Library Update March 2025
The calendar tells me that April begins in less than a week. That means it's time to start my end-of-March posts. First up is the Library Update. So here we go!
CHECKED OUT
Easy Weeknight Dinners by Emily Weinstein - I have had this for at least 2 weeks and I haven't made anything out of it, yet. I had already planned meals for March, so I will probably try to make something out of it for April. There are actual easy dinners in here that our people will eat, AND that don't have a ton of bizarre ingredients.
The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue - This is Donoghue's latest. I'm 25% in, and so far, it follows a bunch of people who are all on this train from Normandy to Paris. A couple of pages are devoted to what each person is thinking, and the narrative goes around and around. The train is also a character. It's ever so slightly weird.
The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon - I don't usually love Middle Grade books, but I've heard this is great, and Kate McKinnon is hilarious. She is ex-SNL, after all. I haven't started it, yet, but I don't think it will take long to read.
ON HOLD
I'm starting with the items that are still on order. Some of them have been published and are available at the bookstore, and some of them have not come out yet. Either way, it is likely to be awhile before I get them.
Hidden Libraries by DC Helmuth - Nothing to add here. It's still on order. I learned from my previous experience that if I cancel my hold, the book will suddenly be available and I will have lost my chance.
When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi - This is the one about the moon turning to cheese. I heard on a podcast this week that it's really great. Also, Scalzi considers it the third in a trilogy that includes The Kaiju Preservation Society and Starter Villain. Shoot, now I need to read those, too!
Carving Shadows Into Gold by Brigid Kemmerer - Have I read the first one? No. Good thing this isn't out yet. Nor do I expect to see it any time soon. As evidenced by my post yesterday, I don't plan to read YA books in the next three months. I might be forced to, if this shows up before I've got to the other one.
Don't Sleep With the Dead by Nghi Vo - I'm excited by this one because I really liked the first one. The Chosen and the Beautiful retold The Great Gatsby from the perspective of Jordan Baker, the gold pro. This one follows Nick Caraway many years later, when Jay Gatsby comes back into his life. "But wait!" You're saying. "Gatsby died at the end of that book." Doesn't matter. He's not done with Nick.
The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner - Haven Ambrose (stupid name) is a nautical archeologist looking for shipwrecks off the Amalfi Coast. (I googled it. The Amalfi Coast is located on the West Coast of Italy at about the ankle of the boot.) She is also looking for a sunken treasure her dad reported seeing on his last dive. Her search is beset by misfortunes and unexplained weather events. It's fine right?
Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green - I guess Green isn't writing YA fiction anymore. The last couple have been nonfiction for adults. Whatever, I am personally invested in this book. Apparently, Green is obsessed with Tuberculosis. Weird flex, but ok. We can go with it. I've seen this at the bookstore. It's pretty short. If it doesn't show up earlier, I'll buy the paperback.
Kills Well With Others by Deanna Raybourn - So many people have already read this. grump, grump Anyway, I'm still sitting her waiting for my copy.
Southern Living 2024 Annual Recipes - This is entirely aspirational reading. Food porn, if you will.
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry - I have loved every one of Henry's adult books. That's not true. There was one I didn't care for very much, but I have loved the others. I expect to enjoy this one just as much.
Compassion in the Court: Life-Changing Stories From America's Nicest Judge by Frank Caprio - I've seen clips of this guy's court. He definitely has a heart for people who are struggling. Mostly he does traffic court stuff, so it's not like he's letting the worst criminals off the hook. These are people who can't afford to pay their ticket for running a light. He's funny, and I'm interested in what he has to say.
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst - I feel like this would be better suited to a Fall or Winter read, but I'll read it whenever it shows up. Could end up being an April read.
Wicked Darlings by Jordyn Taylor - I love the chandelier on the cover. This is YA. It might be a thriller. Maybe horror? I guess I'll find out.
The Kennedy Girl by Julia Bryan Thomas - The author showed me a picture of the cover before this book came out. She said the first cover she was shown was awful. It also had a blue cover, but it was the wrong shade of blue. This isn't a great representation of the cover. In person it's much more striking.
Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett - This is the third in a series, and I haven't read the second! Heck, I'm 9th on this hold list. I really need to get busy!
The JFK Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Kennedy - And Why It Failed by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch - According to this book, there was a plot to kill Kennedy before the one where he was actually assassinated. I recently discovered the government documents investigating the Kennedy assassination in our basement storage, so this is interesting to me.
The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens - The main character is a former Bosnian militia fighter against the Serbians. Now she is a "mild-mannered librarian" (hurk) in Minnesota, but her past has caught up with her. I maintain the right to be skeptical about this dude's ability to write a woman.
The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis - I have not read a Fiona Davis novel, despite owning a non-zero number of them. I understand her novels usually have two timelines and this one is no exception. It takes place in 1936 at an Egyptian archeological dig and in 1978 NYC. I feel like a lot of her books are set at least partially in NYC.
Anyway, that is the end of my Library recap. See anything interesting? Let me know.