Book Review: The Ladies Rewrite the Rules by Suzanne Allain

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Ladies Rewrite the Rules
Author: Suzanne Allain
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: January 9, 2024
Length: 272 pages
Genre: Historical fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

From the author of Mr. Malcolm’s List comes a delightful romantic comedy set in Regency England about a widow who takes high society by storm.

Diana Boyle, a wealthy young widow, has no desire to ever marry again. Particularly not to someone who merely wants her for her fortune.

So when she discovers that she’s listed in a directory of rich, single women she is furious, and rightly so. She confronts Maxwell Dean, the man who published the Bachelor’s Directory , and is horrified to find he is far more attractive than his actions have led her to expect. However, Diana is unmoved by Max’s explanation that he authored the list to assist younger sons like himself who cannot afford to marry unless it’s to a woman of means.

She gathers the ladies in the directory together to inform them of its existence, so they may circumvent fortune hunters’ efforts to trick them into marriage. Though outraged, the women decide to embrace their unique position of power and reverse the usual gender roles by making the men dance to their tune. And together… the ladies rewrite the rules.

What a delightful little gem! This comedy of manners is an utterly fun treat about women taking back control of their destinies at a time when society tells them they’re powerless.

A woman needs a dowry to attract a man, must marry “well”, must remain virtuous at all times, must avoid the thousand and one ways she can be “ruined”, must kowtow to the powerful matrons who control social standing… the restrictions on young women of the Regency era go on and on.

Diana Boyle is lucky, all things considered. She married a much older man at age eighteen to save herself and her mother from poverty. When she finds herself a widow at age twenty-five, she’s finally able to live peacefully in the grand estate left to her by her unpleasant late husband, and for once has no pressure to do what others want. And mainly, Diana just wants to be left alone. She’s not a social butterfly, has no interest in remarrying (her unhappy first marriage was plenty, thank you), and doesn’t need balls and visits and endless society obligations.

All this changes when a pair of gentlemen show up at her estate — uninvited — and proceed to attempt to ingratiate themselves with her. Her observant butler manages to discover the reason — they’re carrying a copy of a directory that lists the wealthiest widows and unmarried women of London, and Diana is listed! She’s outraged, enough so that she overcomes her normal shyness to seek out the author of the directory and give him a piece of her mind.

Maxwell Dean is not quite the villain she’d expected. Rather than a fortune hunter, he’s a man who’s seen more than one friend fall in love, only to have it come to naught when the couple realize that neither has any money whatsoever. For a younger son, the only hope is to marry a woman of means — so why not provide some guidance in advance? Maxwell doesn’t realize how mercenary his guide might set men up to be — he honestly just thinks he’s helping people find love in a more practical way. (He’s a very special — and sweet — snowflake, to be honest).

The fun takes off when Diana makes it her mission to inform other ladies of their inclusion in the directory. While initially upset and offended, the women soon discover more than one silver lining. They band together, forming strong friendships and allyships, and realize that given the situation, they’re actually the ones with the power.

Somehow the very thing that had been the symbol of their helplessness, that directory which listed them as no more than a commodity, had now become a way for them to exert their independence, to rewrite the rules in their favor.

With all these men seeking them as marriage partners, they have a freedom never before experienced — to waltz with abandon, to decline a dance if they don’t feel like dancing with the man asking (and still dance with others!), to say no if they’re so inclined in any situation. The women of the directory find a new sense of liberty and strength, and they intend to enjoy it to the hilt.

For it’s an indisputable fact that when a person no longer seeks acceptance, they immediately become irresistible.

Of course, there’s also a budding romance between Diana and Max, and it’s quite sweet to see the two of them come together, tentatively at first, as they discover friendship, trust, and attraction. As Diana’s connections to the other women grow, and her fondness for Max strengthens too, she’s able to rethink her position in life and for once, make her own decisions about who she wants to be and how she wants to live.

The writing in The Ladies Rewrite the Rules is oodles of fun. There are plenty of funny and silly moments, but the women also share stories that are more painful and illustrate how strongly the odds are stacked against them. I especially loved seeing Diana’s friendship with Lady Regina, a wealthy heiress whose reputation had been tarnished as a much younger woman. Through their new sense of confidence and empowerment, Regina is able to right some old wrongs and realize that she is in fact as entitled to happiness as anyone else.

I picked up this book with a little bit of hesitation, as I didn’t love Mr. Malcolm’s List quite as much as I’d hoped to… and so I was incredibly happy to discover how much I enjoyed spending time with Diana, Regina, and the Ladies of the Registry.

I tore through The Ladies Rewrite the Rules in a little more than a day, and found myself smiling and laughing throughout. If you enjoy a good Regency tale with a slightly unconventional twist, be sure to check this book out!

12Mar2024

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I’m Worried I Might Not Love as Much the Second Time Around

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

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 Books I’m Worried I Might Not Love as Much the Second Time Around.

I do love a good re-read when it comes to favorite books, and many books feel even richer or more emotional with each new visit.

Because my rereading experiences tend to be positive, I’m feeling a little puzzled by this week’s topic. I don’t particularly worry about whether I’ll love a book the 2nd time around. I mean, if I loved it originally — enough to want to re-read — then I’m open to however I might experience it upon rereading.

Still, after some pondering, I managed to come up with a few I might be a teeny bit hesitant about as re-reads:

1. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell: I read this book as a teen and got swept up in the romance, but I’m guessing I’d have a much harder time with the content if I reread it as an adult.

2. Dune by Frank Herbert: I loved this back in my college days… but had much less experience with science fiction and fantasy at that point in my life. I wonder if I might find it all a bit dense and pretentious if I read it now.

3. Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny: Similar to the item above — this was one of my early introductions to complex fantasy world-building, and I was totally enthralled. I have a feeling I’d love it still, but who knows? This is one I do intend to re-read at some point.

4. The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss: This was my very first romance novel, read as a fairly innocent teen, so I found it shocking and super intriguing. I’d guess that, except for the sake of nostalgia, I’d find it fairly awful now, but at the time… wow!

5. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger: I mean, I absolutely loved this book at the time, and in fact, read it straight through twice in a row. And yet, looking at it through today’s lens, too many interactions between the characters seems a little too uncomfortably close to grooming. That didn’t strike me while reading the book, but watching the recent TV series adaptation (which was not good), it all started feeling a bit icky.

That’s all I could think of at the moment, but I’ll add these two, which I actually did re-read recently — and did not have a great time with:

1. Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice: I absolutely swooned over this book the first time around. Last year, I decided to listen to the audiobook… and was so disappointed. Maybe it was the narrator, but the broody inner monologues just seemed to go on and on and on. Not fun.

2. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, #2) by Douglas Adams: I suspect this was a matter of timing. I decided to do an audio re-read of the series (I’d previously read books 1 – 3, many years ago) and had a lot of fun with the first audiobook. This 2nd one just didn’t work for me — but I may have been too distracted by real life at the time to appreciate the silliness. Still, it was enough of a washout that I haven’t been all that eager to push on and try the 3rd.

What books are you worried about rereading? Have you had any rereading experiences that were disappointing?

If you wrote a TTT post, please share your link!

11Mar2024

The Monday Check-In ~ 03/11/2024

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.

I actually got dressed up and went out one night! As opposed to my typical evenings with leggings, tea, books, and Netflix. My workplace had its big annual fundraising gala this week. I worked for part of it — my job was “greeter”, which meant basically standing around saying “welcome!” as people arrived. After that, I was able to hang out with my coworkers, enjoy the food and ambiance, and do some serious people watching.

One night out every once in a while is plenty for me. I do love my cozy evenings at home!

What did I read during the last week?

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle: A fast but not entirely satisfying read. My review is here.

Over Sea, Under Stone (The Dark Is Rising, #1) by Susan Cooper: I enjoyed this middle grade fantasy/adventure tale, and may eventually read further in the series. My review is here.

Alaska Traveler by Dana Stabenow: An enjoyable collection of the author’s travel columns, providing quick little slice-of-life experiences from all across Alaska.

A Grave Robbery (Veronica Speedwell, #9) by Deanna Raybourn: A new installment in the ongoing Veronica Speedwell series is always a treat. My review is here.

Puzzle of the week:

A fun one from Ravensburger, with lots of cute little details:

Pop culture & TV:

Somehow I ended up with not a lot of viewing time this week. Other than new weekly episodes of shows like Survivor and Ghosts, I didn’t indulge much.

I’d hoped to binge my way through the rest of Fellow Travelers, but only managed to fit in a few more episodes. Three left! It’s excellent — can’t wait to see how it ends… but I also don’t want it to end.

Fresh Catch:

Two new books this week — a book I’d preordered ages ago (Holly Black), and a lovely hardcover edition of a novella that I’d had my eye on:

I’ll need to do a reread of the The Stolen Heir before I start The Prisoner’s Throne, since the details are — shall we say — murky, but I’m looking forward to revisiting this world.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

The Ladies Rewrite the Rules by Suzanne Allain: Just getting started. I wasn’t entirely sure that I was in the mood for Regency romance right now, but I also wasn’t looking for anything too heavy. We’ll see how it goes!

Now playing via audiobook:

A Stitch in Time by Kelley Armstong: I actually read this book a few years ago, but there are several more connected books in the series, and I decided to revisit this one before continuing with the others. It’s a lovely timeslip story, and I’m really enjoying the audio version.

Ongoing reads:

My current longer-term reads:

Outlander Book Club is doing a group re-read of Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander, #2), reading and discussing two chapters per week. Coming up this week: Chapters 48 and 49 (of 49). Progress: 94%. Final week!
Daniel Deronda by George Eliot: My book group’s current classic read. We’re reading and discussing two chapters per week. Progress: 66%.

What will you be reading this week?

So many books, so little time…

10Mar2024

Book Review: A Grave Robbery (Veronica Speedwell, #9) by Deanna Raybourn

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: A Grave Robbery
Series: Veronica Speedwell, #9
Author: Deanna Raybourn
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: March 12, 2024
Length: 336 pages
Genre: Historical fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

Veronica and Stoker discover that not all fairy tales have happy endings, and some end in murder, in this latest historical mystery from New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award–nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

Lord Rosemorran has purchased a wax figure of a beautiful reclining woman and asks Stoker to incorporate a clockwork mechanism to give the Rosemorran Collection its own Sleeping Beauty in the style of Madame Tussaud’s. But when Stoker goes to cut the mannequin open to insert the mechanism, he makes a gruesome discovery: this is no wax figure. The mannequin is the beautifully preserved body of a young woman who was once very much alive. But who would do such a dreadful thing, and why?

Sleuthing out the answer to this question sets Veronica and Stoker on their wildest adventure yet. From the underground laboratories of scientists experimenting with electricity to resurrect the dead in the vein of Frankenstein to the traveling show where Stoker once toured as an attraction, the gaslit atmosphere of London in October is the perfect setting for this investigation into the unknown. Through it all, the intrepid pair is always one step behind the latest villain—a man who has killed once and will stop at nothing to recover the body of the woman he loved. Will they unmask him in time to save his next victim? Or will they become the latest figures to be immortalized in his collection of horrors?

Veronica Speedwell is back! This outing — another potentially deadly investigation with her lover and partner Stoker — provides everything fans of this series love: Dastardly deeds, scheming scientists, Victorian scandal, and lots of sexy bantering.

As she and Stoker happily work on their ongoing commission to catalog and restore their patron Lord Rosemorran’s vast collection of natural wonders, a new challenge comes their way. Lord Rosemorran has purchased a waxwork of a lovely young woman, and to entertain his rambunctious youngest daughter, wants Stoker to add a mechanical element to give the illusion of breathing, as seen in a famous attraction at Madame Tussaud’s.

The promise of a new case to investigate becomes apparent once Stoker starts his work and discovers that this is no waxwork, but the meticulously preserved body of a young woman who was once very much alive. But who was she, and how did she come to be in this condition?

The more Veronica and Stoker learn, the more questions arise. It appears that this may be the body of a young woman who was found drowned in a river some fifteen years earlier, but that fact does not provide clues to her identity or shed light on the mystery of how such an impeccable work of preservation was carried out.

The details of their investigation are as delicious as readers can rightfully expect in this series, as we descend into worlds of mortuaries, mad scientists, and questionable examples of *ahem* anatomical study aides.

Through it all, Veronica and Stoker remain as wonderfully intertwined and perfectly in tune as ever, enjoying their restorative bouts of “congress” (as Veronica calls it) while also engaging as equal partners at a time when women are expected to be submissive.

It has been my experience that the male of the species, though often thoroughly illogical, can — when encouraged to sit quietly and think hard — be guided into a position of sense.

Veronica defers to no one and never backs down. She’s a smart, confident woman of science, and demands to be treated as such at all times. She never hesitates to call Stoker out, including his tendency toward anti-social behavior:

“Thanks to you, I speak to entirely too many people, entirely too often.”

“Exactly. You were practically a hermit when I met you.

“I was not a hermit,” he said through gritted teeth. “I was a professional man with work that I was actually permitted to do rather than being dragged into murder investigations because I had not yet met a woman whose very raison d’être seems to be falling over dead bodies.”

Author Deanna Raybourn seems to be having oodles of fun with these stories and characters. Her descriptions sparkle, and the quips, insults, and banter fly with zingy style. Even little throwaway lines are pure delight:

“That is the most preposterous load of plangent poppycock I have ever heard.”

I do hope she’ll continue writing Veronica Speedwell stories for many years to come. Each year’s new installment is something to savor… but sadly, they’re such fast, absorbing reads that I come to the end almost too quickly. And now, it’s another long year of waiting for the next adventure!

I’ll wrap up with words borrowed from my reviews of earlier books in the series:

If you haven’t yet had the pleasure, start with book #1, A Curious Beginning. There’s a very good chance you’ll want to continue!

This series has become one of my favorites. Don’t miss it.

8Mar2024

Book Review: Over Sea, Under Stone (The Dark is Rising, #1) by Susan Cooper

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Over Sea, Under Stone
Series: The Dark is Rising, #1
Author: Susan Cooper
Publisher: Aladdin
Publication date: 1965
Length: 196 pages
Genre: Middle grade
Source: Library
Rating:

“I DID NOT KNOW THAT YOU CHILDREN WOULD BE THE ONES TO FIND IT. OR WHAT DANGER YOU WOULD BE PUTTING YOURSELVES IN.”

Throughout time, the forces of good and evil have battled continuously, maintaining the balance . Whenever evil forces grow too powerful, a champion of good is called to drive them back. Now, with evil’s power rising and a champion yet to be found, three siblings find themselves at the center of a mystical war.

Jane, Simon, and Barney Drew have discovered an ancient text that reads of a legendary grail lost centuries ago. The grail is an object of great power, buried with a vital secret. As the Drews race against the forces of evil, they must piece together the text’s clues to find the grail — and keep its secret safe until a new champion rises.

And another synopsis from a different edition:

On holiday in Cornwall, the three Drew children discover an ancient map in the attic of the house that they are staying in. They know immediately that it is special. It is even more than that — the key to finding a grail, a source of power to fight the forces of evil known as the Dark. And in searching for it themselves, the Drews put their very lives in peril. This is the first volume of Susan Cooper’s brilliant and absorbing fantasy sequence known as The Dark Is Rising.

The Dark is Rising sequence has been on my to-read list for quite a while now — and I could have sworn that I’d already read the first book, Over Sea, Under Stone. But here’s what actually happened: I started this book over ten years ago with my (then) young son, soon after we finished reading Harry Potter together. We were looking for another adventure/fantasy series to dig into… but apparently, Over Sea, Under Stone didn’t quite catch his attention as a read-aloud. So, while I thought we’d read the whole book, I realized this time around that we actually only read the first few chapters.

In any case…

I’ve been curious about this five-book series, which is considered a modern classic in the middle grade/children’s fantasy genre, dealing with Arthurian legends and other elements of Celtic mythology.

Finally, I decided to commit to the first book, and I’m glad I did.

Over Sea, Under Stone is the story of a trio of siblings — Simon, Jane, and Barney Drew — and the quest they find themselves pulled into while on a family holiday in Cornwall. There, staying in a curious old house with their Great-Uncle Merry (who’s not biologically an uncle at all, but has been considered part of the family for as long as anyone can remember), the children find a crumbling old manuscript and map, and decide it has the makings of an exciting adventure.

But as the children seek clues, darker forces seem determined to interfere. A variety of creepy and menacing people take interest in the children’s explorations, and soon begin to actively try to capture the map for themselves.

With Merry’s guidance, the children come to realize that the map likely dates back to the time of King Arthur, and if only they can decipher its clues, they may find a relic of incomparable value and power.

Over Sea, Under Stone is a rollicking good adventure, with moments of danger and menace, great bravery, and funny moments too. Of course, the children and the time period might seem terribly old-fashioned to today’s children, but putting that aside, the book is a fast-paced quest story with high stakes and suspenseful action sequences.

This book was originally envisioned as a stand-alone and works perfectly well as such, with a satisfying ending — but it also leaves the door wide open for more to come.

For me personally, I’m not in a phase where I’m feeling particularly drawn to children’s fiction, so while I enjoyed Over Sea, Under Stone and can wholeheartedly recommend it, I’m not inclined to continue the series at the moment. I think the first book is a great reading experience, and I’m guessing the rest of the series is as well! Maybe I’ll eventually pick up the next book, but for now, I’m happy with having read Over Sea, Under Stone, and will leave it at that.

7Mar2024

Book Review: Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Expiration Dates
Author: Rebecca Serle
Publisher: Atria
Publication date: March 19, 2024
Length: 272 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

Being single is like playing the lottery. There’s always the chance that with one piece of paper you could win it all.

From the New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years and One Italian Summer comes the romance that will define a generation.

Daphne Bell believes the universe has a plan for her. Every time she meets a new man , she receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it—the exact amount of time they will be together. The papers told her she’d spend three days with Martin in Paris; five weeks with Noah in San Francisco; and three months with Hugo, her ex-boyfriend turned best friend. Daphne has been receiving the numbered papers for over twenty years, always wondering when there might be one without an expiration. Finally, the night of a blind date at her favorite Los Angeles restaurant, there’s only a Jake.

But as Jake and Daphne’s story unfolds, Daphne finds herself doubting the paper’s prediction, and wrestling with what it means to be both committed and truthful. Because Daphne knows things Jake doesn’t, information that—if he found out—would break his heart.

Told with her signature warmth and insight into matters of the heart, Rebecca Serle has finally set her sights on romantic love. The result is a gripping, emotional, passionate, and (yes) heartbreaking novel about what it means to be single, what it means to find love, and ultimately how we define each of them for ourselves. Expiration Dates is the one fans have been waiting for.

Expiration Dates is going to be tricky to discuss, and I’ll issue some general advice up front: Read reviews with caution. There’s something that gets revealed in the second half of the book that changes how readers understand everything that’s come before… and I really don’t think more than that should be said about it. If you’re reading a review that’s heavy on plot details or seems primed to disclose secrets — well, my advice is to stop reading!

That said, here’s what I can share about this novel. The main character is Daphne, a woman in her early 30s who enjoys her career as assistant to a powerful Hollywood producer. Born and raised in LA, Daphne loves her city and her parents, who live close by. She’s frustrated by her love life, and is still searching for a relationship that lasts, especially since she always knows exactly how long any given man will stay in her life.

Since childhood, Daphne has received random pieces of paper — sometimes tucked under her door, sometimes dropped next to her or handed to her by a stranger — with a name and a length of time written on it. The name is the person she’s currently dating or about to start dating, and the length of time is how long the relationship will last. Sometimes it’s just one night; sometimes it’s long enough that Daphne can even forget about the note and start feeling like it’s forever.

But until Jake, she’s never received a paper without a time frame. Does the fact that his note just has his name mean that he’s the one who’ll last? Is she about to go on a first date with her forever partner?

That’s a lot to swallow, and while this is the sort of magical element that we readers are supposed to just accept as fact, I never quite could. There’s no explanation, no source, no deep secret here. Daphne gets these pieces of paper that provide relationship expiration dates, period. If you find yourself scoffing at the very concept, then this probably isn’t the book for you.

Despite my skepticism, I stuck with Expiration Dates, and had a mixed experience. There are ultimately two competing stories going on (I won’t say why), and they don’t actually serve each other very well. The book I thought I was reading turned out to be something else, and to me, it feels as though the book is both trying to do to much and trying to have it both ways.

The unexplainable magical element actually undercuts some of the more serious developments and themes, unfortunately, and kept me from fully embracing the emotions and thoughtfulness of the plot.

At the same time, I did find Daphne’s contemplation of fate and self-fulfilling prophecy very interesting. Do her relationships end because they’re meant to? Meaning, it’s all out of her hands, and this is what the universe is dictating? Or, does she actually contribute to these relationships failing? If she knows ahead of time that she only has three months with someone, does she essentially give up or not invest enough of herself to make it work, since it’s beyond her control anyway?

Expiration Dates poses some interesting questions, but ultimately I did not feel especially invested in the romantic outcome, especially given how obvious it seemed to me. Daphne is a character whom I enjoyed getting to know, but the men in her life never feel fully formed, so truly caring about the various relationships is challenging.

Overall, this is a quick read that offers light entertainment, but doesn’t truly achieve the depth I think it’s aiming for. The magical element may be what differentiates the plot, but I think I would have been more interested in Daphne’s story without it, especially given the (no spoilers!) developments later in the book.

5Mar2024

Top Ten Tuesday: Weird or funny things I’ve Googled thanks to a book

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

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 Weird or Funny Things I’ve Googled Thanks to a Book.

Isn’t there a meme out there about how authors’ search history would make people think they’re all serial killers or seriously disturbed? I’m guessing the same is true for plenty of readers. What can we say? We readers are curious people!

Here are random questions and phrases that you’d find in my book-related search history — and the books that inspired them:

1. What do Satanists believe? (while reading Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison)

2. Would the Titanic have sunk if it hit the iceberg head-on rather than along its side? (So many Titanic books, but most recently, A Night to Remember by Walter Lord). And in case you’re wondering, the answer is mixed: I’ve seen very strong arguments saying it absolutely would have sunk, and very strong arguments saying absolutely not!

3. What does someone with face blindness see when they look at a person? (while reading Hello Stranger by Katherine Center)

4. Has anyone ever been swallowed by a sperm whale? (while reading Whalefall by Daniel Krauss). And since I’m sure you’re dying to know too, here’s what Ocean Conservancy has to say:

Can sperm whales swallow humans?

While there have been cases where humans end up in a whale’s mouth, generally these human prey get spit out and not swallowed. It’s an extremely rare and unpleasant day for all involved. Technically sperm whales are the only creatures in the ocean with throats large enough to swallow a human. There was one case of a man named James Bartley, labeled as a “modern day Jonah,” who was allegedly swallowed by a sperm whale off the Falkland Islands in the early 1900s. The story claims that he was rescued from the stomach after whalers took down the animal that ate him. This story doesn’t hold up to close inspection, however, and the science suggests that anyone who had the misfortune of being eaten by a whale would probably not live long.

5. Very small owls (while reading The Parliament by Aimee Potwatka)

6. Britney’s denim outfit (while reading The Woman in Me by Britney Spears)… and for those who might want to know, this is the image I was looking for:

7. Oz’s family – Buffy (while reading One Girl in All the World by Kendare Blake, because I couldn’t remember how Oz became a werewolf)

8. What does a tree surgeon do? (while reading The No-Show by Beth O’Leary)

9. Treacher Collins syndrome (while reading Wonder by R. J. Palacio

10. Examples of surf movies from the 1960s (while reading California Golden by Melanie Benjamin)

There you have it. Definitely not a serial killer… just a reader with eclectic interests!

I’d love to see what everyone else has been googling, so…

If you wrote a TTT post, please share your link!

4Mar2024

The Monday Check-In ~ 03/04/2024

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

Life.

How did it get to be March already? Wasn’t it just New Year’s Day a minute ago?

It’s been a busy week (the usual refrain), but I had some time for fun over the weekend, including dinner with friends and an extra opportunity to dance. (I’ve gotten into international folkdancing recently, and I’m loving it!)

What did I read during the last week?

The Only Game in Town by Lacie Waldon: Silly small-town shenanigans — a very entertaining audiobook. My review is here.

Aftermarket Afterlife by Seanan McGuire: The 13th book in the Incryptids series. Definitely not a place to jump in, but anyone who’s been reading the series will not be disappointed. My review is here.

The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner: Another audiobook — the story held my attention, but I never quite managed to suspend my disbelief. My review is here.

Pop culture & TV:

All of a sudden, there’s so much to watch! Network series are back, including Ghosts, Abbott Elementary, and a new season of Survivor. All of which are making me happy.

Also…

Rick and Michonne are back on my TV screen! I was a devoted Walking Dead fan for many seasons, but finally gave it up after my two favorite characters departed the show. I never did end up watching the last two (or so) seasons. But now, Rick and Michonne are back in a limited series, The Ones Who Live, and I’m thrilled. I’ve only seen one episode so far (a 2nd just dropped), but I can’t even express how great it is to see these characters (and actors) once again.

My husband and I watched the first episode of the new Shogun, and it was intense and impressive. I’m sure we’ll continue.

I finally started Fellow Travelers, and I’m hooked. The acting is terrific, and the storyline (so far) is very intense. I’ve watched three of the eight episodes, and can’t wait to keep going.

Fresh Catch:

I treated myself to a signed copy of The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden, and it arrived this week. I loved the book, and I’m so happy to have this beautiful edition for my shelves.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle: Interesting premise, and it’s going quickly so far. I haven’t made a ton of progress yet, but I’m definitely hooked.

Now playing via audiobook:

Alaska Traveler by Dana Stabenow: I’ve read a few of the pieces in this collection before, but when I saw that my library had the audiobook available, I couldn’t resist! Dana Stabenow is such a great writer, and she has terrific stories to tell.

Ongoing reads:

My current longer-term reads:

Outlander Book Club is doing a group re-read of Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander, #2), reading and discussing two chapters per week. Coming up this week: Chapters 46 and 47 (of 49). Progress: 89%. Second to last week!
Daniel Deronda by George Eliot: My book group’s current classic read. We’re reading and discussing two chapters per week. Progress: 62%.
Over Sea, Under Stone (The Dark is Rising, #1) by Susan Cooper: I borrowed this audiobook from the library, and realized after listening to the first few chapters that I wasn’t absorbing it at all. Not sure if it was the narrator or something else, but in any case, I switched over to the ebook version and started again from the beginning. I’ll be dipping in and out of this book in between other books, but should wrap it up pretty quickly.

What will you be reading this week?

So many books, so little time…

3Mar2024

Audiobook Review: The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Second Chance Year
Author: Melissa Wiesner
Narrator: Helen Laser
Publisher: Forever
Publication date: December 5, 2023
Print length: 328 pages
Audio length: 7 hours 21 minutes
Genre: Contemporary romance
Source: Library
Rating:

In this unforgettable story full of charm, wit—and just a bit of magic—a woman down on her luck is given a second chance at fixing her life and trying one year all over again. Perfect for listeners of Josie Silver and Rebecca Serle.

Sadie Thatcher’s life has fallen apart in spectacular fashion. In one fell swoop, she managed to lose her job, her apartment, and her boyfriend—all thanks to her big mouth. So when a fortune teller offers her one wish, Sadie jumps at the chance to redo her awful year. Deep down, she doesn’t believe magic will fix her life, but taking a leap of faith, Sadie makes her wish, opens her eyes, and . . . nothing has changed. And then, in perhaps her dumbest move yet, she kisses her brother’s best friend, Jacob.

When Sadie wakes up the next morning, she’s in her former apartment with her former boyfriend, and her former boss is expecting her at work. Checking the date, she realizes it’s January 1 . . . of last year. As Sadie navigates her second-chance year, she begins to see the red flags she missed in her relationship and in her career. Plus, she keeps running into Jacob, and she can’t stop thinking about their kiss . . . the one he has no idea ever happened. Suddenly, Sadie begins to wonder if her only mistake was wishing for a second chance.

The Second Chance Year is a wish-fulfillment romance and makes for a pleasant audiobook experience — but I may have strained something due to excessive eye-rolling.

As the book opens, Sadie is being dragged to an elaborate New Year’s Eve party by her best friend, as an alternative to sitting on the couch with ice cream and the Golden Girls — her usual activities during the last few months of her Very Bad Year.

Sadie’s long-term boyfriend (the only piece of her life that her overachieving parents actually approve of) dumped her after she confronted a sexist coworker of his at a work function. Her arrogant, inappropriate boss fired her after she spoke up once too often about his poor treatment of the restaurant staff. Due to her lack of a job, she’s been living in her brother’s best friend’s spare room, feeling sorry for herself and her wreck of a life.

When Sadie meets a fortune teller who offers to reset her life and give her a chance at a do-over, she doesn’t really believe her… but she also has nothing to lose.

And lo and behold, when she wakes up the next morning, it’s as if the previous year were erased, and Sadie has the chance to try again. This time, she’s determined to do it right. She’ll think before opening her mouth. She won’t rock the boat. She’ll be supportive of her boyfriend Alex as he establishes himself with his Wall Street peers, instead of being confrontational about the obnoxious bro culture. She’ll put up with her boss’s unfair demands and overly handsy restaurant guests, because the end game is a promotion to Executive Pastry Chef. And she’ll ignore her new awareness of Jacob, the man she kissed on the New Year’s Eve that (now) never happened.

As Sadie navigates her second chance year, things seem to be going her way for a change. But why isn’t she happy? Could it be that becoming a Wall Street wife isn’t her ideal future? Could it be that slaving in a kitchen for an egomaniac chef isn’t the path to career fulfillment that she expected? And could it be that tamping down her outspoken nature could lead to more negative outcomes than those she experienced in her Very Bad Year?

There are some very enjoyable elements to this contemporary-with-a-touch-of-magic romance. It’s fun seeing Sadie interact with people she knows well — who have no idea who she is, since their meetings happened during a year that was reset and therefore never occurred. She finds new purpose via a baking gig at the local coffee house, and scenes there are a treat.

However, Sadie herself is extremely frustrating, too busy trying to avoid her previous “mistakes” to see what’s right in front of her, over and over again. Watching this formerly confident woman repeatedly muzzle herself to preserve a job or a relationship is not fun. Sadie twists herself into knots to become someone she isn’t, and misses the obvious about her love life so many times. I didn’t buy it. She’s too smart and self-assured to fall into these patterns, and it’s especially ridiculous to see how often she misinterprets Jacob’s actions and statements.

Hence all the eye-rolling.

That’s not to mention the magical element of resetting a year — so because Sadie wants a do-over, everyone else loses a year of their lives too? How does that work exactly? Usually, magical interventions and timeslips are not deal-breakers for me and I can just shrug my shoulders and accept them, but something about this one feels a bit unfair to me when I stop to think about it.

Sigh. In a light romance about wishes and second chances, realism isn’t the goal, and that’s okay. It just doesn’t completely work for me here.

Still, as narrated by Helen Laser, the audiobook is an entertaining listening. I couldn’t truly let go of the plot contrivances that annoyed me, and yet, I was always disappointed when I had to turn off the audiobook and pause a day before I could continue. The story hooked me, despite my quibbles, and the narration makes the listening experience a lot of fun.

I recommend The Second Chance Year for anyone looking for a bit of light, escapist, romantic entertainment. Don’t take it too seriously, just let it draw you in, and you may be pleasantly surprised!

Added bonus: SO much talk about pastries! Yummmmm.

2Mar2024

Book Review: Aftermarket Afterlife (InCryptid, #13) by Seanan McGuire

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Aftermarket Afterlife
Series: Incryptid, #13
Author: Seanan McGuire
Publisher: DAW
Publication date: March 5, 2024
Length: 368 pages
Genre: Urban fantasy
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

Seanan McGuire’s New York Times -bestselling and Hugo Award-nominated urban fantasy InCryptid series continues with the thirteenth book following the Price family, cryptozoologists who study and protect the creatures living in secret all around us

Mary Dunlavy didn’t intend to become a professional babysitter. Of course, she didn’t intend to die, either, or to become a crossroads ghost. As a babysitting ghost, she’s been caring for the Price family for four generations, and she’s planning to keep doing the job for the better part of forever.

With her first charge finally back from her decades-long cross-dimensional field trip, with a long-lost husband and adopted daughter in tow, it’s time for Mary to oversee the world’s most chaotic family reunion. And that’s before the Covenant of St. George launches a full scale strike against the cryptids of Manhattan, followed quickly by an attack on the Campbell Family Carnival.

It’s going to take every advantage and every ally they have for the Prices to survive what’s coming—and for Mary, to avoid finding out the answer to a question she’s never wanted to know: where does a babysitting ghost go when she runs out of people to take care of?

In the 13th installment in the weird and wonderful world of Seanan McGuire’s InCryptid series, the Price-Healy family is back… and things are not going well at all.

My recap from the previous book in the series still holds true:

The InCryptid series is a big, sprawling, interconnected story about the varied and sundry members of the Price/Healy clan — humans (mostly) who specialize in cryptozoology, the study and preservation of non-human people who live among us here on Earth. The arch-enemies of the Price gang (and all non-human species) is the Covenant, a powerful organization dedicated to hunting down and eliminating all cryptids — ostensibly to protect humans, but really, at this point, it’s more from deeply ingrained hatred and a desire to rid the world of everything non-human.

The series covers a lot of ground, and as it’s progressed, different family members have had the starring roles in different books. We’ve had books mainly focused on siblings Verity, Alex, and Antimony, and also their cousin Sarah, and their grandparents Alice and Thomas, but Aftermarket Afterlife is the first book where the family babysitter, Mary Dunlavy, is in the central role.

Up to now, Mary has been a featured side character, always present one way or another in the family’s lives, but usually never in more than a few key scenes from book to book. In Aftermarket Afterlife, we’re finally able to experience the Price-Healy clan through Mary’s eyes, and it’s a fascinating journey.

Mary died about a hundred years earlier, but that hasn’t stopped her from carrying out her duties as the family’s babysitter. She may be a ghost, but she’s good at her job! By appearance, she’s a teen girl (with startling white hair and eerie eyes), and her afterlife’s purpose is caring for the children of the Price family… even when those children are now fully grown and have children of their own. Mary can assume solid form (so she can tend the children in her care), but can also discorporate to pass through other dimensions. Most important among her ghostly abilities, she can hear when one of her children calls for her no matter where they are, and can instantly blink out from wherever she is and appear by their side.

In Aftermarket Afterlife, the Covenant is amping up their attacks on cryptid locations in North America, zeroing in on known and suspected allies of the Price clan. It’s only a matter of time before they find the family’s secret compound outside of Portland. The Prices are seemingly outnumbered, but they don’t give up easily, and soon Mary becomes essential to the family’s plan to take the fight to the Covenant.

“Hi. I’m the babysitter. And you scared my kids.”

This book starts a bit slowly, as Mary blips from one point to another, gathering intel and figuring out where everyone is. Pretty much all the family members we’ve come to know over the course of the series show up in this one, so there’s a lot of setting the scene before the action before more sharply focused. By the midpoint, however, it’s full speed ahead. The family suffers some tragic losses, and as they’re left reeling, Mary’s role as caregiver becomes even more important.

I do love this series, although thirteen books in, there is a LOT to remember and keep track of. As the various characters have changed and evolved over the series, and different higher powers have come and gone, the underlying mythology has gotten even more complicated.

“I liked it better when we weren’t all wrapped up in gods and weird divinities,” said Sam.

Honestly, same. There are more godly beings affecting the world of the Incryptid series, and it can be a little mind-boggling at times.

Aftermarket Afterlife is a particularly entertaining outing — I really enjoyed Mary as narrator. Her worldview, as a ghost, is of course quite different from that of the living family members.

You might think being dead would make death easier for me to deal with. You would be so very wrong.

I won’t go too far into plot details. For those who’ve kept up with the series, you’ll want to see it unfold without knowing much in advance. For those unfamiliar with the series, this is all likely sounding like gibberish anyway!

Aftermarket Afterlife is another terrific adventure with the Price-Healy family. I loved getting to see so many of my favorite characters once again, and really enjoyed getting to know Mary so much more through this story. The book ends with the family essentially in the middle of a war against the Covenant, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

As with other books in the Incryptid series, this one includes a novella at the end, Dreaming of You in Freefall, which takes place shortly after the events of Aftermarket Afterlife. There’s absolutely nothing I can say about it without divulging a major spoiler from the main book — but trust me, it’s a really good one, and you’ll want to read it right away.

The Incryptid series is not one to jump into at a random point. There’s so much backstory to learn, so many family members, and so many types of cryptids, as well as an overarching plot that’s been building from the beginning of the series. I do hope more people will read the Incryptid books… but if you do decide to give them a try, start with book #1, Discount Armageddon.

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