Anne here, and before we jump into talking about the books we've read in the last month, some of you have noticed that the comments on some posts seem to have disappeared. We don't know why, we have reported it to #Typepad (the blog host) but be assured your comments ARE making it through to the site, and we hope they'll be restored soon. So feel free to comment — we'll still respond.
Now, on to the books we've been reading. We start with Pat who is recommending T. L. Huchu, THE LIBRARY OF THE DEAD
This is a dystopian young adult set in an Edinburgh after some disaster that’s laid waste to. . .well, whatever the author needs out of his way. Apparently some people still have modern housing and normal lives, but the protagonist is a fourteen-year-old girl who can enter the spirit world and lives in a camper with her grandmother and little sister after her middle class life was destroyed by something or other. Despite my quibbles, this is a brilliantly written book. The protagonist is bold, probably a genius, and intent on taking care of her small family. When forced by guilt to forget making money to help someone for free, she’s dragged into a nightmare that she almost doesn’t escape. But in the process, she learns about an underground magical library, meets a snarly magician who helps her out, and finds a wheelchair-bound best friend. I loved the spirit parts and skimmed the violent ones, but I’ll be ordering the next book as soon as the ebook becomes a reasonable price.
Next is THE HEART PRINCIPLE, by Helen Hoang
In ways, this book is almost painful to read. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a brilliant book, the characterization and conflict are spot on. I just finished, and I’m thinking of reading it again. But it’s intense. I could feel the tension from the very first page, recognized the character’s autism before she does, and I don’t think I’m spoiling anything by saying it’s obvious the author knows what she’s writing about.
The themes are universal—know and accept yourself, caregiving is tough on everyone, and forgiveness is love. The story is beautifully romantic. The sex is graphic. The dry humor is very low level compared to earlier books THE KISS QUOTIENT and THE BRIDE TEST. But it’s well worth reading. Highly recommended.
Mary Jo here, and I have two bride stories here for June!
First is The Bride Wore White by Amanda Quick, which is the historical pseudonym of Jayne Ann Krentz.
As the blurb says: "Being Madame Ariadne, Psychic Dream Consultant, wasn’t Prudence Ryland’s ideal gig, but it paid well which was reason enough to do the work—until she realizes that her latest client intends to kill her. But Prudence, a master at reinvention, finds a new job and home as far away as possible and is finally able to relax—which turns out to be a big mistake. Letting her guard down means being kidnapped and drugged and waking up in a bloodstained wedding dress in the honeymoon suite next to a dead man. With the press outside the hotel, waiting with their cameras and police sirens in the distance, it’s obvious she’s being framed for the man’s murder. Prudence knows who is responsible, but will anyone believe her?"
When things went sideways for Prudence, she headed for Burning Cove, a seaside town north of Los Angeles that is known for glamour and danger. She goes to nightclub owner Luther Pell, a WWI veteran who has connections high and low. He suggests that Jack Wingate is the best person to work with her to prove her innocence. Neither Prudence nor Jack are at all keen on the idea of working together, and yet…
Since this is romantic suspense, you can imagine how this works out! As always, JAK creates a sleek, enjoyable read with a quick pace and appealing characters.
My second Bride story is What a Bride Wants, a short novel by Kelly Hunter, the first book in Tule Publishing's The Great Wedding Giveaway series.
Montana girl Ella Grace Emerson is the sole heir to her family's vast ranching empire and she loves the ranch work. She does not love that her doting father is impatient for her to marry and produce grandchildren, so he keeps introducing her to the rather boring sons of other ranching families who look at Ella and see dollar signs.
When her father puts an ad in the paper saying she's looking for a docile house husband, she slams up a notice in the local saloon saying what she wants is a bad boy lover who must have spark and the ability to alienate a meddlesome father.
"As it turns out, she need look no farther than Sawyer, the smoking hot Australian temporary bartender in the saloon. Mutual attraction soon turns into something more but can there be any future for them when he is a drifter fleeing from his mysterious past?
Kelly Hunter is always great fun to read and she's at the top of her game with What a Bride Wants. I need to look at later books in the series now!
Andrea says: This month, I’ve been immersed in some research reading, but also had time for some “fun” reading (though ALL reading is fun, especially asI love digging into history!)
A number of my blocal book club members were raving about Horse, by Geraldine Brooks, so as I’ve really enjoyed other books by the author, I decided to take a ride into the story—and was immediately captivated! The blurb captures the richness and complexity of the story: A discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history: from these strands, a Pulitzer Prize winner braids a sweeping story of spirit, obsession, and injustice across American history.
The story switches back and forth through three different time periods. Each set of characters is really engaging, and the strands of the plot are are slowly but surely woven together in a masterful way. We meet the new-born foal, lovingly raised and trained by an enslaved father and son for their plantation owner, along with the itinerant artist who travels through the antebellum South painting portraits of racehorse for their wealthy owners . . . the book then takes us on a mesmerising journey through hardship, loyalty, love and resilience, as it follows the horse and the young Black groom who have bonded as kindred souls. It also follows a painting made of the horse.
The modern-day story deals with a Smithsonian curator who specializes in animal skeletons and a Nigerian-American art historian—it’s their chance encounter which sparks the hunt to unravel the history that ties a dusty set of old horse bones and a junkpile painting together. The storytelling is wonderful, and as the blurb says, it deals with grand themes that transcends the individual stories. I couldn’t put it down!
https://www.amazon.com/Horse-Novel-Geraldine-Brooks-eb
Christina says: A new Sarah Morgan book is something I always look forward to and I threw myself into Summer Wedding as soon as it hit my Kindle this week. I wasn’t disappointed!
Set on the idyllic Greek island of Corfu, it is a family drama of epic proportions. Bestselling novelist Catherine Swift is famous for her love stories, but her own love life has been anything but plain sailing. Having been married three times, she is now about to embark upon a fourth, and she’s invited her two daughters so attend the wedding at her villa in Corfu. With the youngest, Cassie, she’s always had a great relationship, but with her older child, Adeline, things are difficult to say the least. And the two sisters are not on good terms either, so Catherine is hoping her wedding will bring them all together to forge a brighter future together.
Needless to say, her plans go awry at an alarming rate, and secrets emerge to show them all that nothing is as it has seemed in the past. Adeline is emotionally stunted and afraid of being hurt, the way her father was when Catherine divorced him and sent Addy to live with him. Cassie, on the other hand, is living in an optimistic bubble that doesn’t reflect the truth. Both girls have to come to terms with some difficult facts, and confront their own insecurities and beliefs. There is romance as well as drama, and once I started reading I simply couldn’t stop. A wonderful summer read that you won’t want to put down!
https://www.amazon.com/Island-Villa-Novel-Sarah-Morgan-ebook/dp/B0BJ792V3H/wordwench-20
Anne notes: On amazon US it's called The Island Villa: A Novel and the cover is quite different, but it's the same book that Christina is recommending. As well, readers outside the US (eg Australia.) might not be able to purchase the amazon kindle version yet, but it is available from some other e-book retailers.
And now on to Anne's recommendations.
Among the books I read this month are two that I'd had sitting in my kindle for several years. Neither is a romance is the usual sense, though both are about love and are huge bestsellers. When I first I started each one, I wasn't in the right mood —it often happens— so I set it aside. But this time around, in both cases, I was hooked from the start.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus which I found whimsical and charming, incisive in places, and quite brilliant.
It's about a chemist, Elizabeth Zott, battling on in the 1960's when profssional career women were very easily—and often deliberately—overlooked. Elizabeth's all male colleagues certainly look down on her and simultaneously pick her brains, because she's much smarter than they are. There's only one man who doesn't do this—Calvin Evans, the brilliant, multiple Nobel–prize nominated star of the company. And of course, eventually they fall in love — but not to get married. Calvin wants it, but Elizabeth wants to be regarded as her own self, not a wife.
Some years later, she finds herself in an untenable position at work, and ends up taking a temporary position as a TV cooking instructor. Unconventional and uncompomising as it (and she) is, it becomes America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six.
There are quite a few leaps of logic and unlikely scenarios but I found it fun, funny, original and shrewd and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The second book I read I bought in 2020 — LOST FOR WORDS (also listed as The Lost for Words Bookshop) by Stephanie Butland and I devoured it in one session — and let me tell you, that's a rarity for me these days.
It's another quirky book and a book for booklovers. Set in a bookshop, it's the story of Loveday Cardew, who is spiky, unconventional and prefers books to people — she doesn't trust men and she certainly doesn't trust love. The story has two strands: the "present day" where we meet Loveday, Archie, her eccentric and charming boss, and some of the people who visit the bookshop, including two potential lovers. The second strand of the story is the past, specifically Loveday's past, which is preventing her moving on in life. The journey of discovery, her battle first to avoid the past, then to face it, hooked me right in, and all I will say is that the resolution is both moving and very satisfying. Highly recommended.
That's it from the Wenches this month, so now it's over to you, wenchly readers, with your recommendations.
Please don't be disheartened if your comments don't seem to come through — they've been stored in the bowels of Typepad, and we can read them, and respond, though it might not show up. With any luck the problem will be fixed soon
Just testing to see whether the comments are coming through.
Posted by: Anne Gracie | Tuesday, May 30, 2023 at 10:28 PM
Came through for me so I'm testing to see if my reply will too!
Posted by: Christina Courtenay | Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 05:20 AM
This is Pat. I'm testing without signing in. I can see Anne and Christina's comments.
Posted by: Pat | Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 07:03 AM
Yay for the return of visible contents! Quickly posting before I dash out the door.
Over the past month ~
— For my distant book group, I read The Sculptress by Minette Walters. This was a mystery so an unusual choice for us. It focused on an author interviewing a prisoner who had confessed to a violent crime. I wouldn’t say that I recommend the book, but it proved a gripping albeit gory read.
— the contemporary romance, Off the Map by Trish Doller which is the third book in a series but would stand alone well. It strained credulity in some ways (one of the secondary characters has dementia), but the banter, humor, and setting (Ireland) had me enjoying it nonetheless.
— read Silent Order: Iron Hand by Jonathan Moeller, a science fiction/space opera. It was a pleasant read but I don’t expect to read on in the series.
— A blogger I read recommended the science fiction romance ~ Taken to Voraxia (Xiveri Mates Book 1) by Elizabeth Stephens. It was a pleasant read, but I’d hoped for something a bit more compelling.
— very much enjoyed Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez. This was a slow burn romance featuring two emergency room doctors which made me laugh a lot but also covered serious issues like depression, anxiety, organ transplants, and miscarriage. The hero … gasp … wrote letters to the heroine which was fun. I foresee reading this again and would recommend it.
— also enjoyed The Study of Poisons by Maria V. Snyder which retold a story I’ve reread several times from the point of view of the other major character. I think this book would be most enjoyed by fans of Poison Study (first published in 2005); it left me wanting to reread that book!
— The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen (The Doomsday Books Book 1) by KJ Charles was an enjoyable historical romance with two heroes. This is a book that I would happily reread.
— The Starfighter Invitation (The Singularity Game Book 1) by Andrea K Höst was quite different from the author’s other books; I enjoyed this science fiction novel, but I don’t anticipate revisiting it soon.
— read a new science fiction novel that I enjoyed, Three Grams of Elsewhere by Andy Giesler. It dealt with the weaponization of empathy, had a main character in his seventies, and was quite unlike other science fiction books I’ve read.
— Some of It Was Real by Nan Fischer; I finished it one day and quite enjoyed it. This book had mystery, romance, a dog, a cat, and a psychic-medium. What more could one want?!
— For my local book group, Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon; I quite enjoyed this novel based on the life of a woman who aided the French resistance. Be aware that it is set in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s and there are several scenes of extreme violence.
— reread The Martian: A Novel by Andy Weir for the nth time and enjoyed it once again.
— read a fun book ~ Someone has to set a bad example: An Anne Taintor Collection by Anne Taintor. It’s a collection of retro images with captions that had me laughing.
— quite enjoyed Roommate (Vino and Veritas) by Sarina Bowen; this is a male/male contemporary romance.
— Unbury the Bones (Ember Bones Book 1) by Coyote JM Edwards was a quick enjoyable paranormal story featuring a vampire and a werewolf who solve a mystery.
— a science fiction work that I enjoyed ~ Scavenger Alliance (Scavenger Exodus Book 1) by Janet Edwards is set on earth in a few hundred years. This is the first of a prequel duo to the Earth Girl series by the same author.
— a collection of science fiction stories, Earth Prime (The Earth Girl Aftermath Stories Book 1) by Janet Edwards which I enjoyed. These are set after the Earth Girl trilogy and would make little sense without first reading those books.
Posted by: Kareni | Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 08:45 AM
I have really missed the comments! Especially when I can see the number of comments!
May has been a pretty good reading month for me. Yay for that!
Ruining Miss Wrotham - Emily Larkin. I was "Kindle Spelunking" and found it. This is a Balefu Godmother book. Enjoyed it a lot in spite of Nell being too much trapped in her head. Love the H - Mordecai.
The Aristocrat - Catherine Coulter. It was a fun, light read from 20 years back I belive. A contemporary book with a H brought up American soccer player who becomes English aristocrat through inheritance. Very snappy and funny repartee.
Barrow Sinister - Elsie Lee. Enjoyed this reread. Romantic suspense but very light on the suspense. Set it Sweden (H Swedish, h American)
Two books by Nevil Shute. Both rereads. A Town Like Alice which is set 7/8 years after the end of WWII. In England, Malaysia and Australia. Very much enjoy this book. There is a romance but very low key.
Trustee of the Tool Room is just a nice comfort read. Keith is such a nice man that you root for him and his goal of recovering the diamonds that his BIL had on his sailboat. A very satisfying and happy ending. (Not a romance)
Two books by Rosalind James - both set in the same world (New Zealand and Rugby). Both h are American. Both H are rugby players.
Just For Now - H is New Zealand Maori, h is accountant. You learn a lot about rugby and Maori culture. Just Good Friends - H rugby player and h is the Nanny. I enjoyed both and will happily read more in the series.
I also read The Bride Wore White by Amanda Quick. This is the most light hearted of the Burning Cove series so far. Really enjoyed it. Prudence is a strong and feisty woman and she really made the book. Enjoyed the development of the art of profiling by Jack
Playing it Safe by Ashley Weaver. The 3rd Electra McDonnel book. Very fun to read the push pull attraction between Electra and the major - which is getting stronger. Ends on a bit of a cliff hanger about Electra's dead parents. Book is set in England during WWII and involves Electra's safe cracking skills.
Joan Wolf - two Signet Regencies that I hadn't read in a really long time. A Kind of Honor (Nanda & Adam) Adam is looking for a Traitor in the Horse Guards. He ends up staying with Nanda the Duce of Gace. Slow burn romance until not and a tiny bit of suspense.
Margarita (Margarita and Nicholas). Margarita is half English & half Venezuelan brought up in Venezuela and has just endured 2 years of war and trekking through the wilds behind armies. Nicholas is her 2nd cousin? Her Grandfather forces the marriage through his will. So Convenient Marriage, overcoming trauma on both Main characters part.
Posted by: Vicki L | Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 10:01 AM
I read several good books this past month, including The Bride Wore White, and the latest Sebastian St. Cyr mystery, Who Cries For The Lost, which was very good. But I can't even remember what they were about at the moment, because the book I am currently reading is a total page-turner, and has driven everything else out of my head. It's FIVE DECEMBERS by James Kestrel. It's a hard-boiled detective novel which turns into a World War II saga, starting in Honolulu in November 1941, and takes the hero across the Pacific to Hong Kong and Tokyo, then back to Honolulu at the end. It's an incredible story and won the 2022 Edgar award. There is graphic violence, but even if this is not your usual fare, I highly recommend it. So now I am off to finish the book, and according to Stephen King, who blurbed it on the back cover "An electrifying read. The last chapter is an absolute stunner.".
Posted by: Karin | Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 01:18 PM
The comments are back! Yay :)
The only notable book I read in May that migh talso be of interest to this group was the latest in the Bess Crawford series, The Cliff's Edge by Charles Todd. I have been wondering how long after WW1 the series would be continued, but although we learn something new about Simon, that relationship is still not resolved.
At the moment I'm still catching up on Harlequins and am now reading an Annie Burrows. I will say that as soon as I close the covers of some recent Harlequin, I pretty much forget what it was about, but while I am reading it I am usually entertained.
Posted by: Janice J. | Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 02:47 PM
Thanks, Christina. Am still holding my breath.
Posted by: Anne Gracie | Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 02:53 PM
Thanks, Pat — phew! Let's hope it lasts. The comments on Nicola's letter post are showing too now, thank goodness.
Posted by: Anne Gracie | Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 02:54 PM
Thanks, Kareni — as usual a positive feast of suggestions.
I read most of Minette Walters' books many years ago, and really liked them. I particularly remember The Scold's Bridle, and also The Icehouse. Some of her books were made into movies for TV, and I remember my first memory of Daniel Craig was in one of those, as the detective. He made an impact even back then, as I don't often remember actor's names on TV.
Posted by: Anne Gracie | Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 02:57 PM
Thanks, Vicki — and another feast of suggestions, with an international flavor. Lots of good reading there.
Posted by: Anne Gracie | Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 02:59 PM
Thanks, Karin. I recently heard that the first book in the Sebastian St. Cyr series is going to be made into a film. Let's hope they do a great job and there will be more to come after it. It's an excellent series.
Thanks for the Kestrel recommendation. It's good to try new things, I think, even if I'm a violence wimp.
Posted by: Anne Gracie | Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 03:02 PM
Thanks Janice. Yes, we wenches were most upset at the loss of the comments — the community we have here of writers and commenters is what makes this blog special, I think.
Thanks for the Charles Todd recommendation. And Annie Burrows is a good writer, I think. I often dip into the Harlequin Historical offerings. Nicola and I started there and some other auto-buy authors are still with them.
Posted by: Anne Gracie | Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 03:05 PM
I have some auto-buy authors with Harlequin Historicals too, and I was so disappointed when they stopped offering them in bookstores, although they can still be ordered online. The books also have beautiful cover art.
Posted by: Karin | Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 05:13 PM
I read the Deborah Harkness books (A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of the Night, The Book of Life and the sequel Time’s Convert) because I loved the TV series so much. The books are much better than the series. For June, I’m starting Bad Blood since Elizabeth Holmes today began her 11 year jail term for committing fraud..
Posted by: Mary Schultz | Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 07:50 PM
Yes, it's very disappointing to see how the Harlequin offerings in bookshops have been shrinking. Remember when you could get them in all kinds of shops, not just bookshops? And there are some excellent authors in the line.
Posted by: Anne Gracie | Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 08:43 PM
Thanks, Mary. I've had the Discovery of Witches sitting unread on my kindle for several years. A friend recommended it to me, so I bought it but never got around to reading it. Might be time now.
Posted by: Anne Gracie | Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 08:44 PM
I get the new ones from amazon and the older ones from my swap club. I watch listings in both places to know what's due out and when. It used to be possible to subscribe direct from Harlequin but I don't know if that's still true.
Posted by: Janice J. | Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 09:37 PM
Two words: Matthew Goode :)
Posted by: Janice J. | Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 09:38 PM
I always love these "What we're reading posts." I look forward to discovering new books and authors. Both The Bride Wore White and What the Bride Wants are definitely on my radar. I just finished re-reading J. D. Robb's Desperation In Death. After that came You're My Home, the 7th and last book in Debbie Burns' "Rescue Me" series. And today, I started and am a third of the way through Identity, Nora Roberts' latest romantic suspense. Happy reading, y'all.
Posted by: Binnie Syril Braunstein | Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 10:59 PM
I'm currently half way through the last of Ruth Doenie's Medicus series. I really enjoyed them and may have to dig out my Rosemary Sutcliff's Roman Britain series for a reread.
I also read CJ Harris's Who Cries for the Lost. I really enjoy her and, of course, they are set in my favorite period.
I also read Ari Shapiro's The Best Strangers in the World. I love him as a radio commentator (I'm a NPR fan). This is a fascinating memoir and he writes as well as he speaks!
Since it was May, I had to do my annual reread of Sir Terry Pratchett's Night Watch. He was truly a genius - taken from us far too soon. I'm constantly frustrated about how hard it is to find his books in the US.
My book group is reading Beth O'Leary's The Switch. I'd read it last year, but it is an easy reread and I liked the main characters. As I "mature" I enjoy reading books with "mature" main characters!
I bought Horse when it first came out because I like Geraldine Brooks and horses have been my favorites animal since forever...Of course, usually if I purchase a book, they are put aside in case I can't get to the library. Since I go to the library at least once a week...well, you can guess where this is going! (So I should stop buying books, yes?)
Posted by: Linda Lou Manwiller | Thursday, June 01, 2023 at 06:13 AM
Yes, I know where this is going, Linda! I have something called a Library extension on my Chrome browser, and every time I am interested in a book and click on Amazon, it shows up in a panel on the right hand side, and tells me if that book is available in other places, like my local library, or Hoopla, or Scribd. It has saved me from some unnecessary purchases.
Posted by: Karin | Thursday, June 01, 2023 at 07:52 AM
Sebastian St. Cyr on film??!! Wow I’d love that!
Posted by: Jeanne Behnke | Thursday, June 01, 2023 at 10:36 AM
Sounds like a lovely reading selection, Binnie Syril. Enjoy.
Posted by: Anne Gracie | Thursday, June 01, 2023 at 04:08 PM
Glad you're enjoying the Ruth Downie "Medicus" series, Linda. I first discovered them here through recommendations from several wenchly readers. I also dug out a couple of old Rosemary Sutcliff books — Eagle of the 9th and others. And I also reread several of Jennifer Ashley's Roman Britain Gladiator novels.
I also enjoyed The Switch.
I'm sure we're all still mourning Terry Pratchett. I might have to reread Night Watch myself. And I hear you about geographical restrictions that make it hard to find books, even though the internet has no geography! I am constantly frustrated that I can't buy a lot of US books.
And no! Don't stop buying books. We readers are like squirrels, hoarding up but-books for the future.
Posted by: Anne Gracie | Thursday, June 01, 2023 at 04:16 PM
Karin, that sounds like a very useful gadget. Thanks
Posted by: Anne Gracie | Thursday, June 01, 2023 at 04:19 PM
Great to have the comments back. I had my daughter checking into everything because I thought it was my laptop!!
Posted by: Teresa Broderick | Friday, June 02, 2023 at 02:14 PM
Thanks, Teresa, but the problem isn't completely solved. Some comments on Pat's post were lost, and some showed up. It's not very satisfactory, and we're working madly behind the scenes to try and fix it.
Posted by: Anne Gracie | Friday, June 02, 2023 at 02:53 PM