercover cops, but real mobsters, MCs, hitmen. It has zero appeal for me. But this is Molly O’Keefe, who I found through the Bitchery (THANK YOU!), and am completely enamored of. I couldn’t not read it. She didn’t disappoint because, while there were several elements of this book that didn’t work for me, I could not put it down. It will never be my favorite of her books, but it was, nonetheless, a pretty amazing read.
I just finished Mission Improper, by Bec McMaster. This is a new book in her London Strampunk world, but takes place 3 years after the close of that series in Of Silk and Steam. I enjoyed this book quite a bit, one of the blue blood dukes is assembling a team of blue bloods/ verwulfen/ and a mech as a band of super secret spys to fight the forces of evil that have arisen after the revolution. This first book is the story of Caleb Byrnes (a blue blood Nighthawk) and Ingrid Miller (a verwulfen bounty hunter). We’ve met both of them before in the London Steampunk series, along with quite a few of the other characters in our gallery of rogues. I’m now going back and rereading Of Silk and Steam because there are a lot of references to events in that book that I’ve forgotten and, let’s face it, any excuse to go back and reread any book from that series is ok with me.
@Lace You sold me on the sci-fi Dark Horse. And it’s in KU, so thanks x 2!
@Marci It looks like we have similar tastes (based on your August selections, anyway)! It will be a challenge not to marathon seasons 2 & 3 of The 100, because it just gets better and better. I also just picked up the final Darkest London book from the library (Forevermore) this week. And the Highland Guard series is one of my favorite, ever. Definitely my favorite historical romance series. I’m so sad it’s over 🙁
I’ve almost finished Bec McMaster’s newest London Steampunk book, Mission: Improper. It’s basically amazing; I cannot get enough of her storytelling and writing. The series has a dark, gothic bent to it which I really enjoy. This one was a very high quality combination of steamy romance and nail biting action/mystery. As all her books are.
I also
inhaledread Amanda Bouchet’s A Promise of Fire. One of my favorite books this year and already counting down to January for the next book.Thanks to comments in a Daily Deals post I grabbed a couple audiobooks from Audible’s 2-for-1 sale, which ends 8/22: Alibaba’s World: How a Remarkable Chinese Company Is Changing the Face of Global Business and The Automatic Customer: Creating a Subscription Business in Any Industry. If anyone else wants to hit the sale before it ends there are a lot of romance titles available I’ve seen recommended here. https://www.audible.com/sp/2for1
I’m also listening to The Like Switch: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People Over on my morning run.
I read We Were Feminists Once: From Riot Grrrl to CoverGirl®, the Buying and Selling of a Political Movement. It was fabulous.
Finally, I did a re-read of Julie Garwood’s, Saving Grace, one of my favorites by her. It’s also a safe choice for a re-read since it’s standalone; I’m not tempted to go back and read all the others in the series when my TBR is practically bursting out of my Kindle.
Some highlights this month . . .
Paper and Fire, the second book in Rachel Caine’s Great Library series. I liked it as much as the first book!
Glitterland, by Alexis Hall. I read (and LOVED) For Real by the same author a couple months ago; this didn’t disappoint. I might have wished for a bit less angst but I really liked the characters and the relationship.
On audio I listened to Montmorency by Eleanor Updale (I think) which is YA and was a lot of fun. I like YA audiobooks because they tend to be shorter. It was read by Stephen Fry which was the clincher. He is awesome.
Now listening to Nalini Singh’s Archangel’s Enigma (Naasir’s story). So, it’s interesting. I’ve read almost all the Archangel books and I’m finding it’s just really weird that suddenly the characters have accents, because I don’t know about anyone else but I almost never read characters with an accent. Know what I mean? I’m about three hours into it and I guess I’m used to it now, but it was oddly jarring at first.
So much reading this month and so many good books (or at least books that totally satisfied my current mindset and needs). Yay for me! Here are a few of the best:
First, The Hating Game, by Sally Thorne, which I LOVED! Thanks Sarah!
Then I read The Magpie Lord, by KC Charles (followed by the other two in the trilogy), also courtesy of you all. Again, wonderful.
Then I stumbled across Penny Reid and immediately glommed on her Knitting in the City series, followed by the Winston Bros. books. Happy sigh. How have I not known about this author??
I also read Bittersweet and Steadfast by Sarina Bowen. Loved. And I re-read a few old Nevil Shute favorites (including A Town Like Alice). And started Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series. And, last, I read Quiet by Susan Cain. Eye-opening and kind of mind blowing.
A really, really good reading month for me. Wish they could all be this way … except then I would get no work done.
After listening to Mary Roach’s Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers and Thunder Dog (non fiction about a blind man and his dog getting out of the WTC on 9/11), I was ready for really great historical romance. The result was a swell read of an early Loretta Chase book, Viscount Vagabond. I’m in the middle of it’s sequel, The Devil’s Deliliah now, and enjoying the heck out of it.
@Alex: Can you start Mission: Improper without being too familiar with the previous series since this looks like a spin-off? Or would you recommend reading her backlist first?
DNF: Armada by Ernest Cline. I absolutely loved his first book, Ready Player One, which had a romantic angle along with the retro/futuristic sci-fi…. but alas I couldn’t get into Armada.
Now reading The Miss Mirren Mission by Jenny Holiday, which is a lot of fun. (Regency romantic suspense? Is that a thing?)
It’s August; it’s hot, so it takes a lot of effort to read anything new–know what I mean? So I have been re-reading and deciding keep/discard? of some of my cache. I re-read a book that I remembered liking (or why else would I still have it?) but it was just what I needed. It’s quite old (c1978), but if you’re a Downton Abbey fan, or looking for a change from Regencies, I’d recommend it. It’s “The Girl From the Diadem” by Jean Merrill. It’s set in England, ca.1903-04, and the heroine, Belle Barclay, is the star of a third-rate musical comedy theater. Looking at the end of her career (her voice is going), she is considering her options (not many) when the young, handsome, and rich Earl of Orsett makes her a proposition. He’s in love with the ingenue next door; his uncle and guardian forbids it, and the uncle holds the purse strings until he’s 25. His brilliant plan is that he will pretend to be in love with Belle, invite her to Orsett Park for his big 21st birthday bash, appall the relatives, so that his uncle will be thrilled to let him marry his twue wuve (did I mention she has a fashionable lisp?) Anyway, Belle agrees because maybe the uncle will buy her off with enough cash to allow her to open a millinery shop with her faithful maid, Daisy. The rest is pure farce. For example, this is the Earl’s mother speaking:
“My dear, to my amazement, it was represented to me that I may have caused your abrupt departure from the Park last weekend! It was when you came into dinner and said that you were going to marry my brother-in-law. My dear, I was so diverted! I have never been so diverted. Mrs. Sweeting’s face! Mrs. Goldspink! The Marchioness! And the way you sat there so calmly! I thought I should have died. And when that stupid girl fell into the piano and her mother caught fire in the grate and Muriella flung the contents of the flower vase over her! And before I knew where I was, I was laughing so much that I was totally unable to stop. I have always been like that since a girl,” she remarked modestly.” Plus the Dowager Duchess of Peckham is my new role model for how I want to be when I grow old.
All the Harry Potter hype gave me the kick in the butt I needed to read Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, which I loved. I also succumbed to all the great reviews on Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us. The one that really left me with a total book hangover, though, is In the Middle of Somewhere by Roan Parrish, which I’m pretty sure bought because of a great rec here + sale. So thanks! It was truly a tender, touching, steamy read. I just feel like I need a little space before jumping into the next one…
Maybe I’ll check out the new Bec McMaster–I love her stuff!
And I second the James Herriott recommendation. I red all those books when I was either in middle school or high school. Definitely a great comfort read.
I’m reading quite a bit this month, especially now that I’m hooked up with NetGalley. Wow! I’m so not going to get much written if this keeps up.
New-to-me authors:
Ruthie Knox: I read Ride With Me, and loved the whole biking theme. I used to ride a lot when I was younger. And I liked the way the relationship developed. The ending was a bit abrupt, but the story was still very much worth it. Then I read About Last Night. Very different from RWM, but just as good if not better. Same issue with the abrupt ending, but otherwise would have been a 5-star read for me. I’ll be looking for more from Knox.
Kristen Callihan: Idol was wonderful! I’m such a sucker for rock romances, and this one is fabulous.
Nalini Singh: I know, I’m so late to this party, but I’m a convert. Again, rock romances are my catnip, so I inhaled her Rock Kiss series in about a week. My favorites were Rock Courtship (David and Thea), Rock Hard (Charlotte and Gabriel), and Rock Redemption (Noah and Kit), but I loved Rock Wedding too (Abe and Sarah–very Biblical!). Rock Addiction was the first one I read, but probably my least favorite. That said, it’s still very good.
Next up:
I’m currently reading Roadside Assistance by Marie Harte (NetGalley), but I have quite a TBR pile right now.
Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling (I love humorous memoirs.)
Addicted by Elle Kennedy
Everything I Left Unsaid and The Truth About Him by Molly O’Keefe
A Sure Thing by Marie Harte (NetGalley)
And I periodically pick up any of the Stage Dive novels by Kylie Scott and read a bit. I did that this morning before I even got out of bed to get ready for work. I’m dying now because I got an email this week saying that Twisted, book #2 in her Dive Bar series, has been pushed back from November 2016 to April 2017. Mournful sigh.
So I read the “Fallen Empire” books by L. Buroker and they were great. They definitely remind me of the Kate Daniels books but Kate “walks the walk” better. Rapid pacing makes them quick reads and their in KU.
I also read “Reapers Fire” which I liked a lot better than the previous two in the series. It still sticks in your throat when the hero sleeps with someone other than the heroine but at least it’s better than the heroine being in high school!
The Courtney Milan novella “Her every Wish” really packs a punch and is about commoners but without cockney accents thank goodness.
I also finished up the Sci-Fi class 5 series with Dark Minds and it was GREAT! This is a fabulous series that didn’t run on too long.
Misses this month were Love Me Tender by A. Albert. That cover! ( I KNOW, the author doesn’t get to pick it). The Barbie Pink edging and the 14 year old looking cover model added to the boy band angle of the story made you think this was geared to middle schoolers. Well..till you got to the Blow Jobs and male/male anal sex! Somehow I don’t think that was their target audience.
I finally read Feverborn by KM Moning and have really mixed feels. I LOVED Iced and the Dani story and then the books got hijacked by Mac and Barrons which really irritated me. The “new” Dani character is irritating but at least there was better progression in this installment. This author has a tendency to have about 1 (or 2) books too many in a series. Tighter pacing please!
Up next Allegiance of Honor by Singh, Some of the Georgette Heyer mysteries I may have missed, Alloy of Law which moved up thanks to @MirandaB and Fifth Season which moved up thanks to @Lostshadow.
I’m currently reading The 6th Extinction by James Rollins. He is one of my Must Read authors, never disappoints. Action, science, romance, adventure, and many times published just as something hits the news that just makes it all the more real.
Trying to make my way through my massive library, I finished Get Lucky by Suzanne Brockmann. Really enjoyed this older story. Having started the Tall, Dark & Deadly series from the beginning, I can really see Brockmann’s growth as an author.
I also read Partners by Nora Roberts. An early book for her, but late enough to show her strength in characterization. I particularly enjoy her police and/or mystery books.
Biggest disappointment was A Limited Engagement by Josh Lanyon. I’m a big fan of Lanyon’s m/m books. I found this short story creepy in the extreme. Abuse, blackmail, outing, so very dysfunctional. Thank heavens it was only a short story, or it would’ve been dumped early. The quality of the writing just couldn’t make up for the subject matter. Not for me.
A comeback story, for me, was Shadow’s End by Thea Harrison. By that, I mean that when I first started reading it, I was afraid I wouldn’t like it. It starts with a massive flashback, something I truly hate. I shouldn’t have doubted Harrison. She dragged me into the story against my wishes and sold me before the good stuff even happened between Graydon and Bel.
I’m getting better about making my way through both my eReaders, but I still get distracted by shiny new titles.
Must Love Wieners was not as good as the post about it here at SBTB. I saw it on my library page and thought “what the hell” I’ll read it! It’s a mess and I could go forever, but I’ll just say this: I don’t believe the author knows anything about San Francisco where the book takes place. The closest veterinary school is at UC Davis and I don’t believe a singing telegram business would succeed in a city with no parking and limited entry to buildings and car parks. The heroine just walked into any old place she wanted to sing her telegrams while dressed like a hooker. Also cab drivers must be licenced to drive in the very hilly city of S.F and Sea Cliff is not how the author described it (I actually lived there for a year). The Presidio is a National Park there isn’t a dog park, the closest dog park is at Crissy Field. The book might of been a little more believable had it been set elsewhere. And…last but not least the heroine Piper was an idiot. I finished it, but it was not fun. Oh and there were about a half a dozen different bad guys out to get the heroine. Just so stupid….sorry I did go on forever.
I really enjoyed Act Like It by Lucy Parker. An excellent book with sexy smart-aleck characters, Elaine and Richard’s journey through romance is fabulous.
Just Kiss Me by Rachel Gibson was not my cuppa, nor was Forevermore by Kristen Callihan I couldn’t finish it the “my little bird” business was just one of the things that drove me crazy. I also read two Barbara Metzger books recommended by a GR friend, A Loyal Companion and Father Christmas, both were sweet, I liked the former better than the latter.
Illusion Town by Jayne Castle was fun, though a little thin when it comes to substance and it felt hurried, but I do enjoy the bizarre planet of Harmony.
All summer I’ve been listening to C.S. Harris’ St. Cyr mysteries narrated by the great Davina Porter. I loved this series in print and it really comes alive in audio. One odd thing, mid-series Porter changes her pronunciations on some words, I have wondered if it is because of the American audience? Anyway it was a little annoying.
Next up The Hating Game.
@KateB:
I loved the Star Machine. Comments like this are why I enjoy reading the comments section on the Whatcha Reading posts.
@Stefanie Magura:
Oh, yay! I loved the sections on Lana Turner and Errol Flynn, in particular. How about you? Have you listened to the You Must Remember This podcast? It is excellent.