It’s time for the second Whatcha Reading of May! How are you all liking the twice a month schedule? I hope it’s been a little easier to parse through the comments.
We’re back from BookLovers Con in New Orleans. If you weren’t able to attend, our live podcast we recorded is up on the site!
Carrie: I just finished an ARC of The Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis ( A | BN | K | G | AB ). Bronte sisters become detectives. Sounds awful, is actually fabulous.
Sarah: I got an announcement of that book the day I did a book event, and told folks at the event about it. There were room-wide gasps and grabby hands.
I’m glad it is good!
Carrie: I’m also about to start Rotherweird by Andrew Caldecott ( A | BN | K | G | AB ).
Sarah: I just started A Touch of Forever by Jo Goodman, which is out in June. It’s a western American historical, and I fully and entirely own that the heroine’s waistcoat drew me to this book initially. Goodman writes in a style that is deliberate and detailed, so reading her books can feel like I’ve been dropped into a community and I get to eavesdrop and closely observe people’s words and actions, almost as if there’s a veneer of mystery over the whole story. “Who is that? Why are they acting like that? What’s with the thing he does with his hand while he’s drinking coffee?” The hero works for the railroad company and is surveying the land, which presents a mix of tension because to some that’s opportunity and growth, and to others it can mean disruption and loss.
Also, did I mention the heroine’s waistcoat?
Amanda: I’m getting ready to start Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey ( A | BN | K | G | AB ). “Brother’s best friend” isn’t my favorite trope, but I really enjoy Bailey’s writing.
Elyse: I just finished A Prince on Paper by Alyssa Cole ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) and I have book hangover. I’m really torn on what to start next.
How has your reading month been? Tell us in the comments!
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, we greatly appreciate it, and if you’d prefer not to, no worries. Thanks for being a part of SBTB and hopefully, you’ve found some great books to read!
Did get some reading done.
California Girls by Susan Mallery. Three sisters get dumped on the same day, one by husband very publicly, one by fiance weeks before the wedding, one by casual boyfriend. Different ways of dealing with it and each other. Weird mom for interest though I didn’t find that she fit in the story very well. I liked two of the arcs a lot, one was OK but predictable, one made no sense to me. Did like that, although everyone got an HEA, they didn’t all involved romance. Mixed feelings on this one.
When a Marquess Loves a Woman by Vivienne Lorret. Seemed as if it started in the middle of the story but it did go all the way to the end. It was good though not great for me. It did start me seriously thinking about why Regency style romances are so popular.
Her Last Lie by Amanda Brittany. Targeted by not one but two serial killers. Or is she just going crazy? Interesting. Some suspension of disbelief required. And I did find myself thinking about the ending. So top end of the “good” scale.
Thunder on the Right by Mary Stewart. Not my favorite of hers but good atmosphere. She is always dependable and enjoyable.
I’ve fallen into a Sierra Simone rabbit hole. And I can’t get up! I just finished the New Camelot series which is EPIC. I listened to American Queen last year and I thought, huh, interesting. But I wanted to pick up the series again, but didn’t really remember. This time I read it. Then I read the next book. then the next one. I’m floored by this series. She ties together all the ends everything makes sense and it’s still batshit crazy. So satisfying.
I’ve also read Priest and Sinner and I loved both, but New Camelot. Whuph. Simone has become a favorite author. When I get home (visiting the fam), I’m going to read her Misadventures with books. I started following her on instagram and I may even have to become a Lamb on facebook. I hate facebook. But I’m obss… no, overused. I’m devoted. Yes. that’s a better word.
I don’t want to say I DNF’d it, but I returned 99 Percent Mine to my TBR. I was about 45% in and I got tired of reading it. I love The Hating Game, and this is very different. I don’t hate it. I’d still give what I read 3 stars.
I laughed out loud more times than I can count. Thorne has a gift for hilarious metaphor. I want to know what happens to the characters, but it was a little slow for me at the time. I put the audiobook on hold at the library.
People say you are supposed to have tons of energy and lose the fatigue you had in your first trimester of pregnancy during your second trimester – ummm, I’m still waiting…
I was on vacation for the last Whatcha Reading and didn’t post, but even so don’t have that much to report for a full month.
Excellent:
None
Very Good:
None
Good:
Outer Order Inner Calm: Declutter & Organize to Make More Room for Happiness by Gretchen Rubin: I am a huge fan of Rubin and her extremely practical advice on how to make our lives happier. If you regularly listen to her podcast, nothing in this book will be new. However, there are good tips and tricks as well as ideas to mull over.
The Night of Four Hundred Rabbits by Elizabeth Peters: A standalone mystery/thriller written and set in the 1970’s involving drug trafficking from Mexico. I found this much more engaging on the mystery front than the last Peters standalone I read because there is an impending sense of doom from the first page. Still, some of it was very dated and some of the actions of two characters at the end came out of nowhere.
Meh:
All the Money in the World: What the Happiest People Know about Wealth by Laura Vanderkam: Other than an interesting discussion about the true marginal cost of having an additional child, a lot of this book covers well trodden ground – for example over a certain spending level, it makes you happier to buy experiences rather than things which has been well reported numerous places. I also thought she missed the point on the power of compound interest. It wasn’t terrible, but it certainly wouldn’t be a book I recommend on personal finance.
The Bad:
None
I’m currently reading “Company of One” because after hearing the podcast with the author, I really wanted to read the book. I finished reading a couple of Nora Roberts books and really enjoyed them recently, and I’ve been in a bit of an Anne Perry mood and read some of her Christmas novellas which I also enjoyed.
@KateB: I just read Middlegame too! I thought it was excellent, though Roger and Dodger were giving me slight flashbacks to the protagonists of Feed. The way the narrative played with time was fascinating, though, and McGuire’s language and worldbuilding is always stunning.
Next on the pile I signed out from the library, finally reading Glamour and Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal, the sequel to Shades of Milk and Honey. I really enjoyed the first book but for some reason never got around to the sequels. Now I am! They’re a fantasy regency romance series, sorta Austen but with illusion magic.
I also have a couple of JRPGs on the go, which is KINDA reading, just reading occasionally interspersed with turn based battles. I’m playing Radiant Historia on the 3DS. It is a story of a very tired soldier who is a Lonely Lone Wolf who Works Alone but enthusiastic optimists keep showing up and joining his party and making eye contact and using their mouths to make words about how much they like and respect him. He finds it very confusing. Also there is a magic time altering book and he finds that confusing too. He just wanted to stab things and occasionally stare at the horizon broodingly. He never asked for this.
A mixed bag of genres this last fortnight, but enjoyed/enjoying them all. Finished Clockwork Angel (historical YA steampunk/paranormal romance) by Cassandra Clare – excellent via audio, fantastic narration. Thoroughly enjoyed the audible of The Chase, by Elle Kennedy, one of the very few NA authors I can stand, because she tends to write about real-life situations rather than contrived relationship drama. 4 stars, cute!!
Currently continuing the Psy/Changeling series by Nalini Singh, with Hostage To Pleasure – this one has all the catnip, enjoying so much. And, listening to Melt For You by JT Geissinger – this one is so much FUN, excellent narration of a frustrating Scottish rugby player, this will be one of my top listens for the year.
I love that this post is now twice a month!!
Right now I only have one book to recommend – a non-fiction collection of interviews by movie director Judd Apatow called Sick in the Head. I enjoy many of his movies (40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, This is 40) and was interested to discover that he has been obsessed with comedy & comedians since he was a teenager. His high school used to have its own radio station, and he would call up publicists, and say “This is Judd Apatow from radio station [whatever whatever]” and he would book their clients! Then he’d show up to do the interview and the star would realize he was 15 years old, hahahaha! So it’s a book of 36 interviews ranging from 1983-2014 (the book was published in 2015.) Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, James L. Brooks, Sarah Silverman, Harold Ramis, Amy Schumer and more!
Also, in romance-related-recs, I am actually watching CSI: Las Vegas for the first time! (This is the original CSI tv series.) And while I know that Gil & Sara eventually kiss in the show/become a couple (maybe/hopefully?), I did not know that they start making googly eyes in the FOURTH EPISODE. And in the tenth episode, Sara asks him, “Do you want to sleep with me?” (In context, sex is not what she means, but Gil almost chokes on his coffee.) Oh god, I want them to make out so bad! Mentor/Ward is one of my favorite tropes.
I have been reading very slowly, but I did finally finish A MEMORY CALLED EMPIRE and I was wrong–it did have a romantic element, and it did fit. I wasn’t feeling overly shippy by the end, tho; I liked how things wrapped up, but I would like to see the characters meet up again in the next book and see where they’re at.
If I read the next one, which will depend on how in the mood I am for SF when it comes out, I guess. I really did like this one, tho I found some of the italics use tiresome by the end, and the MC’s very biological understanding of her feelings. (The endocrine system gets a lot of mentions here. I may be a bit harsh but I was starting to feel like it was a full on minor character of its own by the end.) But it IS a good book and I do rec it to anyone who likes that kind of thing. The whole thing of having the “evil empire” be not really evil even as it is empire-y, and the ppl in it just basically ppl, and our heroine whose own home and culture are imperiled struggling with how much she LIKES that culture–or does she?–is really really well done.
But I am, I admit, in a moody mood with a short attention span. All I really want now is to read a bunch of single issue comics, so I guess it’s a good thing I’ve just picked up a big pile of them. Esp enjoying the War of the Realms event at Marvel and SO many of its offshoots, and liking Captain Marvel’s main title as well. At DC I’m really excited to read the latest Naomi and Superman–the other Superman title, Action Comics, that Bendis is writing isn’t doing as much for me, but I know it’s all gonna tie in together so if I’m gonna read one I might as well read both. (Also: I’m not a huge Lois/Clark shipper but I rly rly enjoy how their relationship is in these books; they don’t constantly agree but their arguments are never big relationship-in-peril dramas. They’re the happy marriage of two strong personalities they should be. I rly like their kid, too.)
I am WAY behind on all the Star Wars titles I read, but only b/c I want to read them when I’m in a Star Warsy mood, and I’m tending more to the superheroes atm. I do have Claudia Grey’s new canon novel on my shelf, all ready to read soon as well…
And I too am intrigued by that heroine’s waistcoat. tbh I’m still trying to find a proper romance novel I properly like. I was reading The Dutchess Deal and it was JUST what I needed in the waiting room at jury service and I read a lot more at home as well…but then the level of sheer silliness and blah sex scenes was just so annoyingly high I had to put it aside for the next time it’s what I rly need. Frustrating. I know I love romance but it seems like no matter how highly recommended a book comes, it just doesn’t really work for me. But I will try again!
(I’ve also been reading a well-rec’d Star Trek (Kirk/Spock) fanfic series that’s romance with a lot of plot, and I rly liked the first part–despite it being imo a little OCC for Kirk–which was far more dramatic and romantic than the part I’ve been reading presently. This second of the longer stories in the series has been a bit more of a drag, and now that it’s an established relationship the sexytime just keeps happening offscreen. Which is understandable, but…well, I’m glad some bigger drama’s just happening–Kirk has been basically stolen from the ship–and while that means his concern that he’s becoming the “regency heroine” of his own life is even more justified, I’m more excited to see what happens next…)
@JJB: what Trek fanfic series is it?
Since discovering Tawna Fenske last Thursday, I read the rest of the Ponderosa Resort series, and then stayed up till 4:00 am last night, or should I say early this morning-reading her book Believe It or Not. I LOVED this book, I laughed so hard-I was almost choking myself. I loved the characters, all of them-Violet and Drew are one of my favorite couples ever. I mentioned her covers in a previous comment about Hottie Lumberjack, but the cover for this one is even weirder-the male cover model is very blonde, and Drew is described as dark haired. Oh well! I thought this book was absolutely delightful and I’m so happy to find this new to me author, I’m even happier that she has quite a few books on Kindle Unlimited!! I’m halfway through Making Waves, and it’s great! Fenske has a wonderful way with quirky characters, and her sense of humor is totally satisfying to me.
I just discovered the Guild Codex series by Annette Marie, which starts with THREE MAGES AND A MARGARITA. The first book was bought on a complete whim, but I loved it so much I devoured the next 3 books in the series in the following week. Urban fantasy with magic, generally lighthearted and very fun.
I have had STORM CURSED by Patricia Briggs pre-ordered for months, with the date highlighted in my calendar. Loved it. I don’t know what I’m going to do if Briggs decides to bring this series to a close.
I really enjoyed PROPER ENGLISH by KJ Charles.
And finally, I discovered and enjoyed the DEVILS ISLE series by Chloe Neill.
I recently listened to the first 6 books in THE EXPANSE series by James S.A. Corey and thought it was a good time to take a break before starting book 7 because the books started to run together. I enjoyed them all, books 5 and 6 especially because we finally get some chapters from the point of view of all The Rocinante crew members not just Holden. I’ve been waiting for that.
After reading Sarah’s love letter to Honoria Prudence Anstruther-Weatherby I decided to give the Cynster series by Stephanie Laurens a re-read/re-listen. I read/listen to all of them way back when they were first published. Back when my library used to order them from Recorded Books on tape, not even on cds at that point. Now they have most of the series on digital audio. I’ve made it through the first 10 books now (skipping the book about Devil’s parents because I have no interest in that book). The narrator of the audiobooks can be very over the top, but it matches well with Lauren’s writing style. I roll my eyes a lot but also smile at the campiness. He also does a good job with the women characters, not making them sound too whiny or annoying. I tend to have a problem with male narrators’ voices for female characters in a lot of audiobooks but Simon Vance usually does a good job. The books started to get very repetitive several books ago, and I began to cringe every time the word “evocative” was used (which is A LOT in the later books). So stopping after book 10 seems like a good point to move on to something different.
I have many books on my TBR pile but I decided to start re-reading Elizabeth Peter’s Amelia Peabody series. I’m so busy right now and distracted by other things, reading anything new seems like too much of a commitment at the moment. So re-reads are on the agenda for the time being. Spending some time with Amelia and Emerson and their family and friends is always fun for me.
My month of May so far:
Once Upon a Maiden Lane – Elizabeth Hoyt
Great premise for this novella, two interesting twists I didn’t see coming but how wasted they both were. What a pity this is a novella because a bigger book could have expanded things so much better.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine – Gail Honeyman
Liked it as much as the majority of other readers and it was very good to see how the author chose to portray Eleanor’s views in life. It’s both funny and dramatic in spots and I had a great time reading.
Fallout – Lisa Henry/ M. Caspian
Really disliked it. I can see the interest in developing such an apocalyptic story and why the m/m protagonists dealt with one another, they have a long standing relationship but with a lot of guilt involved. What I disliked was the torture and violence and rape happening in this. I knew it wouldn’t be simple romance but I was not expecting this! Not for me.
A Secret Affair – Mary Balogh
Compared to the first three stories in the Huxtable series, this fifth one and the previous fourth felt really disappointing for me. Both heroines were so much more difficult to be likable. Both have reasons and I applaud the attempt to show different types of women and not just the sweet innocent one but I failed to like reading about them.
Storm Gathering – Rebecca Zanetti
Another good installment of this post apocalyptic series but where there’s always a sense of hope and romance in the air to make the bad details more bearable. I’m certainly going to read more.
The Translator – John Crowley
This is a fiction story about an exiled Russian teacher in America having a relationship to a former younger American student during the Cuban crises. Being a translator myself and liking historical settings, this was catnip for me but sadly, I thought the focus was too much on the heroine’s inner monologues and feelings and not as much on the action and the translation happening in the story…
The Year We Fell Down – Sarina Bowen
Sweet NA with a heroine in a wheelchair (the detail that made me want to read)but that doesn’t stop her from attending the college of her dreams. I liked the setting and some situations depicted but yes, the romance part was a little too heavy on their sexual thoughts and I think it would have been sweeter if that could have been less important.
Romancing Olive – Holly Bush
An inspirational western which surprised me for its consistency. I liked this story about a 35 year old woman going west to get her niece and nephew after their parents die but instead of leaving, she settles down to let them get to know her better and she falls in love with the 25 year old widow man and his children who took care of her brother’s kids in the meantime.
The Nun – Denis Diderot
A french classic I really liked reading. This reads like a letter a nun writes to someone sharing her experience in convents against her will and how hard she tries to get out because she isn’t devoted enough to like the life of a nun. Many historical/social tidbits to think about and for me it was very easy to read (unlike other classics where the writing is heavier, for instance).
Dreamer’s Pool – Juliet Marillier
A great fantasy story with the usual tone of mystery and suspense revolving some apparently unimportant paranormal element. Not much romance in this fist book but I’ll certainly read the other installments.
The Shadow Line – Joseph Conrad
A classic that has not moved me at all. Too bland and boring for me to be honest. Maybe I just didn’t get it.
Shining Through – Susan Isaacs
This was a great story for me, a little dragging at times and in some parts I felt the focus could have been stronger in the key situations instead of in just what the protagonist saw. I wish the end could have been even more detailed!
To See the Sun – Kelly Jensen
I saw this m/m story recommended so positively I had to try it. It’s a sweet romance story with a lot of wonderful world building. I think the characters were too isolated in their interactions and I don’t mean just the setting in which they were at. I’ll try something else by the author to compare.
The Austen Playbook – Lucy Parker
A great addition to the series and as usual, a very good eye for detail and ideas for plot. The main romance didn’t feel as amazing as the first two books but it was still a good story to be immersed in.
A Brush of Black Wings – Grace Draven
The novella that continued the first story, Master of Crows, which I loved. This novella had the necessary elements to be great too but I don’t know if it’s the time that has already passed or the fact the novella focused more on style than feelings but it wasn’t as great as I thought.
Commonwealth – Ann Patchett
Still reading. I imagined a different possible development for a story that is centered on the children of two different families when a man and a woman leave their spouses to live together. I knew this was fiction and not romance but I confess it’s more boring than what I imagined.
If I have time, I’ll also read this month The Duke’s Holiday by Maggie Fenton and The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova.
I think doing this twice a month is actually helping me procrastinate writing these. I haven’t done this since the first one in April so hopefully I can get caught up and stay caught up!
–Verity by Colleen Hoover–really liked the book but I am confused by how I feel about the ending
–The Coaching Hours by Sara Ney–it was an ok book
–Method by Kate Stewart–it was a really good book but be warned the timelines can get confusing.
–Garrett by Sawyer Bennett–2nd book in her first hockey series. She’s a new to me author but I like her books
–Just My Type by Tara Sivec–Loved this Book. Her books always make me laugh. There is a pet hedgehog in the book named Ron Jeremy
–Co-Ed by Rachel Van Dyken–spin-off of her Wingman Inc. series
–Neanderthal Seeks Extra Yarns–Penny Reid extra short stories in book form. Can probably find them all for free online.
–Dr. OB by Max Monroe–doctor reality show that makes the main character look really bad. I liked it but didn’t think it was as funny as the first two I read.
–Rebel Heart by Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland–2nd book in their Hearts Duet series. I liked the first one better.
–Top Secret by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy–M/M romance. Loved this book
–Corrupt by Penelope Douglas–First in a series. It was really good but the group of guys in this book are jerks.
–Neighbor Dearest by Penelope Ward–I loved Stepbrother Dearest so I was really looking forward to this one and I ended up disappointed.
Dirty Bad Wrong by Jade West–If you’ve never read her, her books are filthy but they are also very good. It was one of her earlier books. It was good but I like the newer stuff she’s written more.
–Sidebarred by Emma Chase–novella and last of the series. Follows characters that had a previous book.
–Love Sincerely Yours by Sara Ney and Meghan Quinn–Really liked this book. Heroine admits a crush to her boss via anonymous email. Really funny
–Block Shot by Kennedy Ryan–Heroine in college has self-image problems in college. Features sports agents seen in Hook Shot. Liked this book but not as much as previous books I’ve read.
–American Prince by Sierra Simone–New Camelot series. Follows the vice president’s point of view in the past and the present. I liked this book more than the first one.
I’ve missed a couple of these posts because the new schedule is throwing me off for some reason, and because I haven’t gotten a lot of reading done.
But I did read the new Anne Cleeland historical “A Death in Sheffield”. I’ve also read her contemporary Scotland Yard series, and I now see a lot of similarities in the character types. This one also has an older hero who is a peer, and the younger heroine who is not from a privileged background, but holds her own with the hero due to being extremely intuitive and clever. There is a very twisty plot with scheming relatives, murder, espionage, counterfeiting, a road trip and elopement to Scotland; oh, and the heroine blows things up(she learned about explosives while following the drum in the Peninsula as a child). Cleeland’s books are the tropiest(sp?), just jammed to overflowing with tropes, and I love it. TW for death of a beloved horse.
I’m also reading “Nothing Like a Duke” by Jane Ashford which is the next to last of her Duke’s Sons series. The H&h had so much going on in the previous books that I really can’t recommend it as a standalone, it’s like walking in on the middle of a story. But I do recommend the series which is well-written, funny and totally charming. The prequel book,”The Bargain”, with a scientist hero, is still my favorite.
@HeatherS
It’s by seperis on A03 tagged as “The Reboot Series”. The more I read, the less I feel it deserves its oft-rec’d status, but it’s better than most I’ve tried and I’m trying to read fanfic instead of twitter right now so *shrug* I’m gonna try to finish the story part I’m on (“War Games” chapter two.)
Since last time, I powered through Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews which had a few twists and turns and kept me up late so I could finish the story. I also read Sleepover by Serena Bell. I always get attached to Serena Bell’s main characters and this book was no different, There were two boys who helped move the story along with their friendship and sleepovers. And, as always, the chemistry was hot.
Checking in late as I’ve just returned from vacation time spent helping my father get ready to downsize from a house to an apartment. Even though I feel should read one of those “death cleaning” books and crave a re-read of The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher, next up is A Rogue by Night by Kelly Bowen which hit my Kindle this morning. I may be up late tonight….