Why yes, we have been busy this week! The best thing about work holidays is all the reading time! And with the exception of a Bridgerton marathon on Christmas day, I didn’t waste a minute of reading time (not that watching Bridgerton was a waste, of course). We’ve got an old favorite in the ranks this time, as well as a few new ones. All in all, time well spent.
Murder on Astor Place (“Gaslight Mystery” #1) by Victoria Thompson: I stumbled across this series while looking for A Holiday by Gaslight on Libby, and talk about your pleasant surprises! Now, it’s a long series, but I thought, why not? I’m in the mood for a cozy mystery. And this first book delivers cozy with a delicious dash of sinister. The mystery kept me guessing without getting too convoluted (guessing and picking up clues, after all, is part of the fun!), and I fell hard for our protagonists: warm and practically-optimistic midwife Sarah Brandt and grim, jaded detective Frank Malloy. Watching them go from thinly-veiled antagonism to grudging respect, learning from each other along the way, was satisfying, and I can’t wait to see where future books take them (I have reason to believe it will be down the aisle – which is good because I ship).
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson: It’s not often that I find reach for a memoir, but when I do, this is just the type I hope to find. I mean, unless I’m just really fascinated by the timeline and minutiae of a specific person’s life (did someone mention Ginger Rogers??), I don’t need a straight “this happened and then that happened” sort of biography. But books like this… family stories and vague memories and quiet reflections… I love that. Woodson’s lyrical narrative evokes the experience of remembering – the disjointed pieces and the vague impressions and the occasional stark outline of past events, people, and feelings. I was left with a pleasant feeling of warmth and wistfulness.
The Sugared Game (“The Will Darling Adventures” #2) by KJ Charles: Thanks to my wild and fabulous book club, KJ Charles has been one of the best discoveries (for me) of 2020. We read the first Will Darling book, Slippery Creatures, *pauses to waggle eyebrows* earlier this year, and it was an immediate favorite. A grumpy soldier-turned-bookseller with a heart of gold, cloak and dagger spy hijinks, and the social upheaval and jazz age drama of the 1920s…? Hello, KJ Charles? Did you write this for me? Because I accept. Needless to say, I was hooked, and the sequel does not disappoint – our characters grow, the game changes (a few times, as is expected whenever Kim is around), and once more, I’m chomping at the bit to see what will happen in book 3. June 2021 can’t come soon enough!
Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini: If you’ve ever talked books with me, you probably know that Scaramouche is one of my all-time favorites. It has everything I love – swordplay, tragedy, romance, and wry hero who’s not afraid to twist people to suit his own vengeful purposes. If you’re in the mood for a good swashbuckling adventure, please give this one a chance! You won’t regret it.
“Troubleshooters” (books #13–16) by Suzanne Brockmann: The great thing about a long series like this, where the author doesn’t just focus on the primary love story in each book, is that you get a lot of build up and slow burn. Just as one couple is finally getting together, one or two more are already ramping up. In this stretch of the series, Dave and Sophia finally get some closure, as do younger (though not quite so much, now that so many years have passed since the series began) SEALs Izzy and Dan, and it’s pretty satisfying. Plus, we’ve still got Alyssa and Sam navigating their life together as new parents. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – standalones are my preferred format. But if you give me a bunch of characters I enjoy and a good mix of happy-endings and just-beginnings, I’m quite happy to stick around for the long haul.
–b
Book It With Becca 