Hey y’all! I’m driving the Whatcha Reading? bus this week, as Amanda is traveling the globe.
Spring has SPROINGED around me. This is a picture I took recently of my neighbor’s camellia (I think that’s a camellia) against the sky. In a truly dorky move, I’m trying to match the colors for a quilt in progress because I love blue, green, and pink together.
Here’s what’s on the currently-reading list at SBTB HQ – with a mild TW for some discussion of depression.
Elyse: It’s FINALLY spring here so I assume it’s my brain telling me to get outside. I downloaded the audio of Ghost Station by SA Barnes to accompany me on walks.
Lara: I’m struggling to find a book that sticks around. I’m DNFing pretty often lately.
Elyse: I think I’ve started and put down 5 books this month. My brain is tired and restless.
Lara: I need a word that describes the unsettling sadness of not being able to find joy in reading because none of the books you pick up are hitting the spot.
Elyse: Rich calls it “book ennui.”
Sneezy: Well now!!! I’m stealing that. My book ennui is making me appear saintly while I shelve my books. (Yes, aftershocks [from the earthquake in Taiwan] are still being drama llamas, but fuck it I want my floor space back.)
Sarah: My brain is restless, too! The book that seems to be tempting my brain the most is Happy Medium by Sarah Adler ( A | BN | K ), because I can’t stop thinking about it.
Lara: The book I’m currently trying is Gator Queen by Tara Lush ( A | BN | K ). I think it’s a comedy but it’s very early days yet.
Susan: It’s seasonal depression new years for me, so I’m listening to the audiobook of Dana K. White’s How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind ( A | BN | K ) while I try to unfuck my house from its depression pit state.
I find her stuff great for helping me not focus on the shame of letting things get this bad, because her attitude is “whatever you do is progress.”
Sarah: Oh, heck. I hate the depression pit and I’m sorry you’re there.
Susan: Thank you, it sucks here! I’m doing the most scattershot job of sorting things out and booking workmen, but it’s progress.
Tara: I’ve been reading A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland ( A | BN | K ) and it’s beautifully written.
It takes place in the 1800s in Nova Scotia and is a sapphic retelling of the folk tale The Selkie Wife. It has a romance, but is not a romance, and has a gothic vibe to it.
Some of you might be wondering if it has a happy ending or not, because queer stories in this era are often heartbreaking.
…the ending is happy!
Shana: I’m reading Shadowlands Omega by Elizabeth Stephens. ( A | BN | K )
It’s a standalone in a dark fantasy romance series and I spent the first chapter flailing about trying to figure out the world building. But I got totally sucked in and now I’m having trouble doing anything else but read this book. It comes out April 18.
Also, the heroine is bald which is delightful!
Kiki: I’m listening to The Perils of Pleasure by Julie Ann Long ( A | BN | K | G | AB ). I tried one of the other books in this series before and was put off by what felt like a very bad ratio of internal narration vs actual conversation between the characters, but I’m liking this one better so far.
Sneezy: I’m rereading Father, I Don’t Want This Marriage on Tappytoon. I forgot how funny it is!
The main story is completed and smutty versions of the side stories that are coming out alongside the non-smut version. Fellow Smut Demons, please note you HAVE TO buy the smut chapters from a separate link and all smut is only available on browser. If you buy the wrong chapter, you’ll have to pay twice!
What about you? Whatcha reading? Tell us everything in the comments!
Like folks above, I have also been in a DNF rut. But I did manage to finish two books. The first was required reading for my Spanish class “LA PLAYA DE LOS AHOGADOS” (The Beach of the Drowned) by Domingo Villar. English editions are available. It’s a well-plotted murder mystery that also provides lots of evocative descriptions of Galicia. Even though it was homework, I did not find it a chore to read. HOWEVER, the book I’m super excited to recommend is “THE TAINTED CUP” by Robert Jackson Bennett. Loved it, loved it, loved it! A female Nero-Wolf-type is aided by her young assistant in investigating a set of very weird murders in an empire beset by Kaiju. I’m not doing a great job selling it, but the book was engrossing. Sadly, now I’m back to my DNF sadness. I’ll eagerly read others comments to hopefully find something good to read next.
Oh boy, I was really hoping to have more to report this session.
I did really enjoy SAVING CHUPIE by Amparo Ortiz and Ronnie Vazquez for informal mother son bookclub. It’s a middle reader graphic novel about a young girl, Violeta, who moves to Puerto Rico with her family to help her grandmother reopen her restaurant after Hurricane Maria. There’s a mysterious animal attacking livestock and some people are saying it might be a chupacabra. But when Violeta finds “chupie” he’s just a scared animal who has also lost his habitat to the hurricane. It had a bit of HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON vibes (movie, not book).
I also read THE AMOROUS NIGHTINGALE by Edward Marston, the 2nd in a historical mystery series set in Restoration England with a working class Puritan constable bumping up against a more aristocratic sophisticated architect. This one started out slow and I almost didn’t finish it, but I really am trying to read as much in the Restoration setting as possible. Then at the very ending, it picked up nicely. I will keep reading b/c I generally like Edward Marston and I like how he sets this almost as a “buddy cop” story where the two characters bump up against each other and slowly respect each other more.
The only grownup books I’m really enjoying is the Wrexford and Sloane series by Andrea Penrose. Overall just a good regency atmosphere with a lot of working class and middle class characters (not just the aristocracy) and a sparky relationship from our two protagonists.
Been a bit slow around here reading-wise—nothing’s really grabbing me. In non-reading news, the eclipse (we were in the 98% zone) was really cool. I feel like traveling to the zone of totality in the future might be a good move.
I read THE VISCOUNT MADE ME DO IT by Diana Quincy, a new to me author, for my library book club. They picked the book for Arab American heritage month (Quincy is Arab American) and I enjoyed the setting and context (heroine is an Arab bonesetter in Regency London, hero is a viscount with a dark past.) I liked the overall plot and setting better than the romance (which I can always tell is happening because I skim over the sex scenes), but it was nice to read a new author and I might try the other two in the same series.
I attempted MOLLY MOLLOY AND THE ANGEL OF DEATH but was clearly in the wrong headspace for that and. I did like the latest Deanna Raybourn (A GRAVE ROBBERY). Interestingly, both the Quincy and the Raybourn feature references to anatomical models that were used to teach medicine in the 1800s, so that was an interesting point of overlap.
Currently reading FORGET ME NOT by Julia Soto. Cover is a little weird, but my friend who is my most reliable book recommender loved it, so I have high hopes.
Part 1
I live on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, and we had a series of tornadoes rip through our community on Wednesday, knocking out power and destroying/badly damaging many buildings, but thankfully with no casualties (which, when you see some of the pictures of the carnage, is truly amazing). Anyway, long story short, schools were closed for the rest of the week, so I couldn’t go to work and I ended up draining my kindle’s battery, I was reading so much. To wit—
THE SCORING SECRET, Ainsley Booth’s latest in her Off the Ice series of hockey romances, reminded me so much of Kate Canterbary—the sex positivity, the strong friendships, the refusal to tolerate slut-shaming, the professional competence—that when secondary characters from Zoe York’s Kinkaids of Pine Harbour books showed up, I was baffled until I remembered that I was reading an Ainsley Booth book and Ainsley Booth is one of Zoe York’s alternate pen names. THE SCORING SECRET features the “You’ve Got Mail” trope in a romance between professional hockey player, Ty—self-described “man-whore”, newly-traded from Miami to Hamilton, Canada—and Kiley, a hospital administrator still recovering from a bad breakup and embarking on what she has termed a “slutty year” of using dating apps to meet men for hook-ups. The couple meet IRL at a team function (Kiley’s brother is the team doctor) and don’t care for each other at first. Then, unbeknownst to either of them, they meet anonymously on a dating app and begin texting (and, eventually, sexting) while being confused by their changing feelings for each other when they occasionally encounter each other physically. I thought Booth did a decent job of giving plausible reasons for the MCs not twigging to each other’s identity for a long period of time—and neither MC keeps the other one in the dark once the secret is revealed—I just thought it took a little longer for them to get to that point than perhaps it should have. Still, THE SCORING SECRET is a sexy romance with some pointed things to say about the ubiquity of dating apps and how that impacts how single people (especially women) see themselves and their romantic relationships with others. Recommended.
I read the four books in Willow Dixon’s Never Have I Ever series of m/m romances about the interrelated lives and loves of five college seniors who are sharing a house. Although the stories skew more N/A than I usually read (most of the MCs are about 21), I liked the romances, all of which feature Dixon’s trademarks: bi-awakening, overcoming family dysfunction, the grinding power of poverty, strong (non-sexual) male friendships, and mental & physical health challenges (diabetes, autism spectrum, ADHD, social anxiety, OCD, racing thoughts, etc.). The books can be read as standalones, but I would definitely recommend reading all four—and reading them in order, because characters & events do recur. In the first book, NEVER HAVE I EVER: PUNCHED MY ROOMMATE’S V-CARD, Beck & Finn are housemates, one of whom is gay and one of whom has always thought of himself as straight. There is bi-awakening, but there is also the question of which MC is actually the virgin: the MC who has never had gay sex or the MC who knows he’s gay and has “messed around” but has never had penetrative sex. NEVER HAVE I EVER: SUBMITTED TO MY ENEMY features the “You’ve Got Mail” trope: Alex & Kai are partnered for a project in one of their classes and, for various reasons, don’t like each other, but when they meet anonymously on an app, sparks fly. I actually thought Dixon did a slightly better job with this trope than Ainsley Booth did in THE SCORING SECRET. In NEVER HAVE I EVER: HAD A BROMANCE WITH A TEAMMATE, baseball players Matt & Jax evolve from teammates to best bros to friends-with-benefits to lovers, all the while having to confront (cw/tw) the homophobia in most major sports. My favorite of the books was the fourth and final one, NEVER HAVE I EVER: WANTED MY BROTHER’S RIVAL, where Eli reconnects with West—a high school rival of Eli’s brother—who is the son of the man who owns the house where Eli lives. Eli has an OnlyFans channel and also does cam work, but he remains a virgin. West feels protective of Eli—not only because of how badly things ended in high school, but also because of Eli’s diabetes and his somewhat idealistic view of his online fans. The book addresses the issues of how property ownership companies are driving up rents, how landlords often fail to keep their properties in livable condition, and how generational wealth (or poverty) perpetuates cycles of the same. I also liked how the end of WANTED MY BROTHER’S RIVAL brings together all the couples from the pervious Never Have I Ever books in a “let’s see what they’re up to now” epilogue. All four books—Recommended.
Part 2
ETERNALLY BLESSED is the seventh (!) book in Garrett Leigh’s Rebel Kings series of motorcycle club romances; it is also the second book (after UNHOLY TRINITY) to feature the MMF throuple of Locke, Nash, and Orla. You cannot read ETERNALLY BLESSED as a standalone: you should at least read UNHOLY TRINITY first—and I would recommend reading the entire series first because characters & events recur throughout the series. Also, all the content & trigger warnings because this is an MC romance and, while the Rebel Kings are decent enough people, some of the people they interact with are decidedly not. For example, the first third of ETERNALLY BLESSED involves Locke being held captive by the members of a rival MC—lots of violence—I found it best to skim much of that. Meanwhile, Nash has gotten himself involved in a situation with a nasty undercover cop. Once Locke escapes from his captors, much of the book is about getting Nash out of his predicament. Meanwhile Locke deals with his teenage children (including one who just got her driver’s license and thinks she’s ready to take on the world). I like how Leigh layers the mundane & domestic details of being a parent alongside the dangerous & scary elements of being in an MC. Lots of hurt/comfort and found-family in this one (and tattoos…so many tattoos, lol). Recommended—but read the entire series so you won’t be lost.
As I read ETERNALLY BLESSED, I realized that Locke is the twin brother of Logan who is one of the MCs of Leigh’s CHRISTMAS ON FIREFLY HILL—a book I’d downloaded when it was free last year but never got around to reading, so decided that now was as good a time as any to finish it. CHRISTMAS ON FIREFLY HILL is a quick read about the romance between single-dad & firefighter Logan and jewelry-maker/festival performer Remy. Garrett Leigh’s books frequently incorporate the theme of “sex is easy, intimacy is hard”, but in CHRISTMAS ON FIREFLY HILL, getting to the sex is difficult because of Logan’s shift-work, the days he has his young children with him (I’m glad his ex-wife is not portrayed as horribly as some exes are in Leigh’s work), and Remy’s proud nature (he’s essentially living out of his van and doesn’t want to appear to be using Logan for a place to stay). CHRISTMAS ON FIREFLY HILL is definitely on the “gentler” side of Leigh’s work—and might be a good place to start if you’re not ready to jump into her motorcycle club books. Recommended.
I’m reading MADE OF STARS by Jenna Voris, which is a YA space opera inspired by Bonnie and Clyde.
Also waiting on my TBR pile are THESE BURNING STARS by Bethany Jacobs; THEIR LAST RESORT by R.S. Grey; and STILL LIFE by Louise Penny.
Hope everyone has a good weekend! 🙂
Gearing up for a long trip here, so I’m saving KJ Charles’ newes (came out last week) DEATH IN THE SPIRES, which is a murder mystery and not a romance for the plane. I’d love to dive in right now, but I know then I would be down the BDBC hole, so I’m trying to be good. But squeeing inside that I will have two long flights to just read!
Finally finished LOTHARINGIA by Simon Winder – this took time. History, but made personal. I don’t agree with all of the author’s opinions and sometimes he’s trying a bit too hard to be quirky for me, but it was an interesting read. Has one of the best summing ups of World War I though that I ever read – at least regarding what happened in Belgium and France.
SELLING THE DREAM by Jane Marie – this was recommended here recently and I’ve loved her podcast The Dream, so this was a must read. A really good overview over the whole MLM thing – history, how it works, politics, why people get into it. Also, engagingly written and and with a bit of humour.
THE MATING OF MICHAEL by Eli Easton – m/m contemporary. Something off my TBR. The title is a little weird IMHO as it sounds like a werewolf or fantasy or whatever romance. Which it is not at all! This was good and had some interesting themes, but check the CW/TW first, this might not be for everybody, plus there is the a big bleak moment near the end, though one can see that one coming from a long way away. Michael is a nurse, but has a side job as a sex surrogate, and of course he doesn’t talk about that when he meets James, for various reasons – and then it comes out unexpectedly and the rest… doesn’t take much imagination. And yes, he acknowledges that he did wrong in hiding that, though I do understand why he did it.
Not much to report, but looking forward to everyone’s recommendations because it’s school vacation week here. Hoping to finish the Murderbot series, and maybe dig into Lois McMasters Bujold. Also in the mood for something dark like RUN POSY RUN or NICKY THE DRIVER. Thoughts?
Thank you all, and hope everybody is well!
In the past few weeks, I read…
THORNHEDGE by T. Kingfisher — Sweet fairy tale novella, but this is T. Kingfisher so it’s not your typical story. Recommended.
THE ORDER OF BLOOD AND RUIN by K.M. Shea — This is book three of a three book story arc and should not be read as a standalone. Honestly, I didn’t like this one as much as the fist two, and I’ve found this story arc to be a bit weaker than the others set in this world. K.M. Shea leans more toward the YA market, and while I’ve generally found the books to be a lot of fun, do not go into them expecting great literature. Available on Kindle Unlimited.
THE MAGICAL BEINGS REHABILITATION CENTER by K.M. Shea — Collection of a couple of novels set in a “contemporary world but magical creatures exist but are hidden from normal people” vibe. The teenage heroine is very … she’s a lot. She has the kind of privileged stupidity that teenagers have. I’d say she’s too stupid to live, but somehow it all works out because she’s the main character. I managed to become invested enough to finish the book, so it must have done something right. Not recommended unless you have a very high tolerance for people being dumb. Available on Kindle Unlimited.
ONE AND ONLY, IT TAKES TWO, and THREE LITTLE WORDS by Jenny Holiday — Set of three romantic comedies involving a group of friends finding love while serving as bridesmaids at each others weddings. There is a lot to like here, but there’s a formula. They all have a public grovel? declaration? at the book’s wedding scene, and I’ve realized that my personal embarrassment for the heroine in these scenes rather interfered with my ability to appreciate them. I clearly enjoyed them enough to read the set, but they were also available without a wait from my local library e-book collection.
MY PHONY VALENTINE and MY LUCKY CHARM by Courtney Walsh — Cute romantic comedies involving a couple sisters and hockey players. Available on Kindle Unlimited.
Just read the new KJ Charles. New KJ Charles is of course the best reading possible. Ok ok. It’s not my favorite of her works, which is unusual because my favorite is almost by definition the one I just read. However, precisely as billed, this is a mystery not a romance. And I love mysteries, but not as much as I love romances. Still, it being KJ Charles, I found it somewhere between flawless and better than that. How is she so talented? Gah! I love it more than any other mystery I have read. Is that true? I haven’t thought about it, but it feels true. I have read a lot of other mysteries, but I can’t be bothered to think about them now. It’s! so! good! I don’t gravitate towards college stories and I have zero interest in nostalgia or golden youth. When I say this had those elements and it didn’t irritate me I have no way of conveying how remarkable that is. But I cared! About golden youth(s) of all things. Because Charles is made of magic, I guess? Inexplicable otherwise.
I am going to go reread it immediately, yes.
Oh, very well I will check if I have anything else to recommend, since I am here. Yes – there was a new Alexis Hall, which I enjoyed, and as is typical I have pitifully little salient to say when I like something. I don’t know why I am so inarticulate about things I like (I do know, ugh, shut up brain). Much like I always adore KJ Charles’s books, Alexis Hall’s writing -with a few spectacular fails- really works for me. He doesn’t necessarily always do that KJ Charles thing where it could have been written just for me (Glitterland, Lady for a Duke) but Chasing the Light (included in Waiting for the Flood reissue) was still a solid success.
I know there are only a handful of authors I say good things about. I would be delighted to change that, if only more authors would cooperate with me! Case in point:
I really liked When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein except it utterly failed the landing. I am in the process of mentally overwriting it but as I have not yet succeeded I am going to mention – and it is a spoiler, so abort now if you don’t want spoilers – because I wish I had been warned myself. All around delightfully frothy rom com right up until the unnecessary third act breakup when she tells him she doesn’t want to see him again (which is a stupid plot point but not the actual problem). He accepts this, because no means no, and he’s meant to be a decent character. but then. in the reconciliation.
Grrrrrrr. Ok listen this is just your typical or garden variety toxic rape culture horseshit so otoh brace yourself yes but otoh keep in mind that this was jarring precisely because the rest of the book was an unusually good blend of rom com hallmarks without the relentless sexism that historically provides the so-called comedy. So:
She says she shouldn’t have pushed him away (true) and he says he shouldn’t have listened to her (wtf) that he shouldn’t have let her go (wtaf) and she fucking agrees with him (!!!!!). Because romance still means disregarding agency, apparently. And it’s one (extremely) sour note in an otherwise excellent book, that if you know to just skim that bit, could be such fun. I think?
After, you know, you have reread all the KJ Charles and run through the dozen or so other safe authors’ complete backlist, repeatedly. Or, one could, idk, just continue to reread KJ Charles…
I am exactly a third of the way through DEATH IN THE SPIRES by KJ Charles, and loving it. Historical mysteries were my genre of choice before I discovered romance, and I have been eagerly anticipating this one.
@Susan, I hope you feel better soon. I’m listening to the audiobook of DECLUTTERING AT THE SPEED OF LIFE by Dana K. White. It’s actually a reread for me because I’ve read the book before, though not listened to the audio. I also find her attitude very helpful.
Mostly rereads here, picked up one new book from a familiar author but it’s slow going.
The Spirit Well by R. K. Ashwick (author of a Rival Most Vial), this is a sequel to The Stray Spirit and should be read in order. Adventure fantasy with a bit of romance.
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim (reread, listening to the audio too thanks to hoopla – Lucy Scott narrates it so well.) In the 1920s, tired of doing things for others, English housewives book an Italian castle for the month of April. Everything is beautiful in Italy.
The Wee Free Men and A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett (reread) – the new audio editions are out on hoopla! narrated by Indira Varma (some are mislabeled with the old narrator’s name)
Side note, listening to audiobooks on lower speed helps me relax at bedtime. 0.8x speed works for me.
The “I Don’t Want to Cook” Book by Alyssa Brantley (Low-Prep Recipes for When You Just Don’t Want to Cook) – I find it easier to follow than “I Dream of Dinner”
Webtoons: Woven, and Here There Be Dragons, because dragons.
I feel a bit like I’m slogging through two books (at best 20% in on both), waiting for one to catch.
I’m reading A Restless Truth by Freya Marske on my kindle/cloud reader.
I’m enjoying A Market of Dreams and Destiny by Trip Galey from the library, but it’s a “read in Libby only.” I need to add the Libby app to my laptop, because reading on my phone is a pain.
I read Mary Balogh’s Westcott series, and although I liked some of it more than others, on the whole I enjoyed it. She has an interesting approach to series: they’re not the sf/f style series, with one huge story told in multiple installments, but they’re also not the usual romance style either, connected primarily by characters but more or less self contained. This is really the story of a family and its response to a catastrophe (the discovery that the late earl’s marriage was bigamous and his children are illegitimate), told through the romances of its members, and it really should be read chronologically and ideally all together, because there are millions of Westcotts, and they all appear and play roles in every book.
Now I am reading Tad Williams’s debut fantasy TAILCHASER’S SONG, written in 1985. It’s an epic fantasy about cats, and the main thing I have to say about it is that it is extremely a debut fantasy from the 1980’s. I’m not sure I’m going to make it through but will give it one more chance because the world building is interesting.
March was a reading lull for me too, and I’m finding it tricky to pick out books that have the secret sauce that gets me invested, without requiring too much energy.
So far in April I’ve glommed the SCHOLOMANCE trilogy by Naomi Novik after avoiding it for a good while (due to “TikTok says” and some controversy I saw about one of the sentences). Suffice to say, I did not regret reading it. El was a great character IMO, snarky but self-aware enough that it wasn’t grating, and she slowly learns she doesn’t always need to be prickly. Plus there was a lot more examination of power structures and privilege than I was expecting. It’s YA, and there’s a romance subplot, but it’s definitely not the driving plot. Recommended.
I’ve just started REAPER MAN by Terry Pratchett, in the hope that Pratchett often makes things better.
Books that I read in the latter half of March were:
THE LEGENDARY INGE by Kate Stradling, a gender-flipped, easy reading Beowulf retelling that flipped quite a few tropes. Fun fantasy, but the ending irked me.
THE FEATHER THIEF by Kirk Wallace Johnson – surprisingly interesting non-fic that explored the niche hobby of victorian salmon fly-tying and the theft of feathers from a small museum in England. As it’s real life, there are a number of loose threads at the end, but the author really gets his passion (and obsession) across.
Plus a reread of THE WITNESS FOR THE DEAD by Katherine Addison that was just as lovely second-time round. Fantasy set in the world of The Goblin Emperor, with sedate, elegant story-telling. Plus the line “I drank my tea and finished my scone and acknowledged that I did not know how to solve any of my problems.” #MOOD
Hi, everyone! How on earth is it mid-April?? SMH…
A few standouts since last time–
Annabeth Albert’s UP ALL NIGHT, which is the first in a new small-town series set in Mount Hope. I really enjoyed this slightly older MCs biawakening romance about a amicably divorced firefighter who returns to his hometown and realizes that the guy who mans the grill at the local diner really turns his crank, so to speak. It’s relatively low angst but high on communication and emotion, if that makes sense. Looking forward to the next 🙂
Mari Carr’s STEADY AND STRONG, the seventh in her super hot and super entertaining Italian Stallions series was a delight. Businessman Conor and former model Harper and contractor Luca become business partners of sorts before succumbing to overwhelming attraction of course, but I love how Ms Carr really also cuts to the heart with meaningful issues and emotional connection. Loved this addition to the series.
Jennifer Bernard’s ICE FALLS is the first in a new romantic suspense series set in Firelight Ridge. Ms Bernard does an excellent job of capturing the small-town feel in this Alaskan set story, and balances all the tension really well. Very satisfying.
Saw that Ashlyn Kane and Morgan James’s AN UNRIVALED OFF SEASON was available on Hoopla and immediately dove into it. Loved this story about Max and Grady in the off season!
Decided to try Jonny Garza Villa’s YA? NA? CANTO CONTIGO, and was definitely wowed. It’s is a beautifully written romance that is a love song to mariachi. Rafael Alvarez is part of a big Mexican family in North Amistad, and is proud to be living up to his reputation and his family’s legacy as a mariachi musician and singer. He has a particularly tumultuous year following the loss of his beloved abuelo, and his immediate family’s subsequent move to San Antonio. Now at a new school, competing for lead singer with a guy who turned his head in last year’s competition, he’s angry and frustrated and hurt and sad…
Jonny Garza Villa writes Rafie unflinchingly and sympathetically. Readers will feel those big feelings and pressures along with him, and long for him to be able to find better footing. He creates an immersive read, using Spanish to excellent effect, and writing characters that walk, sing, play, right off the pages. Rafie’s pain and longings as well as his dreams and the courage he’s able to find flow off the pages and into our hearts. I will definitely look for his previous books.
RL Merrill’s UNDER HIS SHEETS is part of the multiauthor Accidentally Undercover romantic suspense continuity series. When indie musician Randall Sutter is essentially stranded in Spain after his rock group is robbed, he determines to reinvent himself, which is working beautifully, except that an intriguing local reappears, under confounding circumstances…
RL Merrill’s characters and plotting are moving and gripping. Randall and Alonso and their families and friends form a warm network as tension mounts and even ordinary interactions seem fraught with potential conflict and greater impact. Under His Sheets is a well-written RS that is also a love story to Spain, and I loved the nuanced representation of Catalan as well. Couldn’t put this down, and am excited to look forward to the others in this series!
And for fun, have continued binging Eve Langlais’s Bad Boys Inc and Killer Moms–thank you, Hoopla! Sorry to blather on so long! Thankful for lots of good reads!
I read the new graphic novel, “The Marble Queen”, because the cover was giving very Utena vibes.
The art was uneven – sometimes it was really good and sometimes it looked amateur – and I thought it really could have used more text/dialogue than it had, especially because it was a rather chunky read for a graphic novel. I also didn’t care for the font.
This all sounds like I hated it, I know, but I liked it pretty well. It just really needed more world building and character development than it actually had.
I really enjoyed SPECULATIONS IN SIN, the latest Below Stairs mystery by Jennifer Ashley. It’s one of the best in the series, imo, and there is progress in the relationship between the MCs.
I read THE UNTIED KINGDOM by Kate Johnson. This was a thought provoking alternate history set in present day England. The heroine crash lands in the Thames and finds herself in a different timeline, where England is a poor 3rd world country, there is almost no technology, and the last World War had a totally different outcome. The world building is outstanding and I loved the characters, but CW for lots of violence. There is a civil war going on in this version of England, be prepared for graphic descriptions of injuries, and deaths of sympathetic characters. There is an HEA, but it’s hard won, with losses along the way.
I had to follow that up with some lighter reading, and I discovered a previously unknown-to-me Signet author, Anita Mills. SCANDAL BOUND was a great road trip romance, with lots of humor, so I looked for another Mills book, and found a connected one, THE ROGUE’S RETURN, also a road trip romance! I can never get enough of them.
I then read WILD RAIN by Beverly Jenkins. It’s connected to several of her previous Old West historicals, this one’s in Wyoming. The hero is an adorable cinnamon roll, and the heroine is the prickly combative one, for good reasons. An entertaining read, and I always learn so much about American history in her books.
I’m also trying to catch up on some of Mary Lancaster’s books. Her output is so prodigious! Latest reads were LETTERS TO A LOVER and DANGEROUS LOVER from her Crime & Passion series. She recycles very well-worn tropes, yet her books are so addictive to me. It’s an automatic 1-click whenever a new one comes out.
ALL IN HER HEAD:THE TRUTH AND LIES EARLY MEDICINE TAUGHT US ABOUT WOMEN’S BODIES AND WHY IT MATTERS TODAY by Elizabeth Comen very interesting and informative, but will also make you very mad. But I’ve thought about it a lot since I finished it, and highly recommend. Also finish JUST FOR THE SUMMER by Abby Jimenez, which I greatly enjoyed.
Just a quick note to let the Bitchery know that the recommendations from the fanfic post last week encouraged, or seduced, or downright pushed me into losing two entire days (and most of the nights) to archiveofourown. I went down the Dramione rabbit hole rereading the incredibly realistic, sad, and still poignant story, “The Politician’s Wife” (pir8fancier) that Amanda noted in the original post. It is so beautifully written, far better than any of the original stories. Then I did the Drarry (Harryco?) path with Angie’s suggestion of “Drarry and I will never ever be over” by eleventy7 Then I read Angie’s second recommendation, “Wait and Hope” by mightbewriting. That was followed up with “Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love” (DMATMOOBIL) with its gorgeous writing and fabulous artwork. All of these were (far) better than the “source” material. However, I had no idea how long they would be and I actually did lose two full days. I can see why fanfic is so compelling; one can right some of the wrongs in the original dialing up the humor, or the pathos, or completely turn the world on its head. Off on another (unexpected) road trip tomorrow so will go the audible route. Hmm. What to chose…
The standout in my reading so far this month was FIRST LIE WINS by Ashley Elston. It was a wholly absorbing, unputdownable, Bad Decisions Book Club kind of read. I think Reece Witherspoon’s description of it for her bookclub is probably the best summary of it: “This fast-paced read has everything you could want in a thriller: secret identities, a mysterious boss and a cat & mouse game that kept me guessing the whole way through.” There is kind of a romance subplot and all of the characters are morally gray. Very twisty and fun. I read this for my bookclub and since I also adored last month’s pick, THE MEASURE by Nikki Erlick, my bookclub is currently batting 2 for 2 in 2024.
@Jill Q. — Thanks for the Wrexford and Sloane tip! Not the sort of thing I’d normally check out but non-aristocrats plus a cartoonist and a scientist sounds pretty appealing.
@FashionablyEvil — I traveled to the path of totality from a bit farther than you and it was totally worth it! Amazing and eerie. Pictures don’t convey the experience.
Currently reading JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR NORRELL by Susanna Clarke (despite being drawn more to shorter books as I age). It’s pretty good so far, tho most of the characters aren’t very sympathetic and the satirical tone emphasizes that. I’d prefer it be shorter/tighter but I suppose that would work against the pastiche.
WhIle taking a break from that between volumes I finished THE BIRDS AND OTHER STORIES by Daphne du Maurier. She sketches characters and details very effectively.
I also dipped back into EPIGRAMS FROM THE GREEK ANTHOLOGY translated by Gideon Nisbet. The erotic epigrams have gone from “not erotic in the way we use the word now” to pretty spicy. They’re all from a masculine viewpoint, but some are nice. One is about butts.
THE HUNTER by Tana French: It’s Tana French, in Ireland, a follow-up to THE SEARCHER. Always excellent crime novels.
WE ALL WANT IMPOSSIBLE THINGS by Catherine Newman: Lifelong best friends, one of whom is now in hospice. Semi-autobiographical fiction (possible?) and filled with love, heart and laughing in all the wrong places, because what else can you do? So very highly recommended.
THE FAKE MATE by Lana Ferguson: Shifter romance set in a hospital. It … would have been OK except for two words: knot and slick. I read the whole thing, really liked the characters, the bad guy was too obvious, but all I’ll remember is knot. And slick. YMMV.
LISTEN FOR THE LIE by Amy Tintera: Did Lucy kill Savvy, her high school best friend? Small-town everyone is convinced she got away with murder, but now Lucy’s back and in the news again because of a true crime podcast. Outstanding dark comedy.
To the Smart Bitch whose name I can’t remember except that she/he recommended Rosalind James’ KIWI RULES recently: I love you with all my heart and thank you for pointing me to this amazing rabbit hole. For all the romance I’ve read, the first two books in this series are the most realistic about navigating a new relationship/life and family when the previous one was soul-destroying. Also so damn funny, Bad Decisions Bookclub all around. The first three audio books are available for one credit at Audible and I have it on good authority all Rosalind James’ titles are brilliant. More, please.
ONLY WHEN IT’S US by Chloe Liese: Loads of misunderstandings that even talking to each other couldn’t solve initially, but worth the work of two grumpy, isolated characters. Lots of love and hope.
I am currently giving my husband a hard time (in a loving, consensual, deeply annoying way) for re-listening to the Locked Tomb series while I re-listen to the new recordings of the Discworld city watch books.
I’m in a bit of a reading slump right now when it comes to new books. I just got back from a 15 day Panama cruise and re-read the entire Seven of Spades series by Cordelia Kingsbridge and enjoyed it as much as I did the first time. But authors whose work I’ve really loved in the past aren’t really hitting the spot for me anymore. I finally read Amy Aislin’s latest, Game On, this week but I had to force myself to finish. The characters were sweet, and there was nothing really to dislike, but there wasn’t much to it either.
Annabeth Albert has a new book out, but her last series were all DNF for me so I’m not super excited about this one. I like a lot of her older stuff, but there hasn’t been a hit for me in awhile.
I used to love regencies but I went off them awhile ago – maybe it’s time to go back.
I also have the Murderbot books in my library which seem to be a SBTB favourite, so I’m not sure why I’m reluctant to start the series. I’m sure I’ll love it, so why am I not diving in? Weirdness.
I’d love to say that I have been reading my face off, but last week I finally got hit with the covid bat, and since it was my first time (couldn’t avoid it forever, I guess), my sense of focus was doing about as well as my senses of taste and smell (which are slowly, very slowly, starting to return). In that time, I did manage to read Abigail Dean’s Day One, which was set around a school shooting in England. It was a very interesting read, in that the reader was given certain facts and then had to work kind of backwards to unwind what was true and what someone might be saying to make others feel better. There was also a subplot about a young man that gets caught up in conspiracy theories around the case, in what was clearly a take on the Sandy Hook conspiracy theories that were peddled by Alex Jones (f*ck that guy forever). Since that, I’ve been reading Resurrection Walk by Michael Connelly. I tend to yoink out the Connelly when I need something that is going to scratch the legal thriller itch, and since Mickey Haller is my favorite of his characters (I like Harry Bosch, too, but Mickey is just so damn audacious), it is comforting for the brain. So until next time, may you not get hit with the covid bat, because as it turns out, that really does suck as much as advertised.
Over the past three weeks ~
— read Collage Lost and Found: Creating Unique Projects With Vintage Ephemera by Giuseppina Cirincione which has given me a couple of ideas to try in the bookmarks that I make.
— also read Vintage Collage Journals: Journaling with Antique Ephemera by Maryjo Koch. This was a lovely book to look at but perhaps less useful to me than the one above.
— read “The Loch Moose Monster”, the first long story in Janet Kagan’s Mirabile. I really wanted to like this linked collection of stories because the author’s Star Trek novel Uhura’s Song is a long-time favorite of mine; however, the story did not speak to me.
— reread, for the nth time, Linesman and Alliance by S. K. Dunstall.
— finished my Linesman series reread with Confluence by S. K. Dunstall.
— for my book group, I read On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. I found it a sad rather depressing book as did the others. It is fiction about a young man and his Vietnamese mother and grandmother set primarily in the US.
— enjoyed two books by author Gail Carriger. The first, Crudrat: The Tinkered Stars, is a science fiction novel for young adults. It features a teen on a space orbital who was cast out by her people at a very young age because her genetic tinkering was not deemed successful. She is one of many children who survive by scraping crud from dangerous scythes until they die or grow too big to do the work. When the story begins, she has been booted out of her work and an alien has arrived on the orbital.
— enjoyed rereading The 5th Gender: A Tinkered Stars Mystery. This book takes place in the same universe as the above book but features significant adult content so was released under the author’s pen name, G. L. Carriger. It is set on a space station and features a human detective and a (generally) exuberant lavender colored alien with expressive hair; a mystery is involved.
— After a mention by @Darlynne, I quite enjoyed Kiwi Rules and Stone Cold Kiwi by author Rosalind James. These are both contemporary romances set in New Zealand. Much of the second book was set in Dunedin where my husband and I visited our daughter who did her study abroad there. I could see rereading these books and would happily read more by the author. (It was also rather nice to read a book with a character named Karen where the name/person was not treated with disdain.)
— I also reread a number of contemporary romance works by Sarina Bowen: The Year We Fell Down (this is one of my favorite new adult romances), The Year We Hid Away, Blonde Date (a favorite novella), and The Lucky One (a story).
These last few months have been a blur.
I DNF’d “Three Kinds of Lucky” by Kim Harrison. The main character was all snark and no bite. She would think so many awesome things but would never say them. She would talk herself out of being truthful and seemed willfully ignorant. I disliked all the other characters as well so it was easy to return the book loan early to the library.
I am listening to “Outlive” by Peter Attia and reading the Karma Girl books by Jennifer Estep. I’m pretty sure I read the first book a long time ago but I haven’t read the other books yet.
I re-read the first Milla Vane novel and have the 2nd ready to read as soon as I finish my library books. I think the author has had some personal issues. It doesn’t look like the 3rd book in the series has been published.
Also finished “At First Spite” by Olivia Dade. Very well done despite not taking a liking to the characters in the beginning. I’ve already recommended it to two people who I think would identify with the main character. And I will now refer to all web searches as making an appointment with Dr. Google.
I am just totally book ennuied. It is not even that I am DNFing books. I just can’t read them. I have a whole bedside table of fantastic books and I can’t open any of them. It’s been two weeks since I read a book. It’s so frustrating!
@AlliK I LOVED The Tainted Cup. Such a great book.
I have had an ARC for “Little, Big” by John Crowley since I picked it up at World Fantasy Con in 1984, and after hearing so many times about it being “the seminal novel of urban fantasy” I finally decided to brave the wilderness. The writing is very Ponderous, as ’80’s fantasy is wont to be (I think it was an era-long competition to see who could out-Tolkien Tolkien) and skips around in time a lot as it tells the multigenerational history of a singular family living in a singular house named Edgewood. It’s not the easiest book to read but if you don’t mind fantasy with very Literary Pretensions you may enjoy it.
@Susan, I feel you; I have been in the Slough of Despond myself for at least two years now, where even a change of meds hasn’t lifted me out. This book ain’t doing it either. But I do need to start a substantial decluttering; I still have stuff of my late husband’s around and I really need to make some decisions.
I started the Unholy Island Series by Sarah Painter yesterday. I loved the first book(the ward witch) so much , I bought the second book( the book keeper) today. So far, it’s as good as the first and maybe better because I’m more into the characters . I think I’ll have to check out the Crow Investigation series by the same author.
It’s sliding into a wet and blustery winter in my neck in the woods and I don’t know whether it’s the up-and-down barometer or just April ennui, but I am really battling to settle down to anything. (Among the DNF’d – “Run Time” by Catherine Ryan Howard was predictable, “Kill Show” by Daniel Sweren-Becker was quite meh, “The Couple Next Door” by Shari Lapena was very meh, and “The Likeness” by Tana French just wasn’t grabbing me, which is upsetting because I usually love Tana French, so it’s me not her). Among the read-all-the-way-through:
MORTAL FOLLIES by Alexis Hall is a romp that includes leprosy, blood sacrifices, sex on chaise longues, and, somehow least surprisingly, ancient eldritch gods. In places, it is trying a wee bit too hard to be quirky and so the tone sometimes sits a little at odds with the subject. The plot’s a little rushed in places, but it was great fun anyway and I’d recommend it.
BROKEN HARBOUR by Tana French was really great. It’s set in a defunct housing development during the post-2008 economic depression, the immediate effects of which I somehow missed at the time because I was 23 and cocooned by academia (my partner is slightly older and a lot more corporate, and shuddered bodily at the mere mention); rereading it as a 30-something in 2024 made it feel _a lot_ more immediate. Very good, but check your emotional resilience before going in.
HOKEY POKEY by Kate Mascarenhas was an unexpected delight, a creepy and elegant mystery/folk-horror set in a snowbound 1920s hotel (not generally where one encounters folk-horror).
My pick here would be Fiona Barnett’s THE DARK BETWEEN THE TREES — it more than fulfilled my endless yearning for ungodly monsters lurking in haunted woods (blame early exposure to MR James), as well as being tightly written with a great cast of characters. One of them is a postgraduate student who’s realised her thesis supervisor is bonkers, which is also scary.
SIX STORIES by Matt Wesolowski could really have been half the length it is, and a podcast. Instead it’s a transcript of a nonexistent podcast and the ending creaks like badly-installed laminate flooring.
To get the taste of that out of my mouth I re-read DEVOTION by Hannah Kent, which is always a pleasure.
My library hold for “A Sweet Sting of Salt” is in place, I finally have “Friday Night Lights”, and I’m optimistic!
Spurred on by a spoiler-filled BooksandLala video of the latest book in the series, I picked up the first Finlay Donovan, FINLAY DONOVAN IS KILLING IT, (not at all expecting to like it but the premise was just so intriguing), and ended up listening to the entire series over the course of 5 days. I’m not a fan of contemporary mystery/thrillers or humor so while I enjoyed the ride, it put me in a weird headspace.
My regular audiobook listening is usually limited to historical mysteries and I’ve been trying to find a new series to delve into. So far I’m failing.
I tried MURDER ON ASTOR PLACE by Victoria Thompson, thinking it was much more recent than it is, and absolutely hated it. I then tried the first book in Amanda Quick’s Burning Cove series, THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, which I thought was decent enough (3 stars) to give book 2 a try. Book 2 was less of a success (2-2.5 stars) but I gave book 3 a try anyway and wish I hadn’t as it is essentially the exact same book as book 2!
All this made just me even more eager for Anna Lee Huber and Ashley Weaver’s new releases coming up.
If anyone has any recommendations for historical mysteries with romantic subplots that are particularly good on audio, please hit me up! Preferably ones with female narrators. (Apologies to the narrator of the WREXFORD AND SLOANE mysteries but he immediately put me off of male narrators in this genre). I spend around 4 and a half hours driving every day and could desperately use some recommendations! Especially as I tend to listen anywhere between 2.75-3.5x speed, so I get through them pretty quickly.
I also read Cait Nary’s LUCKY BOUNCE in ebook form which was…fine? But completely forgettable, imo.
I started Lex Croucher’s YA historical, GWEN AND ART ARE NOT IN LOVE, which I was enjoying at first and then suddenly wasn’t interested in, by no fault of the book itself, just my own ADHD-addled mind and then my library hold lapsed forcing me to DNF.
@Layla: Historical mysteries, good subplots, good on audio, solid female narrators? ON IT.
The Kat Halloway series by Jennifer Ashley is terrific, and the audio are excellent. Starts with Death Below Stairs. Narrated by Anne Marie Piazza.
The Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Raybourn is a series I adore, and the narrator, Angele Masters, is superb. Starts with A Curious Beginning
The Kurland St. Mary series was pretty fun, though I stopped after about book 4. The first is Death Comes to the Village, and it’s a Regency-set mystery series where the two sleuths are the vicar’s daughter and the local war hero/gentry. The narrator is Susannah Tyrell, and I listened to them via Hoopla.
I can recommend the Louise Penny series. It’s probably best to read/listen to them in order, since it is a series and events in one will carry over to the next. I really like Deanna Rayburn – the current series is good, but her Lady Julia Gray ones didn’t carry through as well (in my opinion). I re-read the Dorothy L. Sayers collection of short stories, “Lord Peter” over the past week or so. Covid hit me last month, so I slept a lot. I can’t stand audio books, so take my recommendations with that in mind.
@Layla:
If you still want to try Penrose, her other series Lady Ariana Hadley has a female narrator.