November 29, 2023

November '23 Goodreads Update Part 2

Oops! I did it again. I thought I had been so busy that I didn't have time to add books. But there was that section of time I was on the desk at work and decided to look at Publishers Weekly. They all still look like good books, so I guess they're staying.

The Painter's Daughters by Emiliy Howes - The painter in question is Gainesborough so you know my interest is immediately piqued. He isn't really important here, though. One of the daughter has a mental illness and the other one works very hard to cover for her. This gets extremely difficult when the family moves to Bath and they are thrown into "polite society." This book releases February 24.

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum - This one is translated from the Korean. A woman in Seoul gives up her high-powered job, her husband, and her life to move to a suburb and open a bookshop. The story is about her finding her bookselling groove and making it all work. It came out last year, I've only just decided to put it on my list.

The Threat by Nathaniel Stein - Melvin is boring. He knows he's boring and he hates it. The one day he receives a death threat. This makes him feel interesting and noticed. He has a new lease on life, but then it goes too far and he starts to nudge over to deranged. Supposedly it's hilarious. This comes out in January 14.

Everyone On This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson - I read this author's debut novel this year: Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone. It was funny and unique and thrilling. I am looking forward to a second helping. It came out October 17. 2023.

Miss Austen Investigates: The Hapless Milliner by Jessica Bull - In the wake of reading the last Jane Austen Mystery, I am casting about for more in the same vein. I don't hold out a lot of hope that anything will be as good, but I will give it a shot. This one is published February 24, 204.

James by Percival Everett - This is a retelling of Huckleberry Finn told from the perspective of Jim, the runaway slave the Huck takes up with. This comes out March 19, 2024.

A Novel Disguise by Samantha Larsen - A cozy mystery set in Georgian England, this book seems to be quite madcap. Tiffany Woodall's brother dies. She doesn't want to lose her cottage so she buries him in the garden and takes over his identity and his job as the Duke of Beaufort's librarian. What could go wrong. Lots, apparently. When the body of a servant is found, she has to go into detective mode.

Strong Passions: A Scandalous Divore in Old New York by Barbara Weisberg - In 1862, while the rest of the country was fighting a debilitating war, the rich people in New York City were behaving badly and providing entertainment for the plebes. Mrs. Strong admitted to her husband that she had been having an affair with his brother. He filed for divorce, but then she accused him of forcing her to have an abortion and then having an affair with the abortionist. THEN she took their daughter and disappeared. I feel like she could have benefited from a change of address to North Dakota where wealthy women went to divorce their husbands. This comes out February 20, 2024.

The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha - I read Ha's graphic memoir about her sudden transplanting to Georgia from Korea when her mother married an American man. I am super excited about reading a historical graphic novel by her. This is set in 1500s Korea. It comes out February 13, 2024.

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen - This might be the worst cover on my TBR list. There are almost 1000 books on my TBR, so that's saying something. I've heard it's fantastic, though. Don't judge a book by its cover I guess.

The Safe Librar: Keeping Users, Staff, and Collections Secure by Steve Albrecht - I picked this up at the ALA Annual Conference in June. I guess I forgot to add it to my TBR. This is definitely a topic that is of interest to me.

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson - During Covid shutdowns, Brandon Sanderson began 6 secret projects. Since then the "projects" have been released in beautiful editions like this one. This is the final one. It's been compared to The Princess Bride which is what caught my attention. Tress' best friend is taken away by his father to find a bride and something awful happens. Tress must set out on a dangerous journey to find the Sorceress of the Midnight Sea where danger lurks in every drop of spore ocean water. Oh and there are pirates.

That's the end. At least half of them don't come out until next year. That's good for my stress levels.