Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor

Title: Hotel Magnifique

Author: Emily J. Taylor

Publisher: Razorbill 2022

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 400

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR

All her life, Jani has dreamed of Elsewhere. Just barely scraping by with her job at a tannery, she’s resigned to a dreary life in the port town of Durc, caring for her younger sister Zosa. That is, until the Hotel Magnifique comes to town.

The hotel is legendary not only for its whimsical enchantments, but also for its ability to travel—appearing in a different destination every morning. While Jani and Zosa can’t afford the exorbitant costs of a guest’s stay, they can interview to join the staff, and are soon whisked away on the greatest adventure of their lives. But once inside, Jani quickly discovers their contracts are unbreakable and that beneath the marvelous glamour, the hotel is hiding dangerous secrets.

With the vexingly handsome doorman Bel as her only ally, Jani embarks on a mission to unravel the mystery of the magic at the heart of the hotel and free Zosa—and the other staff—from the cruelty of the ruthless maître d’hôtel. To succeed, she’ll have to risk everything she loves, but failure would mean a fate far worse than never returning home.

Now this book is totally my jam! We get a fun fantasy story featuring magic and the illusion of magic. I absolute adore books where the setting becomes a real character. The Hotel Magnifique itself is one of the most important characters in the novel. As Jani slowly uncovers the secrets of the hotel and the employees, I fell more in love with the hotel itself. My biggest complaint about this book is that we didn’t get to see more of the guest rooms and enchantments. As for the human characters, I loved Bel and his mysterious ways. I despised Alaister and his underlings (as you should). I grew to love Jani’s strength and commitment to her sister. I called the twist as it relates to character, but it felt appropriate instead of gimmicky. This book gave me big The Night Circus vibes but with much more action. Loved it!

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Next up on the TBR pile:

Inheritance by Elizabeth Acevedo

Title: Inheritance

Author: Elizabeth Acevedo Illustrated by: Andrea Pippins

Publisher: Quill Tree Books 2022

Genre: Poetry

Pages: 48

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

In her most famous spoken-word poem, author of the Pura Belpré-winning novel-in-verse The Poet X Elizabeth Acevedo embraces all the complexities of Black hair and Afro-Latinidad—the history, pain, pride, and powerful love of that inheritance.

Paired with full-color illustrations by artist Andrea Pippins in a format that will appeal to fans of Mahogany L. Browne’s Black Girl Magic or Jason Reynolds’s For Everyone, this poem can now be read in a vibrant package, making it the ideal gift, treasure, or inspiration for readers of any age.

Slim poem put to beautiful illustrations celebrating natural hair. I was moved by the words and the visuals. This would be a great book to have on any shelf and especially those of shelves belonging to little girls. There is such a celebration in these pages. I would love to hear Acevedo perform this piece accompanied by the visuals on screen.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Address Unknown by Kathrine Kressmann Taylor

Title: Address Unknown

Author: Kathrine Kressmann Taylor

Publisher: 1938

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 79

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

In this searing novel, Kathrine Kressmann Taylor brings vividly to life the insidious spread of Nazism through a series of letters between Max, a Jewish art dealer in San Francisco, and Martin, his friend and former business partner who has returned to Germany in 1932, just as Hitler is coming to power.

Originally published in Story magazine in 1938, Address Unknown became an international sensation. Credited with exposing the dangers of Nazism to American readers early on, it is also a scathing indictment of fascist movements around the world and a harrowing exposé of the power of the pen as a weapon.

A powerful and eloquent tale about the consequences of a friendship—and society—poisoned by extremism, Address Unknown remains hauntingly and painfully relevant today.

One of the hosts of my favorite book podcast (Currently Reading) clued me into this book. Somehow I had never even heard of this slim novella. I read through the introduction, the text, and the afterward, and then went back to reread the introduction. I was rendered speechless by the powerful message contained within these pages. On the surface we get an epistolary novel between two friends and business partners. We see what happens when Martin returns to Germany in 1932 and very quickly becomes radicalized to Hitler’s message. The novella lulls you into a sense of familiarity and comfort for the first few letters before hitting you with fascism and intolerance in one angry passage. From there, we see the desperation and anger on both sides with a tragic ending. I most definitely will be recommending this book to all my people. I can see so many parallels to our own time and the lure of the alt-right. Should be required reading for all students. I will have to wait a few years for Arthur to truly grok this one, but it’s on my future reading list for his schooling.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Title: A Court of Mist and Fury (ACOTAR #2)

Author:Sarah J. Maas

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 624

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR

Feyre has undergone more trials than one human woman can carry in her heart. Though she’s now been granted the powers and lifespan of the High Fae, she is haunted by her time Under the Mountain and the terrible deeds she performed to save the lives of Tamlin and his people.

As her marriage to Tamlin approaches, Feyre’s hollowness and nightmares consume her. She finds herself split into two different people: one who upholds her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court, and one who lives out her life in the Spring Court with Tamlin. While Feyre navigates a dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms. She might just be the key to stopping it, but only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future―and the future of a world in turmoil.

I thought I loved the first book in this series, but it turns out that what I really loved was the second book. I was hoping that Rhysand would have more of a presence in this volume. The book delivered. By the end of the first section, I was so angry at Tamlin and desperately hoping that Feyre could escape her fate. Thankfully Rhysand arrives and whisks her away, but more importantly, gives her agency and freedom to discover exactly what she wants. I absolutely adore their relatioship. We get to see Feyre grow and change and realize her own destiny. This book was a wild ride and took so many twists and turns, but was always easy to follow. I loved all the quiet moments between characters. Those scenes were the best. But my absolute favorite is the scene where Rhysand shows up at the wedding. Absolutely priceless!

A Court of Throns and Roses

#1 A Court of Thorns and Roses
#2 A Court of Mist and Fury
#3 A Court of Wings and Ruin
#3.5 A Court of Frost and Starlight
#4 A Court of Silver Flames

Next up on the TBR pile:

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

Title: Sea of Tranquility

Author: Emily St. John Mandel

Publisher: Knopf 2022

Genre: Speculative Fiction

Pages: 255

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Unread Shelf RC - June (About a journey)

Edwin St. Andrew is eighteen years old when he crosses the Atlantic by steamship, exiled from polite society following an ill-conceived diatribe at a dinner party. He enters the forest, spellbound by the beauty of the Canadian wilderness, and suddenly hears the notes of a violin echoing in an airship terminal—an experience that shocks him to his core.

Two centuries later a famous writer named Olive Llewellyn is on a book tour. She’s traveling all over Earth, but her home is the second moon colony, a place of white stone, spired towers, and artificial beauty. Within the text of Olive’s best-selling pandemic novel lies a strange passage: a man plays his violin for change in the echoing corridor of an airship terminal as the trees of a forest rise around him.

When Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, a detective in the black-skied Night City, is hired to investigate an anomaly in the North American wilderness, he uncovers a series of lives upended: The exiled son of an earl driven to madness, a writer trapped far from home as a pandemic ravages Earth, and a childhood friend from the Night City who, like Gaspery himself, has glimpsed the chance to do something extraordinary that will disrupt the timeline of the universe.

I picked this one for book club on the strengths of Mandel’s earlier work, Station Eleven. I really disliked her work The Glass Hotel, but hoped that the new one was return to the type pf story I love. And it definitely delivered. We get a speculative fiction story that’s ultimately about the human experience. As we piece together the larger narrative story, we get to connect to different people and time periods only to realize that each story shares many element of life. We get to see how people struggle with identity and family. We see characters wrestle with the concept of mortality. And we see characters embrace joy. This book isn’t very long, but it packs a punch. I’ll be thinking about scenes and quotes in this book for months to come. I would’t be surprised if it makes it to my Top 10 of 2022.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR #1)

Author:Sarah J. Maas

Publisher: Bloomsbury 2015

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 432

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.

At least, he's not a beast all the time.

As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin-and his world-forever.

After listening to all the hype of them books for years, I finally got around to reading it. For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. I fell into this Beauty and the Beast retelling and didn’t stop until the last page. I’ll admit that the first 50 pages or so were slow going, but as soon as Feyre moves to the Far lands, everything kicks into gear. I enjoyed the world-building aspects of this volume coupled with the intriguing take on a classic fairy tale. I loved the back and forth between Feyre and Lucien and we get an interesting look at members of the other courts. The three tests were interesting, but it was Feyre’s interactions with Rhysand that were my favorite. Of course there is a big cliffhanger that I can’t wait to see what happens next. I think I’ve figured out the random comment by Rhysand before he disappeared. I feel like I’m going to have to dive into the next book very soon.

A Court of Throns and Roses

#1 A Court of Thorns and Roses
#2 A Court of Mist and Fury
#3 A Court of Wings and Ruin
#3.5 A Court of Frost and Starlight
#4 A Court of Silver Flames

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Change by Kirsten Miller

Title: The Change

Author: Kirsten Miller

Publisher: William Morrow 2022

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 480

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer TBR

In the Long Island oceanfront community of Mattauk, three different women discover that midlife changes bring a whole new type of empowerment…

After Nessa James’s husband dies and her twin daughters leave for college, she’s left all alone in a trim white house not far from the ocean. In the quiet of her late forties, the former nurse begins to hear voices. It doesn’t take long for Nessa to realize that the voices calling out to her belong to the dead—a gift she’s inherited from her grandmother, which comes with special responsibilities.

On the cusp of 50, suave advertising director Harriett Osborne has just witnessed the implosion of her lucrative career and her marriage. She hasn’t left her house in months, and from the outside, it appears as if she and her garden have both gone to seed. But Harriett’s life is far from over—in fact, she’s undergone a stunning and very welcome metamorphosis.

Ambitious former executive Jo Levison has spent thirty long years at war with her body. The free-floating rage and hot flashes that arrive with the beginning of menopause feel like the very last straw—until she realizes she has the ability to channel them, and finally comes into her power.

Guided by voices only Nessa can hear, the trio of women discover a teenage girl whose body was abandoned beside a remote beach. The police have written the victim off as a drug-addicted sex worker, but the women refuse to buy into the official narrative. Their investigation into the girl’s murder leads to more bodies, and to the town’s most exclusive and isolated enclave, a world of stupendous wealth where the rules don’t apply. With their newfound powers, Jo, Nessa, and Harriett will take matters into their own hands…

This was the feminist rage book that I needed after last weekend’s news. I highlighted so many passages in this book. I feel like I am becoming these women and I’m totally here for it. We meet three every different women, but three women who are growing into their identity and strengths. I was floored by the changes, but cheered every page of it. I loved following these women and even meeting all the other women highlighted in this book. We get a murder mystery, but also a larger conspiracy tied to the ultra-privileged. My only issue was the revel of the villain. It felt a bit cheap and I wish it had been done slightly differently.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Gallant by V.E. Schwab

Title: Gallant

Author: V.E. Schwab

Publisher: Greenwillow Books 2022

Genre: YA Fantasy/Horror

Pages: 334

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Olivia Prior has grown up in Merilance School for Girls, and all she has of her past is her mother’s journal—which seems to unravel into madness. Then, a letter invites Olivia to come home to Gallant. Yet when Olivia arrives, no one is expecting her. But Olivia is not about to leave the first place that feels like home; it doesn’t matter if her cousin Matthew is hostile, or if she sees half-formed ghouls haunting the hallways.

Olivia knows that Gallant is hiding secrets, and she is determined to uncover them. When she crosses a ruined wall at just the right moment, Olivia finds herself in a place that is Gallant—but not. The manor is crumbling, the ghouls are solid, and a mysterious figure rules over all. Now Olivia sees what has unraveled generations of her family, and where her father may have come from.

Olivia has always wanted to belong somewhere, but will she take her place as a Prior, protecting our world against the Master of the House? Or will she take her place beside him?

Perfect creepy house story for the week. I love a good atmospheric haunted house story imbued with a constant state of dread. This one did not disappoint. We are sucked in within the first chapter to the mystery of Olivia, her mother’s journal, and all those ghosts she sees. And then we arrive at her mother’s birth house and things get really creepy. This story isn’t super gory, but has all the creepy elements that I really enjoy in a haunted house book. We get mysterious statues and portraits, a family secret, silent ghosts appearing everywhere, and a creepy man beyond the wall. I sped through this book shivering the entire time. Schwab has created a masterful book that I wish I had read in October (well, only a little bit, I loved reading it in June also).

Next up on the TBR pile:

The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton

Title: The League of Gentlewomen Witches(Dangerous Damsels #2)

Author: India Holton

Publisher: Berkley Books 2022

Genre: Historical romance Fantasy

Pages: 352

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Miss Charlotte Pettifer belongs to a secret league of women skilled in the subtle arts. That is to say—although it must never be said—witchcraft. The League of Gentlewomen Witches strives to improve the world in small ways. Using magic, they tidy, correct, and manipulate according to their notions of what is proper, entirely unlike those reprobates in the Wisteria Society.

When the long lost amulet of Black Beryl is discovered, it is up to Charlotte, as the future leader of the League, to make sure the powerful talisman does not fall into the wrong hands. Therefore, it is most unfortunate when she crosses paths with Alex O’Riley, a pirate who is no Mr. Darcy. With all the world scrambling after the amulet, Alex and Charlotte join forces to steal it together. If only they could keep their pickpocketing hands to themselves! If Alex’s not careful, he might just steal something else—such as Charlotte’s heart.

Charlotte is not the easiest person to love and yet I totally fell for her in this novel. I loved the prickly not-witch and her adventures with dreamy pirate Alex. As soon as Alex showed up in the first book, I knew I wanted to read more of his story. Thankfully Holton took my desire seriously and made a whole other book featuring Alex. The swaggering pirate and the buttoned up not-witch make a perfect pairing in this chase adventure across England. I loved all the references to Austen’s (and Bronte’s) works as Charlotte attempts to understand just what situation she got herself into and how exactly it’s going to play out. I laughed out loud so many times at the witty one-liners and rejoinders. I swooned every time Alex stared and smirked at Charlotte. I hoped that we would get a HEA but only if the two actually came to an intellectual agreement. This may be my perfect light and fun romance book.

Dangerous Damsels

#1 The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels
#2 The League of Gentlemen Witches

Next up on the TBR pile:

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Title: Book Lovers

Author: Emily Henry

Publisher: Berkley 2022

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 377

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming...

Nora Stephens' life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.

If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.

I didn’t think that I could love a new Emily Henry book any more than her last two. I was wrong! This one is her best yet. I absolutely fell for the relationship between Nora and Charlie. Their banter was absolutely on point. The steamy scenes were very steamy. And the connections two the side characters were great. But what makes me absolute love Henry’s books is the emotionally connection. I felt completely drawn into this story and these two main characters. I was desperate that they work everything out and get a HEA. I would even read a sequel to this story as Nora and Charlie continue their lives after the events in this one. I would have loved to stay with this couple longer. We don’t but I still absolutely adored this one so much!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Displacement by Kiku Hughes

Title: Displacement

Author: Kiku Hughes

Publisher: First Second 2020

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 283

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Kiku is on vacation in San Francisco when suddenly she finds herself displaced to the 1940s Japanese-American internment camp that her late grandmother, Ernestina, was forcibly relocated to during World War II.

These displacements keep occurring until Kiku finds herself "stuck" back in time. Living alongside her young grandmother and other Japanese-American citizens in internment camps, Kiku gets the education she never received in history class. She witnesses the lives of Japanese-Americans who were denied their civil liberties and suffered greatly, but managed to cultivate community and commit acts of resistance in order to survive.

Our June book club selection and a completely new-to-me book. This graphic novel details the experiences of Americans during the Japanese interment of WWII. While I knew a decent amount of the specifics, this slim book conveys a lot of information in a gentle, concise way. We follow a modern girl as she experiences what her grandmother did in WWII. The treatment of the people is brutal, but the book doesn’t dwell on the gore. There are very emotional scenes between characters. I imagine that we are going to have a lot of interesting discussions And I’m definitely put this one onto my homeschool TBR for future years.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

Title: The Night Gardener

Author: Jonathan Auxier

Publisher: Amulet Books 2014

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Pages: 372

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Unread Shelf RC - Because of the Hype

The Night Gardener follows two abandoned Irish siblings who travel to work as servants at a creepy, crumbling English manor house. But the house and its family are not quite what they seem. Soon the children are confronted by a mysterious spectre and an ancient curse that threatens their very lives. With Auxier’s exquisite command of language, The Night Gardener is a mesmerizing read and a classic in the making.

Oh this was perfectly creepy for a couple of night’s reading time. I grabbed this one way back in October from my favorite podcast’s (Currently Reading) Indie Press List. I just had to grab all the spooky books and then I let them just hang out on my shelves per usual. I finally picked this on up and sped through it. I loved the creepy setting and storyline involving two orphans, a creepy gardener, a family wasting away, and a wish-granting tree (or is it?). After speeding through and reading the author’s note, I definitely got the influence of Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes. Both books had similar autumn creepy vibes. I loved it! Even I was a little spooked when waking up in the middle of the night. I could just imagine the Night Gardener standing over my bed.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Title: The War I Finally Won (The War That Saved My Life #2)

Author: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Publisher: Dial Books 2017

Genre: MG Historical Fiction

Pages: 387

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

When Ada’s clubfoot is surgically fixed at last, she knows for certain that she’s not what her mother said she was—damaged, deranged, crippled mentally as well as physically. She’s not a daughter anymore, either. Who is she now?

World War II rages on, and Ada and her brother, Jamie, move with their guardian, Susan, into a cottage with the iron-faced Lady Thorton and her daughter, Maggie. Life in the crowded home is tense. Then Ruth moves in. Ruth, a Jewish girl, from Germany. A German? Could Ruth be a spy?

As the fallout from war intensifies, calamity creeps closer, and life during wartime grows even more complicated. Who will Ada decide to be? How can she keep fighting? And who will she struggle to save?

I finally picked up this sequel after taking a bit of a break. The first one was great, but so incredibly heavy that I needed a little separate. This book picks off right when the first one leaves off. We dive right back into Ada’s life and follow her as she finds her home amongst a war, tragedy, and a cast of characters. There are many times when Ada is still very stubborn and angry, but we see so much growth from her in the short amount of time we spend with her. I loved the addition of Ruth and Lady Thorton to the household. The reader gets to dive into the conflicted feelings towards different people without being overwhelmed by the horrors. I am adding this to our homeschool curriculum for next year.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lore Olympus Vol. 1 by Rachel Smythe

Title: Lore Olympus Volume 1

Author: Rachel Smythe

Publisher: Del Rey 2021

Genre: Fantasy Comic

Pages: 384

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Persephone, young goddess of spring, is new to Olympus. Her mother, Demeter, has raised her in the mortal realm, but after Persephone promises to train as a sacred virgin, she’s allowed to live in the fast-moving, glamorous world of the gods. When her roommate, Artemis, takes her to a party, her entire life changes: she ends up meeting Hades and feels an immediate spark with the charming yet misunderstood ruler of the Underworld. Now Persephone must navigate the confusing politics and relationships that rule Olympus, while also figuring out her own place—and her own power.

This volume collects episodes 1–25 of the #1 WEBTOON comic Lore Olympus.

A friend had been demanding that I read this one and I finally picked it up. In truth, I started reading the Webtoons but put a hold on the physical book also. The Webtoons on my phone was a bit annoying as it didn’t like to load that fast. The book is all right there. Anyway, I started reading this and completely full in love with this version of the Hades and Persephone story. I love the juxtaposition of modern in the immortal realm and the classical in the mortal realm. The world building is great and then we move into the characters. I loved how Smythe constructed each character relying on their classical stories, but also injecting some modern traits and quirks. Seriously, Hermes is my favorite. Hades becomes properly layered with heroic tendencies, but also really big flaws. Persephone can be a bit too naive for my tastes, but hopefully her character will evolve. So sad that this volume only contains the first 25 issues and that the second volume hasn’t hit the library yet. Guess I will have to go back to the Webtoon to continue reading.

Next up on the TBR pile:

What Kind of Woman by Kate Baer

Title: What Kind of Woman

Author: Kate Baer

Publisher: Harper Perennial 2020

Genre: Poetry Collection

Pages: 94

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

“When life throws you a bag of sorrow, hold out your hands/Little by little, mountains are climbed.” So ends Kate Baer’s remarkable poem “Things My Girlfriends Teach Me.” In “Nothing Tastes as Good as Skinny Feels” she challenges her reader to consider their grandmother’s cake, the taste of the sea, the cool swill of freedom. In her poem “Deliverance” about her son’s birth she writes “What is the word for when the light leaves the body?/What is the word for when it/at last, returns?”

Through poems that are as unforgettably beautiful as they are accessible, Kate Bear proves herself to truly be an exemplary voice in modern poetry. Her words make women feel seen in their own bodies, in their own marriages, and in their own lives. Her poems are those you share with your mother, your daughter, your sister, and your friends.

I had to get Baer’s other poetry collection after reading her newest collection, I Hope this Finds You Well. This older collection has a great mix of poems about being a woman and being a mother. Her poetry is sometimes very sparse, but full of emotions and meaning. I found myself reading and rereading certain poems. I might just have to pick this one up for my personal collection.

My favorite poem in the entire collection:

Moon Song

You are not an evergreen, unchanged
by the pitiless snow. You are not a photo,
a brand, a character written for sex or
house or show. You do not have to choose
one or the other: a dream or a dreamer, the
bird or the birder. You may be a woman of
commotion and quiet. Magic and brain.

You can be a mother and a poet. A wife and
a lover. You can dance on the graves you dug
on Tuesday, pulling out the bones of yourself
you began to miss. You can be the sun and the
moon. The dance a victory song.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

Title: The Rose Code

Author: Kate Quinn

Publisher: William Morrow 2021

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 624

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything—beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses—but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Imperious self-made Mab, product of east-end London poverty, works the legendary codebreaking machines as she conceals old wounds and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Both Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential in local village spinster Beth, whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and soon Beth spreads her wings as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts. But war, loss, and the impossible pressure of secrecy will tear the three apart.

1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips post-war Britain into a fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter--the key to which lies buried in the long-ago betrayal that destroyed their friendship and left one of them confined to an asylum. A mysterious traitor has emerged from the shadows of their Bletchley Park past, and now Osla, Mab, and Beth must resurrect their old alliance and crack one last code together. But each petal they remove from the rose code brings danger--and their true enemy--closer...

Another great WWII historical fiction novel based on historical fact from Kate Quinn. I really loved her previous two (The Alice Network and The Huntress) and this new one was no exception. Instead of being in physical danger, the women of Bletchley Park are in psychological danger as they navigate the secrets they must keep, doing their job, and having a personal life. I loved learning even more about BP (I had a fair bit of knowledge before reading) and diving in the lives of these three women. Osla was never my favorite, but I was intrigued by her life. Beth was an enigma throughout, but I felt a kinship with her at many times along her journey. Man was most definitely my favorite. She was such a complicated and interesting character. I was in tears when tragedy befell her. I was rooting for her all the way through the novel. A well-executed historical fiction was just what I needed. If you read, make sure to read the author’s note at the end that details The Who and what were real. Very interesting.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Second Story by Neil Patrick Harris

Title: The Second Story (Magic Misfits #2)

Author: Neil Patrick Harris

Publisher: Little, Brown Books

Genre: MG Fantasy

Pages: 336

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Growing up in an orphanage, Leila was bullied for being different. She turned her hardship into skill by becoming an escape artist--a valuable trait when you belong to a group of magical best friends. But when a famous psychic comes to town, Leila and her pals can't escape the big mystery heading their way. Whether chasing mad monkeys or banishing ghosts from haunted hotels, these six friends will do their best to keep their home of Mineral Wells safe--but can they protect themselves?

Join the Magic Misfits as they discover adventure, friendship, and more than a few hidden secrets in this delightful new series. Whether you're a long-time expert at illusion or simply a new fan of stage magic, hold onto your top hat!

Another super fun middle grade adventure. Arthur read this one and immediately put it into my hands. I had to read it right then and there. I loved that this volume shifted the main focus from Carter to Leila. We get to learn about her backstory and her own internal thoughts. Plus we get another great mystery involving magic (real or not?). We even get a few appearances from previous antagonists. And finally we learn more about the Emerald Ring. Arthur and I will both be continuing this series.

The Magic Misfits

#1 The Magic Misfits
#2 The Second Story
#3 The Minor Third
#4 The Fourth Suit

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart

Title: The Paradox Hotel

Author: Rob Hart

Publisher: Ballantine Books 2022

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 336

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR

January Cole’s job just got a whole lot harder.

Not that running security at the Paradox was ever really easy. Nothing’s simple at a hotel where the ultra-wealthy tourists arrive costumed for a dozen different time periods, all eagerly waiting to catch their “flights” to the past.

Or where proximity to the timeport makes the clocks run backward on occasion—and, rumor has it, allows ghosts to stroll the halls.

None of that compares to the corpse in room 526. The one that seems to be both there and not there. The one that somehow only January can see.

On top of that, some very important new guests have just checked in. Because the U.S. government is about to privatize time-travel technology—and the world’s most powerful people are on hand to stake their claims.

January is sure the timing isn’t a coincidence. Neither are those “accidents” that start stalking their bidders.

There’s a reason January can glimpse what others can’t. A reason why she’s the only one who can catch a killer who’s operating invisibly and in plain sight, all at once.

But her ability is also destroying her grip on reality—and as her past, present, and future collide, she finds herself confronting not just the hotel’s dark secrets but her own.

Such a twisty, head-turner of a novel. Right away I had hoped that this book would be great based on the hotel as a character aspect. I do so love it when the setting becomes it’s own character within the novel. This one does not disappoint. From the beginning I knew bad things were going to happen but understanding the how’s, why’s, and who's. was the big draw for me. We’re thrown into an unknown situation with a narrator who may or may not be unreliable. From there, we follow January as she tries to unravel the mysteries within the Paradox Hotel and what exactly is going to be the sequence of future events. This science fiction book involves some science but never gets bogged down in the technical talk. We get enough to attempt to understand what is happening within the hotel. But the more immediate mystery is a murder that only January can see. All of the characters kept me guessing as to their motivations and endgames. January was a treat to follow even if I didn’t quite love her ending. I ended up really enjoying this time travel adventure.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Bookwanderers by Anna James

Title: The Bookwanderers (Pages and Co. #1)

Author: Anna James

Publisher: HarperCollins 2018

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Pages: 400

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seasonal TBR

Since her mother's disappearance, eleven-year-old Tilly Pages has found comfort in the stories at Pages & Co., her grandparents' bookshop. But when her favorite characters, Anne of Green Gables and Alice from Wonderland, start showing up at the shop,Tilly's adventures become very real. Not only can she follow Anne and Alice into their books, she discovers she can bookwander into any story she chooses. Tilly's new ability leads her to fun and exciting adventures, but danger may be lurking on the very next page...

When new secrets are uncovered, it's up to Tilly to solve the mystery of what happened to her mother all those years ago. From debut author Anna James comes a charming and exciting adventure about a bookish young heroine, a mysterious librarian, and a magical bookshop that will delight book lovers everywhere.

Oh this was just so delightful! I always love books that incorporate books and this was such a great adventure story involving characters from books. Right away I was delighted with Tilly and her family’s book store. And then we start to encounter some interesting “people.” The big adventure finally gets going about halfway through the book and then doesn’t stop until the last page. And even then, we know there’s so much more to the story. I absolutely adored following along and must read more in this series soon.

Pages and Co.

#1 The Bookwanderers
#2 The Lost Fairy Tales
#3 The Map of Stories
#4 The Book Smugglers
#5 The Treehouse Library

Next up on the TBR pile:

The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Title: The War that Saved My Life

Author: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Publisher: Dial Books 2015

Genre: MG Historical Fiction

Pages: 316

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Unread Shelf Project - Season or Phase of Life

Ten-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada’s twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn’t waste a minute—she sneaks out to join him.

So begins a new adventure for Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take the two kids in. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susan—and Susan begins to love Ada and Jamie. But in the end, will their bond be enough to hold them together through wartime? Or will Ada and her brother fall back into the cruel hands of their mother?

I did not expect a middle grade book to hit me this hard emotionally. Ada’s story broke my heart in two. But there was so much hope! We follow along as Ada attempts to reconcile the world with her Mam and the outside world, even during wartime. It makes me so sad to think about the multitude of children who are treated like Ada. I’m still reeling a bit from the roller coaster of emotions. It was a beautiful story full of hardship, but with hope woven throughout. I will have to read the sequel soon.

Next up on the TBR pile: