First Person Singular: Stories

First Person Singular: Stories 

By Haruki Murakami 

Alfred A. Knopf, 2021. 245 pages. Fiction. 

A riveting new collection of short stories from the beloved, internationally acclaimed, Haruki Murakami. The eight masterful stories in this new collection are all told in the first person by a classic Murakami narrator: a lonely man. Some of them (like "With the Beatles," "Cream," and "On a Stone Pillow") are nostalgic looks back at youth. Others are set in adulthood--"Charlie Parker Plays Bossa Nova," "Carnaval," "Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey" and the stunning title story. Occasionally, a narrator who may or may not be Haruki himself is present, as in "The Yakult Swallows Poetry Collection." Is it memoir or fiction? The reader decides. The stories all touch beautifully on love and loss, childhood and death . . . all with a signature Murakami twist. 

I originally picked up this book because I wanted to read more short story collections, and Murakami did not disappoint. Murakami is one of the most influential writers in the magical realism space. The stories mainly center around mundane day-to-day with little hints and not-so-little hints of magic – like a talking monkey that works in a bath house and literally steals women’s names. Some stories, could be true stories that Murakami experienced, others are obviously not, and others? Well, it’s impossible to tell. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the ambiguity of the stories, but I can see how that would be frustrating to some readers. There are no solid answers in this collection. There are a lot of references to jazz, classical piano music, and baseball, none of which I am particularly interested in so I’m sure some of the meaning flew right over my head. Out of all the stories, “Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey” and “With the Beatles” are my particular favorites. 

If you like First Person Singular, you might also like:

 

Strange Pilgrims: Twelve Stories 

By Gabriel García Márquez 

Vintage Books, 2006. 188 pages. Fiction. 

The 12 stories in this shimmering collection poignantly depict South Americans adrift in Europe. Combining terror and nostalgia, surreal comedy and the poetry of the commonplace, Strange Pilgrims is a triumph of narrative sorcery by the Nobel Prize-winning author of One Hundred Years of Solitude.

The Houseguest and Other Stories 

By Amparo Dávila 

New Directions Paperbook Original, 2018. 122 pages. Fiction. 

Like those of Kafka, Poe, or Shirley Jackson, Amparo Dávila's stories are terrifying, mesmerizing, and expertly crafted you'll finish each one gasping for air. With acute psychological insight, Dávila follows her characters to the limits of desire, paranoia, insomnia, and fear. She is a writer obsessed with obsession, who makes nightmares come to life through the everyday: loneliness sinks in easily like a razor-sharp knife, some sort of evil lurks in every shadow, delusion takes the form of strange and very real creatures. After reading Dávila's debut collection in English you'll wonder how this secret was kept for so long. 

Interpreter of Maladies: Stories 

By Jhumpa Lahiri 

Houghton Mifflin, c1999. 198 pages. Fiction. 

Stories about Indians in India and America. The story, A Temporary Matter, is on mixed marriage, Mrs. Sen's is on the adaptation of an immigrant to the U.S., and in the title story an interpreter guides an American family through the India of their ancestors.

El Príncipe y la Coyote

El Príncipe y la Coyote
Por David Bowles
Ediciones LQ, 2024. 443 páginas. Ficción

México. 1418. Les presentamos al príncipe Acolmiztli. Puma de la gente Acolhua. Heredero al trono de su padre. Mitad Acolhua, mitad Mexica. Cantante. Guerrero. Poeta. Dieciséis años de edad. Y ahora, traicionado. Una conspiración en el palacio, planeada por el letal imperio Tepaneca, mata a su madre y hermanos, pone al ejército de su padre en retirada, y manda al príncipe Acolmiztli a un exilio pernicioso. Enfrentándose al hambre, las montañas nevadas, y las maquinaciones de los reinos a su alrededor, el príncipe Acolmiztli jura venganza. Le tomará años, pero regresará buscando justicia. Y lo hará con un nuevo nombre: Nezahualcóyotl, el coyote en ayuno, una de las figuras más ilustres en la historia.

Si le gusta «El Príncipe y la Coyote» le recomendamos:

Un Lobo Dentro
Por Pedro Mañas
Nube de Tinta, 2023. 250 páginas. Ficción

Una broma, una burla, un mote, un rumor, un mensaje anónimo, una amenaza, un golpe, una paliza. Así empieza todo, y no como en las películas. Una historia que sucede todos los días, en todas partes, a un montón de personas distintas. Víctimas que ya no saben si se meten con ellas por ser como son o si son así porque se meten con ellas. Hasta que, un día, una de esas víctimas decide que, si no puede dejar de sentir miedo, será quien lo infunda. La historia de cómo Jacob se convirtió en Lobo. De cómo ambos crecieron a la vez, pero no del mismo modo. La historia sobre el monstruo en que cualquiera puede convertirse. Incluso, la víctima.

Lobizona
Por Romina Garber
Urano, 2021. 379 páginas. Ficción

Algunas personas son ilegales. Las lobizonas no existen. Estas dos afirmaciones son falsas. Manuela Azul se encuentra atrapada en una existencia que resulta demasiado pequeña para ella. Como inmigrante indocumentada que debe huir de la familia criminal de su padre en la Argentina, Manu se ve confinada a un pequeño apartamento y a una vida discreta en Miami, Florida. Hasta que la burbuja que la protegía estalla. Atacan a su abuela adoptiva. Muchas mentiras salen a la luz. El Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas arresta a su madre. Manu se queda sin hogar, sin respuestas y, ahora, sin cadenas que la aten. Investigará la única pista que tiene sobre su pasado: un misterioso emblema con forma de Z, que la guiará a un mundo secreto oculto en el nuestro. Un mundo conectado con su padre muerto y su pasado criminal. Un mundo sacado del folclore argentino, en el que la séptima hija consecutiva es una bruja y el séptimo hijo, un lobizón.


MEB

Labels: Español, MEB, Ficción, Adulto Joven

Lulu's Crochet Dolls

Lulu's Crochet Dolls: 8 adorable dolls and accessories to crochet
Search Press Limited, 2024. 111 pages. Craft Books.

Step into the enchanting world of Lulu Compotine! Journey through the seasons with 8 charming amigurumi dolls. Each has a lovable animal friend, and perfect seasonal outfits and accessories. From Charlotte and Caroline's blooming spring flowers to Celia and Zoé's wintertime treats, you'll fall in love with these adorable 23 cm (9 in) dolls and their crochet accoutrements. For beginners and beyond!

If you're anything like me and love making cute crochet projects, this is the book for you!  The dolls in this book are adorable, and their accessories even more so!  The instructions are easy to understand and follow, and each doll has its own personality already built in.  These particular dolls are not built to play dress-up, as the clothing is sewn and/or crocheted into the body, but they are oh so lovely and worth the time and effort it will take to make them! Some accessories are repeated from doll to doll, also, which makes it easier to make multiples.  You won't regret giving these patterns a try!

If you liked Lulu's Crochet Dolls, you may also like:

My Crochet Doll : a fabulous crochet doll pattern with over 50 cute crochet doll clothes and accessories

By Isabelle Kessedjian
David & Charles (imprint of F&W Media International), 2013. 95 pages. Craft Books.

Discover how to crochet your doll and then personalize her with your choice of hair, clothing and accessories. Patterns with "sc" in them can be identified as American patterns. All crochet patterns in this book are written in UK and European terms.

Crochet Cafe : recipes for amigurumi crochet patterns
By Lauren Espy
Paige Tate & Co., 2020. 213 pages. Craft Books.

Whip up a fresh batch of amigurumi! Crochet Cafe features over 30 adorable and appetizing food-inspired amigurumi patterns. Lauren Espy, author of 2019's No. 1 best-selling amigurumi book in the United States, Whimsical Stitches, gives you the ingredients and recipes you need to crochet your favorite meals and treats. Easy-to-follow patterns, detailed photographs, and helpful tips make this book perfect for novice and experienced crocheters alike. These simple and darling patterns are sure to bring a smile to your face. So, pick up a hook and have fun playing with your food! 

ERB

Full of Myself

Full of Myself
By Siobhán Gallagher
Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2024. 313 pages. Graphic Novels

Author and illustrator Siobhán Gallagher’s humorous and heartfelt graphic memoir details her journey from being anxious and unhappy to learning to love herself as she is.

This is a hefty graphic novel as it explores Gallagher's unhealthy obsession with her body image beginning as a small child, fueled and re-enforced by toxic media. While the subject material leans dark, the author's illustration style is light and peppy which counterbalances it. Part graphic memoir, part self-help, this is for anyone who grew up comparing themselves to unachievable ideals.

If you like Full of Myself, you might also like:

Embrace Your Size
By Hara
Yen Press, 2022. 159 pages. Young Adult Comics

A love letter to those who dream of being fashionable but consider their weight as an obstacle, this uplifting comic essay by a plus-sized author chronicles her own journey with body positivity and learning to love herself as she is.

The (other) F word
By Angie Manfredi, editor
Amulet Books, 2019. 206 pages. Young Adult Non Fiction

A crossover anthology for teens and activists shares essays, prose, fashion tips and art to offer strategies for overcoming today’s narrow definitions of beauty and styling oneself in accordance with body positivity and acceptance of all sizes.

RBL

Bad Habit

Bad Habit
by Alana S. Portero
HarperCollins Publishers, 2024. 224 pages. Fiction

This book, translated from the original Spanish (La mala costumbre), is one that will stick with me, one that I will re-read, and one that I want to tell everyone about. Not only is this autobiographical fiction an authentic glimpse into what it is like to be transgender, it brought me to absolute tears with its beautifully written prose. It is the story of a trans woman, growing up in Madrid in the 1980s and 1990s. She did not come out as trans until she was an adult, but describes her childhood and adolescence as an agonizing period of "knowing" that her life would be a different and a difficult one. "My mask was one to hide behind; a mask of shame and fear, something I shouldn't have needed or even known existed at that age." Our main character does her best with the situation she's been given, but as her neighborhood becomes increasingly plagued by heroin addiction, she starts to lose herself even more. With the fierce friendship of others, especially two older trans women in her neighborhood, she is able to stay afloat. "I hadn't been mistaken in my choice of role model - women who age how they want, on their own terms, and wear their lives etched into their faces - are treated with pathos and mockery because they are feared." 

One review calls this magnificent book "gentle, but blistering," and the description could not be more perfect. When our main character is attacked for being trans, I wept openly. "I was discovering who I was through a gut punch - words that lodged deep within me and were impossible to forget. Before you get the chance to define yourself, others trace your outline with their prejudices and their aggressions." I will never fully know what it's like to be a trans woman, but I am immensely grateful for writing like Portero's that allows me to so deeply connect with and build empathy for women like her. 

If you like Bad Habit, you might also like:

Cinema Love
by Jiaming Tang
Penguin Random House, 2024. 294 pages. Fiction

Spanning three timelines - post-socialist China, 1980s Chinatown, and contemporary New York - this is a story about men and women who find themselves in forbidden relationships, the weight of secrets, and the way memory forever haunts the present. It's the story of Old Second and Bao Mei, who emigrated from China and have cobbled together a meager existence in New York City's Chinatown. Before this New York life was the Worker's Cinema in rural Fuzhou, China - a theater where gay men looked for love. 

All-Night Pharmacy
by Ruth Madievski
Catapult, 2023. 286 pages. Fiction

After reckless partying on the night of her high school graduation, a young woman's sister disappears. What follows is a portrait of a young woman consumed with unease over how a person should be. As she attempts sobriety and sexual embodiment, she must decide whether to search for her estranged sister, or allow her to remain a relic of the past. 

The House of Impossible Beauties
by Joseph Cassara
Ecco, 2018. 400 pages. Fiction

It's 1980 in New York City, and nowhere is the city's glamour and energy better reflected than in the burgeoning Harlem ball scene, where seventeen-year-old Angel first comes into her own. She's new to the drag world and ball culture, but has a fierce yearning to help create family for those without. With the help of Hector, a professional dancer and Angel's love, the two form the House of Xtravaganza - the first-ever all-Latinx house in the Harlem ball circuit. 

Shark Heart: A Love Story

Shark Heart: A Love Story 

by Emily Habeck 

Marysue Rucci Books, 2023. 408 pages. Fiction.

Taking place in an alternate reality where humans can mutate into animals, Habeck’s debut explores the nature of grief through deft and beautiful writing. Lewis and Wren are newly married when they receive terrible news: Lewis has developed a condition that will transform him into a great white shark  within a year. Neither Wren nor Lewis is prepared for the toll it will take; Wren is still healing from a difficult childhood, and Lewis, a high-school theater teacher, isn’t ready to give up his dreams. Wren vows to learn scuba diving so she can be with him, and Lewis struggles to continue directing Our Town until his carnivorous side takes over. Wren's past comes to light, too, exposing the circumstances of her birth and the events that led to her mother’s death. Poetic interludes and play-like vignettes punctuate the lyrical prose.

This book is my favorite so far in 2024. If you can suspend belief and lean into the magical realism, a grown man slowly transforming into a great white shark, you will enjoy this earnest exploration of love and lost. The writing is very lyrical and carries some emotional heft, reader beware. I was deeply touched by Lewis and Wren's love and friendship and found myself crying happy tears at the end of this beautiful book.

If you like Shark Heart you might also like:

Lily and the Octopus 

by Steven Rowley

Simon & Schuster, 2016. 305 pages. Fiction.

Teddy is unhappily single in L.A. In between sessions with his therapist and dates with men he meets online, Teddy has debates with his dachshund, Lily, who occupies his heart. Unfortunately, he is also able to communicate with the "octopus" attached to Lily's head, which is soon revealed to be a metaphor for Lily's lethal cranial tumor. As Lily's condition worsens, Teddy faces off with the "octopus", engaging it in a battle of wills that takes on epic proportions. An exceedingly authentic, keenly insightful, funny and ardent tribute to the purity of love between a pet and its human.

The Cemetery of Untold Stories

by Julia Alvarez

Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2024. 243 pages. Fiction.

When celebrated writer Alma Cruz inherits a small plot of land in the Dominican Republic, she turns it into a place to bury her untold stories--literally. She creates a graveyard for manuscript drafts and revisions and the characters whose lives she tried and failed to bring to life and who still haunt her. Alma wants her characters to rest in peace, but they have other ideas, and the cemetery becomes a mysterious sanctuary for their true narratives .

JK

Bordado

Bordado

Por Lucinda Ganderton
Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2024. 159 páginas. No Ficción

¡Aprende más de 200 puntos de bordado con esta práctica guía! Si estás buscando perfeccionar tu técnica o aprender a bordar, este libro de bordado será tu mejor aliado. Reúne toda la información que necesitas para convertirte en todo un experto de este arte milenario: materiales y técnicas de montaje, telas, marcos, explicaciones paso a paso y fotografías a todo color de los diferentes puntadas de bordado.


Si le gusta «Bordado: paso a paso» le recomendamos:

Crochet
Por Lucrecia Pérsico
Alcobendas, 2015. 120 páginas. No Ficción

Con este libro práctico no es necesario saber crochet de antemano, ya que explica paso a paso desde el inicio de la labor hasta los detalles finales, ofreciendo proyectos completos entre los que se encuentran las clásicas carpetas o tapetes, pero también gorritos, ponchos, zapatos e infinidad de motivos decorativos para dar un toque personal a nuestra casa y nuestra vida con piezas únicas y naturales hechas con nuestras propias manos.


Macramé para principiantes
Por Marie Elizabeth Thompson
Editorial, 2024. 161 páginas. No Ficción

Fotos detalladas y sencillas instrucciones paso a paso para crear hermosos proyectos de macramé DIY.

Con instrucciones fáciles de seguir y aptas para lectores de todas las edades y niveles de habilidad, aprenderá rápidamente los procesos básicos del macramé, los nudos y patrones básicos, los mejores materiales a utilizar y un sin fín de ideas de proyectos divertidos con los que empezar.

MEB

Labels: Español, MEB, No Ficcion, Manualidades

The Celtic Year

The Celtic Year

By Shirley Toulson

Element Inc, 1993. 259 pages. Nonfiction

Lavishly illustrated throughout with pictures of famous sites and artifacts, maps, and line drawings, this beautifully-written volume is also a collection of prayers, poems, and songs, taken from the rich tradition of both the Celtic Christian and Druid traditions.

I love a well-researched book, and this one doesn't disappoint. It has wonderful information on Celtic saints, their legends and hagiographies, as well as locations of chapels and holy wells dedicated to them. There are interesting illustrations throughout, and ideas and plans for pilgrimages. This is a perfect book for finding out of the way, almost hidden information on Celtic Christianity and customs. 

If you liked The Celtic Year, you might also like: 

Celtic Mysticism: your personal guide to Celtic and Druid tradition

By Tracie Long

Wellfleet Press, 2023. 167 pages. Nonfiction

Connect more meaningfully to the cultural wisdom and occult knowledge of the rich and thriving Celtic world. Reclaim ancestral traditions and older ways of connecting with the earth and spirituality by going straight to the heart of mystical traditions. Celtic Mysticism explores the folk magic that has thrived in the British Isles for thousands of years. With this guidebook for both newcomers to magical practice and those searching for a concise reference to a long history, discover how to honor your connection to nature and the rhythms of the seasons in the Celtic way.

Maiden, Mother, Crone: voices of the goddess

By Claire Hamilton

O Books, 2005. 219 pages. Nonfiction

Written in the first person, these provocative and surprising renderings of Celtic tales take us on a challenging journey in which the twelve most ancient and extraordinary goddesses of the land reveal their light and dark faces. In the brining their symbolism to life for today they restore our earlier understanding of war, sex, death, and are turned into spiritual encounters.

Celtic Myths and Legends

By Peter Berresford Ellis

Running Press, 2008. 629 pages. Nonfiction

In this collection from Irish, Scots, Welsh, Cornish, Manx, and Breton sources Peter Berresford Ellis has brought together classic myths and legends - featuring such heroes as Cu Chulainn and King Arthur and monsters like the shapeshifting Kelpies and the goblin-like Bukkys - as well as exciting tales which have never before been translated. Berresford Ellis, one of the foremost authorities on the Celts, brings not only his expertise but also his acclaimed skills of storytelling to this original and enthralling selection of gods and goddess, magical weapons and fabulous beasts.

MGB

And Then There Was Us

And Then There Was Us
By Kern Carter
Tundra Books, 2024. 223 pages. Young Adult Fiction

Coi is just eighteen years old but has already survived years of physical and verbal abuse from her mother. After being kicked out of her mother's house at age fourteen, Coi has lived with her father, and together they've created a peaceful life. That peace ends suddenly when her mother dies; her mother's passing also reopens up the door to her mother's side of the family, including her beloved half-sister Kayla, her stepfather, and her grandmother. As she reconnects with her family, Coi learns to see parts of her mother she never experienced and, for the first time since she was abandoned, opens her heart to forgiveness.

This book was heartbreaking, uplifting, infuriating, comforting, and extremely memorable. I felt so proud of the main character, Coi, as she continued to show just how strong and capable she was. Additionally, I was relieved to see Coi finding solace in good friends, good conversation, and good food. Surviving childhood abuse, maintaining a sense of self throughout, and recognizing that she needs to open up about her anger in order to be able to let it go - these were all things I was cheering Coi through. I found myself thinking about her and her family in moments when I wasn't reading this book, and that's how I knew it was one I needed to share with others.

If you like And Then There Was Us, you might also like: 

Abuela Don't Forget Me
By Rex Ogle
Norton Young Readers, 2022. 198 pages. Young Adult Biography

This incredible novel written in verse gives readers life-affirming poems that honor the author's grandmother's legacy. Throughout a coming of age marked by violence and dysfunction, Abuela's red-brick house in Texas offered Rex the possibility of a home. This book is a lyrical portrait of the transformative and towering woman who believed in Rex even when he didn't yet know how to believe in himself.

Red
By Annie Cardi
Union Square & Co, 2024. 250 pages. Young Adult Fiction

After a very personal decision goes public, sixteen-year-old Tess faces daily harassment and rejection by her former friends and even some of her family. When she meets some kids in the music room, her only place of solace at school, she finds they don't judge her for what's happened, and she learns to find her voice again. This book explores the complex themes of religious hypocrisy, reproductive rights, and overcoming adversity. 

Things We Haven't Said
By Erin Moulton (Editor)
Zest Books, 2018. 208 pages. Young Adult Nonfiction

A powerful collection of poems, essays, letters, vignettes, and interviews by a diverse group of impressive adults who survived sexual violence as children and adolescents. Structured to incorporate creative writing to engage the reader and informative interviews to dig for context, this anthology is a valuable resource of hope, grit, and honest conversation. It will help teens and adults tackle the tough topic of sexual violence, upend stigma, and maintain hope for a better future.

LKA

The Twilight Garden

The Twilight Garden
by Sarah Nisha Adams
William Morrow, 2024. 391 pages. Fiction

In a small pocket of London, between the houses of No.77 and No.79 Eastbourne Road, lies a neglected community garden. It was a beautiful thing once, a little oasis in a bustling city for neighbors by day and the local foxes at twilight. But the garden's gate is now firmly closed. And that's exactly how Winston at No.79 likes it—anything to avoid Bernice, who has moved in next door with her young son. Their houses may share the garden, but they're not exactly neighborly. But then a mysterious parcel drops on Winston's doormat. It contains no note, only a bundle of photographs of the garden in bloom many years ago—vibrant with flowers, filled with people from every corner of the community. Is someone trying to tell them something? The seed of an idea is planted ... Somewhere out there, a secret gardener made a decades-old promise to keep the community's spirit alive. Now it's time for The Twilight Garden to come out of hibernation.

This is the perfect book for aspiring gardeners to enjoy, since it covers the ups and downs of tending a garden. This is also the perfect book for people who like reading about the power of community, and about people finding their place in the world. Although Winston starts gardening as a way to annoy his neighbor Bernice, the garden becomes a passion project for both households. The book also jumps back in time, telling the story of the founding of the community garden, and the garden's original caretakers—two neighbors named Alma and Maya. In both storylines, characters deal with both happiness and heartbreak. This is an especially enjoyable story about people finding each other and building each other up.

If you like The Twilight Garden you might also like:

The Museum of Ordinary People
by Mike Gayle
Grand Central Publishing, 2022. 336 pages. Fiction

Still reeling from the sudden death of her mother, Jess is about to do the hardest thing she's ever done: empty her childhood home so that it can be sold. In the process of finding a new home for an old set of encyclopedias, Jess discovers an unusual archive of letters, photographs, and curiosities housed in a warehouse and known as the Museum of Ordinary People. Irresistibly drawn, she becomes the museum's unofficial custodian, along with the warehouse's mysterious owner. As they delve into the history of objects in their care, they not only unravel heart-stirring stories that span generations and continents, but also unearth long-buried secrets that lie closer to home.

Nosy Neighbors

by Freya Sampson

Berkley, 2024. 369 pages. Fiction

Twenty-five-year-old Kat Bennett has never felt at home anywhere, and especially not in crumbling Shelley House. Seventy-seven-year-old Dorothy Darling is Shelley House's longest resident, and if you believe the other tenants, she's as cantankerous and vindictive as they come. Except there's a good reason Dorothy spends her days spying on her neighbors—a closely guarded secret that no else knows and the reason Dorothy barely leaves her beloved home. When their building faces demolition, sworn enemies Kat and Dorothy become unlikely allies in their quest to save their historic home.

Also: Our Library has been getting into gardening lately! We have a Seed Library that lives at the back of our 1st floor Reference Desk, waiting for people to come take some seeds and grow beautiful things with them. We've also been hosting seed swaps and plant swaps, with our next one happening on Saturday, May 18th.  

MB

Consort of Fire

Consort of Fire
By Kit Rocha
Montlake, 2023. 381 pages. Romance

For three thousand years, an ancient dragon god has protected the borders of the Sheltered Lands. In return, he makes only one demand: every one hundred years, the mortal ruler must send their heir to serve as his consort . . . for as long as they can survive. Sachielle of House Roquebarre is the thirty-first consort to be sacrificed to the monster who guards the mountain passes. She is young, beautiful, and she has three secrets. First: she's a disposable orphan trained in seduction. Second: her handmaid, Zanya, is an assassin and the only person she has ever loved. Third: and most deadly: she's cursed. Sachi and Zanya have five weeks to murder the Dragon in his bed. If they fail, the mortal king's curse will steal not just Sachi's life, but her very soul. The Dragon has only one secret: he is nothing like what they have been told. And he will do whatever it takes to possess them both.

I started this book with the hopes of a spicy romantasy (romantic fantasy).  It delivered that and more.  Another author describe the book as "A primal scream of queer joy" and I couldn't agree more.  The characters are complex and interesting.  The romance is heartbreaking, varied, and about as spicy as you can get. It seemed much shorter than it was, probably because you can see the inevitable ending long before it arrives. That being said, I was not bored and the author found different ways to surprise me by the end. If you are looking for a romance that has high stakes, views love as something you can give to anyone you like, and might break your heart and heal it at the same time; then this book is definitely for you.

If you like Consort of Fire, you might also like: 

Silver Under Nightfall

By Rin Chupeco

Saga Press, 2022. 506 pages. Fantasy

Remy Pendergast is many things: the only son of the Duke of Valenbonne (though his father might wish otherwise), an elite bounty hunter of rogue vampires, and an outcast among his fellow Reapers. His mother was the subject of gossip even before she eloped with a vampire, giving rise to the rumors that Remy is half-vampire himself. Though the kingdom of Aluria barely tolerates him, Remy's father has been shaping him into a weapon to fight for the kingdom at any cost. When a terrifying new breed of vampire is sighted outside of the city, Remy prepares to investigate alone. But then he encounters the shockingly warmhearted vampire heiress Xiaodan Song and her infuriatingly arrogant fiancé, vampire lord Zidan Malekh, who may hold the key to defeating the creatures though he knows associating with them won't do his reputation any favors. When he's offered a spot alongside them to find the truth about the mutating virus Rot that's plaguing the kingdom, Remy faces a choice. It's one he's certain he'll regret. 

How to Love Your Elf

By Kerrelyn Sparks

Kensington Books, 2020. 328 pages. Romance

Sorcha knew the mission was dangerous. Leaving the safe grounds of her brother's kingdom and parlaying with the elves across their border . . . well, treachery seemed at least as likely as true peace. But to support her sister, Sorcha would brave far more than the underhanded ways of the elves. Or so she thought, before she was taken hostage. Of course, her captors didn't count on her particular abilities - or on the help of the Woodsman, the mysterious thief who made his home in the forest. He saw the battle from the trees, saw the soldier attacking against incredible odds to save a comrade - and then saw the valiant fighter revealed as Princess Sorcha of Norveshka. He can't tell if he wants to kidnap her or kiss her. But despite Sorcha's stubbornness, his inconvenient honor, and a rebellion on the cusp of full war, something burns between them that neither can let go.

Someone You Can Build A Nest In
By John Wiswell
DAW Books, 2024. 310 pages. Fantasy

Shesheshen has made a mistake fatal to all monsters: she's fallen in love. Shesheshen is a shapeshifter, who happily resides as an amorphous lump at the bottom of a ruined manor. When her rest is interrupted by hunters intent on murdering her, she constructs a body from the remains of past meals: a metal chain for a backbone, borrowed bones for limbs, and a bear trap as an extra mouth. However, the hunters chase Shesheshen out of her home and off a cliff. Badly hurt, she's found and nursed back to health by Homily, a warm-hearted human, who has mistaken Shesheshen as a fellow human. Homily is kind and nurturing and would make an excellent co-parent: an ideal place to lay Shesheshen's eggs so their young could devour Homily from the inside out. But as they grow close, she realizes humans don't think about love that way. Shesheshen hates keeping her identity secret from Homily, but just as she's about to confess, Homily reveals why she's in the area: she's hunting a shapeshifting monster that supposedly cursed her family. Has Shesheshen seen it anywhere? Eating her girlfriend isn't an option. Shesheshen didn't curse anyone, but to give herself and Homily a chance at happiness, she has to figure out why Homily's twisted family thinks she did. As the hunt for the monster becomes increasingly deadly, Shesheshen must unearth the truth quickly, or soon both of their lives will be at risk. And the bigger challenge remains: surviving her toxic in-laws long enough to learn to build a life with, rather than in, the love of her life.

KJ

Funny Story

Funny Story

By Emily Henry

Berkley, 2024. 387 pages. Romance

Daphne always loved the way Peter told their story. Too bad it turned out to be more of a prequel, a complication to Peter's actual love story, the one that ends with him dumping Daphne before their wedding to begin a relationship with his lifelong best friend, Petra. And so that's how Daphne's story really begins: stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children's librarian, and proposing to be roommates with Petra's heartbroken ex, Miles Nowak. Scruffy and chaotic, Miles is entirely the opposite of buttoned-up Daphne until one night, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship. Miles decides he will convince Daphne to give Waning Bay a real shot. He'll show her why he loves this idyllic town and its residents, and if they happen to post deliberately misleading photos of their adventures together who could blame them? 

In this opposites attract romance, I was absolutely smitten with Daphne and Miles' relationship. I was worried at first because the premise seemed a little outlandish, but Emily Henry never misses. She excels at adding emotional depth to her characters while exploring heartbreak and mental health in ways that never feel heavy handed or unnecessary to the story. While it is a forced proximity story, Daphne and Miles's relationship never felt forced with the perfect amount of slow burn and angst. Funny Story is another great read from Emily Henry! 

If you liked Funny Story, you might also like:

Just for the Summer

By Abby Jimenez

Hatchett Book Group, 2024. 418 pages. Romance

Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it's all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They'll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other's out, and they'll both go on to find the love of their lives. Emma hadn't planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up. It's supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected including catching real feelings for each other. 

The Paradise Problem

By Christina Lauren

Gallery Books, 2024. 349 pages. Romance 

Anna Green thought she was marrying Liam "West" Weston for access to subsidized family housing while at UCLA. She also thought she'd signed divorce papers when the graduation caps were tossed, and they both went on their merry ways. Three years later, Anna is a starving artist living paycheck to paycheck while West is a Stanford professor. He may be one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but he has little interest in working for the heartless corporation his family built from the ground up. He is interested, however, in his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance. There's just one catch. Due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather's will, Liam won't see a penny until he's been happily married for five years. Just when Liam thinks he's in the home stretch, pressure mounts from his family to see this mysterious spouse, and he has no choice but to turn to the one person he's afraid to introduce to his one-percenter parents - his unpolished, not-so-ex-wife. But in the presence of his family, Liam's fears quickly shift from whether the feisty, foul-mouthed, paint-splattered Anna can play the part to whether the toxic world of wealth will corrupt someone as pure of heart as his surprisingly grounded and loyal wife.

BW