​Tea You at the Altar, by Rebecca Thorne
Third book in the series that started with You Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea. Sweet, comfortable story with some high stakes that never result in too much tension. Perfect book to read when anxiety is creeping up on you.
 
The Final Problem, by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
A mystery set in the 1960s on a remote Greek island hotel that is isolated by a storm. Famous for playing Sherlock Holmes in movies, British actor Basil is recruited to look into the apparent suicide of one of the hotel guests. When another guest is murdered, it becomes apparent that someone is playing Moriarity to Basil’s Sherlock. Great mystery where the line between fact and fiction is blurred.
 
The Talisman Ring, by Georgette Heyer
So. I had a major setback in April and began listening to more Heyer books. Basically on repeat because I too stressed out for anything that might cause me to feel more tension. This book is a blast to listen to with its reluctant swash-buckling hero and heroine whose sense of humor is adorable.
 
Cotillion, by Georgette Heyer
Definitely in my top three favorites. I will always love the story of Freddie and Kitty.
 
How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates, by Shailee Thompson
Hilarious. Slasher horror rom com. What starts as a round of speed dating becomes the epicenter of serial killer’s latest killing spree. Good thing horror expert Jamie is there to help everyone navigate the nightmare. Too bad that the killer seems to be focused on her. My fellow booksellers were all reading this at the same time and all loved it. I couldn’t resist reading it too and also loved it.
 
Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter, by Heather Fawcett
This is such a sweet story. It’s by the author of the Emily Wilde fairy series, which I loved. Agnes rescues cats in a Montreal where sorcerers often battle each other in the streets. When she moves into a new store front, she finds herself caught up in the middle of a pitched battle between her landlord, considered the most evil sorcerer in the world, and his sister, who really is. Even with the high stakes and tension, this is still a cozy story with lots of personable cats.
 
The Quiet Gentleman, by Georgette Heyer
Another stressless listen. This was my first Heyer and it will always be one of my favorites.
 
Wolf Worm, by T. Kingfisher
You would think that a horror novel would be too stressful for me right now, but T. Kingfisher’s brand of cozy horror hit perfectly. It’s 1899 and Sonia Wilson is a botanical illustrator without a job. She takes a position at a grand house in rural North Carolina and is immediately thrown into a suspicious situation. Leaning heavily towards Southern Gothic, this is an awesome gross-out story.
 
Friday's Child, by Georgette Heyer
This will always be one of my beloved if for no other reason that the whole “Nemesis” passage. Hilarious. During April, I actually relistened to a whole bunch more Heyer, but the four I have listed, I have reread in awhile, so thought I could safely add them to my completed reading list. 

A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers
Reread and first listen. The first time I read this book, I wasn’t impressed with the character Sidra—a ship-based AI now inhabiting a living body. On the second read, I liked her better. Now, on this read I’m back to thinking her whiny and selfish. Pepper, on the other hand, I love more and more with every reread.
 
Frieren vols 3-6
Catching up on this manga that I started a year or so ago. It continues to be both fun and interesting. And I very much enjoy the interactions between the main three characters (tho the joke about Stark being a pervert is growing very old).
 
The Spite House, by Johnny Compton
This was a pretty good horror that really ramped up the tension, until it didn’t. So not that scary. Haunted house, a family on the run with a big secret, people who come back to life, a family cursed to die horribly. It does have a lot going for it, and I did like it, it just didn’t stick the landing as well as it should have.
 
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, by Amanda Montell
I’ve listened to the author’s podcast, Sounds Like a Cult, off and on for ages and finally got to her book. It is exceptional. Fascinating, well-researched, and always interesting. Montell calls her book Cultish as we would call a language English or Spanish. She breaks down how language is used to recruit members from famous cults like Heaven’s Gate to cultural movements like Soul Cycle. Definitely recommend.
 
The Witch Roads, by Kate Elliot
High fantasy, which is not always my thing, but enjoyed this well enough that I will likely read the sequel. This was a book club pick. I had read one Kate Elliot book before this one (her first book, I think) and found similar problems in this one that I found in that first book—too much detail in the world building. It took 150 pages for the book to get into the action. That said, I like the characters and the world she’s created.
 
Everyone in the Bank is a Thief, by Benjamin Stevenson
Fourth book in the Ernest Cunningham series. Still lots of fun. Not groundbreaking as the first two in the series, but it was as good as expected. Nice to return to people whose stories I enjoy following.
 
Eyes Full of Empty, by Jérémie Guez (trans. Edward Gauvin)
Set in modern Paris, this is a Noir mystery that follows the ne’er-do-well Idir—son of an Algerian immigrant and huge disappointment. Idir takes small detective-like gigs to earn a living. When two gigs from warring upper crust families come his way, he gets in over his head. This is a dark book and it took me a while to read it, as I had to keep putting it down. It is bleak in the way of Raymond Chandler and also good in the same way. Not sure who I would recommend this book to, but it was eye-opening.
 
Edible Economics: A Hungry Economist Explains the World, by Ha-Joon Chang
Second nonfiction of the month! I listened to this book. Usually, I have trouble listening to nonfiction as I need to pay more attention than I do listening to a romance. However, this book on economics was right up my alley. A Korean-British economist, the author uses food items to explain economic theory and economic history. And it is fascinating. Such as the banana—how could such a ubiquitous fruit sway world markets in the 19th century. Or how rye grain encouraged the welfare state in early Germany. Seriously interesting book.

I'm loving the way this window stitch looks! It's kind of fiddly to work, but I think this scarf for my mom turned out nicely. 

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.