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Whew, January was a long year month! With all the chaos going on in the U.S. and the world, I hope you were able to relax with some good reads, some of which were bookish books. I read three in January, all of which were cozy mysteries:
She Doesn't Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke—This new release is supposed to be a rom-com/cozy mystery mashup. It's too much of the former (and spicy at hat) and too little of the latter. Even though the premise is fun (a bestselling mystery writer and her irritating editor must play nice long enough to solve a mystery at a destination wedding), I was disappointed in this one and found it to be only an average read for me.
Elementary, She Read by Vicki Delany—This series stars a neurodivergent Englishwoman who moves to Cape Cod to run her uncle's Sherlock Holmes-themed bookshop. Her neurodivergent personality causes her to be overly blunt and unintentionally condescending, but her hyper sharp observation skills make her an excellent amateur sleuth. Unfortunately, I found her totally insufferable. That, and some other issues, will keep me from reading more in this series. Too bad.
How to Book a Murder by Cynthia Kuhn—Despite being far-fetched and silly in places (not out of character for a cozy), I enjoyed this series opener overall. It's about two sisters who are desperate to keep their family's bookstore from going bankrupt. When they launch a side hustle in organizing mystery-themed dinner parties, they find themselves at the center of a murder investigation. I'll be reading on in this series.
So, what bookish books am I eyeing for February? I like the sound of these three:
The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes by Chanel Cleeton—Cleeton's newest doesn't come out until July, but I'm hoping to get an e-ARC from NetGalley. It's a triple-timeline novel centered around three women and a rare book written by a Cuban schoolteacher in 1900.
Crime and Parchment by Daphne Silver—This is the first book in a cozy mystery series featuring Jewish rare books librarian Juniper Blume. When an ancient Celtic manuscipt is found in a Maryland cemetery, world away from where its supposed to be, Juniper is called back to her grandmother's hometown to solve the puzzling mystery—and try to make amends with her estranged family.
The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson—I loved The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek and I've been meaning to read this sequel ever since it came out.
Which bookish books are you planning to read this month?
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Susan, always enjoy hearing about what you've read and though the bookish ones you read this month were not all huge winners for you, it's nice to hear your thoughts. I have read another series by Vicki Delany and loved it (the one set in Western Canada and not a cozy), but haven't tried this one. She's really moved into the cozy arena in the last few years and is very popular. Hope you have a good week!
ReplyDeleteThe Cleeton and Richardson books caught my eye. Thanks for the update.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know there was a third book in the Book Woman series! I haven't even read book #2 yet.
ReplyDeleteI was really disappointed with She Doesn't Have a Clue as well. I thought the whole thing was messy, and the "romance" always happened at the worst times.
ReplyDeleteThe wall look good. I’ve yet to read a bookish book this year but do have one I’ll be getting to soon.
ReplyDeleteHow To Book A Murder sounds like a fun read. Hope you'll love all your February reads!
ReplyDeleteI finally caught up on my updates for Jan and begining of Feb. Your page is inspiring on how to make mine more appealing looking
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