September reads

 The Lovely War by Julie Berry

Listened to on the Libby App

Narrated by Jayne Entwistle, Allan Corduner, Julie Berry, Dion Graham, Fiona Hardingham, John Lee, Nathaniel Parker, and Steve West

Historical fiction, mythology, World War I, romance

Recommend: yes

This is a wonderful tale about romance and war told from the perspective of the Greek gods: Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Hades, and Hephaestus. The latter is holding a trial of sorts to prove that Aphrodite is an unfaithful wife. To defend herself she tells stories of love and war and hope and sadness. Each of the gods has their own perspective and involement in these people's lives and the stories alternate narrators. The audio version has a separate voice for each god and really leant depth to this story. It was a great insight into WWI and the ending surprised me and made me smile. 

Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins, 1st book in the trilogy Rebel Belle

Listened to on the Libby App

Narrated by Amy Rubinate

Young adult fantasy, paranormal, romance, high school

Recommend: yes

This book is based in the south at a private high school that is steeped in southern tradition. Harper Price is a Southern belle with her sights on being crowned Homecoming queen. Things take a turn when she witnesses the death of what she thought was a custodian at the school, but who turns out to be a sort of protector or guardian for another student. With his dying breath he transfers his powers to her. Her life will never be the same as she is thrown into a world she didn't know existed. There are lots of plot twists and romance and high school drama along with ninja like fighting scenes. What more could you want out of a book? It was a fun listen!

August reads

 The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews, #3 in the Belles of London series

Listened to on the Libby App

Narrated by Samuel Roukin and Elizabeth Knowelden

Regency romance, fiction, horses

Recommend: yes

There are four books in this series and I don't believe they have to be read in order since I've never read one and two. This is a typical regency romance story with plenty of missed opportunities and opinionated people that don't believe the main characters should be in love or get married. The series follows 4 single women who bonded over their horsemanship. All four appear in each book and they support and help each other through many troubles and even perils to end up in a "love match" as they put it instead of marrying the right person for all the reasons society places upon them. They are fun to read and listen to. 

The Muse of Maiden Lane by Mimi Matthews, #4 in the Belles of London series

Listened to on the Libby App

Narrated by Stewart Crank and Zara Hampton-Brown

Regency romance, fiction, horses, artists

Recommend: yes

This last book was just as enjoyable as #3. Ms. Matthews has a nice balance between angst and resolution and these books are clean romances as well. The first two are The Siren of Sussex and The Belle of Belgrave Square.

Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson, #2 in The Stormlight Archive series

Read on the Kindle App

Published in 2014

Fiction, fantasy, war, world building, series

Recommend: Yes

After reading the first book I wanted to tackle this second book and even though it took me a couple of months to get through all 1000+ pages, it did not disappoint. Sanderson has a gift of weaving details throughout the story that at first don't seem to impact characters but come together in a satisfying way as the plot unfolds. Kaladin and Shallan have difficult choices to make and don't always do things the easy way which makes this epic novel never boring and pushed me to finish it. There are 3 more books in the series as well as 2 novellas. 

Glass: A Cinderella Tale by Kathryn Lasky

Read on the Kindle App

Published in 2024

Fantasy, junior fiction, fairy tale, Cinderella

Recommend: Yes

I'm a sucker for fairy tale retellings and I needed a short book to read on my recent flight. Kathryn Lasky is a prolific children's fiction writer and has a Newbery Honor Award under her belt. 

This retelling takes a bit of a different twist and tells the back story and beginings of the fairy god mother. I enjoyed the different view point. It is a quick read, a little over 200 pages, and worked perfectly for my travels.