Welcome back to Whatcha Reading! This is where we talk about what we’ve been reading, if you couldn’t have guessed.
Lara: Still Murderbot ( A | BN | K | AB ) and I could not be more happy about it! May it last forever!
Sarah: I mentioned this in the post for Election Day but I saved three Richard Osman books and didn’t know what I was saving them for. Now I know!
I think I’m starting with the new one We Solve Murders. ( A | BN | K | AB )
Shana: I was reading Wicked Games by Maureen Smith ( A | BN ) but the book became a DNF when the heroine was described as having pouty pussy lips. Beauty expectations are getting out of hand when women are not only expected to have bee-stung lips on our faces. Apparently now our vulvas have to make a perfect moue too.
Sarah: I’m sorry what.
Pouty? Can she move them? Are they prehensile??
Shana: I just checked and phrase was actually pouty pussy folds. I think that may be worse…
Elyse: I’m in my cozy mystery era. I just finished Death by Bubble Tea ( A | BN | K | AB ) which is set in a LA night market and made me so so hungry.
Now I’m reading Pony Confidential and half the book is from this perspective of this grumpy, ungovernable pony and I love it.
Sneezy: I think I mentioned this one before: Want to See My Cat?
It’s a wonderful comfort read and I’m really enjoying the humour.
So whatcha reading right now? And if you aren’t currently reading because *gestures to everything*, how else are you passing the time?
I’ve not read much romance lately. I’ve been listening to audio versions of the James Bond books in written order, read by various prominent English actors. The plot details are quite different from the movie versions and make much more sense. I didn’t expect Ian Fleming’s writing to be so crisp and stylish. I love the social history and the descriptions of the locations, the food and the characters. (Bond is hilariously creeped-out by all the oldsters in 1950s Florida in Live and Let Die.) The action scenes are cleverly conceived and thrillingly tense. The book Bond has a much better attitude to women and doesn’t just callously use and discard them all as suggested by the movies. So far my favourite is Moonraker (nothing like the ridiculous Roger Moore movie) narrated sublimely by Bill Nighy. The 1950s are a comfortable place to visit these days….
This was such a dispiriting week. Not just the election results themselves (which were awful enough) but the aftermath: to paraphrase Bette Davis in “All About Eve”: “Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.” But I’ve still been reading because books are my shelter, refuge, happy place, and joy—and I refuse to give the cretins who are about to run our government the satisfaction of giving up my favorite pastime. To wit—
KD Casey’s UNWRITTEN RUNES cleverly re-interprets two of her baseball romances as paranormals with the physical and emotional toil of ghost-hunting replacing the similar toll exacted by baseball. These are two very good stories, but I do think you need to have read the source books first because the characters and their dynamics are the same even if the closest thing to a baseball in either story is a baseball-sized glass globe. The first novella, UNWRITTEN RUNES, features Zach and Eugenio (the MCs from UNWRITTEN RULES) reprising their roles as seasoned veteran and brash rookie, respectively, although this time as ghost-hunters. Zach (who, despite—or perhaps because of—his hearing aid, can hear ghosts) spends his time helping “lost” souls move to “the other side”. It’s hard, lonely work, causing both bodily scars (it’s not every ghost that’s eager to “cross over”) and others that are less obvious. When Zach is paired with Eugenio—who wants to start hunting ghosts right now, dammit—he’s not sure this is the right partner for him. A few days of close proximity in an isolated cabin bring the men—and the ghosts—closer. I really liked how in the limited space of what is essentially a long short story Zach teaches Eugenio patience and Eugenio shows Zach that sometimes being assertively spontaneous is the right course.
The second novella in the book, ORDINARY GHOSTS, reunites Alex and Jake from DIAMOND RING. Alex is a librarian in his mid-thirties hardly aware of the malaise that hangs over him. When new library patron Jake asks to check-out some dusty ghost-hunting equipment, Alex begins to feel a strong pull toward this man who is nothing but a stranger to him—or is he? Much like DIAMOND RING, ORDINARY GHOSTS places Alex & Jake at a decade’s remove from their initial connection, and—in this parallel universe—it’s Jake’s dedication to ghost-hunting (rather than to baseball) that first drove them apart, but then brings them back together after ten long years. ORDINARY GHOSTS, more than UNWRITTEN RUNES, is suffused with a melancholy sense of loss; as Alex muses, “They might not fit together as they once did—Alex does not know if he can take the realization that they’ve grown apart, literally. That certain things once lost are unrecoverable.” Ultimately though, love prevails as Alex sees that with Jake “he is [happy], in the small ways that he’s come to realize constitute happiness: steadiness and community and purpose.” Both novellas are very good and I highly recommend them—but read the original books first (you won’t be sorry).
Cate C. Wells’s AFTER THE SHUT UP RING features Angie, a single mother in her early twenties, who decides at the altar, after one too many humiliations at the hands of her narcissistic boy-man baby-daddy, to refuse to marry him (although for the longest time, she thought the only thing she wanted was to be married to him). Angie then has to deal with the emotional and financial fallout from her decision (as always, Wells grounds her work solidly in the working class, with Angie scrabbling for extra shifts at work and grateful to have a basement apartment for her and her two daughters); but Angie also has to come to terms with how she not only has been gaslit by her ex (after all, he gave her an STD and then denied he was the source of it) but also by her own self-delusion: “If you’d asked me, I’d have said I was in love. I never stopped to ask myself why love felt like shit.” Brandon, brother of Angie’s best friend, enters the frame. He’s always liked (perhaps even loved) Angie and has watched her lose her shine and her zest as her spirit has been crushed by her awful ex and the toll exacted by trying to work, keep house, raise two children, and remain a calm presence in the face of a volatile man. Although Angie & Brandon definitely have a spark, Angie is reluctant to get involved (especially considering that she has herpes—a fact that looms large in her consciousness). AFTER THE SHUT UP RING is a realistic look at the difficulties of being a young single mother (Angie reminds me in some ways of a more subdued Shay from Wells’s HITTING THE WALL), coupled with a nice love story. When Angie finally allows herself to dream of a life with Brandon, she recognizes that she’s been “so used to clinging to something flimsy to keep myself from drowning. What would it feel like to grab onto something solid?” Another gem from Wells—although, as she notes at the start of the book, it won’t be for everyone. Highly recommended.
By complete coincidence, I read two m/m romances back-to-back that featured essentially the same plot line: close proximity between a straight and a gay MC, with bi-awakening on the part of the previously straight MC (who is also dealing with a sudden physical disability), while the gay MC is escaping from an abusive relationship with a closeted partner. Despite this similarity in premise, the books were quite different, and I found it interesting to see how two writers explored essentially the same material but produced books with completely different tones:
The first of the two books I read was Leslie McAdam’s CURIOUS. It’s the story of Cam, a construction contractor, who breaks his leg while trying to protect Shelby (a co-worker of Cam’s siblings) from an altercation with Shelby’s ex (who, it turns out, is married to a woman and has children with her). Out of gratitude, Shelby offers marriage to the uninsured Cam so that he can get medical care for his injury. In exchange, Cam offers the now-homeless Shelby (he had been living with his ex) a place to live. The couple marry and move in to Cam’s fixer-upper together. What follows is a pleasant enough love story—with elements of home remodeling thrown in the mix. However, I thought Cam moved far too quickly into the “OK, now I like guys” frame of mind: Cam has absolutely no moment of self-reflection before getting involved physically with another man (contrast this to bi-awakening in Willow Dixon’s books where being attracted to another man is never treated with self-loathing but does bring about some self-reflection and new self-insight on the part of the “awakened” partner). The other part of the book that had me occasionally rolling my eyes was that the MCs rather than not using their words often did not use their ears. They seem to constantly be reassuring each other that their feelings are true, but then the other refuses to “hear” what is being said or hears but misinterprets things. This caused a lot of unnecessary fuss—to the point that I thought by about the 75% mark, McAdams may have just been trying to pad the book’s word count. CURIOUS is not a terrible book, by any means, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself mentally yelling at the MCs to please listen to what the other one is saying.
The other book with the same setup as CURIOUS was Dianna Roman’s UNTIL I SAW YOU, where Riley has lost his sight after an accident, and Harper needs a place to stay after breaking up with his abusive (and secret and closeted) boyfriend (cw/tw, Harper has been badly beaten at the beginning of the book). Harper—who has experience working with visually-impaired clients—moves into Riley’s apartment to be a live-in healthcare worker. I will warn that the book started off unevenly, with abrupt changes of tone between the serious, the angsty, and the funny; I almost DNF’d a couple of times; but I kept reading—and I’m glad I did. Once it gets its footing, UNTIL I SAW YOU does a nice job with both Riley’s bi-awakening (heightened in many ways by Riley’s inability to actually see Harper), and Harper dealing with recovery from the trauma of domestic violence. Although I wouldn’t put UNTIL I SAW YOU in the same class as books by E.M. Lindsey or Garrett Leigh, it is a nice hurt/comfort story with some angst but also some humor (an on-going joke is how Riley’s dog gets a new name in almost every chapter), with a nice shout-out to both m/m romances and their audiobook narrators. Of the two books, I give UNTIL I SAW YOU the edge over CURIOUS: while neither book is likely to make anyone’s Best of the Year list, either book will work if you’re looking for a quick, competent read while you wait for December’s new book bounty. Both are recommended.
I am absolutely delighted to be reading the DEATH BEFORE DRAGONS series by Lindsay Buroker. The first book, SINISTER MAGIC, was featured in a Sunday Sale Digest last month. I can already tell that these digests are going to be hell on my TBR pile. Anyway, this series – I’m currently on book 3 – is escapism at its finest in the vein of KATE DANIELS. The MC is a sword-wielding, ex-military, half elf, 6-foot badass called Val who is working as a freelance assassin of dastardly magical criminals in an alternate PNW. Did I mention her boss is also a female badass? As is her friend Nin, who keeps her well supplied with magical weaponry? Her sidekick is a telepathic tiger from another world. There are also dragons. What more could you want, really? If you need more magic in your life, this is the series for you. Books 1-3 are $0.99 on Amazon.
This week is a perfect example of why we need the SBTB community. I signed up for AFTER DARK (hope all you other cool kids did, too!) and I thank you all for making this such a safe place for a lady who just wants to read some HEAs.
Just read another excellent hockey romance by Cait Nary, SEASON’S CHANGE. Also enjoyed LUCKY BOUNCE and CONTRACT SEASON by the same author. Highly recommend all three, m/m contemporary romances. Really saw both characters falling in love over time in all three books, and each person had their own distinct personality.
Still finishing up the family summer reading challenge around here (we’ve extended the deadline – teenage girls are real sticklers for the rules, though, lol). I am looking for three categories still – a Heist, a Western, and includes an event that happened in Massachusetts. I need them to be entertaining, and I am trying to avoid anything dark right now. Please let me know if you have recommendations – I am poised to swoop in and win, if I can bear down.
Take care of yourselves! Have a great weekend!
@oceanjasper: I love the Bond books. I think Fleming is a much better and far more skillful writer than people give him credit for. To me, the Bond books (and to some extent the movies) are the perfect blend/balance of action, adventure, danger, and romance.
Lots of books waiting on my TBR pile, including NOT ANOTHER LOVE SONG by Julie Soto and A WIZARD’S GUIDE TO DEFENSIVE BAKING by T Kingfisher.
I’ve also been watching a lot of holiday rom-coms on Hallmark, etc. They are very comforting to me.
I’m in my festive holiday era and about half way through The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore. Low angst with festive sprinklings throughout, stroopwaffles have been consumed!, and with a grumpy doesn’t want to be festive new Christmas tree farm owner (it was late and she was missing her twin sister and had watched too many homesteading reels with an inheritance just sitting there) and a guy trying to be on vacation but would explode if he sees something wrong and doesn’t help out. I read the previous book in this series and it’s been a sweet with spice small town contemporary romance, a little Jill Shalvis-ish.
About to start an historical fiction, Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb. December 1952 and Olive’s an aspiring reporter getting ready to cover the royal Christmas at Sandringham House in Norfolk and her old friend Jack is going to surprisingly be there too. He’s a chef and widowed and I guess the story spans five years?? The synopsis mentions a big secret and I’m instantly “Secret baby!”, but I don’t know if that makes sense lol.
Also have Cabinet of Curiosities: A Historical Tour of the Unbelievable, the Unsettling, and the Bizarre by Aaron Mahnke It’s based on the Podcast and talks about bizarre people, places, and things throughout history. Getting odd! Through reading anyway.
And lastly, since it’s my month where I make sure to pick out a Kindle Freebie book (I have been known to one-click freebie with abandon), random number generator has picked out Wooed by You by Sophia Knightly. Looks like a contemporary romance where a single mom finds buried criminal activity in her backyard from her ex husband and that leads to a romance between her and the detective.
Happy reading month, to all!
I have a stack of library books coming due, but since I woke up on Wednesday I have needed books where people are kind and rational and their world isn’t on fire (which rules out a lot of history). I turned to one of my most comforting series, Audrey Faye’s Ghost Mountain Shifter series. I’m on my fourth so far.
@book_reader_ea01sj71r4 you had me at “telepathic tiger.” I think I might try that when I run out of Ghost Mountain to sustain me.
Barffffff I hate this week. I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach all Election Day, and while I normally love being right, I would have loved to be wrong that day.
In the days leading up to the election, I was bouncing off books and video games left and right, which was a pretty good indicator of the fact that my anxiety brain was going haywire. Only two really stuck. The first was Game On by Seressia Glass. It’s a romance between a video game developer and a diversity consultant that moonlights as a streamer and video game critic. There was a lot of inside baseball about the gaming community and industry that I appreciated as a gamer. I also appreciated the challenges that the heroine as a black woman in a very white, very male space (including extremely virulent racism and misogyny) and the fact that the hero had a pretty steep learning curve (because rich white dude) when it came to how to support and put protections in place for her while still respecting her autonomy. There was also a good portrayal of autism spectrum disorder in the book, including a non-speaking character that is the brother of the hero, and almost certainly the hero himself (it’s never said outright, but trust me, that is very much how he read). The day after the election, I was reading a pretty grim little book that had been sitting on my Kindle for a bit and I completely tossed it aside, because that is just not what I need at the moment. I almost always go historical romance when I feel sad or sick, and since that feeling was there, I yoinked out my Netgalley ARC of the new Elizabeth Hoyt that comes out next month, No Ordinary Duchess. It’s so far clever and very busy, and there is a nefarious uncle that I am looking forward to seeing get his, and the heroine is brave and sneaky. It is a good one for my headspace right now.
So until next time, keep your brains safe. Because we have a lot of work to do (AGAIN), and I plan to spend the next 4 years identifying as a problem.
Finished my very satisfying reread of Lauren Dane’s Diablo Lake trilogy. Would love to visit this magical little town again.
Currently reading on Abby Jimenez’s YOURS TRULY. I’ve been working my way through her back list since reading JUST FOR THE SUMMER and falling in love with her writing. MMC Jacob is not a typical romantic lead. He has severe anxiety issues, which he deals with like an adult. He’s coming off a bad breakup which has led him to take a new job, and he’s not making a good first impression. FMC Briana, coming off a bad divorce and a year of watching her brother’s health deteriorate, is in no mind to welcome Jacob’s presence as her boss has revealed he’s her competition for a job she, and the rest of the staff, thought was all hers. They have complex families & good friends. Things start to change when Jacob writes her a letter and what a letter! Then it’s all fake dating and UST and misunderstandings about each other’s motivations and feelings. There’s also some really great character building and the lovely way they start to see and support each other. Or as his mom paraphrases: If you are with someone who doesn’t speak your language, you will spend your life explaining you soul.
Next up is FERAL CREATURES, the sequel to HOLLOW KINGDOM. I’ll be interested to see how S.T. carries on without Dennis, and more importantly, how the author addresses the rather improbable, not to mention unsustainable, ending of the first book.
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year, Ally Carter. Saw the book on SBTB, good read and diverting from the week.
The last few years I developed a news podcast habit, 2+ hours of listening a day. After Tuesday that needs to stop for my mental health.
To replace it, this week I listened to Cat Sebastian’s IT TAKES TWO TO TUMBLE (essentially a reread) and I think romance audiobooks will be my new way to distract myself on long walks.
Reading is my escape, maybe too much. (Queue the Sondheim: “I do not read for truth, I know the truth, the truth is hardly what I need.”) But that is a problem for future me. Present me is here to tell you about past me’s reading pleasures: Hockey and Billionaires.
Sarina Bowen’s Brooklyn Hockey books are now available on Kindle Unlimited, and that’s a good thing. They aren’t very long, so I’ve read 5 of them this week.
– Brooklynaire — Billionaire tech wiz who bought a hockey team and his former assistant and now team manager realize that they are more than friends. Bonus: Pillow talk includes palindromes.
– Overnight Sensation — She’s the intern, who got the job as a favor to her hockey commissioner father. He’s on the team and not looking for distractions. Bonus: He likes to quote Dickens and Shakespeare.
– Superfan — He’s a goalie, she’s a pop star. Bonus: Her manager is a little terrifying in all the best ways.
– Sureshot — He’s having a bad year: just got traded to a new team and getting a divorce. She’s a sports agent with a five year plan. But love finds a way. Warning: infertility. Bonus: Spending time with characters from previous books.
– Bombshells — He’s the party boy trying to reform, she’s a goalie for the new female hockey team. Complication: She’s got history with one of the other team members. Bonus: She’s not going to settle.
I also managed to find a bunch of books by Olivia Hayle on Kindle Unlimited. I’d read something about billionaire’s by her before, so I felt like I knew what I was getting into, which I kind of appreciate these days. This time I read the three books of The Connovan Chronicles, plus two standalone novels, Between the Lines and How to Honeymoon Alone. (Minor caution: these books could use another pass through by an editor as there are sufficient grammar mistakes that even I noticed.)
– Best Enemies Forever (The Connovan Chronicles Book 1) — Two rich, rival families. One drunken Vegas wedding. This is a relationship built on them challenging each other to be better, and it works for them.
– The Perfect Mistake (The Connovan Chronicles Book 2) — CEO brother of the FMC of the previous book falls in love with a ballerina (who is also the FMC of the previous book’s best friend). There’s an age gap and she’s working as his nanny. It’s fine, but not my favorite. (Love may conquer all, but he makes some really good points about why the relationhip is problematic that I don’t think she ever really appreciates.)
– One Wrong Move (The Connovan Chronicles Book 3) — The other brother’s turn. He runs the London office of their company. She used to be engaged to his best friend, but has come to London for a fresh start. Plot twist: he moved to London because pining after your best friend’s fiance isn’t healthy. This was my a favorite of the three. Bonus: She has as list of new things to experience and he’s game to help her.
– How to Honeymoon Alone — Two people on solo vacations in a tropical honeymoon destination find that they have quite a bit in common. This one was sweet and made me want to spend some time on a beach.
– Between the Lines — She’s working on the ghostwriting memoir of rich, handsome media executive… who turns out to the be stranger she spent the night with a few weeks before. This one also explores the dark side of reality TV, which gives it a bit more depth. All in all, I thought it was a solid romance. Bonus: His nickname for her is Chaos.
And last but not least, I read Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto. And before I start trying to describe what I wish they had done differently, let me emphasize that there’s a lot to like here and I enjoyed reading the book. The description said it was Reylo inspired, and it really really is. I kind of wanted a bingo card for references and parallel plot points (e.g., get a square when not-Kylo shows up in black and sunglasses). It’s fun, but also a little distracting? I also think I need to admit that I kind of hated the direction that Disney went with Kylo Ren and Rey in the third movie. Movie universe, the relationship was creepy (between the age difference, power imbalance, and I’m not willing to forget that he killed ***spoiler***). This might be interfering with my opinion on this book. Theoretically, I have no problem with taking inspiration and then trying out new directions. And since I’m here for grumpy-sunshine, I was pretty hopeful for a fun ride. The issue is that, like in the movie, not-Kylo stomps all over boundaries. Sure, it’s presented more in a socially awkward kind of way, but it’s there. Your enjoyment is going to hinge on whether this works for you or if you believe the personal growth in the written character arc, which I think I mostly did in the end. But then, I do love a happy ending, and I want to believe.
Just finished GEORGIE ALL ALONG by Kate CLayborn. I was afraid at first it would turn into a DNF because I too grew up in a toxic small town and I was afraid it would be too triggering. But it smoothed out along the way and I related very much to both of the MCs. The part at the end where Georgie has a long talk with her parents and thinks about how she was raised vs how Levi was raised made me cry because that’s the way I tried to raise my children, and it was the best kind of validation at a time when I really needed it.
Having trouble getting back into reading anything right now; maybe when I calm down and can actually sleep at night…
I chose a really bad time to start reading Sierra Simone’s New Camelot series. It’s been on my TBR forever, but I’m not much into political stories, BDSM, or triad relationships so it never rose to the top, but yeah AMERICAN QUEEN is strong. Fascinating characters and Simone makes you believe in them and their story. Getting into AMERICAN PRINCE right now.
Really enjoyed newly release cozy fantasy THE TELLER OF SMALL FORTUNES by Julie Long. It’s the story of a Shinn woman in a mostly pastoral European landscape. She’s on the run from familial demands and those of the Mage class whom she knows want her to join them. She tours around in a small cart pulled by her beloved donkey, and makes her way by telling–she is very careful to avoid anything larger–only small fortunes. She doesn’t want to draw untoward attention from the people around her or the mages, but gradually she starts making a found family of fellow travelers. A possible comfort book for many readers.
Also read and enjoyed Lyla Sage’s LOST AND LASSOED. This is a ranching series that grows on me with each book. Sage’s FMCs are especially well done and relatable.
And Melanie Sweeney’s debut TAKE ME HOME, the story of two college-student frenemies from the same hometown was a strong debut. A lot of mis- and non-communication so if that bugs you, you might not like this but to me it was believable.
I’ve read it before, years ago, but I almost DNFed my listen of Jenny Holiday’s IT TAKES TWO, the second of her Bridesmaids Behaving Badly series. (Listened to the first and it was enjoyable.) I stuck with it and she really landed the ending for me.
Also, finished the last two books of Carissa Broadbent’s very imaginative The War of Lost Hearts fantasy romance series. Heartbreaking but it helped so much to have honourable people trying to make things better in a dark and violent world.
Definitely went back to my favorites shelf this week for some comfort reads. I got sucked back into Mariana Zapata’s books – rereading THE WALL OF WINNEPEG AND ME, HANDS DOWN, and LINGUS. The 1st and 3rd are by far my favorite of her books, but none are bad. I just finished listening to the audiobook for Zapata’s WHEN GRACIE MET THE GRUMP. I’m a sucker for Conner Crais the MMC reader – he’s got a super deep voice and a great delivery for the dry, snarky sense of humor in the book.
I read HEART OF HOPE by Lucy Score – TW for death of a close family member and grieving occurs throughout the book. It’s a sweet, straightforward story with a hidden identity trope.
I’ve been enjoying the sports/hockey romances – I started Stephanie Archer’s VANCOUVER STORM series. BEHIND THE NET is the grumpy/sunshine trope, THE FAKE OUT is just as the title suggests – fake dating so the FMC can avoid a revolting a-hole of an ex. Spicy on the heat. Characters in their mid 20s.
I’ll read the 3rd book THE WINGMAN when I get around to it.
Currently reading MY DARLING JANE by Isla Madden-Mills. This is the 2nd book in THE DARLINGS series. The serie’s MMCS are pro American football players, the FMCS are sisters. Feels like the sexy stuff is rushed in both books. I like a little more brooding (aka processing and personal realizations/growth) about the feelings, rather than just declaring love and plunging into the HEA.
In audiobook world, I’m on the 3rd book of Cara Bastone’s LOVE LINES. These are audible originals, and I’ve been delighted with the production. All 3 stories are based around the MCs having long conversations. The first CALL ME MAYBE is a customer service call that lasts (not consecutively) for days. The second SWEET TALK, is a wrong number texted and hidden identity/opposites attract, beginning nighttime conversations where they keep each company while dealing with insomnia. The 3rd book, SEATMATE, is favorite. The MCs get to know each other on a bus trip from Boston to NYC, the cast of readers is stellar. The MMC is a total golden retriever. No sexytimes in any of the books – just really lovely growth towards one another and supporting each other.
I’m knitting my mom a blanket for Christmas so audiobooks are my companions and cheerleaders while I knit. I’m terrible at sitting down without something to occupy my brain and I’m not a tv person.
I have two physical books from the library I picked up this week, EMILY WILDES ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FAERIES, which I’ve seen recommended on this site. And Abby Jimenez’ JUST FOR THE SUMMER. Both are new authors for me. I also have Julie Anne Long’s THE BEAST TAKES A BRIDE in my Kindle. I find I’m holding off on starting it, I’m waiting for a good down day for tea and a long stretch when I can read uninterrupted. A rarity with two 14yo daughters at home. But a woman can hope.
So I read Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake on tuesday instead of watching election results, for my mental health.
I also read “The Answer is No” by Fredrik Backman because it showed up in Amazon first reads.
I have The Match by Sarah Adams on my Libby, but I haven’t started it yet.
Pen and Des, Aral and Cordelia
These are my reads right now. I need their hope.
Over the past two weeks ~
— enjoyed two novellas by Carla Kelly. “The Mender” was a reread featuring a young Quaker woman in 1805 and a British surgeon she assists after a sea battle. “Break a Leg” was set in Fort Laramie in 1882. It featured a young woman who was born a slave but is now a maid with dreams of opening a dress shop. The male lead is a shy hospital steward who has been enamored of her for years; there is also a matchmaking actor with a broken leg. (These were from two mixed author anthologies.)
— enjoyed the historical romance My One and Only Duke by Grace Burrowes. The male lead is a wealthy banker about to be hung for murder; he meets and proposes to the heroine (widowed, pregnant, and accompanying her proselytizing father) at Newgate. His circumstances change after they marry.
— quite enjoyed a reread of One Giant Leap by Kay Simone after seeing it mentioned elsewhere in a post about romances with banter. It’s a contemporary male/male romance and unusual in that the leads are not physically together for much of the book; they connect long distance as one is an astronaut and the other is an engineer suddenly appointed CapCom.
— quite enjoyed 3:00 a.m. (Henry Bins Book 1) by Nick Pirog which I’d describe as a mystery novella with an unusual lead. Henry Bins has a medical condition which has him sleeping twenty-three hours per day; he is awake from three until four each morning. During that time, he generally eats a couple of meals, checks his stock account and email, takes a run, watches five minutes of Game of Thrones, takes a shower, and then heads back to bed. One night, he hears a woman scream, looks out his window, and sees the president of the US step into a car and drive off. I look forward to reading more by this author. The Kindle version is currently FREE for US readers.
— quite enjoyed the historical romance A Naval Surgeon to Fight For by Carla Kelly which is set primarily in 1805 England. It features a young woman who is sent to her aunt’s home to be a companion (but really to be a housemaid); one of the tasks she is given is to deliver a basket to a recuperating officer. While there, she is spotted by a surgeon who recognizes her from a childhood encounter. She ends up volunteering in his ward of common seamen.
— the contemporary romance novella Just One Kiss by J. Saman was a pleasant read. I like the author’s characters, but I don’t think I’ll be seeking out more of her books.
— For my online book group, I read Lone Women by Victor LaValle. Had I been reading this for my own pleasure, I would have put it aside after ten to twenty pages as I don’t care for books with a sense of impending doom. I continued on though and after a reveal about a hundred pages in, I found the story far more readable. We had a good discussion. The story focuses on a young black woman who travels to Montana in 1915 to become a homesteader and claim her acreage. She travels with a steamer trunk that contains… something.
— enjoyed the contemporary romance Ride with Me by Ruthie Knox which featured strangers, a man and a woman, biking across the US on the TransAmerica Trail. The woman had advertised for a biking companion, and the man’s sister had replied on his behalf.
— read Enchanted by You by Fel Fern, a paranormal romance featuring a mage and a fox shifter. This was a pleasant read, but I am not compelled to read on.
— Collision Course by Michelle Diener, a new book in a favorite science fiction romance series was released recently. I read it (and an epilogue available from the author’s mailing list) with pleasure. You should definitely start with the first book in the series, Dark Horse (Class 5 Series Book 1), as this features the same characters.
Since last time, through Hoopla, about half of the Tucker Springs m/m series: LA Witt’s Where Nerves End, Heidi Cullinan’s Second Hand, and Dirty Laundry, all of which were pretty good.
Emma R Alban’s YOU’RE THE PROBLEM, IT’S YOU, which was an interesting mix of anxiety inducing missteps and external challenges and some warm, squishy loveliness provided by Bobby’s family.
Taryn Quinn’s return to Crescent Cove is as fun and page-turningly readable as ever.
KT Hoffman’s THE PROSPECTS is a great read about life and love and baseball and hope and wanting.
Reread Cait Nary’s SEASON’S CHANGE, thanks to @Kim’s review, and loved it all over again.
And read several wonderful ARCs in an effort to distract myself from the world’s happenings and self-soothe.
Sending the B*tchery love and comfort. Thank you for being a safe space. Wishing you all excellent reads and things to give you hope.
I haven’t been reading, but I’ve spent a lot of time in various digital spaces and finding solace there. I’ve been binge watching Star Trek series and eating and drinking all the bad and comforting things. This weekend I’m trying to pull myself out of this stage and onto something a little more functional… I was reading Louise Erdrich‘s Antelope Woman before because it had been on sale and I hadn’t read this version of the book (I read Antelope Wife ages ago). I think I’ll go back to that because it is an oddly hopeful book that includes the horrible things people do to each other while threaded through with connections and bleak humor. Not my favorite Erdrich but I’d like to finish it.
I enjoyed WE SOLVE MURDERS by Richard Osman, maybe not as much as Thursday Murder Club but quite enough to be looking forward to the next in both series.
LONG LIVE EVIL is supposedly not YA but it seems like it to me. Fortunately Sarah Rees Brennan has written some of the rare YA I like (I’m looking for Explicitly Queer Romance at Magical Boarding Schools if I am expected to endure teenagers). This one is fun. It also has no kind of ending, but I do recommend if you can stand YA even a little, and unfinished clifhangery.
Which warning also applies to Camilla Raines THE HOLLOW AND THE HAUNTED. If you are only in the market for one magical teenager story LLE is better, but if you also read too fast and are desperately looking to avoid reality it’ll work.
Finally got around to EVOCATION by ST Gibson. It’s somewhere between good and fine to me, but again with the lack of closure. It took me a while to get into it, but I enjoyed the Boston locations enough to hang on through characters I don’t care about, and I am ultimately glad I did. It seems very much like it must be fan fiction but idk of who/what.
I made it about halfway through ONE TIME ONLY by Lauren Blakely before figuring out why I don’t like her style. (Unless paired with Bowen.) There’s something in the cadence and the sentence structure that reminds me of the beginning of Baby Got Back, only instead of valley girls being racist it’s supposedly gay guys obsessing about one another. Oh. My. Gawd. Look-at. His. Butt! It’s just…so…round! Sorry if that ruins her for anyone else but it was kind of hilarious to me to hear the interior monologues in that voice…
Reading is my escape, maybe too much. (Queue the Sondheim: “I do not read for truth, I know the truth, the truth is hardly what I need.”) But that is a problem for future me. Present me is here to tell you about past me’s reading pleasures: Hockey and Billionaires.
Sarina Bowen’s Brooklyn Hockey books are now available on Kindle Unlimited, and that’s a good thing. They aren’t very long, so I’ve read 5 of them this week.
– Brooklynaire — Billionaire tech wiz who bought a hockey team and his former assistant and now team manager realize that they are more than friends. Bonus: Pillow talk includes palindromes.
– Overnight Sensation — She’s the intern, who got the job as a favor to her hockey commissioner father. He’s on the team and not looking for distractions. Bonus: He likes to quote Dickens and Shakespeare.
– Superfan — He’s a goalie, she’s a pop star. Bonus: Her manager is a little terrifying in all the best ways.
– Sureshot — He’s having a bad year: just got traded to a new team and getting a divorce. She’s a sports agent with a five year plan. But love finds a way. Warning: infertility. Bonus: Spending time with characters from previous books.
– Bombshells — He’s the party boy trying to reform, she’s a goalie for the new female hockey team. Complication: She’s got history with one of the other team members. Bonus: She’s not going to settle.
I also managed to find a bunch of books by Olivia Hayle on Kindle Unlimited. I’d read something about billionaire’s by her before, so I felt like I knew what I was getting into, which I kind of appreciate these days. This time I read the three books of The Connovan Chronicles, plus two standalone novels, Between the Lines and How to Honeymoon Alone. (Minor caution: these books could use another pass through by an editor as there are sufficient grammar mistakes that even I noticed.)
– Best Enemies Forever (The Connovan Chronicles Book 1) — Two rich, rival families. One drunken Vegas wedding. This is a relationship built on them challenging each other to be better, and it works for them.
– The Perfect Mistake (The Connovan Chronicles Book 2) — CEO brother of the FMC of the previous book falls in love with a ballerina (who is also the FMC of the previous book’s best friend). There’s an age gap and she’s working as his nanny. It’s fine, but not my favorite. (Love may conquer all, but he makes some really good points about why the relationhip is problematic that I don’t think she ever really appreciates.)
– One Wrong Move (The Connovan Chronicles Book 3) — The other brother’s turn. He runs the London office of their company. She used to be engaged to his best friend, but has come to London for a fresh start. Plot twist: he moved to London because pining after your best friend’s fiance isn’t healthy. This was my a favorite of the three. Bonus: She has as list of new things to experience and he’s game to help her.
– How to Honeymoon Alone — Two people on solo vacations in a tropical honeymoon destination find that they have quite a bit in common. This one was sweet and made me want to spend some time on a beach.
– Between the Lines — She’s working on the ghostwriting memoir of rich, handsome media executive… who turns out to the be stranger she spent the night with a few weeks before. This one also explores the dark side of reality TV, which gives it a bit more depth. All in all, I thought it was a solid romance. Bonus: His nickname for her is Chaos.
Part 2:
And last but not least, I read Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto. And before I start trying to describe what I wish they had done differently, let me emphasize that there’s a lot to like here and I enjoyed reading the book. The description said it was Reylo inspired, and it really really is. I kind of wanted a bingo card for references and parallel plot points (e.g., get a square when not-Kylo shows up in black and sunglasses). It’s fun, but also a little distracting? I also think I need to admit that I kind of hated the direction that Disney went with Kylo Ren and Rey in the third movie. Movie universe, the relationship was creepy (between the age difference, power imbalance, and I’m not willing to forget that he killed ***spoiler***). This might be interfering with my opinion on this book. Theoretically, I have no problem with taking inspiration and then trying out new directions. And since I’m here for grumpy-sunshine, I was pretty hopeful for a fun ride. The issue is that, like in the movie, not-Kylo stomps all over boundaries. Sure, it’s presented more in a socially awkward kind of way, but it’s there. Your enjoyment is going to hinge on whether this works for you or if you believe the personal growth in the written character arc, which I think I mostly did in the end. But then, I do love a happy ending, and I want to believe.
I booked a trip for immediately after the election in case I needed a distraction (I do). I’ve been reading Anne Applebaum’s AUTOCRACY, INC (The Dictators who want to Run the World) but have put that aside for now. I picked up NEXUS: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI by Yuval Noah Harari. It’s not much of an escape from reality but Harari is a brilliant historian/philosopher who thinks about complex issues in a unique way. This book argues that information is not the raw material of truth OR just a weapon and explores the hopeful middle ground between these extremes.
For escape, I’m on the 5th CUT & RUN book by Abigail Roux- I understand why some people find these characters problematic but, for me, Zane and Ty and their stories are an effective distraction. I started Cat Sebastian’s YOU SHOULD BE SO LUCKY, which I’ve been saving for just such a moment as this one. I just finished the 3rd book in G.L. Carriger’s SAN ANDREAS SHIFTERS series, which someone recommended in the post about favorite re-reads. The wolf shifters are sweeter than I usually like but I’ve enjoyed the series.
@Shana Thanks for the snort-laugh. Better than duck lips(folds?), I guess.
Holiday Star by Melissa Dymond
I made it to 39% and had to pause this romance. It was not horrible, but I found myself reluctant to pick it up again after each break. Dr. Gwen’s humorless first person present tense POV left me cold. Caleb–the “star” of the title– was ok as a character. Best friend Jenny and Pip the rat-dog were the only other characters with any heft to them. Both main characters seem mired in their pasts, and the present day backgrounds and peripheral characters seem pretty one dimensional. It was more like a series of set pieces than a well developed, integrated story. I ended up quitting at the tottering brink of the first sex scene. I just couldn’t do it anymore. Later? We’ll see.
The Art of Deception by Nora Roberts
I was pretty impressed by this “classic” Roberts opus, originally released in 1986 and reissued in 2021. I know Roberts is an icon, but some of her older work does not weather the test of time gracefully. Despite some dated tech and way too many cigarettes, The Art of Deception was very well written with nuanced character development, artistic protagonists, subtle touches of humor, and lush autumn settings in the Hudson River Valley. The FMC is both independent and intriguing while the “conventional” MMC falls well within the acceptable limits of alpha-hood. The story was not bogged down with the Roberts preoccupations that thread through much of her work, e.g., selfish, narcissistic parents and their damaged children. Instead, you get an elegant love story paired with a tight little mystery. My only issue was the speed with which the central couple go from attraction to “I love you.”
My Christmas Number One by Leonie Mack
Apparently, I’m still on a musician kick in my reading. This book released in 2020, was recommended by one of the Bitchery, and has been reread several times. Two very different musicians are required by their label to collaborate on a song in the run up to Christmas. Both Cara and Javi shelter their griefs behind self-possessed facades and both earn their HEA with their courage and personal growth. By the time I turned the last page, I was in love with both the protagonists and the wholly imaginary song, “Nostalgia.” Think “Fairytale of New York” rather than “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” or “Feliz Navidad.” Think musically complex annd weighted with emotion rather than sentimental. This is my favorite holiday romance.
A Wedding in the Sun by Leonie Mack
Jo and Adrian are on the road trip from hell, their destination the actual hell of their ex-spouses’ wedding. Their primary purpose is to support their kids through the fraught festivities, making the obstacles they face ever more frustrating. In the pressure cooker of missed connections and unforeseen disasters, they are transformed from mildly hostile acquaintances to supportive friends and beyond. Circumstances may give side characters a harsh edge, but there are no stock villains in this story, and there are many instances of spontaneous kindness. Add in the landscape and culture of the Pyrenees as well as a generous dose of snarky humor, and the result is a memorable and entertaining road trip romance.
Softer Than Steel by Jessica Topper
I’ve read this several times before because it continues the story and characters from Louder than Love. Sadly, I doubt that I’ll read it again. For some reason, all I could see was the flaws this time. The main couple simply do not spend enough time together on the page, and during most of the time they are together, she is his yoga instructor, which is problematic. The plot is held together by too many fortuitous (and improbable) coincidences, and there are too many side characters whose only role seems to be to illustrate some quality of the main characters and then disappear. The MMC and the band members have allowed themselves to be maneuvered into the same toxic situation that led to the original group imploding all those years ago. In case the reader doesn’t get the message, an offstage character from the first book pops up like the bogeyman at a moment of crisis. Much of this book is taken up with fascinating depictions of NYC places and culture, which Topper does very well, but the atmospheric background and much loved characters are no longer enough to prop up this flawed romance for me.
Twenty-One Nights in Paris by Leonie Mack
Poor little rich girl Ren makes a break for freedom in Paris when the PR merde hits the fan after her break-up. After knocking Sacha to the Paris cobbles with her car door and crunching his bike, Ren proposes a fake relationship to distract the press from her broken engagement. Three weeks later, the pair have caught feelings, though they know their relationship is doomed by the social chasm between them. The story may be a tad predictable, but the journey is quite charming in the company of Ren, Sacha, his family, and the City of Light. There are some problematic elements–minor villains with cloudy motives, an unresolved crime, and the roots of Ren’s childhood trauma. IMO, not Mack’s best work.
A Gentleman Under the Mistletoe by Grace Burrowes (LJM 7)
The seventh Lord Julian mystery finds Julian & co. at home in the country preparing to celebrate the Yuletide with extended family. There are puzzles to unravel but no crimes in sight. A few more strands of Julian’s family secrets are unknotted, his relationship with Hyperia advances, and the reader gets a low stress read for the holidays.
What Is Love? by Jen Comfort
I believe this is Comfort’s third novel, and I know it’s my favorite. It came out in spring, and I didn’t jump right on it, since I ‘d DNFed her second book. I’m so happy I finally picked it up. This is an opposites attract story constructed around a quiz show rivalry. FMC is ricocheting fireball with ADHD, sass, and a flair for trivia and probabilities; MMC is an extremely serious, hyper-organized, Oxford-educated professor at Princeton. Characters that seemed unlikable to some reviewers, just seemed vivid to me. I kind of identified with the heroine, and, you know, not everyone likes me either. I grinned my way through this book and enjoyed most of the back and forth between Maxine and Teddy. When not grinning, I was fanning myself over ALL that back and forth.
My One and Only Duke by Grace Burrowes
First in Burrowes’s Rogues to Riches series, this historical romance opens with the MMC imprisoned at Newgate contemplating a date with the gallows. The FMC is a preacher’s daughter in an extremely delicate situation. Prison stays are not my favorite, but Quinn Wentworth made some intriguing appearances in another Burrowes series, so I stuck with it. Overall, I enjoyed it, though it occasionally dragged a bit.
When a Duchess Says I Do by Grace Burrowes (R2R 2)
The second book in this Regency adjacent series focuses on Duncan Wentworth, Quinn’s cousin, and damsel in distress, Matilda Wakefield, who is fleeing an unwelcome courtship and a possible charge of treason. The story is moderately entertaining and can be read on its own.
Forever and a Duke by Grace Burrowes (R2R 3)
Still on a Burrowes kick, as it’s all I can tolerate right now. I may switch to some Balogh rereads for a change of pace (not really) with a similar cozy vibe. Funny how a bunch of damaged souls with horrible wartime experiences can seem comforting compared to life in late 2024 America. But I digress . . .
This third series entry features Mrs. Hatfield, Wentworth’s formidable bank auditor, and His Grace of Elsmore, Wentworth’s erstwhile friend. Together, they are cooking up some steamy forensic accounting in pursuit of irregularities in the Elsmore financials. This was about as exciting as it sounds, though the primary couple were quite endearing. Also, it’s always nice to revisit old book friends–the chief pleasure of a substantial series and a huge source of cozy.
A Duke by Any Other Name by Grace Burrowes (R2R 4)
Book four in this series takes us to rural Yorkshire where Althea, eldest sister of Quinn Wentworth, is making a home for herself in one of the family properties, and unleashing her drift of giant pigs on the positively Gothick recluse next door, Nathaniel Rothmere. While Althea is still quietly processing years of bullying by the ton, Nathaniel’s asocial behavior hides a harrowing family secret. The plot takes some interesting twists en route to its satisfying HEA.
Right on Cue by Falon Ballard
DNF @ 23%
The writing & editing on this was ok, but the storytelling just seemed kind of flat. The FMC’s 1st person present tense storytelling did not work for me, and neither she nor the MMC act like professionals or even adults. They first performed on screen together in their mid-teens, and it just blew up in their faces. 10 years later, she’s a respected screen writer who’s agreed to play the female lead in her first role since she was 15, and he’s a well known action star. She also wrote the highly hallmarkian rom-com that they’re shooting, so there’s that. I don’t mind unlikabe characters, but don’t bore me for crying out loud. I made it up to the point where the FMC retorts ”As if!” and I was done.
I can’t seem to focus enough to read books, but I have been diving into cozy, comforting, woman-centric manga like “The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up”, “The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today”, and “She Loves to Cook, She Loves to Eat”. I’m really keen on domestic manga that centers women and is really about food and the home.
@book_reader_ea01sj71r4: I apologize to your wallet, but I love knowing that people are taking a chance on the digest books!
Best recent read was YOU SHOULD BE SO LUCKY by Cat Sebastian. I think I liked this one better than the first book in Sebastian’s “Mid-Century NYC” series, WE COULD BE SO GOOD.
The slow burn romance of the MMCs (baseball player Eddie O’Leary, an out-of-place Midwesterner trying to acclimate to a new team, and newspaper writer Mark Bailey, an arts writer reassigned to the sports section as a way to break out of ennui following prolonged mourning of the death of his partner) was moving, and the steps of their romance unfolded beautifully.
The 1960s setting provided a fascinating backdrop to ongoing examinations of being out or closeted (especially in relation to Eddie’s place as a gay man on a pro sports team), and the supporting characters were engaging and contributed to the plot in ways that were sometimes surprising.
Then I picked up Clare Lydon’s newest Christmas-themed F/F novel, DON’T MARRY ME AT CHRISTMAS, a friends-to-enemies-to-lovers story revolving around Sara, a baker, and Beth, a manager at the London department store where Sara is hoping she can find employment in the holiday specialty food court.
I usually enjoy Lydon’s stories about London lesbians– her “All I Want” series that started with ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU (2015) is still one of my favorites when I want a light read with plenty of humor and a satisfying amount of spice. This new book didn’t hit all the notes I associate with Lydon’s books– both Sara and Beth seemed whiny at times, in a way I don’t expect from Lydon’s characters.
But then again, I read the entire book during the early morning hours following election night– I figured if I couldn’t sleep, I might as well read some romance. So to be fair to a favorite author, I’ll try this one again sometime.
@LisaM – I feel you on the library books. Mine always seem to come available all at once for some reason and then I’m drowning.
@JT Alexis – Agree on CUT & RUN. The story lines and plot twists are frankly bonkers with borderline comical levels of violence. But the leads somehow make it work. Ty and Zane have some of the best chemistry I’ve ever read in a romance novel and I think a lot of that is due to Abigail Roux’s unique use of the 3rd person. She moves so seamlessly between the two character’s heads, often within the same paragraph, without ever being confusing.
I read Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong and it was absolutely a peppermint mocha on a winter’s day for the soul. The writing was good, the story moved exceptionally well and it had all my favorite tropes: created family on a roadtrip quest. A+ no notes. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Bernardine Evaristo MR. LOVERMAN: It was my first book by her but I think I’ll seek out some others. I learned about the book from a short piece she did for The Guardian where she said she fell a bit in love with the title character. Barrington Walker is 74 years old, originally from Antigua, currently living in Hackney (London), a husband, father, grandfather, and secretly gay. He is smart, funny, sometimes cutting. This an exploration of Britain’s older Caribbean community which explodes cultural myths and fallacies and shows the extent of what can happen when people fear the consequences of being true to themselves. The book is told in first person, and we get to know Carmel’s POV and understand her choices, good and bad, as well.We also see Morris, the love of Barry’s life for the past 60 years, Donna & Maxine, Barry & Carmel’s daughters, Daniel, his grandson, and others. The novel is funny and smart and had HEA (or at least HFN) for pretty much everyone, and while that may have been a bit of a fairy tale, it was what everyone deserved and what I needed right now.
Richard Osman, THURSDAY MURDER CLUB books: Finished the series. This too was what I needed. Engaging and clever enough to carry me out of the current political misery but didn’t require too much emotional energy. Liked the characters, both the original 4 pensioners and the additions to the group: Donna, Chris, Bogdan, Viktor, et al.
Safiya Sinclair, HOW TO SAY BABYLON: By chance, read two books in two weeks relating to Caribbean culture. The Evaristo is a novel, this one is a memoir. Sinclair was born and brought up in Jamaica, the daughter of a strict Rastafarian father. Interesting, I learned a lot about her early life, but there were some major gaps in the story. For example, her father clearly was affected when his mother totally abandoned him when he was only 14 or so, but later in the story she is close to her granddaughters. How did this come about? Did she reconcile with her son? If Sinclair explains this, I missed it.
Olga Tokarczuk, DRIVE YOUR PLOW OVER THE BONES OF THE DEAD. I’m not all that fond of first person, but I seem to have read a lot of books in the first person lately. This one is a novel told from the POV of an older woman living in a small Polish village. She loves animals, astrology, and William Blake. A rather odd book, ostensibly a crime novel, but Tokarczuk won the Nobel Prize for Literature and I thought this might be an accessible introduction to her work. I think she may be too intellectual for me, but it did have a great quote that applies to the current political situation in the US and elsewhere: “I didn’t yet know what I was going to do. Sometimes, when a Person feels Anger, everything seems simple and obvious. Anger puts things in order and shows you the world in a nutshell. Anger restores the gift of Clarity of Vision, which it’s hard to attain in any other state.”
James Collins, BEGINNERS GREEK: I liked this a lot. It’s not a romance but it is a love story with a happy ending. Despite the too good to be true aspects of the book, I liked it Very Much. We read chapters from various characters’ POV, and even though so much of the book is a bit OTT, it is lovely. I also liked the subtle references to Pride & Prejudice, Rocky & Bullwinkle, and the poem the title comes from.
Don’t seem to have read many straight romances, or at least not ones I wholeheartedly recommend. Unlike many others, I wasn’t entranced by Ali Hazelwood’s latest, NOT IN LOVE. Too much sex, too much dwelling on how socially awkward Rue is. Clearly a case of YMMV. I preferred her THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS, but I think I’m in the minority on this. Also read Maria Vale’s MOLLY MOLLOY & THE ANGEL OF DEATH, which I thought was cute and sweet, and reread Katherine Addison’s THE GOBLIN EMPEROR, which I loved just as much the second time.
Audiobooks get me through my work shifts (I shelve books at a library). This week, I read Rebekah Weatherspoon’s cute, low-angst YA, *Her Good Side*; Roan Parrish’s cozy, sexy *Better Than People*; and just started a soothing NF by Robin Wall Kimmerer, *Gathering Moss*. Also, my situationship is reading a free cozy fantasy (romance?) short from Jessie Mahalik’s website over the phone to me. Working tomorrow, so I may start a new romance–not sure if it’ll be the sequel to *Better Than People*, or *Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh*, or rereading *If the Boot Fits*.
I had the absolute pleasure of watching RIVALS recently – fabulous, highly recommend it – so I tried rereading the Jilly Cooper novels and wow, they are definitely of their time and I should have left them there.
So now I am on yet another re-read of Cait Nary’s hockey books. Pure comfort reads.
Ack! Sorry for the double post. Next time I’ll wait longer before assuming things didn’t go through.
@C: We usually have a character cap on posts or posts submitted in rapid succession. They get caught in our spam filter and we have to manually approve them. Sarah and I check the filter a couple times a day. If you don’t see your comment immediately, that’s most likely what happened and we’ll make it live usually within a few hours!
Not sure when I last commented on one of these, so sorry if I repeat myself.
Enjoyed THE FRIEND ZONE EXPERIMENT by Zen Cho. The FMC & MMC are both dealing with some serious stuff, so it is not nearly as lighthearted as the blurb suggests, but I expected that. I struggle a bit with the emphasis on preserving (and prioritizing) relationships with blood relatives, even when they treat the main character badly, in a lot of books I’ve read by Asian authors. Trying to understand this is a useful challenge for me as someone who has had to distance myself from by blood relatives for my own health.
Thanks to a recommendation here I read 2 mysteries by Seishi Yokomizo, THE HONJIN MURDERS, and THE VILLAGE OF EIGHT GRAVES. The setting in 1920’s – 1950’s Japan was interesting, as was the way the detective is not the main character but instead seen from the outside, wandering mysteriously through the narrator’s account.
Finally started reading Olivia Atwater’s Regency Faerie tales series. I liked both HALF A SOUL and TEN THOUSAND STITCHES. Nice to see the FMCs use the respect shown to them by the MMCs to gain the confidence to rescue themselves.
NINE TAILED by Jayci Lee is 1st of a series (I think, not sure when there will be a sequel) about a gumiho dragged out of hiding to solve a mystery and perhaps save the world. Looking forward to reading more about Sunny and her found family (less sure about the romance), and I’ve added a contemporary by Jayci Lee to my TBR in the meantime.
Also just finished the 1st 2 books in Piper Drake’s Mythwoven series. I liked the Thai mythology and the FMC in the 1st book (WINGS ONCE CURSED & BOUND), but the instalove/lust was a bit much. The 2nd book, FANGS SO FIERCE AND DEADLY, involves a throuple (witch, gumiho, and kitsune) and I found the development of the relationship more convincing. I especially appreciated how she avoided the problematic terms black magic and white magic, describing witches who draw power from pain and violence as pain witches and their practice as blood magic. The FMC is a green witch, who draws her power from living plants without harming them.
I just read the 1st volume of Delicious In Dungeon by Ryoko Kui. The plot of dungeon adventurers learning how to make tasty meals out of monsters was fun, but I probably won’t continue because the only female character is portrayed as a really annoying, emotional and largely useless diva.
Currently reading FREE THE LAND: HOW WE CAN FIGHT POVERTY AND CLIMATE CHAOS by Andrea Lim. The bits about current inequality and how we got here are rather grim, so I’m also reading CARPE JUGULUM by Terry Pratchett.
I’ve had trouble focusing on reading, so am still trickling thru the delightful kids book THE WITCH FAMILY by Eleanor Estes.
I’ve started TRANSGENDER HISTORY, second edition by Susan Stryker.
I also read the intro/author’s note to THE DISASTER ARTIST by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell (about famous bad movie THE ROOM and Sestero’s involvement in it) but might save the body of the book for later.
Tho I need comfort reading now, I plan to start reading some of those book about fascism that I never got around to. Also thinking it may finally be time for another romance, maybe a Courtney Milan.
Thank goodness for books. What a solace they are.
ONLY A KISS (Survivors’ Club 6/7)MARY BALOGH. M/F historical.
Mary Balogh is one of my favourite historical writers (I deal with her fairly perfunctory sex because she’s so good at the rest of it) and this book is a dream. Such a lovely, emotional story. The MMC, a charming, titled wastrel seeking more from life encounters a self-sufficient woman with a dark past (CW: death of former spouse in unpleasant circumstances). She’s living in a house that he inherited along with one of his titles and has been doing very well at it. He decides to visit because he is bored. Charming found family and supportive friends bring added weight.
This is the first of the Survivors’ Club series I have read (I hoovered up The Bedwyns) and am looking forward to discovering the rest of it. And I find I have three others in the series already, in actual paperback, on my teetering TBR tower. Clever old me.
BEAUTIFUL CHRISTINA LAUREN. M/F contemporary, fake dating, forced proximity, only one bed. The works!
The last in the (excellent) series and it doesn’t disappoint. Probably my favourite. Five stars.
TBC…
And couldn’t get the TBC to upload, so that’s just half a post from me for this go round. Still not sure what I’m doing wrong.
Happy reading all. So pleased to have this safe space.
@Neile I recently read New Camelot and similarly felt like it was a bad time for those books. I really struggled with AMERICAN PRINCE, because Emory’s self-loathing was just so intense. I understand that the Lancelot part of the retelling was always going to be grim but this was just… very grim. I loved AMERICAN KING, though, and am super happy I finished the trilogy.
I’m currently listening to MY ROGUE TO RUIN by Erica Ridley when I can’t focus, and THE BLOOD ORCHID by Kylie Lee Baker when I can focus, and NE’ER DUKE WELL by Alexandra Vasti when my partner is able to listen with me (though they’ve been too busy, so I might just listen on my own). I’m enjoying all of them.
Blood Orchid is the second half of THE SCARLET ALCHEMIST duology, and it’s just fantastic. It’s an alternate history set in the Tang dynasty, imagining if alchemy was real. It’s pretty gory and more body horror that I can usually stand, but the characters are so rich and the relationships are so engaging. I love it. Scarlet Alchemist really took me by surprise – I expected to enjoy it, but I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did.
I recently finished THE EARL WHO ISN’T by Courtney Milan. I adore her newer books, especially for the historical commentary in the author notes. This one wraps up the Wedgeford Trials and I’m not sure it would be as delightful without reading the first two, so I would recommend starting at the beginning. Also the series is great, so I just recommend it all around.
I also recently finished THE MISSING PAGE by Cat Sebastian and I loved it!! The plot twist including some great trans representation was so unexpected and so delightful. It made my heart happy at a time when all the news about trans stuff is terrible. I enjoyed the first Page and Sommers book, but I liked this one better. The characters are handled with such care and tenderness. It was really soothing to read.
And I also read and enjoyed THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS by Karen Lord. It’s sci fi in a universe where humans evolved separately on four different planets. It has a gentle slow-burn romance with no spice, and it was quite lovely. Not my usual genre these days, so it felt a bit like returning to a younger self. Maybe I will read more sci fi going forward.
I hard DNF’d the first Magpies book by KJ Charles. I was 100% not prepared for a suicide attempt in the very first scene and it was extremely upsetting because of some things in my own context. I guess I’ve been spoiled by all the dark romance I’ve been reading recently, where it’s a norm to have a content note list at the beginning. That was a rough one.
I also DNF’d Alison Cochrun’s HERE WE GO AGAIN. I really enjoy her books, and I was enjoying this one too, but when it became clear that the cancer storyline was going to be pretty prominent, and this month includes a really major grief anniversary for me related to cancer, I had to skip it. I’ll probably come back to it eventually.
I’m not sure what I’ll be reading next. I’m all over the place in terms of my ability to focus. I don’t think I’m going to finish any of my reading challenges this year (The Book Riot Read Harder, The Free Black Women’s Library Reading Challenge, and the Black History Every Month challenge) even though I’ve read 155 books so far. I just can’t make myself stay with anything too grim, or with most non-fiction (this might have something to do with doing my lit review for my phd… soooo much non-fiction, and studying trans issues as a trans person is hard as hell these days).