April 25, 2018

Goodreads Update April 2018

I vaguely remember some sleep-deprived fog where I went on a Goodreads Binge and added a ton of books to my TBR. It must be true, because there are a zillion on this list today. Better get started.

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson - This is a boarding school mystery. Really you had me at boarding school. This boarding school was founded in the early 1900's by a man who wanted a school that allowed students to focus on their passions. Shortly after it was opened, his wife and daughter were kidnapped and the ransom note was signed Truly Devious. Fast forward to current day: same boarding school. Stevie Bell is determined to solve the mystery of the founder's wife and daughter. And then a girl in the school is kidnapped and murdered and the note is signed: Truly Devious.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber - This is one of my dancers' favorite books. It's been on my radar for awhile. Now the sequel is out. It's time to put it on the list.

Nelly Dean: A Return to Wuthering Heights by Alison Case - Now I am not a huge fan of Wuthering Heights myself. I'm more of a Jane Eyre kind of girl. But I loved it when I read it in high school. Of course, when I read it I was in the throws of a month-long battle with mono, so that may have been a determining factor. Anyway, I do remember the story and am interested in what this might offer in the way of entertainment and returning to the story without actually having to read the original again.

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory - I have heard rave reviews about what a cute, fun, read this is. A guy gets stuck on an elevator on the way to his ex-girlfriend's wedding. He's stranded there with a cute girl and they seem to get along, so he asks her to be his date for the wedding. And she goes! Then they have to decide do they like each other enough to keep dating. Plot twist: he's white, she's black. If I read this this year, it could count for the Read Harder Challenge to read a romance book by or about a person of color. The author is black, so there you go.

The Radical Element edited by Jessica Spotswood - This is the sequel to A Tyranny of Petticoats that I read last year. This one is a collection of short stories about badass women from the past who did things they weren't supposed to do and consequently found themselves in the process. I have heard mixed things about this one, but I really enjoyed the last one, so I'll check it out.

The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton - This is a retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear, but told from the perspectives of his three daughters. Also, it has a gorgeous cover. See here

Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles - Marvin Johnson goes to a party to keep tabs on his twin brother, Tyler. The party turns violent and is raided by police. Tyler goes missing. Video tapes show that he was shot by police. This is a thing that is showing up more and more in YA literature. I'll be interested to see how it turns out in this one.

Opal by Maggie Stiefvater - This is a novella that follows the last book in the cycle. This means I'm going to have to go ahead and read that last book. I have a tendency to avoid reading the last book in a series. It took me years to read the last Twilight book. I still haven't read the last Harry Potter book. And now I'm doing it again with this series. Why am I like this?

Olivia Twist by Lorie Langdon - Betcha can't guess what this one's about! Well, ok, you probably can. This is a bit of a twist on the Dickens classic where Oliver was really a girl, forced to live as a boy for safety until she is rescued by her wealthy uncle.

Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen - Continuing with the orphan theme: we have a WWII spy novel where a Jewish girl infiltrates a Nazi boarding school (there's that phrase again. Hearts!).

A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena - And another orphan book. This one is set in Saudi Arabia. How's that for a twist? Zarin is the girl your mother warned you about. She's a good student, but she's also a boy chaser and the subject of much gossip at school. Now she's found dead in the back of a car with another girl and her real story starts to come out.

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang - Once upon a time in Paris, the prince had a secret. He liked to dress in dresses and take the fashion world by storm as Lady Crystallia. The only person who knows his secret is his dressmaker and best friend Frances. But Frances doesn't want to be his secret weapon, she wants to be known for greatness!

American Panda by Gloria Chao - Taiwanese Mei is seventeen years old and a freshman at MIT training to follow her parents' dream for her and become a doctor and marry a rich Taiwanese guy and have tons of Taiwanese babies. Only, she doesn't want to be a doctor and she has a huge crush on a Japanese guy. Her brother is ostracized from the family for dating a white woman, and Mei finds herself thinking that might not be so bad.

People Like Us by Dana Mele - Here we have another school murder mystery, but it's just a private school, not a boarding school. Kay has put her past behind her at Bates Academy, until a girl is found dead in the lake and has left Kay a coded scavenger hunt.

Chaotic Good by Whitney Gardner - You may have seen this on my library update from a couple of days ago. It's about a cosplayer which is a thing my daughter is into.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik - YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY! The sequel to Uprooted is here! Well okay, not sequel, but related story. This is sort of based on the Rumpelstiltskin story of old.

Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich - The next one in the Stephanie Plum series!!! Now this is a series I devour as it comes out. No waiting to read the last one!

Lizzy and Jane by Katherine Reay - This is a reference to Austen's characters, but this is in no way a retelling. The sisters separated after their mother's death from cancer and Lizzy spent her life building her career as a cook. When that starts to unravel she goes back home and find out that Jane is battling cancer now, too.

The Bronte Plot by Katherine Reay - Again, it's only tangentially related to the author in the title, but it sounds good, too. Lucy is a rare book dealer with less-than-above-board methods. When her secret gets out it ruins her career and her relationship with James. But James' wealthy grandmother hires her to go with her on an English antiques excursion as a consultant where she visits Haworth and discovers how much she relates to the sisters.

Jade City by Fonda Lee - I've heard this described as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon meets the Godfather. I gave it to my father-in-law for Christmas, but forgot to put it on my own list.

Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks: A Librarian's Love Letters and Breakup Notes to the Books In Her Life by Annie Spence - That's an intense title. But I am truly interested in the contents!

I'd Rather Be Reading: A Library of Art for Book Lovers by Guinevere de la Mare - Uh, yes please!

The Library at the Edge of the World by Felicity Hayes-McCoy - After her divorce, Hanna Casey is living in her mom's extra bedroom, trying to keep her library open, and driving the bookmobile van.

And that is all! If you think it was hard to read that, think about how long it took to write it!

Thanks for hanging in there. What did you add to your list this month?