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…

30Sep2023

Book Review: The Beginning of Everything by Jackie Fraser

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: The Beginning of Everything
Author: Jackie Fraser
Publisher: Dell
Publication date: September 26, 2023
Length: 352 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

An irresistible friends-to-lovers novel of resilience, hope, and new beginnings from the author of The Bookshop of Second Chances

After escaping a bad relationship, Jess Cavendish is running and leaving it all behind, carrying just a few treasured belongings in her knapsack. She needs to start over, but that means sleeping where she can and making the most of her slim savings. Luckily, she comes across a recently sold, unoccupied house. It couldn’t hurt to stay there while she saves up enough to get her own place, right?

Gethin Thomas is also looking to move on after the end of a long-term relationship. He’s returned to his hometown, anxious to renovate the fixer-upper he bought and move out of his sister’s cramped guest room. When he walks through the door one morning, he finds Jess, who’s ready to run again, and surprises them both by offering to let her stay. It feels like the right thing to do, but Jess doesn’t want a handout. They strike a deal: Jess will help with the restoration, furnishing, and decorating in exchange for room and board.

While they peel wallpaper and shop for new furniture, an unexpected friendship develops as they bond over music and food, and slowly open up to each other about their pasts. When it’s time for Gethin to move in, he convinces Jess to be his official housemate and she agrees—so long as he lets her pay rent. The connection between them soon shifts to an attraction that seems both inevitable and overwhelming, and Jess must decide what she wants. With so much hurt in her past, can she risk loving again? She was brave enough to reach for a new life—and now a future she hadn’t even dreamed possible could be just within her grasp.

If you’ve read the synopsis for The Beginning of Everything, you have a pretty good idea of the entire book. Jess is in her mid-40s, on the run from an abusive relationship, and decides somewhat randomly to hide out in a small town in Wales, where she hopes to figure out how to start over again.

After living in a tent for a few weeks, she discovers an unoccupied home that seems like a possible temporary shelter and — after picking the locks — settles in as a secret squatter. Her relative safety is interrupted when the new owner, Gethin, arrives suddenly and startles Jess into running again.

Rather than changing the locks, throwing away her possessions, and calling the police, Gethin instead exhibits remarkable kindness and leaves a note asking her to talk to him. When she return to the house to gather the items she’s left behind, Gethin makes an unexpected offer: She can remain as a lodger in his home while it’s under renovation, and in exchange, if she’s willing, she can help with the various repair and improvement projects.

Jess is extremely cautious and mistrustful at first, but soon realizes that Gethin is a rare person who is truly as kind and respectful as he appears to be. With time, Jess eases into a friendship with Gethin, and eventually, she becomes his partner in turning his new house into a true home.

Given Jess’s past, however, she’s skittish when it comes to truly trusting a man or feeling at ease with being close with someone, and when feelings beyond friendship emerge, her sense of belonging and ability to remain with Gethin are threatened.

The Beginning of Everything is a nice, pleasant read, but lacks any true drama. It’s enjoyable to see Jess settle into a new life, although I could have done with fewer descriptions of their decorating process. Gethin is lovely, and possibly verges too far into “too good to be true” territory. Would any person really act this compassionately toward a homeless stranger sleeping in their newly purchased property? It’s hard to understand why Gethin would welcome Jess into his home or support her the way does, so we just have to accept that he’s just that nice and move on.

I expected some sort of dramatic encounter with Jess’s ex, and was relieved that that’s not where the plot goes. The focus is on Jess’s emotional and mental state, her healing process, and her uneven journey toward feeling safety with other people. It can be moving, but I wish it had had more depth, and certain of Jess’s decisions feel illogical, which undermines some of the impact.

The writing, particularly the dialogue, gets annoying in places. Jess and Gethin are both so incredibly tentative when they talk to each other that it made me want to interrupt and tell them to speak in complete sentences! For example:

“No, I … no, I’m just surprised.”

“Good surprised or bad surprised?

“I … good surprised? Of course? It’s … unexpected but…”

“You don’t want to,” he says. “That’s okay. I just thought — “

“No, it’s not — “

“Or do you want to?”

And also…

“Painful.”

“Yes, very.”

“Did — “

“Did I want to talk about it? Nope.”

“You don’t think — “

“No.”

“I only — “

Et cetera…

As I said, this is a perfectly pleasant read. It lacks an element of true excitement or surprise, and the basic premise can be a bit tough to believe. Still, Jess and Gethin are both sympathetic characters, and I enjoyed seeing the developing relationship between the two.

28Sep2023

Book Review: Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Hello Beautiful
Author: Ann Napolitano
Publisher: The Dial Press
Publication date: March 14, 2023
Length: 416 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Purchased

An emotionally layered and engrossing story of a family that asks: Can love make a broken person whole?

William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him. So it’s a relief when his skill on the basketball court earns him a scholarship to college, far away from his childhood home. He soon meets Julia Padavano, a spirited and ambitious young woman who surprises William with her appreciation of his quiet steadiness. With Julia comes her family; she is inseparable from her three younger sisters: Sylvie, the dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book and imagines a future different from the expected path of wife and mother; Cecelia, the family’s artist; and Emeline, who patiently takes care of all of them. Happily, the Padavanos fold Julia’s new boyfriend into their loving, chaotic household.

But then darkness from William’s past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia’s carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters’ unshakeable loyalty to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives for generations. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when it matters most?

Vibrating with tenderness, Hello Beautiful is a gorgeous, profoundly moving portrait of what’s possible when we choose to love someone not in spite of who they are, but because of it.

Hello Beautiful is a hard book to describe, and in some ways, just as hard to commit to reading — but as I discovered, sticking with it pays off in the end.

The events of Hello Beautiful swirl around William Waters, whom we follow from boyhood through middle age. His life is marked for tragedy from the start — his older sister dies when he’s less than one week old, permanently scarring his parents and leaving him bereft of their love and attention. William grows up lonely, saved only by the relief and belonging he finds on the basketball court.

In college, he meets Julia Padavano, oldest of four sisters in a tight-knit family. Julie is determined to achieve her life plans, which include marrying a successful man and devoting herself to becoming a wife and mother. William has so little belief in himself that he molds himself to whomever he’s with; Julia falls for William and his readiness to be who she needs him to be. His only passion is basketball, but Julia believes he’d make a great college professor, so he follows the path she sets for him — getting married, entering graduate school, starting a family.

Things go disastrously wrong after the birth of their daughter, and a permanent rift severs the Padavano family. Without entering spoiler territory, I’ll just say that William is at the center of the storm, but the relationships between all members of the extended family end up shattered or reconfigured.

There’s a great deal of sorrow and pain in Hello Beautiful, but real loveliness as well. The Padavano sisters have such closeness and are so interconnected that the changes within the family feel tragic, even though some pieces of the relationships survive and end up even stronger.

I often feel overwhelmed by books that introduce a large family all at once, as it can be daunting to tell the characters apart or remember which personality goes with which person. Not so here — each of the four sisters is distinct and memorable, and they all shine in their own ways. The sisters compare themselves to the March sisters of Little Women (even declaring “I’m Beth today” on days when they’re not feeling well), and by the end, it’s fairly clear which Padavano matches which March girl. I’ve seen some reviewers refer to Hello Beautiful as a Little Women retelling, which I’d disagree with. Yes, there are a few parallels which the sisters themselves call out, but this is a very different book as a whole.

Hello Beautiful is big and sprawling, and for the first third or so, takes a while to truly get going and develop a focus. Much of the story feels anecdotal, and the narrative approach — with alternating chapters dedicated to William, Julia, Sylvie, and other characters — adds to the sense of scattered storytelling. However, when catastrophe strikes midway through, the plot itself sharpens, and the emotional impact truly kicks in.

I took issue with some of the characters’ perspectives on certain events, and disagreed with the commonly held interpretation of what had happened (being intentionally vague… again, no spoilers from me!) — and yet, I can appreciate that each character has their own worldview that shapes their version of events and gives them what they need to carry on and move forward.

The book’s emphasis on family, love, and friendship is quite lovely, and this is what leaves a lasting impression. There’s so much depth to the relationships depicted in Hello Beautiful, as well as the recognition that people’s impact on others can be vast and unseen, and that we can never truly know just how important someone is to so many others.

I’ll be thinking about Hello Beautiful for quite a while to come, and just wish I had others to discuss it with! This would make a great book club selection — there’s so much food for thought.

Hello Beautiful is highly recommended. Don’t miss it!

27Sep2023

Travel reading wrap-up: A batch of mini-reviews for end of summer 2023

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Why is it that returning from vacation leaves me happy, peaceful, and not in the mood to write book reviews? After a week in Hawaii, I’m still feeling mellow and relaxed, and not quite ready to return to real life craziness.

I read quite a bit — on the plane, by the pool, on the beach — and thought I’d share my quick takes on my vacation books. Here’s a look at what I read this past week — speculative fiction, a book that made me laugh, relatable moments, and a DNF. Read on if you want to know more!

The Measure by Nikki Erlick: My book group’s pick for September. The Measure is speculative fiction in which everyone in the world receives a box containing a string — and the length of the string correlates to the length of each person’s life. Through the characters’ experiences, we see the impact of learning that they’re “short-stringers” or “long-stringers”, and also see how this knowledge becomes politicized and used as yet another way to treat people as “other”. The most powerful part for me was seeing how the characters react to the knowledge of their length of life, and how this knowledge creates connections and changes the decisions that characters may make. Great food for thought — if you received a box, would you open it? Would you want to know?

This book is totally absorbing and a fascinating read.

Rating:

The Bright Side of Disaster by Katherine Center: I’ve loved this author’s more recent books, and was happy to stumble across her debut novel (from 2007), about a woman who gets dumped by her fiancé the day before she gives birth to their child. Jenny’s experiences with labor, delivery, and caring for a newborn are depicted more realistically than I remember ever seeing before in fiction — it’s all so relatable, and made me wish I’d had this book as a new mom myself, back when I was sure that everyone else had figured out the secret to success and I was the only one who was a total disaster. The story is told with humor, and I really loved Jenny, her friends, and her mother, and thoroughly enjoyed despising her loser of an ex. This is a quick read — and now I want to continue my way through Katherine Center’s backlist books.

Rating:

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto: This might just be the most fun I’ve had between the pages of a book this year! Funny, silly, and full of heart, this murder romp starring a nosy, interfering 60-year-old Chinese widow with too much time on her hands is pure joy, start to finish. Vera is hilarious, and I love that this book is much more about found family than it is about the actual murder. I enjoyed this author’s Aunties books… but loved Vera’s story even more.

Rating:

Marry Me By Midnight by Felicia Grossman: After seeing a few rave reviews, I just had to check out this romance set in the Jewish community of London in the 1830s. Not only is it a romance, but it’s also a gender-flipped Cinderella retelling — and it’s quite possible that there’s just too much going on here for it all to work.

I think I would have liked this story as historical fiction. The description of the Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jewish communities’ efforts to ensure their place in London society and achieve some sort of security could be fascinating, and these aspects are what I enjoyed reading about.

Unfortunately, the romance tropes sank this book for me. Much too much about quickening pulses and unexpected tingles and admiration of manly chests. I just could not stick with it, and DNFd at 30%.

Note: Based on Goodreads comments, people seem to LOVE this book. Maybe I’ll convince myself to give it another try at some point…

Rating: DNF

Apart from that one DNF, I really enjoyed my vacation reading this time around! I have more travel coming up next month… so now it’s time to start planning my next set of vacation books!

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26Sep2023

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Fall 2023 TBR List

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. I wasn’t particularly into this week’s topic (Secondary/Minor Characters Who Deserve Their Own Book), but since I missed TTT last week, I decided to go ahead and do that topic instead!

My list this week is is Books on My Fall 2023 To-read List. My list includes combination of upcoming new releases, books I already own but haven’t read yet, and one on my library hold list.

My top 10 for fall are: