The Proposal

In The Proposal, Nikole Peterson gets proposed to on TV at an LA Dodgers baseball game. She didn’t even want to be there and she definitely doesn’t want to marry the guy who’s proposing. Carlos (sidekick in the romance The Wedding Date by the same author) and his sister are also at the game and decide to rescue the poor girl before she can be interviewed by every news outlet available. Cue the music. Even though neither Nik or Carlos wants a serious relationship they end up getting one anyway. I’m also pleased to see that there’s a book 3 coming out as well with connecting characters. These books are great semi spicy, but not embarrassing, romances.

Saga series

A long time ago my husband was reading the infamous Saga graphic novel series. I just happened to open to a page I did not like and immediately decided I didn’t want to read them. But thennnnn, I got bored at work and I decided to make a go of it. So I did and it was great. I powered through all NINE VOLUMES in a few days.

Basically, it’s in another world. There are lots of planets and one planet is in a fight with it’s moon.The people with horns live on the moon and the people with wings live on the planet (or maybe it’s the other way around). They can’t decimate one without ruining the orbit of the other. So they bring in other plants to fight with them and for them. Long story short, a horned guy falls in love with a winged girl and they make a baby. No one thought trans species babies were possible. So NOW, they want this baby to die. If it gets out that winged and horned people can be friends, and God forbid love each other, the war might be over and everyone knows war means money. That’s the basic premise. And it’s good and so wonderfully imagined and illustrated.

Highly recommend if you like graphic novels or fantasy stories.

Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners

I love Christmas. Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners is a great subtle Christmas book. Similar to Seven Days of Us, it takes place over Christmas but isn’t really about Christmas. Violet Baumgartner is the matriarch of her family and she takes it very seriously. She is one of those helicopter moms, even though her only daughter is now 30 something. Cerise, the daughter, is about to start her own family – and this is where things get funny. I thought it was a great story with more humor than drama. I liked it a lot and would suggest it over one of those days you’re stuck at home with your family over the holidays.

I received this book from Netgalley.

Dumplin’ Trailer

I’m missing in action. It’s the holidays. My apologies. Watch this wonderful trailer of a book I loved (review here).

Time’s Convert

I went to an author event for Time’s Convert, the next book in the All Souls world. Harkness said she didn’t want it to be called that because she doesn’t want to have to feel obligated to continue writing in that world. However, that’s what it is. Same characters, same world. I was under the assumption that the story would only be based on Marcus and his past but no! Happily, we also read the story of Phoebe’s transformation to a vampire and there is a story line that follows Diana and Matthew and the 2 year old twins as well. Hooray! I’m half way through and I’m really enjoying it.

If you’re on the waiting list for this book and need your fix of DOW, it’s the time of year for the real time reading of book one. You can read details on my blog post here. But basically, When events in the book happen on September 27 you read the chapters that correspond with those events on that day in 2018. It’s great. We’re only on chapter 13 so you have time to catch up. Here’s a great printable calendar with the dates (perhaps the wrong days of the week) and what chapters to read when.

 

False Report

I read this book because I felt like I should know more in order to be educated about the world. It’s the same reason I tried to read Just Mercy, and why some people read Evicted or Hillbilly Elegy.

Basic premise, Marie is raped and reports it. Because she doesn’t act the way police think she should, crying – freaking out – talking about it, they eventually say she’s lying, get her to say she’s lying and then charge her with false reporting. Meanwhile, you read other chapters about women states away who were raped by the same man in the same way and you’re just waiting for their stories to catch up with poor Marie’s. There are so many heart wrenching statistics of women and rape in this book that it’s really a hit to the stomach sometimes.

I thought this was a great read and gave me lots of information on the police system and violence against women. I can’t say it was amazing or that I’ll suggest it to friends, but I finished thinking that I knew more than when I went it and that’s a start.

Grave Mercy

I tried to read this book back in 2012. I don’t remember how far I made it. This time I finished and I enjoyed it a lot. Ismae is a daughter of Death and is sent to the high court to find out who is betraying the Queen – and kill them. They have “the mark” and this gives her permission to kill them. She has an unwanted accomplice though, Duval. Romance ensues while looking for Death and betrayal. She’s basically a 15th century female James Bond in France. I do not like that book 2 & 3 are narrated by other characters and I probably won’t finish the trilogy. This stands alone very well on it’s own.

Mary Poppins Returns

The Widows of Malabar Hill

I really liked this book. I’m not typically a big mystery fan, but I am on an India kick. I can’t stop eating Indian food and reading Indian books. Also, this particular mystery book also went back in forth in time to talk about Perveen’s personal life as well and I liked that. She had an arranged marriage, sort of. It was a marriage she arranged herself with a man she met through a classmate. More on that if you read the book.

Perveen is a female solicitor in India, not to be confused with a lawyer. She cannot pass the bar or practice law in court because she is a woman. However, in one particular case where there are 3 widows who cannot religiously speak to or be seen by men, she finds her niche. So begins the book. There’s death and intrigue and lots of girl power. I wanted to write female power but that sounded wrong. Why girl power? Woman power! Lots of woman power. Read it!

I hope the little icon in the upper right hand corner of the cover is to imply that there will be more books in this series; Mysteries of 1920s Bombay : I am here for you. I would definitely read more about Perveen.

BookRiot 2018 Read Harder Challenge : a book set in or about India (I used the for a Place for Us but this one is actually set in India so I’m using it again)

Popsugar 2018 Reading Challenge : a book about feminism

The Collector’s Apprentice

I received this book from Netgalley. I love B.A. Shapiro’s books. Particularly The Art Forger. I haven’t read The Muralist, but I have it and I have no doubt I will enjoy it. Whenever I read Shapiro’s books I want to put the book down and google all the paintings she mentions. I wish there were an appendix of photographs of them so I could visually see them. She writes them so well.

This book follows Paulien, later Vivienne, who has been shunned by her family due to a horrible engagement where her fiance stole all her family’s money and some of their friends’ as well. She makes a new life as Vivienne and becomes an art collector’s apprentice, a knowledge and skill she had through her father’s art collection in their home. She ends up moving with the collector from Europe to America, totally platonic. At some point there is a mystery, and a murder trial. She’s also followed by her horrible fiance in America and they pick up a relationship. I love the multiple storylines and different twists and turns. The ending was quick and satisfying. I also enjoyed how there were real historical figures mentioned and weaved in. I recommend it if you like historical fiction, art mysteries or Shapiro’s other books.

Popsugar 2018 Reading Challenge : a book involving a heist