Nettle & Bone

Nettle & Bone
By T. Kingfisher
Tor Books, 2022. 256 pages. Fantasy 

After years of seeing her sisters suffer at the hands of an abusive prince, Marra - the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter - has finally realized that no one is coming to their rescue. No one, except for Marra herself. Seeking help from a powerful gravewitch, Marra is offered the tools to kill a prince if she can complete three impossible tasks. But, as is the way in tales of princes, witches, and daughters, the impossible is only the beginning. On her quest, Marra is joined by the gravewitch, a reluctant fairy godmother, a strapping former knight, and a chicken possessed by a demon. Together, the five of them intend to be the hand that closes around the throat of the prince and frees Marra's family and their kingdom from its tyrannous ruler at last. 

This is a slightly dark, witchy, fairy-tale inspired read. Nettle & Bone starts slowly but gains momentum and charm as Marra meets a cast of colorful secondary characters. Though this is an adult fantasy novel that that deals with serious issues like abuse and miscarriages, it is also a clean read with a sweet, slow-build romance.

For the Wolf
by Hannah F. Whitten 
Orbit, 2021. 480 pages. Fantasy

As the only Second Daughter born in centuries, Red has one purpose--to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wood in the hope he'll return the world's captured gods. Red is almost relieved to go. Plagued by a dangerous power she can't control, at least she knows that in the Wilderwood, she can't hurt those she loves. Again. But the legends lie. The Wolf is a man, not a monster. Her magic is a calling, not a curse. And if she doesn't learn how to use it, the monsters the gods have become will swallow the Wilderwood--and her world--whole 

The Bear and the Nightingale 

by Katherine Arden 
Del Rey, 2017. 336 pages. Fantasy

In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, a stranger with piercing blue eyes presents a new father with a gift -- a precious jewel on a delicate chain, intended for his young daughter. Uncertain of its meaning, Pytor hides the gift away and Vasya grows up a wild, willful girl, to the chagrin of her family. But when mysterious forces threaten the happiness of their village, Vasya discovers that, armed with the necklace, she may be the only one who can keep the darkness at bay.

Spinning Silver 

by Naomi Novik 
Del Rey, 2018. 480 pages. Fantasy

Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father is not a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has left his family on the edge of poverty--until Miryem intercedes. Hardening her heart, she sets out to retrieve what is owed, and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. But when an ill-advised boast brings her to the attention of the cold creatures who haunt the wood, nothing will be the same again. For words have power, and the fate of a kingdom will be forever altered by the challenge she is issued.

SGR

Best-Laid Plans

Best-Laid Plans: A Huntresses Regency Romance

By Sarah M. Eden

Covenant Communications, 2022. 125 pgs. 

Newton Hughes has long dreamed of pursuing a career in law, an acceptable choice for a gentleman of status and wealth. His parents, however, disapprove of his ambition, urging him instead to take his rightful place as a gentleman of leisure. Ellie Napper would like nothing more than for her parents to abandon their incessant efforts to marry her off to the greatest possible advantage. When Ellie and Newton are introduced through their mutual acquaintance, Charlie Jonquil, they commiserate over their shared plight. In desperation, they hatch a plan: Ellie and Newton will feign an interest in each other--enough to convince their parents not to push them toward unwanted matches but not enough to cause whispers or expectations. Their plan quickly spirals out of control, especially once they start to fall in love for real. 

This was a fun, quick read! Sometimes a novella is the perfect thing when I'm short on time, but need to escape the real world for a little bit. The side characters in this book are actually main characters from Sarah Eden's Jonquil and Lancaster series. It's always fun to go back in to this world and get to see the characters from a different perspective. Although this was a short novella, it still was a very satisfying story. 

If you like Best-laid Plans, you might also like

All Hearts Come Home for Christmas

By Anita Stansfield, Esther Hatch, Sarah Eden, & Joanna Barker

Covenant Communications, 2019. 290 pgs. 

This collection of short stories is perfect for the Christmas season. The stories were long enough to get to know the characters but short enough that I could fit them into my crazy Christmas schedule. This would be great for anyone looking for a collection of feel good Christmas romances. The best thing is that they can be read any time of the year!

Proper Scoundrel

By Esther Hatch

Diana Barton is a single woman who owns two railroad lines. She doesn't have patience for all the suitors who waste her time and are only after her wealth. She comes up with a plan to ask the most notorious rake in London, Lord Bryant, to ruin her reputation to scare off all the suitors. 

Otherwise Engaged

By Joanna Barker

Rebecca Rowley feels stifled by society and finds ways to quietly and not so quietly rebel. Riding bareback is one of her secret joys but she soon has a much bigger secret as she tries to hide her engagement to the one man her family would never approve of. After saving the life of a young girl on a neighboring estate, she draws the attention of the older brother, Lieutenant Avery. Since he is a naval man and not interested in marriage, Rebecca and Lieutenant Avery form a friendship that turns both their worlds upside down. 

AL

And We Rise

And We Rise

By Erica Martin

Viking, 2022. 153 pages. Young Adult Nonfiction

Erica Martin's debut poetry collection walks readers through the Civil Rights Movement, including both the well-documented events and lesser-known moments that were just as crucial to the Movement and our nation's centuries-long fight for justice and equality. A poignant, powerful, all-too-timely collection that is both a vital history lesson and much-needed conversation starter in our modern world. 

Wow this little book packs a powerful punch. While difficult to read at times (it is quite emotional), it is a necessary history lesson. Martin masterfully commands each page and the visual art of the poems is stunning. Every single word, down to the last letter, is placed exactly where it is meant to be. This would be a great collection to read and listen at the same time so that you get the full impact of the repetitions, rhythm, and visual imagery. Whether you're a teen or adult, this book is an excellent choice. 

If you like And We Rise you might also like: 

African Town

By Irene Latham

G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2022. 438 pages. Young Adult Fiction

In 1860, long after the United States outlawed the importation of enslaved laborers, 110 people from Benin and Nigeria were captured and brought to Mobile, Alabama. At the end of the Civil War, the survivors created a community for themselves they called African Town, which still exists to this day. Told in 14 distinct voices, this powerful novel-in-verse recreates a pivotal moment in US and world history. 

Ain't Burned All the Bright

By Jason Reynolds

Atheneum, 2022. Unpaged. Young Adult Fiction

A smash-up of art and text for teens that viscerally captures what it is to be Black. In America. Right Now. And all of the symbolism attached to that word, especially NOW. And so for anyone who didn't really know what it means to not be able to breathe, REALLY breathe, for generations, now you know. And those who already do, you'll be nodding yep yep, that is exactly how it is. 

Hollow Fires

By Samira Ahmed

Little Brown and Company, 2022. 404 pages. Young Adult Fiction

After discovering the body of fourteen-year-old Jawad Ali in Jackson Park, seventeen-year-old journalism student Safiya Mirza begins investigating the murder and ends up confronting white supremacy in her own high school.

sr

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands

By Kate Beaton
Drawn and Quarterly, 2022. 430 pages. Graphic Novels

Before there was Kate Beaton, there was Katie Beaton of the Cape Breton Beatons, specifically Mabou, a tight-knit seaside community where the lobster is as abundant as beaches, fiddles, and Gaelic folk songs. With the singular goal of paying off her student loans, Katie heads out west to take advantage of Alberta’s oil rush—part of the long tradition of East Coasters who seek gainful employment elsewhere when they can’t find it in the homeland they love so much. Katie encounters the harsh reality of life in the oil sands, where trauma is an everyday occurrence yet is never discussed.

This is a fascinating illustrated memoir that takes a sharp look into a slice of Kate Beaton's life.  I think that everyone can think of a time in their life that they sacrificed one thing for another, out of necessity or not, but maybe not on the level that Kate felt compelled to in order to crawl out from under the schooling debt that she had accumulated after college.  Enter the Oil Sands, where the isolation wreaks havoc on it's occupants both physically and mentally, and being a girl is a rarity that the many male occupants take startling note of.  Trigger warning for rape, Kate handles its' depiction uniquely and portrays the gravitas of the situation without being graphic.   

If you like Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, you might also like:

SeaState

By Tabitha Lasley

Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2021. 220 pages. Biography/Memoir

Part story of oil rigs and the men who work on them, part story of a journalist whose professional distance from her subject becomes perilously thin, this brutally honest memoir shows what happens when female desire butts up against a culture of masculinity in crisis.

Milltown: Reckoning with what Remains

By Kerri Arsenault

St. Martin's Press, 2020. 354 pages. Nonfiction

Kerri Arsenault grew up in the rural working class town of Mexico, Maine. For over 100 years the community orbited around a paper mill that employs most townspeople, including three generations of Arsenault’s own family. Years after she moved away, Arsenault realized the price she paid for her seemingly secure childhood. The mill, while providing livelihoods for nearly everyone, also contributed to the destruction of the environment and the decline of the town’s economic, physical, and emotional health in a slow-moving catastrophe, earning the area the nickname “Cancer Valley.”

RBL

Flirting with Fate

Flirting with Fate

by Jennifer Cervantes

Razorbill, 2022. 372 pages. Young Adult Fiction

Ava Granados arrives too late to for her grandmother's deathbed blessing, then Nana appears as a ghost asking for help so Ava, with the help of her two older sisters and bumbling spiritual guide, Medardus, must befriend the mysterious boy who received the blessing the night of the storm.

I really enjoyed the relationships between Ava and her sisters and Ava and her grandmother. Whether it be the sisters watching The Notebook to heal from Nana’s death, or Nana and Medardus bickering about blessings, the dialog is fun, fast, and heartfelt. I began to forget the usual Rom-com archetypes and really started to care for Ava. The book really became about the ties that bind us and the ways we treat one another.

If you like Flirting with Fate, you may like:

The Holloway Girls

by Susan Bishop Crispell

Sourcebooks Fire, 2022. 377 pages. Young Adult Fiction

During the kissing season, one kiss from Remy or her older sister Maggie will give the person they kiss good luck, but when Remy breaks one of her family's oldest rules, she puts their legacy in jeopardy.

 

Salty, Bitter, Sweet

by Mayra Cuevas

Blink, 2020. 313 pages. Young Adult Fiction

After the death of her Cuban abuela and the divorce of her parents, Isabella Fields moves in with her dad and his new wife in France. There she feels like an outsider in her father's new life. The upside? Her father's house is located only 30 minutes away from the restaurant of world-famous Chef Pascal Grattard, who runs a prestigious and competitive international kitchen apprenticeship. The prize job at Chef Grattard's renowned restaurant also represents a transformative opportunity-- and Isabella is desperate to get her life back in order.

 

Things that Grow

by Meredith Goldstein

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021. 329 pages. Young Adult Fiction

When Lori's grandmother dies, her world is turned upside down. Grandma Sheryl raised Lori when Lori's mom got a job out of town. Now Lori's mom is insisting on moving her away from her beloved Boston right before senior year. Desperate to stay for as long as possible, Lori insists on honoring her grandmother's last request before she moves: to scatter Sheryl's ashes near things that grow. Along with her uncle Seth and best friend and love-of-her-life crush Chris, Lori sets off on a road trip to visit her grandmother's favorite gardens. As they come to terms with the shape of life after Grandma Sheryl, Lori might just find a way to move forward surrounded by the people she loves.

AG

One True Loves

One True Loves 

By Elise Bryant 

Balzer + Bray, 2022. 314 pages. Young Adult Fiction 

Lenore Bennett is a star artist and style icon at her high school. But now that graduation is here, she's a little less sure. She's heading to NYU in the fall with a scarlet U (for "undeclared") written across her chest. Her parents give her until the end of their summer Mediterranean cruise to figure out what she wants to study, but she’s not even sure what her dreams are yet. Then she meets Alex Lee. After their parents bond over the Cupid Shuffle, she ends up stuck with him for the remainder of the cruise. He's a hopeless romantic and a golden boy with a 10-year plan. As they get to know each other during the picturesque stops across Europe, Alex may be able to help Lenore find something she's been looking for, even if she doesn't want to admit it to herself. 

This is a fun, and funny, read that was hard to put down. I found myself laughing out loud and smiling as I listened to the audiobook. The cast of characters fit into standard YA rom-com roles, but their diversity makes them unique, with cultural backgrounds playing an important role in the story. The main setting of a cruise made the location varied and, having never been on a cruise, gave me a sense of what I hope it would be like, and definitely makes me want to travel. An easy recommendation if you like YA rom-coms. 

If you liked One True Loves, you might also like: 

Counting Down with You 

By Tashie Bhuiyan 

Inkyard Press, 2021. 455 pages. Young Adult Fiction 

A reserved Bangladeshi teenager has 28 days to make the biggest decision of her life after agreeing to fake date her school's resident bad boy. 

A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow  

By Laura Taylor Namey 

Atheneum, 2020. 308 pages. Young Adult Fiction 

Seventeen-year-old Lila Reyes, furious when her parents send her to the English countryside to recover from grief and heartbreak, unexpectedly falls in love with a teashop clerk--and England, itself. 

ACS

Driftwood

Driftwood
By Marie Brennan
Tachyon Publications, 2020. 240 pages. Fiction

Fame is rare in Driftwood--it's hard to get famous if you don't stick around long enough for people to know you. But many know the guide, Last, a one-blooded survivor who has seen his world end many lifetimes ago. For Driftwood is a strange place of slow apocalypses, where continents eventually crumble into mere neighborhoods, pulled inexorably towards the center in the Crush. Cultures clash, countries fall, and everything eventually disintegrates. Within the Shreds, a rumor goes around that Last has died. Drifters come together to commemorate him. But who really was Last? Lying liar, or heroic savior? A mercenary, a charlatan, a legend? A man, an immortal--perhaps even a god?

When I began this book, I’ll be honest, I was confused. I felt like it lacked descriptions as to what was meant by the Crush or the Shreds, but as I read it gradually became clear. This book is a slow burn but keeps you curious. The story is told through several different characters and perspectives, and each reveals new worlds, cultures, and peoples found in Driftwood. Despite the large cast of characters and the somewhat brief encounters with each, the characters are complex and well written. I found myself deeply intrigued and invested in each persons’ vignette. If you like complicated characters, world building, and stories with multiple perspectives, you will enjoy this book.

- JC

If you like Driftwood, you might also like:

Notes From the Burning Age
By Claire North
Orbit, 2021. 464 pages. Science Fiction

Once, we lived through the Burning Age—the time when we cared so little for the world that it went up in flames. It was a punishment. But it was also a gift, and centuries of peace followed. Ven was a holy man; he studied texts from the ashes of the past and sorted secrets from heresies. But when he gets caught up in the political scheming of the Brotherhood, he finds himself in the middle of a war, fueled by old knowledge and forbidden ambition. There was a time when the world burned. Now, some want to set the fire again…

The Fifth Season
By N.K. Jemisin
Orbit, 2015. 498 pages. Science Fiction

When her husband murders their son and abducts their daughter, grief-stricken and vengeful Essun pursues him across The Stillness, a vast and dynamic super-continent on the brink of catastrophe that will usher in a "fifth season," a time of uncertainty and hardship. But Essun is as formidable as the land she traverses -- she's an orogene, which means that she can shape the contours of the land. Although she's spent much of her life hiding from those who would kill her on account of her race, Essun is about to prove how dangerous a woman on a mission can be. Set in a richly detailed, fully realized world inhabited by numerous well-drawn and complex cultures, The Fifth Season launches the Broken Earth series.

Red Rising
By Pierce Brown
Ballantine Books, 2014. 400 pages. Science Fiction

A tale set in a bleak future society torn by class divisions follows the experiences of sixteen-year-old secret revolutionary Darrow who, after witnessing his wife's execution by an oppressive government, joins a revolutionary cell and attempts to infiltrate an elite military academy.

50 Herramientas de Coaching Nutricional para la Salud y el Bienestar

50 Herramientas de Coaching Nutricional para la Salud y el Bienestar

Por Yolanda Fleta
Debolsillo, 2021. 290 páginas. No Ficción

Ser consciente de la importancia de tener una alimentación saludable es clave para llevar a cabo un cambio en nuestros hábitos, pero no siempre es suficiente. La falta de tiempo, los antojos, los pensamientos saboteadores, las emociones negativas que nos invaden y que tendemos a compensar con comida insana, as̕ como los eventos sociales que en ocasiones nos empujan a romper nuestro compromiso o un entorno que no siempre nos lo pone fácil son obstáculos que debemos aprender a superar.

Este libro ofrece herramientas que nos ayudarán a afrontar esta difícil tarea. Nos acompaña en un increíble viaje de autoconocimiento en el que, a través de los ejercicios que propone, aprenderemos a identificar las barreras que nos impiden mantener el tipo de alimentación que deseamos, a la vez que nos invita a abandonar aquellas viejas rutinas que tanto se resisten a la hora de introducir un verdadero cambio en nuestras vidas.

Si le gusta «50 Herramientas de Coaching Nutricional para la Salud y el Bienestar» le recomendamos:

Cocinando para Latinos con Diabetes

Por Olga V. Fuste
American Diabetes Association, 2011. 303 páginas. No Ficción

Date un viaje culinario ¡por toda Latinoamérica! Haz tuyos el sabor y las tradiciones culinarias de la auténtica cocina latina, con más de 100 recetas saludables. Las recetas de «Concinando para Latinos con Diabetes» vienen tanto en español como en inglés y son apropiadas para cualquier plan de comidas para la diabetes. Te encantará llevar a casa el sabor de los platillos latinoamericanos, desde empanadas y platillos de maíz, hasta arroces, frijoles y copiosos guisos.

 Terapia Cetogénica: la Limpieza y la Dieta de Rejuvenecimiento Cetogénicas

Por Bruce Fife
Editorial Sirio, 2018. 460 páginas. No Ficción

Con este libro descubrirás cómo muchas personas ya están aplicando con éxito la dieta cetogénica para prevenir y tratar enfermedades crónicas y degenerativas. Respaldada por décadas de investigación, la terapia cetogénica ha demostrado ser de gran ayuda en el tratamiento de diversas dolencias como el alzhéimer, el párkinson, los accidentes cerebrovasculares, la esclerosis múltiple, el cáncer o la diabetes entre otras.

Una dieta sencilla, pero revolucionaria, basada en alimentos sanos y naturales, con las grasas saludables como principales protagonistas, que está cambiando de forma espectacular la vida de miles de personas. Descubre, con el Dr. Fife, cómo la terapia cetogénica puede ser la clave para una salud óptima.

MEB

Labels: Español, MEB, No Ficción, Libros de Cocina

Something wicked this way comes

Something wicked this way comes 

By Ray Bradbury 

Simon and Schuster, 1962. 317 pages. Science Fiction

Few American novels written this century have endured in th heart and mind as has this one-Ray Bradbury's incomparable masterwork of the dark fantastic. A carnival rolls in sometime after the midnight hour on a chill Midwestern October eve, ushering in Halloween a week before its time. A calliope's shrill siren song beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. In this season of dying, Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. And two inquisitive boys standing precariously on the brink of adulthood will soon discover the secret of the satanic raree-show's smoke, mazes, and mirrors, as they learn all too well the heavy cost of wishes -- and the stuff of nightmare.

This is a book that I've read several times over the years, and it never loses its charm. Bradbury writes in a magical, poetical way that is unique and delicious. I love his characters and the deep emotions and thoughts that motivate them in this frightening and compelling story. He blends magic and every day life in a unique way that is visible in his other novels, especially 'Dandelion Wine'. This novel is nostalgic without being too sweet, the perfect read for Halloween. 

If you like Something wicked this way comes, you might also like: 

The Night Circus

By Erin Morgenstern

Anchor Books, 2012. 516 pages. Fiction 

Waging a fierce competition for which they have trained since childhood, circus magicians Celia and Marco unexpectedly fall in love with each other and share a fantastical romance that manifests in fateful ways.

The Ocean at the end of the lane

By Neil Gaiman

William Morrow, 2013. 181 pages. Science Fiction

It began for our narrator forty years ago when the family lodger stole their car and committed suicide in it, stirring up ancient powers best left undisturbed. Dark creatures from beyond the world are on the loose, and it will take everything our narrator has just to stay alive: there is primal horror here, and menace unleashed -- within his family and from the forces that have gathered to destroy it. His only defense is three women, on a farm at the end of the lane. The youngest of them claims that her duckpond is ocean. The oldest can remember the Big Bang.

-MGB

The Faerie Handbook: An Enchanting Compendium of Literature, Lore, Art, Recipes, and Projects

The Faerie Handbook: An Enchanting Compendium of Literature, Lore, Art, Recipes, and Projects
By the Editors of Faerie Magazine
Harper Design, 2017. 238 pages.
Non-Fiction

This book is a conglomerate of all things Fae. It features legends of different Faerie creatures, food, homes, and more. There are beautiful art pieces included to support the text and makes the book feel more magical.

They say “don’t judge a book by its cover”, but the gilded designs on this beautiful book, caught my attention. The book continued to maintain my interest as I learned all sorts of information about faerie creatures. I loved learning how to make fairy furniture and also about all the different type of faerie creatures, like brownies! The Faerie Handbook is great for those who love the magical and want to learn more about the mystical creatures in our world.

If you like The Faerie Handbook: An Enchanting Compendium of Literature, Lore, Art, Recipes, and Projects, you might also like:

Fairies
By Elizabeth Ratisseau
Blue Lantern Books, 1998. [unpaged].
Nonfiction

Elizabeth Ratisseau's approach, in this book, is to show paintings of fairies by various artists, some of whom claim to have looked upon fairies, and others who have used their imagination, and the reports of others, to make fairies tangible

Fairies: The Myths, Legends, & Lore
By Skye Alexander
Adams Media, 2014. 224 pages.
Nonfiction

Complete with lovely illustrations, this wonderful collection features folklore, mythology, and poetry from around the world. Whether you are interested in exploring the history and culture or just want to learn more about fairies' powers and trickery, you'll love delving into the enchanting tales that bring these whimsical creatures to life.
-ALS

The Murder of Mr. Wickham

The Murder of Mr. Wickham

By Claudia Gray

Vintage Books, 2022. 386 pages. Mystery 

After many years of happy marriage, Emma Knightley and her husband are throwing a house party, bringing together distant relatives and new acquaintances-not all of whom are well known to the Knightleys but are certainly beloved by every Jane Austen fan: Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy, Marianne and Colonel Brandon, Anne and Captain Wentworth, and Fanny and Edmund Bertram. Very much not invited is Mr. Wickham, whose latest financial scheme has netted him newfound wealth-and a broadening array of enemies. With his unexpected arrival, tempers flare and secrets are revealed, making it clear that everyone would be happier if Mr. Wickham got his comeuppance. Yet the Knightleys and their guests are all shocked when Wickham turns up murdered-except, of course, for the killer hidden in their midst. With everyone a suspect, it falls to the house party's two youngest guests to solve the mystery of who finally delivered to Wickham his just deserts: Juliet Tilney, the smart and resourceful daughter of Catherine and Henry Tilney, eager for adventure outside Northanger Abbey; and Jonathan Darcy, Elizabeth and Darcy's eldest son, whose adherence to propriety makes his father seem relaxed.

This was a really fun novel throwing many of Jane Austen's characters together in very uncomfortable circumstances. The author did a good job of balancing the speech and customs of the day while also making it relatable to modern audiences. Several phrases were familiar from the Austen canon and it was interesting to 'hear' them in other character's mouths. The new characters: Juliet Tilney and Jonathan Darcy were both very charming and endearing. 

If you like The Murder of Mr. Wickham, you might also like: 

Death Comes to Pemberley 

By P.D. James

Vintage Books, 2011. 291 pages. Mystery 

In their six years of marriage, Elizabeth and Darcy have forged a peaceful, happy life for their family at Pemberley, Darcy's impressive estate. Her father is a regular visitor; her sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live nearby; the marriage prospects for Darcy's sister, Georgiana, are favorable. And preparations for their annual autumn ball are proceeding apace. But on the eve of the ball, chaos descends. Lydia Wickham, Elizabeth's disgraced sister who, with her husband, has been barred from the estate, arrives in a hysterical state--shrieking that Wickham has been murdered. Plunged into frightening mystery and a lurid murder trial, the lives of Pemberley's owners and servants alike may never be the same.

Miss Morton and the English house party murder

By Catherine Lloyd

Kensington, 2022. 284 pages. Mystery

While attending a house party in the countryside, lady's companion to the wealthy widow Mrs. Matilda Frogerton, Lady Caroline Morton finds things not as they seem when an elderly family member is murdered and attempts to solve the crime with an unexpected ally.

Nothing More to Tell

Nothing More to Tell 

By Karen M. McManus 

Delacorte Press, 2022. 358 pages. Young Adult Fiction 

Four years ago, Brynn left Saint Ambrose School following the shocking murder of her favorite teacher—a story that made headlines after the teacher’s body was found by three Saint Ambrose students in the woods behind their school. The case was never solved. Now that Brynn is moving home and starting her dream internship at a true-crime podcast, she’s determined to find out what really happened. The kids who found Mr. Larkin are her way in, and her ex–best friend, Tripp Talbot, was one of them. Tripp’s friends have never forgotten what Tripp did for them that day, and neither has he. When Brynn begins to investigate what happened in the woods that day, she uncovers secrets that might change everything—about Saint Ambrose, about Mr. Larkin, and about her ex-best friend, Tripp Talbot. 

Over the last few years Karen M. McManus has become one of my favorite YA mystery writers, and this might just be my favorite so far. Told in alternating perspectives between Brynn and Tripp, this novel reveals just enough from each character to keep the pacing quick, and build the suspense throughout. It was hard to put down, and I loved how well developed the characters were. Like Brynn, I went back and forth a lot trying to figure out who the murderer was as new evidence came to light, but things really didn’t fully click in until the end. Highly recommended. 

If you liked Nothing More to Tell, you might also like: 

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder 

By Holly Jackson 

Delacorte Press, 2020. 390 pages. Young Adult Fiction 

The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it. Almost everyone. Having grown up in the small town that was consumed by the crime, Pippa Fitz-Adeleke chooses the case as the topic for her final project. But when Pip starts uncovering secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden, what starts out as a project begins to become Pip's dangerous reality... 

I’m the Girl 

By Courtney Summers 

Wednesday Books, 2022. 344 pages. Young Adult Fiction 

When 16-year-old Georgia Avis finds the dead body of 13-year-old Ashley James outside the gates of an exclusive resort, she teams up with Ashley's older sister Nora to find the killer, and she is thrown into a world of unimaginable wealth and privilege--and the fight for her life. 

ACS

Crying in H-Mart

Crying in H-Mart

by Michelle Zauner

Alfred A. Knopf, 2021. 239 p. Biography

"From the indie rockstar of Japanese Breakfast fame, and author of the viral 2018 New Yorker essay that shares the title of this book, an unflinching, powerful memoir about growing up Korean-American, losing her mother, and forging her own identity. In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist. With humor and heart, she tells of growing up the only Asian-American kid at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother's particular, high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother's tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food. As she grew up, moving to the east coast for college, finding work in the restaurant industry, performing gigs with her fledgling band--and meeting the man who would become her husband--her Koreanness began to feel ever more distant, even as she found the life she wanted to live. It was her mother's diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer, when Michelle was twenty-five, that forced a reckoning with her identity and brought her to reclaim the gifts of taste, language, and history her mother had given her

  

This book was worth the long hold list I was on at the library. It is so raw and real. Michelle Zauner delivered her story in an even tone, which I appreciated. I don't always want to be riding an emotional rollercoaster! Michelle Zauner is so expressive and I enjoyed her honesty and vulnerability.

If you like Crying in H-Mart you might also like... 

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

by Ocean Vuong

Penguin Presss. 2019. 246 p. Fiction.

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family's history that began before he was born--a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam--and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity

What My Bones Know

by Stephanie Foo

Ballentine Books. 2022. 329 p. Biography

By age thirty, Stephanie Foo was successful on paper: She had her dream job as a radio producer at This American Life and had won an Emmy. But behind her office door she was having panic attacks and sobbing at her desk. After years of questioning what was wrong with her, she was diagnosed with Complex PTSD--a condition that occurs when trauma happens continuously, over the course of years. Both of Stephanie's parents had abandoned her as a teenager after years of physical and verbal abuse and neglect. She thought she'd overcome her trauma, but her diagnosis illuminated the ways in which her past continued to threaten her health, her relationships, and her career. Finding few resources to help her heal, Stephanie set out to map her experience onto the scarce scientific research on C-PTSD. In this deeply personal and thoroughly researched account, Stephanie interviews scientists and psychologists and tries a variety of innovative therapies with the determination and curiosity of an award-winning journalist ... Ultimately, she discovers that you don't move on from trauma--but you can learn to move with it, with grace and joy

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The Hacienda

The Hacienda

by Isabel Cañas 

Berkley, 2022. 345 pages. Fiction

In the 1820s overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatriz's father was executed and her home destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumors surrounding his first wife's sudden demise, choosing instead to seize the security his estate in the countryside provides. But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined. When Rodolfo returns to work in the capital, visions and voices invade Beatriz's sleep. The weight of invisible eyes follows her every move. Rodolfo's sister, Juana, scoffs at Beatriz's fears—but why does she refuse to enter the house at night? Why does the cook burn copal incense at the edge of the kitchen and mark its doorway with strange symbols? What really happened to the first Doña Solórzano? Desperate for help, Beatriz clings to the young priest, Padre Andrés, as an ally. No ordinary priest, it will take Andrés' skills as a witch to battle the malevolent presence haunting the hacienda.

It's clear that Cañas knows a lot about the genre she's writing in. She uses the best elements of gothic suspense and haunted house fiction to create a truly atmospheric tale perfect for reading at this time of year. Cañas paints the scene in vivid detail, so readers feel Beatriz's desperation and isolation. I especially appreciated the rural Mexican setting, and Cañas' references to Mexican folklore and magic. Pick this book up and settle in for a spooky read.

If you like The Hacienda you might also like:

Mexican Gothic

by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Del Rey, 2020. 301 pages. Fiction

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. Noemí is an unlikely rescuer: She's a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she's also tough and smart, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin's new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noem̕í and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemí's dreams with visions of blood and doom. Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family's youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family's past. As Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness, and may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina

by Zoraida Córdova

Atria Books, 2021. 324 pages. Fiction

The Montoyas know better than to ask questions about their magical family home, where the pantry never seems to run low or empty, or why their matriarch won't ever leave, even for graduations, weddings, or baptisms. When Orquídea Divina invites her descendants to her funeral and to collect their inheritance, they hope to learn the secrets that she has held onto so tightly their whole lives. Instead Orquídea is transformed, leaving them with more questions than answers. Seven years later, Orquídea's gifts have manifested in different ways for Marimar, Rey, and Rhiannon, granting them unexpected blessings. But a hidden figure begins to tear through their family tree, picking them off one by one as it seeks to destroy Orquídea's line.

Rebecca

by Daphne DuMaurier

Avon Books, 1938. 380 pages. Fiction

In this classic novel of romantic suspense, the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter moves into her mysterious and enigmatic new husband's home. There, she slowly uncovers the story of the house's first mistress, to whom the sinister housekeeper is unnaturally devoted.

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