It’s our second and last Whatcha Reading of the month! We hope you all have been staying safe and trying to fill the time as best you can, in whatever ways you can.
Maybe it’s not with reading and that’s okay!
Here’s what we’ve managed to pick up in the last two weeks:
Carrie: Catching up on my TBR pile at last with The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow. 64 pages in, I love the prose and the characters.
Shana: I’m reading Just One More by Jodie Slaughter. ( A ) The book started with some gross bodily functions humor that was rough, but I persevered! So far it’s a fluffy Valentine’s Day novella that has me wanting to eat pink cupcakes. To be fair, I want cupcakes pretty much every day.
Claudia: Talking about persevering…I am on the last few chapters of the last book in the Bec MacMaster’s London Steampunk series. Feels like a minor miracle because I am still too scattered to read for long stretches. Big payoff with this one, though, and I’m glad I read them all and in order. Of Silk and Steam is very good.
I’ve been hoarding a few books for after this steampunk marathon, and The Rakess is top of the list.
Elyse: I just finished Beach Read by Emily Henry. ( A | BN | K | AB ) I’ve started a few other books and put them down. I’ve been struggling to get into anything
Tara: I’m bouncing between a bunch of books. A couple are holding my attention better than others. The first is an f/f romance called Dare to Love by A.L. Brooks. It’s about a lesbian tattooer and a woman who thinks she’s straight and it turns out she’s not (that character is also a side character from a different book by Brooks that I’d enjoyed, so it’s nice to revisit old friends).
The other is What If? by Randall Munroe. I found it on a recent list of nonfiction books to check out and it’s seriously fun. I mean, like the subtitle says, it’s a bunch of “Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions”. Also, it’s a totally safe audiobook for me to play in the kitchen when my kids are around.
Kiki: I’m also bouncing around a bit but I just started rereading Agnes and the Hitman. ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) It was the second romance I ever read and I think I was 12 at the time, but as I’m reading it I’m realizing I remember it a lot better than I thought I would.
EllenM: I have had a lot more patience for comics than anything else lately–I binged all of Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me ( A | BN | K | AB ) yesterday and it was AMAZING. So dreamy and angsty and queer.
I’m also reading The Shadows Between Us ( A | BN | K | AB ) and it’s different than I expected but in a good way?? Like deliciously campy.
Lara: I’m trying something completely different. A friend’s husband (hi James!) bought me a book on female serial killers and I am hooked! Lady Killers: Deadly Women Throughout History by Tori Telfer.
Catherine: I just finished reading Say Yes To The Duke by Eloisa James ( A | BN | K | AB ) and it’s not a perfect book, but it was great fun and will be going straight onto my comfort reads pile.
Maya: Much like Aarya, I’ve been returning to the Psy/Changling series by Nalini Singh. I went all the way back to the beginning and reread Slave to Sensation, ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) which was great!
While I’m waiting for my library to give me access to books 2-6 in that series, I’m reading Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw, which Amanda had posted recently as being on sale. But also, could someone write me an Animal Crossing romance novel where Blathers falls in love with a visiting entomologist?
I’d be forever grateful!
Susan: I’m also on the book-hopping train, but with a bit more tonal whiplash because I’m going between What Did You Eat Yesterday? by Fumi Yoshinaga (which I definitely didn’t initially type as “What Did You Read Yesterday?”) ( A | BN | K ) and T. Kingfisher’s The Twisted Ones.
What Did You Eat Yesterday is a manga series about a 40+y/o gay couple, one of whom is a penny-pinching foodie who expresses at least 50% of his emotions through cooking, so there are a TON of recipes. Like, I was expecting each chapter to be 15 pages of drama and 5 pages of recipes and it’s honestly closer to a 50/50 split. I’ve got to volume seven now, and I still understand none of the recipes and appreciate all of the drama.
The Twisted Ones is a horror story about a woman and her dog clearing out her dead grandmother’s house; so far it’s been creepy but not terrifying, although I’m reliably informed that changes. It has A+ ridiculous dog content though, so whenever I get too creeped out there’s a very daft dog to make me feel better.
Sneezy: I’m bouncing off a whole bunch of books, including The Subtweet by Vivek Shraya and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) Every line in The Subtweet is making my eyes turn into googly hearts, and The Night Circus is feeding my need to be cocooned away from the current hellscape in starlight and magic.
Aarya: Susan, I love T. Kingfisher but have always been too nervous to try her thrillers. But you’re making them sound OK for my scaredy-cat nature.
My most recent read was Priscilla Oliveras’s Island Affair (out April 28). ( A | BN | K | AB ) It’s a fake-relationship/Only One Bed romp between a social media influencer and a firefighter in the Key West. I liked it but my conflicted feelings make it a recommendation with caveats. I loved Luis’s Cuban relatives and the sunny setting (seriously, I’d book a flight to the Key West if it wasn’t for, well, everything). The relationship was flirty and fun.
But I had issues with the hero’s backstory (the estrangement with his younger brother) because it deployed a storyline that I consistently dislike. I also feel unqualified to assess the heroine’s eating disorder (bulimia and binge-eating). There were things I liked and disliked about the rep, but I know so little that I don’t feel comfortable critiquing it. Finally, I didn’t like that the heroine was more open about her problems than the hero was with his; the distribution of emotional support/sharing felt uneven.
Despite my qualms, I liked the book and I think many folks would enjoy it. Oliveras has a terrific voice and there were enough cute/poignant/funny moments to make it a worthwhile read. Definitely check it out if the blurb sounds appealing.
I’m also on chapter three of Scarlett Peckham’s The Rakess (out April 28). ( A | BN | K | AB ) I haven’t read enough to form an opinion, but the writing is exceptional so far. I’m really excited because early reviews/reactions from my friends have been polarizing (anywhere from 2 to 5 stars). Even if I end up disliking it, I enjoy reading books that generate discussion. I like knowing what side of the argument I fall on! Fingers crossed that I’ll like it (and if I don’t, hopefully there’ll be interesting conversations about the book).
Catherine: Oh, and can we mention blogs here? Because I’m really enjoying ‘Going Medieval’, the blog of a medievalist who is really over people misunderstanding medieval history (especially when they do so in the context of op eds or hot takes on current events), and who writes snarky and irritable essays rebutting these. I spotted her ranting about the Black Plague and how this ain’t it on Twitter recently, and am now reading my way back through her blog, and it’s delightful and hilarious and I am learning things.
Sarah: You’ll never guess what I’m reading. Is there a monk and is he drinking wine and solving crime? Yes, yes, indeed. The Virgin in the Ice by Ellis Peters. ( A | BN | K | AB ) I’m also reading You Do You by Sarah Knight, and just finished Life, Incorporated by Halley Bock ( A | BN | K | AB ).
What are you reading right now? What have you enjoyed?
Strange, my library bought some of Bec McMaster’s line in steampunk books so I’ve been reading them too. I’m now up to the blue blood conspiracy spin off.
I just finished Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L Sayers. Fun, and I always enjoy the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries, but I did wince a bit at the of-its-time casual racism. The gleeful skewering of the advertising industry hasn’t gotten old, though.
Currently reading The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune! My ebook library got it and I’m over the moon that they did. The rural library system is sparse on sci fi and fantasy, which is my chosen genre. I’ve heard really good things and I’m looking forward to it.
I’ve been unable to concentrate on pretty much anything. So, since I’ve been enjoying Anne With an E, I decided to reread Anne of Green Gables. I know I read it (mumble mumble) 20-plus years ago, but I had very little actual memory of it, so it was nice and soothing to escape to Prince Edward Island and all of Anne’s antics. I’m interested in all the changes the show has made. They mostly seem to me to add depth to the characters while still holding the spirit of the book, but there are more of them than I’d realized.
I’d like to reread the next book, but my digital library only has it in audio format. Bah.
Other than that, the only thing I’ve managed to read is the fan translation of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation aka the boys’ love novel that The Untamed was based on. It was great: dramatic, tragic, hilarious, exciting, swoony, and super spicy. I’m still absolutely obsessed with these characters and this story. I’m (again, mumble mumble) not exactly sure about the legality of the fan translation, but I hope one day an official translation comes along. If it does I’ll probably buy it five times.
I’ve read a lot lately, but I’m trying very hard to avoid the news and 90% of social media and I’m not working (we will be fine financially, but I do miss it). Reading is what’s left!
I found lately I’ve been kind of auditioning books. For lack of a better word. I rotate between 2 or 3 ebooks (with more lined up and waiting) and then I get to a point where one is totally grabbing my attention and I read it in as little time as possible, preferably one day. Then the process begins over again with a new one joining the two that didn’t make the first cut. Some of them don’t make it through “the audition” and I return them to the library early (Libby is saving my life right now), but what I’m actually reading I totally love. I can’t even really rank what I read b/c everything that made the cut, I totally loved it all (minus one self help book).
I’ve been reading a lot of YA. Which is a genre I enjoy but not usually my favorite. I wonder if it is b/c it feels kind of a real, but separate from my reality b/c I’m easily a generation (or two!) at a distance from the characters. Plus, I’m having more success finding romantic comedy in YA than adult fiction right now. Adult romantic comedies just all seem to be trying too hard or maybe I haven’t found the right ones.
So, in the YA category
GEEKERELLA and THE PRINCESS AND THE FANGIRL by Ashley Poston. These were really fun to read back to back. GEEKERELLA’s main character had a bit “I’m not like other girls” attitude which I hate, but it was something she grew out of as the book went on which I appreciated. Light, tropey love stories that are also love letters to fandom. And the first one had “falling in love w/out knowing our real identities” which is a trope I never get tired of. I’m also really looking forward to the next one.
CASTLE IN THE CLOUDS by Kirsten Geir. This was kind of a delightful throwback. The heroine was an intern in Swiss hotel with faded glamour. There was a little bit of romance and mystery with a light touch. Even though it was contemporary there wasn’t a lot of reliance on pop culture or technology (which I don’t mind but it was nice to read something different.) Reminded me a little bit of Elizabeth Peters, but with a younger heroine.
TWEET CUTE by Emma Lord. This was just delightful. Two kids whose parents own rival restaurants are falling in love over the internet while bickering in their real life (I want all of You’ve Got Mail/Little Shop Around the Corner tropey books. All of them!). It took some suspension of disbelief at times, but I didn’t mind. Adorable.
In the historical romance
HER SCANDALOUS AFFAIR by Candice Hern This was a recent HABO and I was so happy when my library had it! Two people keep stealing a jewel back and forth and falling in love. Fun, lighthearted, and I like that the heroine loved her first husband and was pretty upfront about enjoying money, dresses, parties and she wasn’t somehow shamed for that.
FREEDOM’S PRICE by Jenna Kernan. This was kind of old school? In the sense that the hero and heroine were beset on by external complication after external complication. The hero was a man trying to start up a tobacco plantation in colonial Virginia and the heroine is his indentured servant/wet nurse for his nephew. The love scenes were a bit awkward in my opinion, but I liked that they were definitely a very slow burn couple. I don’t know if I can recommend it as pandemic reading (there is quite a lot of misery, including someone getting seriously ill and discussion of the plague), but I enjoyed it in a “well, at least my house didn’t burn down” sort of way. There’s also a Native American character who seemed well researched, but she was more of side character and everything was centered on what the white characters thought of her, so that might be no go for some readers.
In women’s fiction
THE TWO LIVES OF LYDIA BIRD by Josie Silver. I didn’t like the author’s last book, but this was a very touching and not too angsty story of moving on from grief with a bit of magical realism and a hint of romance. I liked that every person was complicated and there were no “bad people” just bad situations.
In self-help/nonfiction
ATOMIC HABITS by James Clear. Very meh. I liked the BJ Fogg habit book better.
Good health and happy reading to all!
Let’s see… Bears Behaving badly by Maryjanice Davidson. It has a houseful of quirky people just like the Betsy books. The Sinner by J.R. Ward, which is either a series finale or a series reboot. Badger to the Bone by Shelley Laurentson. A whole pile of Harlequins that I bought at a library sale, most of them forgettable. But I finally got to read Secrets of a Bollywood Marriage. In nonfiction, Math with Bad Drawings. And assorted cookbooks on Kindle Unlimited, not because I’m going to bake those cakes but wow, they are good to look at.
I joined Kindle Unlimited last month, so I’ve been reading a ton, some good & some bad. I just finished the Heathens Ink series by KM Neuhold & it was really good. I had also pre-ordered the latest book in Spectr Series 3 by Jordan L. Hawk, Seeker of Truth, & read it immediately when it came out last Friday. It was excellent! Otherwise, I’ve been re-reading my comfort reads by some of my favorite authors – KJ Charles, Sarina Bowen, Keira Andrews, Jordan L. Hawk.
This month I finished all the books I had left to read on Kate Canterbary’s back-list. There are worse ways to spend quarantine than reconnecting with the characters in Canterbary’s Talbott’s Cove and Walsh Family series. I read FRESH CATCH and ROUGH SKETCH (both part of Talbott’s Cove) and COASTAL ELITE and THE MAGNOLIA CHRONICLES (both connected to the Walsh Family, although THE MAGNOLIA CHRONICLES does begin a new series called Adventures in Dating). Canterbary’s main characters tend to be on the older side (mid-to-late thirties) and they exhibit amazing amounts of professional competence porn. Her books also include luscious descriptions of food (the MCs are of various ethnic ancestries and one of the connections to their cultural heritage is through its cuisine), along with lots of dogs of different breeds and personalities (every couple seems to eventually have a dog). Also, characters and storylines tends to intertwine (Canterbary does a brilliant job of keeping all of the interrelated timelines accurate and smooth). Technically, most of Canterbary’s books can be read as stand-alones, but I’d strongly recommend reading (in order) the eight books in the Walsh Family series before reading anything else.
I loved FRESH CATCH, an opposites-attract m/m romance that is the first in the Talbott’s Cove series. There is a very tenuous Walsh connection: one of the heroes, Owen, a boat captain and lobster fisherman, married Erin Walsh & Nick Acevedo when they eloped. But other than that, this begins a whole new series set in a coastal town in Maine. FRESH CATCH’s other hero is Cole, a tech wizard who ends up in Talbott’s Cove when his sailboat goes adrift. Owen rescues Cole, having no idea who he is. The talkative Cole tries to maintain his anonymity and starts working for the quiet Owen as a deckhand while repairing his own boat. Enforced proximity in Owen’s tidy harbor home ensues as the two men grow closer. This was such a sweet and gentle story—and the descriptions of living a life dictated by the rhythms of the sea were so enchanting that (despite having terrible sea-sickness) I just wanted to run off to a coastal village in New England. Highly recommended.
The heroine of ROUGH SKETCH is an Indian-American tech executive; the hero is a Brazilian-French artist-in-residence on the company’s Silicon Valley campus. They begin (somewhat antagonistically) an affair which takes them to Talbott’s Cove, where the heroine’s boss (Cole from FRESH CATCH) now lives. The artist becomes enraptured by the gorgeous Maine coastline; the heroine isn’t so sure this is the future she wants. The story is of novella length and I really feel it would have benefitted from being expanded so that much of the h&h’s relationship wasn’t seen in the rear view through the expository epilogue. Another thing that really bothered me about ROUGH SKETCH was that at no point did the h&h have any discussion regarding their health status, using birth control, or using condoms. Nothing. Nada. Nil. To me that’s a irresponsible omission. On the other hand, there was a nice scene catching up with FAR CRY’s Brooke, JJ, and their baby—so I can’t be too grumpy about things; but ROUGH SKETCH felt exactly like that: a rough sketch rather than a fully-fleshed portrait.
I thoroughly enjoyed COASTAL ELITE, which has a spy/espionage subplot (the hero runs an international security firm and is the business partner of Shannon Walsh’s husband). It starts with the hero—who has severe leg injuries from his time in the military—visiting the acupuncturist/message-therapist heroine for treatment. A romance develops, which includes the hero reading and discussing a historical romance novel recommended by the heroine (they later role-play some of the book’s sexy-times). But is there more to the heroine than being a free-spirited masseuse who decorates cakes on the side? You know there is. Let the intrigue begin!
THE MAGNOLIA CHRONICLES is about a woman who, after a series of relationship disasters, ends up dating two different men: one, a banker she meets through a dating app, the other, a firefighter she meets when he buys and renovates the house across the street from her. Magnolia is a landscape architect known for designing roof gardens and given the nickname GiGi by Riley Walsh. (The Walsh brothers’ rescue of Magnolia’s kidnapped dog from her crummy ex is a plot point in one of the Walsh books.) The MAGNOLIA CHRONICLES has some excellent female friendship rep and lots of catching up with the Walshes (the timeline takes place around the birth of Matt & Lauren’s baby). As I was reading this simultaneously heartfelt and humorous book, I truly couldn’t tell which man Magnolia was going to end up with—and that’s always the sign of good writing. (Also—although there’s plenty of foreplay described in the book—all p-in-v sex is completely closed door.) Now I’m ready for the next book in the series, about Magnolia’s brother Ash, scheduled for publication in June.
Molly O’Keefe’s THE SINNER is the start of a new series called Notorious. Much as she did with the books of her recent Riverview Inn series, Molly O’Keefe has taken a book she published years ago (in this case, SAVANNAH O’NEILL’S TEMPTATION), expanded & revised it, and republished with a new title. (I haven’t read the original book so I don’t know how significant the updates are.) THE SINNER has a romantic-suspense vibe featuring a handyman hero who is doing repair work on the heroine’s crumbling family house while he’s secretly looking for clues about a crime that involves his imprisoned father and the heroine’s long-absent mother. Neither the hero nor the heroine had conventional childhoods or responsible parents, so there are trust issues on both sides, making this a story about learning to trust just as much as it is about falling in love. Recommended, but be sure you haven’t already read it.
I was ambivalent about Kristen Callihan’s DEAR ENEMY. Enemies-to-lovers (or my preferred term, antagonists-to-lovers), when done right, is one of my favorite tropes—and DEAR ENEMY had an interesting premise: the heroine agrees to become the personal chef/assistant of a famous actor (with whom she has an antagonistic history going back to childhood) when her ne’er-do-well sister absconds with his mother’s expensive watch. However, I didn’t like the hero’s behavior in high school—he was cruel toward the heroine and I always have a hard time with books where women fall for the guy who bullied them when they were younger (although, in fairness, the hero is truly remorseful for his teenage behavior and the story makes it clear that bullying, regardless of the mindset of the bully, is never acceptable). I also felt there was a lot of tell-not-show in the first part of the book—particularly concerning the heroine’s sister: I wanted to understand how this self-centered and thoughtless person had manipulated people into forgiving and covering for her for so long. It was almost as if Callihan couldn’t wait to get to the meat of the book and glossed over the set-up. That being said, once the essential story gets underway, DEAR ENEMY is an enjoyable read with the h&h growing closer in a slow-burn romance—and there’s also quite a bit of food, cooking, & kitchen porn in the book, if that’s your thing. Recommended, but with reservations because of the bullying.
I complain about Natasha (not Adriana) Anders’s over-written, adverb-heavy, tell-not-show stories, but I got pulled back into her Alpha Men series after previously reading the first two books (THE WINGMAN and THE BEST MAN) and deciding I needed to finish the series (the heroines of the three books are sisters) by reading THE WRONG MAN. What was surprising with THE WRONG MAN is how much of a unrepentant horn-dog the hero is for much of the book. He shamelessly pursues the prim and somewhat inexperienced heroine (whose failed engagement was a big plot point in THE WINGMAN). The heroine is 32 but seems much younger—she still lives with her parents and is working on her undergraduate degree; she does a lot of community volunteer work, but wants to be a preschool teacher. She also had a completely uncharacteristic (for her) hook-up with the hero at her sister’s wedding, not expecting to ever see him again; but now he’s back, recuperating from injuries sustained while working as a bodyguard, and she is hired to cook and run errands for him while he recovers. He expects to use his charm and persistence to get her back into bed, but discovers she has a steely resolve beneath her gentle exterior—and it turns out that his “seduction” of the heroine changes him more than it changes her. Recommended if you like rough & tough heroes who meet their match in prim & proper heroines.
Natasha Knight is one of my favorite “dark romance” writers and A. Zavarelli has written several books that I’ve enjoyed, but I’m afraid their collaborative Ties That Bind duet, HIS and MINE, was pretty much a standard Russian mafia dark romance (with connections to Zavarelli’s Boston Underworld series). The heroine has a one-night-stand with a man she meets at a club, unaware that he is a member of the Russian mafia (aka, the Vory). “Unplanned pregnancy/secret baby/on the run from bad guys/discovery of long-buried family secrets” plot ensues, with a lot of twists and coincidences stacking up. All in all, a rather basic, paint-by-numbers mafia romance.
@Jill Q. — CASTLE IN THE CLOUDS by Kirsten Geir is on my TBR pile. Thanks for the info.
I’m hoping to check out some historical mysteries, like MAISIE DOBBS by Jacqueline Winspear. I’m also looking forward to several romances coming out in May, including BEACH READ by Emily Henry and REAL MEN KNIT by Kwana Jackson.
I also have some Winter Soldier and James Bond comics/graphic novels to read.
Having exhausted my pile of library books three weeks ago, (seriously, which would you consider an essential service, McDonald’s drive thru or Library drive thru? Yes, I’m still ranting about that) and with the Kindle still refusing to charge, I have turned to my keeper shelf for a little comfort reading. I’ll also admit that, like many others, my ability to concentrate is a little compromised so rereads are working for me.
First up was Jillian Stone’s Gentlemen of Scotland Yard series. All those sigh worthy special branch detectives protecting the realm and their lady loves – even if said ladies are pretty good at taking care of themselves. Case in point: in the first book An Affair With Mr. Kennedy, when the bad guy shows up at the school where she teaches, she picks up her skirts and heads out the back. She doesn’t allow herself to be alone with him. How refreshing.
Next up was Bet Me. It was a toss up for yesterday’s warm fuzzy post. There is nothing about this book I don’t love. I need to reread it more often. It made me smile, and almost be late for work, even though it was a reread. Jennifer Crusie does not write nearly enough books.
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand is this weekend’s carrot. I finish one sewing project and two housekeeping chores, and I get to read for an hour… or two… or…. I admit I am terrible at self denial when I’m reading something I love. So the weekend reading has to be treated like a reward or I’d get nothing done.
I’ve been mainlining the Outlander tv show over the last week, but haven’t wanted to shell out for the book (again) and am waiting on a library copy to become available. To slake my thirst for highland romance I’m rereading Marsha Canham’s The Pride of Lions and its sequel.
Hello, Bitchery! Thank you, as always, for this post! Love it!
I have not been reading much, stuck in the quarantine malaise that others have described. I have mostly used my time to organize the books on my NOOK, and to read anything I don’t remember, or that I feel deserves a second chance, so not much to report. Of note, however:
I’d been saving HEADLINERS by Lucy Parker, and I broke it out last week — A. It is as good as everyone says it is. Give yourself a treat and read it this weekend!
PERDITION by Ann Aguirre — B. Action with romantic elements. Gangs trying to survive on a prison spaceship. Violent, over the top, and all of the warnings for all the things that would happen without guards on a prison spaceship. Satisfying, in a weird way, because the heroine was such a badass. Not sure I will read any more of these books, because it looks like they might be redundant to this one (I am ready for a jailbreak, and badassery off the prison ship now, thank you, but it doesn’t look like that is where the series goes). Advice? Should I buy the next book?
THE CHALK CIRCLE MAN by Fred Vargas — B. Mystery, not a romance. Very atmospheric, and very French — like croissant and a cigarette at a café French. So French. If you wish you could visit France, and sinking into a French brain will give you that escape, then read this book, which is also a solid mystery. If you are not in that mood, it will annoy the heck out of you. I will read more by this author, but not right away.
Going back to organize my “shelves,” — so satisfying, to control something, however small, right now. 🙂
Wishing you all safety and health!
I’ve been going between light reading like PG Wodehouse Blandings’ novels and heavier. A book called In the Kingdom of Ice about the polar voyage of the USS Jeannette which ended up oddly hopeful, people survived and weren’t horrible.
I also read All or Nothing, a novella by Rose Lerner that I would have happily read a novel of. It was a book that I had trouble putting down and I liked how it presented characters that are normally secondary characters and unusual points of view in romance; the woman who works at the gambling hall who enjoys sex, the poor friend, Architect who’s in love and had a relationship with the rake type. I highly recommend this book.
Earlier in the month, I finished the Greta Helsing series which was wonderful and had an unexpected Good Omens’ feel to it, highly recommended.
I also finally read The Secret History of the Mongol Queens which surprised me with how little I liked the writing style. The history was fascinating but I would have loved to have read this story told from the point of view of a Mongol woman.
@SB Sarah: VIRGIN IN THE ICE is my absolute favorite. So much is revealed and, like Cadfael, I was a little delirious at the end. Just outstanding.
Lots of detective fiction, particularly Adrian McKinty’s 1980’s Belfast-set Sean Duffy series.
Excellent:
C. S. Harris, WHO SPEAKS FOR THE DAMNED
Tomi Adeyemi, CHILDREN OF VIRTUE AND VENGEANCE
Samantha Shannon, THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE
T. Kingfisher, CLOCKWORK BOYS
Cynthia Hand, MY PLAIN JANE. What a surprise, retelling Jane Eyre complete with ghosts.
Good:
Darynda Jones, A BAD DAY FOR SUNSHINE. This is Veronica Mars meets Gilmore Girls and I’m torn. Not quite believable, but very fun to read.
Eliot Grayson
The Reluctant Husband (m/m historical-fantasy?) Tom is goddess blessed so Mal marries him hoping the blessing will cure Mal’s cousin (who is dying) I didn’t find either of the MC likable. 3/5
Yuletide Treasure (m/m historical-fantasy, Christmas Carol) Eben realizes his business is broke when his business partner dies. His clerk’s son, Tim Pratchett, helps him figure out what happened. And his patron goddess curses him so he can’t lie. 4/5
The Last Kiss Sally Malcolm (m/m WWI historical) Captain Ash and his batman Harry fall in love during WWI. After the war, Ash is disabled with PTSD, but returns to his upper class family home. Harry shows up hoping for work 4/5
Bones of our Fathers Elin Gregory (m/m small town welsh) Malcolm moves to a small town to be a museum curator and falls in love with a construction worker Rob. Then Rob uncovers something of historical significance that the british museum wants to take 4/5
I had hoped today would be a “sit on the couch and just read all day” but now that I’m awake, I can’t settle 🙁
@SB Sarah The virgin in the ice is as good as The Leper of St-Giles. They are 1 and 2 on my list of favorite Cadfael novel. May I suggest you watch Sir Derek Jacobi as Cadfael after you’ve read the books. He’s really, really good.
I finished SWEET LITTLE LIED by Jill Shalvis, the first in her Heartbreaker Bay series. This one was a bit of a struggle to get into – the plot felt a bit scattered and the characters’ motivations felt murky. I’ll keep reading because Shalvis books are like popcorn and I can check them out from the library, but this wasn’t one of her best.
THEN NOW ALWAYS by Mona Schroff sucked me in with a great cover, but this contemporary totally didn’t work for me. It’s a secret baby plot line where the heroine has to tell the hero she had his baby 15 years later when she needs legal help, because of course the hero is a lawyer, and then the story goes back and forth between the present timeline and the past when the characters first fell in love. Everything in this felt rushed – in the past we’re supposed to believe the hero wants to propose when they’ve only known each other all of a few weeks, it seems. And in the present, all of a sudden they’re in love again but it’s not built up in a way that makes sense. I’m not the biggest fan of Renée Carlino, but her BEFORE WE WERE STRANGERS does this whole plot line, complete with dueling timelines, way better.
FAVOR FOR A FAVOR by Helena Hunting was the second in her Pucked spin-off series about a Seattle hockey team. This one was an enemies to lovers with a dash of mistaken identity and a bit of slow burn. The heroine is the sister of the team captain and studying to be a physical therapist, and the hero is her broody hockey player neighbor who gets injured early on with a terrible groin injury (thus slow burn is inevitable, because sexy times are impossible for a while). Of course, the heroine volunteers to help him with rehab, despite the fact that they didn’t get off to a great start. I read this in a day – this series is less slap-stick and sex-obsessed than Hunting’s Pucked series, although we do get to see some old characters because Alex, the hero in Pucked, is the coach here. I really loved both the hero and heroine, and I’m looking forward to the next in the series.
NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT was my first Kristan Higgins and won’t be my last – I loved the quirky Maine setting in this one. This is definitely more women’s fiction and the romantic subplot almost felt a bit superfluous, but the heroine’s journey back to happiness after trauma felt real, and the supporting characters were great.
Some comfort rereads – LOVE AND OTHER WORDS by Christina Lauren. I still don’t think this one sticks the landing, but the past timeline scenes of the two main characters as kids falling in love are still some of my favorite.
The Juniper Falls series by Julie Cross about a small town high school hockey team are great YA reads with strong multifaceted heroines and appropriately involved adults (no absentee parents with teens just running amok). I would totally let younger teens read these, but also get some warm fuzzies myself from them.
Now I’m diving in to the latest Mhairi McFarlane IF I NEVER MET YOU, which despite seeing some mediocre reviews I’m still very much looking forward to – only a few chapters in and I’m already delighted by McFarlane’s banter. Also, her description of the hero’s “uncommitted vampire” teeth is one of the best things I’ve read in months.
I’m about a quarter of the way into CRUSH THE KING by Jennifer Estep and so far, so good. I loved both of the previous books so I have high hopes that this one will actually hold my attention, a hard thing to do when all I want to do is solve jigsaw puzzles and watch news! I also won THE RAKESS by Scarlett Peckham in a Goodreads giveaway so I have high hopes for it also.
Aside from that, I’m finally almost at the end of the first Psy/Changeling cycle. It’s taken me almost 2 years to get through all 15 books – I’ve enjoyed every one of them (some more than other of course) but need to space them out, otherwise Nalini’s writerly tics get in my way. Anyway, just last week, I was finishing SHARDS OF HOPE, which turned out to be my favorite book so far – I absolutely adored both Aden AND Zaira. Much to my happy surprise, ALLEGIANCE OF HONOR, the final book in the cycle, went on sale. Now I’m having a hard time resisting it and may end up diving right in.
Also re-reading all the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, to be ready for NETWORK EFFECT in May.
I’ve been reading a bunch of Austen AUs
A Case of Some Delicacy KC Kahler
Undoing LL Diamond
The Subsequent Proposal Joana Starnes
A Matter of Honor Abigail Reynolds
Then the original books
The Parish Orphans series by Mimi Matthews
(my favorite is a Modest Independence)
The Charity School series by Sarah Waldock
(my favorite is Marianne’s Misanthrope)
I also recently picked up the new version of LM Montgomery’s final book The Blythes Are Quoted. The final chapter is heartrending, when you realize it was written on the even of WWII …
Just finished Julia Quinn’s, First Comes Scandal. Enjoyed…although it isn’t my favorite of the Bridgerton books. Not enough happens. I have been sitting in the house since March 12–I WANT SOMETHING TO HAPPEN already!! Preferred reading Eric Larson’s The Splendid and The Vile—non fiction where everything actually happened (WW II Churchill)… and the world was saved. I think I need that now.
It’s been a crazy month with my husband in the hospital for major surgery on the third and then back in the hospital two weeks later for another surgery when complications arose. He’s back home now recuperating and is so, SO ready to be well. I’ve done far less reading than usual.
— Lab Girl by Hope Jahren for my book group. It’s a mix of memoir and science; I enjoyed it.
— Taji From Beyond the Rings by R. Cooper, a science fiction romance which I enjoyed.
— Reread the four Murderbot novellas: All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, and Exit Strategy. I enjoyed them all.
— And an enjoyable romance novella, Dei Ex Machina by Kim Fielding. This was a male/male romance with a paranormal element.
Sending good health vibes to all!
@Heather M – You can find all of L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables books on Project Gutenberg.
I also joined Kindle Unlimited to get me through the pandemic. A stand out for me was Three Blind Dates by Meghan Quinn. It’s a rom-com about a morning show host who joins a restaurant dating service and was a perfect escapist novel.
The other books that I enjoyed were Kristy Cunning’s All the Pretty Monsters series. The first book, Gypsy Blood, is free to everyone, not just Kindle Unlimited. This is a reverse harem and I loved the interactions between the male characters which made for some pretty comedic moments.
The world-building was unique with each of the characters being part of a gypsy clan headed by a traditional monster. Werewolves, vampires, Hyde, Van Helsing, and Dorian Gray all come together here for a very unique and wonderful reading experience The only qualm that I had here was that the author frequently uses the term gipped (her spelling) which would definitely not be a term that proud gypsies used.
I was in a bit of a reading slump for the beginning of the month but I discovered that ‘enemies with benefits’ is total catnip to me and that has gotten me mostly over my slump. I read Goalie Interference by Avon Gale & Piper Vaughn which introduced me to the catnip and I’ve moved on to Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid. I enjoyed Goalie Interference but I think Heated Rivalry is very much the better book, causing me to renew my membership to the bad decisions book club last night. Both books are MM hockey romances which is exactly the kind of escapism I need right now.
Currently reading Whiteout by Adriana Anders. I haven’t read true romantic suspense in years and so far this one is doing it for me. I like Antarctica as a setting especially when my weather is nice. I’m looking forward to lots of body heat sharing. Purely in the interest of character survival.
I also started the Murderbot novellas since Tor ebook club had them for free. Breezed through the first one in a couple of hours and decided to space out the rest for maximum enjoyment. I haven’t read true science fiction in a few years and All Systems Red rejuvenated my interest in the genre.
Finished The Princess and the Fangirl on audio yesterday. I thought the previous book Geekerella was utterly delightful but Princess wasn’t nearly as good. The plot was very slow.
I’m listening to the audio of Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes and it is just exactly what I need right now.
@Kareni – I so hope your husband continues his recovery and that you both stay protected from the evil Covid!
My reading and listening has been all over the map during the last month, and I am so very grateful for the public libraries in my area which allow me a huge choice in audio books. This morning I started listening to World War Z, and so far, it’s quite engaging! Yesterday I finished Julia Quinn’s The Viscount Who Loved Me, and like all her books, it kept my mind effortlessly occupied. While I never get completely caught up in her stories, I’m always kind of sad when I finish and have to go back to the real world where there are no regular Smith-Smythe (sp?) musicales.
What did take mental effort was Malcolm Gladwell’s Talking to Strangers. It has a harsh beginning, and I almost put it aside because our reality is pretty harsh at the moment, but I persevered. It is a wonderfully informative and enlightening book, and I ended up buying a audio copy for my college age child which he is also truly enjoying.
And while waiting for the latest Christina Lauren book, I delved into The House, which was really quite frightening at times! It’s not their best book, but I’m glad I read it.
I have a huge pile of physical books I’m dying to read, but I made the mistake of promising to review an ARC I’m really not enjoying. It’s on my reader, and I’m up to 64% and it’s been like trying to swim through quicksand. Send energy vibes my way, pretty please, so I can finish it, write something both honest and encouraging, and move on, since right now I fall asleep every time I look at it!
First I would like to thank all of you ladies for keeping my TBR list full! Reading has always been my stress relief and during these difficult times it has been even more so, especially with the gym and the yoga studio closed. I read almost anything, but here is what I have read this month
I finished GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN By Talia Hibbert this morning. It was okay, I did not find the heroine terribly likable and could not see what the hero was so drawn to her. But I do love lists and Chloe is a list maker.
COLD HEARTED RAKE by Lisa Kleypas. I enjoyed this one a lot, Kleypas is one of my go to authors, although I have been thus far disappointed with the Hathaway series. I was excited when this first Ravenel’s got delivered by my library. I loved the pig, not enough novels with a large pet pig.
NIGHT SHIFT, a collection of paranormal short stories. Fantastic, clever, funny and sexy.
EVERNIGHT by Kristin Callihan, the fifth in the Darkest London Series. No my favorite in this series, there were some pacing issues and Holly’s character was not as developed as I would have liked. But Will was a sexy hero.
WILD HEART by Lori Brighton. I loved the second book in this series (which I accidentally read first). I could tell this was a first novel, it could have used more plot and character development and it seemed like she was unsure who she wanted the characters to be and where the story was going.
Numerous books in Jennifer Ashley’s Shifters Unbound series. Total smutty comfort reads honestly, but perfect escapism, as least for me.
Keep healthy ladies and keep those recommendations coming!
WITCHES OF LYCHFORD by Paul Cornell (who was a screenwriter for Doctor Who, if that is or is not relevant to anyone’s interests). A crotchety old witch, a nonbeliever who runs a magic shop, and a reverend walk into a bar… or rather, a council meeting to battle a superstore that wants to destroy the layout of their little town, which was designed to prevent forces of darkness from entering the world. There’s some fairly grim stuff in it, but it’s sitting on a throne of “What if, hear me out, Walmart was an instrument of Satan?”, so it’s never too heavy. The resolution played out too quickly, but it’s a short book that had a lot of character and setting to establish in its limited space, which it did well enough that I want to read the next in the series to see if that one gives the plot more room to unfurl.
Then I started THE SHADOWED SUN by N.K. Jemisin, the second book in the Dreamblood duology, which is loosely based on ancient Egypt, but it’s a little too chewy for the current state of my brain. On hold until I can give it the attention it deserves.
I haven’t been reading much, can’t concentrate for the length of a book very often, but I am able to read one or two of the short essays/excerpts in THE PENGUIN BOOK OF MIGRATION LITERATURE a couple nights a week – I keep it by my bed, and if I get there in time to read, that’s what I do. They’re thought provoking and amazing, but also very short. But hey, NO LIBRARY FINES and NO DATE FOR RETURN (Seattle Public Library is closed for the foreseeable future) so I can take weeks and weeks to finish this and it’s ok.
I did re-read LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON by Lisa Kleypas. Finished it! Romance conducted by letter, Cyrano-style, if that’s your thing. It is mine.
I’ve been listening to audiobooks more than reading. CRAZY RICH ASIANS on audio was great, but wow, was it long. Good to see the movie first, I think, because I was able to track all the characters and their relationships.
DNF on a couple audiobooks, including The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. For me, the style of the book — told basically as an extended reminiscence from a narrator — made the story feel very distant. And I grew tired of the very flat/objectified presentation of all the female characters. I like genre fiction for emotional intensity and connection, and this wasn’t that. Felt like an experiment in a writing style that I was supposed to admire, rather than a story trying to get into the reader. Maybe it would have worked on a page, but it didn’t work for me in audio format.
TV: Spouse and I started Giri/Haji on Netflix and HIGHLY recommend. Get past the shootings in the first 5 minutes and it becomes a very character driven procedural. Goes back and forth between Tokyo and London, and wow I feel like the British police officer who is always saying sort of the wrong (embarrassing) thing and who is a woman of certain age FILLED with rage. FILLED WITH RAGE. And yet she’s so nice. And so angry. That is a role for which I need no training.
TWEEN BOOKS: I ordered a lot of books for the 14 yr old daughter at Barnes and Noble, because she likes print (and has eye issues with too much digital). She whizzed through MOLOKAI (Alan Brennert), MARTIANS ABROAD (Carrie Vaughn), ACCIDENTS OF NATURE (Harriet McBryde Johnson), LONELIEST GIRL IN THE UNIVERSE (Lauren James). Something there might work for your kid.
Also trying to read a poem every now and then. Currently slowly working through JIMMY’S BLUES AND OTHER POEMS by James Baldwin. I bought it in October while getting coffee in a Barnes & Noble in Colorado, on a break from watching my son compete in the US Trials for the Youth Olympics in curling. I miss kid sports so much, more than I ever would have thought, and when I see this book I remember the feeling of picking it up in a real store on a bright gorgeous day in between games and how much fun that trip was.
Some days worry
some days glad
some days
more than make you
mad.
— from Some days (for Paula), James Baldwin
I missed posting on two of these so there are some books I have read and not mentioned. However, for someone who would read two or three books a week, I am not reading at all. I have looked up and done a medical power of attorney – everyone should have one. I am listing all my financials for my daughter and also reviewing them with my grandchild who lives with me so he can manage for a couple days if needed. I am texting random contacts to make sure they are OK and also way more active on twitter. All this includes reading, right? Also rewatching Bones from the start. Based on books, amiright?
As for actual books, I am currently reading Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. It is keeping my interest and is well written.
Finally started the Kate Daniels series by reading Magic Bites, Liked it and will keep reading.
I read A Taste of Heaven by Penny Wilson. Widowed rural mother of two enters a cooking show/contest, is forced into proximity with Grumpy Chef. I really liked this one, especially since the H/h were late 40s,early 50s. Will read more by this author.
A Taste of Her Own Medicine by Tasha Harrison. She is an older divorced woman starting her own business; he is a younger man who works in a gym (so the muscles are actually realistic) and teaches IT courses for those starting businesses. I liked it.
Sending hope and love to all of us who are affected or. who have family or friends who are, by this virus. That’s pretty much all of us in one way or another, isn’t it. Stay safe, stay well. As the grandkid says, we might die at any time, so let’s do some fun stuff now.
@Margaret, thank you for the kind words. I am more than happy to send some energy vibes your way. (I hope you’ll be lucky, and 75 to 100% of the ARC will prove to be ancillary matter rather than text!)
April has been a good reading month, thankfully, given all the turmoil going on around us.
I adored Sarah Hogle’s debut, You Deserve Each Other. It will likely end up as one of my favorite books this year.
I also really enjoyed the third book in Sandra Antonelli’s spy/romance series, True to Your Service. Highly recommend the entire In Service series.
I’m currently reading C. S. Harris’s Who Speaks for the Damned and Mhairi McFarlane’s If I Never Met You and am very much enjoying both.
Unfortunately, Alisha Rai’s Girl Gone Viral and Martha Waters’s To Have and to Hoax did not work for me.
I haven’t been reading as much, since I usually read for an hour on my lunch break at work and then another hour on the elliptical at the gym . . . Both of which I’m not able to do now. But I did read The Secret Place by Tana French, and am halfway through her next book, The Trespasser. I am a fan of her books, and have enjoyed all of them so far. I always forget how melancholy her books are, and how much they wreck me! So much longing for missed people and missed opportunities, so many “if onlies” and “what ifs!” But they are well written, and so evocative of place that when I put the book down I’m always surprised to hear American accents around me. Not romances, of course, but I haven’t been reading romances much these days.
Stay well, everyone, and here’s to brighter days ahead!
I’ve been all over the place with reading at the moment, but what has been working for me is a stash of paperback’s from my library before it closed indefinitely for quarantine. I’ve been doing a technology cleanse… Perfect timing for me to begin JR Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood, currently on book 2. I’m actually dying for the next book (Zsadist’s book) and then Butch’s book, before I Revisit Nalini Singh’s Psi Changeling series, of which I’m up to book 11. Nora Robert’s Bridal quartet, very much enjoyed book 1, looking forward to the next. Loved Darling Beast (a retelling of Beauty and the Beast), Book 7 of Elizabeth Hoyt’s Maiden Lane series, happy to continue this series – so so good!
I have been reading more than ever this month. I’m still working, but everything is so turned around and upside down that reading or painting by numbers are the only things I can manage when I’m home. Also, wine helps!
Out of everything, I really enjoyed THE SILENCE OF THE GIRLS by Pat Barker. In fact, I read it twice. It’s a retelling of the Illiad by Homer from a woman’s perspective. Briseis is the narrator, taken by Achilles as a prize during the Trojan War. It’s brutal with TW for pretty much everything. When I was a kid, I had an obsession with Greek mythology and history, so I appreciated hearing the story from a woman’s point of view.
Now I feel like Heather M, and going back to read some Anne of Green Gables. My faves in the series are Anne of the Island (Anne goes to college!) and Anne’s House of Dreams (Just love this one with Captain Jim and the mistaken identity mystery). I also loved Rilla of Ingleside. I havent read too many books set during WWI from the female perspective, and Rilla is a character. Stay safe everyone!
:::plops butt on couch to the sound of the Peanuts movie, because the teenagers also want comfort food and they have loved Peanuts forever:::
There just hasn’t been that much here. Not because I haven’t been reading, but because there were two reasonably quick reads and then an 816 page bruiser. That bad girl took me a full week. Nonetheless, I left off on The House In the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, which was sweet and I liked seeing the main character take the journey from someone that was ostensibly depressed and stuck, but hardly able to figure out how to move forward, to someone that was a fierce protector of those he loved. Also, just about everything with Lucy and Chauncey made me laugh. It had strong Good Omens vibes, which I probably picked up on due to the fact that I only read Good Omens for the first time pretty recently. Then I moved on to The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee. It is about a Chinese-American girl in Reconstruction South. She works for a very hard to deal with mistress, and there is a fraught relationship there, and also ends up writing an agony aunt column for a local paper in which she lets out her opinions on feminism, racism, and various other subjects, which cause quite a stir in her community. It was excellent and clearly well-researched, and I loved the main character’s voice. Her sarcasm was STRONG. Which brings us to today, in which I finished House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas, the first in her new Crescent City series. I loved it. I know Maas isn’t for everybody, but I loved pretty much everything about this book. I liked the Fae, the hot Angels, the world-building, the heroine’s journey, the treatment of trauma and survivor’s guilt, and yeah, it was just REALLY fun and violent. If any of you watch the show Lucifer (what is with me and referencing Gaiman properties today?), again, there are some tonal similarities there, especially with the crime-solving aspect of the story. I’m also listening to Skin Game by Jim Butcher on my Echo while I cross-stitch, in preparation for Peace Talks and Battle Ground in a few months. Which brings us to now, in which I have not started anything new yet, but I’ll figure that out later today. Until next time, folks, there is absolutely catharsis in a good Snoopy dance.
Staying at home all the time is mentally fatiguing – that is for sure. At least in my neighborhood we have wonderful walking trails where there is space to socially distance while out on a walk and so enjoy all the beautiful weather we have been having.
Excellent:
None
Very Good:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: Let me start off by saying I realize that it is heresy to not put this in the excellent category. But after hearing for so many years how beloved it is by so many people, it didn’t knock me over. Don’t get me wrong, it was great, but I didn’t absolutely fall in love with it. I picked this for my Father/Daughter bookclub with my dad – because of social distancing, we haven’t met to discuss it yet.
The Wonder Weeks: A Stress-Free Guide to Your Baby’s Behavior by Hetty van de Rijt, Frans X. Plooij, and Xaviera Plas-Plooij: This book is wildly popular with good reason – it talks about 10 mental leaps in a child’s first two years of life where they experience radical shifts in how they perceive their world. During these periods, children can be cranky and clingy. So far, these have tracked pretty well with our son’s development and moods and I found it extremely helpful to read about how he is experiencing the world. I didn’t put it in the excellent category because there is a lot of repetition from each “leap” to the next – I think the idea was the a parent would pick up the book during the mental leap and then put it down until the next one. I read it cover to cover and got tired of some of the advice on what to look for and how to deal with it repeated multiple times.
Good:
Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch: The second in the Rivers of London series, I loved the first book in the series, but realized while I was reading this one that it had been so long since I read the first one that I couldn’t remember all the details of the world building. And there are A LOT of details to keep track of and there was no helpful reminders in this book in case you forgot. So I spent a lot of the book trying to remember how everything worked and the relationships between the various people. Basically, this is a police procedural series set in and around London with magic – and there are only a limited number of people in that world who know that magic exists. I was on the fence about whether or not to continue with the series, but I went ahead and added the third to my TBR list since I liked the first one.
Lord Dashwood Missed Out by Tessa Dare: This novella is number 4.5 in the Spindle Cover series. I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but after I finished my brain kept coming up with problems with it – I can’t really say too much without spoilers. There are appearances from all the previous couples in the Spindle Cove series which was nice.
The Last Detective by Peter Lovesey: The first in the Peter Diamond mystery series. This one centers around the murder of a former soap actress and involves many twists and turns. After finishing, I was on the fence as to whether or not I wanted to read the next one, so I went ahead and added it to my TBR list.
The Bad:
None
Ooh, Virgin in the Ice – that’s a a good one. I’ve been reading some historical romances (Forever and a Duke by Grace Burrows, Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas, Someone to Remember by Mary Balogh, and The Rogue of Fifth Avenue by Joanna Shupe – all fine to good), and some historical mysteries – mostly rereads (selected favorite Mary Russell novels, mostly) – but I also attempted Anna Lee Huber’s Treacherous is the Night, which somehow didn’t hold my attention. (Don’t know if it was me right now, or the book. I think the former.)
Might be on to more historical mystery – some Cadfael is a possibility, and so is Karen Odden’s A Dangerous Duet. Maybe Charles Todd. (Or a golden era writer like Christie, Allingham, or Rex Stout.)
Can’t seem to read non-fiction just now. I have a ton of it waiting for me, when I’m ready for it, though.
I just can’t get into new books. I’m too distracted and too anxious. I’ve been doing re-reads of favorites. I can read passages I like and then skip ahead since I know the plot. Loving Bec McMaster, Eloisa James, Tessa Dare.
The only new book I read and finished was First Comes Scandal by Julia Quinn. I agree with others who say that this is an extension of her formula. I agree. I was predictable and comforting. It is the right novel for now.
I’ve been reading Erik Larson’s The Splendid and The Vile. I love all his histories. But the competence of Churchill during WWII compared to the current situation depresses me. So I’m frequently putting it aside for escapism.