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 Meant to Read in 2023 but Didn’t Get To.
At the end of each year, I share a list of all my book purchases that I didn’t actually read (All the Books I Meant to Read), and I don’t really want to repeat myself, so…
I thought I’d focus on the books I listed on my 2023 quarterly TBR posts… but realized that I mainly read them all! So, I’m digging back a little further, and just listing 10 books from the past couple of years that I’ve been meaning to read… and haven’t yet.
My top 10 are:
Akata Woman by Nnedi Okorafor
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
Saga, volume 11 by Brian K. Vaughn
Infinity Gate by M. R. Carey
The Thorns Remain by JJA Harwod
Pat of Silver Bush by L. M. Montgomery
A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice by Rebecca Connolly
Deaf Utopia by Nyle DiMarco
Gilded by Marissa Meyer
Have you read any of these? Which should I make a top priority?
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.
Another rainy weekend. Why, weather gods, why? Don’t you know that weekends are my only time to get out and walk (and listen to audiobooks)??
Besides complaining about forces of nature…
It’s been a decent week, lots of intensity at work, but some quiet relaxing times at home. We had friends over for dinner on Friday, and it was loads of fun to kick back and catch up.
What did I read during the last week?
Clover Hendry’s Day Off by Beth Morrey: Entertaining, but not amazing. A solid 3-star read. My review is here.
One Girl in All the World (In Every Generation, #2) by Kendare Blake: Book 2 in a new Buffy-verse trilogy. My review is here.
The Guncle by Steven Rowley: Beautiful, funny, and sad too. Review to follow later this week.
I also read two graphic novels:
The Princess & the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz: Cute, but I didn’t find it all that memorable.
Heartstopper, volume 5 by Alice Oseman: Sigh. I love this series so much. 5 stars for volume 5!
And finally, my first DNF of the year:
For the Love of the Bard by Jessica Martin: I read about 15%, and it wasn’t bad… but it also didn’t particularly grab me, so I decided to move on.
Pop culture & TV:
I’m finally watching season 2 of Dark Winds, and it is so good! I highly recommend the series (start with season 1, of course). I didn’t quite have time to finish the 2nd season, but hope to watch the last episode tonight.
Fresh Catch:
I treated myself to hardcover editions of the two Emily Wilde books:
Sadly, they arrived just a tiny bit dented on the upper edge… I’m deciding whether to pursue perfection and return them. (My family thinks I’m ridiculous… the dents really are tiny.)
What will I be reading during the coming week?
Currently in my hands:
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys: My book group is discussing this book later in the week (it’s our January pick), but I got a late start. Fingers crossed that I’ll have time to finish before the deadline!
Now playing via audiobook:
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears: Patience pays off! My library hold finally came in. Just starting this audiobook today.
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 34 and 35 (of 49). Progress: 60%.
Daniel Deronda by George Eliot: My book group’s current classic read! We’re reading and discussing two chapters per week. I’m enjoying the book, although reading at this pace makes it feel like it’ll take forever to finish. Progress: 39%.
A Night to Remember by Walter Lord: My new Classics Club Spin book! I haven’t started it yet — I’m listing it here as a placeholder for now. The target date for this spin is March 3rd, so there’s still plenty of time.
Earlier in the week, I shared a post with my list of books for the newest Classics Club Spin challenge (see it here), and a few days ago, this spin’s number was announced. (For those keeping track, it’s CC Spin #36, and for me personally, #8!)
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.
For CCSpin #36, the lucky number is:
And that means I’ll be reading:
A Night to Remember by Walter Lord (published 1955)
Synopsis:
Lord’s classic bestseller, and the definitive account of the unsinkable ship’s fateful last hours
At first, no one but the lookout recognized the sound. Passengers described it as the impact of a heavy wave, a scraping noise, or the tearing of a long calico strip. In fact, it was the sound of the world’s most famous ocean liner striking an iceberg, and it served as the death knell for 1,500 souls.
In the next two hours and forty minutes, the maiden voyage of the Titanic became one of history’s worst maritime accidents. As the ship’s deck slipped closer to the icy waterline, women pleaded with their husbands to join them on lifeboats. Men changed into their evening clothes to meet death with dignity. And in steerage, hundreds fought bitterly against certain death. At 2:15 a.m. the ship’s band played “Autumn.” Five minutes later, the Titanic was gone.
Based on interviews with sixty-three survivors, Lord’s moment-by-moment account is among the finest books written about one of the twentieth century’s bleakest nights.
I am delighted with this spin result! I’ve read my share of Titanic-related fiction over the years, but somehow never got around to this non-fiction book, which is considered (as the synopsis says) the definitive account of the events of that fateful night. As a plus, A Night to Remember is one of my shorter picks this time around — 182 pages for the Kindle edition — so finishing by March 3rd should not be a problem.
What do you think of my newest spin result?
Here’s my list of 20 titles for Classics Club Spin #36:
Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne DuMaurier
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir by R. A. Dick
An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Peony by Pearl Buck
White Fang by Jack London
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Howards End by E. M. Forster
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Tevye the Dairyman and Motl the Cantor’s Son by Sholom Aleichem
Title: One Girl in All the World Series: In Every Generation Author: Kendare Blake Publisher: Disney Hyperion Publication date: January 31, 2023 Length: 352 pages Genre: Young adult fiction Source: Purchased Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
New York Timesbest-selling author Kendare Blake takes us back to the demon capital of the world in this highly anticipated sequel to In Every Generation, set in the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Frankie Rosenberg is coming to terms with the fact that she’s the newest slayer, but that doesn’t mean she has it all figured out just yet. She and her friends are still reeling from the deadly attack on the annual slayer retreat—and the new revelation that some slayers may still be alive. She’s got her own Scooby Gang, but sometimes feels more on the outside than ever. She throws herself into training with her mom, the great witch Willow, and her new Watcher, Spike, but they’ve got demons of their own to contend with (both of the real and metaphorical variety). Buffy made it look easy, but being a slayer is hard—and lonely.
But Frankie doesn’t have time to wander through Sunnydale Cemetery singing about her new responsibilities. With news of Buffy’s possible demise, Demons are making their way back to Sunnydale in droves, called by a Hellmouth that is starting to reawaken. And then an oracle brings news of a new Evil brewing…something called The Darkness. Could this be what attacked the slayers? And is it coming for Frankie?
With a satisfying blend of fresh and familiar, humor and (stakes through the) heart, One Girl In All The World is a breathtaking continuation of the series that Booklist calls “a worthy successor to the Slayer stories” (Starred Review on In Every Generation).
One Girl in All the World is book two in a trilogy — and I’m happy to say that this second book neatly avoids the middle book doldrums, instead raising the stakes (ha!) and providing a fast-paced plot that also includes terrific character moments and plenty of Buffy-esque quips.
One Girl picks up shortly after the events of In Every Generation. Frankie (Willow’s teen daughter) is now more settled into her new role as a slayer, with her very own band of Scoobies to accompany her on patrol and into and out of assorted shenanigans. Although they defeated the Big Bad of the moment in book 1, more badness is on the way.
Specifically, something is calling demons back to the Sunnydale Hellmouth, especially its “greatest hits” — demons who’ve battled there before, back in Buffy’s day, seem especially drawn to the town. Frankie’s nightly patrol battles are escalating, and some disturbingly familiar demons raise all sorts of havoc.
One Girl continues the through-line of the missing Slayers. An explosion at a Slayer gathering apparently killed all Slayers, resulting in Frankie being called, but in One Girl, we learn that many survived, but ended up in alternate dimensions. The Scoobies are desperate to find Buffy, Faith, Andrew, and the rest, but also have to contend with a new threat from a decidedly unexpected direction.
Plus, there’s high school drama involving relationships, friendships, identity, parents, and sneaking out after curfew. The danger is real, but so is the cuteness.
What elevates these books above more standard high school supernatural fare are the character moments. We get to spend time with the younger generation — Frankie and friends — but also get plenty of Willow, Oz, and (be still, my heart) Spike.
Spike walked through the streets of New Sunnydale, carrying a box of cinnamon shortbread. Thursday night. Poetry club meeting. His turn to bring the cookies.
As Frankie’s Watcher, playing the part of school librarian, Spike wears a face glamoured to make him appear in his 40s plus lots of tweed (even though we know his black t-shirts and leather duster are close at hand whenever he needs them).
After all, he was still the Big Bad, still able to beat down the worst of whatever the Hellmouth threw at him. And to prove it, that night he’d traded the tweed for a pair of jeans and a black sweater. Let these poetry ladies get a taste of who they were really dealing with. Someone dangerous. Someone damaged. Someone who had killed, and would kill still more, and would never get the blood off his hands.
But then again, maybe he would, if he put in enough hours teaching the kiddies how to use reference databases and the importance of proper shelving.
There are lots of terrific callbacks to Buffy incidents, characters, and baddies, as well as sweeter moments when we’re reminded of how important Buffy’s circle of friends and family always were.
Having an all-powerful witch as a mother offers some benefits to Frankie, and she certainly doesn’t have to hide her Slayer duties — but conflicts do naturally arise. Can you even ground a Slayer? Who’s going to go out and slay if Frankie is grounded?
“Grounded!” Willow declared. “So, so grounded.” And to drive home the point, she snapped her fingers, and Frankie’s door slammed shut on its own. “So that’ll put marzipan in your pie plate, bingo!” Willow shouted from the other side.
“Mom,” Frankie growled. “I still don’t know what that means!”
“Neither. Did. She,” Willow said mystifyingly, and Frankie heard her footsteps walk away down the hall.
Willow gets a bit more action in this second book than in the first, and I felt as though more of the “real” Willow came through this time around. Spike is, of course, glorious and wonderful to be around at all times, and it’s especially delightful to see him deal with being perceived as an “old” librarian when he still feels like a 20-something rebel bad boy.
I think I actually enjoyed One Girl in All the World even more than In Every Generation (which I liked a lot). The 3rd and final book in the trilogy, Against the Darkness, will be released in April, and I can’t wait to see how it all wraps up.
This trilogy is a great treat for Buffy fans. If you miss hanging out with Slayers, Scoobies, and assorted demons, check out these books!
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 8th time participating — although for the Classics Club, it’s spin #36!
Here are the dates and guidelines from the host blog:
On Sunday 21st January 2024 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 March, 2024..
We’ll check in here on Sunday the 3rdMarch 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 21st January 2024.
We’ll announce a number from 1-20.
Read that book by 3rd March.
I considered not participating this time around, because I already have a pretty stuffed calendar when it comes to reading commitments between now and March. In fact, I’m still a bit on the fence… but I always enjoy these spins, so I don’t really want to sit out.
To keep myself sane, I’m swapping out the two longest books remaining (David Copperfield and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall). Yes, I do still want to read them, but I’ll add them back to my spin list later in the year when the possibility of landing on them won’t stress me out as much! For now, I’m limiting my list to books under 400 pages (and actually loading it up with even shorter books) — I just can’t see being happy with the results otherwise.
Okay, that’s it for preamble! Now for the good stuff…
Here’s my list of 20 classics for the next Classics Club Spin:
Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne DuMaurier
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir by R. A. Dick
An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Peony by Pearl Buck
White Fang by Jack London
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Howards End by E. M. Forster
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
The Hobbit 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 back on January 21st to reveal my spin result!
Title: Clover Hendry’s Day Off Author: Beth Morrey Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons Publication date: January 30, 2024 Length: 336 pages Genre: Contemporary fiction Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley Rating:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
A hilarious and empowering perimenopausal Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, about Clover Hendry, 46, and the day she decides to stop keeping the plates spinning, say F@#! it all, and finally get hers.
Today is not the day to mess with Clover Hendry.
Clover hasn’t said “No” a day in her life. Until today. Normally a woman who tips her hairdresser even when the cut is hideous, is endlessly patient with her horrendous mother, and says yes every time her boss asks her to work late—today, things are going to be very different. Because Clover is taking the day off. Today, she’s going to do and say whatever she likes, even if it means her whole life unravels.
What made Clover change her ways? Why doesn’t she care anymore? There’s more to this day than meets the eye.
Clover Hendry’s Day Off is a joyful, raging, galvanizing story about putting life on pause, pleasing yourself, and getting your own back. Whatever it takes. Because when Clover stops caring, she can start living.
Cute, upbeat writing elevates this story of a 40-something-year-old woman who decides to just… be different one day.
Clover Hendry works in television, has a loving husband and twin 16-year-olds, and has never not been nice, not a single day in her life. She brings donuts to work so her underlings will like her, and does their work for them so she’s not seen as asking too much. She never objects, never confronts, never makes a fuss. She takes up as little space as possible, and manages to move through her life.
After an unexpected email sends her reeling — and after taking a couple of expired Vicodin with a chaser of Benadryl — Clover decides that she just needs a day to herself. Most importantly, she also decides that she needs a day of not worrying about everyone else.
Chaos ensues. She breaks the rules at a private social club. She doesn’t meekly give in when a group of yoga moms want her space at the park. She acts out — strongly — when an old woman at a cafe makes homophobic comments. She provokes her (admittedly awful) mother into a truly outrageous public display. And that’s only some of what Clover gets up to on her day off.
There are some very funny observations about corporate life:
There are endless echelons of MDs and CEOs, CFOs and presidents and global heads and elusive chairmen of parent corporations above me, and what unites them is that they love meetings. They live for meetings. The more obscure the point of the meeting, the better. Utterly pointless is by far the best.
Yup.
We eventually learn what sets Clover off at the start of the day, and see her take her life back from the various fears and years of put-downs that have kept her so passive and accepting of whatever comes her way. I was happy to see that her husband is not one of the bad elements in her life, and neither are her kids. It’s refreshing to see someone standing up for herself who can also appreciate the good people who have her back.
Clover Hendry’s Day Off is amusing and a quick read, and while there were parts that made me want to cheer — I mean, yes, stick it to the patriarchy!! — Clover’s actions are so over the top and often just plain mean that I couldn’t really get behind a lot of it. Yes, she gets away with it all and manages to improve her life by the end of the day, but I didn’t actually find her day believable, especially with the lack of any real consequences for the ridiculous (nasty, illegal, disrespectful) things that she does.
Overall, this wasn’t a bad read. It kept me entertained, and was easy to speed through. That’s not a rave review, I know — it was okay, not fabulous.
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 Bookish Goals for 2024.
OK, I’m more or less repeating what I’ve written in past years. I’m not a big fan of resolutions, so let’s consider this instead that I’m setting some basic intentions. Whether or not I’ll stick to these as the year progresses remains to be seen… and I’m fine with that.
These are a few general concepts I hope to apply to my reading this year:
Read whatever I feel like. I say this every year… and every year it’s worth repeating! Other than book group reading commitments, I’m always happiest when I read without a plan. It’s a wonderful feeling!
Keep ARCS manageable. I have a lot of ARCs on my plate for books releasing in the first half of the year, but many of these are books I’d want to read no matter what. I intend to slow down my requests from this point forward — so I can get back to the point above!
Spend some time reading (or sampling) at least a few of the books/series I highlighted in my series-to-read post for this year.
Make a dent in my classic reading plans. I’ve been participating in the Classics Club spins for the past couple of years, which I love — but I have a big list of classics yet to read, and I’d like to carve out some time for at least one or two outside of the “spin cycle”.
Decide what to do with the books I’ve pulled from my shelves but haven’t yet removed from my house. I keep fantasizing about installing a Little Free Library, but I’m not sure that where I live is really conducive to having one of those. So, I need to start doing some sorting – some nicer books to try to sell, some to trade it an a used bookstore, and some to go to my library’s donation center.
Do a big audiobook reread: I’ve been planning to do audio rereads of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, and also want to do the same with the Green Creek series. Both will take a lot of time, and are probably multi-year projects. I want to at least get started in 2024.
Mostly, for 2024 and always, this pretty much sums up my attitude:
What are your bookish goals for 2024? Whatever they may be… wishing you lots of bookish delights!
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 bet y’all can relate…
I had an hour left in the audiobook I’d been listening to all week — perfect for the walk I was planning for Saturday. And then it rained… and rained… and rained. As you might know about me, I really only listen to audiobooks while driving or walking; otherwise, I get easily distracted and miss pieces of the story. In any event, when there was a brief break in the weather, I headed out for a walk, only to have the rain start up again after 20 minutes… but by then I was committed!
I finished the book, and came home absolutely soaked, with a useless broken umbrella that snapped with the first gust of wind.
But hey! I finished the book, and that’s what mattered! I came home wet but happy, and felt perfectly content snuggling into dry clothes and making myself a hot cup of tea.
What did I read during the last week?
Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett: Loved it! I think I’ll be spending my gift card balance on treating myself to hardcover editions of the two Emily Wilde books. My review is here.
Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman: Such an enjoyable audiobook. My review is here.
The Parliament by Aimee Pokwatka: Awww, cute owl! Kidding. This story of murderous owls trapping a group of adults and children inside a library is scary, powerful, and impossible to put down. My review is here.
Pop culture & TV:
I finished Crash Landing on You on Netflix… and I’m not over it! I think it’s going to take me a while before I’m recovered enough to start something new. I’ll write up some thoughts to share a bit later in the coming week.
Other than that, I’m enjoying the new season of All Creatures Great and Small, and my husband and I have just started All the Light We Cannot See — although he doesn’t like to binge, so despite there only being four episodes in all, it’ll probably take us weeks to finish.
Puzzle of the week:
It’s been a while, but I took out my puzzle table once again and did this very fun puzzle over the weekend! The puzzle was a Hanukkah gift, and I really had a good time with it:
Fresh Catch:
A few new books arrived this weeks — all books that I’d read as ARCs or library books, and loved enough to want my own copies.
What will I be reading during the coming week?
Currently in my hands:
Clover Hendry’s Day Off by Beth Morrey: I haven’t gotten far enough to have an opinion yet, but it seems like it’ll be a light and breezy read.
Also, at some point this week, I need to start my book group’s January book, since our discussion is only a week away:
Now playing via audiobook:
The Guncle by Steven Rowley: I loved the last book I read by this author (The Celebrants), and this one is off to a great start.
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 32 and 33 (of 49). Progress: 57%.
Daniel Deronda by George Eliot: My book group’s current classic read! We’re reading and discussing two chapters per week. We’re back starting today, after a two-week break for the holidays. Progress: 36%.
Title: The Parliament Author: Aimee Pokwatka Publisher: Tordotcom Publication date: January 16, 2024 Length: 361 pages Genre: Horror/fantasy Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
The Birds meets The Princess Bride in this tale of friendship, responsibility, and the primal force of nature.
“Murder owls are extreme,” Jude said. “What’s more extreme than murder owls?”
Madeleine Purdy is stuck in her home town library.
When tens of thousands of owls descend on the building, rending and tearing at anyone foolish enough to step outside, Mad is tasked with keeping her students safe, and distracted, while they seek a solution to their dilemma.
Perhaps they’ll find the inspiration they seek in her favorite childhood book, The Silent Queen….
With food and fresh water in low supply, the denizens of the library will have to find a way out, and soon, but the owls don’t seem to be in a hurry to leave…
The Parliament is a story of grief and missed opportunities, but also of courage and hope.
And of extremely sharp beaks.
Awww, look at the cute owl on the cover!
Kidding. That’s a murder owl. Not cute!
And ignore what the synopsis says about The Princess Bride — that might seem to indicate that this book is full of whimsy and silliness, and it’s nothing of the sort.
Let’s get back to the murder owls.
When Mad Purdy agrees to teach a kids’ chemistry workshop — making bath bombs — as a favor to her former best friend who works at the local library in their hometown, she has no idea what she’s in for. She’s already moved away to put distance between herself and the site of her worst memories, but in the name of friendship, agrees to do this one thing.
But that one thing, meant to just be one brief event, turns into days of waking nightmares, as the library is surrounded by millions of tiny owls. Maybe one on its own is cute. This swarm is far from it, as the trapped inhabitants learn after watching the owls descend on the first person to venture outside. It isn’t pretty.
Mad expected to be in and out in one hour, boundaries firmly in place. Instead, she’s thrust into the role of protector, keeping the kids physically and emotionally safe, or as safe as they can be, given that food, water, and medicine are running out, and the outside world seems to have no clue how to rescue them.
To keep the kids distracted, Mad begins to read to them from her favorite book, The Silent Queen — which seems to show up in the library just when needed. No one has ever heard of it before, but for Mad, it was a lifesaver through the worst days of trauma during her childhood. The story of a young queen who isolates herself in a tower, but finally has to step out of her safe zone to save her people, may seem a little on the nose, but it doesn’t feel heavy-handed. The story gives the kids something to focus on, and meanwhile starts forcing Mad out of her own inner fortress.
The Parliament can be terribly frightening, and while there are several scenes of gruesome attacks when a few people are foolish enough to venture outside, much of the horror is psychological. The people inside the library are trapped, cut off (there’s no wifi or cell service, thanks to the owl swarm), and utterly reliant on one another and whatever scraps of supplies they can scavenge. Meanwhile, the few attempts at solutions that come from outside the library seem doom to failure, and worse, put the people inside the library in even greater danger.
This book is fascinating, and the story-within-a-story approach (chapters of The Silent Queen alternate with chapters focusing on the library) keeps us on the edge of our seats with both pieces of the narrative. The Silent Queen reads like a fairy tale/fantasy quest, and it’s both lovely and dramatic. The main story, within the library itself, conveys all the terror and claustrophobia of being trapped with a bunch of strangers, with a clock ticking and no rescue on the way.
Mad herself survived a terrible incident at age eleven, and that’s impacted every aspect of her life ever since. She’s taught herself a thousand useless, random tricks and survival skills, but at the expense of allowing herself to connect with others or let anyone really know her. This may make her the perfect person for helping the children in the library, but she has to get past her own trauma before she can truly start connecting with them.
My only quibble with The Parliament, and it’s a minor one, is that there are too many adult characters in the library to keep track of. We have Mad and her best friend Farrah and her former friend and love interest Nash, but there are also librarians and a book group and some seniors and, well, they start blurring together. Ultimately, I was more interested in the kids as individuals than in the glimpses we get of the adults, and so I didn’t bother trying to keep most of them straight in my mind. Like I said, this is a pretty minor issue, and ultimately didn’t keep me from being totally engrossed in the book.
Overall, The Parliament is a fascinating read, and once I started, I just couldn’t stop. The main story and the fantasy story within it work together in complicated and surprising ways, and as the tension ratchets up, I was on the edge of my seat. The author does a terrific job of keeping the action intense and frightening, while also letting us inside the characters’ experiences and providing a look at the long-lasting effects of trauma and survivor’s guilt.
Title: Funny You Should Ask Author: Elissa Sussman Narrator: Kristen Sieh Publisher: Dell Publication date: April 12, 2022 Print length: 352 pages Audio length: 7 hours 52 minutes Genre: Contemporary fiction Source: Library Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Then. Twentysomething writer Chani Horowitz is stuck. While her former MFA classmates are nabbing book deals, she’s in the trenches writing puff pieces. Then she’s hired to write a profile of movie star Gabe Parker. The Gabe Parker–her forever celebrity crush, the object of her fantasies, the background photo on her phone–who’s also just been cast as the new James Bond. It’s terrifying and thrilling all at once… yet if she can keep her cool and nail the piece, it could be a huge win. Gabe will get good press, and her career will skyrocket. But what comes next proves to be life-changing in ways Chani never saw coming, as the interview turns into a whirlwind weekend that has the tabloids buzzing.
Now. Ten years later, after a brutal divorce and a heavy dose of therapy, Chani is back in Los Angeles, laser-focused on one thing: her work. But she’s still spent the better part of the last decade getting asked about her deeply personal Gabe Parker profile at every turn. No matter what new essay collection or viral editorial she’s promoting, it always comes back to Gabe. So when his PR team requests that they reunite for a second interview, she wants to say no. She wants to pretend that she’s forgotten about the time they spent together, years ago. But the truth is that those seventy-two hours are still crystal clear, etched in her memory. And so… she says yes.
Chani knows that facing Gabe again also means facing feelings she’s tried so hard to push away. Alternating between their first meeting and their reunion a decade later, this deliciously irresistible novel will have you hanging on until the last word.
A restless young journalist with big dreams interviews a Hollywood heartthrob–and, ten years later, it’s clear that their time together meant more than meets the eye in this sexy, engrossing adult debut novel.
I’ve never considered myself a fan of the celebrity romance trope… but here I am, absolutely devouring my second book by Elissa Sussman, and I gotta say — it’s working for me.
In Funny You Should Ask, author Chani Horowitz gets her big break at age 26 when she’s assigned an interview with movie star Gabe Parker. He’s just been named the next James Bond, kicking off a media frenzy of negativity, and his publicists are hoping that a positive profile will turn things around. Chani has been writing about the film industry, but hasn’t really hit her stride yet, so this is an unprecedented opportunity for her. One interview turns into a weekend of movie premieres and parties, and the article she writes catapults her into the spotlight and does wonders for Gabe’s career. Yet after the two part, real-life scandals crop up, and they go their separate ways.
Ten years later, despite her success as a published non-fiction writer, Chani has never quite shaken the gossip that’s surrounded her ever since the Gabe article. And for Gabe, the ten years have brought success as Bond, a viral public downfall, rehab, and now sobriety. As his first new movie in years is about to be released, his team asks Chani to do another interview — a chance to put Gabe back in the spotlight and give him an opportunity to show who he’s become. Chani agrees, with trepidation, but is not prepared for the deluge of feelings and memories that being with Gabe again sparks.
This book has so much to love! The “then” and “now” plotlines are interwoven skillfully, so that we only see the past events in little bits and pieces, leaving the big questions about what exactly happened and what might have gone wrong unresolved until close to the end of the book. What’s clear is that Chani and Gabe connect with one another right from the start, and while she is plagued by doubts about whether he sees her as just another fawning fan, it’s obvious to readers how much more is going on between them.
Gabe is portrayed with sensitivity. He’s a gorgeous Hollywood star, but we’re shown his vulnerable side, as well as his alcoholism and the downward spiral he falls into. Chani is flawed as well — funny and talented, but quick to jump to conclusions or read a situation incorrectly. It’s lovely to see them connect, and heartbreaking to see them misread one another, time and time again.
I really enjoyed the writing, and especially the dialogue. I mean, how can you not love a book that includes lines like this:
“I thought we’d established that I’ve read everything you’ve written.”
It’s one of the hottest things anyone has ever said to me.
The romance is, of course, central to the plot, but It’s Funny You Should Ask is also both moving and keenly interesting when focusing on Chani’s writing career, the obstacles she encounters, the negativity she encounters from people who should be her biggest supporters, and the self-doubt that plagues her no matter how well her essays and books are received.
The “then” and “now” narrative is also sprinkled throughout with excerpts from Chani’s articles and blog posts, movie reviews, gossip columns, and inside-Hollywood thought pieces. These help ground the story and show how public perceptions feed into Gabe and Chani’s personal situations.
The audiobook, narrated by Kristen Sieh, is bright and engaging. It’s a fun, upbeat listen, and the narrator’s expressiveness captures the characters’ dynamics and their inner lives very well.
I picked up It’s Funny You Should Ask after listening to the author’s more recent book, Once More With Feeling, just a few months ago. It’s safe to say that I’ll be back for whatever Elissa Sussman writes next.
Bookshelf Fantasies 