Goodreads Update 2020 Pt. 1

I went absolutely buck wild this week with adding books to my TBR. I decided to save us all some time and heartache later by just updating you on this development now. Apparently, I have added 25 books to my list since my last update. Buckle up kids!

Mimi Lee Gets a Clue by Jennifer J. Chow - This is a cozy mystery about Mimi Lee. Allow me to list the reasons this book caught my attention. 1. Cozy Mystery with an Asian-American main character. 2. She owns a pet grooming service in LA called Hollywoof. 3. She engages in a battle with a dog breeder who gets murdered and she is suspect #1. 4. She's trying to save the dogs the breeder left behind when he died. 5. There's a talking cat named Marshmallow who says exactly what you would expect a cat to say. I repeat: A TALKING CAT. I have it on hold.

Driftwood by Marie Brennan - I liked the first of Brennan's dragon series. I forget what it's called, but it has a cool drawing of a dragon on the cover. I didn't love it enough to finish the series, but enough to read a new effort by the author. This is about a land called Driftwood and a guy named Last. The rumor is that Last has died, but who was he really?

Transcendant Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi - Gyasi is the author of Homecoming, which was an epic historical fiction that followed two branches of two West African sisters who went separate ways. This one is set in current day California and tackles things like Oxycontin addiction, heroin overdose, and the effect of said overdose on a family. This book has fewer than 300 pages so the author is continuing to pack a ton of story into a short package.

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko - It took quite a bit of button pushing to find out that this is a YA fantasy novel. Tarisai is raised by a mother she only knows as The Lady. The Lady sends her to the capital Aritsar (not to be confused with Amritsar in India) to be picked for the Prince's Council. The familial aspect of the Council is attractive to Tarisai, but The Lady has ulterior motives for Tarisai's position.

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin - This adult fantasy novel maybe has a little crossover with science fiction. In this one, the 5 boroughs of NYC have become personified, each with their own personalities. They have to come together to protect the city from ancient forces trying to destroy it.

When Less Becomes More by Emily Ley - Emily Ley owns a planner company and designs beautiful planning products. I don't use them, but I do admire her pretty pictures. Also, I'm interested in minimalism as a concept. I'm not real good at implementing it, but I like to read about it.

Muzzled by David Rosenfelt - I haven't even started this series, but I keep adding new installments to my TBR. Mostly because I like to look at the pictures of the doggos. This is a mystery series that always includes a dog somehow.

Women Who Wrote - This is a collection of poems and stories by a variety of women from the past. This is published by Thomas Nelson, but there doesn't seem to be any editing credit, which makes me go Hmmm.

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - This is the sequel to Gideon the Ninth. In case you're confused, "the Ninth" refers to the Ninth house in their universe. Harrow is the last necromancer of the Ninth House who has been called by the emperor to fight in his war. This is the continuation of that story.

Disappeared by Francisco X. Stork - This book caught my eye because it's set in Juarez, Mexico which you may already know I have a mild fascination with. This one is fiction, which is new for my reading of this city. Sara and Emiliano are brother and sister. She is searching for her missing best friend. He is trying to get in the good graces of his wealthy love, Perla. Their two missions become at odds when darker forces (i.e. gangsters) get involved.

A Good Family by A.H. Kim - In reading the summary on Goodreads, I can't tell if this is a thriller or a literary fiction family drama. I do know a rich woman has gone to jail and someone blew the whistle. There are lots of secrets and lies, so really the genre could go either way. Me? I'm hoping it's literary fiction.

You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria - This is billed as a Telenovela in book form. I don't know. The summary just sounds like your basic romance between actors, except that they happen to be telenovela stars. I don't know if it has enough high drama and gasp-worthy reveals to be compared to a soap opera. I'm willing to give it a shot.

Olive the Lionheart by Brad Ricca - Ricca wrote Mrs. Sherlock Holmes, a non-fiction book about a NYC woman who was a private detective and solved cases the police couldn't. This one is about Olive McCleod who went to Africa to find her missing fiance. Fascinating! I wonder if he wanted to be found...

The Writer's Library by Nancy Pearl and Jeff Schwager - I'm super excited about this one. This is a collection of writers and the books they loved. Nancy Pearl is a treasure!

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi - Emezi's last adult novel was about a Nigerian woman with dissociative identity disorder (once known as Multiple Personality Disorder). This one appears to be about a similar subject. It follows the life of Vivek Oji after he has died. It is a short book, only 248 pages.

Earthlings by Sayaka Murata - This is the author of Convenience Store Woman about a woman who likes her job in the convenience store even though everyone wants her to move up. This one is about a strange woman who might be a witch. Japanese fiction is always weird. Good weird, but weird.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - I added this solely on the basis of Susanna Clarke's name. She wrote Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I have the feeling this has something to do with classic myths. I'm not really sure and I don't really care.

Carry by Toni Jensen - This is a memoir by a Native American woman about her experiences with guns throughout her life. She brings in the history of guns in America and that of Native Americans. I bet this is fascinating. I like that word. I've used it a lot in this list. It's a good list.

The Deepest South of All by Richard Grant - I've learned a lot about Natchez, Mississippi just by reading the summary of this book on Goodreads. For example, it once had the largest number of millionaires in the country. Also, they've elected a gay, black mayor in a landslide vote. Who knew? I'm stoked to read these personal stories from the town.

Did I say 26 books? I can't do math. It's 36 books. Let me end this here and pick it up again with the last 17 books. Whew!

Are there any books on this list that strike your fancy??