Happy New Year and welcome back!
This time around, we’re starting strong with mostly fiction. There’s only one non-fiction option and that focuses on crafting.
Get any good book recommendations for the new year? Let us know in the comments!
Jane Austen Embroidery
For all my crafty Bitches! I’m a very beginner embroiderer, but I love that this book mentions some more practical and decorative applications.
15 beautiful embroidery projects from the era of Jane Austen.
Jane Austen was as skillful with a needle as she was with a pen. This unique book from Jennie Batchelor and Alison Larkin showcases recently discovered 18th century embroidery patterns expertly repurposed into 15 exciting modern stitching projects. The patterns and projects are brought to life with glimpses into the world of Regency women and their domestic lives by lively historical features, quotes from Jane Austen’s letters and novels, enchanting illustrations and inspirational project photography.
The book opens with an illustrated introduction on historical embroidery. Next comes the materials and methods section, clearly explaining the key stitches, as well as providing information on threads, fabrics and frames. The practical section includes 15 projects for modern items. The projects are divided into three chapters according to the item the 18th century pattern was originally intended for with patterns for different skill levels:
Embroidered Clothes: Dressed to Impress: Projects include Simple Sprig Pattern (Two Ways), Pencil Case, Clutch Purse, Apron, Housewife.
Embroidered Accessories: How Do You Like My Trimming?: Projects include Napkin Set, Mobile Phone Pouch, Tablet Sleeve, Jewellery Pouch, Muslin Shawl.
Embroidery for the Home: A ‘Nest of Comforts’: Projects include Tea Box Top, Work Bag, Cushion, Sewing Set, Tablecloth.It is more than likely that Jane herself would have used these very patterns for her own embroidery, and now, with Jennie and Alison’s help, readers can stitch-a-long with Jane to make a selection of beautifully embroidered, practical items.
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The Lady and the Footballer
This was more of a recommendation for me, as it caught my eye on Goodreads. It’s a historical romance with sports! I feel like those are few and far between. I mainly see a lot of equestrian-based competitions. Maybe a rec league for the future?
He plays to win—but loving her could cost him everything.
Miss Lily Evans has always believed she would marry for love, but with her parents growing impatient and her freedom slipping away, she’s desperate to escape her mother’s choice of suitor. She never expected her surprising protector to be the very man she’s forbidden to love, a working-class footballer who plays for her father’s team.
Colin Thornton has no time for highborn ladies—especially not the viscount’s fiery daughter. With his family relying on him, he’s buried his dreams to work and play football, the only passion left that’s truly his. Falling for Lily could cost him everything.
But when sabotage strikes both the family business and Colin’s beloved football club, Lily and Colin are forced to work together to uncover the truth. As danger draws them closer, desire ignites between them—and suddenly, defying society’s rules becomes the least of their worries.
The Lady and the Footballer is a steamy Victorian historical romance.
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The Man Who Died Seven Times
I’m a sucker for a time loop mystery, and this is even more interesting with a teenager main character.
A subversively cozy Japanese murder mystery with an ingenious Groundhog Day twist: a teenager’s time-loop race to solve—and possibly prevent—his grandfather’s murder!
Contemporary Japanese legend Yasuhiko Nishizawa makes his English-language debut with this slick, funny murder mystery which adds a sci-fi twist to an age-old setup: a murder in a wealthy family with an inheritance at stake.
Hisataro, a young member of the wealthy Fuchigami family, has a mysterious ability. Every now and then, against his will, he falls into a time-loop in which he is obliged to re-live the same day a total of 9 times. Little does he know how useful this ability will be, until one day, his grandfather mysteriously dies…
As he returns to the day of the murder time and again, Hisataro begins to unravel its secrets. With a sizeable inheritance up for grabs, motives abound, and everyone is a suspect. Can Hisataro solve the mystery of his grandfather’s death before his powers run out?
Written in a witty, lighthearted voice, this clever and playful book will appeal to fans of both traditional murder mysteries as well as readers of cozy mysteries. It’s a delightful treat for fans of the intricate plotting of Agatha Christie, the gentle humor of Richard Osman, and audacious inventiveness of Stuart Turton.
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Stars Die
The cover copy and buy links for this title have been removed due to the cover being AI-generated art. We do not knowingly promote generative AI material, written or visual, because of the loss of jobs for artists and writers, the toll on local communities and the environment we share, and the predatory theft of copyright materials to fuel and train generative AI models.
We are also humans, and sometimes we don’t catch when something is AI. Thank you for alerting us; this notice will remain to inform others who also want to avoid generative AI books and art.
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This book is available from:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!Stars Die by Jenny Schwartz
Yuck, the cover of Stars Die is AI, as are the greater part of Jenny Schwartz’s other covers, looking thru her site.
While I’m sorry to hear that the cover is AI, I’ve read this series and enjoyed it very much. For me, it has the same comforting detachment as Celia Lake’s Albion series. I actually liked the covers too, though I suppose it was too much to expect that AI covers would be ugly and obvious forever. Sigh.
We’ve removed the buy links and cover copy because we do not knowingly want to promote a generative AI material, written or visual, for many reasons, including the loss of jobs for artists and writers, the toll on local communities and the environment we share, and the predatory theft of materials to fuel and train it.
But since we’re actual humans, we don’t always catch when something is AI. Thank you for flagging this so we can update our database.
I wouldn’t have known. Thank you @Jay for saying something, and thanks also to the Smart Bitches for responding this way.
Thanks for rec-ing the Jane Austen Embroidery book! I think my boss would enjoy looking at that one – she loves embroidered things and Jane, so it’s a double win. 😀
A nonfiction book based on Jane Austen characters, with tips about recognizing and perhaps dealing with intra-gender microagressions: Bitches in Bonnets. It’s several years old but it was a Christmas gift and I enjoyed it. Wouldn’t be surprised if I first encountered it here. It’s a lot of fun to revisit Caroline Bingley, Isabella Thorpe, Lady Susan (a favorite) and Lady Catherine de Bourgh and look for life lessons from Austen’s fictional females.