Adult Fiction

How to Age Disgracefully

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by Clare Pooley
First sentence: “Police Constable Penny Rogers had been right on the bumper of the minibus, siren wailing and lights flashing, for several miles before it finally pulled on to the hard shoulder of the motorway.”
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Review copy provided by the publisher.
Content: There is some swearing, including a few f-bombs It’s in the Fiction section of the bookstore.

I’ve been selling this one this way: this book is about what happens when a senior social group and a daycare band together to save the community center both call home. Also: Daphne is absolutely Fabulous. There’s more to it than that: much like all Pooley’s books, it’s about found family, community, and older people, as Pooley herself put it, bossing it.  

And much like Pooley’s other books, I adored this one. There were moments I laughed aloud – Pooley is excellent at writing characters, making them pop off the page, and having them do hilarious things. I love the way she makes misfits – from a teenage dad to a washed-up actor to a bedraggled housewife to a pop-up yarn artist – fit together in a coherent group. Her overall message is that community and friendship matters. It’s lovely to read about.

It’s such a joyous book, one I am very glad I read.

Audiobook: Summer Romance

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by Annabel Monaghan
Read by Kristen DiMercurio
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Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is some swearing, including a couple f-bombs, and some off-screen sex. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Ali Morris thought she had it all: a loving, supportive mother; the perfect marriage; the perfect kids; the perfect family. But, her mother died two years ago, and Ali retreated into herself, and everything fell apart: she and her husband separated and she’s losing touch with her kids. But this summer – the summer that the divorce will be finalized – Ali has decided that maybe what she needs is a summer romance.

Enter Ethan. He seems like the perfect candidate: he’s only in town for the summer. It’ll be the perfect fling to get Ali out of her funk. Except things aren’t quite that simple when you’re nearly 40.

This one – much like all of Monaghan’s books -was delightful. I loved the narrator; she kept me engaged in the story and added depth to Ali’s situation that I might have missed had I read the book. But I also love Monaghan’s tales of second chances. The women are always slightly older, always coming off a not-quite-great situation, and always find that person who fits them just perfectly. It’s lovely to read, and to be reminded that maybe just because it’s your second time around, it doesn’t mean you’re washed up.

A truly charming summer book

Audiobook: The Paris Novel

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by Ruth Reichl
Read by Kiiri Sandy
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Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is mention of sexual abuse to a child, as well as just general bad parenting. It’s in the Fiction section of the bookstore.

Stella was raised by a single mom, who was not reliable. She was flaky and inconsistent and as a result, Stella became very routinized. She had rules she followed, and systems to make her life make sense. And then, in the early 1980s, Stella’s mother dies and leaves her money with specific instructions to go to Paris until the money runs out. So, Stella does. And, she sets about living in Paris like in New York – very frugally. That is until she wanders into a second-hand clothing shop and tries on the Perfect Dress. She can’t afford it, but the shop owner talks her into it, promising she could return it the next day. She also promises that Stella’s life will change. And it does. She meets Jules and through him, the whole world of Paris opens up and eventually completely changes Stella’s life.

This was a delightful little novel. I could tell that Reichl was a food writer – food was incredibly important to the story, both to the plot and just in the descriptions of the food. I felt like I could have been in Paris, enjoying the food that Stella had. That was part of what I enjoyed about the book – the descriptions of Paris in the early 1980s – it was someplace that someone could go and live for months on very little, and still enjoy so much. It was also a story about enjoying life to the fullest; Stella discovers that the limiting way she had been living her life was soulless, and to really Live, one needed not only to Enjoy the finer things but also to Follow Your Dreams.

Sandy was also an excellent narrator. She brought the characters to life and was able to make the whole Paris world feel full and vibrant. In the end, I thought it was a very enjoyable read.

Here We Go Again

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by Alison Cochrun
First sentence: “As she stands in the middle of an Applebee’s being dumped by a woman she didn’t realize she was dating, Logan Maletis has a realization: this is all Death’s fault.”
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Content: There is talk of sex, as well as a couple of on-screen sex scenes. There is also swearing, including multiple uses of the f-bomb. There is also active talk of dying. It’s in the romance section of the bookstore.

Logan Maletis and Rosemary Hale are former best friends who had a falling out when they were 14. They’ve been coworkers in the English department of their small-town Oregon high school for the last eight, but they’ve not gotten along. Rosemary can’t stand Logan’s inability to take anything seriously, and Logan can’t stand Rosemary’s tendency to need to be in absolute control of everything. The only thing they have in common anymore is their love for their former English teacher, Joe. So when Joe, who is dying of cancer, wants to go on one last road trip so he can die in his family cabin in Maine, he taps Rosemary and Logan to go with him.

There is only one way for Logan’s and Rosemary’s relationship to turn out – it is a romance book after all – but the journey there is absolutely worth the time. It’s often funny, it’s got a lot of heart and soul, it’s got tender moments and explosive fights (in southern barbecue places!). It’s about making every day count and holding friends and found family close. And, yes, it’s about death. But it’s such a wonderful life-affirming story as well. It just made me happy, even while I was ugly crying at the end.

Highly recommended.

Audiobook: Murder Your Employer

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by Rupert Holmes
Read by Neil Patrick Harris & Simon Vance
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Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is talk of murder, of course, plus descriptions of sexual harassment and assault. There are also mentions of suicide. It’s in the Mystery section of the bookstore.

In this fictitious how-to guide, we follow three students of McMasters Academy – a school that is hidden and dedicated to teaching people the art of “deletion”, or rather, ending the life of a specific target for a very particular reason. It’s not just murder though, there are Ethics. At any rate, we follow Cliff Iverson, whose boss is a horrible human being and is responsible for the suicides of at least two people; Gemma Lindley, a nurse who helped her gravely ill father die faster and is being blackmailed for it; and Dulcie Mown, aka film star Doria May, who has been relegated to the back lot by the despicable film studio head, who is angry with Doria because she wouldn’t sleep with him. All three are at McMasters to learn how to off these horrible people, and we follow them through their education and theses – or their final deletions.

On the one hand, Harris and Vance were excellent narrators. They are, for the most part why I kept listening. The plot of the book, however, was not that engaging. My biggest question was: why did we have to follow three people? Why did there need to be three plots? We mostly followed Cliff, so why didn’t we just stick with him? What was the point of including Doria and Gemma? It frustrated me. Also: this one was billed as funny, but I only got a few chuckles out of it. It was almost like Holmes was trying too hard. And I don’t know why this one is being billed as a mystery – there’s nothing to solve, there’s no intensity – Holmes lays everything out for us, and leaves nothing for the reader to try and solve.

I kept thinking that I’d forgive all my complaints if the ending was good, but it wasn’t. It just kind of petered out, lamely limping toward the conclusion. Not my cup of tea at all.

Audiobook: Lies & Weddings

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by Kevin Kwan
Read by Jing Lusi
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Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There are the uber-rich doing the uber-rich things, including just being despicable to other people. There is talk of sex, drugs, and getting high, and there is swearing, including multiple f-bombs. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

 Dr. Eden Tong has grown up in the cabin next to Greshamsbury manor, where her father – while a noted oncologist – is the personal doctor to the Earl and Countess Gresham. While she is good friends with the Greshams – especially Rufus, her best friend – she doesn’t want to get involved in all their old money exploits – flying everywhere on a whim, wearing designer clothes – and she doesn’t have any intention of marrying Rufus (no matter what his Chinese mother thinks). Yet, as the oldest, Augie gets married on the Big Island of Hawaii, Eden finds herself pulled into the Gresham drama. 

There’s more to it, of course: Kevin Kwan’s books are a meandering mesh of drama and Rich People Doing Rich Things. There are a ton of characters (I really liked Freddy Farman-Farmehian (which probably isn’t spelled right) to keep track of, as well as jetting around to exotic locations to enjoy (not to mention all the clothes and food!). It’s a lush, wild, winding book, with an ending that I called but didn’t mind that I did. I loved Lusi’s narration; there were a lot of characters to handle, and she did it beautifully. 

In short, it was a delightful romp of a book and I’m glad I read it.

Sunbringer

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by Hannah Kaner
First sentence: “Arren’s heart screamed.”
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Others in the series: Godkiller
Content: There is swearing, including multiple f-bombs, plus lots of violence. It’s in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the bookstore. 

Spoilers for Godkiller, obviously. 

Our intrepid trio of Elo, Inara, and Kissen have separated – Kissen over the cliff after killing the god Hseth; Elo and Inara back to Kissen’s sisters to tell them of her death. Once they get there, though, they find a rebellion against a king who is overstepping his power. In fact, the hopeful ending of Godkiller is dashed, as Hseth refuses to stay dead, and Arren – our king who is only alive because he is channeling a god – decides to become a god instead. It’s complex and winding, yet utterly simple: stop the god and the king. It’s also utterly impossible.

I adored this one as much as I adored the first. I love that Kaner is playing around with the ideas in mythology without directly drawing from them. I can see hints of mythologies, but this really is its own thing. She’s got solid characters, who are grumpy and off-putting in an entirely loveable way, and she knows how to plot to keep me (at least) turning pages. And there’s representation – Elo’s Black, there’s a Deaf character, and pretty much everyone is some sort of queer, and it’s a delight. I can’t wait for the final book in the trilogy. I have all the faith in the world that Kaner will stick the landing. 

Audiobook: Happy Medium

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by Sarah Adler
Read by Mara Wilson
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Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: It’s sweary including many -bombs, and has on-screen, explicit sex. It’s in the romance section of the bookstore.

Gretchen Acorn is a con artist. She runs a business where her job is to connect to the spirit world and help her clients connect with their dead loved ones. She tells herself that she’s doing them a service, comforting them in their time of grief. Then one of her clients pays her to go perform an exorcism at the farm of her bridge partner. Gretchen was expecting a quick, weekend job with a nice septuagenarian, and instead gets Charlie Waybill – hot, skeptical, and not at all grateful Gretchen is there. She also gets… a real ghost and a family curse. So, instead of performing an exorcism, she’s tasked with keeping Charlie at the goat farm because his life is in danger if he sells. And she ends up upending her own life in the process. 

By any measure, this was a fun book – a morally gray main character (that you can’t help but really like), a hot guy that pushes her to question her life, while also understanding where she comes from, a clever ghost sidekick. There are baby goats and goofily-knit sweaters! And a slight love triangle, not to mention a sassy best friend (that isn’t a goat). There are bad parents and questionable decisions. Oh, and the narrator is fabulous too. 

But. 

Something is off with it. I’m not sure if it was the sex – they were exceptionally rough, and there was some transactional quality to it that rubbed me a bit wrong – or if it was something else – the quick way Charlie came around to Gretchen (it was only a month, and yet there are books that move faster and I don’t mind), or… I’m not entirely sure. So, while I enjoyed this one, I didn’t outright love it (at least not as much as I loved Adler’s first book). It’s worth reading, though.

Novel Love Story

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by Ashley Poston
First sentence: “There once was a town.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Release date: June 25, 2024
ARC most likely sent to me by the publisher rep, because he’s awesome that way.
Content: There is some swearing, including a few f-bombs, and some off-screen sex. It will be in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Eileen (side note: one of the joys in this book is the number of times there’s a “come on, Eileen” joke. I loved it!) is an adjunct English professor who not-so-secretly loves romance books. Specifically the Eloraton series by Rachel Flowers. It has seen her through good times, and bad – including a recent breakup that was devastating. She and her best friend Prudence are part of an online book club devoted to reading romance and they meet once a year in a cabin in the Hudson Valley to read and talk and drink wine. Except the only person who can go this year is Eileen. So, she heads north from Atlanta in her 1979 Pinto… and gets lost in a rainstorm once she gets to New York. Where she accidentally almost hits a man in the road and wakes up… in Eloraton.

Her car won’t start, and she has no cell service, so she’s stuck for a few days in a fictional town, with a guy – Anders – who also knows that the town is fictional.

That’s the premise – but the heart of the story is deeper than that. It’s about the power books have in our lives, the way characters can feel real, and letting go when it’s time, and embracing change. It’s about books and stories and community and connection.

And I adored it. (Of course!) It’s not as spicy as Seven Year Slip, but it’s sweet. And at its heart, it’s about Eileen learning to embrace love again. It’s about how love is important but maybe friendships are more important. It’s about grief and loss and moving on. But there are also some dreamy kisses and a grumpy-sunshine trope that made me smile (though I never could quite picture Anders with the blonde hair he was supposed to have).

It’s an absolute delight of a novel.

Audiobook: Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands

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by Heather Fawcett
Read by Ell Potter & Michael Dodds
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Or listen at Libro.fm
Others in the series: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries
Content: There are some dangerous moments and an off-screen sex scene. For some reason, it’s in the Romance section of the bookstore, which I disagree with. (While it has a romance, it’s not Romance!)

Spoilers for the first one, obviously.

It’s a little while after the events of the last book, and Emily and Wendell have settled back into teaching (such as it is, for Wendell) at Cambridge. But, soon after his birthday, he starts feeling ill, and his faerie magic goes haywire. It turns out that his stepmother -who overthrew his father and killed his entire family for the throne – is stepping up her assassination plan. This concerns Emily and she’s more than ever determined to find the Nexus and get Wendell back to his realm so he can off his stepmother. This involves a trip to the Alps, this time with the department head and Emily’s niece in tow. As they try to unravel the mystery of the Nexus, Wendell slowly deteriorates. Will they be able to find it and get him back to his realm in time?

Much like the first book, this is utterly delightful. The combination of historical fiction and faerie magic is charming, and Emily is a delightful narrator to be our guide through this world. It’s doubly delightful on audiobook with Potter doing an admirable job capturing all the characters and the intricacies of the plot. I loved the twists and turns in this one, and I liked that Fawcett allowed Emily to save Wendell by using her own wits, and not relying on magic to get her out of trouble.

I don’t know if this is it for Wendell and Emily – the book had a logical end to the story – but I’d happily follow them on more adventures! Such a good series.