Acid for the Children by Flea

Title: Acid for the Children

Author: Flea

Publisher: Headline 2019

Genre: Memoir

Pages: 390

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR; 52 Book Club - Set in Australia

In Acid for the Children, Flea takes readers on a deeply personal and revealing tour of his formative years, spanning from Australia to the New York City suburbs to, finally, Los Angeles. Through hilarious anecdotes, poetical meditations, and occasional flights of fantasy, Flea deftly chronicles the experiences that forged him as an artist, a musician, and a young man. His dreamy, jazz-inflected prose makes the Los Angeles of the 1970s and 80s come to gritty, glorious life, including the potential for fun, danger, mayhem, or inspiration that lurked around every corner. It is here that young Flea, looking to escape a turbulent home, found family in a community of musicians, artists, and junkies who also lived on the fringe. He spent most of his time partying and committing petty crimes. But it was in music where he found a higher meaning, a place to channel his frustration, loneliness, and love. This left him open to the life-changing moment when he and his best friends, soul brothers, and partners-in-mischief came up with the idea to start their own band, which became the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Acid for the Children is the debut of a stunning new literary voice, whose prose is as witty, entertaining, and wildly unpredictable as the author himself. It's a tenderly evocative coming-of-age story and a raucous love letter to the power of music and creativity from one of the most renowned musicians of our time.

I was bored. Seriously, I just didn’t get into this book at all and felt apathy every time I needed to pick it up. At times, Flea got very full of his own importance and it spilled out into the text. I just couldn’t get myself interested in this book. Memoir is not my genre, and this one definitely didn’t hit for me at all.

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Next up on the TBR pile:

The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron

Title: The Light in Hidden Places

Author: Sharon Cameron

Publisher: Scholastic Press 2020

Genre: YA Historical Fiction

Pages: 400

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR

One knock at the door, and Stefania has a choice to make...

It is 1943, and for four years, sixteen-year-old Stefania has been working for the Diamant family in their grocery store in Przemysl, Poland, singing her way into their lives and hearts. She has even made a promise to one of their sons, Izio -- a betrothal they must keep secret since she is Catholic and the Diamants are Jewish.

But everything changes when the German army invades Przemysl. The Diamants are forced into the ghetto, and Stefania is alone in an occupied city, the only one left to care for Helena, her six-year-old sister. And then comes the knock at the door. Izio's brother Max has jumped from the train headed to a death camp. Stefania and Helena make the extraordinary decision to hide Max, and eventually twelve more Jews. Then they must wait, every day, for the next knock at the door, the one that will mean death. When the knock finally comes, it is two Nazi officers, requisitioning Stefania's house for the German army.

With two Nazis below, thirteen hidden Jews above, and a little sister by her side, Stefania has one more excruciating choice to make.

Not a bad book, but I am definitely not the intended audience for this one. I came into this book not knowing Stefania’s story, but knowing many stories from the Holocaust. Put those together with general knowledge about the time period and I had a strong basis before the story begins. And therein lies my biggest issue with this book. There is so much education about the general situation that I was bogged down by education instead of story. I skimmed a few sections not feeling the need to read every word printed. As for the story itself, it was interesting, but something about the writing style got in the way. I wonder if it was the perspective or the word choices. This is a young adult book. If I was 13, I might have really gotten into this book. Instead, I would have preferred to read the nonfiction account or a collection of nonfiction accounts about this geographic place.

Next up on the TBR pile:

What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon

Title: What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat

Author: Aubrey Gordon

Publisher: Beacon Press 2020

Genre: Nonfiction

Pages: 197

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Anti-fatness is everywhere. In What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat, Aubrey Gordon unearths the cultural attitudes and social systems that have led to people being denied basic needs because they are fat and calls for social justice movements to be inclusive of plus-sized people’s experiences. Unlike the recent wave of memoirs and quasi self-help books that encourage readers to love and accept themselves, Gordon pushes the discussion further towards authentic fat activism, which includes ending legal weight discrimination, giving equal access to health care for large people, increased access to public spaces, and ending anti-fat violence. As she argues, “I did not come to body positivity for self-esteem. I came to it for social justice.”

By sharing her experiences as well as those of others—from smaller fat to very fat people—she concludes that to be fat in our society is to be seen as an undeniable failure, unlovable, unforgivable, and morally condemnable. Fatness is an open invitation for others to express disgust, fear, and insidious concern. To be fat is to be denied humanity and empathy. Studies show that fat survivors of sexual assault are less likely to be believed and less likely than their thin counterparts to report various crimes; 27% of very fat women and 13% of very fat men attempt suicide; over 50% of doctors describe their fat patients as “awkward, unattractive, ugly and noncompliant”; and in 48 states, it’s legal—even routine—to deny employment because of an applicant’s size.

Advancing fat justice and changing prejudicial structures and attitudes will require work from all people. What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat is a crucial tool to create a tectonic shift in the way we see, talk about, and treat our bodies, fat and thin alike.

Not a happy book by any definition, but a very important book to read. A lot of what is covered in these pages has been mentioned on Gordon’s podcast Maintenance Phase, but I very much appreciated hearing her arguments laid out systematically in each chapter. We get au unflinching look at anti-fat bias in our society from the words we use to the programs we enact. I loved the deep dives into different aspects. Definitely a proper primer on the topic. I am waiting for a library copy of Gordon’s second book to further educate myself.

Next up on the TBR pile:

My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey

Title: My Killer Vacation

Author: Tessa Bailey

Publisher: Avon 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 290

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Sleuth Street (Thriller/Mystery where main character is a detective or PI)

It was supposed to be a relaxing vacation in sweet, sunny Cape Cod—just Taylor and her beloved brother—but discovering a corpse in their rental house has really thrown a wrench into their tanning schedule. Now a rude, crude bounty hunter has arrived on the back of his motorcycle to catch the killer and refuses to believe Taylor can be helpful, despite the countlesshours she's spent listening to true crime podcasts. Not to mention her fulfilling teaching career of wrangling second graders.

A brash bounty hunter and an energetic elementary school teacher: the murder-solving team no one asked for, but thanks to these pesky attempts on Taylor's life, they're stuck together, come hell or high tide.

Myles is just there to do a job, not babysit an amateur sleuth. Although…it is becoming less and less of a hardship to have Taylor around. Sure, she’s stubborn, distracting and can’t stay out of harm’s way. She’s also brave and beautiful and reminds him of the home he left behind three years ago. In other words, the insatiable hunger and protectiveness she is awakening is a threat to his peace of mind. Before Myles sinks any deeper into this dangerous attraction, he needs to solve this murder and get back on the road.

But will fate take her from him before Myles realize the road has been leading to her all along?

Another Tessa Bailey book that I actually enjoyed! Imagine that! This was breezy and light full of fun banter and interactions between the main character and crazy steamy scenes. There’s not much to this book, but it really helped me recover from reading multiple serious books in a row. I needed something that didn’t make me think a lot, but that I enjoyed reading and wanted to keep picking up This is the book. Taylor is a bit of a mess, but a non-annoying mess. I loved her interactions with her brother, but it was the madcap murder mystery that keep me with her character. And Myles is just so darn smoking hot with his surliness and sunglasses. I immediately fell for him! Nothing too ground-breaking, but a great little quick read.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Title: The Beautiful and Damned

Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Publisher: 1922

Genre: Classics

Pages: 422

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR; Unread Shelf - Enough; 52 Book Club - Set in Roaring Twenties

The Beautiful and Damned, F. Scott Fitzgerald's second novel, tells the story of Anthony Patch, a 1920s socialite and presumptive heir to a tycoon's fortune, the relationship with his wife Gloria, his service in the army, and alcoholism. Anthony and Gloria are young and gorgeous, rich and leisured and they dedicate their lives to the pursuit of happiness and we follow the intimate story of their marriage as it disintegrates under the weight of their expectations, fuelled by dissipation, jealousy and aimlessness.

This one was a slog! I absolutely adore The Great Gatsby, and was wanting to cover Fitzgerald’s other major works. Everything about this one feels so clunky. We are bogged down in lots of chapters detailing Anthony’s life before the meat of the story starts. Once he mets Gloria, things become marginally better. But Fitzgerald really takes too many tangents and asides. The core of the story gets much too muddled and confusing. He definitely became a much more concise writer later. I finished this one, but would not recommend to others.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler

Title: The Mountain in the Sea

Author: Ray Nayler

Publisher: MCD 2022

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 464

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Book “Everyone” has Read

Rumors begin to spread of a dangerous species of hyperintelligent octopus that may have developed its own language and culture. The marine biologist Dr. Ha Nguyen, who has spent her life researching cephalopod intelligence, will do anything for the chance to study them.

The transnational tech corporation DIANIMA has sealed off the remote Con Dao Archipelago, where the octopuses were discovered, from the rest of world. Dr. Nguyen travels to the islands to join DIANIMA’s team: a battle-scarred security agent and the world’s first android.

One of those books that the Currently Reading Podcast made me read. Sometimes their recommendations really miss the mark for me, but I was intrigued by the little summary that I heard and I’m always up for an interesting science fiction. It took me about 30 pages to get into the flow of this book and then I was hooked. I didn’t really love any of the characters, except maybe Evrim, but I really enjoyed the storyline and all the questions it sparked. This book is more focused on philosophy and science than character and plot. Think more of Arrival without the emotional story about the daughter. I was fascinated by the ways in which humanity’s actions have changed the course of life in the oceans. We get lots of discussions about evolution and the value of life. We get to talk a lot about how language and communication creates community and connection. I probably could have done without the storyline about the hacker, but understand why it was included. I really just wanted to spend more time with Ha and Evrim on Con Dao. Beautiful book heavy on the science.

Next up on the TBR pile:

About that Kiss by Jill Shalvis

Title: About that Kiss (Heartbreaker Bay #5)

Author: Jill Shalvis

Publisher: Avon 2018

Genre: Romance

Pages: 349

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

When love drives you crazy . . .

When sexy Joe Malone never calls after their explosive kiss, Kylie shoves him out of her mind. Until she needs a favor, and it’s a doozy. Something precious to her has been stolen and there’s only one person with unique finder-and-fixer skills that can help—Joe. It means swallowing her pride and somehow trying to avoid the temptation to throttle him—or seduce him.

the best thing to do . . .

No, Joe didn’t call after the kiss. He’s the fun time guy, not the forever guy. And Kylie, after all she’s been through, deserves a good man who will stay. But everything about Kylie makes it damned hard to focus, and though his brain knows what he has to do, his heart isn’t getting the memo.

… is enjoy the ride.

As Kylie and Joe go on the scavenger hunt of their lives, they discover surprising things about each other. Now, the best way for them to get over “that kiss” might just be to replace it with a hundred more.

I’m pretty meh about this volume. I wasn’t super excited about seeing Kylie and Joe’s romance. Kylie didn’t have a big personality in the previous books and I didn’t think she was going to be that interesting once we got her book. And I was right. Joe wasn’t really any more interesting. I just didn’t really buy their romance and attraction together. I want’ed more tension and build up to their romance. the big plot driving mystery didn’t quite do it for me. I didn’t really feel any suspense.

Heartbreaker Bay

#1 Sweet Little Lies
#2 The Trouble with Mistletoe
#2.5 One Snowy Night
#3 Accidentally on Purpose
#4 Chasing Christmas Eve
#4.5 Holiday Wishes
#5 About That Kiss
#6 Hot Winter Nights
#6.5 Just Say When
#7 Playing for Keeps
#8 Wrapped Up in You
#8.5 Twist of Fate

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

Title: The Last Tale of the Flower Bride

Author: Roshani Chokshi

Publisher: William Morrow & Company 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 304

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Featuring Mythology

Once upon a time, a man who believed in fairy tales married a beautiful, mysterious woman named Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada. He was a scholar of myths. She was heiress to a fortune. They exchanged gifts and stories and believed they would live happily ever after—and in exchange for her love, Indigo extracted a promise: that her bridegroom would never pry into her past.

But when Indigo learns that her estranged aunt is dying and the couple is forced to return to her childhood home, the House of Dreams, the bridegroom will soon find himself unable to resist. For within the crumbling manor’s extravagant rooms and musty halls, there lurks the shadow of another girl: Azure, Indigo’s dearest childhood friend who suddenly disappeared. As the house slowly reveals his wife’s secrets, the bridegroom will be forced to choose between reality and fantasy, even if doing so threatens to destroy their marriage . . . or their lives.

I had such high hopes for this book. I was very intrigued by the idea of a reverse Bluebeard story with lots of references to fairy tales and mythology. Unfortunately, this particular book really fell flat for me. Super disappointing as I have loved Chokshi’s Aru Shah series for middle grade. Back to this book… I enjoyed the descriptive prose for about 1/3 of the book. And then it got really repetitive and distracting. The prose seemed to mask the fact that there is no real plot and the characters are all terrible. I had to force myself to keep reading this book. Every time I put it down, I simultaneously felt relief (for not reading it anymore) and despair (after effects of reading the book). The summary really made this book sound like the perfect one for me, but it turns out that I was bored almost the entire time.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Stranded by Sarah Daniels

Title: The Stranded

Author: Sarah Daniels

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire 2022

Genre: YA Sci-fi

Pages: 450

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Dystopian Fiction

Welcome to the Arcadia.

Once a luxurious cruise ship, it became a refugee camp after being driven from Europe by an apocalyptic war. Now it floats near the coastline of the Federated States―a leftover piece of a fractured USA.

For forty years, residents of the Arcadia have been prohibited from making landfall. It is a world of extreme haves and have nots, gangs and make-shift shelters.

Esther is a loyal citizen, working flat-out to have the rare chance to live a normal life as a medic on dry land. Nik is a rebel, planning something big to liberate the Arcadia once and for all.

When events throw them both together, their lives, and the lives of everyone on the ship, will change forever...

Another Currently Reading made me pick it up, but unlike the last one, this book did not land for me at all. Red flag #1: this is a Young Adult thriller. Somehow I totally missed this fact and came into the book expecting something very different. YA Thrillers are not usually my cup of tea and this definitely fits into that. Red flag #2: the main female protagonist is incredibly annoying. I could not stand her at all. And she never really grew throughout the book. I could not at all. Red flag #3: I never could really understand the world and why the rebellion was happening. Things just didn’t make sense to me at all. Random red flag #4: I somehow got through most of the book before realizing that Hadley was a full adult, and not the same age as Esther and Nik as I thought. The end result was a bit of a mess and a massive cliffhanger on the last page. I really really disliked this one.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty

Title: Station Eternity (The Midsolar Murders #1)

Author: Mur Lafferty

Publisher: Ace 2022

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 457

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Chapters Have Cliffhangers

Amateur detective Mallory Viridian’s talent for solving murders ruined her life on Earth and drove her to live on an alien space station, but her problems still follow her in this witty, self-aware novel that puts a speculative spin on murder mysteries, from the Hugo-nominated author of Six Wakes.

From idyllic small towns to claustrophobic urban landscapes, Mallory Viridian is constantly embroiled in murder cases that only she has the insight to solve. But outside of a classic mystery novel, being surrounded by death doesn’t make you a charming amateur detective, it makes you a suspect and a social pariah. So when Mallory gets the opportunity to take refuge on a sentient space station, she thinks she has the solution. Surely the murders will stop if her only company is alien beings. At first her new existence is peacefully quiet…and markedly devoid of homicide.

But when the station agrees to allow additional human guests, Mallory knows the break from her peculiar reality is over. After the first Earth shuttle arrives, and aliens and humans alike begin to die, the station is thrown into peril. Stuck smack-dab in the middle of an extraterrestrial whodunit, and wondering how in the world this keeps happening to her anyway, Mallory has to solve the crime—and fast—or the list of victims could grow to include everyone on board….

The Currently Reading Podcast and Schuler Books made me pick up this book! I was very intrigued by a murder mystery on a space station that only a few human (and lots of aliens) inhabit. We are thrown into Mallory’s life on Station Eternity without a life raft. We have to navigate the quickly changing situation all the while meeting new characters and even new alien species. We start to get a handle on her life when a murder occurs and a station disaster and some people from Mallory’s past all pop up in very unexpected places. From there, it is nonstop until the end. The pace alternates between quieter backstory chapters and frantic action-packed chapters in the present. We have to work with Mallory and Xan to solve a murder and understand all the connections that are present on this space station. My favorite parts of this book were the descriptions and depictions of the alien races, especially the concept of the sentient space station. It was a mix of Star Trek: DS9 and Farscape for me. I will definitely be putting the sequel on my future TBR.

The Midsolar Murders

#1 Station Eternity
#2 Chaos Terminal

Next up on the TBR pile:

Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey

Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker (It Happened One Summer #2)

Author: Tessa Bailey

Publisher: Avon 2022

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 353

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Starts with “H”; Romanceopoly - BFF’s House (Friends to Lovers)

Spice Rating: 5

King crab fisherman Fox Thornton has a reputation as a sexy, carefree flirt. Everyone knows he’s a guaranteed good time—in bed and out—and that’s exactly how he prefers it. Until he meets Hannah Bellinger. She’s immune to his charm and looks, but she seems to enjoy his… personality? And wants to be friends? Bizarre. But he likes her too much to risk a fling, so platonic pals it is.

Now, Hannah's in town for work, crashing in Fox’s spare bedroom. She knows he’s a notorious ladies’ man, but they’re definitely just friends. In fact, she's nursing a hopeless crush on a colleague and Fox is just the person to help with her lackluster love life. Armed with a few tips from Westport’s resident Casanova, Hannah sets out to catch her coworker’s eye… yet the more time she spends with Fox, the more she wants him instead. As the line between friendship and flirtation begins to blur, Hannah can't deny she loves everything about Fox, but she refuses to be another notch on his bedpost.

Living with his best friend should have been easy. Except now she’s walking around in a towel, sleeping right across the hall, and Fox is fantasizing about waking up next to her for the rest of his life and… and… man overboard! He’s fallen for her, hook, line, and sinker. Helping her flirt with another guy is pure torture, but maybe if Fox can tackle his inner demons and show Hannah he’s all in, she'll choose him instead?

Surprisingly, I have really enjoyed this duology. After my first two attempts at Tessa Bailey books failed miserably. Thankfully, I connected with this series and these characters. Fox was an intriguing character in the first book and I’m so glad we finally get to dive into all his layers. Hannah was a slightly less interesting characters. I think I’ve decided that I really enjoy Tessa Bailey’s male characters and her female characters less so. Fox was such a great layered characters. I felt so much with him as he started to acknowledge his own feelings, fears, and desires. The journey was my favorite part of the book. I must say that the steamy scenes weren’t my favorite, but they did their job. With this duology, I may just be open for new Tessa Bailey books.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Mistake by Elle Kennedy

Title: The Mistake (Off Campus #2)

Author:Elle Kennedy

Publisher: Createspace 2016

Genre: Romance

Pages: 298

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Challenge - A Book You Meant to Read Last Year

Spice Meter: 5

He’s a player in more ways than one…
College junior John Logan can get any girl he wants. For this hockey star, life is a parade of parties and hook-ups, but behind his killer grins and easygoing charm, he hides growing despair about the dead-end road he’ll be forced to walk after graduation. A sexy encounter with freshman Grace Ivers is just the distraction he needs, but when a thoughtless mistake pushes her away, Logan plans to spend his final year proving to her that he’s worth a second chance.

Now he’s going to need to up his game…
After a less than stellar freshman year, Grace is back at Briar University, older, wiser, and so over the arrogant hockey player she nearly handed her V-card to. She’s not a charity case, and she’s not the quiet butterfly she was when they first hooked up. If Logan expects her to roll over and beg like all his other puck bunnies, he can think again. He wants her back? He’ll have to work for it. This time around, she’ll be the one in the driver’s seat…and she plans on driving him wild.

Hmmm…. not quite sure how I feel about this book. I actually really enjoyed the first book in this series while not usually gravitating toward college romances. I was intrigued by the rest of the series, but this volume didn’t quite land the same way. The issues surrounding Grace and Logan’s relationship didn’t really resonate with me. I was hoping for a bit more relationship talk and bringing in their families and pasts. I was hoping that the steamy scenes would redeem the book for me, but those scenes just didn’t do it for me. I will probably keep reading this series as I’ve enjoyed the appearances of Dean in previous books.

Off Campus

#1 The Deal
#2 The Mistake
#2.5 The Pact
#3 The Score
#3.5 The Incident
#4 The Goal
#5 The Legacy

Next up on the TBR pile:

Death in the Air by Kate Winkler Dawson

Title: Death in the Air: The True Story of a Serial Killer, the Great London Smog, and the Strangling of a City

Author: Kate Winkler Dawson

Publisher: Hachette Books 2017

Genre: Nonfiction - History

Pages: 352

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR

London was still recovering from the devastation of World War II when another disaster hit: for five long days in December 1952, a killer smog held the city firmly in its grip and refused to let go. Day became night, mass transit ground to a halt, criminals roamed the streets, and some 12,000 people died from the poisonous air. But in the chaotic aftermath, another killer was stalking the streets, using the fog as a cloak for his crimes.

All across London, women were going missing--poor women, forgotten women. Their disappearances caused little alarm, but each of them had one thing in common: they had the misfortune of meeting a quiet, unassuming man, John Reginald Christie, who invited them back to his decrepit Notting Hill flat during that dark winter. They never left.

The eventual arrest of the "Beast of Rillington Place" caused a media frenzy: were there more bodies buried in the walls, under the floorboards, in the back garden of this house of horrors? Was it the fog that had caused Christie to suddenly snap? And what role had he played in the notorious double murder that had happened in that same apartment building not three years before--a murder for which another, possibly innocent, man was sent to the gallows?

The Great Smog of 1952 remains the deadliest air pollution disaster in world history, and John Reginald Christie is still one of the most unfathomable serial killers of modern times. Journalist Kate Winkler Dawson braids these strands together into a taut, compulsively readable true crime thriller about a man who changed the fate of the death penalty in the UK, and an environmental catastrophe with implications that still echo today.

Overall, this was a fairly interesting history narrative that failed due to clarity of writing. I was intrigued by the juxtaposition between a literal serial killer and a killer fog. I vaguely remember reading some short article about the killer fog, but didn’t know much. I did learn a lot abut the fog, but the book seemed to meander a bit and really go deep into the minutiae of politics in Parliament. The other side of the story involving the serial killer was introduced in a strange detached way. I wasn’t pulled into the story that I thought I would. Dawson doesn’t quite have the narrative talent of Erik Larson and such. The book just didn’t hold my attention from chapter to chapter.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Timemaster by Robert L. Forward

Title: Timemaster

Author: Robert L. Forward

Publisher: Tom Doherty Books 1992

Genre: Scifi

Pages: 301

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR

Read the tale of Randy Hunter, billionaire industrialist, who communicates with aliens, achieves interstellar flight and explores far-flung worlds in a future filled with technological wonders. The future physics is mind-boggling but firmly grounded in the science of today, and the action never stops.

This was a recommendation from J that ended up really not landing for me at all. I was intrigued by the science included in this book. We get some interesting sections detailing various new scientific ideas and inventions. Unfortunately, in between all those sections was an appalling collection of characters and interactions. The misogyny is rampant with some very offensive dialogue. I kept thinking that this book was written in the 1950s. Imagine my surprise when I realized that the book was actually written in 1992! Seriously, I just couldn’t get over this fact and very quickly soured on the book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Come as You Are by Jess K. Hardy

Title: Come as You Are (Bluebird Basin #1)

Author: Jess K. Hardy

Publisher: Pinkity Publishing 2022

Genre: Romance

Pages: 318

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Set in a Workplace; Romanceopoly - Flirts Corner (Contemporary by an author you haven’t tried before)

Ashley Cooke will do just about anything to save her struggling ski hill. When she hires the men from a local sober living home for the season to cut costs, even she thinks she’s gone too far. With her credit cards maxed, her cheating ex-husband intent on buying the mountain out from under her, and record-breaking snow in the forecast, she can’t afford to be distracted by the six-foot-tall bearded and tattooed sober living home owner moving onto her mountain.

Recovering addict and ex-grunge rocker Matthew Madigan has devoted every minute of the last decade to the men residing at his sober living home. When he meets tightly wound and adorably flustered Ashley, desires he’s put on the back burner for years start to simmer. Immune to his infamous albeit rusty charm, Ashley presents a challenge he can’t resist. When she offers to give him skiing lessons in exchange for his help training her St. Bernard rescue dog, he jumps at the chance to ride next to her on the chairlift despite his debilitating fear of heights.

During bunny hill shenanigans, chairlift confessions, and steamy cabin serenades, Madigan teaches Ashley that a person’s past doesn’t define them, and Ashley shows Madigan that the men he helps aren’t the only people who deserve a second chance. When sabotage threatens both the men and the mountain, Ashley and Madigan will have to decide if they’re only having a winter fling, or if the mountain isn’t the only thing worth fighting for.

Such a beautiful contemporary romance. I am completely head over heels for this one. We get mature protagonists, true communication, very hot sexy scenes, past mistakes and redemption, and some great side relationships and family issues. I picked this one for our book club’s Dirty Book Month in the hopes of a great steamy romance with some substance to it. Thank goodness it delivered. I related so much to Ashley and her insecurities and hang-ups. I literally wrote down a ton of quotes just on that point. I wanted to see her understand her walls and start to break them down with a very sexy man. And then we get to Madigan. I loved his own redemption story and the ways in which he tries to be the best person for everyone around him. He was so easy to love. Mostly I loved how they opened up to each other and the people around them. So many great conversations and true conflict resolution modeled in this book. I also loved how we got to see Ashley and Madigan interact with other people at the resort. The side characters were relatable and definitely set up some sequels for the future. I can’t wait to discuss this with book club next week!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Babel by R.F. Huang

Title: Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution

Author: R.F. Huang

Publisher: Harper Voyager 2022

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 545

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR; Unread Shelf; BOTM Cleanout

Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.

1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel.

Babel is the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as its knowledge serves the Empire’s quest for colonization.

For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide…

Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?

This is going on my Top Ten of 2023! It was truly an amazing masterpiece of a book. And one that I am still processing. Thankfully I have a Nerdy Bookish Friends Zoom this weekend to talk all of it through with other bookish people.

The book gets labeled as fantasy, but don’t let that scare you. This is more literary fiction than fantasy. The crux of the book is about the intersection of translation and language and colonization. We follow Robin as he attempts to create a home for himself at Babel in Oxford. But will he ever really be accepted into society in England? And what’s the real purpose of Babel? And does Robin want the life that has been laid out in front of him? As the story progresses, we see Robin made friends and enemies, discover his love of languages and translation, and come to realize the true horrors of colonization. I am having trouble succinctly writing a review as my mind is still very much stuck in that world grieving for Robin and Ramy and Letty and Victoire. And realizing that Victoire was my favorite character and now knowing it until the very last page.

“Translation, speaking, is listening to the other and trying to see past your own biases to glimpse what they’re trying to say. Showing yourself to the world, and hoping someone understands.” (pg. 535)

Next up on the TBR pile:

Holiday Wishes by Jill Shalvis

Title: Holiday Wishes (Heartbreaker Bay #4.5)

Author: Jill Shalvis

Publisher: Avon

Genre: Romance

Pages: 128

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Spice Rating: 5

It’s Christmastime again in Heartbreaker Bay!

When Sean O’Riley shows up at the Hartford Bed & Breakfast for his older brother’s bachelor weekend, he’s just hoping to make it through the weekend. What he’s not expecting is to come face to face with the woman he lost his virginity to a decade ago—a woman he’s never really forgotten.

The last time Lotti Hartford saw Sean, she told him she loved him while he said nothing. Now, ten years later, she’s just looking for a good time. For once, she wants to be the wild and free one, and Sean – the good time guy – is the perfect candidate.

But as the weekend continues, Sean realizes that after a lifetime of being the hook-up king, he’s ready to find happily-ever-after, and he wants it with Lotti. But will she open her heart to him again? As Christmas sweeps through the little B&B, he can only hope love and magic are in the air.

Not enough! I was hoping that we would get a full length novel featuring Sean. Instead, we get a very short novella. I wanted to see more of how Sean has grown since the series started. I wanted more conversations between him and Finn and him and Lottie. I wanted to actually see them start a proper relationship. Disappointed in how short and abrupt this one felt.

Heartbreaker Bay

#1 Sweet Little Lies
#2 The Trouble with Mistletoe
#2.5 One Snowy Night
#3 Accidentally on Purpose
#4 Chasing Christmas Eve
#4.5 Holiday Wishes
#5 About That Kiss
#6 Hot Winter Nights
#6.5 Just Say When
#7 Playing for Keeps
#8 Wrapped Up in You
#8.5 Twist of Fate

Next up on the TBR pile:

Chasing Christmas Eve by Jill Shalvis

Title: Chasing Christmas Eve (Heartbreaker Bay #4)

Author: Jill Shalvis

Publisher: Avon

Genre: Romance

Pages: 366

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Spice Rating: 5

Meet cute...

Run for the hills—temporarily. That’s Colbie Albright’s plan when she flees New York for San Francisco. Wrangling her crazy family by day and writing a bestselling YA fantasy series by night has taken its toll. In short, Colbie’s so over it that she’s under it. She’s also under the waters of a historic San Francisco fountain within an hour of arrival. Fortunately, the guy who fishes Colbie out has her looking forward to Christmas among strangers. But she’s pretty sure Spencer Baldwin won’t be a stranger for long.

Make merry...

Spence’s commitment to hiding from the Ghosts of Relationships Past means he doesn’t have to worry about the powerful—okay, crazy hot—chemistry he’s got with Colbie. Just because she can laugh at anything, especially herself... just because she’s gorgeous and a great listener…just because she “gets” Spence immediately doesn’t mean he won’t be able to let Colbie go. Does it?

…and hope for a miracle.

Now the clock’s ticking for Colbie and Spence: Two weeks to cut loose. Two weeks to fall hard. Two weeks to figure out how to make this Christmas last a lifetime.

Another fun romance novel from this series. Spencer may have the most intriguing of the original group. I really wanted him to find love. We finally get see more of his life and learn about his past relationship troubles. Over the course of the book, I totally fell for Spencer even more. He’s such a great guy. Enter Colbie and her attempt to run away from her responsibilities. I liked Spencer and Colbie together as they find ways to be more true to themselves and connect to each other. The only part that I didn’t love was how Colbie and her family interacted. That part of the story frustrated me. I really wanted to see more growth from her family. Still Spencer and Colbie were great together.

Heartbreaker Bay

#1 Sweet Little Lies
#2 The Trouble with Mistletoe
#2.5 One Snowy Night
#3 Accidentally on Purpose
#4 Chasing Christmas Eve
#4.5 Holiday Wishes
#5 About That Kiss
#6 Hot Winter Nights
#6.5 Just Say When
#7 Playing for Keeps
#8 Wrapped Up in You
#8.5 Twist of Fate

Next up on the TBR pile:

Accidentally on Purpose by Jill Shalvis

Title: Accidentally on Purpose (Heartbreaker Bay #3)

Author: Jill Shalvis

Publisher: Avon 2017

Genre: Romance

Pages: 353

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Emergency Services (Main characters is a part of emergency services [I’m counting Archer’s job]); Finishing the Series

Spice Rating; 5

There’s no such thing as a little in love . . .

Elle Wheaton’s priorities: friends, career, and kick-ass shoes. Then there’s the muscular wall of stubbornness that’s security expert Archer Hunt—who comes before everything else. No point in telling Mr. “Feels-Free Zone” that, though. Elle will just see other men until she gets over Archer . . . which should only take a lifetime . . .

There’s no such thing as a little in lust . . .

Archer’s wanted the best for Elle ever since he sacrificed his law-enforcement career to save her. Their chemistry could start the next San Francisco earthquake and he craves her 24/7, but Archer doesn’t want to be responsible for the damage. The alternative? Watch her go out with guys who aren’t him . . .

There is such a thing as . . .

As far as Archer’s concerned, nobody is good enough for Elle. But when he sets out to prove it by sabotaging her dates, she gets mad—and things get hot as hell. Now Archer has a new mission: prove to Elle that her perfect man has been here all along . . .

I absolutely adored Elle and Archer in the previous books and I was so looking forward to following their relationship. They intrigued me. Once we got to their story, I was all in on learning more about them individually as well. Overall, I enjoyed their story. But I wasn’t that into their actual relationship. There was much too much back and forth and repetition of the same conversations and arguments. I wanted to see their relationship really progress, but it seemed really stuck for most of the book. I wanted to see more of them after actually together. Oh well. Here’s hoping the next book is better.

Heartbreaker Bay

#1 Sweet Little Lies
#2 The Trouble with Mistletoe
#2.5 One Snowy Night
#3 Accidentally on Purpose
#4 Chasing Christmas Eve
#4.5 Holiday Wishes
#5 About That Kiss
#6 Hot Winter Nights
#6.5 Just Say When
#7 Playing for Keeps
#8 Wrapped Up in You
#8.5 Twist of Fate

Next up on the TBR pile:

Sweet Little Lies by Jill Shalvis

Title: Sweet Little Lies (Heartbreaker Bay #1)

Author: Jill Shalvis

Publisher: Avon 2016

Genre: Romance

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - The Bar (Main character works at or owns a bar); Finishing the Series

Spice Rating: 5

Choose the one guy you can’t have . . .

As captain of a San Francisco Bay tour boat, Pru can handle rough seas—the hard part is life on dry land. Pru loves her new apartment and her neighbors; problem is, she’s in danger of stumbling into love with Mr. Right for Anybody But Her.

Fall for him—hard . . .

Pub owner Finn O’Riley is six-foot-plus of hard-working hottie who always makes time for his friends. When Pru becomes one of them, she discovers how amazing it feels to be on the receiving end of that deep green gaze. But when a freak accident involving darts (don’t ask) leads to shirtless first aid, things rush way past the friend zone. Fast.

And then tell him the truth.

Pru only wants Finn to be happy; it’s what she wishes for at the historic fountain that’s supposed to grant her heart’s desire. But wanting him for herself is a different story—because Pru’s been keeping a secret that could change everything. . . .

Over Christmas, I read #2 and #2.5 in this series while driving to and from Indiana. I enjoyed them and decided to pick up the rest of the series to read the other romance pairings in the building. Surprisingly, each of these novels has romance but also a much more serious topic to cover. In this book, we get characters who feel a lot of guilt about actions their parents took. I like how Shalvis gives us real people with real issues and problems that they then need to communicate to others and get support. Finn and Pru were a great couple to start off this series. I loved them together and was rooting for their relationship from page one. I just wish the big conflict and reveal at the end was drawn out a bit more with more communication. Still, I really enjoyed this volume in the series.

Heartbreaker Bay

#1 Sweet Little Lies
#2 The Trouble with Mistletoe
#2.5 One Snowy Night
#3 Accidentally on Purpose
#4 Chasing Christmas Eve
#4.5 Holiday Wishes
#5 About That Kiss
#6 Hot Winter Nights
#6.5 Just Say When
#7 Playing for Keeps
#8 Wrapped Up in You
#8.5 Twist of Fate

Next up on the TBR pile: