What We're Reading in March!

Mary Jo here, and as always, the Word Wenches are reading diverse and wonderful things! 

First up is Nicola Cornick:

This month I’ve been reading The Silent Fountain by Victoria Fox. It’s dual time frame novel set in the present day and in the 1970s (which seems almost contemporary to someone my age!) and spans London, Tuscany and Hollywood. Victoria Fox is better known for her blockbusters in the style of Jackie Collins and this is something completely different from her. It’s being described as a gothic suspense novel like Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca and it certainly has some dark overtones, but I loved it for the atmospheric descriptions and the beautiful writing. Victoria really does write with such elegance and style; it’s a joy to read.

The Silent Fountain is a big, deep novel about secrets and relationships. There is love and romance, of course – a book usually needs to have those elements to hook me – but also mystery, drama, suspense… A fabulous read if you like books that entwine two complex and fascinating story threads. At the moment The Silent Fountain is only available in the UK but it is published in the US by MIRA in October.

 
The Romantic Novelists’ Association awards is also a great opportunity to find new books. There is a link to all the winners here. This year the overall prize went to Sophia Bennett with a Young Adult book called Love Song. I must admit when I first picked this up I wondered how she could make the “ordinary teenage girl falls for pop star” trope work in a new, fresh and interesting way.

Well, she did it brilliantly. The book is so funny and so insightful and I couldn’t put it down. It also made me cry because it was so emotionally engaging and true (and I don’t cry often at books!) Nina, the heroine, and her family were very realistically drawn and the boys in The Point as well as being the hottest band in the world were revealed as real people. It was such a fun read and I’m recommending it to everyone. Sophia’s latest book, Following Ophelia, is set in the Pre-Raphaelite era and I have that on my TBR for my holiday!


Andrea/Cara here:

My reading this month has all been non-fiction—though the two books both read like novels! First up is The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt’s New World by Andrea Wulf. I’ve waxed (or gushed) enthusiastic on it in great detail on the Word Wench blog, but to summarize it here, it’s a fascinating account of an extraordinary man—scientist, explorer, educator, artist, mentor—who literally changed the way we look at the world. Now recognized as the father of ecology, Humboldt studied biology, zoology, geology. and was the first to see how they all interconnected in one great web of life.

Just as important as his meticulous recording of data and facts, he also brought a sense of joy and wonder to the beauties of the world. His writings inspired countless scientists, poets, and writers—including Charles Darwin, Henry David Thoreau and Walt Whitman. Wulf not only captures the essence of the man, but does a marvelous job of placing him within the context of his era. I found it to be history writing at its best.

A friend recently sent me a vignette from The New Yorker magazine by the legendary spy novelist John le Carre, in which he reminisced on his experience of working with Richard Burton on the filming The Spy Who Came In From the Cold. I found it so entertaining and wonderfully written that I promptly ordered his anthology, The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life.

The essays are absolutely delightful. He writes with a quintessentially British self-effacing humor, combining sly wit and keen powers of observation to capture the absurdities and foibles of mankind—himself included! And as he’s led such a fabulously interesting life, you get to jet-set to all sorts of chic and exotic locations around the world. Each essay is fairly short, so they can be enjoyed like fine chocolate—a richly nuanced bite at a time!

 
Anne Gracie has had a busy month of reading!

I have quite a few recommendations from my reading in the last month. First up is Pretty Face by Lucy Parker.  Set in the British acting world, Pretty Face is as engaging and entertaining as the first in the series, Act Like It, which has featured on previous Wenchly recommendations.

Next up is Sophie Kinsella's My Not So Perfect Life, which I thoroughly enjoyed. There's a wonderful unexpected twist which I think will surprise and delight readers as much it did me.

I've also read Someone to Hold, the second in Mary Balogh's latest series, which explores the impact of illegitimacy and legitimacy in the Regency era. Wonderful series. I'm really enjoying it. If you haven't yet read it, grab Someone to Love -- the first book, which sets everything up.

Mary Jo has mentioned Lois McMaster Bujold's The Curse of Chalion, before and when I was away recently I realized I had it on my kindle, unread, so I started reading it on a plane. I've now read the second book in the series and am moving on to the third.

Lastly I read Lisa Kleypas's new book, Devil in Spring, which follows the Wallflower series into the next generation, and  found it very enjoyable, too.

Susan's choices:

Not a lot of reading time this past month, but I did indulge in a new historical mystery, A Quiet Life in the Country by T. E. Kinsey, and quite enjoyed it. In England around 1900, Lady Hardcastle and her lady's maid, Florence, take a house in the countryside for a little relaxation. They have a comfortable friendship and independent turn of mind, and when a murder occurs in the local village, that bond, and their natural curiosity, wit and intelligence helps them sort through some intriguing clues. An interesting turn on this start to a promising series is that Flo narrates in first person, and is as much a detective at work as Lady Hardcastle, and the hints at some curious backgrounds--the lady has had some escapades in the past, and her maid was raised by circus performers, so one naturally wonders what future mysteries will bring out in these two!

I've just picked up The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman, and I'm liking it very much so far. The premise is the existence of an extensive, one might say infinite, library and the need for covert operatives who find lost books and steal them back for the library--one such is Irene, a young woman who is spy, sleuth and magician, now and then, in order to capture the books, risking dangers from monsters and dark magic in this complex and fascinating alternate world. The pace is quick, the characters and writing good and clever, and the story very entertaining. I'm not done yet, but already eyeing the next book in the series.


Joanna Bourne:

I have not read a thing! Not anything. Nada, Nil, Zilch!  Well, except Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel in bed as I'm settling down and I haven't got very far in that. GG&S replaces Plagues and People as my cheerful bedtime reading.


Mary Jo here!

I knew I wouldn't have to mention Lucy Parker's delightful Pretty Face because Anne would.  <G>  I loved this witty West End theatrical romance just as much Parker's first, Act Like It.  

A big event in my reading year is always the annual Patricia Briggs urban fantasy, and I devoured Silence Fallen as soon as it hit my mailbox.  The book is in 10th in her wonderful Mercedes Thompson series, in which Mercy is half Native American, a coyote shifter, and a Volkswagen mechanic in the Tri-Cities area of the Washington State. 

In a world populated by werewolves, vampires, the fae, and others, she sees herself as inconsequential since her only superpower is being able to shift into a 30 pound coyote.  But she is very good at loyalty, building alliances with others, and survival.  There's also a great romance running through the books as Mercy falls in love and marries Adam, the Alpha werewolf of the area and her next door neighbor.  

In Silence Fallen, Mercy is yanked away from her familiar world and friends when she is kidnapped and wakes up in a strange and dangerous place in Italy and she can no longer feel her mating bond with Adam.  Naked and alone, she needs to escape and find her way to safety and find new allies while Adam gathers a posse of her friends and frenemies and heads to Europe to find her.  

There's lots of action, explanation of events past, and Briggs' trademark humor.  (A member of the posse is Larry the Goblin King. As he says, what were his parents thinking? <G>)  It's best to read the series from the beginning, but if you're a fan of Mercy and Adam, this is a must read.  Because as Mercy decides toward the end, as Coyote's daughter, her real superpower is chaos. <G>

So lots of good suggestions this month! What have you been reading and enjoying?  Please tell us! 

Mary Jo, who has already bought several of the books recommended above. 

Comments

[Sue McCormick]

March has again been mostly rereads; I have downloaded and read or re-read all the available Jo Beverley e-book, including several novellas.. And am now waiting for the final book.

I have also read the two Mary Balogh books that Anne Gracie mentioned. I have added a new-to-me novel by Carla Neggars' "The Venus Shoe," "Always a Hero," by Linda Lael Miller, and the last year Nora Robert's Stand-alone "The Obsession." (I wait a year for Nora's big book, so I can save some money."

I love Guns, Germs, and Steel. From time to time discussions my husband and I have bring up his ideas again. I also love the Bujold books, but like the "Sharing Knife series even better."

[Lillian Marek]

At the moment I am rereading "The Sirens Sang of Murder"—one of Sarah Caudwell's delightfully acerbic mysteries. And thanks to Andrea's blog, I put an interlibrary loan request in for "Stars, mosquitoes and crocodiles ; the American travels of Alexander von Humboldt." It's a selection from his 1500-page account of his voyage to America—I didn't think I'd be likely to read the whole thing.

[StephanieL]

I discovered Lucinda Riley so started on her "Seven Sisters" series and have really enjoyed it a lot. Waiting (rather impatiently LOL) for book 3 to be released mid-April. Meanwhile I've found that she has several others that are dual thread books and so I am going to start with "The Girl on the Cliff" as we move into April. As for the majority of March, I have re-read a large pile of my favorites to get me through some stress, well loved stories always make my heart happy. :-) Susanna Kearsley's "The Rose Garden" and "Winter Sea", a few of Emilie Lorings novels, and Nora Roberts "The Brides Quartet" made it into this re-read. I have Christina Courtenay's "The Silent Kiss of Darkness" on my TBR for April as well. I always love this post. So many new suggestions!!

[Linda Manwiller]

Certainly the Balogh's - I have almost everyone of her titles. The new Briggs is on the nightstand (as is the new Anne Bishop) - again I have all of them! And, thanks to Andrea's blog, I ILL'd "The Invention of Nature" and am ready to start it. Now that I have a new bookcase, I brought out my Patricia Veryan's and Terry Pratchett's and will be rereading them in the next few months as well.

[Minna]

I'm reading Dangerous Books For Girls: The Bad Reputation of Romance Novels Explained: Expanded Edition by Maya Rodale and of course I'm reading some of those dangerous books, like Forged by Desire by Bec McMaster and Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Nice variety, Sue! I'm not much of a fan of the Sharing Knife books, but Bujold writes so well she holds my attention no matter what her setting or story.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Lillian, Sarah Caudwell was wonderful! So sad that she died young. I think Andrea gets angel book points for all the people she's introducing to Humpboldt. *G*

[Mary Jo Putney]

Stephanie, I also reread favorites when I'm tired or stressed. But I also love the suggestions I got from the other Wenches!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Linda--Veryans! Pratchetts! I love new bookcases that allow more books to be displayed. *G*

[Mary Jo Putney]

Minna, I love that title, "Dangerous Books for Girls!" May all those dangerous books live long and prosper. *G*

[Margaret]

I recently passed my copy of Jo's Spymaster's Lady to a friend depressed by the state of the world who had never before read a romance novel. She in turn passed Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell to me. It is a brilliant work of historical fiction which delves into the division of the Middle East at the end of World War I and shows clearly how those inept decisions laid the foundations for a century of turmoil. We were both delighted by each other's choices! I also finally got around to reading Ann Patchett's State of Wonder which everyone else gushed about years ago (It deserved all the gushing), and for sheer fun finally discovered Sonali Dev's A Bollywood Affair and read Meredith Duran for the first time. I'll hunt down more books by both authors in the future!

[Teresa Broderick]

I've been in a total reading slump and I don't know why. I get terribly frustrated when this happens. I've reread an old favorite, Marrying Miss Hemingford by Mary Nichols. This is a long standing fav of mine and I've read it many times. The one new book I read was Murder on Black Swan Lane by your own Andrea. She was so very kind and sent me an ARC when I couldn't enter the competition that was running on GoodReads. It was a great read. I LOVED it and it's actually hard waiting for the second in the series to come out.
The Silent Kiss of Darkness is a brilliant read StephanieL. Hope you enjoy it.

[Andrea Penrose]

Guns, Germs and Steel is an amazing book! I love it too, Sue.

[Andrea Penrose]

Sounds great, Lillian. Glad I made another Humboldt fan!

[Andrea Penrose]

I love this feature, too, StephanieL. My TBR is groaning with all the great books suggested by everyone here.

[Andrea Penrose]

I hope you enjoy it, Linda!

[Andrea Penrose]

Oh, thanks you, Teresa! SO glad you enjoyed it.

[Mary T]

I too have been doing a lot of re-reading lately. Don't know why. Sometimes you just want a sure thing. Kind of like comfort food (comfort reads).

The only new reads were Mary Balogh's SOMEONE TO HOLD, ANGEL MINE by Sherryl Woods, and NOT QUITE A LADY by Loretta Chase. Loved them all. I love almost anything Mary Balogh writes. The other two were not new books (recent releases) but they were new to me.

[Mary Jo Putney]

What a very nice book exchange! I haven't read State of Wonder, but like you, I've heard many fine things about it. I should put it on the list.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Teresa, I'm so glad you enjoyed Andrea's upcoming mystery! It was very kind of her to send it to you even though you're outside contest boundaries.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Comfort reads beat comfort foods because they're lovely, and NOT fattening!

[Kareni]

I've done a lot of reading in March. Here's a portion ~

— The Tin Box by Kim Fielding which was a poignant read in that it featured (as a back story) the treatment of homosexuals in insane asylums in the 1930s and on in the US. I’ve enjoyed all of the books by this author that I’ve read; she has quite a range of settings and styles. This book was a contemporary male/male romance.
— Scriber by Ben S. Dobson: This book is a work of fantasy, not a romance. The main female character is a woman of rather epic proportions (almost eight feet tall) who leads a band of soldiers (all women); she is strong and honorable. While the book has a goodly amount of violence, I’d say that it would be appropriate for teens as well as adults. I enjoyed it.
— A Dead Bore (John Pickett Mysteries Book 2) and Family Plot (John Pickett Mysteries Book 3) by Sheri Cobb South. These are regency mysteries with a slowly building romance.
— the contemporary romance Private Politics (The Easy Part Book 2) by Emma Barry which I enjoyed. It’s the second book in a series, but it stands alone well. Now I’d like to read the other two books.
— an advanced reader’s copy of Star Crossed (Fly Me to the Moon, Book 4) by Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner which I enjoyed. This is a female/female romance set during the 1960s space race. I came to have this copy because the authors put out a call recently asking for suggestions for a bar name. The name I suggested, The Tipsy Abbess, was one of two chosen to appear in the book; I even got a credit in the acknowledgements. Fun times!

— I very much enjoyed Anne Bishop’s Etched in Bone which is the fifth book in her The Others series; this is a series I’d recommend reading in order. I’m tempted to go back and re-read all of the series to date.
— Can’t Help Falling: A Novel by Kara Isaac: I recently read a different book by this author, Close to You, which had a Lord of the Rings connection; this book has a Narnia connection. Both books have some inspirational content, but I would say that this book has more. It was an enjoyable read, but I don’t think I’ll necessarily re-read it.
— Silver Scars by Posy Roberts: This was a romance featuring two men both of whom had suffered life changing injuries. I enjoyed it.
— The Sacrifice and Other Stories by Kim Fielding: a collection of short stories and novellas by a favorite author. I enjoyed some of the stories more than others; however, I think my preference is for the author’s longer works.
— for my book group, Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. I recommend it.
— Patricia Briggs’ Silence Fallen (A Mercy Thompson Novel) which I enjoyed (even if I didn’t identify the Dr. Who character). The story was complex, and I’ll likely re-read this at some point when I re-read the entire series. I still prefer the Alpha and Omega stories, because they focus on Charles and Anna instead of having a large cast of characters.
— re-read Mary Balogh’s historical romance Only a Promise.
— Think of England by K J Charles: a historical (early 1900s) male/male romance that I enjoyed and which I suspect I’ll be rereading.

— I quite enjoyed the male/male love story For Real (Spires) by Alexis Hall; this is a book I’ll be re-reading.
— re-read Jo Goodman’s historical romance My Reckless Heart.
— a re-read of a 1989 Nora Roberts’ book, For Now, Forever (MacGregors, Book 5), which I enjoyed once more.
— I stayed up way too late reading Desperately Seeking Epic by BN Toler. This book had me crying. Trigger alert for child with cancer.
— I’ve been reading these two books since my husband and I were found to have elevated blood pressure. I enjoyed them both, and a number of the recipes sound quite enticing. Both are by Jessica Goldman Foung. Low-So Good: A Guide to Real Food, Big Flavor, and Less Sodium with 70 Amazing Recipes AND Sodium Girl’s Limitless Low-Sodium Cookbook.
— Laura Florand’s A Crown of Bitter Orange (La Vie en Roses Book 3) which I enjoyed.
— a re-read of Lisa Kleypas’ contemporary romance Brown-Eyed Girl. I enjoyed the book more this time though I still prefer other books in the same series.
— a very enjoyable young adult book that is a modern day Canterbury Tales retelling: Sometimes We Tell the Truth by Kim Zarins
— Exile by Colleen Vanderlinden — this was a pleasant read but it’s definitely part one of two. it’s set on a future earth in rough shape; the hero is one of an alien race that settled on earth some years ago while the heroine is the niece of a king.
— Starting Over: A Story by Ruthie Knox — this was a short piece about failure and hope that I quite liked and will likely re-read.

— The Edge of the Blade (The Uncharted Realms) by Jeffe Kennedy. This was an enjoyable fantasy novel; it’s not the first in the series, and I’d recommend starting at the beginning.
— Favorite author Sarina Bowen recently released a book Goodbye Paradise which was a re-issue of In Front of God & Everyone which she had previously published under the name Nealy Wagner. I was looking forward to reading the book only to realize I already owned it having picked it up as a free book a year or so ago; it was my lucky day. I enjoyed it.
— ‘Tis the season? I guess it is for me. A Regency Christmas II by Mary Balogh, Carla Kelly, Mary Jo Putney, Anita Mills, Sheila Walsh, and Mary Jo Putney
— A Storm of Stories by K.B. Jensen: This was a curious novel in that consisted of stories being told by a man and a woman who were trapped in a car during a storm. I was sufficiently engrossed in that I read the whole book, but it’s not a book I’m inclined to reread. It was NOT a romance.
— Rachel Grant’s newest romantic suspense. Tinderbox (Flashpoint Book 1), which I enjoyed.
— Close Enough to Touch: A Nove by Colleen Oakley which I enjoyed. I’ll be on the lookout for other books by this author.
— re-read three linked stories from Thea Harrison’s Elder Races series and enjoyed them all once again: Dragos Goes to Washington, Pia Does Hollywood, and Liam Takes Manhattan.
— TWolves of Black Pine (The Wolfkin Saga Book 1) by SJ Himes which I enjoyed until I got to the end and learned of a sequel coming out in early 2016. Said sequel does not seem to have yet been published. Drats!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Wow, Kareni, what a wonderful reading month you've had! I'm envious of your reading time. *G*) You mentioned several authors I've not heard of and should check out. I'm not a Whovian so didn't spot the Doctor reference, either, but it was pointed out in the text, fortunately.

And The Tipsy Abbess? Wonderful name!!!