A delightful, compulsively readable romcom that centers around the Jewish Festival of Lights, Hanukkah. Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt, the Christmas-loving romance novelist heroine, hides her secret love of Santa and her life with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS), from family and coworkers. When her old camp arch-nemesis/first love Jacob Greenberg arrives in town to host a massive Matzah Ball party, all of her carefully controlled plans are upended. Full of old grudges, assumptions and misunderstandings, irresistible chemistry, stand-up best friends, and heartwarming/complicated family relationships. The novel also embraces family in all of its forms. Well-written representation of our diverse, multi-faceted lives is important all-year round, but feels especially so during the hustle and bustle of the winter holiday season. Affirming and charming, look no further for your next festive feel-good read.
Review: The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer
Audiobook Break, Season 2: The Iliad!
Check out AudioFile Magazine’s Podcast, Audiobook Break. Season two, featuring Homer’s “The Iliad” narrated by Anton Lesser, set sail last week. The latest installment is available for streaming today. As an English major, it’s a bit baffling that I graduated both high school and college without ever having read or listened to a production of this ancient Greek epic. I am relishing every minute so far. Lesser delivers a fantastic performance! I hope you get a chance to tune in 🙂
https://audiofilemagazine.com/audiobook-break/
[Image: A tablet rests face up atop a board, with a cover of The Iliad displayed. Coffee, plants, headphones, and text surround the image.]
Review: The Windsor Knot by S.J. Bennett
The Windsor Knot
Series: Her Majesty the Queen Investigates, #1
Author: S.J. Bennett
Publisher: William Morrow
March 9, 2021
Queen Elizabeth is plunked into the midst of a murder investigation when a visiting Russian pianist is found dead in her beloved Windsor Castle. Underestimated by some of her staff and British Intelligence, SJ Bennett’s Elizabeth is part Miss Marple, part Lilibet, and part monarch. The determined and inquisitive nonagenarian and her Assistant Private Secretary Rozie Oshodi unobtrusively leverage the Queen’s resources for information. While the Russian government is suspected, many who attended the “Dine and Sleep” event are suspect. The intriguing and relatively easy going mystery unfolds as the queen, MI5, and her staff go about business as usual. Readers keen on imaging the lives of the British royal family and fans of Agatha Christie-esque stories will enjoy Bennett’s first installment in this new series.
*This review is based on an Advance Reader Copy obtained from the publisher via Netgalley.
Release Day: The Final Girl Support Group
The Final Girl Support Group
Author: Grady Hendrix
Publisher: Berkley Publishing
July 13, 2021
For “Final Girl” Lynnette Tarkington, everyone except for her group of real-life Final Girls (last one standing in horror films) has the potential to be a monster. Perpetually on guard and ready with multiple survival plans, Lynnette is our point of view throughout. Fans of horror movies spanning the 1970s to the 1990s will recognize the women and their franchises. When their monthly support group teeters on disbandment, everything unravels with quickly.
Fast-paced and full of nods to classic slashers, “The Final Girl Support Group” never lets up or lets you off easy. Alongside the constant threats to their safety and sanity, is plenty of food for thought about murdering women as entertainment and what happens after the credits roll. Highly recommended for your next trip to the lake, abandoned summer camp, or curled up at home.
Review: Christmas Under the Northern Lights by Annie O’Neil
Happy release day to Christmas Under the Northern Lights!
Scottish island holiday romance! Set five weeks out from Christmas on a far-flung Scottish island, locum District Nurse Audrey Walsh and Doctor Cooper MacAskill discover that running away from their problems sometimes delivers surprise joy and fulfillment. They both grapple with trust and self-worth, and what love means when disappointment and guilt are mixed in. I love the cover, but I’ll admit that I cast Jamie Fraser as Cooper and Clare Randall Fraser from Outlander as the Audrey, while I read. Can you imagine how amazing that audiobook would sound?
Audrey understandably doesn’t want to lose herself in another relationship like the whirlwind that left her broke and homeless at the start of the holiday season. Copper, for his part, is a muddle of guilt at not being with his grandmother when she died and lingering bitterness from his childhood on the island. As they work closely, serving the health needs of the close-knit community, they find an unexpected kindred spirit in each other.
I enjoyed the pacing, with the HEA not rushed at the expense of character development and the relationships the leads cultivated with their patients. While they fall in love over the course of several weeks, they don’t lose themselves or their resolve to find themselves again. This contemporary romance was the perfect travel holiday escape I needed.
This review is based on an advance reader copy obtained from the publisher via Netgalley.
Christmas Under the Northern Lights
Author: Annie O’Neil
Harlequin Medical Romances, 12/01/2020
American Christmas by Adriana Herrera
Enjoy holiday festivities with the adorably tenacious couple from Adriana Herrera’s Dreamers series. Hardworking and selfless to a fault, can Yin and Ari allow themselves the space to receive as well as give? As the couple gets ready to celebrate their first Christmas living together, both want to make sure it’s extra special. Their thoughtful gifts create unintended consequences. I love the warmth and love that Yin and Ari’s extended Ithaca family exudes, especially in their hour of need. Patrice, Easton, Nesto, and the rest of the characters from the series join the couple for the holiday season. Readers are also treated to intimate moments between Yin and Ari that a perfect blend of sweet and oh-so-sexy. Put this novella under your tree and unwrap it right away (like now!).
This review is based on an advance reader copy obtained from the publisher via Netgalley.
American Christmas (Dreamers series, 4.5)
Author: Adriana Herrera
Carina Press, 11/2/2020
The Holiday Treatment by Elle Spencer
Happy release day to Elle Spencer’s The Holiday Treatment! Now available from all booksellers and public libraries (if they don’t have it, be sure to ask!) 😀
If you’ve ever clamored for queer Hallmark Christmas movies, this holiday romance between Wifetime network writer Holly Hudson (who is notoriously not into Christmas, despite penning popular movies about it) and the holiday division’s new executive, Meredith Drake, satisfies. They meet while on vacation, but struggle against their attraction when they return to work.
Wonderfully drawn characters and relationships, full of humor and heart, create the kind of close community atmosphere I enjoy in made-for-tv holiday movies. While some aspects towards the end feel a little rushed, it is, overall, a delightful, affirming addition to Christmas romance world.
This review is based on an advance reader copy obtained from the publisher via Netgalley.
Christmas at the Island Hotel by Jenny Colgan (review)
 *From my Goodreads review. Jenny Colgan deftly weaves the personal narratives of the residents of Mure, a small Scottish island, as their lives shift and grow in unexpected ways. The newest installment of Colgan’s Summer Seaside Kitchen series offers winter seasonal comfort, cheer, and guidance for new readers and series fans alike. Chapters alternate character perspectives, delving into ongoing issues with newly widowed Fintan, as he struggles to honor his husband’s dreams; Flora, restless during her pregnancy, takes on a larger role in opening the island hotel; and the continued, cutting uncertainty between island doctor Saif, a Syrian refugee, and schoolteacher Lorna. Hotel preparations also throw together a spoiled and entitled young Norwegian man with a hardworking, sweetheart of a woman. Their stories unfold amidst a close-knit town peopled with memorable characters and delightful details. Readers will no doubt want to book passage to this charming (fictional) community. Christmas at the Island Hotel by Jenny Colgan Available now from HarperCollins. This review is based on an advance reader copy obtained from the publisher via Netgalley. |
Written in the Stars (audiobook review)
 *From my Goodreads review.* Opposites attract in this delightful fake relationship romance set on the streets of Seattle! Author Alexandria Bellefleur and narrator Lauren Sweet are perfectly paired in this fun, contemporary romance, drawing out both the characters’ and story’s humor, heart, and insecurities about love. Elle Jones is an eternal optimist about romance. Sure, the dates she’s gone on lately have not ended well. Nevertheless, she agrees to a blind date with her astrology “Oh My Stars” coworker’s sister, Darcy. However, Darcy is barely tolerating the series of dates her brother has set her up on. After being burned by her fiancée, she’s sworn off love, preferring to immerse herself in work and curl up with episodes of a favorite soap opera. Both of their families are simultaneously well-meaning and insensitive to their needs. Supporting characters, particularly their mothers, are really well-characterized by Sweet, adding another level of realism to Elle’s and Darcy’s interactions and behaviors. In a bid to get everyone off their backs, the two women agree to fake date until New Year’s Eve. Sweet’s performance draws out the nuances of the women’s personalities, essential on this HEA journey, as they grapple with their growing attraction and baggage. Will they make it beyond New Year’s? I highly recommend you listen and find out for yourself! This review is based on an advance listener copy obtained from the publisher via Netgalley. Written in the Stars Author: Alexandria Bellefleur Narrator: Lauren Sweet HarperAudio Publication Date: November 10, 2020 |
Before the Coffee Gets Cold (review)
Readers follow the journeys of different Funiculi Funicula cafe patrons as they seek the cafe’s reputed time travel ability in light of volatile personal experiences. Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s thoughtful prose balances powerful emotions with the wonderful relationships between staff, new and longtime customers, without becoming saccharine. The peculiar, specific rules for time travel frequently deter folks from attempting it. For those who take the leap, the results are life-changing.
“Before the Coffee Gets Cold” provokes thoughtful discussions on the changes people can make in their lives, even if they can’t travel backwards and forwards in time. Despite the fact that events cannot be changed by going to a specific moment, all of the persons who participated in the *journey* returned with new perspectives. The stories intertwine and include a wife caring for her husband with Alzheimer’s, estranged sisters, and a mother facing a difficult decision. Compelling and beautifully crafted ruminations on identity, relationships, and choice. A great selection for book discussion groups and for sharing with loved ones.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, translated by Geoffrey Trousselot
This edition will be available from your public library and booksellers on November 17, 2020.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50991951-before-the-coffee-gets-cold
Omnivore Bibliosaur 