🫐😘⛪️ Fantasy and Romance AND Theology!

 

    I have fallen hard for the romantasy genre. The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst is a solid writer of the marriage between fantasy and romance. This book is appropriate for anyone--grandma to tweener--not too spicy but interesting with likable, honorable characters; a confident and surprising plot; and a delightful mish-mash of creatures.

🍓🪄🧪🫐

    A writer I've especially enjoyed lately is Katherine Center, defender of the Romance genre. I am working through her backlist as they become available. This week's reading was Happiness for Beginners. I first watched the movie of this not knowing it was based on Center's book. A woman has gone through a recent divorce and decides to join an Outward Bound-type hiking trip to reset her priorities. She has never hiked before. Her much younger brother's good-looking friend is on the same journey. She is not pleased. What will happen? I've read enough of her work to detect a pattern: a woman in a life transition (i.e, divorce, career change, big opportunity), someone with a medical condition, past demons will be faced, and there will be kissing. It is a formula Center does well. 

👿🏥😘

    To those who think I only read fiction, not only, just mostly. I didn't read John M. Frame's Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief, a book of 1220 pages, in a week or even a year. It took me three years to get completely through it, listening off and on to the audiobook. It is intended more as a reference book than a straight read-through. It covers theology like the Doctrine of God, Man, the Church, and more. Frame's work is balanced and understandable. It has an excellent index (I also own a hardcover copy for looking up topics). Frame is a Reformed theologian (if you know, you know), but he fairly examines all sides. I did not understand everything he discussed, but it has expanded my understanding of the basics of Christianity. It is a solid resource, and if you're ambitious, you could read the entirety of it, like me.

✝️ ⛪️ ☦️

🪄🐊🪼 🍱 Books with Magic and Magical Food

 

Enjoyed the spirit and intent of the book. Lovely characters. Worthy quest. Fun magic.

    Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong is a book about being transplanted from your native soil to a new home. Tao discovers she has the gift of seeing the future, and many want her to use it for them. She chooses to travel alone and tell small fortunes but finds she can't escape the pull of human connection. I liked this lovely YA book. It's a good story, well told, no matter your age.

🫖🪄🫏🐈‍⬛🧌

    What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez rides the line between fantasy and magical realism. There is magic in the world, but it is unacknowledged and ignored. The magic is fading away and resides in ancient objects. Inez Olivera receives a magic ring from her father in Egypt. This is followed by news of the death of her parents, making Inez the recipient of their considerable fortune and the ward of her mother's mysterious uncle, an Egyptian Archeologist at the height of the age of discovery in the late 19th century. She travels by ship from her home in Buenos Aries to Egypt to find answers but is thwarted by her uncle's handsome assistant. This book reminded me of adventure stories like The Mummy, with lots of twists and turns, kidnapping, and dark secrets held by almost everyone.

🏞️🚢🗺️🐊

    Like many people, I enjoyed Matt Haig's book The Midnight Library and eagerly looked forward to his next book, The Life Impossible. A strength of Haig is his ability to create fantastic premises to give his characters unique opportunities to confront their pasts. The Life Impossible is the story of 72-year-old Grace Winters, a retired math teacher who is done with life. She unexpectedly receives the gift of a house on the island of Ibiza in Spain. Some books are quirky, and some are weird. This book is a weird one. The plot is a little too crazy to feel coherent, but I found it interesting because weird is my jam.

🌊🪼🚤🦞

    I have discovered a type of genre from Japan that is whimsical and poignant, like Toshikazu Kawaguchi's Before the Coffee Gets Cold, We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida, What You Are Looking For is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama, and The Cat Who Saved Books by Susuke Matsukawa. I was talking with friends about how much I liked those books, and they recommended The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai. Here is the premise: a retired, widowed police detective runs an obscure, hard-to-find diner with a thirty-year-old daughter. They also run a food detective agency helping customers find the recipe that holds a significant place in their heart- the soup their dead mother made, a restaurant meal from when a lost love proposed, or a special dish enjoyed with a grandfather who now has dementia. These recipes are like keys to unlock a better understanding of the past that, in turn, makes the future brighter. This book will make you hungry!

🍱🍣🍛🥢🍥🍜

🦖😺🦶Another Week of Fantasy and Romance--Win!

 

    I'm obsessed with the Dungeon Crawler Carl Series and was ecstatic that book #7 dropped this week on Audible. This Inevitable Ruin, written by Matt Dinniman and read by Jeff Hayes, is a fantastic series. I always worry. I just do; I'm a worrier. But I especially worry that the next book in any series will disappoint. Book #7 is a terrific addition. Dinniman continues to expand the story beyond the dungeon without losing sight of the book's heart: Carl and Donut's relationship--the Frodo and Sam of this universe. Crawlers have reached the 9th floor of the dungeon, where they face mega-rich aliens from around the galaxy who pay for the sport of killing crawlers. This time it's different. Carl convinces the AI running the dungeon to remove the safeties that keep the warlords from dying for real. The stakes are high for everyone.  

🦖🧚‍♀️🧌🐉😺🦶

    I was surprised to find that What You Wish For is the fifth book by Katherine Center that I've read. At the core, her books are romance novels, but she infuses them with joy and triumph, making them brighten my day whenever I read one. Her main characters, Samantha and Duncan, have past traumas that are currently influencing their present lives. Center paced the novel well, dropping revelations in a timely way that kept me engaged. 

  Other reviews of books by Katherine Center: https://barbpruittwrites.blogspot.com/search?q=Katherine+Center

👩‍🏫❤️🌊🐳

💘🎶👽Romance and Sci-Fi

    This week, I read The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center. It is an excellent example of the Romance genre. Emma Wheeler desires to be a screenwriter and has the chops to do it, but family tragedy prevents her. Her agent secures her a job writing with her idol in the screenwriting universe, Charlie Yates. She took the bold step of going to LA to find out that her agent hadn'hadn't her everything. Like, Charlie Yates didn't know she was coming. The book is humorous and sparkly, with highs and lows that made me wonder how it would all work out. Delightful.

I listened to The Rom-Commers on audio, and at the end, Katherine Center made a passionate case for the benefits of Romance books. She cited several scientific studies and a TED Talk. I have been a Romance Snob and long ago repented. A romance book usually involves challenging events and obstacles that must be overcome. Because it's instance, the reader is promised a happy ending—justice is served, true love is discovered, and rifts are mended.

I'm looking forward to reading more from Center.

💘🎞✍

Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente is a weird book that lives up to its title. Decibel Jones and the Absolute Zeroes, a washed-up band no longer, together become the unwilling representatives for Earth in the universe's version of Eurovision/Hunger Games. The bottom line is that if they don't place high enough, Earth will be destroyed. The book had a fun concept but it went on many wordy tangents that slowed the pace waaaaaay down so it got to be a slog. I almost gave it up but persevered. If you liked The Hitchhiker to the Universe, you will like this. It feels very British in its humor and plot.

👽🛸👨‍🎤🎶

🐉🧌 🏞️ 🏰 So Much Reading!

 

    There was a lot of reading this week--mostly fantasy, but also literary. I was fortunate to get a copy of Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros. It came out last Tuesday and is the third in a planned five books in a popular series called The Empyrean. Yarros keeps the story moving about Violet Sorrengal and the many, many others. Having a character list to refer to would have been helpful, but I focused on the main characters and rode out the rest. Yarros does a fantastic job of solving some problems and raising new ones. It's an exciting read. A final boss battle gives the book a feeling of an ending but also drops a huge plot point that makes me wish the next book was written and waiting. 

🐉🐲⚡️👥

    Honestly, I will enjoy almost anything written by T. Kingfisher (AKA Ursula Vernon). Nine Goblins is the tale of an unlikely protagonist, a female goblin captain who gets accidentally transported behind enemy lines with her squad. She must get her band of none-too-bright goblins through a magical forest inhabited by enemy elves, deadly wizards, and hungry predators. It isn't as easy as it sounds.

🧌🧝‍♂️🦴🦄

    Elizabeth Strout is a strong writer, able to evoke deep, unsettling emotions, bring them out, and critically examine them. Her latest book, Tell Me Everything, continues the narration of the life of Lucy Barton and connects her with Olive Kitteridge. I find this book challenging to describe. There are many plots and lives woven together. At the center is Lucy Barton. She tries to understand the why of life, especially lives that are blighted by the cruelty of others. Lucy and Olive tell each other stories of unrecorded lives and what they mean. It is thoughtful, gentle, and winsome. Strout well deserves her Pulitzer Prize.

Reviews of other Strout books: https://barbpruittwrites.blogspot.com/search?q=Strout

🏞️🍁🌱❄️☀️

    Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis reminds me of T. Kingfisher/Ursula Vernon--a compliment! A dark lord--evil sorcerer--finds himself in his burning workroom, minus his memories. A goblin minion is knocking at the door, asking if he needs help. He does, but who is trustworthy? Once, Dread Lord Gavrax, who now thinks of himself as Gav, must decide who he will be--good or evil or somewhere in between-- but he doesn't have much time before the scariest Dread Lord of all arrives, his town is destroyed, his captured princess is sacrificed, and the heroes storm the castle. 

🏰🧌👸🪄😈

    

💍🧽👯‍♀️😻 Historical Fiction and Cats!

 

    I started The Wife, The Maid, and the Mistress by Ariel Lawhon, thinking it was a mystery book. It had the vibe with a detective, a cheating husband, fierce females, and ambition for miles. I googled Judge Joseph Crater and found him to be a real person who disappeared in 1930 and was never seen again. This historical fiction spins a tale told by three significant women in his life. The narration passes back and forth between them, painting a picture of Judge Crater, the corrupt times in which they live, and what seemingly powerless women can do to change their circumstances. 

    This is the second Ariel Lawhon book I've read this year. She takes a germ of an event or person and writes a fantastic story around it.

https://barbpruittwrites.blogspot.com/2025/01/three-5-star-books-and-weird-one.html

💍🧽👯‍♀️💸

    We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida, translated by E. Madison Shimoda, made me briefly ponder getting a cat. In five short stories, Ishida makes a case for the power of cats. Through word of mouth, different troubled individuals find their way to the Nakagyō Kokoro Clinic for the Soul, where the doctor prescribes them a cat. Things start to happen. Cat things. This was a cheering, lovely read, especially if you have a warm spot for cats in your heart.

😻😸😽😼

 

❤️💞Romance and 🦀YA

    Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club by Roselle Lim blends magical realism and romance. Sophie Go is almost a certified matchmaker. She moves back to her hometown and her problematic parents. There are many excellent descriptions of food. It is hard to read without getting hungry. Sophie works to bring her elderly bachelor neighbors suitable matches despite formidable obstacles. She tries so hard to be a good daughter, neighbor, and matchmaker but neglects herself. Will she find happiness?

🍱🍣🥭❤️🥢🍥🥮

    We are reading Newberry Award winners this book club season, and it has been great! The January book is Jacob Have I Loved by Katherin Paterson. There is so much life packed into this short book. Twin sisters. Caroline is golden and talented, and Louise feels unseen and neglected. The setting is Maryland's Chesapeake Bay area island. Patterson captures the tension and unsureness of being a teenager, not knowing your future when everyone else seems to have their known and planned. Adding the backdrop of World War II brings a life-and-death gravitas to the next steps. Excellent book.

    🌊🦀🛶

    Cara Basone's book Ready or Not is a modern romance set in New York. Eve Hatch finds herself unexpectedly pregnant from a one-night stand. She finds herself reevaluating her entire life. Her best friend struggles with infertility, the baby's father returns to his beloved girlfriend (They were on a break!), and an unsatisfying yet precarious job leaves her feeling adrift. As a contemporary romance, I knew a man wouldn't swoop in and save her. Eve learns to find her voice and courage to reach for her dreams in creative and novel ways. 

    As romances go, it has all the right elements. I found the characters to be two-dimensional. There aren't really any villains or even much personal growth. The plot carried the story.

🤰🏼🗽🌸💞

💻🛜⛱️✍️👩‍🍳🪄A Week of Interesting, Quirky Books

 

"I felt like living my life through screens had trapped me in this dark little cell, my own black box of doom."
― Jason Pargin, I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom

I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom by Jason Pargin was a blast! There were many good elements contributing to the deliciousness of this book. Given its title, I was surprised by how good-hearted and kind its characters were. It has many familiar storylines. It is a quest--what's in the box, with a buddy journey--Abbott agrees to drive an unknown woman and a strange box from LA to Washington DC; coming of age--Abbott takes the wheel of his life; redemption--wrongs are righted, relationships repaired, plus an education about the glory and ruin that is the internet. The book has wonderfully broken, fascinating characters, lots of action, and gentle moralism. A great read.

💻🛜◼️🚙🛣️

 Don't Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino is a historical fiction set in 1960. It is also adjacent to the romance category--not its primary purpose, but when your protagonist is sent as punishment to live with her strict seventy-plus aunt, who also happens to be an in-demand matchmaker, there is going to be romance. This book is balanced with interesting characters, a surprising plot, and good writing. Its central theme is self-determination. Marilyn Kleinman misbehaving as she chaffs under her father's strictness becomes a purposeful path towards knowing herself and what she wants. 

☀️⛱️✍️🐩

    I found Something Close to Magic by Emma Mills on a list of cozy fantasy novels--just the right book for post-Christmas, Artic blast doldrums.

https://modernmrsdarcy.com/cozy-fantasy-novels/

It contained several books I'd already read and enjoyed. Emma Mills does a good job of creating an ensemble cast with a downtrodden but spunky protagonist, Aurelie, the apprentice baker. She is trying to make a stable, dependable life for herself. Still, it is disrupted by Illiane, the bounty hunter who needs her special magical skill to find people, specifically a prince named Hapless. This was a lovely adventure. The book is YA, but it is a fun read.

👩‍🍳🪄🤴🥮

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Three 5-Star Books and a Weird One!🎉

 

    What a great book to start off the year! The Frozen River is the first book I've read by Ariel Lawhon, and it won't be the last. Lawhon creates a spirited, compassionate protagonist in Martha Ballard, a real-life midwife. The book is based on the journals she kept from 1785-1812. Lawhon weaves a captivating life story in colonial America, birth, murder, and justice.

🪵🥶👶🏻🦊

    Guide Me Home by Attica Locke is the third and final book in the Highway 59 series. I have been reluctant to read it because Locke creates a flawed, tragic hero in Darren Matthews, a black Texas Ranger. His twin uncles raise him after the death of his father, convincing his sixteen-year-old mother to give him up. Darren reflects Texas: independent, burdened with racism, and proud of its history, but refusing to see the hidden damage. Darren wants to love his state but is being crushed by its shortcomings. He fights to regain his hope and confidence, but he must face the pain of his past to move into his future. Locke created a beautiful, complex man who lives a powerful story of an honorable man. I highly recommend it.

Here are my reviews of the previous books in the series: https://barbpruittwrites.blogspot.com/search?q=Attica+Locke

⭐️🛣️🌲

    This is my second time reading Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. After the shooting death of his older brother, a young man, Will, is wrestling with the rules of his community: No crying, No snitching, Revenge. Will doesn't cry and doesn't snitch. He takes his brother's gun and gets on the elevator to get revenge. As he descends, he meets those whose lives reflect following the rules. They challenge Will to consider his plans.

"ANOTHER THING ABOUT THE RULES

They weren't meant to be broken.
They were meant for the broken

to follow."

😵🚬🚬🚬🚬🚬🚬🛗

    If the title didn't clue you in--The Village Library Demon Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner--let me assure you, this was a weird book. Like if Agatha Christie's Miss Marple suddenly discovered St. Mary Mead had a demon problem. The book is quirky but enjoyable. I wondered where it would go next. The mystery solver, a 60+ librarian named Sherry Pinkwhistle, is the one everyone turns to when there is a suspicious death in the community. Then, she becomes suspicious of so many suspicious deaths. She assembles her crime-solving, demon-hunting squad, including her possessed cat, Sir Thomas Cromwell, and they get to work. 

🐈👿📚

🎄🎄🎄Belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! My Final Books of 2024

 

   The Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna was a fun romantasy. It had a creative concept surrounding the history of witches. They must conceal their magic from the world and have limited contact with each other because their powers increase when they are together. Mika Moon is a young witch who longs for connection with others but continually hides her true self. So, she started a YouTube channel about potion-making! The pacing was slow, but the story was delightful.

🧹🧙‍♀️🧪🫖

    

Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters is a book of poetry. It is a collection of free-verse monologues by dead people buried in a cemetery in the Spoon River. Masters captures the essence of each person in a few paragraphs. It is a fitting book to read at the end of December when I evaluate the setting year and anticipate the dawning one. The characters shine from their brief words--abusers, heroes, cowards, thieves, sour-spirits, broken-hearted, and more. I heard about Spoon River Anthology from How to Read a Book. A prison book club read it. https://barbpruittwrites.blogspot.com/2024/12/forgiveness-and-fierce-grandmother.html

🪦🪦😵🪦🪦

    How to Walk Away by Katherine Center is a romance book at its center. It has a gruff frenemy with a panty-dropping accent. A main character with significant problems to figure out. Many side stories contribute to a propulsive plot. There is the benefit of learning much about spinal cord injuries. Center has done good research for her story, but it doesn't detract from plot.

🛬🦽🏥💔

I read A Novel Love Story a few days before Christmas and confess I didn't give it my full attention. It has a clever and complex premise. On her way to a private book retreat, a woman finds herself in an idyllic small town, just like the one from her favorite romance series. Her car has broken down, and she finds herself stranded there for several days. Things are mysteriously weird, and the grumpy, hot bookstore owner isn't helping matters. I liked it, but I wish I'd read it at a less harried time and could appreciate it more.

🚗🐈📚❤️‍🔥

🎄🎄🎄📚📚📚Forgiveness and a Fierce Grandmother!

 

How to Read a Book by Monica Wood was a delightful book that spoke deeply about forgiveness and how difficult and vital it is. The story is told by three different people: Violet Powell, a young woman serving time for manslaughter; Harriet Larson, a retired English teacher leading a prison book club; and Frank Daigle, a retired machinist and husband of the woman Violet killed. Will they meet? Will they all face challenges? Yes, and yes. Is forgiveness portrayed as easy? Is the cost light? No, and no. Highly recommend!

🚔📚🐈🦜

    These three books by Richard Peck are a series. They are humourous, wise, and quite enjoyable. The first, A Long Way From Chicago, recounts the trials of Joe and Mary Alice traveling from Chicago to stay with their grandma in rural Illinois for a week each summer throughout the Depression. Grandma Dowdel reminds me of Loki--tricky and naughty--but with a fierce sense of justice for the underdog. Rural life is a lot for two city kids. In A Year Down Under, Mary Alice has to stay with Grandma Dowdel for a year because her father has lost his job. She learns much from Grandma about what matters. The final book, A Season of Gifts, jumps to 1958. Bob and his family move next door to Grandma. He endures bullying for being the new kid in town but gets help from Grandma Dowdel. It is the era of Elvis and Bobby Sox. Grandma is equal to it all.

🚘🎄🪿⛪️