Reading Roundup #94: What is Right vs. What is Easy

The roundup is coming in late this week because there was one more book I really wanted to include this week but hadn’t finished yet! After slowing down my reading in February, I’m finally getting back into my usual groove, and these engrossing books helped a lot with that. At first glance, these are all very different books, but the have some common themes, particularly as their characters struggle with right and wrong and whether they will fight for what they believe or take the easy way out. And they don’t all come to the same decision….

A Gentle Murderer by Dorothy Salisbury Davis: This re-release of of Davis’s 1951 crime novel was my introduction to the author, and it’s certainly made me want to read more. A Gentle Murderer is not a whodunnit but a howcatchem in the style of Columbo, where we follow both the criminal and the people pursuing him. Through her large cast of characters, Davis explores the weakness and strength of people and how easily good and bad can get mixed up together. She also portrays a diversity of experience among those characters that offers a fascinating look at life in the early 20th century. My thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Foxglove King (The Nightshade Crown #1) by Hannah F. Whitten: Whitten excels at constructing layered characters and relationships, and each book shows a greater assurance in her writing than the last. The Foxglove King is another such rich world and story. By the end, I felt I’d only begun to understand the complexities of this world and what the characters are in for. However, as much as I’m ready to read the next book when it’s released, this isn’t a book that was written for me the way Whitten’s previous books were — and that’s perfectly fine because I can still enjoy it, even if it doesn’t own my heart. And others will certainly fall in love with it’s twisting passages and exquisitely broken characters! My thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Librarian of Burned Books by Brianna Labuskes: One of my favorite histories from WWII is that of the Council on Books in Wartime, an American organization that sent books in specially designed Armed Services Editions to military personnel (the British had a similar program, too). So, when I heard there’s a book inspired by the Council and others who fought to preserve and share literature during this time when it was under attack from all sides, I had to read it. Labuskes’ story not only honors that history but also engages the reader through its own merit, with intriguing characters and suspense. My thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Codex Alera #1-2 by Jim Butcher: My latest fantasy obsession! I read these first two books years ago but put the series on hold for reasons I can’t remember (probably life-related). Coming back to it, there a couple choices Butcher makes that sit weirdly with me, but overall, I really love the story, the characters, and the full world he’s created. I’m excited to see where the story takes Tavi and friends next.

—b