Reading Lately: November 2019

It’s been a hot minute hasn’t it. I don’t even remember when I last updated y’all on my reading life (It was September, I went and checked).

I recently turned 32, I have a job now that I love, I’ve gotten to do some really cool bookish things, but it’s meant that I haven’t read nearly as much as I would in my dream world, but it’s ok. Here’s what I have read recently.

Holly Banks Full of Angst, by Julie Valerie - This is a quick and fast book about a woman who has moved with her husband and daughter to a very Pinterest perfect suburban neighborhood. She has some struggles fitting in, to say the least, but this neighborhood’s idea of what is normal is very much not. For anyone who has had nightmares about PTA activities and field trip forms and enjoys that type of domestic satire, you might really enjoy this one (out Dec. 1st)

The Unhoneymooners, by Christina Lauren - Fun fact: Christina Lauren is the pen name of TWO people who write together. This is a romance but the steam dial is pretty low so it’s a great one for anyone wanting a book that reads like your favorite romcom movie. It’s really fun and I read it really fast. The plot surrounds a wedding seafood buffet that annihilates everyone but the bride’s twin sister and the grooms brother. Also, they hate each other but are going to go on the free honeymoon so it doesn’t go to waste. As you can imagine, this HEA (happily ever after) is helped along by the forced proximity and some communication misunderstandings that they work through. It’s full of Christina Lauren charm, such great banter, and lots of shenanigans.

Death by the Seaside (Lady Hardcastle book #6) - I love the Lady Hardcastle series which is a cozy mystery series about a pair of women in the 1900’s who have a mysterious past, speak multiple languages, have all sorts of adventures together, and end up solving a murder in each book. The banter and wit is top notch, the confidence and competence of both Lady Hardcastle and Florence Armstrong are unparalleled and the plots are always tight and fun. In this instance they’ve finally made plans to vacation at the sea and Flo has a list of things she wants to do while they’re there. As you can guess, someone dies and they end up getting involved and using their skills to figure out what happened. It’s a wonderful thing when a series can continue the charm and delightfulness of the first book and this is another great one. This series is great on audio and is very cheap on kindle. Highly recommend. Start with the first one.

Dear Girls, by Ali Wong - If you haven’t yet seen Always Be My Maybe, you should go watch it. It’s on Netflix and Ali Wong wrote that. She has some comedy specials on Netflix that I haven’t watched, but I enjoyed that movie - Keanu Reeves has a brilliant part in it. Anyway, she wrote this book in a really awesome framework, as letters to her daughters, so the entire book is her talking to them about her life. She includes a disclaimer that they shouldn’t read it until they’re about 21 which is very apt, but I also found her intimate level of honesty, confidence, and work ethic to be really refreshing. She covers her childhood, her journey as a comedian and professional woman, her relationship with her husband, her dating history, and lots of subjects that had me feeling a whole range of things. I really enjoyed this, but will emphasize that it’s got a lot of sensitive grown up things in it so it’s not the book to give to your aunt who likes precious moments (hopefully that’s helpful). You’ll blush, you’ll admire her ability to just say things, you’ll think, “Ali, that’s a little/very gross” and then you’ll snort laugh again. It’s all the things. In the audio version I listened to her Husband reads an afterward that was possibly one of the sweetest things I’ve ever heard. Anyway, if you like her comedy you’ll like this one a lot.

No Judgments, by Meg Cabot - I haven’t read any Meg Cabot since the Princess Diaries came out and was very intrigued by this adorable cover and premise. With a hurricane on its way there’s nowhere else to go. Fortunately a love of rescuing animals and naming all the dogs the same thing brings the two characters together. This wasn’t my favorite, I just don’t think I was in the right headspace for it and I found some of the character quirks annoying instead of charming. Worth a shot though if you like romance novels.

Nothing to See Here, by Kevin Wilson - I loved this weird book and will do a full review soon!

My Brilliant Friend, by Ellena Ferrante - I picked this as a backlist book club read on Instagram and was eager to read it because it had a bit of a moment a while ago and is being made into a TV series. While the frame story is really intriguing, the book then goes to a very dark place that didn’t work for me. It felt like an attempt at dark humor (which I love when done properly) but everything was so bleak it felt like maybe it was supposed to be sad and gritty? I know there are readers who love this series, and I’m tempted to try the other books because it’s entirely possible that this is just the way it starts, but I did not finish this one. It was too bleak for me.

The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson - This I read along with a group on Instagram as well and let me tell you it is brilliant. It might be another must read yearly book for me. The only other one I do that with is Dracula. It is a masterfully written book that sets up tension, suspense, and manages to capture that sense of what is happening that you get from the best suspenseful movies. I loved it. It dug its way into my head in the best way and I was amazed at Jackson’s writing throughout the book. So good. So creepy.

Love at First Like, by Hannah Orenstein - This is another romcom of a book that I would watch. It was a fast book, that had me cringing at the main character’s foolish decisions and at times her putting things off made me really anxious for her! Not sure that I really liked the book, but like I said, I think it would make a really amusing tv show or movie.

Stargazing, by Jen Wang - This is a sweet middle grade graphic novel about two friends, one who ends up having a really severe medical issue. I loved it’s tender messages, beautiful illustrations, and honest depiction of some difficult moments of growing up, friendship, and the real struggles of medical challenges. I loved it and recommend it to kids and adults.

Good Riddance, by Elinor Lippman - In this story a woman finds a yearbook in the trash that has all these notations inside of it. The woman who it belongs to wants it back after finding out it might be used to launch a docuseries, podcast, or book. As the story goes along the woman who threw out the yearbook goes on somewhat of a journey of self-discovery, but it didn’t really work for me. The characters had annoying characteristics, didn’t seem to learn from much of anything, and the plot points seemed unearned (to me). It’s again, totally possible I just wasn’t in the mood for this book’s sense of humor and it might work really well for another reader.

Sunny Rolls the Dice, by Jennifer L. Holm - This is a delightful middle grade graphic novel about finding out what you like, and then liking that thing even if it’s “uncool” or isn’t what is considered mainstream or typically acceptable. I appreciated the message in this story, the charming characters and the illustrations. It would again be great for middle grade readers, their parents, and anyone in need of a reminder to like what you like!

Click, by Kayla Miller - A cute graphic novel about both getting over fears, finding strengths, and navigating friendships when friends have differing interests. I really enjoyed this one and think it had great lessons for elementary school age kids, and even middle school kids.

The Calculating Stars, by Mary Robinette Kowal - I’ve listened to Mary Robinette’s contributions to a writing podcast but hadn’t actually read any of her work until this book. She narrates the audiobook and tells a wonderful story of an alternate history of the world in which a meteoroid (meteorite?) hits earth and it becomes absolutely essential to find a way to get into space. Oh, this is before the moon landing, so technology has to then move faster than it did historically. Kowal is a great writer and makes rocket science interesting and sound good. Her two main characters are also happily married and it feels rare that I read a book with people in healthy relationships. It’s the first in a series so I might pick up the next one.

The Turn of the Key, by Ruth Ware - This one started off slow for me. I don’t think I was in the right headspace to read it and everything seemed very gimicky, like the setting was filled with checkov’s gun but translated to a smart home, but also mixed with some old school poison garden vibes. However, the second half picked up a lot and while it still wasn’t as great as I’d hoped, it was still enjoyable.

Beanstalker, by Kiersten White - This I read during Halloween times and really enjoyed. It takes the fairy tales, mushes them all together, and gives them a bit of a morbid twist, or several. It is really fun. The narrator breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the reader in a way that isn’t cheesy or lame, but works well when you’re in the mood for something goofy and only a little creepy and gross.

Mooncakes, by Suzanne Walker - This story is an adorable YA graphic novel that has such delicious characters and illustrations. Dealing with magic, shapeshifting, family, belonging, friendship, and a little bit of witchcraft it tells a sweet and compelling story that I really enjoyed (at the time of writing it wasn’t available on amazon for some reason, but check out the description and look for it through your library. They may have it in their collection or their digital collection - it’s worth the search).

Pumpkinheads, by Rainbow Rowell - SUCH a great little graphic novel by an excellent author. I love Rowell’s ability to tell stories, craft characters, and get compelling plot while only using the best and most necessary words. This book is about two friends and their last night working at the pumpkin patch they’ve worked at for years. They traverse through all the patch in search of something and the twists that come up are adorable and clever. I loved the way this one ended.

Bringing Down the Duke, by Evie Dunmore - This is a steamy historical romance about a woman who is a suffragette and a man she’s been charged to persuade to join the cause. Needless to say, they end up falling for each other. It’s a very cute story, great historical details, and will make you blush if that’s something you’re looking for (if not, you can easily skip ahead and be just fine).

Well Met, by Jen DeLuca - This is in the running for one of my favorite books of the whole year. It’s an adorable contemporary romance about a woman just out of a bad relationship who goes to stay with her sister and her niece while the sister recovers from a bad car accident. In the meantime, she takes her niece to get involved in the renaissance faire in town. As you might be able to guess she ends up meeting someone that she starts off really disliking. But as she gets to know the town, the people who live there, figure out what she can do and offer, and starts to have some fun, she starts finding herself again and finds herself in a healthy relationship that is really sweet and charming. I loved it a lot. It was the perfect romantic comedy of a novel that I needed.