You Should Be So Lucky, by Cat Sebastian
A delightful romance between a grief-burdened writer and a cocky shortstop experiencing his worst year as a baseball player. Mark, uptown and classy, and Eddie, a redneck from the Midwest, have to work together to improve Eddie’s public persona. An opposites attract, sunshine and rain romance between two people I would genuinely want to hang out with.
The Stardust Grail, by Yume Kitasei
Bookclub read. Space thieves, mysterious people on the cusp of extinction, a library/museum at the end of the universe. What’s not to love, right? Well … it was okay. The world building was phenomenal, but the characters were two dimensional and not compelling. I really liked the writing and will definitely look for more by this writer, this one was just not quite there.
Happy People Don't Live Here, by Amber Sparks
I thought this was going to be a scary story based on the cover. But no. It’s more lit fiction. A story about a mother and daughter on the run who live simply. They arrive at the decrepit Pine Lake Apartments to find that it is inhabited by a number of oddballs. A story about found family and finding a place to be yourself, with a bit of a lighthearted ghost story thrown in for fun.
All of Us Murderers, by KJ Charles
I read and loved Death in the Spires last month and loved it. This is another mystery romance by the same author but with more emphasis on romance and less on the mystery. I enjoyed it a lot, but it wasn’t quite as good as the first one I read. This one was a bit complicated/convoluted so I’m not going to attempt to describe the plot in a sentence or two.
The Warm Hands of Ghosts, by Katherine Arden
Nurse Laura returns to the front of WWI to find out what happened to her brother, who is presumed dead. Brother Freddie was trapped in a destroyed building along with a German soldier, Hans. Together they make it out, but in order to save Hans, Freddie pretends to have died. Helping him is a person who may be the devil incarnate and traps Freddie in a place not quite real. Interesting set-up and a well-told story, but it didn’t quite hook me. I liked it well enough, just not a lot.
Making Money, by Terry Pratchett
Reread, first listen. Loved it. Moist von Lipwig is such a great character.
Why We Read, by Shannon Reed
A lovely and funny collection of essays about what it means to be a reader and why so many of us find solace in reading. Highly recommend for book lovers. (And can be very awkward about it.)
Bartleby the Scrivener, by Herman Melville
This story has come up in so many different capacities for me over the years. I finally downloaded it from Project Guttenberg. It is a strange story, but a sadder one than I anticipated. I’m still not sure what to make of it. I liked it though.
The Sapling Cage, by Margaret Killjoy
Lorel was born a boy but always felt compelled by feminine things and witchy magic. Her best friend was promised to the witches, so Lorel takes her place pretending to be female. She has a lot to worry about keeping herself secret, but a war is brewing between duchies and aimed towards the witches themselves. Lorel will have to learn magic quickly in order to protect herself and her coven. I really liked this book, though it read as YA-oriented, and will likely read more in the series. Killjoy is definitely an author to watch.
A delightful romance between a grief-burdened writer and a cocky shortstop experiencing his worst year as a baseball player. Mark, uptown and classy, and Eddie, a redneck from the Midwest, have to work together to improve Eddie’s public persona. An opposites attract, sunshine and rain romance between two people I would genuinely want to hang out with.
The Stardust Grail, by Yume Kitasei
Bookclub read. Space thieves, mysterious people on the cusp of extinction, a library/museum at the end of the universe. What’s not to love, right? Well … it was okay. The world building was phenomenal, but the characters were two dimensional and not compelling. I really liked the writing and will definitely look for more by this writer, this one was just not quite there.
Happy People Don't Live Here, by Amber Sparks
I thought this was going to be a scary story based on the cover. But no. It’s more lit fiction. A story about a mother and daughter on the run who live simply. They arrive at the decrepit Pine Lake Apartments to find that it is inhabited by a number of oddballs. A story about found family and finding a place to be yourself, with a bit of a lighthearted ghost story thrown in for fun.
All of Us Murderers, by KJ Charles
I read and loved Death in the Spires last month and loved it. This is another mystery romance by the same author but with more emphasis on romance and less on the mystery. I enjoyed it a lot, but it wasn’t quite as good as the first one I read. This one was a bit complicated/convoluted so I’m not going to attempt to describe the plot in a sentence or two.
The Warm Hands of Ghosts, by Katherine Arden
Nurse Laura returns to the front of WWI to find out what happened to her brother, who is presumed dead. Brother Freddie was trapped in a destroyed building along with a German soldier, Hans. Together they make it out, but in order to save Hans, Freddie pretends to have died. Helping him is a person who may be the devil incarnate and traps Freddie in a place not quite real. Interesting set-up and a well-told story, but it didn’t quite hook me. I liked it well enough, just not a lot.
Making Money, by Terry Pratchett
Reread, first listen. Loved it. Moist von Lipwig is such a great character.
Why We Read, by Shannon Reed
A lovely and funny collection of essays about what it means to be a reader and why so many of us find solace in reading. Highly recommend for book lovers. (And can be very awkward about it.)
Bartleby the Scrivener, by Herman Melville
This story has come up in so many different capacities for me over the years. I finally downloaded it from Project Guttenberg. It is a strange story, but a sadder one than I anticipated. I’m still not sure what to make of it. I liked it though.
The Sapling Cage, by Margaret Killjoy
Lorel was born a boy but always felt compelled by feminine things and witchy magic. Her best friend was promised to the witches, so Lorel takes her place pretending to be female. She has a lot to worry about keeping herself secret, but a war is brewing between duchies and aimed towards the witches themselves. Lorel will have to learn magic quickly in order to protect herself and her coven. I really liked this book, though it read as YA-oriented, and will likely read more in the series. Killjoy is definitely an author to watch.
