I’m back, baby!
After a dry spell of reading far fewer books than I’m accustomed to basically the whole summer, I’m finally back up to my normal pace. It feels good to have the bandwidth for more reading again, as well as the free time to do it in. It’s a good reminder that sometimes we take things for granted until we no longer have them, and thus appreciate them more when they come back—like that feeling of being able to breathe again after a bad head cold.
Anyway, enough about me. Let’s talk about the books! I have a bunch of great titles to share today, so let’s get to it.
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Just Finished:
Anyone who knows me know that I love to cook, and I’ve been looking forward to reading this book for quite some time. I borrowed this one from the library, but after reading the first few pages I knew I’d want to have it on my shelf to reference in the future. I love the friendly, approachable, encouraging tone the author uses as she relates her kitchen experiences and translates that into widely applicable lessons. It’s less a cookbook and more a study on the different elements of cooking that make food taste amazing. The way you salt something or the type of heat you use to cook matters more than we think! So I’ve enjoyed picking up some new skills and hopefully I’ll be able to continue improving my cooking craft as I revisit the different sections going forward. I also highly recommend reading the physical copy because there are several really neat foldouts that you won’t want to miss.
I’m not really sure what to say about this book. When I first read the description, I almost wrote it off because it doesn’t sound like a book I would enjoy. Honestly, it sounds boring. But I heard so many people with wildly different reading tastes raving about it that I decided it was worth seeing what all the fuss was about. I’m happy to say it was indeed a five star read for me. The story goes so much deeper than the premise of a man buying portraits hung in a coffee shop and gifting them to the people depicted in them. It took me a few chapters to get oriented and invested, but once you start to get a feel for who Theo is—the type of man he is at his core—you really can’t put it down. There are so many moving moments, and a few elements I didn’t see coming at first that meld together into a truly beautiful book that I think most people would enjoy.
Joanna Barker has firmly established herself as one of my go-to historical romance authors. Her books are carefully balanced with humor, action, lovable characters, and sweet, swoony romance so that they just go down so smoothly, like a milkshake you savor from the first sip to the last. This one is part of her Proper Regency Romance collection, which can all be read as standalones (I read the first one, accidentally skipped the second one, and then read this one with no diminishment to my enjoyment). A Love Most Daring follows Beatrice as she unwittingly becomes embroiled in a case that Bow Street officer Alexander is investigating. The two of them are polar opposites, and while not exactly enemies, share no warm feelings for each other. This makes it particularly uncomfortable when the two of them are attacked, and subsequently need to go into hiding together for their own protection since they both saw the face of the perpetrator. This is a forced proximity story with lots of banter and a protective hero who can’t help being noble even though he’s annoyed by her—at first. I loved the twists and turns in the story, as well as the mystery that they’re working to solve along the way. Easy five stars from me, and I’ll most certainly read more of her books in the future.
In Progress:
I hadn’t made it more than 10 pages into this book by an Iditarod veterinarian before I was regaling my family with interesting facts about sleds dogs and this challenging race. Mushing is a sport that I would venture to guess many of us are largely ignorant about, and I’m having a great time learning about it. If you like animals and/or obscure topics, this might be the book for you.
I almost didn’t pick this book up, because I was kind of underwhelmed by Once Upon a Broken Heart. But the ending intrigued me enough to find out what happens next, and I’m glad I kept going because I like this second book much better. This is a popular YA fantasy series that is mostly pretty clean, and filled with mystery, danger, and magic. Evangeline is on a quest to fulfill a prophecy and break a whole collection of curses, all while wondering who—if anyone—she can trust along the way. I don’t want to give too much away with anymore set-up, but just know that these books definitely need to be read in order, and that the world-building is lovely.
Listen, I’m not going to try to set this book up for you. All I’ll say is that it’s been a while since I’ve read it, and I’m glad I decided to revisit it. I’m always surprised by how readable and relatable this book is two centuries later. Jane Austen is so funny, and her observations just prove that while cultural norms and expectations can shift over time, human nature is immutable. It’s no wonder this brilliant novel is such a well-loved classic.
Up Next:
The Day the World Came to Town
This book has moved on and off my radar a few times, and I was reminded of it last week as we observed the 25th anniversary of September 11th. This is an account of what happened when 38 jetliners who were bound for the U.S. were rerouted to a small airport in Canada when American airspace closed that day. The population of the small town of Gander nearly doubled as a result, and the residents stepped up to the plate in welcoming about 7,000 people who couldn’t go straight home in the wake of such a terrible tragedy. I expect to be saddened and encouraged by turn as I revisit this significant historical event from a new perspective. I won’t be crying, you’ll be crying!
If you’re in the mood for a hilarious romantic comedy that somehow always digs a little deeper than you expect, Gracie Ruth Mitchell should be in your life. I’m so excited to start this workplace romance about Juliet Marigold, who is really trying to prove to her friend Luca Slater that she’s the girl of dreams—he just doesn’t know it yet. But maybe helping him improve his image at work will do the trick? I think this one’s going to be a lot of fun!
I’ve really been in my historical romance era recently, and I’m not sad about it! I love Nichole Van’s books, and can’t wait to read the third installment in the Brotherhood of the Black Tartan series. This one sounds like an opposites attract/forbidden love romance between a prizefighter turned artist and a countess who must marry well to provide for her sisters. And of course, it’s set in Scotland and will no doubt feature a dashing hero who will charm the socks right off that countess—but only the socks because these are sweet, clean (but swoony!) romances.
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