Hello everyone and happy Tuesday!
It feels surreal to type this but I’d set myself a goal of reading 200 books on Goodreads at the start of 2024 and I hit this goal on November 6. I personally don’t think this matters very much, I’d much rather read books I love, however many, than reach an arbitrary number.
That being said, it feels great because it does show that despite various reading slumps and work-related stress, I managed to read consistently this year. I can’t read when I don’t feel well mentally so it’s really lovely to see that for the most part, this year has been a really good year. My relationship is as blissful as ever, work is fine and I’m going to London at Christmas, which is filling me with so much joy.
For some reason, I sort of see the books I’ll read between now and December 31 as ‘surplus books’, as if anything were possible and wouldn’t count. I can try new genres, try new authors, pick something completely different and in a way it doesn’t matter whether I like it or not, the job is already done. It’s permission, it’s freedom. Even though, being a pure mood reader, I’ve already got all the bookish freedom in the world.
However, I was listening to the trailer to the new season of one of my favourite podcasts, the Calm Christmas podcast by Beth Kempton, in which she asks this simple question – what does your heart want?
If you ‘tune into what you really care about,’ (she asks) what would you do? And what I really care about, what my heart wants, isn’t a challenge or anything new, it’s mostly rereading all the books I own, the treasures that adorn and nourish my shelves. This is what I want and what I’m gifting myself this Christmas – spending time with my best friends, my beloved books. ❤️
The 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards have just opened their first nomination round and, no surprise there, I’ve only read one single nominated book this year –The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst, which is completely excellent. I don’t tend to read many new releases, I mostly take my time to go through backlists and follow my whims and my heart and I reread all the time.
This is also a time of the year I’d like to make more analog – more journaling, more writing in general. We’ll see how all of this goes.
Here’s what I loved this week:
Cosy Fantasy Books
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree. After an intense battle against a necromancer, Viv is hurt and has to rest and relax in the small sleepy town of Murk. To while away the time, she decides to venture into Murk’s dilapidated bookshop where she meets its owner Fern (whose dream it is to give everyone the book that’s exactly perfect for them) and her pet, Potroast, a gryphet.
A million stars, I read this in a day because I couldn’t – wouldn’t – put it down. I preordered the special edition from The Broken Binding (I feel like this book got a million special editions!) and it stood on my shelves unread for a year because I loved Legends & Lattes so much and had such high expectations. Bookshops and Bonedust met them, and then some. I think at its heart – this is highly personal, mind you – cosy fantasy should leave you with the absolute certainty that for a little while there, the space of a story, you are cared for. That you can have a seat by the fire and be brought peace, friendship and delicious food on a platter. That you are enough just as you are and nothing is expected of you but to just be.
I loved everything about this. The ending made me cry and cry and cry for several pages and the epilogue is so good and took me by surprise.
– This is truly a found family. Fern, Potroast, Maylee, Satchel and Gallina are all very unique and extremely charming. I love them all so so much. I already miss them.
– There are plenty of baked goods and plenty of food descriptions, this was so lush.
– This is a book about loving books. I can’t tell you how lovely it is to read entire passages about why books matter, why stories are important and how they bring people together, how reading a book can take you places when you need to escape, how they can heal as much as a physician. You also get whole passages from books that Viv reads which are so representative of different genres which is such a treat for readers.
– This is so funny. You can tell Travis Baldree has an absolute blast in some passages, some of the lines made me laugh out loud. At some point, Fern comes up with a scheme to bring more customers to the shop and I screamed ‘I see what you did there, Travis!’
I feel so emotional still, this book is everything. I rarely need more than two books in a series to feel like I’ve spent enough time with everyone but I’m begging, begging, for another installment. I can’t stop thinking about them and hoping they’re okay.
Historical Mystery Books
A Vicious Machination by Lynn Messina (#12 in the Beatrice Hyde-Clare Mystery series). Clearly, CLEARLY the best in the series by a MILE and restored my faith in the Beatrice Hyde-Clare mysteries. I read this out of order because I was approved for an ARC of Vicious Machination even though I was behind on the series. I’d suggest reading them in order but clearly I didn’t here so it doesn’t matter much, the mysteries are self-contained.
Verity Lark, the Duke’s half-sister is thrown into Newgate for a murder she didn’t commit. She published an article about a female blackmailer and was then found at the scene of the crime, holding the weapon. Beatrice is dead set on proving Verity’s innocence even though the list of suspects – everyone who was paying off this woman – is the longest she’s dealt with yet.
Amazing, everything about this.
– The plot is riveting!! Every suspect is so unique with his of her own secret . There are period details and even the mention of a scientific discovery I thought was so interesting.
– Even though some disturbing things are mentioned, the author doesn’t dwell on them, this book’s tone is really well-balanced. The story very much advocates for prison and orphanage reform.
– Beatrice and Kesgrave’s romance is lovely, flirty and fun. I loved spending time with them. He is so in awe of his wife’s talents and she loves that he’s a duke and yet so in touch with the realities of the world. I love them!
– Verity is a Sherlock type of detective. She’s brilliant and Beatrice is very impressed with her methods. I know she has a spin-off series I can’t wait to read it too!
A Ghastly Spectacle (#7 in the Beatrice Hyde-Clare Mystery series). Absolutely DELIGHTFUL!!! ❤️❤️ This was such an improvement on the first few books, I loved it!!! Bea and Kesgrave are invited to a murder mystery party in Bea’s honour but the game turns deadly when one of the guests is found murdered in a room full of the most respected members of the ton.
Loved the investigation which is very closed circle with very few clues but there were twists and turns until the very very end and that kept me on the edge of my seat! While society’s rejection of Bea’s activities is realistic, it’s mentioned in every single book at length and it’s the only thing I found boring. The absolute best parts were Flora and Bea’s new relationship and Bea and Kesgrave’s love for each other. They’re both so special and really root for each other, there was a line towards the end about their love that I read several times. Such a great romance! 🥰
Why Mermaids Sing by C.S. Harris (#3 in the Sebastian St Cyr mystery series). Well this was excellent. Each installment in this series is better than the last, this was impeccable. The main plot – a series of gruesome murders tied to a ship – is riveting and Sebastian and Kat’s own personal lives are just as engrossing. I also found the writing a lot more immersive than the first two books with beautiful atmospheric descriptions (‘The ostler squinted off across the cobbled yard to where a pair of geese was coming in to land on the holding pond, the rich light of the evening sun turning their outstretched white wings to gold.’) that take you right back to the 19th century. ❤️ Excellent series.
Fantasy of Manners Books
The Teacup Magic Trilogy by Tansy Rayner Roberts. I say trilogy, even though the series has more, because I think the first three books are flawless and I don’t enjoy the others as much. This is an impeccable trilogy of novellas and I highly recommend it! I’ve read it countless times and it’s a comfort read for me. ❤️
The first novel, Tea and Sympathetic Magic is about Mneme, a bookish young lady in a magical version of Regency England. She adores books and libraries and she’s had enough of picnics and magical croquet. One day, the Duke is captured through a portal so she teams up with the man in charge of the Duke’s protection, Mr Thornbury, whose job it is to ensure that the Duke marries for love and not because he’s been given a love potion.
This is a novella that’s so divine and has everything I want in a story that I immediately wished this was a novel so thank goodness for the sequels (the second book is about them investigating a murder at a frost fair and in the third they attend a masquerade!). This is SO fun, with teacups, enchanted wedding cake, sympathetic magic (through letters), libraries, a terrific proposal and cosy fluff. You have to read these books!
Victorian Classics
Bleak House by Charles Dickens. I loved reading this so much. I read a lot of classics prior to being on Goodreads (I have a Master’s degree in English literature) and didn’t keep track of what I’d read so this felt like my first time reading this even though I’m SO familiar with the miniseries which I’ve watched at least twice a year since 2005. ❤️
I listened to the audiobook read by Miriam Margoyles and she was absolutely perfect (her voices!! Oh my god!! I couldn’t believe just one person was doing both Esther and Tulkinghorn).
There’s too much to write about, it’s such a rich tapestry of characters, but I just want to say that I absolutely love Esther so much, Lady Dedlock is one of my favourite characters (her scenes are excellent, wow), the BBC adaptation is excellent, Dickens’s writing is exquisite (one of my favourite passages is when he describes the death of Tulkinghorn) and this was just such a joy. I can’t wait to read more Dickens! I highly recommend Katie from Books and Things on YouTube for all things Dickens. She did a massive Dickens readalong over the course of several year where she reread every single Dickens novel and I agree with everything she says about Bleak House.
Hallmark Movies
Santa Tell Me is the best film that aired on Hallmark this year. I’m a huge, huge fan of When Calls the Heart (the title of this post is one of my favourite quotes from the show) and couldn’t resist when I saw Erin was starring in a Christmas movie this year where she plays an interior designer who’s sent magic letters from Santa – this is the year she’s going to meet her soulmate, and his name is Nick. Enter three different great men all called Nick and she’s got to figure out who her heart wants before midnight and amidst a live TV special she’s got to pull off with a rival decorator, Chris (played by Dan Lissing, who also was in When Calls the Heart).
This film is a riot, I laughed out loud so many times and already want to rewatch it all over again. It’s the best kind of comedy – over the top and ridiculous, with heart. I just adored it and Erin is so special in this, you can tell her and Dan had a marvellous time shooting this movie, I can’t recommend it enough if you’re in the mood for Christmas magic (I most certainly am)!
Also, When Calls the Heart is coming back for a new season on January 5!! That’s way earlier than I thought, I’m OVER THE MOON!! I can’t wait for more Hope Valley and Elizabeth and Nathan in particular, I love them so much!
That’s it from me, I hope your week is wonderful, filled with your favourite things. I love you! ❤️ ❤️
Magical Emma Rose 