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 Sรธren 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 →
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 →
Early in September, I found out about a newly translated book that was just published in English, The Mad Women's Ball by Victoria Mas. Already out in French for two years, the book has even been adapted into a film. The premise of it piqued my interest, and I'm always excited to read translations, so... Continue Reading →
Since my husband is Peruvian, I'm always on the hunt for books set in Peru, written by Peruvian authors, and/or starring Peruvian characters. This led me to Mona by Pola Oloixarac. Although the author is Argentinian, the novel's protagonist is Peruvian. Mona was originally published in Spanish two years ago, while the English translation came... Continue Reading →
One of the books I was most excited for in September was In Every Mirror She's Black by Lแปlรก รkรญnmรกdรฉ ร kerstrรถm. 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 Lแปlรก รkรญnmรกdรฉ ร kerstrรถmAudienceAdultGenreContemporary FictionSettingSweden; United StatesNumber... Continue Reading →
After loving Evie Dunmoreโs 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 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 →
In the past two years, I've slowly been dipping my toes into historical romances, and now more than ever, I'm finding that I really like them! Up to now, I had only read four (two by Evie Dunmore and two by Harper St. George), but in August I bought a couple more. I was in... Continue Reading →
Four days ago I finished Zoraida Cรณrdova's Incendiary, the first in her Hollow Crown duology. I really enjoyed it, and with that cliffhanger ending, I couldn't waste a single moment before diving right into its sequel, Illusionary. I flew through it and actually loved it even more than the first book! I'm still swooning over... Continue Reading →
In the past couple of years, I've been getting more into both fantasy and YA fiction. I've also been drawn to books by Latinx authors (partly because my husband is Peruvian) and am always excited to read books set in my favorite country, Spain. So all of those facts combined led me to the perfect... Continue Reading →
Mark Sullivan's Beneath a Scarlet Sky became a bestseller a few years ago, and its striking cover was impossible to miss. I don't know why I didn't pick it up before, but this spring, my mother-in-law started reading it and enthusiastically recommended it to me. She gifted it to me for my birthday, and I... Continue Reading →
Six months ago, I finished reading The Heiress Gets a Duke, the first in Harper St. George's Gilded Age Heiresses series. I really enjoyed it, and I was thrilled to learn that the second book in the series, The Devil and the Heiress, would be published so soon after. This followup has been one of... Continue Reading →
A full year ago, The Woman in Red by Diana Giovinazzo was one of my most anticipated books of summer 2020. Though it came out last August and is now due for release in paperback, I'm just finally getting to it now. Following a few books set in Italy - The Ancestor and The Star-Crossed... Continue Reading →
When The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman was selected as a November pick for Book of the Month last year, I had never heard of it. But its summary - and especially its setting - instantly drew me in. It was a bit of an impulse buy, the kind that you never... Continue Reading →
In spring 2020, one of my most anticipated books was The Ancestor by Danielle Trussoni, a horror set in the Italian Alps. I'm always down for a spooky story set in an isolated location, and even better if there's a European mansion - or castle! - involved. Though I've had The Ancestor on my shelves... Continue Reading →
Last year, one of my favorite books was Beach Read by Emily Henry, and since then, I've been counting down the days until her second adult novel, People We Meet on Vacation, would be released. Although it's not due out until May 11th, Book of the Month spoiled their subscribers by offering the new book... Continue Reading →
In the last couple of years, I've discovered that I actually really enjoy romance novels, including historical romance. One of my favorite authors in the genre is Evie Dunmore, who's writing the League of Extraordinary Women series. Since I love her books so much, I also respect her opinion and recommendations. One new book she... Continue Reading →
Let me preface this review with a confession: I was really excited when A Witch in Time, the debut novel by Constance Sayers, was about to be published in February 2020. Then I was ecstatic when I won it in a Goodreads giveaway! But the version I won was an ebook, and I've never been... Continue Reading →
I've spent my last several books in a very time-conscious state, from One Day in December and Winterwood to the New Year's setting of The Hunting Party. For my first book of 2021, I decided to continue in a similar vein and read another story all about New Year's Eve and New Year's Day: This... Continue Reading →
Earlier this year, I bought The Guest List, the widely-read and award-winning second thriller by Lucy Foley. Though I still haven't read that one, I was excited when Book of the Month unexpectedly made her previous thriller, The Hunting Party, available two months ago. I decided to end 2020 with a time-appropriate book. As The... Continue Reading →
So here's a confession: Although I bought Josie Silver's The Two Lives of Lydia Bird earlier this year - and I'm still excited to read it - for some reason I never felt that interested in getting her first book, One Day in December. I don't have any great explanation for that, other than my... Continue Reading →
It's been nearly a month, but I've finally reached the end of Carlos Ruiz Zafรณn's Cemetery of Forgotten Books series! Following The Shadow of the Wind, The Angel's Game, and The Prisoner of Heaven, the series closes with The Labyrinth of the Spirits. At over 800 pages, this is not only the longest book in... Continue Reading →
For the past few weeks I've been working my way through the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series by the lateย Carlos Ruiz Zafรณn. Followingย The Shadow of the Wind andย The Angelโs Game, the third novel is The Prisoner of Heaven. In contrast to the other books in the series, this one is fairly short, at only 278... Continue Reading →
I'm currently in the midst of reading Carlos Ruiz Zafรณn's Cemetery of Forgotten Books series. Following my reread of his beloved The Shadow of the Wind, I've now just finished the second book in the series, The Angel's Game. While it has much in common with the first book, The Angel's Game is also wholly... Continue Reading →
Amanda's Book Corner 