What We're Reading for November

Howdy folks. Joanna here.
Hope all those who celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday had a good one.

It's been a good month for reading, it being fall weather and brisk enough that the dog doesn't beg for a walk so much.

 

Andrea brings us a YA and a biography:

It was a strange reading month. I started and didn’t finish a couple of books, which is very rare for me. But they just didn’t catch my fancy. However, having enjoyed the Ron Chernow biography of Alexander Hamilton so much, I snatched up Washington: A Life,  his bio on George Washington, when it recently appeared on BookBub. (It won the Pulitzer Prize some years back) I’m only about a quarter of the way through it, but am really enjoying it.

 

Chernow has a wonderful knack of making his subjects come so alive. Washington’s early life is fascinating, and he comes across as a very different character from the solemn, stately president that the history books present. We see a full range of his humanity—he was a man of passions and pragmatism—and really paints a viid portrait of his many nuances. I’m very much looking forward to glomming through the rest of it in next little while.

I love Leigh Bardugo’s YAs, so I was also eagerly waiting the release of her first adult novel, Ninth House. I glommed through it, but have to confess that it wasn’t an easy read. The plotting and character development were ragged in places, and it was VERY dark and gritty—enough so, that I paused in a few places wondering whether I could continue. It didn’t have the strong band of misfit friends that she created so beautifully in the YAs, so the relationship of protagonists seemed a little disjointed.

 

BUT, as as the blurb says, it’s a tale of power, privilege, dark magic, and murder set among the Ivy League elite . . . and glimmers of Bardugo’s magical writing flickered enough in places, that I stuck with it. And as the backstory of the main character—a deeply damaged freshman young woman who suddenly finds herself trying to keep evil magic from running amuck when her senior mentor disappears—is slowly revealed, the story really begins to come together, and the bonding begins to work.

 

It’s a challenging read, so be forewarned. But I ended up liking in spite of the problems I found. It’s clearly the start of the series, and I’m hooked enough on the characters and the quest that I’ll definitely get the second book. (In the last chapter of this book, she and her friends have discovered that her mentor isn't dead, but has been swallowed by a demon . . . so the last line of this book is hard to resist. “So, who’s ready to go to Hell?”

 

Nicola offers us a fine mix:

I’ve been mixing romance and crime in my reading this month. I started with My Sister the Serial Killer, which was recommended here last month. The title in itself is enough to rouse the curiosity! It’s about Korede, whose gorgeous sister Ayoola is the serial killer of the title. Korede has been covering up for and tidying up after Ayoola for years but she’s about to reach breaking point when her sister takes a shine to the man Korede is in love with… A lot of the reviews describe this book as hilarious.

I didn’t actually find it very funny because it was pretty dark, but I did find it compulsive and the writing was very, very good. I always feel it’s hard to say I enjoyed a book like this because I found it disturbing but it was a very interesting reading experience.

Next up was The Word is Murder by Antony Horowitz. I really enjoyed the last book of his I read, The Magpie Murders, and this was just as good. It’s a modern take on the old-fashioned murder mystery, full of red herrings, misdirection, a fascinating cast of characters and a maverick detective.

Romance was provided by a timeslip novel by Melinda Hammond, called Casting Samson. Linda is an award-winning author of Regency romance (she also writes under the name Sarah Mallory) but I’ve read and enjoyed her timeslip writing before (Moonshadows) so I was really looking forward to Casting Samson.

The two time periods are contemporary and the era of the Crusades and the Knights Templar, which was a fascinating and unusual period of history to read about. The historical and modern days sections were woven together beautifully and there were two very satisfying love stories in the contemporary story. There was also a hilarious scene at a village fete which had me laughing aloud. Anyone who enjoys romances set in English villages should like this – it has a lovely and vivid cast of characters, three very attractive heroes, history and mystery! Casting Samson was previously published by HQ Digital and Melinda will be republishing it very soon – watch this space! In the meantime, here’s the link to Moonshadows.

 

Pat's here with a New York City story:

Elizabeth Gilbert is a fabulous writer who can draw the reader in with her effortless prose alone. The reviews of City of Girls caught  my interest with promises of New York City theater history in the 1940s. The opening chapter was a bit of a literary conceit, but I tolerated that. It gave the author the opportunity to write a chatty monologue, presumably to some woman she’d only met once, explaining how the narrator's relationship with the unknown woman’s father. That sounded promising.

I knew it wasn’t romance and the narrator wouldn’t end up with the father, but I was happy to go along for the ride—until midbook when the narcissistic shallow protagonist had yet to mention said gentleman but talked only of herself.

There were a lot of entertaining characters along the way, and I kept waiting for the story to coalesce into a beginning, middle, and end. Instead, I got lots of enchanting vignettes of 1940s New York that never went anywhere. So I skipped to the end, and the father showed up maybe forty pages from the end. I’ll leave it to you whether he was worth the effort. So if you don’t mind just going along for the ride with no destination in mind, read this for the history and the prose.

Anne returns to a favorite author and brings us someone new. Anne says:

 

I've recommended Juliet Marillier's novels before in this column, and her latest, The Harp of Kings, was a standout read for me this month. Juliet Marillier writes Celtic history with elements of fantasy and magic. In The Harp of Kings eighteen-year-old Liobhan and her brother Brocc are musicians training to join an elite warrior band. When they are recruited for a secret mission to find and retrieve an ancient harp, vital to the coronation of a king—and the stability of a kingdom—they are challenged by both men and magic. A wonderful novel, highly recommended.

 

My other recommendation is Ann Swinfen — The Bookseller's Tale. Recommended to me by a friend, this is a medieval mystery set in the Oxford of 1353. The small university town is still trying to recover from the aftermath of The Great Plague, several years before. When maker of books, bookseller and scrivener, Nicholas Elyot, finds the body of a student known to him, murdered and tossed into the river, he becomes involved in a search for answers, answers that are closely connected to the book trade.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Apart from the story, plot and characters -- all of which were intelligent and engaging -- I learned a lot about this time period and place that I hadn't known. The minute I finished The Bookseller's Tale, I bought the next in the series, The Novice's Tale and gobbled it down. I've since finished the series. Best read in order.

 

 

Mary Jo brings me cats, which is always a delight.

 

Murder at the Cat Show by Marian Babson

I've been in the mood for light reading, and when I saw a cozy mystery by Marian Babson on BookBub, I snapped it up because I read and enjoyed it years ago.  While I remember the general plot, I'd forgotten most of the details, so I enjoyed it all over again.  The story is narrated by Doug Perkins, who runs a small public relations firm with his friend Gerry Tate.  They’re hired to publicize a London cat show.  

Doug has no opinions about cats one way or the other, but he soon gets sucked into discovering celebrity working cat and their doting owners. There's a murder, Doug gets enslaved by a peremptory young Siamese, and much fun is had all around. <G>  Very enjoyable, especially if you like cats. 

A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews

This is an enjoyable Victorian Christmas novella, a nice light bite at a busy season. As of this writing, it's 99 cents, though I don't know how long that will last.  Here's the blurb:

Sophie Appersett is quite willing to marry outside of her class to ensure the survival of her family. But the darkly handsome Mr. Edward Sharpe is no run-of-the-mill London merchant. He's grim and silent. A man of little emotion--or perhaps no emotion at all. After two months of courtship, she's ready to put an end to things.

 But severing ties with her taciturn suitor isn't as straightforward as Sophie envisioned. Her parents are outraged. And then there's Charles Darwin, Prince Albert, and that dratted gaslight. What's a girl to do except invite Mr. Sharpe to Appersett House for Christmas and give him one last chance to win her? Only this time there'll be no false formality. This time they'll get to know each other for who they really are!

 

And me, I'll round out the month of November with a paranormal.

I don't read a lot of story collections, but I picked up a couple in November, doing the mind-broadening thing.

One struck me in particular. It's Small Magics by the writing team of Ilona Andrews. This is five or six stories set in the her fictive universe. You got yer magic, yer warrior women,yer  shape shifters, post-Apocalypse world, folks fighting with swords and adventure in general. They give us a couple YA stories and a couple love stories. All of them are lovely.

Can I call the stories warm and funny when they’re full of monsters and bloodshed?

Anyway, I enjoyed this lot and it might be just what you need if you don’t have time to sit down and concentrate for a long stretch.

 

So. what are you reading lately that you think other folks might like hearing about?

 

 

Comments

[Lil Marek]

I've been rereading some old mysteries, including some by Emma Lathen. They're so beautifully written—I'm enjoying them as much the second time round. Here's her (their) description of the town in A Place for Murder:
"Shaftesbury, Connecticut is not suburban Connecticut. In Shaftesbury there are no spirited struggles over four-acre zoning, no petitions for better commuter service, no interest at all in the local school system, which exists primarily to serve the needs of the servants’ children."
Isn't that an elegantly economical way to provide a sense of the setting?

[Sue McCormick]

I've been doing mostly re-reads.

Today I downloaded and raced through Mary Balogh's "Someone to Remember." I enjoyed it, but not as much as some of the other "Someone" books. If any of the wenches had a book out this month, I have read it and enjoyed it, but I didn't keep track of new readings. (I know I read it and enjoyed it, because I DID look up that I was up-to-date; I just didn't look at release dates.

As for rereads: I have been enjoying Jane Feathers Tudor Spys books, and also her Duncan sisters series. And I am finishing Ellis Peters Felse stories; these are told in a different voice than her more famous Brother Cadfael stories. I find them just as entertaining.

[Patricia Franzino]

I recently read "Warrior of the Altaii by Robert Jordan, which was never published, written in the 1970s.

It was described as epic fantasy fiction of the time. I felt that too, because it was not sophisticated or lyrical writing like Jordan's Wheel of Time series.

It didn't have the same flow. I enjoyed the story and characters. It was interesting to read an early work of Jordan's.

[Mary T]

With Christmas coming, I've been revisiting a lot of the Christmas novels and novellas I have on my kindle. Recently finished Grace Burrowes LADY SOPHIE'S CHRISTMAS WISH which is one of the first books I ever read by Ms. Burrowes. I also recommend THE LADY MOST WILLING (a novel in three parts) by Julia Quinn, Eloisa James and Connie Brockway. A story of several winter nights in a castle in Scotland. Each author has a separate section, but they flow together seamlessly. I did recognize the sections written by Julia Quinn though. They were the ones that had me laughing out loud.

I too, also recently read A HOLIDAY BY GASLIGHT by Mimi Matthews. She is a recent discovery. I've read three of her books and have not been disappointed yet.

I have a bunch of Christmas novellas lined up to read by Mary Balogh, Barbara Metzger, Edith Layton, etc., the list goes on and on.

They are oldies but goodies!

[Constance]

I’ve also been deep into Christmas reads, and second the recommendations of A Holiday By Gaslight, which I read last year and have revisited. BUT I put Christmas aside when A Bitter Feast, the latest Deborah Crombie, arrived! This is the latest in her mystery series featuring Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James, and one of the best in my opinion. Crombie weaves the ongoing development of their careers in Scotland Yard with their romance and growing family, as well as the lives of their colleagues, into the story of the murder of a totally unlikeable but talented chef. And in this one, we’ve left London behind and find ourselves “enjoying” a weekend in the Cotswolds. I stayed up way too late finishing it!

[Quantum]

My favorite read this month was 'Katie Mullholland' by Catherine Cookson. It appeared as an audio in 2016 and is beautifully read by Susan Jameson. The book is a real page turner, contrasting the social positions of rich and poor in Victorian/Edwardian Britain. Cookson delves into some of the harsh realities of the period but retains a sense of optimism throughout. The ups and downs of Katie's complicated life make compelling listening. I will definitely be trying some more of Cookson's 41 available audio titles

[Barbara Monajem (@BarbaraMonajem)]

Delivering the Truth by Edith Maxwell. It's the first in her Quaker Midwife series and takes place in Massachusetts in 1888. I really enjoyed learning more about the Quakers. There are some sad bits (infant mortality being so common back then), but I will definitely read more of the series.

[Joanne Bourne]

I am a HUGE fan of Emma Lathen.

They are so good.

My favorite book, among many favorites, is When in Greece.

... The young banker is on the run from the villains,not sure who to trust, unable to get to a phone because of earthquake devastation.

A pair of Greek nationals see him by the road. Stop and ask, "Friend?"

That seems promising so he agrees. He hitches a ride with them and ends up at a Quaker Disaster Relief center, where he pulls a sweatshirt and jeans out of the donated clothing and hides as yet another volunteer in a sweatshirt.

[Joanne Bourne]

All of those are such fine books.

I like the Felse books. Yet another of those wonderful British detective series.

[Joanne Bourne]

... and something Jordan fans will be looking out for. Thanks for bringing it up. I imagine we have a good many of them here.

[Joanne Bourne]

I read the Grace Burrowes book. Very fine indeed. I have it on the shelf at home.

I haven't got into seasonal reading yet. *g*
It's a time of the year that seems to fit the novella format. Short and sweet and warmhearted.

[Joanne Bourne]

That is just a number of recommendations for a Holiday By Gaslight. I will have to seek it out and see why folks like it.

I always like to see a new Mystery author. I am a fan ofthe genre.

[Joanne Bourne]

I have't listened to many audio books. I guess I don't have much time with my hands busy and my mind looking for something to concentrate on.

My son listens on his long commute and says audio books are perfect for this.

Maybe I need to go drive some.

[Joanne Bourne]

Sounds like an interesting approach to the era. I will have a glance at one of hers next time I'm in a bookstore.

I've read a few historical accounts of midwives -- British and American -- and they seem to have been active and determined folks.

[Jane]

I've been enjoying two Cornish series by Phillipa Ashley. First the Little Cornish Isles series, followed by the Cornish Cafe series. They aren't connected at all, but each is three books long, and the characters are interesting. Both series are romances, and the Cafe series is a bit of an homage to Poldark, especially the way it begins.

I also really like Jasmine Guillory's Wedding Date series, and I know I am definitely not the target audience, but her characters are very caring and compelling.

Since I read a lot, I really enjoy discovering new authors whose books I like, and I've found many through this blog. Thank you!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Mary T, what a lovely selection of books! I've nwo read two works by Mimi Matthews, and both were very enjoyable. (The second being HOLIDAY BY GASLIGHT.)

[Mary Jo Putney]

Jo, A Holiday by Gaslight is a nice short bite, and Deborah Crombie is EXCELLENT!

[Anne Gracie]

Joanna, I don't drive the regular long commutes I used to make, and don't listen as much to audio books, but I do find them great for doing dreary chores, like cleaning out cupboards or painting -- the kind of thing where your hands are busy but not a lot of brainpower is needed. One weekend I spent long days scraping wallpaper, spackling cracks and sanding woodwork and priming plaster ready for painting -- but because I'd been listening to audio books the whole time, it felt as though I'd spent the weekend reading. Made the time and the dreary work fly.

[Anne Gracie]

Jane, I've read Phillipa Ashley's Cornish books. I find it interesting that she follows a couple through three books, so we don't just see the romance, we get the ongoing relationship.

As for discovering books, we wenches feel the same. I've just bought two books after reading the comments here, and whenever the wenches start planning for this column, the credit card always gets a workout as well.

[Karin]

I read "This Earl of Mine" by Kate Bateman(aka K.C. Bateman) and it was a delight. It's a marriage of convenience plot, between a shipping heiress and a convict who is about to be transported to Australia. I won't even try to explain why, and you can ignore the highly unlikely premise, and just get on with enjoying the book. Anyway, the hero is actually working undercover for Bow Street, and the younger son of an Earl. He turns up at a ball the heroine is attending some weeks later, where she is surprised to learn her husband-in-name-only is not on his way to the antipodes.
This month I also discovered a Edith Layton book which I had somehow overlooked: A Bride for His Convenience. It was not her most intensely dramatic book, but a very sweet story. And what a treat to read a new-to-be Layton book for the first time.
Now I am about to read "Murder on Astor Place",the first in the Gaslight Mysteries series by Victoria Thompson. I've recently been enjoying books set in New York during the Gilded Age. A little while back I read "A Notorious Vow" by Joanna Shupe which also has that setting. I must say, although I liked her earlier Knickerbocker Club books, Shupe's writing has really improved in this later series. Much better character development and the writing really flows.

[Lil Marek]

I remember that one. At one point he's lying on a hillside, keeping his head down, and discovers what wild thyme smells like.

[Vicki L]

I read two books by Mimi Matthews this month: the Work of Art and The Lost Letter. To me her writing style is very reminiscent of Grace Burrowes novels. Very enjoyable. I haven't yet read the Christmas novella.

The Madness of Lord Ian by Jennifer Ashley. For whatever reason I'd thought of that book repeatedly over 2 weeks so decided to just reread it. Enjoyed it just as much as all the other times I've read it.

Christmas Eve at Friday's harbor by Lisa Kleypas. A nice, sweet Christmas story. Also a reread. It was the perfect book to read before bedtime.

Angel Rogue by Mary Jo Putney. Atll the mentions of it coming out on audio caused me to look for it on my shelf. To my great surprise when I started reading it I found I'd never read it! I've read The Rogue and the Runaway many times but not the expanded versison. Which I enjoyed as well.

I'm 3/4ths of the way through The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, The Dresser and The Wardrobe by Angela Kelly. Its a book about Angela Kelly, her relationship with the Queen as well as her designing of outfits for all occasions. Plus all the care and effort that goes into maintaining the jewelry, packing, going on every trip with the Queen. A truly fun read with gorgeous pictures.

Tried posting from my phone yesterday but for whatever reason...it wouldn't work.

[Joanne Bourne]

I love the Mary Stewart books set in Greece too.
My Brother Michael and Moon Spinners.

Classic, (so to speak,) and I purely love Greece.

[Joanne Bourne]

Now I'll HAVE to get holds of it.

[Joanne Bourne]

I have been generating great clouds of plaster dust. I must now wipe every surface in the house, as this is what my life has become.

I'll try to find some audiobook to cheerme along.

[Joanne Bourne]

" you can ignore the highly unlikely premise, and just get on with enjoying the book"

This is very much my approach to reading. *g*

That's an Edith Layton book I haven't read myself. I'll have to pick it up. It's on kindle at $3.50

https://www.amazon.com/Bride-His-Convenience-Edith-Layton-ebook/dp/B001FA0TN2/

[Joanne Bourne]

The Other Side of th Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe sounds like it would be fascinating.

Apparently What The Queen Wears conveys all sorts of subtle messages. I mean, who knew?

[Joanne Bourne]

The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, The Dresser, and the Wardrobe sounds fascinating.

Apparently, What the Queen Wears conveys all sorts of subtle messages.
I mean, who knew?

[Mary Jo Putney]

Vicki L, I'm glad you're enjoy Angel Rogue. As you can tell, it's the same story and characters as The Rogue and the Runaway, but I developed a couple of subplots more, such as the relationship between Robin and Giles. A little sexier, too, but the same story.

[TeriS]

I'm looking forward to the winter months when I can catch up on all of my books! I'm currently reading Lisa Kleypas' Devil in Spring. It is a fun, light read. I usually reread one of Jo Beverley's books this time of year. She was such a great writer who brought the British holiday customs to life in her books. I would recommend any of her books.

[Kareni]

And I'm yet another who read A HOLIDAY BY GASLIGHT this month!

[Kareni]

Since last time ~

— Life According to Liam by V.L. Locey proved to be an enjoyable male/male romance.

— reread The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison which I enjoyed once again.

— I’d heard excellent reviews of The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow; however, I only read half of it before needing to return it to the library. What I read was interesting but not sufficiently compelling to have me continue. Perhaps another time.

— Planetside by Michael Mammay which was recommended in a recent newsletter by favorite author SK Dunstall. I enjoyed the book which ended with a bang and left me wishing to read on. I’d describe it as a military science fiction mystery.

— I quite enjoyed Quarter Share (Trader’s Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper Book 1) by Nathan Lowell. I finished it in two days and then began book two. It’s classified as science fiction because it takes place in space, but it’s a rather mellow story with no battles. The Trader’s Tales name of the series is accurate as a lot of trading takes place. This book would be a fine read for teens as well as adults.

— I read and enjoyed Polaris Rising (The Consortium Rebellion Book 1) by Jessie Mihalik which I’d describe as a science fiction action romance. While I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series, I don’t think this is a book I’ll be quick to reread.

— read Nathan Lowell’s second book in the series Half Share (Trader’s Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper Book 2) and enjoyed it, too. (This book had more adult themes, nothing graphic, than Quarter Share.)

— read and enjoyed (save for the ending that came too fast) To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers which is a science fiction novella. The ending has an element of Frank Stockton’s The Lady, or the Tiger? in that it leaves you with possibilities rather than an answer.

— enjoyed reading Dauntless by Lisa Henry which was a male/male romance novella with a mystery.

— enjoyed browsing Hand Lettering for Relaxation by Amy Latta. This is a very approachable book that includes ample practice space should you wish to use it that way. (I don’t think my library would appreciate my doing so!)

— Nightchaser by Amanda Bouchet which I enjoyed; I’d describe it as a science fiction romance that’s pretty light on the science fiction. It was entertaining though I initially thought (incorrectly) that a very minor character might prove to be the hero. I’ll happily read the next book when it comes out; however, I don’t see myself rereading this book anytime soon.

— Lincoln in the Bardo: A Novel by George Saunders for my book group. It was an unusual book (historical fiction), easy to read, yet poignant; I’d recommend it.

— I also began but did not finish Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth about which I’ve seen many positive reviews; it did not grab me.

— Also began but did not finish Know My Name: A Memoir by Chanel Miller; this was written by the young woman who wrote a powerful witness statement after being sexually assaulted on the Stanford campus some years ago. I may go back to this at some point; what I read was poignant.

[Nicola Cornick]

I really love the Felse books too. She was such a talented author.

[Nicola Cornick]

I really enjoy that Deborah Crombie series too!

[Joanne Bourne]

Some of those sound lovely. I see I have a bit of catching up to do.

The Goblin Emperor looks particularly interesting.

[Joanne Bourne]

I'm entirely with you there on Jo's books. Always hit the perfect note in her historicals. She wrote such wonderful Christmas books too.

Kleypas is a favorite too, of course, and Devil in Spring is one of her best.

[Kareni]

The Goblin Emperor's namesake character is a really good person; I find the book uplifting. I hope that you'll have a chance to read it, Joanna.