My November 2023 Reads

Although I sometimes think I have overdosed on World War II historical fiction, I am always fascinated by evacuation stories, and last month I listened to the audiobook of Beyond That, the Sea, in which a girl is sent from London during the Blitz to Massachusetts where I live. Although the heroine is eleven when the book begins, this is definitely a novel for adults. Not only was this my favorite book in October, I kept on thinking about it long after I had finished and I recommend it to you too.

Mystery/Suspense

Chapter and Curse by Elizabeth Penney (2021). Although I am not usually a fan of cozy mysteries, how can one resist a librarian from Vermont who moves to England to help run her aunt’s bookstore? Unfortunately, the first event Molly plans for the bookstore results in murder! Molly is determined to find the killer – but what if the killer finds her first?

Home at Night by Paula Munier (2023). In the fifth book about Mercy and her dog Mercy, she is married and looking for a bigger house for the random people who live with her (including her new husband and his dog), only to discover a dead body in the library of her new home!

Fiction

Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson (2023). When Sasha marries into the preppy Stockton family and she and her new husband take over the family home in Brooklyn Heights, she does not anticipate how hard it will be to get accepted by her mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law – or how difficult it will be for her husband, caught in the middle. A very entertaining book, especially if one has gone to school or worked with people like this.

Historical Fiction

Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash (2023). Bea is sent by her parents to America for safety during the bombing of London during WWII and is given a home by the affectionate Gregory family, which has two sons close to her in age. Bea grows to love America and would have preferred to stay in Massachusetts, rather than return to England. As she grows up in post-war London, she feels caught between two worlds and has to put the Gregorys out of her mind because it hurts to think about them. Then something happens that makes her determined to go back . . . . My review.

Nonfiction

We'll Always Have Casablanca by Noah Isenberg (2017). This well-researched and lively book covers the making of Casablanca, including the evolution of the screenplay (based on a play that was never performed) and the casting of its storied actors. I read this for Nonfiction November.  My review.

Romance

Always Remember by Mary Balogh (2024). In this historical romance, lovely but disabled Lady Jennifer realizes her overprotective family is stifling her and the only person who understands her and tries to help her walk (albeit with difficulty) is Ben Ellis, her sister-in-law’s illegitimate brother. As they fall in love, both families are appalled – but should that stop them from finding happiness together? Balogh has a very distinctive mannered style but she is one of the best currently writing.

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood (2023). I read this contemporary because I was curious about the newfound popularity of stem romances, and it is such an indictment of the academic adjunct system, not to mention the tenure system and academic advising! The enemies-to-lovers romance was less interesting than whether brilliant Elsie would get the sort of job she merited and whether those who mistreated her would get their just deserts.

Children’s/YA

The International House of Dereliction by Jacqueline Davies (2023). I liked this juvenile fantasy about ten-year-old Alice who is intrigued by the mysterious house next door and encounters several ghosts there. They are doomed to haunt the house unless she can help them find closure for issues in their past. I enjoyed Alice’s research and her home improvement skills but felt something was missing; maybe she just needed a confidante.

A Wind From Nowhere by Nicholas Stuart Gray (1978). I read this collection of short stories by the much-admired fantasy writer for Witch Week 2024. My review.

Trumpets in the West by Geoffrey Trease (1947). This is a coming of age story (one of my mother’s favorites) set in the 17th century, is about a young musician, warned to stay out of politics, but who gets involved first in the Duke of Monmouth’s rebellion and then in the William of Orange’s bid for the throne.  I especially love the character of Henry Purcell.  My review.

The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds (2015). Seventeen-year-old Matt wears a suit every day – not because he is still mourning his mother, although he is, but because working at a neighborhood funeral parlor is the only thing that helps him cope with his loneliness. Then he meets a girl who has gone through an even worse loss than he and her friendship helps him get to a better place. This was the de Grummond Book Group selection for October, and although I didn’t get to it on time, I did enjoy it.

YA

Woke Up Like This by Amy Lea (2023). This is a charming enemies-to-lovers YA about a driven high school senior perpetually irritated by her carefree male classmate J.T. While decorating the gym for Prom, Charlotte falls off a ladder onto JT, and they wake up together, 30 years old and about to get married. This shared time travel-ish adventure helps them overcome the misunderstandings that prevented a friendship as teens and allows them to cope with other challenging issues in their lives.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross (2023). In this YA fantasy, an orphaned heroine who is a journalist is competing with a handsome and seemingly aloof young man for a newspaper job in an intense enemies-to-lovers trope. I got this from the library but liked it so much I bought it for my sister’s birthday and have already ordered the sequel. My review.

The Agency for Scandal by Laura Wood (2023). Eighteen-year-old Isobel Stanhope is practically penniless and needs to support her mother and younger brother so (without many options at the end of the 19th century) she joins an all-female detective agency that is trying to right the wrongs committed by the patriarchy. It would destroy Isobel’s reputation if anyone knew she was using her birth to spy on her peers so what will happen if the handsome Duke --- learns her secret? While I am a big fan of the author, I found this book disappointing. Not everyone in London society is a duke and young women of gentle birth simply cannot make enough money to save their family (at least, not without selling themselves); also, the plot was silly and did not have the appealing fairy tale feel of her other books.