We Met in December by Rosie Curtis

Title: We Met in December

Author: Rosie Curtis

Publisher: William Morrow 2019

Genre: Romance

Pages: 400

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Two people. One house. A year that changes everything.  

Twenty-nine-year-old Jess is following her dream and moving to London. It’s December, and she’s taking a room in a crumbling, but grand, Notting Hill house-share with four virtual strangers. On her first night, Jess meets Alex, the guy sharing her floor, at a Christmas dinner hosted by her landlord. They don’t kiss, but as far as Jess is concerned the connection is clear. She starts planning how they will knock down the wall between them to spend more time together.

But when Jess returns from a two-week Christmas holiday, she finds Alex has started dating someone else—beautiful Emma, who lives on the floor above them. Now Jess faces a year of bumping into (hell, sharing a bathroom with) the man of her dreams…and the woman of his. 

This one ended up being a bit of slog if I’m being honest. It started out great and then we have to getting into the mundane for the next 350 ages and one year in the timeline. I was a bit disappointed that we don’t get to the romance section until the very last pages (like the last 10 pages). I always want to sit in the relationships more than that. In my recent read, The Twelve Dates of Christmas, we have to wait until nearly the end for romance also, but we get all those fun dates in between. This book was really stuck in the weeds for most of it. I kept having remind myself to pick up the book and keep reading. Not the best sign. This book isn’t bad, but it was definitely not the book for me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Where the Heart Is by Darcy Burke

Title: Where the Heart Is (Ribbon Ridge #0.5)

Author: Darcy Burke

Publisher: Intrepid Reads 2013

Genre: Romance

Pages: 124

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Home is more than a place . . .

Breaking free from her structured life, Chloe English quits her high-powered job and moves across the country to work as an art teacher. The simple life is all she hoped it would be until her house burns down, leaving her homeless. When a handsome firefighter swoops in to save the day, she can’t believe her luck. He’s laid-back and unassuming, everything she’s looking for in a man—or so he seems. It turns out he’s as ambitious as her ex, comes with a family who could be more stifling than hers, and harbors dark secrets he may never be able to share.

Orphaned as a teenager, Derek Sumner has found a place in his best friend’s family. However, the love and support of his surrogate parents and siblings can’t erase the grief and loss he struggles every Christmas to banish. But this year he meets the fun and sexy Chloe, whose optimism and sense of joy are incredibly contagious. Can she help him face his bleak past so they can forge a happy future?

A lovely heartwarming Christmas romance. I really enjoyed both Chloe and Derek as characters. We get a fun back and forth flirting from them throughout most of the story. There were a few passages that were slightly unclear in their writing. I seriously thought that they had had sex way before they actually did. And there’s a big part of me that wishes it was a full length novel. I really wanted explore Derek and Chloe’s relationship much more than we got in this short story. Oh well. It was still an entertaining romance.

Ribbon Ridge

• #0.5 Where the Heart Is

• #1 Only in My Dreams

• #2 Yours to Hold

• #3 When Love Happens

• #4 The Idea of You

• #5 When We Kiss

• #6 You’re Still the One

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Pirate for Christmas by Anna Campbell

Title: A Pirate for Christmas

Author: Anna Campbell

Publisher: 2015

Genre: Romance

Pages: 142

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

There’s a pirate in the manor house!

What is vicar’s daughter Bess Farrar to do when the dashing new earl, the man gossip paints as a ruthless pirate, kisses her the day they meet? Why, kiss him right back, of course! Now Lord Channing vows to claim the lovely firebrand, despite interfering villagers, a snowstorm, scandal, and a rascally donkey. The gallant naval captain’s first landlocked Christmas promises mayhem – and a lifetime of breathtaking passion

Pursued by the pirate…

Bess Farrar might be an innocent village miss, but she knows enough about the world to doubt Lord Channing’s motives when he kisses her the very day they meet. After all, local gossip insists that before this dashing rake became an earl, he sailed the Seven Seas as a ruthless pirate.

Bewitched by the vicar’s daughter…

Until he unexpectedly inherits a title, staunchly honorable Scotsman Rory Beaton has devoted his adventurous life to the Royal Navy. But he sets his course for tempestuous new waters when he meets lovely, sparkling Bess Farrar. Now this daring mariner will do whatever it takes to convince the spirited lassie to launch herself into his arms and set sail into the sunset.

After a contemporary holiday romance, I was feeling a hankering for a historical holiday romance. I grabbed this one at random from my Kindle stash and had a fun little holiday romp. Bess and Rory had a great bantering relationship. I enjoyed this short little novella, but do wish there had been more. A very usual sentiment from me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

Title: The Reading List

Author: Sara Nisha Adams

Publisher: William Morrow 2021

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 380

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Widower Mukesh lives a quiet life in Wembley, in West London after losing his beloved wife. He shops every Wednesday, goes to Temple, and worries about his granddaughter, Priya, who hides in her room reading while he spends his evenings watching nature documentaries.

Aleisha is a bright but anxious teenager working at the local library for the summer when she discovers a crumpled-up piece of paper in the back of To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s a list of novels that she’s never heard of before. Intrigued, and a little bored with her slow job at the checkout desk, she impulsively decides to read every book on the list, one after the other. As each story gives up its magic, the books transport Aleisha from the painful realities she’s facing at home.

When Mukesh arrives at the library, desperate to forge a connection with his bookworm granddaughter, Aleisha passes along the reading list…hoping that it will be a lifeline for him too. Slowly, the shared books create a connection between two lonely souls, as fiction helps them escape their grief and everyday troubles and find joy again. 

CW: Suicide

A lovely concept, poorly executed. The first few chapters were slightly confusing and not very engaging. Once we settled into the story, I expected to really connect to a few of the characters. Unfortunately things just seem to be drawn out and slow with mostly unlikeable characters. The exception was only Mukesh. He was the most fleshed out character, but even he could not redeem the rest of this story. Aleisha only become someone to root for in the last 20% of the novel. Way too late to really redeem this book. And then we get to the discussions of the books themselves. Mostly I was okay with them. The author didn’t go into enough detail about the various book and I was very disappointed by the dismissal of Pride and Prejudice. In the end, I just was very bored with the whole book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss

Title: The Twelve Dates of Christmas

Author: Jenny Bayliss

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons 2020

Genre: Romance

Pages: 368

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

When it comes to relationships, thirty-four-year-old Kate Turner is ready to say "Bah, humbug." The sleepy town of Blexford, England, isn't exactly brimming with prospects, and anyway, Kate's found fulfillment in her career as a designer, and in her delicious side job baking for her old friend Matt's neighborhood café. But then her best friend signs her up for a dating agency that promises to help singles find love before the holidays. Twenty-three days until Christmas. Twelve dates with twelve different men. The odds must finally be in her favor . . . right?

Yet with each new date more disastrous than the one before--and the whole town keeping tabs on her misadventures--Kate must remind herself that sometimes love, like mistletoe, shows up where it's least expected. And maybe, just maybe, it's been right under her nose all along. . . .

A very cute holiday romance. We meet Olive and slowly learn about her and Matt’s past relationship. Over the course of the dozen dates, we get to see Olive slowly come to the realization that her partner was right next to her all along. While many of the dates were enjoyable to read about, the few truly terrible ones were hard to stomach. And I definitely had my suspicions about Richard right from their first meeting. While heartwarming and fun at most parts, I want da bit more to really make this a favorite.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Along the Saltwise Sea by A. Deborah Baker

Title: Along the Saltwise Sea (The Up and Under #2)

Author: A. Deborah Baker

Publisher: Tordotcom 2021

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 193

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

After climbing Over the Woodward Wall and making their way across the forest, Avery and Zib found themselves acquiring some extraordinary friends in their journey through the Up-and-Under.

After staying the night, uninvited, at a pirate queen’s cottage in the woods, the companions find themselves accountable to its owner, and reluctantly agree to work off their debt as her ship sets sail, bound for lands unknown. But the queen and her crew are not the only ones on board, and the monsters at sea aren’t all underwater.

The friends will need to navigate the stormy seas of obligation and honor on their continuing journey along the improbable road

Another installment in Avery and Zib’s adventures in the Up and Under. I’m still getting the vibes of a cross between The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland. For this slim volume, we are treated to a whole new area on the sea with a fascinating cast of characters. Captain Alas is a gem in this one. I do think that Baker could have pumped up the path to the sea and cut out the big “previously on” chapter at the beginning. But I really enjoyed the adventure and cannot until the next one is published.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel

Title: The Forest of Vanishing Stars

Author: Kristin Harmel

Publisher: Gallery Books 2021

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 376

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

After being stolen from her wealthy German parents and raised in the unforgiving wilderness of eastern Europe, a young woman finds herself alone in 1941 after her kidnapper dies. Her solitary existence is interrupted, however, when she happens upon a group of Jews fleeing the Nazi terror. Stunned to learn what’s happening in the outside world, she vows to teach the group all she can about surviving in the forest—and in turn, they teach her some surprising lessons about opening her heart after years of isolation. But when she is betrayed and escapes into a German-occupied village, her past and present come together in a shocking collision that could change everything.

Another WWII centered historical fiction. Kind of strange that I have read two in the past two weeks. This one is tough, but very engaging and good. The overall tone is very sad and disturbing, but as this is set during war, that is to be expected. My biggest issue with the book is how faith-forward it is. It got to be a bit much at times. But thankfully, Yona is a fairly engaging main character to follow through.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Title: The Love Hypothesis

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Publisher: Berkley 2021

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 376

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships--but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.

That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor--and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding...six-pack abs.

Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.

This one was light and fluffy and oh so cute! I love the grumpy guy - sunshine girl romance trope so much. This was just what I needed to read this week during the Thanksgiving craziness. Right away we fall in with the mess that Olive has created in her life. We get to know her and her struggles to excel at her career and create a found family for her personal life. We get to slowly see Olive open up and get to know a very great (if hidden) guy in the process. I loved Adam’s character so much. The unapproachable and antagonistic male lead is totally my catnip. I really enjoyed this book. But, I would have liked more concluding chapters and a few more steamy scenes would have been nice.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

Title: Harlem Shuffle

Author: Colson Whitehead

Publisher: Doubleday 2021

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 318

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

”Ray Carney was only slightly bent when it came to being crooked..." To his customers and neighbors on 125th street, Carney is an upstanding salesman of reasonably priced furniture, making a decent life for himself and his family. He and his wife Elizabeth are expecting their second child, and if her parents on Striver's Row don't approve of him or their cramped apartment across from the subway tracks, it's still home.

Few people know he descends from a line of uptown hoods and crooks, and that his façade of normalcy has more than a few cracks in it. Cracks that are getting bigger all the time.

Cash is tight, especially with all those installment-plan sofas, so if his cousin Freddie occasionally drops off the odd ring or necklace, Ray doesn't ask where it comes from. He knows a discreet jeweler downtown who doesn't ask questions, either.

Then Freddie falls in with a crew who plan to rob the Hotel Theresa—the "Waldorf of Harlem"—and volunteers Ray's services as the fence. The heist doesn't go as planned; they rarely do. Now Ray has a new clientele, one made up of shady cops, vicious local gangsters, two-bit pornographers, and other assorted Harlem lowlifes.

Thus begins the internal tussle between Ray the striver and Ray the crook. As Ray navigates this double life, he begins to see who actually pulls the strings in Harlem. Can Ray avoid getting killed, save his cousin, and grab his share of the big score, all while maintaining his reputation as the go-to source for all your quality home furniture needs?

Oh goodness. I really wanted to love this one. A friend has been begging me to read Whitehead for awhile now and so we picked this one for book club. Unfortunately, I found this particular book very boring and ended up giving it 3 stars. I absolutely loved the writing style. Whitehead is amazing at crafting sentences that just roll off you tongue. They are beautiful. But… that’s about all I can say positively for this book. I just found the characters and plot line to be very boring. Nobody went anywhere or did anything. I felt like we were just circling around the same conversations and same activities over and over. In looking into reviews about this particular book, many have said that it departs greatly from Whitehead’s last two books. I think I need to pick one of those up instead.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

Title: The Anthropocene Reviewed

Author: John Green

Publisher: Dutton 2021

Genre: Memoir

Pages: 304

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

The Anthropocene is the current geologic age, in which humans have profoundly reshaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his groundbreaking podcast, bestselling author John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale—from the QWERTY keyboard and sunsets to Canada geese and Penguins of Madagascar.

Funny, complex, and rich with detail, the reviews chart the contradictions of contemporary humanity. As a species, we are both far too powerful and not nearly powerful enough, a paradox that came into sharp focus as we faced a global pandemic that both separated us and bound us together.

I’m going to start by saying that this book is definitely going onto my Top 10 of the year. It’s just that good! I finally picked this up thinking that I would read an uneven collection of memoir style essays. Sure I love John Green and his writing, but could his collection of essays engage me all the way through? Turns out that they can. From the mundane to the profound, from the serious to the comedic, Green covers a variety of topics that resonantly directly with me and my life. (As a side note, John Green and I have a lot in common, from where have lived {Indiana} to, at times, crippling anxiety. We are only a few years apart {4 to be exact} and connect on so many strange life points.) On the surface, this is a book of reviews for a variety of subjects, events, and ideas. For example, we get to hear all about the importance of Diet Dr Pepper. But embedded in these reviews are life truths expressed and quiet thoughts and emotions said out loud. Much of this book was written during the pandemic and there are many times when Green connects a variety of ideas to the reality of his present in quarantine. I was moved to laughter and tears throughout this collection. And I was forcing into J’s hands at multiple times. Guess it’s time for me to buy my own copy of this one. I give John Green and The Anthropocene Reviewed five stars!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Landline

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press 2014

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 331

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. That it's been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply-but that almost seems beside the point now.
Maybe that was always beside the point.

Two days before they're supposed to visit Neal's family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can't go. She's a TV writer, and something's come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her-Neal is always a little upset with Georgie-but she doesn't expect to him to pack up the kids and go without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she's finally done it. If she's ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It's not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she's been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts. . . .

Is that what she's supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?

Hmmm… a Christmas love story? I’m not sure that I would agree with this categorization. I could not connect to any character in the story. Georgie was very fustrating as a lead character. She’s supposed to find out that she needs to reconnect with her husband and children and not spend so much time at work. Clearly, this was the lesson right from page one. And yet, we have to spend hundreds of pages slowly moving towards that realization. There’s nothing new about this story. I was thoroughly bored. As an extra annoying piece, I could not understand exactly why Georgie ever fell for Neil in the first place. All we ever see of Neil is a sad sack of a man. We don’t get to see any personality from him. And Georgie’s constant reassurances that Neil is amazing just don’t give us anything. I was completely bored this entire book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Shutter Vol. 1

Title: Shutter Vol. 1: Wanderlost

Author: Joe Keatinge, Leila Del Duca, Owen Gieni

Publisher: Image 2014

Genre: Comics

Pages: 136

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

INDIANA JONES FOR THE 21st CENTURY! Marvel Knights: Hulk and Glory writer Joseph Keatinge teams up with artist extraordinaire Leila del Duca for her Image Comics debut in an all-new ongoing series combining the urban fantasy of Fables and the globe-spanning adventure of Y: The Last Man. Kate Kristopher, once the most famous explorer of an Earth far more fantastic than the one we know, is forced to return to the adventurous life she left behind when a family secret threatens to destroy everything she spent her life protecting. Collects Shutter #1-6.

I loved the premise of this series. I was intrigued by the concept. But yet, this one just didn’t quite hit the mark. It was very confusing and chaotic throughout. We spend six issues running from place to place without much explanation or many revelations. I just wanted to learn a bit about Kate and and her past. Instead, we have to pause every few pages for some crazy action sequence and/or explosion. I was not loving it.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

Title: The Happily Ever After Playlist (The Friend Zone #2)

Author: Abby Jimenez

Publisher: Forever 2020

Genre: Romance

Pages: 401

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Modern Mrs. Darcy; Fall TBR

Two years after losing her fiancé, Sloan Monroe still can't seem to get her life back on track. But one trouble-making pup with a "take me home" look in his eyes is about to change everything. With her new pet by her side, Sloan finally starts to feel more like herself. Then, after weeks of unanswered texts, Tucker's owner reaches out. He's a musician on tour in Australia. And bottom line: He wants Tucker back.
Well, Sloan's not about to give up her dog without a fight. But what if this Jason guy really loves Tucker? As their flirty texts turn into long calls, Sloan can't deny a connection. Jason is hot and nice and funny. There's no telling what could happen when they meet in person. The question is: With his music career on the rise, how long will Jason really stick around? And is it possible for Sloan to survive another heartbreak?

I didn’t absolutely love the first book in this series. Kristen just wasn’t my favorite character, but I really loved Sloan. So it was really nice to read Sloan’s story after the terrible tragedy from the first book. Right away, I was suck into the story and fell for Sloan and especially Jason. I absolutely adored Sloan and Jason’s growing relationship. And then they hit some pretty big obstacles. If I was reading any other style of book, I would have been really concerned. As this was a contemporary romance, everything ended up just right and Sloan and Jason got their happily ever after. So don’t been too sad in the middle of the book, everything will turn out okay.

The Friend Zone

• #1 The Friend Zone

• #2 The Happily Ever After Playlist

• #3 Life’s Too Short

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi

Title: The Lady Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn’t, and Get Stuff Done

Author: Kendra Adachi

Publisher: WaterBrook 2020

Genre: Nonfiction

Pages: 228

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

The chorus of “shoulds” is loud. You should enjoy the moment, dream big, have it all, get up before the sun, track your water consumption, go on date nights, and be the best. Or maybe you should ignore what people think, live on dry shampoo, be a negligent PTA mom, have a dirty house, and claim your hot mess like a badge of honor.

It’s so easy to feel overwhelmed by the mixed messages of what it means to live well.

Kendra Adachi, the creator of the Lazy Genius movement, invites you to live well by your own definition and equips you to be a genius about what matters and lazy about what doesn’t. Everything from your morning routine to napping without guilt falls into place with Kendra’s thirteen Lazy Genius principles.

I picked this one up from a recommendation on one of my reading podcasts. I sped through this book digesting little bits of advice here and there. Thankfully Adachi gives the reader a lot of personal examples to illustrate each of her lazy genius points. None of her advice is particularly groundbreaking, but it is very approachable and easy to implement. After reading the book, I might just start listening to Adachi’s podcast.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

Title: Beautiful Bastard (Beautiful #1)

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books 2013

Genre: Romance

Pages: 321

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He's exacting, blunt, inconsiderate--and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard.

Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family's massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who'd been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative--completely infuriating--creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he's never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe's so tempting he's willing to bend the rules--or outright smash them--if it means he can have her. All over the office.

As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they're willing to lose in order to win each other.

You would think that me giving this 3 stars is a terrible rating, but it’s really not. I liked reading this book, but I did have a few issues. First the positives. I loved the more open door nature of this book. The more recent Christina Lauren books are much more closed door. This one was definitely not. I really enjoyed Chloe and her entire character. She’s a great character. And the side characters are great additions to the book. Unfortunately, I had a big issue with the pacing of the novel. The pacing felt more like a porn than a romantic book. As soon as the main characters got into an interesting conversation, they paused to have sex. Ok great, but sometimes, I would have liked a bit more conversation. Despite my lower rating, I’m probably going to keep reading this series.

Beautiful Bastard

• #1 Beautiful Bastard

• #1.5 Beautiful Bitch

• #2 Beautiful Stranger

• #2.5 Beautiful Bombshell

• #3 Beautiful Player

• #3.5 Beautiful Beginning

• #3.6 Beautiful Beloved

• #4 Beautiful Secret

• #4.5 Beautiful Boss

• #5 Beautiful

Next up on the TBR pile:

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

Title: Catherine House

Author: Elisabeth Thomas

Publisher: Custom House 2020

Genre: Horror?

Pages: 311

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Catherine House is a school of higher learning like no other. Hidden deep in the woods of rural Pennsylvania, this crucible of reformist liberal arts study with its experimental curriculum, wildly selective admissions policy, and formidable endowment, has produced some of the world’s best minds: prize-winning authors, artists, inventors, Supreme Court justices, presidents. For those lucky few selected, tuition, room, and board are free. But acceptance comes with a price. Students are required to give the House three years—summers included—completely removed from the outside world. Family, friends, television, music, even their clothing must be left behind. In return, the school promises a future of sublime power and prestige, and that its graduates can become anything or anyone they desire.

Among this year’s incoming class is Ines Murillo, who expects to trade blurry nights of parties, cruel friends, and dangerous men for rigorous intellectual discipline—only to discover an environment of sanctioned revelry. Even the school’s enigmatic director, Viktória, encourages the students to explore, to expand their minds, to find themselves within the formidable iron gates of Catherine. For Ines, it is the closest thing to a home she’s ever had. But the House’s strange protocols soon make this refuge, with its worn velvet and weathered leather, feel increasingly like a gilded prison. And when tragedy strikes, Ines begins to suspect that the school—in all its shabby splendor, hallowed history, advanced theories, and controlled decadence—might be hiding a dangerous agenda within the secretive, tightly knit group of students selected to study its most promising and mysterious curriculum.

Right away, I’m going to say that this book is not for everyone. But it was definitely for me! I love a super atmospheric gothic style mystery novel. We spend hundreds of pages immersed in the world of Catherine House where we sink deeper and deeper into this very strange world. Nothing much really happens, but I completely fell into this novel. Ines was the perfect slightly unreliable narrator to lead us through the labyrinth. Once we really start to wonder what is happening in the new materials lab, I was so deep that I couldn’t find a way out. It was a beautiful journey through the weird and depressing.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon

Title: Code Name Hélène

Author: Ariel Lawhon

Publisher: Anchor 2021

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 496

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seasonal TBR; Modern Mrs. Darcy

In 1936 Nancy Wake is an intrepid Australian expat living in Marseille who has bluffed her way into a reporting job for Hearst newspaper when she meets the wealthy French industrialist Henri Fiocca. No sooner does Henri sweep Nancy off her feet and convince her to become Mrs. Fiocca than the Germans invade France and she takes yet another name: a code name.

Told in interweaving timelines organized around the four code names Nancy used during the war, Code Name Hélène follows Nancy's transformation from journalist into one of the most powerful leaders in the French Resistance, known for her ferocious wit, her signature red lipstick, and her ability to summon weapons straight from the Allied Forces. But with power comes notoriety, and no matter how careful Nancy is to protect her identity, the risk of exposure is great—for herself and for those she loves.

Our book club selection for November and a return to WWII historical fiction. Overall, I am burnt out on the subgenere, but this volume was a good addition. We get a semi-biographical story of Nancy Wake and her adventures within the French Resistance. We jump back and forth through her timeline understanding where she is now (the present) and how she got there (the past). We see her navigate tough positions and become a very independent thinker. We see she make friends and lose friends. Unlike many other books, the dual timeline was done well and did not annoy me. It probably helped that it’s one person’s timeline and not a modern and historical split like usual. Nancy is such a strong character that she carries the book for me. I was constantly intrigued by how she got into the position that she’s in in 1944. The pacing is a bit uneven. I sped through the first 60 pages and then it lagged for awhile. The book is almost 500 pages long.  There are two very graphic scenes fairly close together that caused me to put the book down for a few days. I definitely could not power through the graphic torture scenes without a bit of a breather. But once I moved past that section, I was back into the story until the end. 

Next up on the TBR pile:

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

Title: Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books 2018

Genre: Romance

Pages: 318

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter means she’ll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun.

Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first night they met—when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes—to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air.

Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them...right?

I went back and forth about what to rate this book. I wanted to give it four stars all the way until the last 25 pages. Then, I wanted to give it 3 stars. But… after more consideration, I decided to bump it back up to 4 stars. I do love the progression of Hazel and Josh’s relationship throughout the book. They are a great non-couple and then sorta-couple. We get some fun will they, won’t they moments throughout. I do love that Hazel was unwilling to compromise her entire identity for a man and that Josh was very much accepting of her. My issue came with the ending. It included a trope that I am really not a fan of and then was very rushed. I wanted to spend more time with Josh and Hazel as a couple. I wanted to see them worked through the big event at the end instead of just rushing through to the epilogue. Le sigh.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Bad Fat Black Girl by Sesali Bowen

Title: Bad Fat Black Girl: Notes from a Trap Feminist

Author: Sesali Bowen

Publisher: Amistad 2021

Genre: Nonfiction - Memoir

Pages: 272

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Growing up on the south side of Chicago, Sesali Bowen learned early on how to hustle, stay on her toes, and champion other Black women and femmes as she navigated Blackness, queerness, fatness, friendship, poverty, sex work, and self-love. 

Her love of trap music led her to the top of hip-hop journalism, profiling game-changing artists like Megan Thee Stallion, Lizzo, and Janelle Monae. But despite all the beauty, complexity, and general badassery she saw, Bowen found none of that nuance represented in mainstream feminism. Thus, she coined Trap Feminism, a contemporary framework that interrogates where feminism meets today's hip-hop.

Bad Fat Black Girl offers a new, inclusive feminism for the modern world. Weaving together searing personal essay and cultural commentary, Bowen interrogates sexism, fatphobia, and capitalism all within the context of race and hip-hop. In the process, she continues a Black feminist legacy of unmatched sheer determination and creative resilience.

Bad bitches: this one’s for you.

I’m not usually one for memoirs as I find them to be too self-absorbed and also generalizing. I appreciated this volume focusing on intersectional feminism because of Bowen voice and experiences. We get something very different from the white lady feminism common on Women’s Studies bookshelves. I really dove into her experience and the ways that her life has informed her view of feminism. This was such a great “window” book for me. I cannot understand Bowen’s experience, but I could learn from her stories and her critiques. Definitely a must read for any feminist.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

Title: Under the Whispering Door

Author: TJ Klune

Publisher: Tor Books 2021

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 390

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Unread Shelf RC - Special Occasion

Welcome to Charon's Crossing.
The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through.
When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead.
And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.
But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

Another delightful hug of a book from Klune. I was in tears throughout the entire last chapter; happy tears. Klune has this magical way of writing stories and characters that you want to see them have their happily ever after. You want everyone in the books to overcome their obstacles and be happy. You think that you might just be able to do that same for your own life after reading this. Every once in while, I really need a book like this (especially after the last disappointing read). While his previous adult book was about home and family, this one is more about philosophy of life. There is a lot of discussion about how to live your life, your regrets, your dreams. We get some pretty profound conversations between the characters discussing many of these aspects. We get to see a character make a radical change in philosophy. It’s beautiful. The side characters are amazing (seriously wanted to know even more about Mei!) and we get a few twists that I did not see coming. I wanted to savor this book, but ended up speeding through it just loving every page.

Next up on the TBR pile: