My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.
Life.
It was my husband’s birthday over the weekend, and we had two birthday dinners to celebrate! First, I took him out to one of our favorite little French restaurants for a fancy-ish romantic dinner, and then two nights later, we did a group outing with our local adult kids and a few friends at a yummy Burmese restaurant, where we basically ate everything in sight. We finished off with an amazing cake that I somehow managed to sneak in without my husband noticing. All in all, lots of fun (and great food) celebrating a fantastic human!
In pop culture / entertainment news, it was a sad week for Buffy fans. First, Hulu pulled the plug on the eagerly anticipated Buffy reboot. Second, and more heartbreaking, actor Nicholas Brendon, who played Xander throughout the seven seasons of Buffy, passed away over the weekend at age 54. I never knew this before, but a quick Google search reveals that Nicholas Brendon appeared in 143 of the 144 Buffy episodes (only absent from one episode in season 7, ” Conversations with Dead People”).
On a happier note, Nathan Fillion announced the return of Firefly as an animated series featuring the original cast, which is exciting… although it’s not a done deal yet. Fingers crossed that it really happens!
What did I read during the last week?
One & Only by Maureen Goo: An entertaining audiobook with some terrific family elements, even if I didn’t love the love triangle. My review is here.
Mania by Lionel Shriver: One of the oddest books I’ve ever read! Great material for a book group discussion, even though I can’t say I actually loved this book. My review is here.
Once and Again by Rebecca Serle: This author’s books can be hit-or-miss for me; this one falls in the hit category! My review is here.
Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman: This sweet audiobook was a lovely listen. Review to follow.
Pop culture & TV:
Project Hail Mary! I went to an early screening at the beginning of the week, and really enjoyed it. It was interesting seeing it with my son, who hasn’t read the book and only knew what to expect from the movie trailers. He really liked it too, and we both thought it was very well done.
Outlander‘s final season continues to be solid and strong. And I love this season’s version of theme song as sung by Annie Lennox!
I’m slowly making my way through the newest season of Virgin River — I just haven’t had time for an outright binge. I have two episodes left in what’s been an okay season so far.
Fresh Catch:
No new books this week… but I did get a nice little surprise in the mail. A while back, I entered a giveaway through Lisa See’s website, and while I didn’t win the grand prize, apparently I was one of 100 runner-up winners! Here’s what I got:
Can’t wait for her new book, Daughters of the Sun and Moon, to be released in June!
What will I be reading during the coming week?
Currently in my hands:
Nobody’s Baby(Dorothy Gentleman, #2) by Olivia Waite: My library hold for this novella came in really quickly! Just started last night. I liked the first novella in this series a lot, and this follow-up is off to a good start.
Now playing via audiobook:
And Then There Was You by Sophie Cousens: I just finished a different audiobook by this author a few weeks ago, and when I saw this one available at the library, I couldn’t resist. Just getting started.
Ongoing reads:
As of this moment, I’m down to just one long-term reading commitment:
The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien: My book group’s journey through the LOTR books continues, and the end is in sight. Four chapters left!
Title: Once and Again Author: Rebecca Serle Publisher: Atria Books Publication date: March 10, 2026 Length: 256 pages Genre: Contemporary fiction Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Serle, the author behind “heartbreaking, redemptive, and authentic” (Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author) modern classic In Five Years, returns with an unforgettable tale of a family of women with an astonishing gift: the ability to redo one moment in their lives.
The women of the Novak family were each born with a gift: they can, just once, turn back time.
Lauren has known since she was fifteen that her mother Marcella saved Lauren’s father from a deadly car accident. Dave is alive and happy, and out on the Malibu waves. But ever since, Marcella, her power spent, has lived in fear of what she won’t be able to reverse. Her own mother, Sylvia, is her polar opposite: a free-spirited iconoclast with a glamorous past she only hints at. Lauren has spent her life between these two role models—and waiting for her own catastrophe to strike.
Then one summer, Lauren’s husband takes a job in New York and she moves back to Broad Beach Road, back into her childhood home on the shores of Malibu. Lauren looks forward to surfing with her dad again and perhaps repairing an unspoken fracture in her relationship with her mother. What she doesn’t expect is for the boy next to door to return home as well: Stone, Lauren’s first love, who broke her heart nearly a decade before.
As Lauren falls into familiar patterns, with her family and, more dangerously, Stone, she finds herself thinking about all the choices, large and small, that have brought her to this moment. And wondering, finally, if one of them should be undone.
In Once and Again, main character Lauren’s family has a secret — a superpower, of sorts. Each woman in the family is gifted with the ability to undo one event that’s already happened, but it’s a gift that’s a one-time deal. Use it, and it’s gone forever. While we might think of this as an amazing opportunity, in these women’s lives, it’s also a burden. How do you know when is the right time to use it? What if you use it, and then end up needing it even more later on?
Lauren is 37 years old, married for three years at this point to her wonderful husband Leo — but things have become fraught between them as they struggle with infertility. After multiple attempts at IVF and IUI, Leo is ready to stop trying, but Lauren is not, and the stress of the financial, physical, and psychological burdens is straining their marriage almost to the breaking point.
When Leo heads to New York for a short-term work opportunity, Lauren decides to rent out their West Hollywood home and spend the summer at the shambling Malibu bungalow where her parents and grandmother live. Back home in Malibu, Lauren reintroduces herself to the surfing and slower beach rhythms that she grew up with, while also spending time with her cool surfer dad, uptight mother, and loving, super-hip grandmother. But being there also brings up memories for Lauren of the intensity of her teen years, especially her mother’s obsessive worry over her father’s health.
Meanwhile, Lauren encounters Stone while out surfing — the man she loved and was involved with for a solid ten years, only ending the relationship when he moved away from Malibu and left her behind. Seeing Stone again brings up old feelings, even as Lauren juggles her love for Leo and how much she misses him with the pain of their current marital problems.
Lauren has an opportunity to fix something using her gift — but is this the right moment? If she uses it, will she regret it later? And what will her choice mean for the rest of the family?
Once and Again presents a unique take on the subjects of regret and second chances. There’s no explanation offered for the family’s gift, and there doesn’t need to be. It’s a magical element that just is — and if you have a hard time with this sort of magical plotline, this may not be the book for you. To be clear, there’s nothing else that’s fantasy or magic-based in the story. This is a family that’s ordinary in every way… but one.
I appreciated the insights we get from the intermittent chapters that provide Lauren’s mother’s and grandmother’s backstories, as well as the story of the first woman to have the gift. The family’s Jewish heritage features in both the gift and their ongoing lives as a lovely background element. It’s fascinating to learn more about how each woman chose to use the gift and what the ramifications were — and there’s a major twist later in the book that made me look at it in an entirely new way.
The ability to turn back time isn’t trivial and has consequences. The characters experience joy with their second chances, but also carry a unique pain: The woman who uses the gift still remembers what they’ve changed, even if no one else does, which means they may be grieving for something that no one else understands. Another fascinating element is the choice to undo everything that’s come since the event that they’re changing. How far back can or should they go? And if they change something terrible that happened, can they live with losing all the good things that happened too?
I’ve had hit or miss experiences with Rebecca Serle’s books in the past — I’ve loved two of her books, and felt less connected with two others. Once and Again belongs firmly in the “hit” category. I found it emotional, thought-provoking, and engaging, with characters to care about and a plot strongly rooted in reality even with a magical gift in the mix. Highly recommended.
Purchase links: Amazon – Audible audiobook – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.
I’ve had fun seeing other people’s First Lines Friday posts, and finally decided to give it a try myself! Here’s an overview:
First Lines Friday is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?
Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page.
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first.
Finally… reveal the book!
Note: I’m not sure if the original host blog is still active — I haven’t been able to find it! If anyone knows of a current host, please share the info!
Onward with my FIRST first lines post! This week, I’m featuring lines from a book that I just borrowed from the library. Hint: It’s a novella, it’s a sequel, and it’s sci-fi. Here goes!
The note from Ruthie arrived at breakfast with no preamble, flashing on the glowing face of my pocket watch. At what age do human children grow teeth?
So what’s the book?
Nobody’s Baby (Dorothy Gentleman, #2) by Olivia Waite Tor Books Published March 10, 2026 144 pages
Synopsis:
Becky Chambers meets Miss Marple in the second entry of this cozy sci-fi mystery series, helmed by a formidable no-nonsense auntie of a detective
Welcome to the HMS Fairweather, Her Majesty’s most luxurious interstellar passenger liner! Room and board are included, new bodies are graciously provided upon request, and should you desire a rest between lifetimes, your mind shall be most carefully preserved in glass in the Library, shielded from every danger.
A wild baby appears! Dorothy Gentleman, ship detective, is put to the test once again when an infant is mysteriously left on her nephew’s doorstep. Fertility is supposed to be on pause during the Fairweather’s journey across the stars—but humans have a way of breaking any rule you set them. Who produced this child, and why did they then abandon him? And as her nephew and his partner get more and more attached, how can Dorothy prevent her colleague and rival detective, Leloup, a stickler for law and order, from classifying the baby as a stowaway or a piece of luggage?
Told through Dorothy’s delightfully shrewd POV, this novella series is an ode to the cozy mystery taken to the stars with a fresh new sci-fi take. Perfect for fans of the plot-twisty narratives of Dorothy Sayers and Ann Leckie, this well-paced story will leave readers captivated and hungry for the next installment.
What if calling someone stupid was illegal? In a reality not too distant from our own, where the so-called Mental Parity Movement has taken hold, the worst thing you can call someone is ‘stupid’.
Everyone is equally clever, and discrimination based on intelligence is ‘the last great civil rights fight’.
Exams and grades are all discarded, and smart phones are rebranded. Children are expelled for saying the S-word and encouraged to report parents for using it. You don’t need a qualification to be a doctor.
Best friends since adolescence, Pearson and Emory find themselves on opposing sides of this new culture war. Radio personality Emory – who has built her career riding the tide of popular thought – makes increasingly hard-line statements while, for her part, Pearson believes the whole thing is ludicrous.
As their friendship fractures, Pearson’s determination to cling onto the ‘old, bigoted way of thinking’ begins to endanger her job, her safety and even her family.
Lionel Shriver turns her piercing gaze on the policing of opinion and intellect, and imagines a world in which intellectual meritocracy is heresy. Hilarious, deadpan, scathing and at times frighteningly plausible, MANIA will delight the many fans of her fiction and journalism alike.
Mania has got to be one of the strangest books I’ve ever read. This depiction of an alternate reality where Mental Parity is the new normal imagines a society where variation in intelligence is considered a myth. All are equally capable. All are equally intelligent. Some people may just process differently.
As narrated by main character Pearson Converse, what starts as a ridiculous idea — the idea that mental parity is the “last great civil rights fight” — takes over the country and much of the world. From a fringe cultural phenomenon, mental parity (MP) becomes a strident, powerful force for overturning everything from school (grades are eliminated, because all children are equally intelligent) to university admissions (strictly lottery based, because all are equally qualified) to employment opportunities, parenting, and all manner of social discourse.
Pearson, an English instructor at what was once considered a high-prestige liberal arts college, finds her hands increasingly tied as her surly students practically dare her to step out of line so they can report her to an MPC (Mental Parity Champion).
Even language becomes strictly policed. Words used to denote levels of intelligence are grossly offensive — stupid and dumb being prime examples — but over time, even words used in other contexts are stricken because they could possibly denote judgment that defies the concepts of mental parity. Can’t talk about the deep end of a swimming pool, because “deep” has a nasty association with the myth that some people are “deeper” than others — so let’s just refer to the end of the pool with more water. Also ruled out are words like dull or sharp, even in the context of kitchen knives, or brilliant as in the stars in the sky, or profound… as in deep… as in… oops, never mind.
As time passes and adherence to MP becomes absolute, Pearson finds herself increasingly on the outs with her former best friend Emory, someone with whom she was once aligned on just about everything. Now, Emory seems to have traded in her personal belief system in order to bolster her broadcast career, becoming a star commentator on CNN by offering high profile opinion pieces on the evils of those who oppose MP. Meanwhile, Pearson’s family life is increasingly at risk, as stepping a toe out of line brings down the wrath of Child Protective Services and puts her job (and financial survival) in danger.
Mania is clearly satirical, but what exactly is the author satirizing? At times, the MP world seems to be aligned with MAGA viewpoints denigrating academics and intellectuals as out-of-touch elitists, and the total undermining of scientific rigor mirrors some views of the MAHA movement. And yet, the hyperfocus on policing word choice and sanding away the edges of anything that ever might possibly offend anyone can also speak to what some see as the excesses of “wokeness”. The point, I think, is to show the damage of any sort of extremism taking over rational society — and as we see in Mania, bouncing from one extreme to another as the pendulum of societal norms swings to correct itself poses fresh set of dangers too.
I puzzled over the language in Mania. Pearson’s narration of her life is full of overstuffed sentences and pretentious, convoluted wording. I often had to stop to parse out what a particular sentence might mean. Not having read anything by this author previously, I was left to wonder: Is this delivery typical of this author, or is this meant to show how Pearson holds herself apart and embraces her intellectual superiority even while trying to survive in a world where the use of big words is derided as “brain-vain” or “smartist”? Yet Pearson repeats throughout the book that even while she’s adamantly opposed to MP and its concepts, she herself isn’t all that smart. And so, I remain a bit baffled by the character’s delivery of her life story.
A few examples:
To my embarrassment, here I am relating picayune points of philological fascism—the death of the “dumbbell”—while, out in the rest of the world, events of more considerable moment were afoot.
Emory’s ducking-below-the-parapet strategy had much to recommend it. We could keep our heads down, shuffling the world in camouflage like soldiers wearing dun in the desert, duly observing every new linguistic prohibition and suppressing perceptions of our species once prevailing, now retrograde, the better not to stand out.
Needless to say, heroin users were no longer “dope fiends,” although if you were an opioid addict, surely having your perspicacity traduced was the least of your problems.
The author weaves our own world into the story, warping people and events to suit this strange alternate reality. Obama is president… but only for one term. His brand of intellectualism is a huge turn-off — prime example of being brain-vain! — but his VP, Biden — with his lost trains of thought and awkward public speeches — is a perfect MP president. He’s just as intelligent as everyone else! Because everyone is just as intelligent as everyone else!
Even later, political standards become yet more entrenched in MP:
It’s now taken as a given that for any candidate to be seriously considered for either major party’s presidential nomination next year, he or she will necessarily be badly educated, uninformed, poorly spoken, crass, oblivious to the rest of the world, unattractive and preferably fat, unsolicitous of advice from the more experienced, suspicious of expertise, inclined to violate constitutional due process if only from perfect ignorance of the Constitution, self-regarding without justification, and boastful about what once would have been perceived as his or her shortcomings. We blithely assume that whoever is elected president will surround him- or herself with mediocrities or worse and purposefully appoint a cabinet whose leading credentials are having no credentials.
Hmm. Does that ring any bells?
My ratings graphic only allows full and half stars; otherwise, I would have rated Mania at 3.25. It’s better than a 3-star read, which to me is a “meh”, but I can’t bring myself to go all the way to 3.5, which would imply that it succeeds much more than I feel is accurate. Despite the weirdness of so much of the story, Mania still pulled me in. Once I started, I didn’t want to put it down. I just can’t say that I loved it.
I recommend Mania as a thought experiment and as a very different sort of reading experience. There’s a lot to chew on, despite being so totally outside the scope of believability. Mania is commentary on all sorts of societal woes, dressed up as the story of a woman’s struggle to hold onto the truth even if it costs her everything.
Mania was my book group’s pick for March, and I’m looking forward to hearing what everyone else thought of it. Despite its strangeness, this book is probably a great one for kicking off a lively discussion!
Purchase links: Amazon – Audible audiobook – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.
Title: One & Only Author: Maureen Goo Narrator: Jeena Yi Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Publication date: February 3, 2026 Print length: 364 pages Audio length: 10 hours 32 minutes Genre: Contemporary romance Source: Library Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
In Five Years meets a millennial The Joy Luck Club in the adult debut from the author of YA Reese Pick Throwback— a funny and fresh love story of a woman thrown a curveball by fate, and the family secret that will make her question everything.
She’s seen what her happily ever after looks like. And it’s not him.
Cassia Park believes in soul mates. Fated love stories. It’s her family business, after all—for centuries, from Korea to Los Angeles, Park women have peered into clients’ past lives to find their one true love, their fated. This magical secret is why One & Only Matchmaking has a 100% guarantee…for everyone but Cassia.
For ten years, Cass has been searching for her fated, a man named Daniel Nam. But he’s still nowhere to be found.
And so, on the eve of her 40th birthday, Cass decides to do something for herself. She impulsively has a fling with Ellis. He’s twenty-eight, indecently handsome, and not destined to be the love of her life. But she’s surprised by their connection and their fling feels like something more—up to the moment he introduces her to his boss…Daniel Nam.
As she battles between fate and chance, head and heart, a family secret is revealed that will make her question everything she’s ever known. Cassia will have to decide if she’ll follow her fate…or make her own.
Before jumping into the review, can we just talk for a minute about how weird the blurb is? “In Five Years meets a millennial The Joy Luck Club“?? Is that the marketing team’s way of saying this book has some woo-woo elements plus it’s about a multi-generational Asian family and the main character is about to turn 40? I think these blurbs that try so hard to compare a book to other books have now stretched themselves to the breaking point. Anyway…
One & Only is a recent Read with Jenna pick, and since I’ve had good experiences with many of that book group’s picks (see my post about celebrity book clubs), I thought I’d give the audiobook a try.
In One & Only, the concept of meant-to-be is given quite a workout! Main character Cassia is about to turn 40, and has yet to meet her one and only… although she knows exactly who he is, or at least, she knows his name. Cassia works for the One & Only matchmaking company in LA, a family business run by her grandmother which carries out traditions that go back centuries within her Korean family.
To their customers, One & Only is a hugely successful matchmaking business. They even offer a guarantee and boast of a 100% success rate! They use the ancient art of face-reading to understand who someone truly is and then find the perfect match for them — but what they never tell anyone is that the women of their family also have a gift: As they read their clients’ faces, they get visions of their past lives which show them their “fated” — the person they’re destined to be with, and whom they’ve loved throughout shared lives together. Cassia has the gift as well, and as the only woman of her generation in the family, she knows that the business’s future rests on her having children to carry on the gift… something that seems frustratingly out of reach.
Ten years earlier, Cassia finally agreed to have her grandmother read her face and reveal her fated, and Cassia has known his name — Daniel Nam — ever since. But after a decade of searching, she’s still unable to find him. Meanwhile, she’s had a string of short, uninvolved romances. Why bother giving her heart to anyone when she knows her future lies with someone else?
And then Cassia meets Ellis. He’s a younger man with a lovely energy and personality, and the two click right away. They spend a passionate weekend together, and their chemistry is obvious. But when Cassia runs into Ellis on a work retreat, their new relationship comes to a screeching halt, because Ellis’s boss is Daniel Nam. Yes, that Daniel Nam. Adopted as a child, Daniel grew up with a different last name, and only recently added his Korean surname to his public persona.
Cassia does feel a connection to Daniel right away… and he’s so much better a choice for her — at least, on paper. And he’s her fated! She owes it to herself and to Daniel to pursue this, so she dumps Ellis and begins dating Daniel. And it’s good… for a while. But every time she runs into Ellis, there’s a pang over what might have been, and a nagging sense that maybe her fated doesn’t quite fit her life after all.
As the story progresses, we see Cassia attempt to forget about Ellis and focus on her meant-to-be life with Daniel, but there’s an element of unease. If Daniel is her fated, why does she still have feelings for someone else? Also, Cassia discovers months into her relationship with Daniel that they’re not on the same page about a huge issue, which is confusing and distressing: If they’re perfect for each other, why doesn’t this critical piece match up?
There’s a lot to appreciate about One & Only, especially the dynamics between the women of the Park family. Cassia’s grandmother is a force to be reckoned with, and her great-aunt and aunt are entertaining and dynamic too. The love between the generations of women is fierce and protective. Cassia’s mother died when Cassia was eight years old, and she was raised by her grandparents, who showered her with love and did their best to nourish a broken-hearted little girl.
Cassia’s grief related to her mother’s loss is a dominant theme throughout the book, as are some of the mysteries surrounding her mother’s life. Yvette was a rebel, an artist who chose to pursue her own path and not follow her elders into a life in the matchmaking business. More crucially, Cassia has known all her life that Yvette chose to marry someone she met in college, who wasn’t her fated… and who left her and Cassia because he couldn’t handle fatherhood. Cassia’s core beliefs are tied to this family history. See what happens when you ignore your fated?
Of course, the truth is more nuanced. Late in the book, Cassia tracks down the father she’s never known, and learns more about his years with her mother. Starting to heal this broken part of her life is a major step that gives Cassia fresh perspectives on her own choices — including finally acknowledging that she has more options than she once believed.
Cassia’s actions related to Ellis and Daniel can be troubling at times. She handles neither relationship particularly well, and I wished she’d been more honest with both about her reasons for ending and starting things with each of them. Her behavior toward Ellis feels particularly problematic. He’s a cinnamon roll character, totally sweet and caring and giving. Cassia dumping him in order to immediately start dating his boss is cruel. The fact of Daniel being her fated is Cassia’s excuse to herself for her behavior, but it’s just all so painful and awkward, not helped by going with Daniel to company events where this uncomfortable love triangle is on full display.
In real life, Cassia definitely wouldn’t get the happy ending she gets here… but given that this is a romance, we know she’ll find her way to true love by the final pages. The book takes a bit of a hand-wavy approach to settling the issue of fateds and past lives and reconciling this with Cassia’s choices. Honestly, I didn’t quite buy the matchmaking company’s business model or their astonishing success rates, and felt it might have helped readers suspend disbelief if we got to spend more than a few minutes with other matched couples, to get a sense of how finding your fated translates into building a relationship and a life together.
Despite not entirely loving the entire matchmaking storyline and feeling really uncomfortable with some of the love triangle scenes (including one near the end where Cassia behaves very badly), I found the plot overall to be engaging and unusual. The generational aspect and the focus on the impact of Cassia’s mother’s death on her life add depth to the story and provide some of the deepest emotional impacts.
The audiobook narration by Jeena Yi is lovely. She brings a lot of spirit to the narrative, and lets us really feel what Cassia is going through. I also enjoyed her portrayal of the older women in the family — they truly sparkle.
One & Only held my interest and made me care about the characters. The storyline feels fresh, I really enjoyed the vivid depiction of the LA setting, and the family dynamics greatly enrich the romantic framework. This is a nice option to pick up for a mix of entertaining set pieces and deeper emotional experiences.
Purchase links: Amazon – Audible – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Green Book Covers (In honor of St. Patrick’s Day today!)
Here are ten twelve from my shelves — some that I’ve read, and some on my TBR. Yes, I’m including more than 10 — I added a whole bunch, and couldn’t decide which to cut!
Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K Rowling
Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett
The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman
The Heartbreak Hotel by Ellen O’Clover
The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh by Claudia Grey
My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.
Life.
Some weekend plans fell through… but that’s okay! We had gorgeous weather, and a lack of plans gave me time to enjoy the blue skies, nice breezes by the beach, and warm sunshine on my back porch.
What did I read during the last week?
Version 1.0.0
This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page: Such a beautiful story! My review is here.
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith: My Classics Club Spin book! I’m so glad to have gotten a push to finally read this delightful book. My review is here.
Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser: A spur-of-the-moment library borrow that ended up being a terrific choice! This Cinderella retelling is a powerful look at a mother’s love and sacrifices for her daughters. My review is here.
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen: My book group’s classic read! I ended our leisurely read through this Jane Austen novel so much. Always a pleasure to share a good book with such a great bunch of readers!
Words of the Week:
I noticed this week how many new-to-me words I came across in the various books I was reading, and thought I’d share a few fun ones here:
rhodomontade: vain, empty, and boastful speech or bluster
myrmidon: a follower or subordinate of a powerful person, typically one who is unscrupulous or carries out orders unquestioningly.
jongleur: a medieval itinerant entertainer proficient in juggling, acrobatics, music, and storytelling
fontange: a tall head-dress worn in the 17th and 18th centuries
austringer: a person who keeps, trains, and flies short-winged hawks for hunting
I’m enjoying the new (and final) season of Outlander… it’s terrific to be back at Fraser’s Ridge with all these beloved characters!
I’m also loving Shrinking (no big surprise!), and have started the new season of Virgin River, but haven’t had enough viewing time to make it past the first few episodes.
Fresh Catch:
No new books this week.
What will I be reading during the coming week?
Currently in my hands:
Mania by Lionel Shriver: My book group book for March. Such a strange beginning! I’m only at about 10%… withholding judgment for now.
Now playing via audiobook:
One & Only by Maureen Goo: I ran out of listening time — I’d hoped to finish over the weekend! I’m really enjoying this audiobook, and have about an hour or so to go.
Ongoing reads:
As of this moment, I’m down to just one long-term reading commitment:
The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien: My book group’s journey through the LOTR books continues, and the end is in sight. Five chapters left!
Title: Lady Tremaine Author: Rachel Hochhauser Publisher: St. Martins Press Publication date: March 3, 2026 Length: 341 pages Genre: Fairy tale retelling Source: Library Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Twice-widowed, Lady Etheldreda Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley is solely responsible for her two children, a priggish stepdaughter, a razor-taloned peregrine falcon, and a crumbling manor. Fierce and determined, Ethel clings to the respectability her deceased husband’s title affords her, hoping it will secure her daughters’ future through marriage.
When a royal ball offers the chance to change everything, Ethel risks her pride in pursuit of an invitation for all three of her daughters—only to see her hopes fulfilled by the wrong one. As an engagement to the future king unfolds, Ethel discovers a sordid secret hidden in the depths of the royal family, forcing her to choose between the security she craves and the wellbeing of the stepdaughter who has rebuffed her at every turn.
As if Bridgerton met Circe, and exhilarating to its core, Lady Tremaine reimagines the myth of the evil stepmother at the heart of the world’s most famous fairy tale. It is a battle cry for a mother’s love for her daughters, and a celebration of women everywhere who make their own fortunes.
Lady Tremaine was not on my reading radar for this month — but I was curious after seeing that it was the newest pick for Reese’s Book Club, and then was lucky enough to have my library hold come in within a week. I love when the book gods put something unexpected in my path this way, and I end up reading a terrific book that I might otherwise have missed.
Lady Tremaine is a retelling of the Cinderella story, set in an unnamed kingdom with a prince in need of a bride. The story is told through the first-person narration of Lady Etheldreda (Ethel) Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley — the “evil stepmother” of fairy tale infamy, who tells us a very different story than the one we think we know.
Note: Apparently, the Tremaine surname was a Disney invention! Before the 1950 film, the character and her daughters were basically just known as the evil stepmother and ugly stepsisters.
We first meet Ethel in the woods, muddy and disheveled, hunting with her trained falcon Lucy to put food on her family’s table. “Poaching” might actually be more accurate than “hunting” — she’s crossed over to the king’s land on the other side of the river where there’s more game to be found… but it’s that, or her girls will go hungry.
Ethel’s family is in dire straits. Twice widowed, her most recent husband, Lord Bramley, left her a crumbling estate and a step-daughter to care for. All of Bramley’s money has been left for his daughter Elin’s dowry, and is untouchable. Ethel and her daughters Rosamond (Rosie) and Mathilde slowly sell off all of the property’s valuables, desperately clinging to the bare essentials as the manor’s rooms empty and the roof develops leaks. They work hard to scrape by, while clinging to the surface necessities when in public so that no one knows just how low they’ve fallen.
All except Elin, who lives her life according to a book of maxims about virtue, all she has left of her own deceased mother. Rebuffing all attempts at kindness or maternal comfort from Ethel, Elin holds herself apart and trains herself on the accomplishments prized in marriageable girls — decorative skills that do nothing to help the struggling household. Still, Ethel makes sure Elin is safe and fed, despite the growing resentment over her unwillingness to work as the rest of them do.
The plot kicks off with the announcement of a royal ball. As the carriages of the royal messenger roll up to the Bramley estate, Ethel scrubs off the mud and hides the evidence of their decaying home, presenting three pretty girls to hear the messenger’s words. But the invitation that’s presented is only for Elin — Rosie and Mathilde are passed over.
When I’d first heard the rumors, I wasn’t afraid of not being invited to the royal ball; I was afraid of one existing. For if it existed, we must go. And if we went, we must succeed. And if we were successful, my daughters would be married and move away from me forever. My own desires contradicted each other.
The ball represents not just a party. In Ethel’s viewpoint, it’s key to their survival. Clinging desperately to their precarious social status, Ethel knows that good marriages — representing physical and financial safety — are only available to young girls of high enough social standing. The ball is an opportunity for her daughters to be seen in society and make connections, and may be their last hope. Ethel takes a gamble to secure invitations for her girls, but as the date of the ball approaches, a new opportunity arises: One of her daughters has caught the eye of the prince. Now, not just a noble marriage, but a royal one, may be within reach.
Opportunities came and they were small and unlikely and easy to overlook. You had to stick your fingers into them and pinch the edges and pull. You had to widen the aperture of possibility.
Lady Tremaine achieves startling results by making Ethel a strong, relatable, and sympathetic character. She doesn’t yearn for royalty or nobility for the sake of power or money. She simply wants her daughters to be safe and have better lives than the one she can provide for them. Over the course of the book, through scenes showing her backstory, we learn much more about Ethel’s struggles, as well as what she’s learned about women’s lack of power and agency in their society.
Driven by love for her daughters — even including Elin, despite their prickly relationship — Ethel is willing to do practically anything to protect them. Ethel’s reflections on motherhood and what it means to love one’s children are startling, powerful, and moving. The book’s plot becomes darker than I would have expected, and Ethel is forced to make drastic decisions that put the entire family’s future at risk, for the sake of making sure that all those that she loves are protected.
Lady Tremaine is a compelling story, dramatically told and utterly absorbing. I couldn’t put it down! We may think we know every last version of the Cinderella story, and yet, Lady Tremaine provides a fresh take with a thoughtful viewpoint and memorable characters. Highly recommended.
Of course, Lady Tremaine got me thinking about other Cinderella retellings, so I had to look back through my shelves to find other versions that I’ve read. There are a lot!
What Cinderella retellings have you read?
Purchase links: Amazon – Audible audiobook – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.
I participated in Birthstone Books Covers for the first time in August, and now I’m hooked! Leslie at Books Are the New Black hosts this fun monthly meme — and since I love anything related to spotlighting amazing book covers, I just had to jump in.
The rules are simple:
Mention the creator (Leslie @Books Are The New Black ) and link back so she can see your post! Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone. HAVE FUN!
Aquamarine is the blue to green-blue gemstone variety of beryl. It is the birthstone for March. The name aquamarine comes from two Latin words aqua marinus meaning “water of the sea”. The color comes from trace amounts of iron in the stone. Aquamarine is typically greenish blue in nature, so it is heat treated to remove the yellow component, and to produce a true-blue color. Brazil is the largest producer of aquamarine, but fine quality stones can be found around the world.
Title: I Capture the Castle Author: Dodie Smith Publication date: 1948 Length: 351 pages Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain and her family may live in a ramshackle old English castle, but that’s about as romantic as her life gets. While her beautiful older sister, Rose, longs to live in a Jane Austen novel, Cassandra knows that meeting an eligible man to marry isn’t in either of their futures when their home is crumbling and they have to sell their furniture for food. So Cassandra instead strives to hone her writing skills in her journals. Until one day when their new landlords move in, which include two (very handsome) sons, and the lives of the Mortmain sisters change forever.
I Capture the Castle has been on my to-read list for years — I actually own two different editions! — and yet it’s taken me until now, thanks to the most recent Classics Club Spin, for me to finally read it. I’m so glad that I did!
In I Capture the Castle, we spend six months in the life of Cassandra Mortmain, a 17-year-old girl whose family has seen better days. Her father was once a brilliant, esteemed author — but it’s been many, many years since the publication of his one book, and he hasn’t written a word since. In the heyday of his success, the family — father, mother, Cassandra, older sister Rose and younger brother Thomas — moving into an old, crumbling castle, with visions of a charmed, quirky, lovely life ahead of them. Between the father’s brief prison stint (over what was apparently a misunderstanding involving a cake knife) and the mother’s death, the family’s well-being entered a downward spiral. Even the introduction of a glamorous young stepmother — Topaz, a beautiful woman who’d been a famous artists’ model — can’t dispel the gloom that hangs over their lives.
With barely any money coming in any longer from the father’s book — and his utter lack of interest in his family’s daily lives — they exist on meager food in a house where anything of value, including furniture, curtains, and clothing, has long been sold off. When the landlord from whom they have a 40-year lease on the castle dies and his American heirs show up, a new chapter opens for the Mortmain family. The heirs are a pair of 20-something-year-old brothers, who immediately take an interest in the eccentric family they discover living in the castle.
Cassandra’s sister Rose sees an opportunity to escape into an advantageous marriage… never mind whether she’s actually in love or not. Meanwhile, Cassandra devotes her time to writing — I Capture the Castle is her chronicle of her family’s experiences that year — while also coming to a clearer understanding of herself, her hopes and fears, and her place in the world.
I Capture the Castle is a lovely, quirky coming-of-age story. Set in the 1930s, Cassandra is not quite so naive as we might expect from this sort of tale. She learns about love and romance, marrying for money, loyalty and purpose, and so much more. The story doesn’t go exactly where I thought it was headed, and I was charmed throughout by all the ups and downs of Cassandra’s cleverness and imagination.
I was put in mind of Anne Shirley at times, such as Cassandra’s exclamation:
“Oh, it is wonderful to wake up in the morning with things to look forward to!”
… or …
It is rather exciting to write by moonlight.
Cassandra’s imagination leads her to some truly inspired ideas and ways of looking at the world — but she is more world-weary than Anne Shirley and has seen bleak times over recent years. While the initial descriptions of her family’s circumstances have a touch of whimsy, we soon learn through Cassandra’s journals that their situation is quite dire, despite the good humor that serves as a front for hunger and going without.
She’s also rather sharp-eyed when it comes to the people she encounters, even as her coming-of-age journey brings her new understandings of relationships, motivations, and her own inner life. As one person in her circle observes:
Ah, but you’re the insidious type–Jane Eyre with of touch of Becky Sharp. A thoroughly dangerous girl.
(I wouldn’t call Cassandra dangerous… but she does go off in unexpected ways, and carries out some rash plans that are a bit batty… including locking someone in the castle tower, although it all works out well in the end.)
One of the truly excellent aspects of I Capture the Castle is the sharp character depictions. Cassandra herself is wonderful, but so are so many of the supporting characters, including Topaz, the Vicar, and the handsome young farmhand who seems fated for a career on the screen. They’re all vivid and memorable, and I’d love to spend more time with any one of them.
I truly enjoyed I Capture the Castle. It feels like a book I’ll need to read again. The first time through, I read it for the plot, eager to see what becomes of the characters and their occasionally ridiculous or complicated situations. I imagine that a second reading would let me focus more on Cassandra’s inner life, her flights of fancy, and the unique way she views the world around her.
I’m considering trying to track down the 2003 movie version of I Capture the Castle. Has anyone seen it?
Meanwhile, I’m very pleased to finally have read this book! I must say, I’ve had quite a good streak with my Classics Club Spin books. Not a bad one in the bunch! I’m already looking forward to whatever the next spin brings me.
About the author:
Dorothy Gladys “Dodie” Smith, born in 1896 in Lancashire, England, was one of the most successful female dramatists of her generation. She wrote Autumn, Crocus, and Dear Octopus, among other plays. I Capture the Castle, her first novel, was written in the 1940s while she was living in America. An immediate success, it marked her crossover from playwright to novelist, and was produced as a play in 1954. Smith also wrote the novels The Town in Bloom, It Ends with Revelations, A Tale of Two Families, and The Girl in the Candle-Lit Bath, but she is best known today as the author of two highly popular stories for young readers: The Hundred and One Dalmatians and The Starlight Barking. She died in 1990.
Bookshelf Fantasies 