What I’m Reading (1.18.21)

Happy Monday, friends, and happy return to my weekly “What I’m Reading” posts. I have seriously missed talking about my current reads, so I’m glad to be back in the saddle. This post encompasses everything I’ve read since the start of the year (I’ve finished 5 books so far!) I’ve had middling success with my reading so far. Let’s review!

He’s So Fine by Jill Shalvis (★★★★☆)

This sweet romance novel was the best way to kick off my 2021 reading year! After Olivia mistakenly assumes Cole is drowning and jumps into the water after him, he ends up being the one who rescues her. And while neither of them believes they’re ready for a relationship—nor that they deserve love—they can’t help but be drawn to one another. It’s an open-door romance that had a whole lot of heart. I felt for both Olivia and Cole and could understand why they kept such secrets from each other. And it all came together so beautifully.

We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and Half a Century of Silence by Becky Cooper (★★★☆☆)

Becky Cooper spent a decade trying to solve the 1960s murder of a Harvard student and relays her journey to discovering the truth in this book. It’s a pretty long book (500 pages with tiny font!) and the book really goes off in a million directions, and I think it suffered a bit because of it. This wasn’t a book about solving a murder, but about sexism and misogyny at Harvard, about corruption in higher education, about Becky’s own experience working on this story. There was a lack of focus and I think a tighter edit could have made this book much more engaging. That’s not to say the book wasn’t well-written. It was! Becky has a very captivating voice and I was compelled to keep reading (mostly because I needed to know who the murderer was), but when I finished it, I was just so relieved to be done and that’s not how I want to feel about finishing books.

How to Catch a Queen by Alyssa Cole (★★★☆☆)

Shanti becomes the Queen of Njaza, an African nation, after wedding Sanyu, the King, in an arranged ceremony. It’s been her dream to be a queen her entire life, as she believes it’s the best way for her to affect change for her country, but she quickly discovers all is not what it seems in Njaza. Sanyu doesn’t speak to her, his advisor seems to be calling the shots and shutting down every pathway to improvement, and the only friends she’s made are part of a resistance group against the king (who doesn’t know who she is). What I loved most about this book was the world-building of this entirely different country, its policies, and its people. But the book didn’t totally land for me. It was hard to believe in the romance and I was pretty annoyed by the ending. I’m hoping this was just an aberration for Cole, as she’s usually someone I can count on for great romances!

The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny (★★★★☆)

Another Gamache book, another excellent mystery. The previous book ended in heartbreak and while there were elements of grief in this one, it wasn’t a huge focus. Instead, because Three Pines is the unluckiest small town ever, they are dealing with another murder to solve. I loved how all of these pieces came together and I was still somehow surprised by the “whodunnit.” And man, I just love that Three Pines community. What I wouldn’t give to spend time with them!

American Royals by Katharine McGee (★★★☆☆)

I read this book for January’s Unread Shelf Project category, which is “a book with high expectations.” This one definitely fits the bill as it has gotten rave reviews from many people, but it just didn’t live up to my expectations. In this novel, McGee reimagines a world where George Washington became king rather than president. And thus, a new royal family was born. Beatrice is next in line to the throne and will be the first queen to rule, and she’s trying to live up to the high expectations placed on her… and find a husband to rule alongside her. Meanwhile, her younger siblings—twins named Jefferson and Samantha—are trying to find where they fit in this royal family. It’s a bit of a soapy drama but I just never felt a strong connection with any of the characters nor did I fully believe in the romance between some of the characters. Everyone was just… one-dimensional and rather uninspiring to read about. I’ve put off reading this book because everyone has said that it ends on a MAJOR CLIFFHANGER and you’ll want to read the next book immediately, but eh… I don’t know if I feel the same way. I have the next book on my shelves so I’ll probably pick it up soon, but I’m not sure I’d feel compelled to read it if not.

What I’m Reading This Week

• We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates (print) – This book collects a set of eight articles Coates wrote for The Atlantic during the time of Obama’s presidency. I read about 25 pages a day because the articles can be very dense and are packed with really insightful thoughts that I don’t want to speed through. I’ll likely finish it sometime this week.
• Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed (audiobook) – This is a short audiobook (4.5 hours) and a middle-grade story about a Pakistani girl who is sent to be an indentured servant for a powerful, corrupt family. I have a little over an hour left and it’s been a hard, eye-opening read.
• Fallen Star by Susannah Nix (e-book) – Finally, something light! 🙂 I’m loving this contemporary romance about a movie star and script supervisor falling in love.
• Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh (print) – Meredith of the Currently Reading podcast raved about this book and the tagline on the front cover immediately piqued my interest: “The serial killer isn’t on trial. He’s on the jury.” It’s a little more graphic than I like, but I’m just skimming over any violent scenes.

What are you reading?