Goodreads Update March 2024
I didn't post an update earlier in the month because nothing had happened on my Goodreads account. Then a lot happened. I withdrew some books at the library and decided to take them home, so I added them to my want to read list. I did an inventory of my bookshelves and found a bunch that weren't on my to read list. Also, I added some due to social media recommendations. And of course, I bought some.
Library Adds
New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction By People of Color editedby Nishi Shawl - Basically what it says on the tin. I was excited by the intro by Levar Burton and a story by Rebecca Roanhorse.
Lady Clementine by Marie Benedict - I love Marie Bendict. And although I'm not a huge fan of WWII fiction, this is about Winston Churchill's wife. This is tangentially related to the Mitford Sisters, which adds interest for me.
Social Media Adds
The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Huang - The library doesn't have this because it is self-published. Wah. Anyway, some of the booktube girlies have really enjoyed it. We'll see if I ever get a copy.
Bride by Ali Hazelwood - Hazelwood has until now been a contemporary romantic comedy writer. All her books are about women working in STEM, which is new and interesting. I haven't been interested in reading those, but this foray into paranormal romance is more my speed. She's a vampire who has agreed to marry the alpha of the werewolf pack, but really she plans to get back what she's lost. Whatever that is.
The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact, and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook by Hampton Sides - I read a book by Hampton Sides earlier this year and thought it was fantastic. Especially considering I don't even care about sea voyages or discovery. This one comes out in April. I found it on the Publishers Weekly site. The library has a premium subscription, and I like to peruse it sometimes. It gets dangerous for my to read list.
Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Abike-Iyimide - This author's debut was a fabulous YA thriller. We have all been waiting patiently for her sophomore effort. This just got released. I will probably not buy it, but I will request it from my library. Thanks Publisher's Weekly.
Greek Lessons by Han Kang - I'm not sure how I missed that this came out last year, but it made PW's list of the best books of 2023. This is interesting because it has a relatively low rating on Goodreads. I read her last book, The Vegetarian, which was verging on horrific. I didn't love it, but I found it interesting enough to pick up this one, I guess.
The Unsettled by Ayana Mathis - Another one I have PW to thank for alerting me to it. I love Mathis' first book, The Twelve Tribes of Hattie. I don't even know what this is about, I just put it on my list.
How to Read a Book by Monica Wood - This is a novel about 3 people who meet up in a bookstore. It comes out in May. I don't think I really need to say much more about why this one attracted my attention.
Enlightenment by Sarah Perry - My understanding is that this takes place in the same universe as The Essex Serpent, but with different characters. I guess I better get busy reading that first one. This one comes out in June.
Books I Found on My Shelves
The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah - My husband read this last summer for the Summer Reading Program at my library. He thought I would really like it, so I bought a copy.
The Neighbor's Secret by L. Alison Heller - I honestly have no idea why this is on my shelves. I clearly ordered it from Book of the Month at some point, but I do not remember doing it. Nothing about the summary triggers any memory about what called to me.
The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford - Ford wrote The Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet which I read and enjoyed many years ago. So here we are.
The Dating Plan by Sara Desai - I actually have two copies of this one. It is the second in a series. I have not read the first one. I think perhaps the reason none of these books were on my to read list is because it would highlight my poor decision-making skills.
The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar - It is set in 1780s London, and is comped to The Essex Serpent. A theme?
The Philosopher's Flight by Tom Miller - Magic and science blended together? Great. WWI setting? Less great. Maybe that's why it has sat on my shelf for 5 years.
Early Riser by Jasper Fforde - I probably bought this because I loved his Thursday Next series so much. I'm not sure this will be as funny.
One Day in December by Josie Silver - This book has a lot of controversy around it. It was billed as a romance, but a lot of people said, it's not really that. The cover makes it look like a rom-com, but there's more to it than it seems.
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy - I read The God of Small Things 25 years ago and really liked it. Have I read anything else by this author? No. But that's why I bought it. Awhile back.
Eat Only When You're Hungry by Lindsay Hunter - I don't know if I thought this was a weight loss book, or if I just really wanted all the junk food on the cover, but this is now on my shelf. It has been since 2017.
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay - I think I bought this book with the last one and thought they were both diet books. This is essays by Gay about trauma and sexual assault and eating disorders. I haven't been brave enough to read it, yet.
The Windfal by Diksha Basu - This is set in India and is about a middle aged couple who suddenly go from scraping by to immense wealth. No idea why I haven't read it yet.
Books I Bought
Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater - This is a fae story set in the Regency era. I finally heard enough good reviews to buy it.
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley - My friend says this is much better if you're about 13 years old, but I bought it anyway. It's a classic of the fantasy genre, and I want to read it.
The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty - The third book in the Daevabad Trilogy is finally out in paperback. So I bought it. I haven't read the second one, yet. But whatever.
Miscellaneous
Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel - I finished Wolf Hall and decided I needed to put this one on my to read list. I should have looked for it on my last bookstore trip! Duh!
Okay, that's everything. Sorry it was so long. Oh well.
Have you added anything new to your to read list?