If there’s one thing insomnia is good for, it’s making a dent in the TBR pile! So… thanks for that, noisy neighbors? This week’s reading features some particularly resilient and savvy women – from marriage-minded widows to government agents and grifters to boarding school housekeepers.
Lady Susan by Jane Austen: Wow. This was my first time reading Lady Susan, and it was de-light-ful. Austen pulls no punches and goes straight for the laughs in this breezy epistolary novella about a scheming widow and the chaos she creates. If you’re new to her work, this is probably a good place to start, as it will get you firmly grounded in Austen’s language and wry humor before you move on to her more subtle novels.
A Master of Djinn (“Dead Djinn Universe” #1) by P. Djèlí Clark: This adventure story came highly recommended, and I have to say – worth the hype. It took me a while to get fully into it because there’s a lot of setup as we’re introduced to this dense fantasy world: early 20th century Cairo, where humans, Djinn, and other magical creatures coexist. And the cast is pretty big, too. But once I’d oriented myself and the plot really got going, it was so much fun. The author clearly knows all the conventions for this genre and has a blast playing into and subverting them, by turns. As I mentioned, the beginning is rough, but it’s still definitely worth reading. P. Djèlí Clark could be one to watch in the coming years. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
City of Schemes (“Counterfeit Lady” #4) by Victoria Thompson: I’m gonna say it: this is the best “Counterfeit Lady” novel yet. Elizabeth juggles not one, not two, but three cons, and it was so good to see her back in the thick of it. I feel like this is where Thompson – and the characters, too – are starting to find the balance between Elizabeth staying out of danger (to appease all the concerned men in her life 🙄) and still taking an active part in the plot. I wasn’t sure how she would keep so many plates spinning at once, but she pulled if off with the same cunning and flair we first saw in book one, City of Lies, and the return to form was welcome and just plain fun. The fifth book, City of Shadows, is expected to release this December, and I can’t wait!
What Remains of Heaven (“Sebastian St. Cyr” #5) by C.S. Harris: I continue to enjoy this series, although I don’t have any new critical remarks to make about it (see previous reading roundups for those). Mostly, I’m just reading, enjoying the stories and yelling at Sebastian for being such a mopey boy. I mean, Kat’s not that great, buddy. Wake up and be grateful you have Hero in your life!
A Song for Summer by Eva Ibbotson: I read this review on Goodreads and knew I had to read A Song for Summer. It was many things: refreshing and heartrending by turns, with delightfully quirky characters and humor, a moving representation of the utter devastation of the war and the Nazi regime, and a true belief in the power of beauty and goodness in a dark world. Part Two of the book certainly takes a dramatic turn, but anyone who is paying attention (or has watched a lot of 1940s Hollywood films) will not be surprised by this, and the lovely ending makes up for any tears shed (or hairs torn). I’ll be reading more Ibbotson but perhaps not right away, as A Song for Summer definitely took a toll on my heart, and I need to recover first!
–b
Book It With Becca 