Quirky Bookworm

Anticlimactic Endings

2016-09-03T14:08:00.002-07:00

I hate anticlimactic endings in books. And so, I apologize for the anticlimactic ending of quirkybookworm.com. I've been frustrated, so I haven't addressed it yet. And I'm not sure how many of you will see this - since I don't know if it will go out to subscribers.

Long story short: I lost my domain name, and I can't get it back. It was the day after my 5th "blogiversary", and I'd been questioning whether I wanted to keep blogging anyway. Maybe 5 years was enough. I've decided to take the loss of the domain name as a sign from the blogiverse to stop regularly blogging (although I may occasionally still pop in little updates on what I'm reading here).

However, the archives will still be available here at quirkybookworm.blogspot.com. And, I am still ALL OVER social media. (Some things never change.)

Elsewhere:

Instagram/Threads/Facebook: howjessicareads
Goodreads: Jessica Howard
Shelf Awareness

Again, my apologies for the abrupt departure. I hope no hearts were broken. (wink) Thanks for a great five years of blogging!

Rivers of London: A Recap and Review of a Super Fun Series

2016-08-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

My friend Meghan told me a while ago to request Midnight Riot on audio from our library. So I did, and have been patiently working my way up the hold list. I blazed through the whole thing in just over a day about two weeks ago -- because Kobna Holdbrook-Smith does an AMAZING job of narrating all the different British accents in the story.

The basic premise of the series is that Peter Grant, a young constable with the Metropolitan Police, is shocked to discover that he's been talking to a ghost. And then things get even weirder, when a wizard shows up to explain to Peter that magic is real, and that he himself has latent magical ability. Soon apprenticed to the sorcerer, but simultaneously continuing his police work, Peter finds himself solving murders with "unusual" qualities to them.

The series is hilarious - full of tongue-in-cheek references to Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and other magical books; plus they're actually really good mysteries - with Grant narrating the typical way that police work is done in England (with some super amusing sarcastic asides). As his investigation into a series of murders goes on, he discovers links to Mama Thames (the goddess of the river), and her daughters - who include Fleet, Tyburn, and Beverly among others. (The sisters are all goddesses of minor London tributaries - hence the "Rivers of London" series - and British title of the first book. Not quite sure why they changed to Midnight Riot for the American edition.)

Book two, Moon Over Soho, found Peter and his sorcerer master investigating a series of deaths of jazz musicians. At one point he's theorizing why the musicians are dying, and he says he thinks it might be vampires who are feeding off the sound of the music. "You think there are vampires who feed off of jazz? JAZZ VAMPIRES??" I laughed out loud at the skeptical tone of voice. So great.

I'm 3/4 of the way through book 3, Whispers Underground, which is crazy, since I they're all around 11 hours long, and I stopped to listen to Naomi Novik's Uprooted in the middle! They really just are SO much fun on audio. I especially enjoy Peter's look at the world - his father is a white "cockney geezer" and jazz legend (which is partly how Peter got drawn into the events of Moon Over Soho), while his mother is a cleaning woman from West Africa, lending him a unique perspective on several different aspects of society in London. And, since I've visited London several times, I love reading about places I've been and streets I've walked.

If you like paranormal mysteries, or you're an Anglophile like me, you'll love these. And even if they're out of your normal comfort zone genre-wise, I really do recommend the audio versions extremely highly! I haven't read any in print, so they might not be quite as good without Holdbrook-Smith's superb narration, but I bet that they're still fun.

What audiobooks have YOU enjoyed lately?

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Four of Eight: How I'm Doing on My Reading Goals

2016-08-18T16:39:00.000-07:00

Well, hello there. I dropped off the face of the Internet through a dual combo of (a) Olympics (as referenced in my last post), and (b) reading. (Shocker, I know.) Here's a little update on how my reading has progressed so far this month!

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, etc.

Did I read it? Yes. Not as good as the original books - the script format interrupted some of the flow, and it was significantly shorter, but I still enjoyed returning to the Potter world; although I did miss the depth of story that the first 7 books had.

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

Did I read it? Ahem. Still halfway through. Haven't listened to any more in August - I got SO sidetracked by other audiobooks!

Perfect Girl by Gilly Macmillan

Did I read it? Nope. I lost it for a week. (Eventually found it at the bottom of a basket of clean laundry, which is both a testament to how I fail at putting laundry away, and having a toddler in the house...) But, in the meantime, I missed my review deadline, so I moved on to something else.

Homeplace by Kevin Wolf

Did I read it? Yes. It was pretty good for the first 97% - an atmospheric thriller set on the plains of Colorado... a bit reminiscent of Longmire. Then the motivations of the killer were revealed, and I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt.

Eleanor and Hick: The Love Affair that Shaped a First Lady by Susan Quinn

Did I read it? Not yet. I still may get there - but it is LONG, and I'm not sure that I'll have time.

Valiant Ambition by Nathaniel Philbrick

Did I read it? Yes! It was quite good. I ended up having a lot more sympathy for Benedict Arnold than I would have thought possible.

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty

Did I read it? Yes! It felt a little formulaic, and it was rather more sad than some of her other books. I appreciate she was maybe trying to stretch beyond her usually funny fare, but I didn't enjoy it as much as her other books. I still blazed through it though; she's captured the art of creating addicting books!

The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

Did I read it? I read the first 45 pages, but then it was due at the library, and I wasn't invested enough to pay an overdue fine. So I bailed.

So I'm only 4/8 for what I planned to read, which sounds like I haven't been reading. But, I have! I've read 4 more books that weren't on my list, which means I'm at 8 books for August so far, and it's only the 18th! Much better than I've been averaging lately. Plus, I'm in the middle of two more. Woohoo! More on most of those in a separate post soon. But, I will say that I read a cute little mom-approved (i.e. no sex) romance yesterday - The Coldwater Warm Hearts Club. It was fairly formulaic, but fun.

What have YOU been reading?

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Blogging Introspection, Brought to You By the Olympics

2016-08-08T21:01:00.001-07:00

It kind of freaks me out how accurate this post from 4 years ago still is. Because guess what I'm doing this evening? Playing Matching with Friends and Two Dots on my phone, while watching the Olympics. (The Olympic breadstick rings are from Saturday night, when I did exactly what I'm doing now, but with pizza.)

That's the weird thing about blogging for so many years - the tiny details that I would forget are so strangely entertaining when I come across them again.

Sometimes I think about giving up blogging totally. I mean, really, you guys would still find books without me! And I'd probably read more if I wasn't writing blog posts.

But then, a year from now, how will I remember what I was doing tonight??

In case you're looking for randomness to entertain you on Olympic commercial breaks, here are some of my favorite posts from the archives for this week in Quirky Bookworm history.

One Year Ago
#bookwormproblems - Anticipointment - You can thank my sister for this clever word.

Two Years Ago
Books for the Earliest of Readers - 30+ Books Your Emerging Reader Will Love Crazy to think that just two years ago we were at this point with Eleanor! I wonder if Juliet will be there in 18 months...? Seems unlikely at this point, but hey, maybe she'll surprise me!

Three Years Ago
I Can't WAIT to Read These Books (Spoiler alert: I read them all. And one of them was terrible. *cough* Allegiant *cough*)

August Reading Plan

2016-08-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the ambitious list of what I'm planning to read in August! (I'll be linking this post up with Sheila's New on the Stack link-up.) We'll see how well I actually do - but I'm hoping that my antipathy to failure will make me read more, since I'm putting this post out there.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, etc.
Why am I planning to read it? Well, duh. Harry Potter!
Where did I get it? I pre-ordered a copy
Preliminary thoughts: Well, I'm perhaps starting off with a bit of a cheat, since I already finished Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. But hey, I was planning to read it in August, so it still deserves to make the list. Not as good as the original books - the script format interrupted some of the flow, and it was significantly shorter, but I still really liked it.

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
Why am I planning to read it? I'm already reading it. I'm about 20 hours in to the audiobook. I'm hoping to buckle down and finish it this month though!
Where did I get it? Purchased from Audible.
Preliminary thoughts: It's really good, but so long. I find myself listening to 2-3 hours, and then taking a break for a few days. And sometimes when the book is talking about a part that has a song, I have to pause the book to listen to a little bit of the Hamilton soundtrack again.

Perfect Girl by Gilly Macmillan
Why am I planning to read it? For review.
Where did I get it? Shelf Awareness
Preliminary thoughts: Seems like a fairly typical thriller, although it centers around a high school musical prodigy, which is interesting.

Homeplace by Kevin Wolf
Why am I planning to read it? For review.
Where did I get it? Shelf Awareness
Preliminary thoughts: A literary mystery set in small-town Colorado. I'm skewing heavily British in my reading again, so I think a middle-American novel would be good.

Eleanor and Hick: The Love Affair that Shaped a First Lady by Susan Quinn
Why am I planning to read it? For review.
Where did I get it? Shelf Awareness
Preliminary thoughts: I'm a sucker for books with 'Eleanor' in the title! And I'm especially interested in this one since Eleanor Roosevelt was one of our naming inspirations for Eleanor.

Valiant Ambition by Nathaniel Philbrick
Why am I planning to read it? I've been on hold for it for ages.
Where did I get it? The library.
Preliminary thoughts: I've listened to about an hour, and it's good. But I'm totally going to end up mixing it up with Alexander Hamilton, because Scott Brick narrates both books!

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty
Why am I planning to read it? I love Moriarty's books.
Where did I get it? Purchased from Audible.
Preliminary thoughts: Addictingly good so far, as usual. A bit formulaic perhaps, but I'm still enjoying it. Just had to put it on pause for Valiant Ambition, since that's from the library!

The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
Why am I planning to read it? I'm not totally sure if I am. But part of me feels like I have to, since I have 2 weeks left, and there are 118 people on hold after me. There's no way I'll wait again.
Where did I get it? The library.
Preliminary thoughts: I genuinely know nothing about the plot. But I've heard a half dozen people say they hated it, and a half dozen people loved it. So maybe it'll be a bit like Fates & Furies?

What are YOU planning to read?

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July in Review: The 7 Books I Read

2016-08-02T13:25:00.001-07:00

I feel like I'm finally turning into a reader again! Phew. I'm still way below where I usually am by August (at 64 books read), but I think I'll hit 100 for the year. (Which I've done every year but one since I was 11ish.... which makes it feel imperative.)

Here's the wrap-up of the books I had planned to read:

The Paris Librarian by Hugo Marsten
Where I got it: From Shelf Awareness
Did I read it? Yep. It was a little awkward in the first chapter, lots of expository dialogue, but then I ended up liking it. The Parisian setting was lovely, and the mystery was decent.

Swear on This Life by Renee Carlino
Where I got it: From Shelf Awareness
Did I read it? Yes, I read the whole thing in one day! I couldn't put it down. It's a fictional story set within a fictional story - assistant professor Emiline discovers that a hugely popular new book is about her childhood; and realizes that the author must be her estranged childhood best friend. It's told in flashbacks and forwards between Emiline's present day, and the fictionalized version of her youth. I loved it!

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard
Where I got it: From the library
Did I read it? Halfway. And then I bailed, because I just didn't care at all what happened to Mare. I learned my lesson after struggling through the last Divergent book - there are too many YA books to waste your time on ones you don't care about!

A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
Where I got it: From Shelf Awareness
Did I read it? Yes! It was really good. I loved the first part of this series, and then got a little tired of it in the middle, but I really feel like the last book or two have been great again. This one features Gamache back at work, out of retirement, but this time he's trying to clean up corruption as the new head of the Quebec police academy.

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfield
Where I got it: From the library
Did I read it? Yes! I thought it was a lot of fun. I mean, I get why some Austen purists disliked it (transgender issues, hate sex, etc), but it made me laugh out loud several times. I read it all in one day too. (I'm noticing a theme here... either I binge books fast, or I don't read at all. Apparently my patient reading skills are broken - which explains why I have no nonfiction for July! I'm reading a couple of long ones, but they're slow going. Hopefully I'll wrap them up in August.)

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Where I got it: From the library
Did I read it? Nope, I ran out of time, so I'm going to re-request it from the library.

The Language of Sisters by Cathy Lamb
Where I got it: From Shelf Awareness
Did I read it? Yes, I enjoyed it. Some of the dialogue was clunky, but I really liked the premise -- 3 sisters who were born in the Soviet Union have moved (with their extended family) -- to Portland, where they are leading mostly happy lives, but each sister has something different in her personal life that she's struggling with. The antics of the huge Kozlovsky family made me giggle, especially the sisters' mom.

And here are the books I didn't plan to read, but did:

Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch

Where I got it: The library
Did I read it? I DEVOURED this on audio. It's incredibly fun - a paranormal mystery set in a slightly alternate universe London, where Scotland Yard also has to investigate magical crimes. SO good on audio - the narrator does a superb job with all the different English accents. Looking forward to the next one!

The Ninja's Daughter by Susan Spann

Where I got it: It randomly showed up in my mailbox.
Did I read it? Yes! I reviewed one of these a few years ago for a book tour, and I think the publisher must've still had my address on file. I liked this one better than the other one - the author has really settled into 16th century Japan. The details on Japanese culture made it a very interesting mystery.

All right, now to make an August plan! Because I read a lot more in July than I did in June. I think I need plans to keep me on track.

What did YOU read in July?

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Currently: What I'm Eating // Reminiscing About // Planning // Reading // Enjoying

2016-07-30T13:49:00.001-07:00

Time: 1:25pm
Eating // Nothing. And I probably won't eat anything for a few more hours because Noel & I went to Prep & Pastry for breakfast this morning, and wowzers am I still full. Noel got the Salmon Beni and I got the Breakfast Sammy, and we split a Churro Doughssant for dessert. (I am ALL about restaurants that offer breakfast dessert.)
Drinking // A water and a diet coke. I'm the kind of person who always needs 2-3 cupholders in a vehicle. Which works out ok, except on the rare occasions I have a passenger old enough to sit in the front seat and steal one of my cupholders.
Planning // The book/song schedule for the new toddler story time I'm starting at church on Monday morning. I'm pretty excited about it!
Reminiscing About // Wuv. Twue wuv. Our 10th anniversary was yesterday, and thanks to the glory of social media, I've been indulging in a trip down memory lane. I shared a handful of pics on Instagram, if you want to see some silly pictures of Noel and I.
Wishing // That my house would clean itself. Eleanor stayed home sick from school on Thursday & Friday (and judging by how congested Juliet sounds today, she's catching it). Anyway, what with small, cranky people to entertain, and the fact that we've had a busy couple of days with socializing for friends' birthdays, and celebrating our anniversary... the house is a DISASTER. Which wouldn't be a huge problem, except that I'm having 15 friends over to celebrate Harry Potter's 36th birthday tomorrow night. So yeah, I've gotta motivate myself away from my celebratory lazy indulgence, and into cleaning mode sometime this evening!
Enjoying // All the #DemsinPhilly tweets on Twitter made me quite happy. And that video of Bill Clinton playing with balloons makes me giggle so much!
Reading // I'm loving Truly, Madly, Guilty on audio, and I read the entirety of Eligible yesterday. I thought it was a fun read, and I enjoyed the luxury of staying up late with a book, since I knew we'd get to sleep in today (the girls spent the night at my sister-in-law's house last night).
Debating // My new haircut. I got it cut and got purple lowlights put in yesterday. I really like the haircut, but the purple actually doesn't particularly show. I'm torn between "I paid a lot, I should contact the stylist and ask for a re-do since I'm not happy" and "Ack, I can't be confrontational, I'll just wait and do some home dye later..." We'll see what wins.
Watching // I've been indulging in quite the Orphan Black binge lately. Noel's going to be gone at another birthday party tonight, and I think after I get the girls to bed, I'm going to try and finish off season 2.
Time: 1:40pm

What are YOU into?

P.S. I'm planning to link this up with Leigh Kramer's What I'm Into link-up... if I remember!

The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell: A Book Review (and Giveaway!)

2016-07-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Lisa Jewell (The Making of Us, The Third Wife) does a beautiful job of creating large casts of detailed and believable characters in her novels. Some are likable, some are not, and Jewell carefully explores what makes each of them tick, from the unstable to the overachievers to those in search of love. I always love her books, even if I hate some of the characters.

The Girls in the Garden is no exception, featuring a cast of families who live around the same exclusive garden square in a London neighborhood. The communal space creates a lovely intimacy among the residents, and the teens and preteens of the surrounding flats and houses run wild in it with the blessing of their parents. Then the dreadful moment at the midsummer party when 12-year-old Pip discovers her 13-year-old sister, Grace, bleeding and unconscious, ruptures their placid way of life, and brings old secrets to the surface.

Begging the question of whether anyone ever truly knows their neighbors, The Girls in the Garden is a delicate exploration of teenage love and rivalry, mental illness and how far people will go to protect those they care about. The way Jewell structures the novel--beginning with Pip finding Grace, and then flashing back to six months earlier--leaves the reader eager to find out what ultimately happens. Fans of Liane Moriarty and JoJo Moyes will love The Girls in the Garden, as will anyone who remembers the angst and ecstasy of being a teenager.

I liked Pip and Grace a lot, and so I was uneasy the whole book, anxious to find out what happened to Grace. I also thought it was a little funny (since I live in an area where homeschooling is very popular...) that the homeschoolers in this book were presented as such counter-cultural oddities. But, I'm sure homeschooling is much less common in England!

Anyway, this is a fast, addicting sort of read - perfect for a lazy summer afternoon. And so I checked with the publisher, and they kindly agreed to give away a copy of the book to one of you!

To enter to win, please leave a comment letting me know what Lisa Jewell books you've enjoyed, or (if you've never read her) who your favorite modern English author is.

Comments will close in one week (on July 31, 2016), and the winner that random.org chooses will be notified soon thereafter. US & Canadian addresses only please! Good luck!

(I originally wrote most of this review for Shelf Awareness. The publisher is providing a copy to you at no cost to me. I just liked the book enough that I asked for one, so that one of you could read it too!)

UPDATE: 8/2 - the winner is commenter #9, Stacie! Congrats Stacie, I'll be contacting you for your mailing info.

July Reading Plan: New on the Stack

2016-07-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

Consider this post the virtual version of adding something you've already done at the end of a list, just so you can have the joy of checking it off! Here's my reading plan for July.

The Paris Librarian by Hugo Marsten
Why: For review
Where I got it: From Shelf Awareness
Did I read it? Yep. It was a little awkward in the first chapter, lots of expository dialogue, but then I ended up really liking it. The Parisian setting was lovely.

Swear on This Life by Renee Carlino
Why: For review
Where I got it: From Shelf Awareness
Did I read it? Yes, I read the whole thing in one day! I couldn't put it down.

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard
Why: as the follow-up to Red Queen
Where I got it: From the library
Did I read it? Halfway. And then I bailed, because I just didn't care at all what happened to Mare.

A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
Why: For review
Where I got it: From Shelf Awareness
Did I read it? Yes! It was really good. I loved the first part of this series, and then got a little tired of it in the middle, but I really feel like the last book or two have been great again.

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfield
Why: It's been so hyped lately!
Where I got it: From the library
Did I read it? Haven't yet. I have another week till it's due at the library. We shall see if I have time!

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Why: For fun; I really liked hearing Carson speak at TFOB in March.
Where I got it: From the library
Did I read it? Haven't gotten to it yet... but hopefully soon! Like Eligible, I have a week left. I think I'll probably pick this one instead of Eligible if I run out of time for both.

The Language of Sisters by Cathy Lamb
Why: For review
Where I got it: From Shelf Awareness
Did I read it? I'm a couple of chapters in. So far so good!

What are YOU reading this month?

This post contains some affiliate links. Thanks for supporting Quirky Bookworm! And, I'm linking up with the New on the Stack link-up over at the Deliberate Reader.

Eleanor's Favorite Series

2016-07-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

We made strawberry jam as a meet-the-teacher gift; and E designed a card saying "I hope your class will be "strawsome".

Today is Eleanor's first day of first grade! (We live in a district with a modified year-round schedule.) In honor of that milestone, she's helped me make a list of her favorite series to share with you.*

Cupcake Diaries

Eleanor likes these "because they're creative, and they bake cupcakes which are sugary".

Judy Moody

"I don't know why I like them. I just do." (Note from Jessica: I think I need to read one of these! She giggles out loud SO MUCH when she's reading them. It's adorable.)

The Sisters 8

"I like that the sisters have adventures. And a robot to clean their house. And they have plants inside their house and a big watering can that zips around the ceiling and stops over each plant to water it. And once it watered Rebecca."

The Buddy Files

"Buddy is a funny dog detective. He's not good at math. When he counts to 3 he's like, 'One, seven, five.' "

Just Grace

"There are lots of comics and drawings inside these books. Mimi has a little brother named Robert who loves to play with her dog, Mr. Scruffers. It's a girl dog but has a boy name."

What books did you like as a first grader?

(I was HUGELY into Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden, but alas, I can't get Eleanor into either of them, no matter how hard I try. Maybe one of these days...)

*She does read ahead of grade level; so just know that some of these books may be too hard for some first graders! But hang on to this list for later, because she promises they're all great. Also, images are affiliate links. Thanks for supporting Quirky Bookworm!

Knowing When To Let Go (A Bookish Dilemma)

2016-07-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

I've been struggling with my #harrypotterthon16 goals. Eleanor and I are still working through Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and I tried reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets concurrently, but it was just bugging me to move on in the series without finishing book 1 first. Plus, Shelf Awareness asked me to read two extra books for July, which cut down on my "fun" reading time.

I was feeling kind of stressed about failing at my own readalong; but then I realized that really, I've read all the books multiple times. I can still talk about them in the YA Book Club, and enjoy listening to what everyone else has to say about them! And it's better to quit the the readalong than to stress myself out.

I also was listening to Glass Sword on audio, but I just officially bailed. I tried it in print a few months ago, and couldn't get into it; so I waited for the audio to come in at the library. I've listened to almost 2/3 of it now, and I don't care at all what happens to any of the characters, so I'm just giving up on it. I mean, you could say I've wasted 8 hours of my life... or you could say I'm saving 6 hours by quitting while I'm ahead!

It's so hard to give up on books sometimes, especially when I feel like I "ought" to read them, or they're actually really well-written. But sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

When do YOU quit a book?

Book Review: People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

2016-07-11T14:36:00.000-07:00

I was out of town for a couple of days, and missed picking up Geraldine Brooks's latest book - The Secret Chord. Whoops! So I've re-requested it from the library. I feel like I have a love-hate relationship with most of her books - I loved Caleb's Crossing and People of the Book, but I was super irritated by March, and had mixed feelings about Year of Wonder.

My favorite, People of the Book, tells the story of the Sarajevo Haggadah, an illustrated Jewish manuscript from the 15th century that needs authentication from Dr. Hanna Heath, an Australian rare books expert. Hanna flies to war-torn Sarajevo in 1996, and is entranced by the beauty of the Haggadah. According to Jewish tradition, images of the Scriptures are not allowed, but this book proves the exception to the rule. Hanna finds several small clues hidden between the pages of the book: such as a wine stain, a salt stain, and a white hair, that set her on a quest to find out who created this unusual Haggadah, and why.

I liked that People of the Book revealed the secrets of the Haggadah in reverse order, starting with the story of a young Jewish girl running from the Nazis in WWII, and the Muslim family that protected her and the Haggadah. The story progressed from WWII back to turn-of-the-century Vienna, then back to sixteenth century Venice, then back to Spain during the Inquisition, and finally back to the source of the book. The book is told in alternating chapters, flashing back and forth between the story of Hanna in the present day, and the other people who helped protect the book over its long and varied history.

And I appreciated that although People of the Book could have easily fallen into the same silly historical-quest type mold as Dan Brown or Steve Berry or all the other copycats out there, it didn't. There was no big conspiracy, just a story of an intriguing young woman, her love for beautiful books, and this one particularly beautiful book that had touched so many lives over so many centuries. The plot was a tad predictable (the big surprise that Hanna is blindsided by was pretty obvious about six chapters earlier) but that's not a huge complaint, I didn't mind seeing exactly how the characters were going to get to that point of the story.

If you're looking for an enjoyable historical fiction book, I'd highly recommend People of the Book. And hopefully I can fill you in on The Secret Chord soon!

Are YOU a fan of Geraldine Brooks?

June in Review

2016-07-05T15:17:00.000-07:00

June was fairly abysmal reading-wise for me - so many books I didn't really like. But Eleanor did super well! She read all the books in that picture in less than 10 days!

Books I Read:

The Angel's Share - Disliked. Definitely not my kind of book.
The Vault of Dreamers - Underwhelmed. But gonna try book 2.
Year of Yes - Loved it! So much! More on that soon.
Santorini Sunsets - Underwhelmed. This author gets a lot of great reviews on Amazon though; so maybe I'm just not her target audience.
Doomsday Book - Liked the premise, got really bored by the slow pacing in the middle, enjoyed the end. Debating trying book 2 in the series.
Brussels Noir - Enjoyed it. A couple of great short stories, a few less interesting. So I gave it 3 stars overall.

Books Still in Progress:

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Maybe I was wrong and I wasn't ready for a reread after all? I've gotta BLAZE through the rest of #harrypotterthon16 if I'm gonna be ready by the 31st!
The Boys in the Boat - I totally forgot I was reading this, because Juliet somehow reset my kindle to factory settings, so it disappeared. And then I looked at Goodreads, and was like, "Oh yeah!" and re-downloaded it.
The Paris Librarian - This is ok. Not great so far. But, Deborah Crombie told me she loves this series, so I'm giving it another shot.

Milestones Achieved:

I pulled Eleanor's tooth by tying floss around it and yanking it out! Just in time to avoid having to pay the dentist for an extraction, haha. So I told the tooth fairy to bring her 2 dollars instead of the usual $1.
Tucson had its rainiest July 1st in 118 years. It was CRAZY, I don't think I've ever seen rain that hard. We had a small leak in the roof over our dining room; but we luckily have a very handy neighbor who was able to help Noel replace the flashing under the tiles.
Noel and I watched two entire seasons of Fixer-Upper. I am now totally ready to knock down walls in our house.
I weaned Juliet. (Finally!) And now in appropriately hormonal fashion I have slightly mixed feelings about being done breastfeeding forever.
After listening to the Hamilton soundtrack way too many times, I took the plunge and bought Ron Chernow's Alexander Hamilton on audio. It's more than 36 hours long; but I'm already 9 hours in so far, and I'm loving it. I listened to several hours of it while doing some batch-cooking on the 4th, and it seemed very patriotically apropos.

How was YOUR June?

The Best Books of 2016 (So Far)

2016-06-29T15:28:00.000-07:00

I have completed 54 books so far in 2016, and I'm partway through 4 more. It seems rather unlikely I'll finish all 5 by tomorrow night - so let's say that I read roughly 55 books for the first half of the year.

I like to highlight the top 10 percent (ish) of what I read, so here are the 6 best books of 2016. (A Man Called Ove and The Etymologicon would also definitely have made this list because I loved them so much, but they were published in 2015 and 2011 respectively.)

Since I was impatiently waiting for the conclusion of several young adult series, you will probably be unsurprised to discover that 3 of my best 6 are YA titles.

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater. Actually, now that I think about it, I have completed 55 books so far this year - because I read The Raven King twice - once on April 26th, and once the first week of May. It's that good. Enough said. (Sidenote: I've been recommending this series like crazy, and I feel like I should perhaps caveat it a bit with: tons of magic, tons of swears.)
The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski. I was pleasantly surprised by this trilogy; which is just another fluffy YA romance on the surface, but ends up getting pretty deep and oddly poetic, considering it's a series about war.
Morning Star by Pierce Brown. If it wasn't for The Raven King, this would be my best book of the year so far. It's just SO great you guys. And for a book set in outer space, it's basically all about the nature of humanity. Just FYI, Pierce Brown will play with your heart though. I definitely threw the book down and YELLED at one point, but I loved it by the end.

But, I didn't read only YA this year. I've read a bit of nonfiction, although no 2016 titles yet, since I'm still waiting for the new Nathaniel Philbrick from the library! So my other top 3 are all fiction.

Another One Goes Tonight by Peter Lovesey. I've adored this series for ages, since it's set in Bath, England, and Bath is one of my favorite cities. Plus Superintendent Peter Diamond is such a great character! In this novel, Diamond saves a car crash victim's life, only to discover he may have just applied CPR to a serial killer. The man in question lies in a coma, and I loved the twists and turns that happened as Diamond investigated the comatose man's life.*
Valley of the Moon by Melanie Gideon. The premise of this novel is a bit hard to explain - it's kind of a Brigadoon-esque romance. In 1975, single mother Lux goes camping alone one night, and accidentally stumbles into a 1906 commune called Greengage. Greengage was founded by a visionary man named Joseph, and Lux finds herself drawn to the idyllic world; although she can't bear to leave her 5 year old son in the modern day. The story of how she reconciles the past and present is super compelling - I keep finding myself thinking about this one.*
When Falcons Fall by C.S. Harris. (Dreamy sigh) I have already documented my endless love for Sebastian St. Cyr here and chose him for my Martian dream team here. This was an excellent entry in a wonderful historical mystery series.

What are the best 2016 books YOU have read so far?

*This post contains affiliate links. I reviewed starred titles for Shelf Awareness, they may not have actually been published yet.

Overwhelmed and Underwhelmed: A Bookish Saga

2016-06-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

My current "to read" stack is overwhelming me. I ran into a similar situation last month, where all my needs-reviewed books and library holds arrived at once. I powered through, and read a ton of books. But for some reason this month, it makes me want to hide away and watch Netflix. There are just so many good choices that I can't choose!

It also doesn't help that Juliet's been on a staying-up-late kick, so by the time I get her to bed I'm usually ready to just sleep. The other night I actually got her down by 9, and I was hoping to get a good chunk of reading time, but instead I found myself staring at my huge pile of books/instagramming my dilemma.

Since I took the pic I managed to read one library book (The Vault of Dreamers), and one book for review (The Angels' Share), which were both a bit underwhelming, sadly. I've never read J.R. Ward since I'm not into paranormal stuff; but she gets tons and tons of 5 star reviews. The Angels' Share is book 2 in a trilogy about a Kentuckian family that's practically bourbon royalty, but I found it rather misogynistic. Not sure if that compares with her vampire fiction or not.

I loved Caragh M. O'Brien's Birthmarked trilogy, and I liked the premise of The Vault of Dreamers, the first book in her newest series, a lot - it's about a girl at an exclusive arts-centered high school which is a reality show by day. But, all students are required to take a sleeping pill to knock them out at night, which supposedly makes them more creative during the day. Rosie becomes convinced that bad things are happening at night, and she starts skipping her sleeping pill. It got a little redundant in the middle, but then it had a HUGE CLIFFHANGER ending. I had been losing interest in the story a bit, but naturally now I need to know how it ends, so I just requested that the library buy book two - The Rule of Mirrors.

And now, I should probably quit blogging, and get back to those big ole piles of books! Some of them are due at the library in just a day or two. And hopefully one of them will be super awesome and motivate me to read the rest!

Anything underwhelmed you lately?

Favorite Quotes from Pride and Prejudice

2016-06-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

A few months ago on The Popcast, co-host Knox made fun of me for saying that I quote Pride & Prejudice all the time with my family. (I'm not entirely sure about which episode it was, but I think this one.) I stand by my quotes, however, because Jane Austen herself is pretty darn quotable, and then the Colin Firth version of the movie is just awesome.

In my family, whenever someone coughs, someone else is quite likely to say, "Stop coughing! Have you no pity for my poor nerves?"

Or if something is merely ok, one of my siblings might say disparagingly, "Tolerable, I suppose."

If someone does something particularly dumb (ahem, not for nothing do I call myself sorta blonde), “For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn?” is often quite apropos.

And, of course, there's always the Mr. Collins wave, sure to make anyone laugh. The more creepy the better!

So don't mind us, we're just gonna keep quoting Pride & Prejudice over here.

Is there a book or movie that your family quotes?

Cookbook Review: Back to the Kitchen with Freddie Prinze Jr.

2016-06-17T00:00:00.001-07:00

I don't know about you, but I was kind of surprised when Shelf Awareness asked me to review this cookbook, because I had no idea that Freddie Prinze Jr. was a great cook!

But apparently Freddie has spent a lifetime making food for the people he loves and works with. Raised in Albuquerque, N.Mex., by his mother, and summering in Puerto Rico with his late father's family, Freddie grew up surrounded by vibrant flavors. The food he creates is clearly inspired by New Mexican and Puerto Rican flavors, and his passion for sharing his love of cooking with his own kids is a reflection of an upbringing where he was taught to appreciate food and the cooking process.

Back to the Kitchen is a great cookbook, chock-full of gorgeous photographs, simple recipes and fun stories from his acting career--like when Freddie cooked pans of green chile chicken enchiladas for the cast and crew of Buffy the Vampire Slayer while visiting his wife, Sarah Michelle Gellar, on set. His daughter, Charlotte, is his biggest kitchen assistant, and several of her favorite recipes--including "Charlie's Dessert"--are included.

With dishes including The Rock's Cinnamon Pancakes; Roasted Chicken with Lemon, Lime, Orange and Mexican Beer; and Mushroom Risotto Made Easyish, Freddie's no-nonsense approach to satisfying meals will make home cooks want to try everything, while the mouthwatering photographs of each recipe will keep the reader's stomach growling. And the cute pictures of his kids in the kitchen and his often-repeated mantra about the importance of passing on your interests to your children just might inspire other parents to start cooking with their kids.

I love to spend time in the kitchen with my own girls, and it makes me happy to see a celebrity doing the same thing with his kids! If you happen to need a last minute Father's Day gift, this might be a great choice!

Do YOU like to cook?

Aaron Burr: More Than Just the Guy Who Killed Alexander Hamilton

2016-06-13T00:00:00.001-07:00

I'm sure I wasn't the only one geeking out over the Tony Awards last night. I've been loving the Hamilton soundtrack, I've watched Lin Manuel Miranda's carpool karaoke several times, and I loved seeing the cast perform during the awards!

And then, coincidentally, I was looking through some old book lists, and I remembered that waaaay back in 2008 I read Nancy Isenberg's Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr, which was basically a big attempt to whitewash the most maligned of the founding fathers.

While I will admit that Burr was obviously tainted by the duel with Hamilton and that his tarnished image was unfair, I kind of feel like American history needs him as a bad guy. If all the founding fathers were really that great, then it just makes the current political trends in this country even more depressing. (I mean, come on. I'd take Aaron Burr over Donald Trump in a heartbeat!)

We need to know that Hamilton picked fights and Adams was bad-tempered and that Jefferson could be petty and duplicitous, and that Burr was a murderous, lecherous, possibly treasonous man. I'll give us George Washington as a paragon of perfection, I think it's just as necessary to have a "good guy" to look up to, but I think Burr is needed as the archetypical antithesis of Washington's persona.

This is partially Isenberg's point of course, she points out that Burr has had popular biographies, movies, and even pornography (!!!) written about him, but up until now there was never a serious intellectual biography about him. Most historians of the founding era have been content to let him remain the bad guy, the scheming counterpart to the others' nobility. It seems like Isenberg has gone too far the other way though; her attempts to show that Burr's shady land deals and frank sexual affairs were just part of his era, or at least no worse than any of his other contemporaries on the New York political scene don't make him seen any less sketchy; they just make all the politicians, including the Clintons and other big New York families seem equally tarnished.

The two things that I learned about Burr that really interested me were (1) that he was Jonathan Edwards' grandson. (How did I miss this?!?) and (2) that he was pretty much an early feminist. His wife Theodosia was ten years his senior, a well-educated, articulate, political hostess, who was actually married to a British officer when he met her. He and Theodosia exchanged very intellectual letters discussing the educational philosophy of Rousseau and the feminist philosophy of Wollstonecraft. Their daughter Theodosia was educated in Greek and Latin, highly unusual for a woman of that era, and Burr treated both Theodosias as his intellectual equals, a refreshing mindset in a man of his status.

I do think that Isenberg brought up a good point here; that both Theodosias died young, and therefore Burr didn't have numerous progeny polishing his image for posterity the way that Adams and Washington and other founding fathers did. But all in all, I got the vague impression that the book was as much about Isenberg trying to resolve a crush on Aaron Burr as it was about revamping his image. If you're looking for an unusual lens for viewing early American history through, this book will fit the bill. Otherwise, I'd stick to David McCullough or Joseph Ellis, they're much more readable.

And, of course, one of these days I need to actually get around to reading Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow! I heard that Hamilton the play is coming to Tempe in 2017, so if I can manage to get my hands on tickets without having to sell a child, I'll definitely read the book!

What say you? Team Burr, anyone?

Currently: What I'm Watching/ Doing/ Reading/ Listening To

2016-06-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

Currently: 9:34pm

Watching // Fixer-Upper. Guys, HGTV and Food Network are what I missed the most when we gave up cable, and now Netflix has so many options! Yippee!
Reading // I've been working through The Boys in the Boat in the evenings before bed (it's a perfect before-bed read for me), and The Bassoon King on audio in the car. I need to get another audio started on my phone, or another book (since I'm kind of falling behind on my #harrypotterthon16 plans already), but I've been, ahem, sidetracked by Fixer-Upper.
Kid-Reading // Eleanor has been really into the Cupcake Diaries and Piper Reed, and Juliet is OBSESSED with the Muddle & Match Imagine book from Usborne.
Doing // Avoiding the heat! We've been visiting grandmas (mostly to take advantage of their swimming pools, ha) and the library a LOT. I think tomorrow we may break things up with a Trader Joe's run. Ah the excitement. I'm already counting down the days till October, when we can get back to our park time routines again.
Listening To // I'm still loving The West Wing Weekly so much. And I've joined the Hamilton obsessives - the music is just SO GREAT.
Planning // We're doing little themed weeks all summer (I say "all summer" as if it's super long, even though we only have 5 weeks till first grade starts.) This week is Princess Unicorn Camp, and next week is Nature Exploration Camp. I'm trying to decide if I'm brave enough to take the girls up Mt. Lemmon on Friday.
Eating // Way, way too much sugar. I sprained my ankle pretty badly last month, so I haven't been able to do any of my exercise classes at the Y since then. So, naturally, I'm compensating by eating way more food. Ah well, hopefully I'll be able to get things under control once start exercising again.

What are YOU currently into?

Sum-Sum-Summertime Giveaway! (Two Books for You to Win!)

2016-06-08T08:13:00.000-07:00

Summer has been here in Arizona for a while, but judging by social media, even Canada is warming up now!

So in honor of summer temperatures and schedules, here are two books for you to win! They're both light, fun reads, perfect for reading poolside, or on the beach.

The first is a novel set on Butternut Lake in Minnesota. Two sisters: straight-laced Win and free spirit Poppy, end up back at the cabin where, as children, they spent summers with their grandparents. What starts out as awkward ends up with both sisters discovering truths about themselves and each other (and meeting some handsome men along the way...).

The second is a historical mystery set in Edwardian England. Fans of the Maisie Dobbs series are sure to enjoy Lady Frances Ffolkes, an intrepid suffragist. I particularly liked the relationship between Lady Frances and her maid, who assisted her in her investigation into the missing manuscript of a dead Boer War veteran.

To win one: leave a comment telling me which book sounds more interesting to you. Both books will be published on 6/14, so the giveaway closes that night. Then I'll contact the winning commenter on 6/15... and you will have 24 hours to get me your address in order to win BOTH books. US & Canada residents only please. (The publishers are kindly providing copies of the books to one of you... they also sent me copies for review, but all opinions are my own.)

6/16: Edited to announce the winner! Commenter #15 - Moira @ Hearth and Homefront. Congrats Moira, I'll be contacting you for your mailing details.

Monday Fun - Bookish Links and Quizzes

2016-06-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! Here are a few fun distractions to beat the Monday blahs.

I'm so surprised by this list I came across. The BBC asked a bunch of non-British critics to rank the most important English novels of all time... and they compiled a list of 100 titles. And I've only read 18 of them! I guess my Anglophilia only extends to non-important British books, ha!
I only got 17 out of 20 on this YA Book Cover quiz. Shocking!
Do you love these book pins as much as I do?! They're so adorable!!
And, I'm feeling super happy about my decision to host #harrypotterthon16 this summer, especially after seeing all of these cast photos from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child! I wish I was in London this summer! And that I had thousands of dollars to spare for a ticket...
This list of American foods an Australian reader misunderstood made me laugh a lot! I love that she pictured "ice cream sandwiches" as scoops of ice cream between slices of white bread.

From the Quirky Bookworm archives for this week:

4 years ago: Audio Review: The Likeness by Tana French
3 years ago: How fast do YOU read?
2 years ago: What Does the Fox Say? (A Dramatic Reading)
1 year ago: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (A Book Review, With Pictures)

I kind of forgot about the "What Does the Fox Say?" phenomenon! Must get Juliet to start saying "Geringadingdingdingding" again.

Beauty and the Beast Retellings You Should Read (While You Wait For the Movie Next Year!)

2016-06-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

My sister and I have been totally geeking out about the new Beauty and the Beast trailer, and spent a long time researching the cast (Emma Thompson! Emma Watson! Luke Evans! Stanley Tucci!). It really is a staggeringly good cast, and the trailer makes me think they're going to do justice to my favorite Disney movie, hooray!

I've seen the animated one about a billion times and I smile every time one of the many Beast library memes pops up in my feed.

I've also read several Beauty & the Beast retellings, and I thought I'd share some of them with you, in case you are also dying for the movie to come out.

Beauty by Robin McKinley

This is a lovely little book which I greatly enjoyed as a kid. I think partly because I hoped that I too would come out of my awkard/gangly teenage phase as a beauty. (Alas, ha!) We read it last year in the YA Book Club, and you can find my full review of it here.

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

I had a hard time getting into this one actually, but I know so many people who have raved about it. I did find the world really interesting - parchment sky and all; but I found the heroine, Nyx, to be less likeable than the "Beast".

Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley

Yes, Robin McKinley has written two different retellings of the same fairy tale! Since I love Beauty and Spindle's End (her retelling of Sleeping Beauty), I'm not quite sure why I haven't read this one yet. Several people have told me that they think it's better than Beauty.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Research for this post led me to A Court of Thorns and Roses, and I'm now on hold for it at the library! I'm super intrigued by the way Maas combines faerie lore and the Beauty & the Beast story -- as young Feyre is imprisoned by a former faerie, turned beast, named Tamlin. It gets really great reviews on Goodreads, so I'm excited to read it!

Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier

I've been meaning to read this one for a long time. Actually, I've been meaning to read any Marillier book! I hear such good things, and I even bought a copy of Shadowfell, but I just always seem to run out of time. This one is about a young scribe, Caitrin, who comes to Whistling Tor, and discovers surprising truths about the dreaded chieftain Anluan. I think the medieval setting to this one is particularly appealing, since it's more historical, and less fantasy, which is a fun twist.

What's YOUR favorite Disney movie?

You might also enjoy reading my reviews of:
The Fairest of Them All by Carolyn Turgeon (A Rapunzel-Snow White mashup)
Cinder (a Cinderella retelling)

#harrypotterthon16 - A Summer 2016 Harry Potter Readathon

2016-05-31T15:05:00.000-07:00

I've been itching for a Harry Potter re-read ever since I bought the illustrated edition of the first book at Christmastime. And since the "eighth book" (the script for the play of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) will be coming out in July, it seems like the perfect time for a summer readathon!

So during June and July I'll be re-reading Harry Potter, and posting about it online with the hashtag #HarryPotterthon16. I'd love for you to join me!

If you'd like to join in, leave a comment on this post by 6/30/16. Then at the end of July, anyone who commented on this post, and shared something on social media with the #HarryPotterthon16 hashtag, will be entered into a drawing for a $15 Amazon gift card (to be applied toward the purchase of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, if you so desire!).

This is a really low pressure readathon - no weekly or monthly check-ins, and I'm not following a super specific schedule.

But roughly, it'll go like this:

June

First week - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Second week - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Third week - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Fourth week - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

July

First 10 days - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Middle 10 days - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Last 10 days - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

We'll also be discussing the books in the YA Book Club Hangout if you'd like to join us.

Just a reminder - you are 100% free to use the #harrypotterthon16 hashtag and jump in whenever. But, if you want to be entered in the $15 Amazon giveaway, you have to leave a comment on this post by 6/30/16 AND share the readathon on social media.

Woohoo! Happy reading! I'm hoping to read the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone with Eleanor tomorrow.

Shadow Spinner by Susan Fletcher (Iran Link-Up #1 for RTFEBC)

2016-05-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

I've long been a fan of fairy tale retellings (watch for another post on this theme later this week!), and as a kid I loved reading the 'complete book of fairy tales' compilation that my grandparents had. The story of Scherazade was included in that compilation, and I always admired her bravery in standing up to the Sultan.

In the Reading Together Family Exploration Book Club we're discussing books set in Iran for May and June (I'm excited to reread Persepolis next month!), and the May selection is Susan Fletcher's Shadow Spinner. In this story, a young servant named Marjan (who has a crippled foot), dreams of becoming a storyteller like the famed Shahrazad.

Then, to Marjan's surprise, she gets drawn into the intrigue of the harem, and ends up helping Shahrazad spin stories to the sultan.

It was a cute book, but I kind of had a hard time getting into it. I think that was mostly because I didn't love the narrator, and for some reason the Pima County library system only has the book available on audio. I loved the twist on the familiar Shahrazad story though, and I think it's one I'd like to get Eleanor to read in a couple of years (once I'm ready to explain what a harem is, ha!).

Do you like fairy tale retellings?

Don't forget to link-up your own Iran-themed posts for this month's RTFEBC link-up, and be sure to check out Katie and Sheila's posts about it.

An InLinkz Link-up

June 2016 Book Releases to Watch For

2016-05-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

There are a bunch of really fun books coming out in June! I've already read a few early copies of some of them, but there are others I can't wait to check out!

Modern Lovers by Emma Straub*

I haven't read Straub's more famous book (The Vacationers), but I enjoyed this tale of midlife crisis and love. During a hot Brooklyn summer two couples (Elizabeth & Andrew and Zoe & Jane) discover that their kids are sleeping together. Elizabeth learns some shocking things about Andrew's past, and Zoe makes some surprising discoveries about her future with Jane.

The Space Between Sisters by Mary McNear*

Another summer novel; this one set on a Minnesota lake, where two very different sisters -- carefree Poppy and uptight Win -- must reconcile some difficult situations in their pasts while navigating new relationships with two handsome men.

Hogwarts Classics by J.K. Rowling

I never bought Tales of Beedle the Bard, but this new boxed set is so pretty I just might have to!

Duty and Honor by Tom Clancy

I know this one seems randomly off-brand for me, but in high school I went through a BIG Tom Clancy phase, and I usually read the new Jack Ryan novels eventually, mostly just out of nostalgia.

Outlander Kitchen by Theresa Carle-Sanders

This one kinda makes me laugh, not gonna lie. But it would be a good present for the Outlander addict in your life! (Because he/she has probably already ordered book 8 in the series, which also comes out in June.)

Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War by Mary Roach

I didn't enjoy Roach's Gulp, but I really liked Stiff, so I think I might give this new one a shot. I love this kind of light nonfiction.

Romeo and/or Juliet by Ryan North

This seems so fun! I read a choose-your-own-Austen adventure book a few years ago, and this seems similarly entertaining.

Death on the Sapphire by R.J. Koreto*

A fun historical mystery set in Edwardian England, starring suffragist Lady Frances Ffolkes as an intrepid amateur investigator. I really enjoyed this one - it was a bit reminiscent of the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear.

What books are YOU looking forward to?

*Shelf Awareness sent me these for review, but all opinions are my own. Also: cover images are affiliate links.