We are approaching the end of August. How? When? Why?
I have this fear that we’ll get to December and then December will just keep going and 2020 will go on forever.
Anyway, should we get into the books?
Carrie: My daughter finally talked me into reading the Percy Jackson series, so I’m hooked on that. I am in the middle of Book Three, The Titan’s Curse. ( A | BN | K | AB ) Also I just started Rocket Science by Emily Mayer, ( A ) review pending. So far it has succeeded in making me want cheesecake desperately. In War and Peace, which I read at the speed of one – three chapters a day, Pierre is trying his best to be a good guy but failing because he’s not very bright, Natasha is pretty, Andrey is smitten but hasn’t realized it, Denisov is in the hospital, and Rostov is disappointed.
Elyse: We are currently fostering bottle baby kittens so I am reading Tiny but Mighty by Hannah Shaw. It was a gift from another foster family and it’s full of great info about kitten development
Shana: I’m currently escaping to the fantasy world of queer hockey. I’m reading Common Goal, ( A | BN | K | AB ) the newest book in Rachel Reid’s m/m series (out 9/21) . This one’s an age-gap slow burn with vegetarian goalie who loves yoga, quinoa, and cute bartenders. Next on my list is Out on the Ice by Kelly Farmer, ( A | BN | K | AB ) a f/f romance between current and retired hockey players, one of whom looks suspiciously like Meghan Rapinoe.
Tara: Shana, I’m reading Out on the Ice right now and I’m enjoying it! I’m at the point where I’m desperately hoping that this book sticks the landing.
In audio, I’m listening to The Roommate Arrangement by Jae. It’s an f/f fauxmance with a bubbly stand up comic and a grumpy ex-police officer who pretend to be a couple to get an affordable apartment in LA. I’m a couple of hours in the audiobook and it’s cute so far. I like how Lori Prince narrates it.
Claudia: Not having much luck lately. Bailed on Mr. Malcolm’s List, ( A | BN | K | AB ) sloughing through To Catch An Earl, but not excited about that one either.
Shana: I hope Out on the Ice lives up to its potential, Tara!
Catherine: We are in lockdown and there are trackworks happening around the clock on my street, so I’ve reverted to comfort reading. Just finished The Chocolate Touch by Laura Florand, ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Au | Scribd ) which has Paris and chocolate and a hero who is hilariously sure that he is terribly macho and bad and mean and all his employees just walk all over him and it’s adorable. (CW: the heroine has recently survived some pretty intense violence, though this isn’t described very graphically).
And now, because I was depressed by The Leadership documentary, I am reading Hold Me by Courtney Milan, which has some pretty good women in STEM wish fulfillment going on.
Sneezy: I’ve been having a LOT of trouble sticking with a book. I’ll be starting The Duke’s Princess Bride by Amalie Howard and Her Big City Neighbor by Jackie Lau ( A | BN | K | AB ) and see how that goes.
Tara: My library hold on Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo finally came through and ohhhhh my god, Maya was 100% right about this one. It’s on track to be one of the best books I’ve read this year.
Ellen: Thanks to the general chaos my brain just CANNOT decide what kind of book sounds good so I’ve been starting a bunch of books at once and then returning to whichever one is “sticking.” Using this method I’ve just read Fair, Bright, and Terrible by Elizabeth Kingston ( A | BN | K | AB ) and I liked it almost as much as the first book in the Welsh Blades series (high praise since Gwenllian was an UNPARALLELED heroine).
I’m also reading Last Song Before Night by Ilana C Myer ( A | BN | K | AB ) which so far seems like it is shaping up to be a feminist-tinged epic fantasy. I already feel quite invested in many of the characters which is very good because so often with fantasy books, even though I love the genre, there are 50 intersecting plotlines but I actually only care about like 2 of them and the rest are a slog. Also part of why I love fantasy romance so much–I know I’m not going to be asked to wade through 15 tangentially-related subplots. (edited)
Sarah: I’m currently reading Because Internet, about how the internet has changed our language. It is FASCINATING.
Elyse: I noticed a lot of the books I read in the past month were thrillers where revenge/justice was a huge theme, and I think my heart is seeking justice in the universe because I’m not feeling it in real life
Which books have you finished since our last Whatcha Reading? Let us know below!
Mostly in progress reads, I only finished the very short children’s book.
Tessa Bailey: Getaway Girl and Fix Her Up. The first one is really funny, but I stalled out when they got together – apparently the mutual pining was really working for me. Fix Her Up has been recommended a bunch, it didn’t hold my attention on the first attempt, will try again at some point.
Enchanted Forest Chronicles reread via MarkReads YouTube videos. There’s just something about a grown man reacting to princess Cimorene’s shenanigans with unabashed delight.
Invisible Library reread – a comment thread about librarians reminded me I have this on my kindle from pre-pandemic times. Got about halfway through one book, too suspenseful for me at this time. Sigh.
Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer Holm – the one I actually finished. Cute, light read, would be great for middle grade kids interested in science.
Plus a bunch of samples and audible samples. Audiobooks of comfort rereads help me with insomnia and anxiety. Current rotation is Alyssa Cole’s Reluctant Royals series, a bit of Tessa Dare (When a Scot Ties the Knot), Wodehouse read by Jonathan Cecil for a dose of British humor with very low stakes adventures, and MarkReads.net for fangirling in good company.
I resolved to read better in August. Thus far I’ve burned through Ninth House, The Angel of the Crows, Gideon the Ninth, Harrow the Ninth, and a reread of All Systems Red. Also Between the World and Me, as a school assignment. I’m four chapters into a great webcomic, Oh Human Star. All very good.
I would say that I am really enjoying my summer of (mostly) YA. It is good to get immersed in worlds that are not in the middle of a pandemic. And the stories have been very engrossing and page-turning, which is just what I need.
Excellent:
The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas: Second in the YA fantasy Elemental Trilogy by, yes, the same author who also writes romance and Lady Sherlock, this is one of those rare books where the second in the series is better than the first AND doesn’t seem like a mere stepping stone to the third book. Taking place in the nineteenth century in both a recognizable England and hidden magical world, this entry brought much more depth to the main characters of Prince Titus and Iolanthe Seabourne/Archer Fairfax as they fight the tyrant the Bane. It tackles issues of destiny versus free will. It also takes some tropes of the genre and twists them (it might even smash them, but I will withhold judgement on that until I finish the third book). Also, while the romance arc in the first book felt rushed and a little forced, with this book there really was some punch-me-in-the-feels developments in the romance, that really got to me. Also, catnip alert, the heroine of this book spends much of her time disguised as a boy at an all boys school.
Very Good:
The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas: The first in the above-named series, this one was great – the world building amazing including a complex magic system (and footnotes to explain said system!) and the characters engaging. Prince Titus has a destiny – to protect the greatest elemental mage of their generation from the evil Bane so that said mage can try to bring him down. One day, Iolanthe Seabourne is able to call down lightning from the sky, a rare feat that proves she is a great elemental mage and their adventure together begins. I only marked this down from Excellent to Very Good because the romance aspect moves too quickly for me. The two start as adversaries with a common enemy, but it turns very quickly to romantic feelings without completely showing us why. Again, catnip alert, the heroine spends a great portion of the book disguised as a boy.
Dropping the Baby and Other Scary Thoughts: Breaking the Cycle of Unwanted Thoughts in Motherhood by Karen Kleiman and Amy Wenzel: I have OCD and this book was recommended to me by a mental health professional who specializes in the mental health of women surrounding reproductive issues (pregnancy, infertility, postpartum period, mensuration, and menopause). It is aimed at both new moms and healthcare providers. I found the information informative and very comforting (the majority of new moms have the symptoms to meet the criteria for anxiety disorder – this is how much having a baby affects your emotions and upends life as you knew it before), but the dual focus of the book could be distracting at times. That being said, I would still highly recommend it and am glad that I read it.
Good:
A Question of Holmes by Brittany Cavallaro: The fourth (and seemingly last) book in the YA Charlotte Holmes series, this felt like the weakest entry of the bunch. The arc of the first three books had already been completed and this mystery felt kind of weak and boring in comparison. VAGUE SPOLER: the ending was very melancholy and, as a lifelong romance reader, not at all satisfying. I also couldn’t figure out why the author went that direction with the ending – most of this book is told through Charlotte’s point of view, but the epilogue is told from Watson’s and so this major theme of the series is left resolved in an unexpected way but not completely explained. One thing I did like though that a thread from earlier books was resolved in exactly the way I predicted and that story line was very satisfying given the characters in the series and the plots of the original Sherlock Holmes stories.
Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi: The second in the YA Under the Never Sky dystopian series, this book greatly fleshed out the characters we met in the first book as they fight both the elements and opposing forces. That being said, it doesn’t have the depth of other YA series I have read and while it is a fun read, I am not sure how much I will remember the series, say, five years from now.
Meh:
Scandal Takes the Stage by Eva Leigh: Second in The Wicked Quills of London series, I was hoping for more after I loved the first. This is fairly gentle story between a female playwright and a rake aristocrat who loves the theater. They both seemed like decent people and I liked how the agony of writer’s block was portrayed, but the whole romance and conflict just seemed really low stakes. Maybe in this crazy world that should be a point in its favor, but I tend to like my romance with at least a little angst and lots of feels. CW: loss of a child in the backstory.
The Bad:
None
A few offerings:
The audiobook of Ask Me Anything by P. Z. Reizin (Bridget Jones-ish heroine has her love life sorted out by her various smart devices, unbenownst to her) was often hilarious, with the fridge, TV, electric toothbrush, etc. all having different regional UK accents.
Finally got around to reading Rachel Reid’s Heated Rivalry and adored it; I wish more authors would take that approach and really tell the story of the characters falling in love over months or years if that’s how long it took, instead of starting the book near the end of the love story when all there is left to do is express their feelings and fall into bed together. Speaking of which, just finished Sarina Bowen’s Brooklynaire which was underwhelming for exactly that reason. It started at the end of a seven year friendship/attraction and didn’t leave itself enough story to maintain my interest.
Unfortunately our physical libraries are closed due to COVID lockdown, and a I have a very long reserve list for when they do reopen.
Thanks to DiscoDollyDeb’s recommendation I have been reading my way through Zoe York’s backlist, and have caught up on Kate Canterbury and Freya Barker’s lengthy backlist. Great reading.
The ost recent in Maisey Yates’ Gold Valley Series, The Hero of Hope Springs was a good angst read.
I also recommend Kelly Hunter and Marion Lennox – both authors manage to find something fresh within the category framework.
I am looking forward to reading Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews
Since last time ~
— a reread of For Real (Spires Book 3) by Alexis Hall which I enjoyed once again.
— Our Child of the Stars by Stephen Cox; I found this to be a rather engaging read.
— The Enforcer Enigma: The San Andreas Shifters by G. L. Carriger; this was a pleasant read, but I don’t think this is a book I’ll be rereading anytime soon.
— enjoyed The Right Sort of Man: A Sparks & Bainbridge Mystery by Allison Montclair which might find other fans here. It’s set in post world war II London and features two women who have started a marriage bureau. I will happily read on in this series (of two books thus far).
— The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey by Candice Millard for my book group. Last month’s book (A Primate’s Memoir) left me with no desire to go to Africa; this book has left me with no desire to go to the Amazon. Clearly, reading book group nonfiction books is dangerous to my travel bucket list! That said, the story was compelling … though not quite as compelling as the author’s Destiny of the Republic which I read a year or so ago.
— a young adult paranormal romance, The Midnight Gardener by R. G. Thomas. It was a pleasant story; however, it ended on a cliffhanger and I’m not compelled to read on in the series. I will say that it’s the first time I’ve encountered a major character who was a … Spoiler … garden gnome.
— Plus an absolute boatload of samples and abandoned books.
Cinnamon roll hero alert! I just finished MAN CARD by Sarina Bowen and Tanya Eby which is currently available for free. The sometimes silly humor won’t be to everyone’s taste but I loved the adorable, metrosexual hero, who loves pedicures, manscaping, chick flicks, and in one scene, happily joins the heroine and her friends for facials and margaritas. He’s pretty much the opposite of toxic masculinity and a nice change from the usual alpha hero. I also read CHAOS REIGNING by Jessie Mihalik and thought it was a great end to the series. I especially loved the strong friendship between the heroine and her best friend, the daughter of a rival House. The entire series was a fun romp of a space opera.
TIGHT ROPE by Amanda Quick. The setting was good (interwar California) and the characters were engaging. The plot was a bit all over the place, but it was fun and I will read more in the Burning Cove series.
CHASING CHARLI by Kat Mizera. It had a strong start but fell apart completely at the end. Spoiler alert: hero wants kids, heroine doesn’t due to something in her past, this is pretty quickly resolved and now everybody’s on board with making babies. I really disliked this – I found it unrealistic and I don’t think “having kids” should equal “happy ending” in romance, necessarily.
HER FORBIDDEN LOVE MATCH by Theresa Paolo. It was a nice light read, I might check out the others in the Willow Cove series.
THE DEVIL OF DOWNTOWN by Joanna Shupe. It was pretty good and I liked Justine as a heroine much better than Florence.
GODS OF JADE AND SHADOW by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. This was excellent!! I am not usually a fantasy reader but I loved it. Mexican Gothic has been added to the TBR wishlist.
@Karin I tried looking up “The Girl From the Diadem” based on your fabulous description but couldn’t find it. Who’s the author?
I finally read Meljean Brooks’s first full-length barbarian romance novel and loved it so much that I immediately ordered the second. I’ve also been on a comfort-re-reading kick through lots of Nora Roberts’s fantasy romance trilogies. Honestly, they’re all very similar to each other, but for comfort re-reading purposes, that’s just perfect.
(I also really, REALLY loved Arden Powell’s The Faerie Hounds of York, a beautifully creepy and eerie Regency fantasy novella that included a bittersweet but AMAZING m/m romance whose arc I didn’t manage to predict at all. I’m not sure whether to call the ending an HEA, but I found it really surprisingly satisfying.)
@Stephanie Burgis, The Girl From the Diadem was written by Jean Merrill, published 1978. I found a used copy on Amazon but it doesn’t look like there are any available right now.
@Karin Thank you!
This feels like a short month to me, but since this year feels like it’s 100 years long, whatevs. Time is a flat circle at this point. Let’s see, left off on The Night Swim. Figured out the twist right before the main characters did, which as I’ve said before, watch enough Forensic Files/Very Scary People/true crime stuff and listen to enough murder podcasts, and you’re prone to figuring out those twists. That said, I enjoyed the ending, and honestly, and bad men getting their comeuppance always puts me in a good mood. I followed that up with To Catch An Earl by Kate Bateman. I almost always enjoy a good heist and thought the thievery aspects were well-done, but had a few moments of “JUST USE YOUR WORDS!! TELL THE DUDE WHY YOU DO WHAT YOU DO!!!”. Also, felt like the ending was just a bit too quick…there was no talking through the eventual solution, it just went from being mad at someone to “Oh, we’re getting married now? Cool cool cool, no doubt no doubt.” Then after about 5 years of not reading any October Daye books (no major reason, just didn’t, and also that author is prolific AF, it’s hard to keep up), I decided to fire up A Red-Rose Chain by Seanan McGuire. It was strange how quickly I was able to get back into the world and the characters, and it had all the evil faerie politics you could want (I always want, I love evil faerie politics). I did find the characterization of the baddie as an unremitting bigot super-intriguing, simply because this was written before 2016, when it became borderline fashionable to be out and proud about bigotry. I think McGuire saw some things coming before the rest of us did is what I’m saying here. Really enjoyed it. Which brings us to now. I tried an epic fantasy that shall remain nameless, because it is not the book’s fault that my brain noped on it. When that didn’t work, I started The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman, which is funny and warm and oddly soothing. My brain feathers are somewhat ruffled at the moment (:::gestures broadly at all the things:::), so it definitely is working from the perspective of needing something funny and calming, which is an odd descriptor for a book wherein the main character is constantly working on managing anxiety. But still funny and warm, and I love her planner pages. So until next time, my dudes, naps are great, go take one.
About 1/3 of the way through STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING: The Definitive History of Racism in America by Ibram X. Kendi and finding it fascinating. The author traces racist themes back in time to see their origins and how they got so entrenched in white society. Each section focuses on an influential figure of their time — so the first section was about Cotton Mather and the Puritans, the next is Thomas Jefferson, and so on, finishing up with Angela Davis, I think. Am learning a lot and it’s very well-written.
I haven’t been reading much the past few weeks. Lots of stress and I just got diagnosed with lupus. Still trying to wrap my mind around everything.
@Carol S. I saw Ibram X. Kendi speak about STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING at a book festival, and he was so intelligent and so patient with the questions he got. I’m sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I was diagnosed with MS several years ago, and one of my most consistent and helpful sources of support has been Facebook groups. If you haven’t already, I’d recommend looking into lupus support groups on there. X
@Thanks so much, Liz, I’ll do that.
@Jill. Q thanks for the recommendations – I think I’ve read a few Ally Blakes and really liked them, and will check out the rest of the list too.
and @Jen Down Under – I’d forgotten to put Kelly Hunter on my list but thought her books were great too.
@Margaret, my 10 year old daughter is obsessed with the book MY DEAR HAMILTON. She loves all things Hamilton, and she got that book for her birthday and now carries it around with her like it’s a stuffed animal. I am unsure if all of the content is appropriate for her but she loves it so much that I am inclined not to care! Apparently it’s a really great book, so I’m hoping to eventually get it away from her long enough to read it myself.
This month we took our annual beach vacation which is always a good reading time for me. I enjoyed OVERNIGHT SENSATION by Sarina Bowen, although like @DiscoDollyDeb I was a little put off by the age of the heroine (she’s only 20) and her father’s controlling nature. Next I read THE DEVIL OF DOWNTOWN by Joanna Shupe. I thought it started a bit slow and I had trouble understanding why these two were attracted to each other. By the last third of the book I was into it but it took a while. EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER may not be billed as a romance, I’m not sure. It certainly has romance elements but read more like women’s fiction. The story was compelling and I found this to be a perfect book to read on the beach. I had to put aside RIDE WITH ME by Ruthie Knox, which is weird because I loved her New York trilogy and her book ABOUT LAST NIGHT is one of my all-time favorites. I loved the idea of two people going cross-country on bicycles but this one just didn’t work for me. There was plenty of sexual tension but not enough conflict, and I found myself like “just bang already omg!!” In keeping with the “hero and heroine doing outdoorsy stuff” theme, I also read WITH EVERY BREATH by Lia Riley. This was fine, but maybe not super memorable. The heroine’s sister was just awful and I was disappointed that she didn’t get any resolution to the situation in the end. Enjoyed TEN WAYS TO BE ADORED WHEN LANDING A LORD and ELEVEN SCANDALS TO START TO WIN A DUKE’S HEART both by Sarah MacLean. She is for sure one of my favorite writers. The story in TEN WAYS… had a better flow. ELEVEN SCANDALS… had a lot of back and forth following the same pattern: hero and heroine get close, she does something wacky, he responds by being a snobby jerk, she storms off in a huff. Repeat. But both had plenty of emotional tension between the main characters, as well as interesting side characters. Finally I did some re-reads of Christina Lauren’s Beautiful series. I know they have moved on into a different writing style now but those are some of my favorites of theirs. Snappy dialogue and hot sex scenes will nearly always get a thumbs-up from me.
@Liz: I would definitely recommend reading the two parts in the right order — there’s things in the second part that directly respond to the first part.
@Vasha Oh, I had completely forgotten that “Silver in the Wood” comes first—thank you!
@KB – Your daughter must be a formidable young lady! I just finished My Dear Hamilton, and I am in a stunned state of amazement. It is an incredible book (I listened to the audiobook version, borrowed from my library, but have just bought myself a printed copy), and yes, it most definitely does have some extemely mature content (in terms of ideas/harsh truths), especially towards the end of the book. (i.e. things Lin Manuel Miranda decided not to touch on!) but I recommend it heartily and am sending a copy to my own (slightly older) daughter.
@Margaret I think she is a formidable young lady and thank you for saying so! I’m pretty sure she skips over the stuff she does not entirely understand but she did tell me that Hamilton in real life was not even as nice as he seems in the musical and that he was a pretty terrible husband. But she thinks Eliza was outstanding. I was putting her to bed the other night and she was reading a section in the middle which she described as “the nice part, where they are really in love and nobody died yet.” Hopefully she will eventually let me borrow the book so I can read it for myself! Glad you enjoyed it!