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    • Top Five Books of 2020

      Posted at 10:56 am by Laura, on December 31, 2020

      It’s that time of year! Everyone is sharing their favorite books from 2020, and for the first time in a very long time I have to struggle to pick five from the pile of five-star reviews rather than accept the meager few as my top.

      When I made it my goal to read for quality over quantity this year (even though I did give a number and didn’t reach it), I found myself really enjoying reading for pleasure again (who would’ve thought?). This resulted in tossing aside several books to the DNF and TTFN, and diving deep into the ones I was truly enjoying. Several four-, four-and-a-half-, and five-star reads came forth, and it was such a joy! I can look back on my reading year in 2020 fondly.

      Top Five Books of 2020

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      “But Laura,” you say, “there are six books here! Can’t you count?”

      Top Five Books of 2020: Born a Crime, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, The Happy Ever After Playlist, Mexican Gothic, and A Darker Shade of Magic make my top most top five of the five-star reviewed titles. 

      Five other five-star reads include Becoming, Digital Minimalism, The Lost Words, Recommended for You, and The Once and Future Witches.

      The Top of the Top Best Book of 2020: The Year of the Witching, solidifying itself as one of my favorite books ever. All the stars to this book. All of them.

      And of course, my clients! 

      Shielded by KayLynn Flanders

      The Puppetmaster’s Apprentice by Lisa DeSelm

      These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

      ~

      Looking forward to another great reading year in 2021! 

      Posted in books, Update Post | 0 Comments | Tagged books, personal, top five books
    • Mini Reviews

      Posted at 4:39 pm by Laura, on December 26, 2020

      This final set of mini reviews was meant to be primarily contemporary adult fiction, but it does contain one rogue fantasy title! 

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      Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid (★★★★)

      One night when Alix’s house is vandalized, Alix calls upon Emira to take Briar out of the house and kill some time while Alix and her husband sort out the mess. While Emira is at the grocery store with Briar, a customer and a security personnel question her motives and assume Emira kidnapped Briar. A young man, Kelley, films the whole scene till Briar’s dad runs in and clears up the matter. The rest of the novel spirals from there, sharing the impact one event can have on three people.

      This is definitely a novel about race, perception, misunderstandings, motive, and passive listening. Alix intended to be better with and around Emira, a young black woman, but her way of tiptoeing and forcing a relationship (which…felt very white savior) was not genuine. Meanwhile, Kelley, a white man, may have been genuine but it also felt a bit white savior, and (as pointed out in the narrative) fetishized. Wrapped up in all this is Emira, who loves Briar deeply but desperately wants health insurance, a 401k, and a “true adult job” but she has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She’s about to turn 26 and be kicked off her parents’ insurance, and she’s watching her friends “grow up” at a faster rate, feeling left behind. I really felt for her and wanted her to find that perfect path. But life isn’t perfect, and when you factor in race, it’s hard to tell who is really on your side with genuine intentions and care.

      I adored Emira, and Alix made me cringe on so many levels—partly for the mirror reflection personally, partly because I know people just like her. But at the end of the day this book had me examining what it means to be an ally, to be anti-racist, and how my words and actions have the potential to be misconstrued and misunderstood. Honesty is the best policy, no doubt. I was pleased with where this story ended, and I’ll admit I had zero idea throughout reading this book where any of these characters would end up! Just as unpredictable as life itself. This book got me out of a reading slump, and holds a special place on my shelves.

      The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir (★★★★)

      Book club discussed this and it blew my mind—reality TV, religion, feminism, parenthood, capitalism, abuse—and the book left me speechless. Whoa is all I can truly coherently say.

      Essie is the youngest child in TV show “Six for Hicks,” and she’s pregnant. The world can’t know about it—out-of-wedlock pregnancy goes against the family’s extremely conservative, religious values—so she’s arranged to be married off. But when Essie plays her mother’s game and reaches out to a reporter who was once connected to another right-wing cult and broke free, she must now decide to tell the terrible truth of her family when the cameras are off, or quietly leave the show without imploding everyone’s lives.

      Very readable and engaging. The experience was almost like a car wreck and you can’t look away. There were some things I could relate to––possible universal experiences such as being raised to fit a certain role in life, to be burdened with specific responsibilities, respecting and honoring family first––though thankfully never to the extreme extent Essie experienced! I think we can all agree sticking to a prescribed role is confining, demoralizing, and has explosive repercussions when one wants to break free and be their true selves.

      The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (★★★)

      “How are you feeling?” Zachary asks.
      “Like I’m losing my mind, but in a slow, achingly beautiful sort of way.”

      That just about sums up how I felt reading this book. The Night Circus is within my top five favorite books ever, and I went into this hoping for something similar. I wanted to taste the words and sink into the magic of the narrative and experience the tales with all of my senses. That certainly happened, but like Zachary says, “I wanted more story.”

      This is a story about stories about stories about stories. It’s incredibly meta. There are snippets of tales throughout Zachary’s narrative that have a fairytale-like quality to them—and because it’s Morgenstern, you know you need to pay attention to them because they’ll come back later. (My favorite story was the key collector. I felt a kindred spirit with him.) There are discussions on what makes a story—is it a book, a play, live theater, a board game, a video game, D&D; is it about a quest or a romance or the journey; does it have all the tropes, a beginning and end, an arc?—and every single one is explored in here. I can certainly appreciate that. The prose is stunning and the world is a bookworm’s paradise.

      But there were so many stories within stories I was frustrated and lost track. Zachary was so determined to find the ending of the story in his book that all other questions—who is the antagonist, what is this group, why are they dying, how do they know these things, how is he being followed, who are these people, why are they doing what they’re doing, what is the purpose—flew out the window. He simply…bumbled along. And by the end it’s so trippy I simply accepted the lack of plot and answers and went with it. I wonder if I would have a different experience with this if I re-read it. Honestly, I don’t know if I will—it’s a couple hundred pages of wandering around not getting questions answered too long for me—but I’m pleased at least that her magic is still there.

      Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis (★★★★)

      Emmie never really had friends or family, never always felt she had a home or a safe space, until after a horrific event prompted her to send a message tied to a balloon—which crossed the Channel and found its way to Lucas in France, who emailed Emmie back. For 15 years, Lucas was Emmie’s life. But now he’s getting married, and everything’s changing.

      I was extremely frustrated with Emmie’s dependent attachment to Lucas, the way she‘d drop everything and everyone else for him, the way she loved the idea of him and was blind to his true nature and to everyone else around her. I was frustrated because I was once Emmie too, and it wasn’t healthy. Emmie endured a traumatic experience and never received the help she so desperately needed, and here she was living with it haunting her everyday. Of course she would cling to the one good thing from her life all those years ago. Of course.

      I fell in love with the book more and more as Emmie distanced herself from Lucas. Her relationship with her landlady Louise, rekindling the friendship with Lucas’s brother Eliot, opening up to her colleagues at the hotel, finding her birth father—it was great to see her open her eyes and take stock of what she has in her life, and that it doesn’t need to revolve around a man to make her happy. (And the slowest of slow burns romance? Loved. It. That’s respect right there!)

      I recommend this book to anyone who has come out the other side of trauma: you’re not alone. I recommend this book to anyone who loves someone who’s been through trauma: here is an example of those attachments they formed. I recommend this book to anyone who loves someone still stuck in that trauma: with patience, time, and love, they do come out the other side stronger. 

      Posted in books, Reviews 2020 | 1 Comment | Tagged books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: fantasy, mini review, review
    • Mini Reviews

      Posted at 4:17 pm by Laura, on December 26, 2020

      This next set of mini reviews is reserved for young adult fiction!

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      Now That I’ve Found You by Kristina Forest (★★★★)

      Evie is the granddaughter of a famous actress, and she recently blew her acting dreams apart with one bad viral video. Ashamed and desperate to make it back to the center stage, Evie heads to Gigi’s and stumbles into Milo, a young musician Gigi has taken under her wing. Though Evie’s plans to convince Gigi to attend an award ceremony backfire, she and Milo spend a week together exploring NYC, learning what’s important in life, and discovering that media is a fickle friend.

      This is Kristina Forest’s sophomore novel, and now I want to read her debut! The writing nailed the YA voice, the immediacy of everything was exhilarating and fun, Evie was deeply relatable despite her celebrity, and Milo was definitely swoon-worthy in a far less obvious way. I enjoyed every second of this. Most of all, I appreciated the openness and honesty between the characters, even though part of this narrative hinges on dishonesty. Not once did I want to bonk them on their heads and say “just TALK!”—so that was an immense relief. Evie’s growth and “I don’t have an answer but that’s okay” felt so right, too. You don’t need to have it all figured out yet!

      If you’re in need of a feel-good read to put a smile on your face, look no further!

      Recommended For You by Laura Silverman (★★★★★)

      Shoshanna Greenberg is determined to be the best bookseller at Once Upon this holiday season. But her moms are fighting, her car keeps breaking down, and the new employee at work—Jake Kaplan—is her biggest competition. He’s cute, he’s Jewish, and even though he doesn’t read books he’s somehow hand-selling more books than Shoshanna! Game on. But as Shoshanna tries to fix everything falling apart around her, she soon discovers some things require time to mend, and others require a little more thoughtfulness.

      I started for the holiday rush at a bookstore setting—holy heck was it all SO RIGHT, it made me remember my bookselling days!—and stayed for the big heart and big emotions. Shoshanna is so well-meaning and endearing, and even though she tends to knee-jerk react, it all comes from a place of compassion. There’s a lot to love about this book: employees as family, the diversity across the board (Jewish rep, LGBT+ rep, ability rep, poverty rep), a bookstore as a home, all the ways people can be called readers, the ways food connects to the heart, the true holiday spirit…Perfect, cute, fun holiday book for bookworms!

      Posted in books, Reviews 2020 | 0 Comments | Tagged books, genre: contemporary, genre: young adult, mini review, review
    • Mini Reviews

      Posted at 12:46 pm by Laura, on December 22, 2020

      As the year comes to a close, I needed to wrap up my reviews from books read several months ago. Some more mini reviews coming your way. This one is themed historical and fantasy!

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      The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by KS Villoso (★★★.5)

      Talyien is the Queen of Oren-yaro, or rather all of Jin-Sayeng, after unifying the warlords and city-states to her marriage with Rayyel, the Ikessar Prince and Dragonlord. It’s a big deal because there’s been what seems like centuries of bloodshed and warfare. But the night before they’re crowned, Rai walks out on Talyien. Flash forward five years. Their son is 7, Oren-yaro and the warlords are on the brink of civil war again, and Talyien receives a letter from Rai to meet with him in the neighboring kingdom across the sea. Skeptical but hopeful, Talyien sets sail…and 400 pages of obstacles happens.

      I’m not kidding. Talyien is betrayed left and right and doesn’t know who to trust—literally everyone except for maybe two people can’t be trusted—and she’s going to need some major therapy to work through these attachment issues and PTSD. And this is only the beginning! Villoso has a trilogy in store, and she’s only scratched the surface of Talyien and this Filipino-inspired world. 

      I found Talyien’s voice easy to read, but this character-driven narrative requires close attention to detail. She is holding back from the reader––you, too, face surprises at every turn. While you do discover why Rai left, and who is behind all this turmoil and destruction, I did find the reason odd and not quite powerful enough to warrant the mess Talyien was left to deal with. Then again, I could be totally wrong—like I said before, this is only the beginning of this journey and trilogy! And for the record, Khine is my favorite.

      I’m looking forward to diving into The Ikessar Falcon in 2021!

      The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis (★★★★)

      This was my very first Davis novel, which is shameful when I tell you the context: her editor shared a copy of The Dollhouse (her debut) with me when it first released, and it’s still on my shelves unread with the personalized note still paper-clipped to the cover. Lions is Davis’s fourth or fifth novel at this point. (I’m sorry, Stephanie! You can bet I’ll be reading them now!)

      Historical parallel narratives will always be my bait; NYC narratives are hit or miss for me. So I went into this with hopes of enjoying a good library-centered book—and I really, really enjoyed this to pieces. Laura in 1913 and Sadie in 1993 each have connections to the iconic New York Public Library, and both are intricately connected to a series of thefts of valuable books in the library’s collection. Which books, who stole them, and why are at the heart of this narrative.

      Laura wants more from life, and works hard toward a masters in journalism so she can help bring in some extra cash while her husband, the NYPL superintendent, can finish his manuscript. They live in an apartment in the library itself, and everyone suspects the Lyons family is behind the thefts. Sadie is set in her ways and has built a wall around her lonely heart, and feels she can really only connect with literature and answer patron questions—making her the perfect librarian to curate a special exhibit collection. She, too, is suspect in the thefts.

      Laura’s journey was equally empowering and frustrating, what with the suffrage movement happening simultaneously. I was pleased with her narrative and arc. Sadie was…woof, super close to home for me. Her preference for music without words to help calm her down, her attraction to 1950s clothing, her ability to be a human Google but struggles to interpret others’ romantic feelings (since she doesn’t feel worthy of their love), her complete absorption in literature…gosh, I felt that deeply. Her character is an example of the mistaking-contentedness-for-happiness characters I gravitate toward and enjoy. Davis did an excellent job of expressing each woman’s experience. I’m sold on her other books, regardless of plot or location! Character-driven narratives are my ultimate jam.

      If you love books about books, Kate Morton’s sense of place as a character, and parallel narratives, this book is for you!

      A Dance With Fate by Juliet Mariller (ARC) (★★★)

      I thoroughly enjoyed the first book of the warrior bard series last year (The Harp of Kings)—the undercover work, spy mission, character development, druids—and reading this next installment proved Marillier still has those writing chops for great character development and visceral storytelling.

      However, the content in the novel was a bit vicious and harrowing for my taste right now (trauma, abuse, neglect, gaslighting), and the leader reminded me so much of the current scumbag in office that I struggled to not get extremely riled up when the characters just took his lashings without comment. It’s dark yet beautifully written—just hit a little too close to home. I’m glad to see the representation in here—mental health, blindness, domestic violence survivors—and of course I’m thrilled to see where Dau and Liobhan end up in the final book.

      I’m aware this review isn’t much of a review—I can’t say too much without spoiling the narrative—but I read it, I enjoyed it as a second in the series, but it (through no fault of its own) was a bit too close to home for me at this point in time. Years down the road I’ll reread this with new eyes and absorb the other aspects of the narrative, I’m sure.

      Posted in books, Reviews 2020 | 1 Comment | Tagged advance reading copy, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: fantasy, genre: historical fiction, mini review, review
    • Book Review: “The Switch” by Beth O’Leary

      Posted at 11:52 am by Laura, on October 1, 2020

      The Switch by Beth O’Leary

      Publisher: Quercus
      Published: April 2020
      Genre: women’s fiction
      ISBN: 9781787474994
      Rating: 
      ★★★★

      Ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, Leena escapes to her grandmother Eileen’s house for some overdue rest. Newly single and about to turn eighty, Eileen would like a second chance at love. But her tiny Yorkshire village doesn’t offer many eligible gentlemen… So Leena proposes a solution: a two-month swap. Eileen can live in London and look for love, and Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire.

      But with a rabble of unruly OAPs to contend with, as well as the annoyingly perfect – and distractingly handsome – local schoolteacher, Leena learns that switching lives isn’t straightforward. Back in London, Eileen is a huge hit with her new neighbours, and with the online dating scene. But is her perfect match nearer to home than she first thought?

      Leena is super stressed at work, and her grandmother Eileen wants to expand her dating horizons, so they decide to spend the summer at the other’s home—sometimes all you need is a little change of scenery. Hilarity, enlightenment, community, and heartwarming experiences ensue!

      This is the perfect little pick-me-up and cheerful read. I loved Eileen’s gumption and view on life—her no-nonsense personality and “see it, fix it” helpful attitude, her sense of community spirit—and she totally reminded me of my own Nana. Eileen is the kind of person I strive to be, to find or have the answers while helping others while maintaining healthy boundaries and a balanced sense of self. Leena, on the other hand, was achingly familiar to me. I related a little too intensely to her desire for perfection, her need to please, her hamster-wheeling brain. There were whole scenes in the book that had me wondering if O’Leary had a little camera on the wall of my office. But Leena, too, found her zen in her summer and it served as a reminder to me to take a step back and breathe once in a while! You can’t give your all when you’re out of gas.

      While Flatshare highlighted gaslighting, unhealthy romantic relationships, and finding ways to come out of abuse in a healthy, positive way, The Switch focused on self improvement, self care, and familial grief. Leena and her mother experienced Leena’s sister’s death in two drastically different ways, and Eileen was left to referee her daughter and granddaughter’s emotional well-beings. Part of Eileen’s tendency to keep the peace in all aspects of her life brought on heavy burdens she didn’t need to take on. Part of Leena’s tendency to grind and overwork was to stave off unwanted memories and unacknowledged grief, all of which she needed to experience in order to reunite with her mother and move forward in life.

      What I love the most about O’Leary’s books is the way she handles universal, deep, and modern female experiences––all of them heavy, many of them uphill battles as a modern woman––and wraps them with humor and compassion. I know now when I dive into her novels I’m going to be dealing with some dark stuff, but I’ll still smile and laugh throughout the journey. All in all, she’s an “up-lit” author!

      If you enjoyed the humor and familiarity and female experiences of The Flatshare, you’ll enjoy this book. If you’re looking for predominantly romance, this isn’t quite it—though there, it’s not the point at all. This is uplifting fiction, discussing grief, community, mental health, aging, and never giving up.

      Posted in books, Reviews 2020 | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, review
    • Book Review: Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow

      Posted at 11:42 am by Laura, on June 27, 2020

      The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow

      Publisher: Redhook
      Published: September 2019
      Genre: historical fantasy
      ISBN: 9780316421997
      Rating: 
      ★★★★★

      In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.

      Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.

      It feels like a lifetime ago I read this book and it left me speechless. Nearly six months later and I’m just now finding the time to sit down and write about it…

      The premise alone intrigued me. Stories that have artifacts, books, papers, letters, and this dusty, quiet, academic quality to it will always capture my attention. Stories within stories are fascinating. I went into this novel expecting one thing, and quickly learned it was entirely something else.

      January, as a mixed-race young woman in the early 1900s New England, is treated like an object to be examined, “treasured,” and hidden away. While Mr. Locke appears to be benevolent, it is because of his thirst to acquire artifacts from across the globe (and beyond)––in true rich, old, white man fashion––that January is unable to be with her father, a Black man who speaks thoughtfully and has beautiful tattoos across his arms. January wants nothing more than to be loved by her stranger of a father, and his departures become more difficult to bear.

      She finds solace in a mysterious book of stories. It smells like the sea, and it reminds her of a Door she discovered as a child in the middle of a field. This book feels like a friend, for in it the narrator shares they too know of these Doors to other places. She feels a deep connection to the narrator, and she can’t quite put her finger on why.

      This book opens January’s eyes to the life she could have had, to a life elsewhere, to the truth of her father’s departures and Mr. Locke’s nature. This book shapes January’s identity in such beautiful and heartbreaking ways. As each piece of the puzzle fell into place via these interconnected stories within the book, so too did the puzzles of January’s remarkable life. I was swept up in each tale, in January’s voice, in the melancholy of oppression and separation, in the deep joy of love and family, in the hunger for storytelling and knowledge. Months have passed and I’m still haunted by this stunning narrative.

      Ten Thousand is about nostalgia and hope. It’s about the magic of words and stories, love and friendship. It’s about power, obsession, and corruption. It’s about rebuilding and pushing forward. It’s about sacrifice. It’s everything I could want in a historical gothic portal fantasy.

      This qualifies for my TBR & genre challenge!

      Posted in books, Reviews 2020 | 2 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: fantasy, genre: historical fiction, review
    • Book Review: Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender

      Posted at 2:47 pm by Laura, on May 3, 2020

      Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender

      Publisher: Orbit
      Published: November 2019
      Genre: fantasy
      ISBN: 9780316454933
      Rating: 
      ★★★.5

      An ambitious young woman with the power to control minds seeks vengeance against the royals who murdered her family, in a Caribbean-inspired fantasy world embattled by colonial oppression.

      Sigourney Rose is the only surviving daughter of a noble lineage on the islands of Hans Lollik. When she was a child, her family was murdered by the islands’ colonizers, who have massacred and enslaved generations of her people—and now, Sigourney is ready to exact her revenge.

      When the childless king of the islands declares that he will choose his successor from amongst eligible noble families, Sigourney uses her ability to read and control minds to manipulate her way onto the royal island and into the ranks of the ruling colonizers. But when she arrives, prepared to fight for control of all the islands, Sigourney finds herself the target of a dangerous, unknown magic.

      Someone is killing off the ruling families to clear a path to the throne. As the bodies pile up and all eyes regard her with suspicion, Sigourney must find allies among her prey and the murderer among her peers… lest she become the next victim.

      Difficult, compelling, rage-filled, complex, vengeful, powerful… This was the first book I read in 2020, and I started with a bang.

      This novel is full of unflinching rage and complexity on colonialism, power, and revenge. I am aware of my own privilege and the history of my race and the horrors and atrocities we committed, so this was a difficult pill to swallow but one I’m glad to have done.

      Beautiful writing—haunting, even—and great world building inspired by the Danish control of the Virgin Islands. Sigourney’s character was a bit passive amidst all the action and uninterested in the mystery of who was killing off all the kongelig, but her rage and moral complexity was strong as hell. I found this to be a character-driven novel with lots of intricate political intrigue and background detail going on. I’m interested in Løren’s POV in the next book, and what will come as a result.

      More than anything, diverse books are wonderful in sharing another’s view, and they also shed light on my disappointing lack of knowledge of the world. At least in American curriculum, the majority of our history lessons focus on white history, the successes of our power. We are not taught—unless we take an elective in college, and even then it’s likely white-centric—of the horrors and atrocities that having such power brought.

      Callender handles these complexities so well in this novel—what would an oppressed person do if given that power, but is not respected by others in power or those who are also oppressed?—exploring the ambiguity of what it means to walk that fine line. The terrible things Sigourney sees, does, and hears about are truths of our history, and we must face them head on too.

      This qualifies for my TBR & genre challenge!

      Posted in books, Reviews 2020 | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: fantasy, review
    • Book Review: “We Met in December” by Rosie Curtis

      Posted at 1:47 pm by Laura, on January 26, 2020

      We Met in December by Rosie Curtis

      Publisher: William Morrow
      Published: November 2019
      Genre: women’s fiction
      ISBN: 9780062964564
      Rating:
      ★★★★

      Two people. One house. A year that changes everything. 

      Twenty-nine-year-old Jess is following her dream and moving to London. It’s December, and she’s taking a room in a crumbling, but grand, Notting Hill house-share with four virtual strangers. On her first night, Jess meets Alex, the guy sharing her floor, at a Christmas dinner hosted by her landlord. They don’t kiss, but as far as Jess is concerned the connection is clear. She starts planning how they will knock down the wall between them to spend more time together.

      But when Jess returns from a two-week Christmas holiday, she finds Alex has started dating someone else—beautiful Emma, who lives on the floor above them. Now Jess faces a year of bumping into (hell, sharing a bathroom with) the man of her dreams…and the woman of his.

      Another book I read in the end of 2019 that I didn’t find time to review, but thoroughly enjoyed! It’s just what I needed—something light, fun, rated G, candy for the heart and soul.

      We are a part of the lives of two individuals, Jess and Alex, in their first year of starting blank slates in life. Jess has taken a demanding job in publishing in London, leaving her loving grandmother’s home by the sea; Alex has shifted career paths from lawyer to nurse, much to the dismay of his ex-fiancée. Attraction is immediate and timing is poor. Jess spends two weeks away and comes back to hear of a friends-with-benefits situation with Alex and another roommate; and Alex keeps swearing he’s not looking for a relationship of any kind. As the year progresses, Jess and Alex must come to terms with their hearts and find a way to one another.

      Do not be deceived by the cover! This is not a Christmas/winter book despite starting and ending in December. And that’s okay — I’m all for stories set in/around London, and Jess’s weekly walks with Alex exploring the city was just as magical as Christmastime. I loved the dynamics of the house and the variety of characters in here! It reminded me of my senior year of college, and I knew someone in my life who was exactly like Jess’s friends or their roommates. I also related to Jess on such a deep level it was almost comically painful — her worries and concerns for her family, her future, her finances, her social life, of feeling stuck, of life moving too quickly, all of it.

      This story is for all the Good Girls out there, all the readers who want a sweet friendship-turned-HEA with low low heat, all those who struggled to catch a break in a career they love—this one’s for you, lovelies!

      Posted in books, Reviews 2019 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, review
    • Book Review: “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Mhairi McFarlane

      Posted at 1:24 pm by Laura, on January 26, 2020

      Don’t You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane

      Publisher: William Morrow
      Published: September 2019
      Genre: women’s fiction
      ISBN: 9780062958464
      Rating:
      ★★★★★

      You always remember your first love… don’t you?

      If there’s anything worse than being fired from the lousiest restaurant in town, it’s coming home early to find your boyfriend in bed with someone else. Reeling from the humiliation of a double dumping in one day, Georgina takes the next job that comes her way—bartender in a newly opened pub. There’s only one problem: it’s run by the guy she fell in love with years ago. And—make that two problems—he doesn’t remember her. At all. But she has fabulous friends and her signature hot pink fur coat… what more could a girl really need?

      Lucas McCarthy has not only grown into a broodingly handsome man, but he’s also turned into an actual grown-up, with a thriving business and a dog along the way. Crossing paths with him again throws Georgina’s rocky present into sharp relief—and brings a secret from her past bubbling to the surface. Only she knows what happened twelve years ago, and why she’s allowed the memories to chase her ever since. But maybe it’s not too late for the truth… or a second chance with the one that got away?

      This is a book I’ve been shoving in everyone’s faces since October, and it’s such a shame I’m only just now finding an opportunity to review it here (although I did manage to tell you it was in my Top Five of 2019). But oh my gosh. THIS BOOK.

      An event happened before heading off to university that shaped the course of Georgina’s life. Everyone thinks Georgina can do better, be better, that she doesn’t respect herself so why should others. It’s reached a point where she feels the same, and doesn’t seem to mind it too much—but when a disastrous night waitressing meets a nasty shock with a narcissistic boyfriend collides, Georgina’s life propels forward on a path of figuring out who she is, what she wants, and—(does her new boss at this reopened pub remember her? Is she really that forgetful? She certainly remembers him!)—how to free herself from her past.

      The way McFarlane handles grief, friendship, family, trauma, and healing throughout this proper laugh-out-loud novel is absolutely astounding. Here is a dysfunctional, fractured, yet loving family and group of friends loving Georgina through thick and thin, guiding her through a nasty breakup and coming out of an emotionally abusive situation. Here is a daughter burying herself behind self-deprecating humor as she mourns her flawed father. Here is a young woman, standing in front of a young man, wishing she could tell him exactly what happened that night before university, but wonders why she should bother at all because he seems to not remember her anyway. I’m floored. Every little perfection and flaw in Georgina’s character is valid and wonderful—this is a fully developed and realized character, straight to the core, and every character thereafter so completely fleshed out their actions and words made absolute sense for them in that scene. Just…jaw-dropping, genuine authenticity through every page.

      This is guilt. This is grief. This is laughter. This is hope. This is trying your best. This is surviving and thriving. This is friendship. This is heartbreak. This is family. This is enough.

      Thank you, Mhairi McFarlane. Thank you for this book.

      Posted in books, Reviews 2019 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, review
    • 2020 Bookish Resolutions & Reading Goals

      Posted at 10:15 am by Laura, on December 31, 2019

      Major Goals

      READ 45 BOOKS || I barely hit this goal (43 instead of 45) in 2019 for a number of reasons, but just like my goal in 2019 I want to focus on quality over quantity, and I’m very pleased with my reading year in 2019. It is my hope to do the same for 2020!

      READ 15 LIBRARY BOOKS || This shouldn’t be hard, considering I’ve read so much from the library already and I definitely plan to read more again this year too! It goes hand-in-hand with my next goal…

      BARGAIN BUY || In an effort to make better purchasing decisions on a slim budget, I will focus my efforts to reading library books and making bargain purchases––coupons, XY% off, second-hand, etc––and only buy brand new, full price items for hot ticket, highly coveted, would’ve-dropped-money-no-matter-what books I’ve been excited for and waiting on for ages. This isn’t just nice for the wallet, but also for my buckling bookcases, which leads to…

      READ MORE FROM TBR || …reading from those buckling bookcases! I threw my money at all of these books I’m still very excited to read, so perhaps I should read them.

      Bonus Goals

      READ MORE GABALDON / MARILLIER || You guys, I have all of their books. I need to read them. And get back into the binge-reading style I so loved before blogging!

      READ MORE GENRE FICTION || OOOOOOWEEEEE I love fantasy and historical! Last year my goal was to get into more mysteries, and I did via the historical fiction route. I think I’ll continue doing that, and also add some more sweeping epic fantasies on my list too. Many of them I already own. So again…these goals go hand-in-hand quite nicely!

      ~

      What are your reading goals for 2020?

      Posted in books | 3 Comments | Tagged books, personal, resolutions
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    • Hello, I’m Laura!

      I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to knit, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm obsessed with popcorn. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!
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