It’s a brand-new week, friends. How did your reading go last week? I’m happy to report that I finished two books and am currently deeply invested in two great books. Reading is bringing me so much joy and satisfaction right now, and I’m so glad I have this hobby to keep me company during this crazy time.
Books Finished
> The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare – Oh, I had such high hopes for this novel, especially after really loving Tessa Dare’s other two novels. But this historical romance was a bit of a slog, with characters who didn’t seem fully fleshed out. Penelope, who has been living in the country for quite a few years now, is given an ultimatum by her aunt: She either needs to rejoin society or become a spinster in her brother’s house (which will also entail giving up all of the animals she’s collected over the years). She decides to rejoin society and to do so by imploring the duke who has moved in next door to help her. It had the potential to be such a cute, fun story but there were so many missing parts to the novel and a side plot that wasn’t handled with the care it needed. A bummer, but I hope this was just a minor blip for this author.
> Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane – This novel came to me with the highest expectations, as many friends rated this as one of their favorite books of 2019. And good news: It totally met those high expectations! While I am not sure if it will make my favorites list for 2020 (my attention started to wane during the last 50-75 pages), it was a great read with fascinating characters and an intriguing plot. I loved how part of the story was told from an insider-looking view. So unique! I couldn’t help loving all of the characters, even the ones who were the most flawed, because they all just tugged at my heartstrings. Definitely a book that lives up to the hype!
What I’m Reading Now
I’m currently 150 pages into Long Bright River by Liz Moore. It is a hefty book at nearly 500 pages (!), but the chapters are short so I feel like I’ve been flying through it. I’m reading this to fulfill April’s challenge for the Unread Shelf Project, which is to read your most recently acquired book. So far, so good!
For a bit of a lighter read, I’m making my way through Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey. It doesn’t have the best rating on Goodreads (3.63 on 19,000+ ratings, which is very low for a romance!), but I’m really enjoying it so far. It’s well-written and the style reminds me a lot of Kristan Higgins.
And, as always, since it’s the beginning of the month, it’s time to talk about my progress on Anna Karenina. As a refresher, I’m reading this classic novel on my phone through the Serial Reader app. Every day, I get an alert that my next “issue” is ready and each day’s reading takes between 6-14 minutes, depending on the length of the snippet. I’m always a few days behind, it seems, so I’m forever trying to catch up, but it’s been a great way to consume a long novel such as this! I’m actually really loving the novel, too, and find it pretty easy to follow along with.
What are you reading?
I am glad you liked Ask Again, Yes. I learned I love family dramas after reading that.
I am very interested in Long Bright River! Did you listen to the podcast where they talked about what the name of the book means?
I am reading The House at Riverton, which a friend gifted me. It’s good, but I don’t really want to be reading a 600 page book with smart people words right now 😉 ha ha
I LOVED Ask Again, Yes. I am glad it lived up to the hype for you. Character-driven novels that feature some family drama are my favorite. I really loved that book!
I’m reading “Three Women” for my April book club. It’s been a pretty fast read as it’s non-fiction that reads more like fiction. It features the lives of 3 women and really delves into female sexuality. It’s pretty depressing, though. So I am ready to be done with it so I can download a lighter read, probably Crazy Rich Asians! I just need something light and fluffy during this heavy period of time!
Glad you are enjoying AK! I read that with my aunt probably 10+ years ago. I had the physical book and dang it was soooo freaking long and heavy! It was a bit of a slog to get through. But that novel gets referenced so many times in literature so I am glad that I read it!
I finally — FINALLY — finished the Bromance Book Club this week! Reason it took so long had nothing to do with the book (I actually really enjoyed it and will likely get the second book) but rather the result of hubby going to bed earlier than I do and only having it as a paperback. Got a little reading light in the mail last week though and it was a total game changer.
Curious to know what you will think about Fix Her Up in the end. One person whose reviews I really trust loved it…while another person whose reviews I trust HATED it.
Right now, I’m reading a few things — trying to finish Save the Cat! Writes a Novel, working on Help, Thanks, Wow and for fiction, I’ve got the Chaos of Standing Still. Good times for reading!