We’re wrapping up March with our second Whatcha Reading post and I have a feeling people have either read ALL THE THINGS or are in the midst of slump, like myself.
If you missed it, I’ll be doing Books on Sale posts every single day for the duration of the pandemic, to keep everyone well-stocked on ebooks.
Please keep take care of yourselves! We’re all in this together.
Carrie: I just started The Earl Takes a Fancy by Lorraine Heath. I had reservations but I’m loving this book and fervently hoping that the heroine, who runs a bookstore, never stops running a bookstore. I am much more heavily invested in her bookstore than in the romance itself although the actual romance is quite good.
Shana: I’m reading the Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller, which is just as good as everyone said it was. Occasionally the plot stresses me out. So, I’ve been using The Duchess War by Courtney Milan as a chaser.
Catherine: Ooh, I’m reading the Widow of Rose House, too! I wanted a nice comfort reread. And I just finished reading Goddess of the Spring by P.C. Cast, ( A | BN | K | AB ) which I used to love – I wanted to see if it still held up, and it mostly does. I have to admit, I wanted MOAR BAKING and less underworld, but that’s because I revert to wanting to Cook All The Things when under stress.
Shana: More baking and less underworld is my new life motto.
Catherine: I mean, it’s hard to go wrong with that motto. Our supermarket shelves are empty of flour, eggs, milk, sugar and butter, but not of much else, and I like to think that it’s because everyone is madly baking cakes while they are stuck at home, socially distancing…
Lara: I’m reading Straight from the Horse’s Mouth by Meryem Alaoui. It’s a story told from the perspective of a sex worker in Casablanca. I’m finding it… compelling, and difficult to describe. It’s unlike anything I’ve read before.
Sarah: Me + Cadfael continue. I’m reading Saint Peter’s Fair. ( A | BN | K | AB ) In our last podcast episode, Julia aka Mizzelle said, “I do find it funny Sarah is reading the Brother Cadfael series since it’s set during a period of political tumult (nicknamed the “the Anarchy” in places).” Julia is totally right and I didn’t recognize it until she said so: amid total chaos and seriously messed up circumstances, there’s still ritual and kindness and the methodical hunting of yet another murderer, and Cadfael’s probably drinking wine with someone in the next chapter, and that’s all very soothing. Amid chaos life goes on. Back to the 1100’s I go.
Claudia: I feel like I’ve been blumblebee-ing through a few old and new books and unable to focus right now. I’m taking a new tack and going for something completely new to me: steampunk. I’m starting Kiss of Steel by Bec MacMaster.
Elyse: Right now my brain is struggling to focus and I’m reading a lot of knitting pattern books. Harry Potter Knitting Magic by Tanis Gray is really great. Lots of patterns but also behind the scenes stuff from the movies
I loved that book, Claudia!
Kiki: I also loved that book, Claudia!
Tara: I finished Magic Binds ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) last night and now I’m having a an ebook hangover. I tried reading the Ahsoka book and bailed 20% in because it wasn’t great and then read the first few percent of a few other books. I’ve been doing better in audio, because I’m listening to Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au | Scribd ) and that’s great.
Kiki: I’ve been having a hard time reading for approximately two months but I’m hoping to start Chasing Cassandra tonight. Also I think my audiobook hold for This Is How You Lose The Time War has come in and I’m very excited to join the club of people who adore that book.
Tara: Oh, Kiki, I’m SO excited for you! Time War is gorgeous and I hope you love it
Maya: I’ve also been struggling to quiet my mind enough to read, but I listened to The A.I. Who Loved Me by Alyssa Cole. It’s an Audible Original and I thought it was pretty great. It was a little bit hard to get in to in the beginning because I struggled with believing that the heroine didn’t notice the hero was AI, but once it became more action-y and the reveals put everyone on the same page, it got amazing. The world building was excellent and I’m very excited about the next audiobook in the series!
EllenM: I just finished my arc of Bonds of Brass and it gave me all of the Space Boyfriend action i needed!!! Very excited to review it. Now I’m reading A Talent for Trickery by Alissa Johnson and so far I LOVE ITTTTT. mystery historical romance + heroines with unusual skill sets = a happy Ellen!
Claudia: Alissa Johnson is one of the most underrated romance writers out there! I love this series! I hope she has a new book soon.
EllenM: Yes, I’m already pre-excited for book 2 and I haven’t even finished book 1.
Sneezy: My copy of The Lord I Left by Scarlett Peckham just came in, so I’ll be digging into that.
I’m also listening to the audio book of Winners Take All by Anand Giridharadas. ( A | BN | K | AB ) It’s a very critical, system focused look at what’s wrong with the world, how it got this way, how some groups have fundamental ways of thinking and the problems with so much power being directed by essentially one mindset. The information is infuriating, of course, even if you already knew it, because it doesn’t get any easier to swallow the more times you hear it. The book is still gives me a lot of hope, because Giridharadas gives a lot of examples of how some people fight or are subsumed by the systems of power. I feel like it’s giving me a lot of language and ideas to help me continue figuring out how I want to fight the system. starts banging on drums (edited)
Aarya: I just talked about these books in a podcast episode recording with Sarah, but I’m reading Jennifer Wright’s Get Well Soon: History’s Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them ( A | BN | K | AB ) and Kwana Jackson’s Real Men Knit (out May 19).
The former is a very funny nonfiction book about famous plagues. Despite the topic matter, it’s oddly comforting because 1) I respond well to black humor and jokes about terrifying things and 2) all those plagues ended eventually and I’m finding solace that our current virus will end, too. Highly recommend to everyone of all ages, even teens. It’s not dry at all.
The latter is a soothing, gentle, and low-angst romance set in a knitting shop. Perfect for my mood now. I’m only halfway through and hopefully it sticks the landing.
Susan: I’m about a quarter of the way through Alexis Hall’s The Affair of the Mysterious Letter, which is a queer cosmic horror Holmes pastiche, and so far I love it. The narrative voice is so casual about the weirdest aspects of the world building, which I find delightful even when I can tell references are going over my head. I am just very deeply charmed by how much of a competent disaster Scheherezade Haas is, and how the Watson, John Wyndham, is unruffled by her practicing blasphemous sorceries in the living room, but very ruffled by her frankness of language.
…But seriously I’ve had to take a break from reading books this last fortnight because, y’know, everything going on, so I’ve mainly been inhaling fic for The Untamed.
Tell us all about the books you’ve finished this month!
@Dejadrew That sounds really cozy and wonderful! Nice job!
Currently in the midst of “Temptations of a Wallflower” by Eva Leigh.Salacious vicar plus spinster who writes erotic novels. Both the leads are adorable and I like that the hero is very very concerned about the heroine’s pleasure (after writing about sex for years the heroine is severely disappointed when her first time does not measure up to her imagination!) Took me a while to get into it but enjoying it quite a bit.
Also proud to say I have converted a non-reader! My sister is a Scientist and hasn’t read fiction since college but I suggest she try reading to help distract her during the crisis. Got her hooked on cozy mysteries and she’s become a big Joanna Fluke fan in between historical biographies. Trying to get her to try Cadfael also; I loved them and I think she would too.
Currently in the midst of “Temptations of a Wallflower” by Eva Leigh.Salacious vicar plus spinster who writes erotic novels. Both the leads are adorable and I like that the hero is very very concerned about the heroine’s pleasure (after writing about sex for years the heroine is severely disappointed when her first time does not measure up to her imagination!) Took me a while to get into it but enjoying it quite a bit.
Also proud to say I have converted a non-reader! My sister is a Scientist and hasn’t read fiction since college but I suggested she try reading to help distract her during the crisis. Got her hooked on cozy mysteries and she’s become a big Joanna Fluke fan in between historical biographies. Trying to get her to try Cadfael also; I loved them and I think she would too.
I’ve been reading Elly Griffiths. Someone – sorry I can’t remember who! – recommended her in the last Whatcha Been Reading?, and I recognized the heroine (and the unsatisfying romance). Realized I gobbled them when I was pregnant 3 years ago, and there were probably more now. I’m caught up and have started the next series. Whoever you are, thank you! 🙂
They are semi-cozy mysteries with an archaeologist heroine and an unsatisfying central romance that I like anyway, because I like the two characters and I like their reasons for not being together. I’m on The Zig Zag Girl, the first in the new series, now, and so far I’m enjoying it!
@DiscoDollyDeb – yes I think 12 hours sleep is pretty unrealistic – in the book itself the author says her plan gets your baby to sleep AND/OR lay/play quietly in the crib for 12 hours (so not quite what the title implies). As I said, her methods weren’t for me, BUT if they generally work for someone else great! EXCEPT the sleep safety – the lack of discussion and even contradiction of the most important safe sleep guideline (babies get put to sleep on their backs for the first year of life) really bugged me. There were also smaller things that maybe were ok when the book was written (I am not sure of the exact dates these were changed) but have since been called out as dangerous such as putting the crib on an incline or even putting an inclined wedge under the baby. But there is no excuse for not including the back to sleep message.
I recently finished a new author, Sierra Milliron, and her book “The Door: The Cypress Series.” For a new author, I really enjoyed what she wrote. A diversified group of characters, an Arthurian legend, and magic. Since I love the whole genre of magic and fantasy, I thought I would give it a go. The fact it is the first of a series and there were LGBQT characters made it more interesting and the fact they weren’t cardboard or stereotypic. Loved it and looking forward to the next one!