Category: books

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Brigands & Breadknives

Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree

I love the cozy fantasy world Travis Baldree has created in the Legends & Lattes series. This is considered Book 2 in the series, although it is actually the third book published. First we had Legends & Lattes, which was Book 1, and then we had Bookshops & Bonedust, which was Book 0. The settings were a coffee shop and bookshop, respectively.

This book starts out with Fern, the bookseller from Book 0, moving to Thune, where Viv from Book 1 has her coffee shop, to open a new bookshop. Things quickly take a turn as Fern finds herself far from home after a night of drinking and desperation. She ends up on an adventure with an elven warrior and a chaotic goblin captive.

I was surprised at first by the turn this book took–away from the cozy fantasy shop setting and towards an action-filled adventure plotline. It felt a lot like some of the D&D campaigns I have been a part of. That’s not a bad thing, just different and unexpected after the other two books. It had some good fights and some fun, quirky elements. 

The parts I most enjoyed were seeing the evolving relationships between the characters and following Fern’s internal journey through her writing of letters to Viv back in Thune. I am hoping there will be more books in the series and that they will be more like the first two that were written.

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Wilder Podcast

I posted a few weeks ago about the podcast Wilder on the Prairie, a fascinating podcast which explains a lot of the terms, items, or references in the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

The podcast I am referring to today is simply called Wilder, and it was produced in 2023 as a deep dive into Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life and legacy. It consists of 10 regular episodes, 3 bonus episodes, and a 50th anniversary special published in 2024.

I found this podcast to be incredibly well done and also very balanced. They cover so much ground, discussing Wilder’s life as well as her books and even the TV show. They discuss how the books came about and how they compare to her real life experiences, while also explaining the questions about the series authorship and the difficult relationship between Laura and her daughter Rose. 

Throughout the episodes, they are constantly balancing the love people have for the series with the problematic aspects of the books. One of the largest issues is how Native Americans were portrayed, and they do a deep dive into that history. They also spend time on the TV show, and one of the bonus episodes is an interview with Melissa Gilbert, who played Laura in the show.

Highly recommended!

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Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop

Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop: A Memoir – written by Alba Donati and translated by Elena Pala

After working in Italian publishing for many years and being a poet herself, Alba Donati returned to her very small hometown of Lucignana to open a tiny bookshop called Libreria Sopra la Penna. The bookshop opened in December of 2019, and the memoir takes the form of a diary that she kept from January to June of 2021. Each day’s entry ends with a list of the books that were ordered from the shop that day, and it was fascinating to see what people were getting and which books showed up multiple times.

Throughout the memoir, we learn a lot about life in a small village of only 180 people, where everybody knows your business almost before you do. Donati also shares a lot of her childhood, her family history, and how she handles the relationships with her elderly parents. And, of course, there are many stories about books and authors and the many readers she encounters.

As Donati puts it, “People want stories. It doesn’t matter who wrote them; they need stories to take their mind off things, stories to identify with or to take them elsewhere. Stories that won’t hurt, that will heal a wound, restore trust, instill beauty in their hearts.”

I love that quote, and I found the entire book very engaging. I enjoyed hearing Donati’s thoughts on literature, especially on the importance of championing women authors. I found myself imagining living in a small village and getting to spend my days around so many books, which sounds like heaven.

I don’t read a lot of nonfiction, but I have enjoyed several memoirs over the years. I think I need to add some more of them into my rotation.

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What you are looking for is in the library

What you are looking for is in the library, written by Michiko Aoyama and translated by Alison Watts

I love the idea that a wise librarian could point you in a direction you had not thought of, which would turn out to be the perfect answer to what you were struggling with. In this book, we meet five different people, each of whom is unhappy with their life in some way:

  • Tomoka, 21 womenswear sales assistant
  • Ryo, 35, accounts department of a furniture manufacturer
  • Natsumi, 40, former magazine editor
  • Hiroya, 30, NEET (not in employment, education or training)
  • Masao, 65, retired

Somehow, each of them ends up at the community library and meets Sayuri Komachi, a librarian who asks them what they are looking for and gives them a list of books that includes one unrelated book as well as a bonus gift, a small felted object. The seemingly unrelated book ends up leading them to the answer they need to find happiness in their lives.

One thing that I found jarring was the reaction each of the characters had to the librarian when they first saw her. She is a large woman, and the descriptions of her appearance are quite derogatory. They each assume that she is an angry, unapproachable person and are surprised when she is friendly and helpful.

Putting that aside, I found the conclusions that each person reached to be very satisfying and thought-provoking. I am glad that I read this book.

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The Lost Bookshop

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods – ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

I enjoyed The Lost Bookshop so much. I loved immersing myself in the world Woods created in this story.

The highlights:

✅I have really come to enjoy magical realism as I have read more of it, and it was very well done in this book. 

✅I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to follow along with the two timelines and the different points of view. 

✅The two women did encounter some difficult situations in their lives that were hard to read about, but they was handled well.

✅The emphasis on books was so lovely, especially the rare book dealing aspect.

✅I love Henry, the MMC.

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Loveless

Loveless by Alice Oseman is a young adult novel about Georgia, who is struggling to understand and define her sexuality. She is headed to college and still hasn’t had any sexual or romantic feelings for anyone, not even a crush. Has she not met the right guy yet? Does she actually like girls? Should she just try kissing someone to see what happens? What is wrong with her?

During the course of her freshman year, Georgia learns about the A in LGBTQIA+ and discovers that there is nothing wrong with her–she is simply asexual/aromantic. Coming to understand this brings a lot of changes in how she sees herself and how she moves through a world that is so focused on coupling up.

I loved this book. It was so engaging, and I was totally invested in Georgia’s journey. I also appreciated the strong friendships and enjoyed the university setting. It’s not perfect, but it does a great job of showing one possible experience of being aro/ace. Well worth the read!

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Woodworking

Woodworking by Emily St. James

I had to wait a long time for my hold of Woodworking to come up, but it was well worth the wait. This is the story of Erica Skyberg, a trans woman who hasn’t told anyone yet. Erica is a recently divorced high school English teacher, and she befriends Abigail, who is one of her students and a trans girl.

There is a lot to like about this book. It is very well written with interesting characters and good pacing. I also learned a lot about the trans experience from characters at different points of their transition. It was a pleasure to read, and I look forward to more from this new author.

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What I’m Reading – November 2025

What I’m Reading Now

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods – I’m still in the early chapters of this novel, but it weaves together the past and the present with a touch of magical realism. I’m enjoying it so far.

What I Recently Finished

  • Troubles in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand – Paradise #3
  • Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout – Amgash #5
  • Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
  • A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss
  • This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
  • Modern Persuasion by Sara Marks – 21st Century Austen #1
  • Woodworking by Emily St. James
  • Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare – The Infernal Devices #2
  • Loveless by Alice Oseman

What I Added to my TBR

  • The Twilight Garden by Sara Nisha Adams
  • In Your Dreams by Sarah Adams – When in Rome #4
  • A Season for Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss
  • Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Jenny Bayliss
  • Kiss Me at Christmas by Jenny Bayliss
  • I’ll Be Home for Christmas by Jenny Bayliss
  • A Secret Garden in Paris by Sophie Beaumont
  • The Night Bus by Tessa Bickers
  • The Vibrant Years by Sonali Dev
  • The Wedding Setup by Sonali Dev
  • How Simi Got Her Groom Back by Sonali Dev
  • Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
  • Nantucket Second Chances by Pamela Kelley
  • Vanyel and Vixen by Mercedes Lackey
  • Love and War in Woodhouse Hall by Sara Marks – 21st Century Austen #3
  • Love From Northanger Parks, Katie by Sara Marks – 21st Century Austen #4
  • Unraveling Carrie Woodhouse by Sara Marks – 21 Century Austen #5
  • Sweeten Up Ginny Darcy by Sara Marks – 21st Century Austen #6
  • Sheepfarmer’s Daughter by Elizabeth Moon – The Deed of Paksenarrion #1
  • Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay
  • Lizzy and Jane by Katherine Reay
  • The Bronte Plot by Katherine Reay
  • A Portrait of Emily Price by Katherine Reay
  • The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay
  • The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  • 3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years by John Scalzi
  • The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout

TBR Stats/Updates

  • I currently have 179 books on my TBR. Of those, 9 are nonfiction and 170 are fiction.
  • At the end of June, I created a focused reading list of 25 books I would like to read by the end of the year. So far, I have read 21 of those books.
  • I have read 105 books this year (my goal was 75).
  • My nonfiction goal is 1 per month, which I have met so far with a total of 10.
  • Here are some more stats from StoryGraph:
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Modern Persuasion

Modern Persuasion by Sara Marks (21st Century Austen #1)

📚Summary

Emma Shaw is a modern woman with a classic problem. Eight years ago, Emma put her career and family above her own needs. She’s cut out the man she loves, is exhausted from carrying the emotional load for her family, and her dream career as an editor is on the brink of disaster. 

Now she has to face the man she gave up eight years ago in order to keep her career. When her ex’s book launch is in crisis, her bosses coerce Emma to step in to save it even if that’s no longer her job. Forced to spend a month on the road, Emma has too much time to think about her regrets but also discover new opportunities to make the life she thought she would have, including a second chance with Fredrick. If she can run her life as well as she runs this book tour, she can save her career, be with the man she loves, and maybe tell her family where to stick it.

✍️My Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book. I had read another book in this series last year but only recently realized the author had done more Austen retellings. I especially loved how this version was set in the publishing world with the FMC being an editor. I did find it ironic that a book set in that industry would have several grammatical errors in it, but I was able to ignore them because of how much I was enjoying the story.

I do wish she hadn’t changed the FMC’s name from Anne to Emma, especially when she kept the MMC’s name as Fredrick. I like the name Anne and found it confusing given that there is already an Emma in Austen’s work. I also thought the writing Fredrick shares with Emma at the end was way too long and detailed. I did like the Louisa character and appreciated how her story was handled, and I loved that Mrs. Smith was included in the book.

All in all, this was a very fun story, and I plan to read more from the series.

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This Is How You Lose the Time War

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

📚Summary

Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.

Except the discovery of their bond would mean death for each of them. There’s still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win that war.

✍️My Thoughts

My first impression of this novella was that it was very odd and possibly not for me. But I decided to keep reading and eventually fell in love with it. I loved how the relationship between Red and Blue developed through their correspondence and how it changed their understanding of the world they lived in. And I especially enjoyed the twists and turns the story took at the end.