Whatcha Reading? July 2020 Edition, Part One

I had to double check and see if it was the first or second Whatcha Reading post of the month. But as Sarah and I like to remind ourselves lately: time has no meaning.

Anyway, let’s get into the books!

Shana: I’m reading Get Well Soon by Jennifer Wright, ( A | BN | K | AB ) which is an irreverent history of plagues. I started it ages ago, after Aarya recommended it, but the library stole it back before I could finish. It is darkly funny and eerily prescient.

Susan: I’m reading House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard, ( A | BN | K | AB ) because she has a new novella in that world setting coming out today! It’s her gothic Paris controlled by factions of murderous angels, and so far I’m enjoying it a lot! Honestly the weirdest part for me is that I know exactly one spoiler about this series (murder husbands!) and I have no idea how it’s going to get there from here.

Elyse: I just started Daring and the Duke by Sarah MacLean ( A | BN | K | AB ) but I have several books coming in the mail today. Apparently past Elyse went a little crazy on July new releases

Claudia: I’m feeling very accomplished because I was able to finish quite a few books recently, yay! I had such a long string of DNFs… Anyway, one worth mentioning is Who’s that Earl by Susanna Craig, which I enjoyed despite it being a bit uneven in terms of pace and relying on one heck of a coincidence (which could be part of the larger series arc but if that was the case I wish it had been made clearer).

Sarah: Because Mary Balogh told me a bit about Truly, ( A | BN | K | AB ) her Regency digital re-release, which is a romance set against Welsh uprisings against tolls on the roads, I’m reading that one right now. So many of her books are in Hoopla, so thank you, My Library, for having a Hoopla subscription so I can deepest deep dive into Balogh backlist.

Carrie: I’m about to finish Finna by Nino Cipri, a fun, weird, touching book about alternate universe portals that open up in a fictional version of IKEA. I keep comparing it to my fav, Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix, which is about a haunted IKEA, but they are very different books in tone and plot and surely the world has room for more than one “IKEA is weird” story.

Catherine: I just finished Or What You Will by Jo Walton ( A | BN | K | AB ) which I adored, and I am now high on Renaissance Florence and gorgeous food and Shakespeare. I’m rereading it, slowly, in between other things, because it is such an escape and I can’t quite bear to leave just yet.

This is also preventing me from getting very far with reading other novels because my brain is in Florence, so I am finally starting to actually read some of the cookbooks I comfort-bought back in April – we are back in lockdown here, so I think cookbooks are the way to go.

I’m loving Falastin by Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley, which is a Palestinian cookbook – this cuisine is new to me, though of course it has strong similarities to both Middle Eastern and Israeli cuisine. I do love how every cuisine (perhaps every household?) in the region has its own slightly different version of hummus, and Falastin doesn’t even try to pick just one, but instead gives you two different versions and three ways to serve them, all three of which look pretty close to an entire meal as far as I can see…

Sneezy: Catherine, anytime you feel like making that meal, I will magically appear in your dining room. “Don’t worry, I’m Australian now!!! I’m not going a-ny-where.”

I’ve been going back to A Touch of Stone and Snow ( A | BN | K | AB )  over and over again for the comfort of grand miracles and a giant sabertoothed snow cat who will snuggle me and eat my enemies.

I’ll also be starting What’s Your Pronoun by Dennis Baron. ( A | BN | K | AB )

Tara: I’m reading The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite ( A | BN | K | AB ) and I’m enjoying it very much. So far it’s a super chill book, which is my speed right now.

Aarya: I DEVOURED Ilona Andrews’s Emerald Blaze (out August 25) ( A | BN | K | AB ) recently and felt ridiculously emotional the entire time. That book is a roller coaster and I want to reread soon. Hidden Legacy fans are going to love it (and if you’re not one, what are you waiting for?). It’s my favorite series at the moment and I’m very close to throwing books at random passerby.

I just started Holley Trent’s The Angel’s Fire. ( A ) I’m still in the mood for PNR and I’ve seen tons of positive buzz for Trent’s Masters of Maria series. This one has fallen angels, goddesses, and slow burn for centuries. I think it’s mostly set in a historical period? Hard to tell since I can’t figure out when/if the time will jump around.

Ellen: I just finished The Year of the Witching and it was SOOOO GOOD, everyone. Incredibly creepy and enraging and feminist and beautiful all at once! Now I’ve started Whiteout by Adriana Anders and so far I’m definitely intrigued if not completely sold yet.

Kiki: After weeks and weeks of having a really hard time reading and focusing, I seem to be back to my normal reading habits which is bringing me a lot of joy. I’m currently listening to Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski after years of people telling me to read it (they were right and I am preparing to shower all my friends with copies). I’m also reading A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore. I’m liking it better than the first so far, but am still far from sold on the series as a whole.

So tell us! Whatcha reading?