Books and Chocolate-Feb 2022
What more does a girl need than a pile of books and a bowl of chocolate? Let’s talk about what we’ve been reading and feeding our inner chocoholics.
I’ve been on a bit of a book binge since last September. According to GoodReads I’ve read 75 books since then, which I admit has me a little gobsmacked. (if you’re on GoodReads, I’d love to connect with you there )I have been indulging in our local libraries, Prime Reading, and some free book promotions to try out books that I would not have given a chance before.
Sure, there have been a few that have wound up on the DNF (did not finish) stack—rather a new phenomenon for me. I’m not as determined as my husband, who almost always finishes every book he starts. I’ve given myself permission to set something aside if it hasn’t grabbed me by 20-25% of the way in. I kind of hate the feeling of being flaky and giving up, but on the other hand, it makes it a lot easier to try brand new books and genres that I’m really on the fence about.
These are a few of the ones I took a chance on and have definitely gone on my “Read the Rest of the Series’ stack.
Call Me Dragon
I’ll fess up and tell you I’m particular about dragon books. Big surprise, huh? I grew up on Anne McCaffrey’s Pern (Dragon Song was probably my favorite) and got spoiled for intelligent, personable dragons. It’s hard for me to get into stories that feature dragon as villains and mindless beasts. I like my dragons smart and cuddly—more or less. (Yes, I’ve read His Majesty’s Dragon and loved it. I’ll talk about it in a couple of months!)
The thing that first caught me about this book was that it was written in the dragon’s point of view! That was a first for me, and it really grew on me. Blitz the Devastator, our dragon hero, is rather a misfit dragon who is living away from his clan, shunned for his lack of fire and artistic tendencies.
The whole misfit dragon had me hooked, but it got better, when while trying to prove himself for his family, he accidently rescues a princess, Azania. just as misfit as himself! (The princess was a hoot by the way!)
The two become quite the team and go on to become more than either could have imagined alone.
A humorous (but not a spoof or farce) heartfelt action adventure, this felt like a breath of fresh air. I’m really looking forward to more in this series.
Just so you know, links below are Amazon associate links, so if you buy anything through them, I will get a couple of pennies from that.
Midlife Bounty Hunter
With this book. I discovered an entirely new-to-me genre—women’s midlife fiction. The premise is the adventures of a heroine who is not 18 or 25, and all the things that go with it. These heroines are in their 40+, often mothers, recovering from bad relationships, with life experiences and midlife looks and figures to match.
Usually told in first person, this genre tends toward a very particular voice for the heroine. One of empowerment and self-discovery. Not a ‘Mary-Sue’ wish-fulfillment character, but one who is determine to take this phase of life by the horns and run with it.
Admittedly, I was a bit skeptical about the whole notion, but I’ve read a number of books in this genre now and am enjoying the majority of them.
Women’s midlife fiction gets crossed with other genres into even deeper niche subgenres, including paranormal cozy mystery (which has been my favorite), paranormal urban fantasy, and paranormal fantasy romance. I am certain there are non-fantasy versions of these genres, but I like my reading escapes with a dose of fantasy so I haven’t explored those as much.
In this novel, our heroine, Breena O’Rylee is rebuilding after a divorce and in the process. she learns she has ‘zero ducks to give’ (a phrase which I have kind of adopted.) Best line of the book, IMHO: “Behold, my field of ducks, and see that it is barren. Absolutely not one duck in sight as far as I could see.”
Breena ends up working as a bounty hunter, discovering a new world of paranormal inhabitants along the way, and proving to herself she hasn’t been giving herself nearly enough credit.
Funny, fast paced and unpredictable. This was a great romp.
How about some free book promotions to stock up your shelves?
From this one I got Zero Day Threat and Midnight Flowers and am really looking forward to reading them.
I really enjoyed Grave’s Anatomy from this one. I’m currently reading Dryads and Deadlines, also from this promotion.
I recently read a truly excellent book, recommended to me, of a type that I would not have looked at twice on my own. The title is “Heretics of St. Possenti” by Rolf Nelson. The protagonist is a Catholic bishop (I’m not Catholic) who starts a new order of monks for former soldiers with stability issues (I’m not a warrior, and have never served in the military), in a slightly-more-dystopian-than-current society (as if we don’t have enough of a dystopia as it is, thank you very much). Never would have been my choice, without encouragement.
It’s wonderful and fascinating and engaging and at times very, very funny. Highly recommended. And it’s on Kindle Unlimited if you want to try it for free.
Other than that, I am slowly working my way through Henri Pirenne’s “Mohammed and Charlemagne” about the effects of Arab Muslim incursions on latter stages of the Roman Empire. Also excellent, but to be read in short installments rather than big chunks.
I recently read ‘The Wizard’s Butler,’ which you recommended either here on on Goodreads. Currently reading ‘Sorcery and Cecilia’ and listening to ‘His Majesty’s Dragon.’