I fully expected to have a bigger roundup for you this week, but I hit a string of disappointing books, and I’m really not in the mood to talk about anything I dislike right now! Especially when there were two excellent books I did get to read in between (and to be fair, the others were not helped at all by comparison to these). I’m really in the mood for solid books right now — with cohesive plots and characterization and firm authorial control — and, happily, T. Kingfisher and Georgette Heyer are always reliable.
A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher: This book was deeply disturbing. And darkly funny. And so good. Really, exactly what you expect from a T. Kingfisher book! It’s a bit of Southern Gothic with a bit of suburban horror, as seemingly normal family weirdness (admittedly, my idea of normal may be just as messed up as the protagonist’s) is elevated to extremely WTF proportions. The first few chapters are slightly unsettling but nothing major, but as the book goes on, the dread mounts higher until you really can’t put it down because you need to get to the other side. And it’s so worth it. My thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Nightfire for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Frederica by Georgette Heyer: One of the things I love about Heyer is how different each of her protagonists are, even when they fall within the same type. In Frederica we have one of her coldly selfish heroes, more concerned with his cravat and horses than with being of any use in the world, brought to heel by another sensible, determined young woman. In an unlikely turn of events, Frederica learns to rely upon Alverstoke, and Alverstoke, surprising himself most of all, learns to be reliable — and to enjoy it! As much as a romance, this is a delayed coming of age novel for our reluctant hero, with a deeply satisfying character arc from indolent rake to family man. My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing an eARC of this new edition in exchange for an honest review.
Frankly, life is a lot right now, and I’m depending on good books for much-needed escapism, which is why I enjoyed these books so much. I have a few more on my TBR this week that look promising, but I’m also eyeing some old favorites. What are your go-to books when you need to escape for a while?
–b
Book It With Becca 