Monthly rundown vol. 23

e-book sale! plus mysteries, fantasy, romance, and lots of noodles

Hello, hello! I won’t chatter too much this month. My brain is pretty full keeping track of to-do lists and extra activities–all good things, but it doesn’t leave much room for random musings. Or, the musings would be extra random, so I’ll spare you. BUT, I did want to let you know that the e-book for my first novel You Again will be on sale for 99 cents December 1-7. Now is the perfect time to snag a copy of this sweet and funny second-chance romance starring a sixty-three-year-old widow and the man who broke her heart when she was seventeen.

Here’s what I’ve been reading lately!

Middle Grade corner:

Stella Diaz Has Something to Say by Angela Dominguez. This was a cute, simple story that captures the insecurities and relational dynamics that are an important part of the lives of school-age kids. Of course, like many good kids’ books, the themes are relatable at any age. Stella learns how to navigate friendship changes, her own insecurities, and mean kids.

Everything else:

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes by Hisashi Kashiwa, translated by Jesse Kirkwood. I picked this short and sweet book up at Pocket Books in Lancaster, PA because I loved the cover and thought the premise sounded fun–a restaurant owner who helps people track down recipes and meals that were meaningful to them but that they can’t find or recreate. It’s really a collection of vignettes or short stories, connected by the “food detective” and his daughter. Each story is full of food descriptions (don’t read this book hungry!) and tells a touching story of how food can be a powerful connector, memory-maker, and reminder of the people who love us.

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny. I’m almost caught up on my Inspector Gamache mysteries! I only have her most recent release to read. What a delightful journey it’s been. I won’t get into this book specifically, but will just say that if you appreciate slow but immersive mysteries, complex characters, and a lot of croissants and baguettes, this series is worth a try. A World of Curiosities is probably among my top five of the series.

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson. This Korean and Japanese-inspired fantasy was absolutely charming – a young woman dedicated to the religious rituals of her society begins body-switching with a young man from another world who’s job is to protect his city from living nightmares. Of course, not everything is as it seems. It’s about agency, courage, duty, and love. If you are at all familiar with Brandon Sanderson, this novel takes place within his larger “Cosmere”, which means that while you can enjoy the story with no outside context, there are a lot of Easter eggs and subtext involving the bigger world. This includes the narration, which is a hilarious and very omniscient third person narration by a character that appears in multiple Brandon Sanderson novels. All that to say–Yumi and The Nightmare Painter is a niche, funny, and very delightful.

Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin. Uzma Jalaluddin is fast becoming one of my favorite rom-com authors. Her novels are full of literary references, complex characters, and thoughtful love stories with plenty of swoon. Not to mention the variety of family, societal, and friendship dynamics that she incorporates into her stories. (spice level: closed door)

The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz. I liked but didn’t love this follow-up to The Plot. I won’t say too much in case you haven’t read The Plot and want to (it’s a good, fast-paced thriller about an insecure author who may or may not have stolen some intellectual property and become rich and famous from it). The Sequel is fast-paced with some good twists and turns, but the main character is really awful, and I hated the ending.

As always, thank you for reading and hanging out in this little corner of the internet with me.

Until next time!