Audiobook Review: Starter Villain by John Scalzi

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Starter Villain
Author: John Scalzi
Narrator: Wil Wheaton
Publisher: Tor
Publication date: September 29, 2023
Print length: 264 pages
Audio length: 8 hours 5 minutes
Genre: Science fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:

Inheriting your uncle’s supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who’s running the place.

Charlie’s life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan.

Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie.

But becoming a supervillain isn’t all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they’re coming after Charlie. His uncle might have been a stand-up, old-fashioned kind of villain, but these are the real thing: rich, soulless predators backed by multinational corporations and venture capital.

It’s up to Charlie to win the war his uncle started against a league of supervillains. But with unionized dolphins, hyperintelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson at his side, going bad is starting to look pretty good.

In a dog-eat-dog world…be a cat.

First things first: Don’t be fooled by the cover. There are no cats wearing suits in this novel.

However, there are cats, and they are important, and they are amazing. Also, the author dedicates the novel to his own cats… so there you have it: Starter Villain is decidedly pro-cat. And it’s awesome.

In Starter Villain, Charlie Fitzer has been laid off from his journalism job, works as a substitute teacher, lives in a house he co-owns with his half-siblings (who all want to sell it), and hangs out with his cat Hera. He dreams of buying the local pub and making a go of it, but considering his lack of money or collateral, the chances of securing a small business loan are nil.

When Charlie’s long-estranged uncle Jake dies, it’s newsworthy, in that Jake was a multimillionaire who made his fortune in the exciting world of parking garage ownership. But it’s merely a blip for Charlie, who hasn’t seen his uncle since he was five years old.

Charlie’s life takes a turn for the weird and interesting when he’s left a bequest from Jake, conditional on Charlie standing up to represent the family at Jake’s funeral. As Jake’s only living relative, and with a potential reward to look forward to, Charlie agrees. And then the funeral is filled up by thugs and flower arrangements with very angry and/or obscene messages attached, and Charlie starts to realize that his uncle’s life might have entailed a bit more than just those parking garages.

So yes, as the synopsis explains, it turns out that Uncle Jake was a supervillain, and as his heir, Charlie is now expected to fill his villainous shoes. (And yes, there is a volcano lair, which Charlie is super excited about).

With high stakes technology, evil overlords, and dolphins seeking fair representation, it’s an understatement to say that Starter Villain goes in unexpected directions. It’s fast, silly, and full of surprises (not to mention lots of cats), and is totally fun from start to finish.

“… I’m here on an island in the Caribbean, being told I need to talk to the dolphins in the middle of a labor action about some whales that might have torpedoes, armed by a secret society of villains who want access to a storeroom full of objects probably looted from the victims of the friggin’ Nazis and who are maybe willing to blow up my volcano lair to get it.”

I always love Scalzi’s books, and it’s clear the author himself is having a great time. Starter Villain does not take itself seriously for even a moment, and the result is peak sci-fi entertainment.

“Request delivery of the second target package on my mark.” Gratas looked at me and smiled. “Here it comes, Charlie,” he said.

“Request confirmed and denied,” the voice on the other end of the line said.

“Excuse me?” Gratas looked confused.

“Request confirmed and denied,” the voice repeated.

“You’re denying my request.”

“Confirm, we’re denying it.”

“You can’t deny it.”

“Your denial of our denial is confirmed and denied,” the voice said.

The audiobook is narrated by Wil Wheaton — he does such an amazing job with Scalzi’s books that even when I read them in print, I hear Wheaton’s voice in my head. He’s expressive and hilarious — and you have to admire a narrator who can pull off assassins, tech bros, and foul-mouthed dolphins quite so well.

Starter Villain was one of the books I was most looking forward to this year, and I’m happy to say that it absolutely lived up to expectations. This audiobook was a much-needed ray of sunshine this week. I loved it!

11Oct2023

Book Review: Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop
Author: Jenny Colgan
Publisher: Avon
Publication date: October 10, 2023
Print length: 320 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

Your most delightful holiday read: the sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller The Christmas Bookshop, from beloved Scottish author Jenny Colgan.

Christmas comes early–far too early–to McCredie’s little Old Town bookshop in Edinburgh. It’s summer, but an American production company has decided that McCredie’s is the perfect location to film a very cheesy Christmas movie. After all, who can resist the charmingly narrow historic street with its Victorian grey stone buildings and warmly lit shop windows?

Carmen Hogan, the bookshop’s manager, is amused and a bit horrified by the goings-on, but the money the studio is paying is too good to pass up. She uses the little windfall from filming to create new displays and fend off a buyout offer from an obnoxious millionaire who wants to turn McCredie’s into a souvenir shop selling kilts made in China and plastic Nessies. Still reeling slightly from a breakup, Carmen’s not particularly looking forward to the holidays. But just as snow begins to fall and the lights of Christmas blink on, all sorts of lovely new possibilities present themselves…for McCredie’s bookstore, and for Carmen herself.

Jenny Colgan’s books are always a ray of sunshine, and this new book is no exception. While Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop is a follow-up to the 2021 novel The Christmas Bookshop, it can definitely be read on its own and enjoyed fully.

Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop is set in Edinburgh, Scotland, and centers around a musty old bookshop and its one and only staffperson, Carmen Hogan. Carmen ostensibly works for Mr. McCredie, the shop’s long-time owner, but he’d rather hide out way back in the stacks and read one of the thousands of rare and unusual books he has stashed away back there. Meanwhile, the shop’s finances are precarious, and a local businessman who specialized in tacky souvenirs is hoping to take over. Carmen has to find a way to keep out the Nessie keychains, save the shop, and convince Mr. McCredie to part with his favorite old books.

On top of the bookshop business, Carmen is also dealing with the bossy older sister she’s been crashing with for the past year (and who’d like her house back, thank you very much), as well as the heartbreak of having her boyfriend apparently not want to sleep with her and then depart for a science expedition on the other side of the globe. Between her housing woes, sisterly spats, and romance sorrows, Carmen needs at least her work to go well, but it’s not looking too promising.

Obviously, even from just looking at the cover, it’s clear that this book is going to have a happy ending. What kind of Christmas book would it be otherwise? Still, it’s the fun of getting there that makes this a Jenny Colgan book. There’s quirky dialogue, precocious children, unusual local folks, a terrific setting, and all the Christmas cheer you could possibly hope for.

As I mentioned, this book works perfectly well as a stand-alone. Yes, if you’d read The Christmas Bookshop, you’d already be familiar with Carmen, her family, her boyfriend, and the basic situation… but honestly, you can also just dive right in to this new book without feeling lost.

Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop is sweet, funny, and warm-hearted. It makes for a nice reading break in the midst of more serious or darker reads… and definitely makes me yearn for a visit to Edinburgh, which the author describes in loving detail.

10Oct2023

Getting ready for the Fall 2023 Classics Club Spin!

Posted in Bookish Thoughts, Fun and Whimsy, The Reading Life by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

It’s time for another Classics Club Spin!

Hosted by The Classics Club blog, the Classics Club Spin is a reading adventure where participants come up with a list of classics they’d like to read, number them 1 to 20, and then read the book that corresponds to the “spin” number that comes up. This will be my 7th time participating — although for the Classics Club, it’s spin #35!

Here are the dates and guidelines from the host blog:

On Sunday 15th, October, we’ll post a number from 1 through 20. The challenge is to read whatever book falls under that number on your Spin List by the 3rd December, 2023.

We’ll check in here on Sunday the 3rd December to see who made it the whole way and finished their spin book!

What’s Next?

Go to your blog.

Pick twenty books that you’ve got left to read from your Classics Club List.

Post that list, numbered 1-20, on your blog before Sunday, 15th October.

We’ll announce a number from 1-20.

Read that book by 3rd December.

I’m a little nervous this time around, because my reading schedule already feels overstuffed with a couple of big books related to group reads. I’m tempted to drop the longer books from my list… and yet, with a month and a half to get it done, even something on the lengthier side might be possible. Maybe. Fingers crossed.

Okay, sticking with the list I already had going, and just adding in the replacements for books I’ve already read…

Here’s my list of 20 classics for the next Classics Club Spin:

Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne DuMaurier
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Peony by Pearl Buck
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
Howards End by E. M. Forster
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Tevye the Dairyman and Motl the Cantor’s Son by Sholom Aleichem
The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima
The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
A Night to Remember by Walter Lord

Wish me luck! I’ll be away on October 15th and for the week following, but I’ll share my spin result once I’m back online.

My previous Classics Club spins:

Spring 2022 (CCSpin29): The Black Moth by Georgette Heyer
Summer 2022 (CCSpin30): Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
Fall 2022 (CCSpin31): A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain
Winter 2022/2023 (CCSpin32): O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
Spring 2023 (CCSpin33): Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay
Summer 2023 (CCSpin34): Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

9Oct2023

The Monday Check-In ~ 10/9/2023

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

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.

My workweek was even crazier than usual (ugh), and even in my non-work hours, I felt like there weren’t enough hours in the day for everything I needed to get done. Maybe as a result, I barely read some days, or didn’t find time to pick up a book until bedtime, and ended up with over-tired reading — which meant that by the next morning, I didn’t remember what I’d read anyway.

(Also… two of my ongoing reads — see the bottom of this post — have VERY long chapters, and those got in the way of having time for other books. Sigh… being a reader is HARD.)

Blogging.

A programming note… I’m heading out of town for a family gathering at the end of the week, and will be away most of the following week as well. I don’t expect to be posting at all while I’m gone — but we’ll see.

What did I read during the last week?

The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary: Sweet, light grumpy/sunshine romance. My review is here.

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub: So much fun! I’ll never think of Lydia quite the same way again. My review is here.

Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan: Finished late Sunday. Bookish love + holiday joy = such a feel-good read! Review to follow in the next few days.

Pop culture & TV:

Little bits of everything this week: Survivor, The Amazing Race, and Sex Education. I finished Sex Education just last night, and while the season was very uneven, it got stronger by the end and had a pretty satisfying wrap-up, all in all.

Puzzle of the week:

After about a month without puzzles, I’m back! This one was gorgeous:

Fresh Catch:

With a couple of special offers, how could I resist treating myself to two beautiful new books?

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

The Bell in the Fog by Lev AC Rosen: The follow-up to last year’s excellent Lavender House. Just getting started!

Now playing via audiobook:

Starter Villain by John Scalzi: I love Scalzi’s books, and with Wil Wheaton as narrator, the audiobooks are always a treat. This book is so much fun — loving it so far!

Ongoing reads:

My current longer-term reads:

Outlander Book Club is doing a group re-read of Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander, #2). We’ll be reading and discussing two chapters per week. Anyone who’s interested is welcome to join in — message me for info! We just started last week. Coming up this week: Chapters 4 and 5 (of 49).
Daniel Deronda by George Eliot: My book group’s current classic read! We’re reading and discussing two chapters per week. Progress: 2%.
A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny: An annual tradition! There’s a chapter for each day of the month. Even on my 3rd time through, it’s so much fun. Progress: 12%.

So many books, so little time…

7Oct2023

Book Review: The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch
Author: Melinda Taub
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication date: October 3, 2023
Length: 400 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

A sparkling, witchy reimagining of Pride and Prejudice, told from the perspective of the troublesome and—according to her—much-maligned youngest Bennet sister, Lydia.

In this exuberant reimagining of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Lydia Bennet puts pen to paper to relate the real events and aftermath of the classic story from her own perspective. Some facts are well known: Mrs. Bennet suffers from her nerves; Mr. Bennet suffers from Mrs. Bennet, and all five daughters suffer from an estate that is entailed only to male heirs.

But Lydia also suffers from entirely different concerns: her best-loved sister Kitty is really a barn cat, and Wickham is every bit as wicked as the world believes him to be, but what else would you expect from a demon? And if you think Mr. Darcy was uptight about dancing etiquette, wait till you see how he reacts to witchcraft. Most of all, Lydia has yet to learn that when you’re a witch, promises have power . . .

Full of enchantment, intrigue, danger, and boundless magic, The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch, has all the irreverent wit, strength, and romance of Pride and Prejudice—while offering a highly unexpected redemption for the wildest Bennet sister.

Who knew that we needed a witchy retelling of Pride and Prejudice? Just when I thought I’d had my fill of P&P retellings, along comes The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch to prove me wrong.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter must be a witch.

In her Scandalous Confessions, Lydia tells us what was really going on behind the scenes at Meryton, Brighton, and beyond. Lydia is a talented young witch, so inseparable from her beloved cat as a child that she eventually turned Kitty into her familiar — and Lydia’s magic was powerful enough to have the entire Bennet family believe that they had this additional daughter all along.

Lydia is bright and gifted, but with a flair for mischief. Fortunately, her aunt also is a witch, and teaches her spellcraft — a good thing, since Lydia never does seem to have the patience to develop the more expected skills of needlework or musical performance.

The arrival of the regiment in Meryton is a source of great fun and romance for the local girls, but Lydia’s life get significantly more complicated with the introduction of Wickham. Here, Wickham is a demon who inhabits the body of a formerly human man, and is the son of a major magical force who wants to “eat” the power of Lydia and other witches. But Lydia doesn’t give up easily, and she’s willing to fight to protect her beloved Kitty.

Narrated by Lydia as she writes an accounting of her adventures, this book is fast-paced, funny, and very clever. Lydia’s story follows the plot beats of P&P, but as told from Lydia’s perspective, there’s more going on behind the scenes than we might imagine. There’s adventure, danger, and plenty of spells, but also balls, garden clubs, and lots of flirtation with handsome and/or fortune-seeking soldiers.

The author weaves together the familiar storylines (plus a bit of Sanditon too) with a plot involving witchcraft, magical forces, cruel hexes, and clever twists. Lydia herself is such a fun character, and I loved seeing Kitty’s story unfold as well. Lizzy doesn’t appear in many scenes, but she’s always a presence from a distance, especially as Darcy gets caught up in the Wickham crisis and has problems with Georgianna to solve as well.

Remember, always, not to judge people too hastily, for everyone is living out a story of their own, and you only get to read the pages you appear on.

Smart, funny, and well plotted, The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch is a perfect October read. Highly recommended!

6Oct2023

Audiobook Review: The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Wake-Up Call
Author: Beth O’Leary
Narrators: Jessie Cave, Lino Facioli
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: September 26, 2022
Print length: 368 pages
Audio length: 10 hours, 17 minutes
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley (eARC); audiobook purchased via Audible
Rating:

Two hotel receptionists–and arch-rivals–find a collection of old wedding rings and compete to return them to their owners, discovering their own love story along the way.

It’s the busiest season of the year, and Forest Manor Hotel is quite literally falling apart. So when Izzy and Lucas are given the same shift on the hotel’s front desk, they have no choice but to put their differences aside and see it through.

The hotel won’t stay afloat beyond Christmas without some sort of miracle. But when Izzy returns a guest’s lost wedding ring, the reward convinces management that this might be the way to fix everything. With four rings still sitting in the lost & found, the race is on for Izzy and Lucas to save their beloved hotel–and their jobs.

As their bitter rivalry turns into something much more complicated, Izzy and Lucas begin to wonder if there’s more at stake here than the hotel’s future. Can the two of them make it through the season with their hearts intact?

Beth O’Leary books have become must-reads for me over the past few years, and after last year’s The No-Show — an absolute 5-star read — I couldn’t wait to try her newest. The Wake-Up Call doesn’t quite hit the emotional highs (and depths) of the previous book, but it’s still a sweet, funny, enjoyable love story.

Izzy and Lucas have spent a year hating each other, which is inconvenient, seeing as they’re coworkers. They work together at the charming, iconic Forest Manor Hotel, a lovely place that’s seen better days. A ceiling collapse right before the holiday season leaves the hotel gasping its last breaths, and its well-meaning owners have little hope of saving the place once the new year rolls around.

Meanwhile, Izzy and Lucas spend their time bickering, shooting eye daggers at each other, and being as irritating as they possibly can. Once the hotel’s dire straits become clear, they’re forced to work together to try to find a miracle… and little by little, they’re also forced to admit that maybe all that burning hatred is really more like smoldering attraction and feelings of insecurity.

The plot is a little on the thin side — I mean, it’s quite obvious that Izzy and Lucas will get together. It’s also obvious that the root cause of their hatred — a disastrous fight at the previous year’s Christmas party — was caused by a major misunderstanding. It takes them pretty much the whole book to figure this out, and meanwhile, they squabble, flirt, sabotage, and second-guess one another… and stay busy reprimanding themselves for catching feelings for the enemy.

The Wake-Up Call is lots of fun, despite the predictability of the overarching plot. The secret sauce here is how great Izzy and Lucas each are, how well their characters are shown over the course of the book, and how cute/funny/silly some of their escapades are.

In terms of the audiobook, however, it was a struggle for me at first. I just did not get on with the narrators right away. Particularly for Lucas’s chapters, I had a hard time understanding just what he was saying (the character is Brazilian, and the accent as Lucas made some of his dialogue and inner thoughts really challenging). I almost gave up on the audio, in fact, but ultimately ended up glad I stuck with it — after a while, I got used to the narrators’ voices and intonations, and managed to get into the rhythm and feel by the end.

Beth O’Leary’s books are always full of quirky, offbeat characters and situations, and The Wake-Up Call is another treat. While there are some more serious plot elements about family loss, grief, and mourning, the overall tone is cute and full of humor, and the chemistry between Izzy and Lucas simply sparkles.

The Wake-Up Call is a great pick for when you’re looking for something light and cheerful, and would also make a terrific choice when the winter holidays roll around.

Smiles guaranteed! Don’t miss it.

2Oct2023

The Monday Check-In ~ 10/2/2023

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Life.

It was tough to go back to work after a week away… but on the bright side, I work with an amazing team, and they decorated my office while I was away. Balloons everywhere! It was super cute and made my first day really special.

What did I read during the last week?

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano: Beautiful and emotional. My review is here.

The Beginning of Everything by Jackie Fraser: Pleasant, quick read. My review is here.

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle: Considered a modern classic fantasy tale, and I’m so glad to have finally read it!

Pop culture & TV:

Survivor is back! I still love this show, even when the people are ridiculous and awful. Season 45 (!!) started this past week — so much fun.

Also, for the very first time, my family decided to give The Amazing Race a try… and we really like it!

I’m slowly starting season 4 of Sex Education… and is it just me, or is this season even cringier than previous seasons? Maybe I’ve just forgotten how truly uncomfortable (yet funny) this show can be.

Fresh Catch:

Oooh, got an ARC in the mail! The publication date isn’t until January, but I don’t think I’ll be able to hold off until then.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub: This witchy retelling of Pride and Prejudice is oodles of fun! I’m at about 60%, hope to finish in the next day or so.

Now playing via audiobook:

The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary: I had a bit of a rocky start due to not getting along with the narrators for a while, but now I’ve gotten more used to them and I’m starting to really enjoy the story.

Ongoing reads:

Oh dear, I may be in over my head! Here are the longer-term reads I have going on at the moment:

Outlander Book Club is doing a group re-read of Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander, #2). We’ll be reading and discussing two chapters per week. Anyone who’s interested is welcome to join in — message me for info! We just started last week. Coming up this week: Chapters 2 and 3 (of 49).
Daniel Deronda by George Eliot: My book group’s new classic read! We’re reading and discussing two chapters per week, starting today! New participants are welcome — let me know if you’re interested.
A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny: An annual tradition! This will be my 3rd time through — there’s a chapter for each day of the month, and it’s a delight.

So many books, so little time…