3.5 stars Nowhere Book Bingo: Book with BIPOC author and main character CBR16 Sweet Books: Cozy
In very short order, Antonia Harper has lost her job and 3.5 stars Nowhere Book Bingo: Book with BIPOC author and main character CBR16 Sweet Books: Cozy
In very short order, Antonia Harper has lost her job and discovered that her fiancée was cheating on her, very shortly before the wedding. The honeymoon was supposed to be in Ireland, and Antonia decides to travel there by herself. Her spiteful ex has cancelled their original reservations, but she rents a cottage to stay in instead. With nothing else to distract her, Antonia decides to make a stab at writing more of the romance novel she's been dreaming of completing (but never had time for, what with her busy job as an editor and trying to plan a wedding). She isn't exactly happy with men in general at present, but the handsome professor in the cottage next door is making her reconsider her wish to be alone.
Aidan Byrnes is a literature professor who is finding his job difficult at the moment. He's rented a cottage in the little town of Tully Cross to get some peace and quiet and to finally have the time and focus to complete an important academic paper. He first runs into Antonia in the tiny supermarket nearby and is both surprised and delighted to discover that she is staying in the cottage next to his. Still slightly weary of romantic entanglements after his girlfriend dumped him a year previous, Aiden nevertheless can't stop thinking about Antonia, who he discovers is not only gorgeous but clever, educated, and funny as well.
What starts out as a bit of a holiday fling begins to turn serious pretty quickly. Neither Antonia nor Aidan were expecting to meet anyone, let alone start falling for them in the sleepy village of Tully Cross. Yet Aiden has a job at an Irish university, and Antonia's life is back in America. Can their fledgling romance turn into something more permanent, with an entire ocean between them?
This is my first novel by Charish Reid and it was fun, but not exactly a perfect read. I really liked Antonia and Aiden as characters, both apart and together. Both are hard-working and devoted to their jobs (but obviously Antonia is unemployed for much of the book since she loses her job early on). Antonia is also very close to her family, especially her sister, which made it difficult when they clearly weren't enthusiastic about her upcoming wedding. I would love to read a sequel novel about her sister.
The majority of the book is set in Ireland, and while I'm sure Irish villages are very quaint and welcoming, it seems like a slightly exaggerated ideal of the place. No one is unpleasant, racist, or rude. I understand that those aren't exactly things that you would want in a fluffy escapist romance, but from my experience, not all small-town folk anywhere are open-minded and whole-heartedly welcoming to any strangers, certainly not those with darker skin colours.
This was a quick breezy read, and I liked it a lot. There were a few things that annoyed me a bit, but nothing serious enough for me not to want to read more of her books. Firstly, Antonia is obviously using her vacation in Ireland to work on her romance novel. At one point, Aiden uses her computer and can't help himself from reading what she's written. Considering how unsure she is of her writing and how personal a book manuscript can be, this felt like he was reading her journal. When she eventually discovers what he's done, she seems to forgive him very quickly. (view spoiler)[ Antonia also seems able to relocate her entire life to Ireland on very little notice, to be with a guy whom she's known for less than two weeks. Good to know that it's that easy to make a major life change when you finally meet the hot guy you decide is Mr. Right. (hide spoiler)]
Judging a book by its cover: I really like the visible joy on the faces of both of the cover models here. This is exactly the sort of novel that would have a jewel-toned cover with cute cartoony characters on it now, and I'm not sure that trend is as great as publishers think it is.
Merged review:
3.5 stars Nowhere Book Bingo: Book with BIPOC author and main character CBR16 Sweet Books: Cozy
In very short order, Antonia Harper has lost her job and discovered that her fiancée was cheating on her, very shortly before the wedding. The honeymoon was supposed to be in Ireland, and Antonia decides to travel there by herself. Her spiteful ex has cancelled their original reservations, but she rents a cottage to stay in instead. With nothing else to distract her, Antonia decides to make a stab at writing more of the romance novel she's been dreaming of completing (but never had time for, what with her busy job as an editor and trying to plan a wedding). She isn't exactly happy with men in general at present, but the handsome professor in the cottage next door is making her reconsider her wish to be alone.
Aidan Byrnes is a literature professor who is finding his job difficult at the moment. He's rented a cottage in the little town of Tully Cross to get some peace and quiet and to finally have the time and focus to complete an important academic paper. He first runs into Antonia in the tiny supermarket nearby and is both surprised and delighted to discover that she is staying in the cottage next to his. Still slightly weary of romantic entanglements after his girlfriend dumped him a year previous, Aiden nevertheless can't stop thinking about Antonia, who he discovers is not only gorgeous but clever, educated, and funny as well.
What starts out as a bit of a holiday fling begins to turn serious pretty quickly. Neither Antonia nor Aidan were expecting to meet anyone, let alone start falling for them in the sleepy village of Tully Cross. Yet Aiden has a job at an Irish university, and Antonia's life is back in America. Can their fledgling romance turn into something more permanent, with an entire ocean between them?
This is my first novel by Charish Reid and it was fun, but not exactly a perfect read. I really liked Antonia and Aiden as characters, both apart and together. Both are hard-working and devoted to their jobs (but obviously Antonia is unemployed for much of the book since she loses her job early on). Antonia is also very close to her family, especially her sister, which made it difficult when they clearly weren't enthusiastic about her upcoming wedding. I would love to read a sequel novel about her sister.
The majority of the book is set in Ireland, and while I'm sure Irish villages are very quaint and welcoming, it seems like a slightly exaggerated ideal of the place. No one is unpleasant, racist, or rude. I understand that those aren't exactly things that you would want in a fluffy escapist romance, but from my experience, not all small-town folk anywhere are open-minded and whole-heartedly welcoming to any strangers, certainly not those with darker skin colours.
This was a quick breezy read, and I liked it a lot. There were a few things that annoyed me a bit, but nothing serious enough for me not to want to read more of her books. Firstly, Antonia is obviously using her vacation in Ireland to work on her romance novel. At one point, Aiden uses her computer and can't help himself from reading what she's written. Considering how unsure she is of her writing and how personal a book manuscript can be, this felt like he was reading her journal. When she eventually discovers what he's done, she seems to forgive him very quickly. (view spoiler)[ Antonia also seems able to relocate her entire life to Ireland on very little notice, to be with a guy whom she's known for less than two weeks. Good to know that it's that easy to make a major life change when you finally meet the hot guy you decide is Mr. Right. (hide spoiler)]
Judging a book by its cover: I really like the visible joy on the faces of both of the cover models here. This is exactly the sort of novel that would have a jewel-toned cover with cute cartoony characters on it now, and I'm not sure that trend is as great as publishers think it is....more
Leo Mok (younger brother of Max, from Four Weddings to Fall in Love) is late for his cousin Carl's wed3.5 stars Smart Bitches Summer Bingo: Free space
Leo Mok (younger brother of Max, from Four Weddings to Fall in Love) is late for his cousin Carl's wedding because he got a speeding ticket. He's not exactly thrilled to be going, since he's had a crush on the bride since he first saw her at a family gathering two years ago. He's about to leave his car when the bride comes running out of the church and nearly crashes into him. She implores him to help her get out of there, and Leo wouldn't hesitate to help a woman in distress, even if he wasn't infatuated with her. He takes her to buy ice cream and helps her fetch her things from her apartment before anyone comes home.
Yvonne Siu is a people pleaser and has always tried to be the perfect daughter and later girlfriend. She could never understand why her older sister was always in conflict with her parents and eventually rebelled and cut all contact with them. She's been in a relationship with Carl for five years, and while she hasn't really felt appreciated or satisfied for a long time, she invested a lot of time and effort into the relationship. She even forgives Carl for cheating on her. However, as she is walking up the aisle, she just can't make herself marry him. She flees and is deeply grateful to Leo for helping her escape the awkward scene of her wedding.
Even if Leo hadn't been present in the parking lot as Yvonne came storming out of the church, she would have had an escape available. Shortly before the ceremony, Yvonne spoke to Leo's mother, who could tell she was having doubts and gave Yvonne her car keys just in case. Once Yvonne clears out her things from the apartment she shares with her now ex-fiancée, Leo's parents offer to let her stay with them at their house until she can find a place of her own. So Yvonne ends up crashing temporarily in Leo's old bedroom.
While Leo tries to keep his distance, he is completely unable to say no every time Yvonne asks for help, or to hang out, and later, because she's never really had a satisfying sexual experience, to "show her a good time". Leo knows that he shouldn't want his cousin's ex, and Yvonne has a lot of work she needs to do before she's certain she's ready for anything new. Can there ever be anything more between them than friendship and casual sex?
Jackie Lau has written quite a few novels where the couple's HEA (happily ever after) doesn't involve becoming parents. When they reconnect after she runs from her wedding, Yvonne discovers that her sister is heavily pregnant. Once her nephew is born, Yvonne is happy to spend time with the baby, but it also confirms to her that she doesn't actually want children of her own. Running away from her own wedding shakes up Yvonne's life drastically, and she's left with a lot of time to think and reconsider her wants and priorities for her future. It becomes very clear to her that being a mother is not part of that future.
Her thoughts on motherhood are not the only things that Yvonne needs to consider. Having been a "good girl" her entire life, trying to be the perfect daughter who never caused any trouble, and later the perfect girlfriend and fiancée, it's only after leaving her Carl that she realises how unhappy she was. Seeing her sister, entirely estranged from their parents, so happy with her partner and seeing Leo's parents, many years married, also in a healthy, functioning relationship, she comes to understand how toxic the situation she grew up in was, and how controlling and demanding her father was. Her ex wasn't emotionally abusive, like her dad, but he did take her for granted and never seemed interested in or cared about what Yvonne liked, wanted or needed.
Leo is quiet and rather taciturn and doesn't think he's in any way good enough for Yvonne. He's also so smitten that despite knowing it's a bad idea, he still takes every chance to spend more time with her. He takes care of her favourite plan, he will happily hang out with her, or go for a meal with her, and he ends up going on her honeymoon with her. Agreeing to casual sex so she finally discovers what a satisfying sex life is like? He isn't going to say no to that. He has to come to terms with the fact that while his life might seem quiet and boring next to those of his siblings, he's a kind, helpful and very thoughtful person, and wanting what is best for the person you love isn't a bad quality in a partner.
While I liked this, it wasn't one of my favourite of Lau's books. She doesn't write bad books, but this one felt 'just fine' instead of 'really great', if that makes sense? Your mileage may vary.
Judging a book by its cover: Maybe not the most exciting of covers, but the wedding bouquet is very pretty and the flowers and the pastel colours give a good indication of the book's content (a wedding will be involved, it's unlikely to be a very angsty read). ...more
Nowhere Books Bingo: A book with dragons Smart Bitches Summer Bingo: Steamy or erotic romance (A lot more action than steam in this one, compared to CoNowhere Books Bingo: A book with dragons Smart Bitches Summer Bingo: Steamy or erotic romance (A lot more action than steam in this one, compared to Consort of Fire, but when it does have smexy times, they are very steamy)...more
4.5 stars Nowhere Book Bingo: Takes place during a holiday/holiday season (this is set during Christmas/a bunch of Pagan midwinter rites)
362 days of th4.5 stars Nowhere Book Bingo: Takes place during a holiday/holiday season (this is set during Christmas/a bunch of Pagan midwinter rites)
362 days of the year, Roman, Black Volhv of Atlanta, dutifully serves Chernobog, the god of Destruction, Darkness, and Death. He just wants a few days of peace, to enjoy his stew, eggnog, and cookies, but it is not to be. One of the infernal paranormal critters that loves him has cleaned out both his eggnog and cookie stash and to make matters worse, there's an injured teenager on his property, begging him for sanctuary. The youth, protectively clutching a puppy, promises his sister will come for him soon, and though he really doesn't want any trouble, Roman isn't about to let the defenseless young man and his pup be harmed.
It doesn't take long before Roman has to deal with elite mercenaries, combat mages, and mysterious priests, all very determined to stop at nothing to get their hands on the kid. Roman rolls out his unwelcome mat and shows his visitors that while it may be the holidays, he's not some helpless recluse in the woods. The Black Volhv possesses a lot of power, and he's going to need it to keep the trespassers from his door.
Roman, dark priest of Chernobog was first introduced to fans of Ilona Andrews in Magic Slays, but only appeared briefly. He was a much more prominent character in Gunmetal Magic, a spin-off book from the Kate Daniels series. Popular from the start, he ended up appearing in a number of the later books in the series, along with his large and opinionated family. While appearing rather gloomy at times, Roman often acted as a comic relief character and seemed to never take anything too seriously. Here, the authors (Ilona Andrews is the pen name of a husband and wife duo) show us that Roman is in fact a very serious and depressed individual, whose life is not especially easy, since Chernobog is a demanding god to serve, and despite his mother's nagging, maintaining any sort of romantic relationship when you're often taken away to the pagan underworld to serve a dark deity is unlikely to work out long-term.
One of the things I really like about Ilona Andrews' books in the Kate Daniels universe is just how much folklore and mythology they explore and occasionally reinterpret. When it comes to Roman and his sprawling magical family, Slavic mythology is the main one that is explored. As with many religions and mythologies, light and dark isn't necessarily synonymous with good and evil. Balance is the name of the game, and you cannot have one without the other. In the Slavic pantheon, Belobog is the god of Light and Creation, and his twin brother Chernobog is the god of Destruction, Darkness, and Death. Chernobog is married to Morena, the goddess of Winter and Death. Neither of these deities is evil, as everything that lives needs to eventually die and decay, or there will be chaos. In Slavic paganism, the world is separated into three (a lot like in Norse mythology). There is Prav, where the light gods (like Belobog) reside, Yav (the world of humans) and Nav (the world of the dark gods, where Chernobog and Morena reside - and keep the Chaos which is outside Nav from invading and destroying all of creation).
In his previous appearances, it has become clear that while he's not exactly thrilled about his vocation, Roman serves his dark god because he takes his duties seriously. In this novella, we find out more about how exactly he came to be the Dark Volvh and some of what that actually entails. Humour helps him cope with his calling. Roman is not evil, nor is his god, and he's not about to let an innocent young man be taken against his will by bloodthirsty mercenaries. However, he's been a soldier, and he is willing to take lives if that is the only way to keep his property and those he protects safe. As with a lot of other Ilona Andrews stories, there is adventure, humour, action and some impressive violence in this story.
This novella started in weekly instalments on Ilona Andrews' blog. Once they decided to publish it, they took down the story and it has gone through edits, and the finished story includes an epilogue, where it becomes clear why this is part 1 of The Roman Chronicles (note the plural). It looks like the authors, gracious as they are, are considering expanding the Kate Daniels universe with more stories about one of our favourite supporting characters. Roman's adventures clearly aren't over, and there are new characters (including a likely love interest) introduced over the course of this story. There are quite a lot of other stories that the authors have stated they need to write before we are likely to get more Roman, but since I love everything they have published so far, it's not like the wait is too onerous.
Judging a book by its cover: Here is yet another example that Ilona Andrews only ever has good cover art when they self-publish. This cover is simple, yet really cool and very atmospheric. Absolutely perfect for the story it illustrates. Why do traditional publishers keep getting it so wrong?...more
Disclaimer! The author is a friend of mine, but I paid for my own copy of the book and my opinions are my own. (HopeNowhere Book Bingo: Disability rep
Disclaimer! The author is a friend of mine, but I paid for my own copy of the book and my opinions are my own. (Hope she'll still be speaking to me after she reads this).
In the fairy tale kingdom of The Blue Mountains, the king and queen try for many years, but the queen fails to have any living children. She encounters a witch who calls herself the Queen of Bees, who offers her a solution to her difficulties. Giving her a seed, which she must water with her tears, a plant will grow, with two flowers - one will give her a boy, the other a girl. The king and queen are desperate, so the queen eats both, and nine months later, two boys are born. The first is small and misshapen, with eyes in two different colours. The second baby is perfectly formed. The staff are worried when the firstborn, the heir, is born with physical disabilities, but the royal couple are equally delighted with both their boys. They name the eldest Vincent and his twin Niklas.
The twins grow up being treated exactly the same, and are pretty much inseperable. Vincent has to use a wheelchair, but excels in the lessons their tutor assigns them. His brother, who is handsome and healthy, struggles with understanding all the reading they are assigned. He manages to teach Vincent to swim and ride, because these are abilities important for a prince to know. Vincent helps Niklas realise that he's by no means stupid, he just has reading difficulties, so Vincent sums up their lessons to him with visual aids and helps him do his written homework. It takes their parents and tutor years to figure out their scheming, but once they do, the conclusion is that Niklas has dyslexia, and their parents realise the princes are probably old enough to go to school with other children, which means the boys start to make friends. Vincent is the more introverted and bookish one, Niklas is extroverted and excels at anything physical. Once they get older, Vincent goes to university, while Niklas joins the royal guard.
Then their mother announces that they are old enough to get married. Both princes need wives and heirs, and so they need to visit with princesses from nearby kingdoms to see whether they suit. While Vincent is well-loved and popular in his own kingdom, his visible disablilities create difficulties once the queen starts matchmaking. It turns out his perfect match is closer to home than he realised.
This story is a retelling of a very well-known Danish fairytale called King Lindworm. Growing up, I loved mythology and folklore, and have read fairy stories from a lot of different countries. The story seemed vaguely familiar to me, but having read a summary of the original, this is not really a story that's very popular in Norway or Sweden. It also means that this book introduced me to a new (and kind of weird) fairytale, as well as a very entertaining middle grade book.
While this is aimed at a younger audience, as all the best books for children, it doesn't underestimate them or talk down to them. A number of serious issues are touched upon, such as infertility (this led to a very interesting discussion during our book club chat about this book), physical disabilities and dyslexia. At no point are the boys bullied or mistreated in their own kingdom by teachers or peers. The twins have a really close relationship, and while it's mentioned that they fight a lot as children, they always present a united front against others. Without Niklas, Vincent would not have challenged himself physically, and would have been much more limited by his disabilites. Without Vincent, Niklas would have convinced himself he was stupid and useless, and good only for grunt work. There are also several examples of openly queer characters, so while this is set in a sort of vagely 18th Century time period, there is no discrimination or prejudice (in The Blue Mountains, at least).
While I try to challenge myself to read in Swedish a couple of times a year, so I don't forget how to, this is the first time in a very long time I had to read a whole book in Danish. To non-Scandinavians, Norwegian, Swedish and Danish would not appear to be very different from one another, and the most commonly used form of written Norwegian is directly derived from Danish. A lot of the language is therefore not that challenging, but every so often, there will be a word or expression in Danish that means something entirely different in Norwegian, and it took me out of the story for a moment. Thankfully, the book has a fun and engaging plot which moves at a nice pace, and once I actually set down and concentrated, it didn't take me long to finish the book.
To me, the opening difficulty with infertility obviously affected me greatly. Among the topics we discussed about this book is how many stories in myth and folklore involve parents who struggle to concieve or have living children, and how common infertility difficulties are, yet very rarely talked about. My little boy is the result of several long gruelling years of IVF treatment, and I feel very lucky to never have suffered a miscarriage during my many years of trying. If medical science wasn't advanced enough, would I have made a deal with a mysterious old woman in the hopes of having a baby? I suspect I would.
Because this is the first book in a planned series, the author already has several other books in development, all focusing on different kingdoms in this fictional world. We get a glimpse of some of the neighbouring kingdoms, and one of our major complaints when discussing the book with the author was the lack of a map. The book should absolutely have included a map at the beginning (so Trine sat down and drew one for us during the meeting). Having heard her talk about her ideas for future books, and some of her influences for the various kingdoms and peoples, I cannot wait to get my hands on more of her stories.
So why only four stars? I wanted more! This story was great, but I wanted more time with these engaging characters, and I would especially have liked to know more about the Queen of Bees.
Judging a book by its cover: I really love the simplicity of this cover, with the wheelchair which plays such an important part of the plot (and Vincent's life) front and centre. The various shades of blue are also lovely, no doubt picked because the book takes place in the fictional country of The Blue Mountains....more
Nowhere Book Bingo: A novella Smart Bitches Summer Bingo: The Great Outdoors
Yolanda Watson tries her best to be an engaging and motivating English proNowhere Book Bingo: A novella Smart Bitches Summer Bingo: The Great Outdoors
Yolanda Watson tries her best to be an engaging and motivating English professor, she is well-liked by both her colleagues and her students. However, writing grant applications are not her strongest suit and she is upset that she lost out on a generous grant that could have helped a lot of her disadvantaged students.
Samuel Morris knows he's not popular, and doesn't particularly try to be either. He believes in working hard, following rules and taking things seriously. He's aware that Yolanda seems to dislike him, but doesn't really know it's because he was awared the grant she had also applied for, which he also needed the grant to help many of his own disadvantaged students. On his part, he finds Yolanda both exasperating and confounding, and wishes she'd be on time for committee meetings and show signs of taking issues seriously occasionally.
Now the two of them are forced to share a cabin while on a team-building retreat in the woods of Wisconsin. Not only that, the people who share a cabin are Team-Building Buddies for the whole retreat and are supposed to do a lot of different bonding activities together. Samuel is a neat freak, Yolanda is chaotic and messy. Can they endure a week together? How long before their dislike turns to like, and possibly lust? And will Yolanda, very much a city girl, survive challenges like grasshoppers, spiders and even bears?
It can be tricky to write a satisfying romance in a novella, since you have a lot less space and time to get the characters together. Since Yolanda and Samuel are already coworkers and know each other, to a certain extent, they already have an established connection. Then there's the forced proximity, and various challenging situations where one of them has to help or assist the other, and since this is a small scale story without too much drama, it's not like there needs to be a third act breakup or some sort of grand gesture for them to get together. It's very quickly established that their dislike of each other comes mostly from them being very different people, and once they get a chance to talk and get to know each other better, those differences don't really matter. Over the course of the novella, Yolanda helps Samuel relax and let go a bit, while he helps her get more focused and organised (and promises to help her improve her grant applications in the future).
This novella has been on my TBR list for a while, and seemed like the perfect choice when the Smart Bitches Summer Bingo had a square for "The Great Outdoors". Since the Nowhere Book Bingo had a square for "Novella" this worked as a two-fer, which is great. The only other Charish Reid I've read is [book:The Write Escape| (also for the Nowhere Book Bingo, clearly Reid just writes books that fit that challenge well) and I like both stories, although the one set in Ireland is probably more to my taste than this one (like Yolanda, I'm not very comfortable outside in nature). Based on the two stories I have now read, I'll probably be moving some of my other Charish Reid books higher on my TBR.
Judging a book by its cover: This is a pretty cute cartoony cover, although I'm pretty sure the woods described in the novella are nothing like the weird tall and strangely spaced beech trees on here. I especially like the bear peeking out from behind the bush in the background (IYKYK). ...more
This is one of those books that I heard a lot about when it came out and bought as soon as it was available in papeNowhere Books Bingo - Graphic novel
This is one of those books that I heard a lot about when it came out and bought as soon as it was available in paperback (I don't like reading comics and graphic novels digitally), then put on my bookshelf and forgot. Since we have a full floor to ceiling bookshelf dedicated entirely to comics and graphic novels, once something is shelved there, it's no longer out in the open to remind me. I probably shouldn't have waited years to read it, but at least it didn't disappoint once I got to it.
The only other graphic novel I've read by Mariko Tamaki was This One Summer, which was lovely, but had a subplot that hit a bit too close to home for me and made it a rather painful reading experience for me. This one, with its focus on (tragic) romance and friendship was more to my taste. I started reading it during a day I actually had quite a lot to do and had only intended to make a start on it, but instead ended up having to rearrange my schedule, because I once I started, I couldn't really put it down. In This One Summer, the illustrations are done by Mariko's sister Jillian, here she collaborates with Rosemary Valero-O'Connell, who captures the characters beautifully. A really good story accompanied by bad art can be enjoyed, but it's so much better when both the writing and art are both high quality.
Teenagers are often rather self-centred and selfish, caring mostly about themselves and their own issues and as such, Freddy felt very realistic. She is happy to hang out with her friends, but because she's so caught up with her own drama, she doesn't really seem to notice or care about what is happening with others. She has gotten used to her friends, including her best friend Doodle, always being there for her, listening to her and supporting her through her multiple dumpings and getting back together again with Laura Dean, but not really that Doodle and the others are clearly getting frustrated with the constant back and forth, and Freddy's complete inability to see how bad Laura Dean is for her.
Personally, I couldn't really see what was supposed to be so great about Laura, but then I'm an asexual lady in my forties, who spends much of my working year around teenagers and their drama, so I try to live a very drama free existence the rest of the time. I shared the frustration of Freddy's friends that she would wake up and smell the toxic girlfriend sooner, but I suppose there would have been a lot less plot if the book was 'I'm sick of Laura Dean using me and stringing me along, so I'll dump her once and for all and get on with my life'.
I think Freddy's friend Doodle was my favourite character, and I felt really bad for her, trying to support Freddy through yet another inevitable break-up with the same person, while she herself really needed a friend and support because of a complicated and sad situation of her own. The rest of the supporting cast (with the exception of Laura Dean, who is clearly the antagonist, of sorts) also added to my enjoyment of the book.
While Freddy herself had me rolling my eyes possibly one time too many, this book in some ways reminded me of Heartstopper: Volume One, because it's a story of relatable and realistic-seeming teens, many of whom are queer, including the protagonist, but it's not about awkwardly coming out, or having to struggle for acceptance among parents and friends. These teens are just allowed to be who they are, without facing hatred and bullying. I'm glad I finally read this, and will be recommending it to others looking for a quick read.
Judging a book by its cover: The cover gives a little taste of Rosemary Valero-O'Connell's art, and while it only shows the back of Laura Dean, her jacket, posture and haircut all suggest her cool mean-girl attitude. We only get to see one eye of Freddy's, which looks a bit anxious and unsure. It's a really well-done image....more
Disclaimer! This was an ARC from the author. This has not affected my opinions or my review. I have alsSmart Bitches Summer Bingo: 2024 Summer Release
Disclaimer! This was an ARC from the author. This has not affected my opinions or my review. I have also paid actual money for my own copy of the book because Courtney Milan is on "my pre-order immediately when she announces a new book" list.
Andrew Uchida works very hard to collect and cultivate seeds, plants, and vegetables, and every time he learns of a plant or vegetable that one of the diverse residents of the little town of Wedgeford misses from their homeland (Wedgeford has inhabitants who have ended up there from all sorts of corners of the globe, many of them from Asia), he does his best to figure out a way to grow it, to allow said resident to feel a bit more at home in their new homeland. He also helps run the inn that his mother, aunt and uncle own.
Andrew has also hidden a secret for most of his life. He is, in fact, the eldest legitimate son of the Earl of Arsell, and his mother is technically a countess. Now his father (who he has never met) is dying, and Andrew is very determined not to have to become an earl. So when Lily Bei, the woman he has loved for most of his life, returns from China after seven years away, and excitedly confides in him that she has proof that he is next in line to the earldom, he isn't exactly thrilled. While he hates having to lie to and dissemble with Lily, he also can't have her "help" him by securing him a noble title he desperately doesn't want. Complicating things further, Andrew is very aware, from stories his mother told him, that the relatives of the Earl of Arsell are extremely ruthless, and are not going to accept a half-Asian man as the heir to the title. If they discover that his mother is still alive, and has a son, they are likely to try to do away with both of them.
Fear for the safety of himself, but mostly his mother, is also the reason why Andrew never told Lily how he felt about her before she was sent off to China by her grandfather. Before she left, they shared one night together (because Lily wanted to make sure she wasn't married off to anyone and made sure to ask her best friend to help divest her of her pesky virginity). Now Lily is back, and more irresistible than ever, but Andrew just cannot bear anything happening to her or any potential children they might have.
Lily believes Andrew sees her as nothing but a good friend. She also believes her grandfather sent her to China because he was disappointed in her when she tried to join the English suffragist movement. In China, instead of learning to be a dutiful wife, she became even more radicalised and learned to use a printing press. Now she has bought one of her own and intends to print translated poetry in order to inspire universal suffrage. Never one to entirely fully understand subtle language or social cues, Lily always felt like the odd one out in Wedgeford, growing up. She is surprised to discover that many of the people she thought disliked her or wanted nothing to do with her are delighted that she's back and eager to include her in their social circle.
The Earl Who Isn't is the third and final book in Courtney Milan's The Wedgeford Trials, about the inhabitants of the fictional village of Wedgeford in the south of England, where a large number of immigrants, especially of Asian descent have settled down and made new homes for themselves. It was established early in the series that one of the unspoken rules of the town is that newcomers aren't really asked about their past, where they came from, or why they have moved there, allowing them the possibility of a blank slate and a chance at a new beginning. In this book, we discover part of why this rule came to be.
Andrew Uchida has been a supporting character in both the previous two novels in the series, and Lily has been mentioned, although she was away when both of the other couples in the series got their happy endings. There are cameos from Chloe and Jeremy (or Posh Jim), as well as Andrew's cousin Naomi and her husband Kai, and the young and implausibly named Mr. Wilderhamsher plays a fairly significant part in the story.
In my opinion, Courtney Milan has yet to write a bad book. Some are on my all-time favourite romances list, but all are good and I always learn new things when I read them. In this, while the romance between Andrew and Lily was sweet, I found that the personal developments of each of the protagonists as well as the growing relationship between Andrew and his previously unheard-of younger brother took up more of the story than the actual romantic plot. So that makes me unable to rate it more than 4 stars.
Judging a book by its cover: All three books in this series have had excellent covers (a far cry from the photo-shopped wedding dress covers of The Worth Saga novels). I love the colour of the woman's dress (although it seems way more bright and colourful than anything Lily is described as wearing in the story), I love the way the couple is embracing and gazing at each other. Really well done. ...more
Ivor and his three friends Marco, Arjan and Jonas are a tight-knit gang, their own found family. AccordinNowhere Books Bingo: A book by a local author
Ivor and his three friends Marco, Arjan and Jonas are a tight-knit gang, their own found family. According to Ivor, school used to be easy, until he and his friends lost interest and started making money and names for themselves on the streets. Ignoring the admonition from parents, teachers, social workers and others, they live hard and fast, not really caring who they have to hurt as long as they have each other. Their way of life isn't one that leads to happy endings, however, and it's only a matter of time before tragedy strikes.
This semi-autobiographical novel, written by a 19-year-old on his phone, has been a huge success since its publication in 2023. It's won several awards, and been nominated for several more. It's a fast and relatively easy read, despite being written in a vernacular used mainly by the youths in the bigger cities, with a non-standard sentence syntax and vocabulary from a number of languages and cultures (there's a dictionary of sorts on the end papers of the book, which came in handy more than once, as I'm not as experienced with all the slang terms used here). The author writes in exactly the way a lot of people his age speak, and there is very little punctution or capitalisation in any of his many brief chapters.
The author has in interviews confessed that by the time he was 15, he's seen several of his friends overdose, and for a while, he was honestly unsure that he would survive to see his 17th birthday, considering his drug-fueled and violent existence. In Oslo, violent crime among teenagers is on the rise, and the author says he was motivated to write his book to give more nuance to the discussion about youth gangs and crime. Basing his protagonist and other characters on himself, friends and other people in the environment in which he grew up, Lovrenski wanted to show the tightness of the bonds between these boys and the affection and loyalty between them, even as they are disappointing their family members or trying to escape foster care.
Lovrenski has said in interviews that hopes that some of the young readers who pick up his book might recognise themselves or friends, and see that there is a way out if you work for it, and that teachers, social workers and others who work with teens might get more perspective on what it's like. Now, having turned 20, the only way he was able to get clean and stay away from his former lifestyle is by entirely cutting contact with his previous environment. He had no idea that the story he started by writing short anecdotes to himself on his phone would be picked up by a publisher in less than 24 hours, after a bidding war from several interested publishing houses, and that the book would become a huge publishing success.
I read this in June because my co-workers and I were wondering about assigning it as a text to our 10th graders next year. Having finished it, my conclusion is that while the book is very engaging, it doesn't exactly help our pupils (many of whom struggle with reading longer texts or expressing themselves in writing) improve their own writing and it also very much glorifies drug use, violence and youth crime. While it's obvious by the end of the book that the author lived a very hard life and lost friends to overdoses and suicide, it's also not the sort of thing we necessarily need to hightlight, just in case some of the more impressionable souls decide to take inspiration from the earlier sections. It's an interesting book, though, and while I don't think we'll use the whole novel as assigned reading, it's a great example of a narrative written in a particular sociolect, and can be used to compare and contrast several other works written in the same style in the last few years.
Judging a book by its cover: I don't know why the publishers chose this cover design, it seems messy and a bit haphazard to me. ...more
In 1662, a former mistress of the king of Denmark-Norway (Norway was a Danish colony for about 400 years, for those not big into their history trivia)In 1662, a former mistress of the king of Denmark-Norway (Norway was a Danish colony for about 400 years, for those not big into their history trivia), Anna Rhodius is sent into exile to a fortress in Vardø in the very north of Norway. She convinces herself that she has been sent there to help root out witchcraft, and if she does a good job, she will be welcomed back by the king with open arms.
Zigri is the young widow of a fisherman, who lost both her husband and only son to the sea. For a time, her grief seems to make her insensible to everything, even her two daughters, but after she catches the eye of the son of the wealthy local merchant, not only does her family have enough to eat, but she seems a lot more cheerful. A beautiful woman having an affair with a much richer, married man rarely has a happy ending, however, and once his wife discovers the affair, Zigri finds herself accused of witchcraft and is sent to the fortress in Vardø.
Zigri's teenage daughter Ingeborg and her cousin Maren (whose own mother was tried and killed for witchcraft) band together to go to Vardø to attempt to rescue Zigri, aided by a local Sami tribe.
This was my fantasy/sci-fi bookclub's book selection for May, and I had read about a third of the book when we had our monthly meeting. In recent years, it feels like about half the time, I go to my book club meetings to see if I actually want to bother putting in the effort to finish the book. That was certainly the case here.
We get multiple points of view in this story. The sections with Anna Rhodius are first-person perspective, with her writing journal-like letters to the King of Denmark. The sections about Zigri, Ingeborg, and Maren are all in third person. There was a lot of potential here because the actual history of the witch trials in the North of Norway is fascinating, but this book did not deliver. There is a lot of tell, not show, and a lot of the plot is slow and plodding until it suddenly goes too fast. It reads like a debut novel, but some research shows that while Anya Bergman hasn't published anything else, she also writes under the name Noëlle Harrison, who has written at least ten other novels and four plays, according to her website. She's also the co-founder of a writers' retreat. In other words, she should be better than the author of this book is at crafting a story.
In the end, I took the advice of several others in the book club and skipped more than half of what was left of the book, reading the final few chapters. The ending is over the top and several things happen that don't seem to make a lot of sense. There are some very baffling choices made, and one of the things that's frustrating about the book is whether magic is in fact real in this universe. The author seems to suggest that yes, some women actually have magical powers, while also suggesting that it's all superstition and all these women were arrested, tortured, persecuted, and executed for no good reason.
It makes me sad that this book was so underwhelming since one of the things I studied a lot as part of my history degree was social history in the Middle Ages, the witch trials in the UK (and in other parts of Europe) as part of it. This book could have been so much better. I can't really recommend it. Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery was a much better book about witch hunts.
Judging a book by its cover: The orange flames and the blue lynx are both very striking, and the patterns remind me of woodcuts or old tapestry embroidery patterns. ...more
Nowhere Books Bingo: About someone you want to learn more about
I don't think I'd heard of Ali Wong before her first Netflix special, Baby Cobra. I've Nowhere Books Bingo: About someone you want to learn more about
I don't think I'd heard of Ali Wong before her first Netflix special, Baby Cobra. I've now seen all her stand-up specials and also enjoyed Always Be My Maybe, a fun romantic comedy she wrote and starred in with Randall Park, and famously got Keanu Reeves to star as himself. I've heard very good things about Beef, but there's just too much TV out there at the moment, and too little time (especially if I also want to have time to read and have a life).
I got the audiobook of this in an Audible sale a while ago, and figured that if her stand-up is funny, her book would also be entertaining. She narrates it herself (her then husband, now ex narrates the afterword) and does a good job. Structuring each chapter as a letter of advice to her daughters (for them to read as adults, there is quite a lot of swearing and very graphic details about her life), Wong talks about her career, her dating life, being a woman in a male-dominated industry and a number of other topics. Her now ex-husband obviously features a lot in the various stories, and from the section he reads he seems like a nice guy, (who still acts as Wong's tour manager, as far as I can tell).
Judging a book by its cover: Ali Wong is a good-looking lady, so I'm not sure why she wanted to look more like a wax figure on a 70s TV set than a person on the cover of her book. The sparkly dress is pretty, there's just something about the whole image that I find off-putting. ...more
Straight-laced university professor Teddy Ferguson has had a record-long stint of victories on the popular trivia game show Answers!CBR16 Bingo: Games
Straight-laced university professor Teddy Ferguson has had a record-long stint of victories on the popular trivia game show Answers! when his confidence and entire existence are rocked by the appearance of the beautiful and confident Maxine Hart. She ruins his pre-show ritual by eating a specific doughnut by stealing it directly in front of him, taking one bite and then throwing it in the trash. One very memorable kiss and the fact that Maxine completely obliterates him on the game show means Teddy can never forget her. He can't believe that he was beaten by a self-taught, smart-mouthed high school dropout with ADHD.
They don't see each other again until it's been over a year, when Maxine and Teddy have both been invited to compete in a special high-stakes tournament, featuring the only undefeated champion of the show, Hercules McKnight. Teddy persuades Maxine to take part, but both need to improve their weak areas (Teddy is far too cautious when gambling on categories, and Maxine has a lot of gaps in her knowledge base) and Maxine declares that they will train together. She unceremoniously shows up at his house in New Jersey with most of her worldly possessions, including her pet snake.
Maxine's entire way of living is chaotic and impulsive, while Teddy thrives on order and routine. Nevertheless, in the weeks before the tournament, they manage to find methods to assist and train the other. Among other things, Maxine takes Teddy sky-diving, to make him face some of his fears, and Teddy devises some very creative ways of making Maxine learn in a way that ensures that potentially boring facts will be burned in her memory. The sizzling chemistry they experienced during their first encounter means they can't live and work together in close quarters without eventually acting on their mutual attraction - but can their romance survive when both are determined to be the all-time winner of the Answers! tournament?
Because I finished this book towards the end of April and have been dreadfully negligent with getting my reviews written, I no longer remember in detail all the reasons why this is a five-star read to me. Chaotic and seemingly disorganised meets ordered and buttoned up (until it reaches a certain point and they always turn out to be incredibly passionate) is a trope that tends to work for me, and Maxine and Teddy were both so much fun to spend time with. I loved them individually and as a couple and wanted only great things for them.
I liked the preparation for the trivia contest and learned a whole bunch of cool stuff over the course of the book. That's never a bad thing. I had fairly high expectations for the book since my friend Rochelle/Emmalita gave it a rave review back in March. If she loves a book, I'm unlikely not to love it too. This was my first Jen Comfort novel, but it certainly won't be my last.
Judging a book by its cover: A fairly simple, but quite cute cover, with bright, cheerful colours. The two people standing by gaming podiums are both wearing things the protagonists are described as wearing at various points in the novel, so that works too. While headless cover models is sometimes off-putting, I kind of like it here. ...more
CBR16 Bingo: Liberate (our protagonists are fighting in World War I to keep the world safe from the Germans)
I read about this in a book review in a NoCBR16 Bingo: Liberate (our protagonists are fighting in World War I to keep the world safe from the Germans)
I read about this in a book review in a Norwegian newspaper months and months ago and thought it sounded interesting. I put myself on the waiting list for it and completely forgot about it until my hold came in, and I had to actually look up why I'd wanted to read this book in the first place. Two public school boys who secretly love one another and can't realise their feelings for each other until they're also soldiers in the First World War? Well, that sounds like a laugh fest, doesn't it?
Obviously, this book is utterly harrowing and made me cry a bunch of times. Throughout the book, there are fictional snippets of the school newspaper from the boarding school Gaunt and Ellwood attended, which include lists of the fallen and injured, and looking at the ages of most of them (very few over the age of 25) is just heartbreaking. Because the world is a depressing and terrible place, I tend to read a lot of light-hearted escapism. This certainly wasn't that. It is a beautiful novel, though, showing so much of the banality of war and how utterly awful trench warfare was. Ellwood and Gaunt were wonderful protagonists, and it was very difficult not to get attached to them, and a number of their friends and acquaintances, most of whom die horribly over the course of the novel. I'm not going to lie, I actually had to peek at the final pages of the book to see if both protagonists survived, just so I wouldn't be too emotionally compromised if one of them didn't make it. I'm not going to spoil here what the outcome is - you'll have to read the book for yourself.
It's remarkable to me that this is a debut novel. Maybe it's deeply unoriginal and derivative if you've read a ton of novels set during World War I, but I haven't, so to me, this was beautiful, and difficult to put down (even when I wanted to, because if I wasn't reading, then characters couldn't keep dying) and very sad. I highly recommend it. Obviously, the young men in this are fictional, but they are clearly modelled on actual men who sacrificed so much. Now I'm going back to closing my eyes tight and holding my hands over my ears going la-la-la-la-la with regard to all the horrifying conflicts currently happening right now in various parts of the world because my sanity can only take so much.
Judging a book by its cover: This is the cover of the book I got from the library, and I just don't think it in any way captures anything about what this book is about. This looks like it's a book about young men who work in the stock exchange or something, not a harrowing tale of bravery, camaraderie, trauma, and love during the First World War. There is another cover of the book in black and white, with the bombs flying over the battlefield looking almost like fireworks which is very striking and evokes the feel and content of the book so much more. ...more
From the official plot summary: Captain Eva Innocente and the crew of La Sirena Negra cruise the galaxy delivering small cargo for even smaller profitsFrom the official plot summary: Captain Eva Innocente and the crew of La Sirena Negra cruise the galaxy delivering small cargo for even smaller profits. When her sister Mari is kidnapped by The Fridge, a shadowy syndicate that holds people hostage in cryostasis, Eva must undergo a series of unpleasant, dangerous missions to pay the ransom.But Eva may lose her mind before she can raise the money.
The tagline for this book is "Kidnappers. Alien Emperors. Psychic cats. And she's out of coffee." Two of these things apply to the plot of this book, but only one of them is really central to the story. Like my book club's choice for January, Before the Coffee Gets Cold, this is a book that falsely promises cats and doesn't deliver. Eva also never seems to run out of coffee, so why this was even added is a mystery to me.
This book was pretty much a hot mess. It's the author's debut novel, which I guess might explain the uneven story structure and the exhaustive amount of plot twists a bit. One of the main plotlines is indeed that Captain Innocente's sister has been kidnapped, which means she has to go on a variety of mini-quests in the first third of the book. Several of my book club members mentioned that this book may have started as Mass Effect fan fiction because so many of the elements are similar. The many many early side quests certainly feel like something out of a game. Unlike in Before the Coffee Gets Cold, there were at least cats in this book. A load of them, although only one seems to feature prominently. Sadly, however, these cats barely appear after the first chapter. There is also an intergalactic alien emperor who inexplicably gets obsessed with Captain Innocente, and stalks her across much of the universe, determined to capture her and add her to her harem (they literally meet for a brief moment in a bar - it's genuinely baffling what his obsession is based on).
The many side quests do allow the author to show a lot of different alien locations, and it feels very realistic that not everything is uniform and samey in space. There are also many different kinds of aliens, not everyone is humanoid. Although it did make it harder to picture certain individuals (what the heck are palps?)
While I don't regret the time I spent reading the book, there are a lot of things that annoyed me. The story is very slow to start and the story structure is very uneven. Every time you think you know what's going on, the story suddenly takes a drastic turn, and it seems like the author has tried to cram three different books' worth of plot into one book. There's the kidnapping and attempted rescue plot, the subplot of the obsessive emperor stalking her and wreaking destruction wherever he shows up. Then things massively change and she has to find her missing ship and scattered crew, and when it feels like the main story has come to a natural end, they suddenly have to go off and recover alien artefacts.
There also isn't really any characterisation for any character except Eva and Vakar (and even his came late enough in the book that I'm not sure it counts). It's fun with a crew of varied individuals, but since we found out very little about them, I didn't care all that much about what happened to them. Additionally, I'm all for flawed characters, but Eva was a trainwreck (and not in a fun way) and should have confided in her crew way before she did. I genuinely didn't see why anyone liked her, and she was so reluctant to trust anyone that I have no idea why her crew felt any friendship or loyalty towards her. , I didn't really care what happened to her either, and that's pretty bad when she's the main character.
On the other hand, it certainly wasn't predictable - jumping around and switching directions so many times. Since I've never played Mass Effect, I didn't get annoyed by all the blatant video game references. The general consensus in my book club is that the book was ok, but nothing great. No one really seemed very inclined to read the sequels, and the one member who had read them said that the writing style didn't get all that much better and the structure of the sequels continued to be a bit all over the place.
Judging a book by its cover: OK, I'll give the cover designer points for the portal, which does in fact play an important part in the final part of the novel. Cute cats are also a plus, even though they sadly don't feature all that much in the plot. I like the blue and violet shades, it's an attractive cover, but having now finished the book, it doesn't really fit with the story we get inside. ...more
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