Vacation Reading; Or, What's on My Tablet

Do you read when you're on vacation? I always have high hopes of quiet evenings or relaxing afternoons with my books, but in fact, I rarely read at all when I'm on an adventure.

Nevertheless, I simply cannot travel without a book or two (or twenty). Because, well, you never know, and I kind of panic at the thought of being stuck without something to read!

Truth is, I usually manage an audiobook or two when in the car or on a train. But even then my mind is not solidly on my book. After all, there are new things to see out the window.

Airplanes are a safer bet for audio or print reading, especially when traveling alone. I always hope a book, earbuds, or tablet tells the stranger sitting next to me to simply leave me alone. Alas, it doesn't always work.

In the old days, I would carefully choose two or three paperbacks, judging their weight and resigning myself to leaving them behind after I finished reading. Now, thanks to eBooks, smartphones, and tablets, I don't have to make those painful decisions. I can take ALL.THE.BOOKS!

So, even though I know I probably won't read a page, I downloaded a bunch of August and September eGalleys to my tablet. Because, yeah, I can't travel without a gazillion books! *insert hysterical laughter here*

Here's a peek at a few of the books I'm "packing" for vacation. I also have literary fiction and nonfiction on my tablet, but let's face it, I'm probably going to turn to escape reading.

Historical Fiction

• The Air You Breath by Frances De Pointes Peebles (Riverhead, August): Set in Brazil and then America, starting in the 1930. The story of a childhood friendship that remains strong as the girls mature into women.
• The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White (William Morrow, August): Set in the modern times and 1915. The story of three women and their link to the ill-fated RMS Lusitania.
• The Last Hours by Minette Walters (Mira, August): Set in Dorsetshire in the mid-1300s. The story of a noble woman trying to protect her people from both the plague and the all-too-human murderer in their mist.
• The Lost Carousel of Provence by Juliet Blackwell (Berkley, September): Set in modern times and about 100 years ago in France. A freelance photography delves into the history of a fallen family and their once great estate.

Mysteries & Thrillers

• Desolation Mountain by William Kent Krueger (Atria, September): Set in Minnesota; part of a series. In the latest Cork O'Connor mystery, the detective and his son investigate the circumstances that caused a private plane to crash, killing a U.S. Senator.
• Leave No Trace by Mindy Mejia (Emily Bestler, September): Set in Minnesota; a standalone. A language specialist at a psychiatric hospital is charged helping a new uncommunicative patient. A decade earlier the patient had disappeared with his father into the Boundary Waters; can she learn what happened?
• Our House by Louise Candlish (Berkley, August): Set in London; a standalone. When a woman pulls up to the house she shares with her ex-husband, a new family is moving in. Her husband and children have disappeared and she is left alone to face the past and the secrets they so carefully kept.
• A Willing Murder by Jude Deveraux (Mira, September): Set in Florida; a debut mystery from a romance author. A writer, her housemate, and her niece team together to solve a 20-year-old murder of a local mother and daughter. Could be the start of a new cozy series.

Speculative Fiction

• Melmoth by Sarah Perry (Custom House, October): A Gothic tale, set throughout the 20th century and across the globe, following a robed figure of fairy tales and legends who dooms all those who cross her path.
• Rule by Ellen Goodlett (Little, Brown BYR, September): First in a duology. Three illegitimate daughters of a dying king are brought to court and told one will be heir to the throne. Each has secrets and different strengths, and only one can rule.
• The Sea Queen by Linnea Hartsuyker (Harper, August): Set 6 years after The Half-Drowned King, we revisit the violent Viking world and Harald's continued quest to unit the Norsemen under his rule. Not technically a fantasy, but prophecies, tales, and gods abound.
• The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner (Redhook, September): Set in Ukraine and based on folk legends. Two sisters have a happy childhood until passing travelers seem to awaken dark forces. Magic, shape-shifting, and family secrets.

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7 Books to Look for in February

This has been an interesting week, to say the least: work deadlines, family issues, and a snow storm were at the top of my personal headlines. I didn't get much reading done, but I loaded seven books, all released this month, on my eReader. I've already started two of these novels, and I hope I make it through the entire list. (Presented in alphabetical order.)

• Gilded Cage by Vic James (Del Rey / alternate history, fantasy): The book is set in an alternate history contemporary Britain in which having magical abilities affords one socioeconomic status and power. Political scheming among the rich and underground rebellion among the poor hint of troubles ahead. This is the first entry in a much-buzzed series.
• The Last of August by Brittany Cavallaro (Katherine Tegen / mystery): The second book in a trilogy that reimagines the Sherlock Holmes universe through the adventures of two teens: Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson, who possess their namesakes' personalities and talents. This mystery, set in Europe, involves a missing person and Holmes family secrets.
• Long May She Reign by Rhiannon Thomas (HarperTeen / fantasy, murder mystery): A girl who dreams of becoming a scientist must instead ascend her country's throne, after the royal family and more direct heirs are poisoned at a celebration. Our hero uses her intelligence to stay alive, find the killer(s), and rule the kingdom.
• The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen (Grove Press / short stories): This collection of short stories examines the contemporary Vietnamese experience--as citizens of the United States, as hosts to U.S. travelers, as refugees still unsure of their place in the world. The themes tackled here are relevant to refugees and immigrants everywhere and are particularly important in today's political atmosphere.
• Ronit & Jamil by Pamela L. Lasken (Katherine Tegen / contemporary YA): A retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in the Mideast. This novel in verse is told alternatively by two teens, who reveal their daily life, the hopes of their parents, and their own dreams. A moving and easy-to-access account of contemporary Israeli and Palestinian relationships.
• Windy City Blues by Renee Rosen (Berkely / historical fiction): Set in the mid-twentieth century, this novel explores the intersection of the Chicago blues scene with the rise of the civil rights movement and rock 'n' roll. Told from multiple viewpoints, the story provides a period snapshot of the record industry, racial prejudices, and women's issues projected against a backdrop of American sociopolitical change.
• The Young Wives Club by Julie Pennell (Emily Bestler / women's fiction, NA): Four Louisiana teens think marrying young will give them the happily-ever-after they dream of. As each girl matures into womanhood, she must weigh romance against truth, stability, and independence. An entertaining, layered novel.

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Today's Read: Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield

What if the effects of one small boyhood act waited decades to come back to haunt you? William Bellman's devotion to hard work seems to have paid off: He has a beautiful wife, healthy children, and a successful business. Then one day, bit by bit, his world begins to crumble beneath his feet. What does his past have to do with his current misfortune?

I have heard it said, by those that cannot possibly know, that in the final moments of a man's existence he sees his whole life pass before his eyes. If that were so, a cynic might assume William Bellman's last moments to have been spent contemplating anew the lengthy series of calculations, contracts, and business deals that made up his existence. In fact, as he approached the border with that other place—border toward which we will all find our path turning sooner or later—his thoughts were drawn to those who had already crossed into that unknown territory: his wife, three of his children, his uncle, cousin, and some childhood friends. Having remembered these lost, dear ones and being still some moments from death, there was time for one last act of remembrance. What he unearthed, after it had lain buried some forty years in the archaeology of his mind, was a rook.

Let me explain:

—Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield (Atria / Emily Bestler Books, 2013, p. 3)

Quick Facts

• Setting: Victorian England
• Circumstances: one boyhood act (the killing of a bird) sets in motion the ultimate fate of Bellman and his relationship with the mysterious Mr. Black
• Characters: William Bellman, his wife, and children; other extended family members; employees and neighbors; Black
• Genre: Gothic, mystery
• Themes & plot: every act has a price; there is no escaping your fate; narrative extras: information about rooks, the Industrial Revolution, Victorian mourning customs and fashion
• Miscellaneous: I loved the author's first book, The Thirteenth Tale, which was one of my top reads the year it came out; I have high expectations for this

ISBN-13: 9781476711959
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy).

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