Here's what I've read since my last check-in. All books were received
for review or for a freelance assignment unless otherwise indicated.
Where you see "AFM," please check out my full audiobook review on the
AudioFile Magazine website. Also note that I've given fuller treatment to some of these titles over on
Goodreads.
- Age of Empyre by Michael J. Sullivan
(Grim Oak Press, June 2020): This is the final installment of the
Legends of the First Empire series. If you like great characters,
terrific world building, and good action in your epic fantasies, then
you need to read everything Sullivan has written. Better yet, listen to
the audiobooks brilliantly read by Tim Gerard Reynolds. (personal
collection)
- Pile of Bones by Michael J. Sullivan (Audible
Studios, Jan. 2020): This short story takes place in the same universe
as the Legends of the First Empire series. If you're a fan, you need to
listen to this, read by Tim Gerard Reynolds. (personal collection)
- The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
(Scholastic, May 2020): This is a prequel to the Hunger Games series. I
enjoyed seeing something of the background to the games and to Snow.
AFM
- The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner (St.
Martin's Press, May 2020): Set in post-World War II England, a group of
very different and differently broken people come together to help
preserve Jane Austen's cottage and legacy in Chawton. Deserves the buzz;
you don't have to be familiar with Austen to like this book.
- Red Sky over Hawaii by Sara Ackerman
(Mira, June 9): This book starts just a day before the attack on Pearl
Harbor and is set on the Big Island of Hawaii. It's both a story of
young woman trying to understand her late father as well as a tale of
doing the right thing and protecting those in your care. It also has
some romance.
- Unreconciled by W. Michael Gear (Daw, May
2020): This is the fourth in the Donovan series set on a remote planet
in the distant future. I love so much about these books, including the
characters and the world building. Even more, though, I like the way
Gear explores several issues connected to colonization of a "new" world
and the connections between the colonizers and their motherland. As
always for this series, I part read and part listen. Alyssa Bresnahan
does a great job with the narration.
- The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
(Riverhead, June 2): An excellent novel that tells the story of teenage
very light-skinned Black twins who run away from their small Louisiana
town to NOLA. From there they lose track of each other as one disappears
again, this time to marry a white man and pass into a new world of the
rich and comfortable; the other marries an abusive man, whom she leaves
to return to her childhood home. The story follows them and their
daughters and focuses on the consequences of each woman's decisions.
#OwnVoices AFM
- The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon
(Forever, June 9): A fun rom-com featuring three Black women who meet
when they realize they've all been two-timed by the same guy. Humor and
romance mixed with feminist issues. #OwnVoices AFM
- What I'm Looking For by Karen Grey
(Home Cooked Books, June 2020): Another fun rom-com, this one set in
Boston in the 1980s. A female financial analyst who is trying to make it
in a man's world meets a Shakespeare actor who is unsure about his
ambitions. Good period details. Well-done audiobook (see Goodreads for
more).
- The Book of Eels by Patrik Svensson
(Ecco, May 2020): A beautiful book that is partly about the natural
life of the eel and partly a moving tribute to the author's father. I
was surprised and fascinated by what I learned about the eel and loved
hearing the stories of Svensson's father. Give this book in translation a
try. AFM
- Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev (William
Morrow, May 2020): An enjoyable take on Austen's classic novel featuring
a chef, a soccer star, and a reality cooking show. #OwnVoices AFM
- Mirgations by Charlotte McConaghy
(Flatiron, Aug. 2020): I wrote about this on Instagram and Goodreads.
Set in the not too distant future, this book explores relationships,
climate change, and the Arctic tern. One of my favorites of the year.
Narrator Barrie Kreinik tapped into the emotional core of the story.
- Death of a Chimney Sweep by M.C. Beaton
(Grand Central, 2012): The 26th in a fun, light mystery series
featuring a village copper who solves all the cases in a small Highland
town. Love the characters, the Scottish setting, and the mysteries.
Narrator Graeme Malcolm is a pleasure to listen to. (personal
collection)
- The Bothers York by Thomas Penn (Simon
& Schuster, June 2020): My favorite way to learn history is to
combine listening with reading, which is what I did here. Penn makes the
complexities of the War of the Roses accessible, and I'm beginning to
get a handle on this period of British history. Roy McMillan held my
attention with his expression and sense of pacing, though he could have
more clearly distinguished direct quotations from the narrative.
- The Wedding Thief by Mary Simses
(Back Bay Books, July 2020): A rom-com on the surface with some deeper
themes of family, sisters, forgiveness, and understanding. Some of the
characters went a little too far in their antics for my tastes, but all
in all fine summer read.
- Killer Chardonnay by Kate Lansing
(Berkley, May 2020): Good start to a new cozy mystery series. I liked
the details of the Boulder, Colorado, setting as well as the
introduction to the characters and premise of the series. The mystery
was well presented with good red herrings. AFM
- The Ancestor by Danielle Trussoni
(William Morrow, April 2020): I read this earlier in the year and
forgot to write about it. A Gothic story of a young woman who inherits
land and a castle in the Italian Alps from a relative she never knew she
had. A dream come true? Not necessarily. Can't say more without
spoiling it, but this is one of my favorites of the year.
- When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald
(Gallery, Jan. 2020): This is by far my favorite book of the the year
right now. A super coming-of-age story about a young woman who has
fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Narrator Phoebe Strole's performance is
amazing. (See Instagram and Goodreads for details.)
- Death of a Kingfisher by M.C. Beaton
(Grand Central, 2012): The 27th Hamish Macbeth mystery gave me all I
expect from this series. Graeme Malcolm narrated. (personal collection)
- The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton
(Berkley, June 2020): Three women who need change cross paths during
the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, which caused much damage and many deaths
in the Florida Keys. Loved the period details and was fooled by a couple
of twists. AFM
- The Patron Saint of Pregnant Girls by Ursula Hegi
(Flatiron, Aug. 2020): I had mixed feelings about this book about three
women and their children, set in the late nineteenth century in Germany
along the shores of the North Sea. Maybe a little too unreal for me?
AFM
Sounds like some fun reading in this group. I have a couple of them on hold at the library. Funny I am reading a book set in the 1660s and eel pie is all the thing. I hated even reading about eels - being eaten, anyway. Maybe I will skip The Book of Eels...
ReplyDeleteI read The Vanishing Half last week and loved it. My daughter listened and said the audio is excellent... I'm tempted to listen now, too!
ReplyDeleteHonored to have my book included in your roundup!
ReplyDeleteReading The Vanishing Half for my book club right now. Such a different tone from her first book but I'm into it.
The Boyfriend Project is on my TBR list; glad to hear you liked it.
Such a nice assortment of books. I'm really getting into audiobooks but have thus far stuck to books I have already read. Some of your science fiction choices have caught my attention for when I finish David Weber's Honor Harrington series and the spin-off series. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteI've added a couple to my list of books to try - especially The Ancestor. Love that cover!
ReplyDeleteLots of excellent titles Beth, thanks for sharing your thoughts on them.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a great reading week
The Jane Austen book keeps poppping up on various sites and I still don't have a copy. It looks very interesdting to me. Oooo, the Ancestor is definitely one I want!
ReplyDeletelots of books. sounds like you enjoyed them all
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
So many great looking books. I enjoyed Killer Chardonnay. I need to get back to reading M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin series. I haven't tried the other series yet, but eventually I will. The Last Train to Key West looks really good and that's on my list to read. The Jane Austen Society looks really good.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a great week!
I see a few that I'm considering. I hope you have a great week!
ReplyDeleteI'm so behind on reviews :(
I need to give Michael Sullivan a try. Your Austen spin-offs caught my eye as well. Persuasion is my favorite of Austen's works and it always seems to be overlook in favor of Pride and Prejudice. I'll have to look at that spin-off. Enjoy your week!
ReplyDeleteAh, my son loved Michael Sullivan's the Riyria Chronicles, so I went to my list (ok, spreadsheet - I'm a total geek) of books to get him and found I'd already written down this other Sullivan series...based on your recommendation!
ReplyDeleteI've been hearing great things about The Vanishing Half & really want to read it. Migrations and When We Were Vikings are both new to me, but sound fantastic.
Looks like you've had some outstanding recent reading months!
Sue
2020 Big Book Summer Challenge
Sounds like a fantastic line up! I've been curious about the Hunger games prequel, and I think the Jane Austen Society sounds nice too.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many books here that I have on my TBR list- Recipe for Persuasion at the top as I loved her last novel.
ReplyDeleteMigrations is high on my list, so I'm happy to learn that you enjoyed it so well. The Vanishing Half has gotten a lot of positive press and I'll get to it eventually, but I hope it hasn't been over-hyped.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing these. I've been very curious about Vanishing Half and the new Hunger Games book especially. I am glad to hear your thoughts.
ReplyDeletelate to the party but there are a few here i need to read .. thanks/1
ReplyDelete