June 22 Goodreads Update Pt. 1
I recently weeded my TBR shelf on Goodreads, so what did I do next? I added more books, of course.
Mean Baby by Selma Blair – Selma Blair is an actress I've liked when I've seen her. I haven't seen a lot of her movies, but I liked what I've seen. Apparently, she was a mean baby: biting, lying, just generally awful. After years of feeling off, she got a Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis and has become an advocate for MS sufferers. I'm interested because of MS' proximity to my own autoimmune disorders.
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones - 1619 is when the first ship carrying African slaves landed on American soil. This is a re-imagining of history since then through the lens of black people.
The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson - Alice's boyfriend broke up with her and she disappeared for 5 days. She's not talking about where she went and tongues wag. Until her ex-best friend, Brooke (who happens to be the ex-boyfriends new girlfriend) ends up dead. Alice and her tutor don't think the boyfriend did it, and they have a collection of Agatha Christie books to back them up.
Meet Me In the Margins by Melissa Ferguson - Our main character is an editor at a high class publisher. In her free time, she writes romance books. She accidentally leaves her manuscript in a break room and when she goes back for it, someone has left editing notes in the margins. It's a romance and a love letter to books. Yes, please.
Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place by Neema Avashia - Like, what? Indian people in West Virginia? I have to hear what that was like.
One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle - Katy takes a vacation she had planned to take with her mother, but her mother died unexpectedly, so she's on her own and grieving. Then she sees a younger version of her mother on the street in Positano.
The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri - A Facebook friend is reading this series, and it's set in Italy. This gave me Donna Leon vibes so I decided to check it out. I have the first one out from the library that I'll get to after I get through my book club book. It sounds like food is prominent here, so I'm "going to give it a sniff" as my friend said.
Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen - This is comedic crime novel, question mark. Ava's college roommate shows up after disappearing 20 years ago, but she's built a huge business in designer fakes and wants Ava to help her break into the American market. What could go wrong?
Acts of Violet by Margarita Montimore - This looks like a cutesy book, but I don't think it is light and fluffy. Violet is a magicial who diappeared 10 years ago in the middle of an act. Now she has a cult following that hasn't let go of the mystery of her disapearance. Her sister Sasha really doesn't want to talk about it. Sasha's daughter is getting obsessive about her aunt. It all starts to come to a head when Sasha starts having sleep-walking episodes and just has to face whatever happened.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin - This is about 2 Harvard students who create a video game and make it big. It's mostly about the two of them and less about the game technology, or so I've heard. I liked the last one I read by her, so I'm interested.
I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston - McQuiston's previous books have been adult novels. This one is a YA book. I haven't read any of them yet, but I've heard they're all good.
The Jane Austen Remedy by Ruth Wilson - Does it matter what this is about? Well anyway, it's a memoir about a woman in her 70s re-reading all the Jane Austen novels. I'm so here for it.
Sybil Exposed: The Extraordinary Story Behind the Famous Multiple Personality Case by Debbie Nathan - First of all, we definitely don't call it that anymore, but this book is 10 years old. I'm mostly interested because I read Sybil in high school and was super freaked out by it. Now, as the parent of someone with Dissociative Identity Disorder, I'd like to see what this has to say.
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center - I've heard that Katherine Center is a great author, but I've never been particularly interested in any of her plots. This one goto me though, Hannah is a bodyguard to an A-list actor and is actively protecting him from a stalker. When he has to go home to Texas to help his sick mother, he doesn't want his family to know he has a stalker or a bodyguard, so she has to pretend to be his girlfriend. Fake relationship? Gets me every time. Also, I'm down with the female bodyguard situation.
Ok, that's 12 new books on my list. I'll be back in a couple of weeks with more, I'm sure.
See anything interesting?