It was this time last year when Erika T. Wurth's debut novel, White Horse, was released. I got a hardcover of it through Book of the Month, but this month, I decided to finally read it as an audiobook. In part, I always try to celebrate Native American Heritage Month with at least one book... Continue Reading →
A fantasy book I was super excited for last year was The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah. Her debut novel, it's also the first in the Sandsea Trilogy. In all honesty, I was first drawn to the cover and the Aladdin vibes I got from it. Even so, this book is all its own, an... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated books last November was Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan, and I was excited to get a hardcover version from Book of the Month. This February, I decided to celebrate Valentine's Day for the whole month, at least in terms of the books I was reading. My first time... Continue Reading →
For me, it's always fun to read a book related to the current season or an upcoming holiday. As the Lunar New Year approached, I decided to dive into Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen. Her debut novel, it just came out this month, and I got my copy from Book of the Month. It's... Continue Reading →
This month has been all about Jane Eyre and retellings of it! Following my reread of the classic and a retelling called Mr. Rochester, my last stop of the "Janeuary" readathon is The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins. This southern gothic gives Charlotte Brontë's story a modern makeover and moves it into thriller territory. If... Continue Reading →
Ever since I saw the cover for Bronze Drum: A Novel of Sisters and War by Phong Nguyen, I was intrigued. When it became a Book of the Month selection for August, I excitedly added it to my cart and dove in as soon as it arrived. Set in 40 CE in Vietnam, this novel... Continue Reading →
I love retellings, and though I've never read the Ramayana, I was excited for Vaishnavi Patel's debut novel, Kaikeyi. Here, the infamous queen gets to tell her side of things, offering a more sympathetic perspective than she usually receives. Summary Kaikeyi is the only daughter born to the kingdom of Kekaya, and although she seems... Continue Reading →
In 2019, I picked up the Book of the Month edition of The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys. I've been itching to read it ever since, and finally, while doing my Spain reading challenge this month, I decided now was the time. This novel, on the cusp between Adult and Young Adult fiction, takes... Continue Reading →
Two years ago, Natalie Jenner released her debut novel, The Jane Austen Society. It became a bestseller, and now readers can enjoy her latest novel: Bloomsbury Girls. While it features some characters first seen in The Jane Austen Society - and references some events therein - it also works as a standalone. It's an inspiring... Continue Reading →
March was all about reading retellings of the classics - at least for me and my personal 2022 monthly reading challenge! After reading Ramón and Julieta, a reimagining of Romeo and Juliet, I was eager to continue the Shakespeare retellings with Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma. It's the first in a new trilogy called... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated books last year was The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, the debut novel by Dawnie Walton. As a huge fan of music (including punk), and as someone who cares deeply about politics and social issues, this is a book I knew I needed to read. Throughout this month, my... Continue Reading →
It was March 2020 when I became enchanted by The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu. Book of the Month offered it as one of their add-on selections that month, and although it hadn't previously been on my radar, it immediately went right into my box. Finally, just after reading another book about Mozart (The... Continue Reading →
As soon as I saw the breathtaking cover for Firekeeper's Daughter, the debut novel by Angeline Boulley, I was sold. It was one of my most anticipated books of March, then I was thrilled when Book of the Month featured it as an April add-on. Although I bought Firekeeper's Daughter right away, I decided to... Continue Reading →
This October I've mostly been reading books that are thrilling, mysterious, or supernatural, and it's all culminated in my last (physical) book of spooky season, The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup. I picked this novel up earlier this year, but I decided to save it for the days leading up to Halloween. Now I've finished... Continue Reading →
It's October, I'm in thriller mode (for the first time in a long time), and my eagerness for mysteries and scary stories isn't going anywhere anytime soon. My latest read is a book I'd actually picked up an entire year ago: Goodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy. Since then, I've only heard good things about it,... Continue Reading →
At the end of last year, I enjoyed reading Lucy Foley's debut thriller, The Hunting Party. I knew I'd need to go back and read her second thriller, The Guest List - which I'd actually bought earlier and just hadn't gotten to yet. This month is all about spooky reads, and although The Guest List... Continue Reading →
One of the books I was most excited for in September was In Every Mirror She's Black by Lọlá Ákínmádé Åkerström. I was thrilled when it was a September Book of the Month pick, though I definitely would have bought this novel regardless. In Every Mirror She's Black by Lọlá Ákínmádé ÅkerströmAudienceAdultGenreContemporary FictionSettingSweden; United StatesNumber... Continue Reading →
Earlier this year, I loved Ties That Tether, the debut novel by Jane Igharo. Since then, I've been counting down the days to when her second book, The Sweetest Remedy, would be available. Luckily for us all, it was included in Book of the Month's September box this month, meaning we got to read The Sweetest Remedy a... Continue Reading →
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood has been on my radar for most of this year, and it was one of the books I was most looking forward to this month. Then I found out that it was one of Book of the Month's main September picks, and I was thrilled! (Actually, four of the... Continue Reading →
After loving Evie Dunmore‘s first two books - Bringing Down the Duke and A Rogue of One's Own, both part of the League of Extraordinary Women series - I've spent the past year excitedly waiting for book #3. Finally the release date arrived, and I dove into Portrait of a Scotsman as soon as my copy got here. I... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated releases of May this year was The Girl With Stars in Her Eyes by Xio Axelrod. I was pleasantly surprised when it was featured as one of Book of the Month's add-on picks in May, and you bet I added it to my box immediately. It's exactly the kind of... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated books of 2020 was Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold by Bolu Babalola. Although it did come out in the U.K. last year, here in the U.S. we had to wait a bit longer, but my excitement never waned. So I was thrilled when Book of... Continue Reading →
Two years ago, I fell in love with The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test, the first two books in Helen Hoang's Kiss Quotient trilogy. Ever since I read those two back-to-back, I've been desperate to read The Heart Principle, and it was well worth the wait: It's my favorite in the series. This is... Continue Reading →
We Are the Brennans, the debut novel by Tracey Lange, is one of my most anticipated books of next month. Luckily for me, Book of the Month offered it as a selection this month - a full month early! Because of an online book club I sometimes participate in, I bumped it to the top... Continue Reading →
Amanda's Book Corner 