Anne here, and this month we have a bumper crop of recommended reads for you, from YA to timeslip, to Christmas treats, romance, literary fiction, crime and more.
We'll start with Christina: This month I’ve read and enjoyed a couple of books recommended by fellow Wenches. First and foremost, The Christmas Escape by Sarah Morgan which was exactly as wonderful as I had hoped. The fact that it is set in snowy Lapland in the north of Sweden was just the icing on the cake! I now long to go there to take sleigh rides through the forests and see the aurora borealis in all its glory.
Then there was Boyfriend by Sarina Bowen, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I was very happy to find that it was the first in a series penned by different authors, all connected through the fictional US college Moo U in Vermont. The second book in the series, Blindsided by Victoria Denault, was just brilliant! As well as keeping up with hockey practice and his studies, hockey star Tate Adler is trying to save his family’s farm by doing an illicit side job. Their neighbours the Todds have their own problems. They are sworn enemies so when fellow student Maggie Todd finds out what Tate is doing, she doesn’t hesitate to blackmail him. But whenever they meet, sparks fly and their chemistry is off the charts. Can they risk a relationship or will the feud remain forever? This love story was just explosive and I loved every minute of it. I’m now reading my way through the rest of the series.
A friend also recommended a brilliant YA series by L.J. Shen, starting with Pretty Reckless. It’s raw and angsty with a lot of misunderstandings, but I’m thoroughly enjoying these stories too. Penn Scully is from the wrong end of town with a drug addict mother and a deadbeat step-father, while Daria Followhill is a rich and spoiled princess. He believes she took away the only thing he ever loved and is out for revenge. When Penn’s mother dies, Daria’s parents decide to take him in as a foster son and he can set his plans in motion. As for Daria, she’s tired of always coming second in her mother’s eyes and wants to lash out at everyone and everything. But things don’t go to plan for either of them …
Next comes Pat, who says: If you’re in a literary mood, Anne Tyler is always a good bet.
In REDHEAD BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, Micah Mortimer, is a 40-something computer tech. He’s the youngest of a large, messy family, and in consequence, he’s a tad obsessive about keeping his personal life contained, so contained that he has a bad habit of shutting doors on the world. The story follows Micah through a series of events that opens his eyes to what he’s been missing all his life. There’s no violence, no sex, just a lovely journey of discovery told by a fabulously talented writer. It’s wonderful to settle in for the evening in safe hands—I didn’t skim a single page!
For a change of pace, THE OVERDUE LIFE OF AMY BYLER by Kelly Harms is just pure unadulterated fun, whether or not you agree with the premise. Amy Byler is a single mom of two adolescent children, struggling to make ends meet on a librarian’s salary after her husband decided he’d rather live in Asia. Said husband unexpectedly returns, wealthy, and ready to get to know his kids over the summer. He’s perfectly competent. Amy’s friends are there to keep an eye on them while Amy goes to a librarian’s conference in NYC. Events transpire and voila, Amy is suddenly living the high life in the city with a bottomless credit card and no kids to transport and argue with. The wit is fabulous and the story line tumbles along at breakneck speed while Amy learns to be herself again. Highly recommended!
Nicola said: This month I’ve read a variety of books, some on the recommendation of other Wenches. I’m currently reading and loving One More Christmas at the Castle by Trisha Ashley which Anne reviewed last month. I totally agree with her that it’s utterly charming and engrossing, a poignant but uplifting family story that is definitely putting me in the mood for Christmas. (And when I’ve finished that I have Mistletoe at the Manor by Teresa F Morgan waiting on my Kindle to pick up the festive theme!)
Like Pat I’ve also read Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler which I highly recommend. Her sharp observations on life and family had me nodding in recognition and appreciation. I enjoyed it so much I’ve now got Anne Tyler’s Ladder of Years waiting in my TBR pile.
On the crime front I borrowed my husband’s birthday book, The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman. Book 2 of the Thursday Murder Club series it sees the octogenarian sleuths of Coopers Chase Retirement Village tackle a mystery involving murder and a cache of missing diamonds. I enjoyed the first Thursday Murder Club book but this is so much better, a really cleverly-plotted, page turning book but the heart of it comes from the wonderfully eccentric members of the club themselves and the love and kindness they show each other in so many different ways. I loved this one.
Finally a shout out for our own Christina Courtenay’s latest Runes book, Tempted by the Runes which is out on 9th December. I was lucky enough to read an ARC of this; each time I read the latest book in the series I think it’s the best so far and I adored Maddie and Geir’s story. When Maddie is left to her own devices on a family trip to Dublin, she takes the opportunity to have her own adventure into the past. Maddie knows about the runes and about time travel – she only intends to be away for a short while but finds herself on a ship bound for Iceland with a hunky Viking! There are so many things I love about this book – as always Christina creates the most fascinating Viking world for her characters to inhabit, and the Icelandic setting is beautifully drawn. What I like the most, though, is that Maddie is quite young and needs time to grow as a person and within her relationship with Geir. He, believing they are fated to be together, is very patient waiting for her, which makes the romance all the more enjoyable when they get together. Both of them are brilliant characters and the whole book is rich and romantic and wonderful. Thank you, Christina!
And now, here's Andrea: It’s always very exciting to discover a new author and series. I just finished A Rising Man, by Abir Mukherjee, the first book in his historical mystery series set in 1920s Calcutta, and I am totally hooked! It features a former Scotland Yard detective, Sam Wyndham, who has been disillusioned and mentally scarred by the horrors of WWI. On top of seeing his comrades slaughtered, his new bride has died in the influenza epidemic before he got home from the front. Feeling there is nothing left for him in England, he accepts his wartime commander’s invitation to join the Imperial Police force in India. On arrival, he’s immediately plunged into the murder of British government official . . .
The descriptions of Calcutta are wonderfully wrought, as are the complicated relationships of class, race and prejudice. Wyndham is teamed with an Indian sergeant—called Surrender-Not because no Brit can pronounce his real name—who was educated at Harrow and Cambridge. Again, a fascinating and nuanced relationship develops as they feel each other out. Wyndham struggles with his conscience and sense of honor and justice—and with a growing opium addiction—as they try to unravel the truth behind the crime. The murder has been set up to appear it’s the work of violent Indian nationalists, but it quickly becomes clear that it’s not nearly that simple. The mystery is really well done, and writing is marvelous—it’s told in first person by Wyndham, who has a very pithy and self deprecating sense of humor. Add to the mix a beguiling half-English-half Indian woman secretary, who is just as sardonic and world-weary as Wyndham, which creates an interesting romantic tension. I found it a really engaging read. I’ve already started the second book and intend to glom the whole series.
I was also lucky enough to read a ARC of Nicola’s latest book, The Last Daughter of York, which released in the U. S. on November 16th. I love Nicola’s dual-timeline novels as she always weaves together her two stories so brilliantly, creating characters in both eras facing challenges that test their mettle in every way—I always stay WAY too late at night, unable to stop reading because I’m on the edge of my seat about what’s going to happen next! I’m not really a Ricardian, but the Tudor-era plot, which revolves around the surviving young Prince of York, is riveting. The heroine and her husband are tasked by King Richard III with protecting the boy, and when Henry VII’s agents are closing in after Richard’s death, she needs to resort to extreme measures in to keep him safe . .
The present day plot focuses on Serena Warren, who has been haunted for years by the disappearance of her twin sister, Caitlin when they were teenagers. When Caitlin’s bones are unearthed in a church crypt that hasn’t been opened in centuries, the mystery has everyone baffled. But as Serena slowly pieices together local folklore and hazy recollections of a family heirloom—helped by a childhood friend who still makes her heart flutter—the story takes some very unexpected twists! (I have to say, Nicola creates the most divine hunky heros for her modern-day heroines!) It’s a wonderful read and I highly recommend it!
Mary Jo here. I've always been a fan of Sharon Shinn's fantasy novels such as her Archangels, Twelve Houses, and Elemental Blessings series. Though I'm not usually a big fan of short stories, I not surprisingly found that her recent story collection, Shadows of the Past, was imaginative and pure enjoyment. And because this is Sharon Shinn, there is often a dash of romance. My favorite story was "Can You Hear Me Now?" Two months after her father's death, Stacey starts receiving cell phone calls from people who have recently died… It's a sweet, romantic story and all of the stories are suffused with warmth and humanity.
Another favorite writer is the British Trisha Ashley. (She's a general Word Wench favorite.) I loved her most recent Christmas novel, One More Christmas at the Castle, that Anne recommended last month and Nicola is recommending today.
This time I'm recommending one of her early books, A Leap of Faith. (It was originally published under the title The Urge to Jump.) As the blurb indicates, fantasy writer Sappho Jones is closing in on 40--UNTHINKABLE!--and has "pretty much been there, done that, and got the T-shirt." One thing she hasn't tried is motherhood. Does she really want to go down that path, or should she move back to Wales and become an eccentric spinster with a cat?
Fast paced and zany, the story zips along as Sappho sorts out the lives of her two closest childhood friends, writes past and possibly future boyfriends as sexy lead characters in her fantasy series, and in fact winds up with an unusual and unexpected cat. The story is great, over the top fun!
Anne again:
I am a fan of Sophie Kinsella's books, and this latest, The Party Crasher, is no exception. It's about the aftermath of parental divorce, particularly from the point of view of the youngest child, Effie, who is in her 20's. It's a year on and Effie's still having trouble accepting it, and particularly not her father's new girlfriend. Now their beloved family home is for sale, and a 'house-cooling' party arranged by the girlfriend, only Effie's not invited. But her beloved Russian dolls, which she'd hidden, are still there and she wants them back. Her plan is to creep into the party, grab the dolls and leave. No one will know she was ever there.
What follows is a funny — and sometimes painful— series of events, where she searches for the dolls, hides from her family and other guests at the party, accidentally reconnects with the ex who broke her heart, and discovers unexpected truths about her family — and about herself. I know — this description sounds a bit grim and not a lot of fun, but it's a wonderful read, wise, and in the end, heartwarming. I couldn't put it down.
Next is SJ Bennett — A Three Dog Problem — which is also known as All the Queen's Men, I think they changed the title (and the cover) for the US. But it's the same story.
Last month Nicola recommended The Windsor Knot, a whodunnit starring the Queen. I admit I was a bit skeptical, but also curious. I'm no royalist and couldn't imagine the Queen as some kind of amateur detective. So I bought it.
And it works — it really does. The Queen is portrayed as an intelligent, canny, intuitive observer who notices things that concern her — after all she's been doing this job for 60 years. Since all her staff in the Palace try not to worry her with unpleasant details, she turns to her young assistant, Rozie, to privately investigate, occasionally calling on former palace employees she knows and trusts. The whole thing was surprisingly plausible and I thoroughly enjoyed it. (The Windsor Knot is currently on special so if you're interested, grab it now.)
So I bought the next book in the series, A Three Dog Problem (also called All The Queen's Men). I'm not going to describe the plot, but it's just as clever and engaging. Just a word about the timing of the series — it's set a few years ago, so the Queen is in her early 90's, Prince Phillip is still alive (his brief appearances are entertaining) and Harry hasn't married yet. It's set around the Brexit vote and the lead-up to Trump's election, but it's mostly about art, missing paintings, and poison pen letters, as well as murder.
As well, I've been doing a lot of rereading. CS Lewis once said “I can’t imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once.” I concur. I've reread several Jules Wake books, Covent Garden in the Snow and Notting Hill in the Snow. Plus several Trish Ashley books, which are always a pleasure to revisit.
So, what about you? What books have you read and enjoyed in the last month?