Happy November! Wow, I can't believe it's November already. How did that happen? 

I started October with no plans to read a bookish book, but I somehow ended up reading four of them. All of them were enjoyable overall, although I can't say I really loved any of them. Here's what I read:

The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer—This contemporary romance is about a Jewish novelist with a secret passion for the most Christian of holidays. Very few people know that she is the bestselling author of a bunch of popular Christmas romances. When her editor suggests she write a Hanukah story instead, she finds herself desperately trying to embrace a holiday that seems dull and magic-less. When she's thrust into a holiday partnership with a man who once broke her heart, her life becomes even more complicated.

The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap by Wendy Welch—Have you ever dreamed of opening a bookstore? Then, you need to read this memoir about a married couple who decide on a whim to buy a dilapidated historic home in an economically-advantaged area and turn it into a used bookstore. The book details how they stumbled their way into success against all odds.

The Audacity of Sara Grayson by Joani Elliott—Sara Grayson is a writing teacher who pens greeting cards in her spare time. She hasn't delved into fiction since a famous editor ridiculed a draft of what was supposed to be her debut novel. So, when her mother—a bestselling mystery author—dies without completing the last book in her most popular series and leaves a request for it to be written by Sara, Sara is stunned. Now is her chance to make her fondest dream come true. Is she up to the task?

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict—This historical mystery is based on the real 11-day disappearance of iconic mystery writer Agatha Christie in 1926. No one knows why exactly she vanished, but Benedict's imagining of the events seem plausible. 

Have you read any of these bookish books? What did you think of them? Are you planning to read any bookish books in November? My reading for the rest of the year will be focused on books I need to finish in order to complete my reading challenges as well as the ones I need to read for the Cybils Awards. None of them are bookish as far as I know. The November selection for my book club is a bookish one, though:

Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan—I've been meaning to read this historical novel ever since it came out. It's about a 17-year-old girl whose beloved younger brother is obsessed with C.S. Lewis' Chronicle of Narnia series. Bedridden because of illness, the child fixates on Narnia, so much so that his sister decides to seek out Lewis and ask him all of her brother's insistent questions about the books he loves. What ensues changes her strict, logical view on life.

I haven't started Once Upon a Wardrobe yet, but I'm looking forward to finally reading it. It seems like a magical holiday read. We'll see. 

It's hard to believe there are only 24 more days left of 2021! There's still plenty I need to do before the year closes out. Among my many to-do items is reading at least ten more books so I can hit my goal of 200. Shouldn't be too hard. Since today's Top Ten Tuesday topic is a freebie and I'm not feeling very creative today, I'm just going to list the titles I'm planning to get to before January 1st rolls around.

If you're in a list-making mood today, definitely hop on the TTT party train. It's always a good time! All you have to do is click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.

1. The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan (available March 29, 2022)—I'm a fan of Macmillan's engrossing thrillers, so I'm excited to read her newest. Although it doesn't come out for awhile still, I've got an e-ARC. Yay! The novel concerns a group of friends who book a stay in a remote English inn. When their husbands are all delayed, the women go on ahead. Upon arrival, they receive a disturbing note saying one of their men will be murdered. Stuck in the isolated countryside, their vacation takes a terrible turn for the worst.

2. The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan (available May 10, 2022)—This Irish author is one of my favorite crime writers. There's not a lot of info on her newest, for which I have an e-ARC, but it appears to be a standalone mystery/thriller. Color me intrigued!

3. Yusuf Azeem is Not a Hero by Saadia Faruqi—I need to read a book by a Muslim-American author for a reading challenge and I've heard good things about this one. Faruqi co-wrote another middle-grade novel I enjoyed, so I'm excited for her newest. It concerns a boy who lives in small-town Texas. With the 20th anniversary of 9/11 coming up, his Muslim community is on edge, especially considering all the protests against a new mosque that's opening up nearby. What will happen as the anniversary approaches in a town that's already simmering with unease? 

4. Lies That Comfort and Betray by Rosemary Simpson—I enjoyed the first installment in this Gilded Age mystery series and am anxious to see what happens in this second book. Prudence MacKenzie, a wealthy heiress, has just formed a detective agency with her friend, Geoffrey Hunter. When one of Prudence's young maids is murdered, the duo have their first case. The victim died in a disturbingly similar way to the women Jack the Ripper killed. Has a vicious killer crossed the pond? Or is someone copying his notorious crimes?

5. Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson—A dark academia book prompt is propelling me to finally re-read this YA murder mystery that takes place at a remote East Coast boarding school. I enjoyed it the first time around and am looking forward to moving on with the series once I remind myself of who's who and what's what in the series.

6. Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan—This one is getting a lot of positive buzz. It's about a woman whose dying younger brother is a big fan of a newly-published book called The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. When he asks her a burning question that only the author can answer, she reluctantly seeks out C.S. Lewis. The famous author offers her no quick answers, but what he does give her is far more valuable: hope.

7. Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls by Kaela Rivera—I need to read a fantasy book for a reading challenge prompt and this one sounds interesting. Based on Mexican folklore, it's about a girl who must go on a dangerous, magical journey in order to save her sister.

8. Daughter of Venice by Donna Jo Napoli—Two of the reading challenges I'm trying to finish are asking me to read books set before the 17th Century. That's not my usual era, but I like Napoli and this book—set in 1592—sounds intriguing. It's about a young noblewoman in Venice whose future will be spent inside a convent. Unless she changes it. Which she does, to her peril.

9. I'll Be Seeing You by Mary Higgins Clark—As a teenager, I spent many hours reading MHC by flashlight after I was supposed to be asleep because I literally could not put her books down. I'm supposed to read a 1990s bestseller for a reading challenge so I'll be revisiting this oldie but goodie. It features a news reporter who's mourning her father, who's presumed dead after his car plunged over a New York City bridge. When a young woman is murdered, a woman who could be the reporter's double, her father's secrets—and the truth about his suspected death—begin coming to light.

10. Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva—This Christmas novel is one I hoped to read last year. Since I've already completed my annual re-reading of A Christmas Carol, I think it's a good time to enjoy this festive tale about the writing of my favorite holiday story.

There you go, ten books I'm hoping to read before 2022 begins. What's on your reading list for the rest of the year? Have you read any of my picks? What did you think? What did you choose for your freebie topic today? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I'll gladly return the favor on your blog.

I love Thanksgiving, so I always make a point not to decorate for Christmas or even listen to carols until after the turkey's been eaten. While I was taking my Sunday nap the other day, however, my husband set up our Christmas tree (ostensibly to see if the new lights he bought for it looked good or if he needed to return them—uh huh). With the tree up and lit, I've had to succumb(ish) to the start of the Christmas crazy (I do love Christmas, just not too early), so I'm officially changing over to the holiday Top Ten Tuesday banner. It's festive and fun, so there you go.

Today's TTT topic—Books to Read If You Love/Loved X (X can be a genre, specific book, author, movie/TV show, etc.)—is one I've been looking forward to, even though it's had me wracking my brain for the perfect topic. The one I came up with is a little...grim, especially considering we're in the season of gratitude, merrymaking, comfort, joy, and so on. Still, it's one that always appeals to me for some strange reason. Call me morbid, but I'm going to go with Top Ten Books to Read If You Love Stories About Maritime Disasters. Honestly, I don't know why I'm so fascinated with this subject. Something about catastrophe striking in the middle of the sea and people trying to survive in such desperate circumstances just intrigues me.

Sometimes I have real trouble coming up with books to fit the Top Ten Tuesday topic du jour.  Then, a freebie comes along and I blank on that too! Yikes.  Since I don't want to tax my summer brain too much, I'm going to highlight more upcoming releases I'm eager to read.  I did a two-part TTT list on this topic back in March (here's Part One, here's Part Two) that focused on up-and-comers for the first part of the year.  Today's list will feature releases for the second half, although most of these titles come out this summer.    

If you want to join in the TTT fun, click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.

(in order of release date)

1.  The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman (coming June 8, 2021)—I enjoyed Steadman's two previous thrillers, so I'm excited for her newest effort.  It concerns Mia Eliot, a British actress who comes to Hollywood for pilot season, hoping to land a lucrative, career-making job.  When a fellow actress, whom Mia met only briefly, disappears, Mia is questioned as the last person to see her.  Then, the missing woman reappears, but Mia's almost positive the two women are not the same.  Sounds intriguing!

2.  Eat Your Heart Out by Kelly deVos (coming June 29, 2021)—deVos is another author whose books I enjoy and the plot summary of her newest just makes me laugh.  It's a body-positive YA novel about a group of teens who are forced under mysterious circumstances to attend a weight-loss camp in Flagstaff, Arizona.  Nothing about the situation makes sense, especially not the other campers who seem...not quite alive.  As the teens try to uncover the camp's secrets, they find themselves in a surprising and desperate fight against rabid zombies. 

 

3.  A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe (coming July 20, 2021)—It's 1954 and Katharina Edgeworth is a wealthy, bored New York City housewife.  When she's recruited by the FBI to be an informant with the job of infiltrating the private world of a man from her past who has become a Soviet spy, it presents a tantalizing chance for Katharina to break free from her gilded cage and do something both exciting and important.

4.  Three Words for Goodbye by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb (coming July 27, 2021)—Two estranged sisters set out on a trip across Europe to fulfill their grandmother's dying wish of delivering goodbye letters to people she once knew.  The duo must deal with their own strained relationship, confront family secrets, and travel in a time and place that feels increasingly dangerous.

5.  The Light of Luna Park by Addison Armstrong (coming August 10, 2021)—This historical novel revolves around a nurse who helps treat premature infants in 1937.  When she hears about Martin Couney's exhibit of the tiny babies at Coney Island, it changes her perspective, putting her in conflict with the doctors for whom she works.  As the mother of two babies born at 29 weeks gestation, I'm definitely interested in reading this dual-timeline novel, which sounds super interesting. 

6.  The Family Plot by Megan Collins (coming August 17, 2021)—Dahlia Lighthouse was raised on an isolated island under the strict guard of her true crime-obsessed parents.  Still haunted by the disappearance of her twin brother ten years ago, Dahlia returns to her childhood home where a gruesome discovery has been made: her brother's body has been buried in her father's plot.  How did his body end up there?  What really happened to Dahlia's brother?  Was he murdered by a serial killer or someone a lot closer to home?

7.  A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins (coming August 31, 2021)—When a man is found dead on a houseboat, three women who were close to him are investigated for murder.  There's not much of a plot summary for this one, but I like Hawkins so I'm in.

8.  Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty (coming September 14, 2021)—Not gonna lie, I haven't been impressed with Moriarty's last couple novels.  I'm hoping her newest is as compelling as the older titles that I have loved by her.  Her latest is another family drama about a complicated family with some very intriguing secrets.

9.  Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan (coming October 19, 2021)—This historical novel is about a young woman who is grief-stricken over the impending death of her beloved younger brother.  George, who is captivated by a newly-published book called The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, is desperate to know from whence Narnia came.  Despite her timidity about approaching C.S. Lewis, George's sister does it anyway.  The answer to George's question will change her life, even if it won't save her brother's. 

10.  The Pilot's Daughter by Meredith Jaeger (coming November 2, 2021)—Inspired by a real murder, this one revolves around a would-be reporter who is desperate to find her father, a pilot who goes missing during the waning days of World War II.  When she discovers love letters from a woman who is not her mother among her father's things, she's shocked—and even more desperate to find out where he is.  Can she figure out what happened to the father she loves, but apparently doesn't really know?   

There you go, ten upcoming releases I'm excited to read.  Do any catch your eye as well?  What new releases are you looking forward to bingeing on during the rest of 2021?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Later nicknamed "The Southern Titanic," the luxury steamship Pulaski left Charleston, South Carolina, bound for Baltimore on June 14, 1838.  Her passengers were wealthy, well-heeled, and wholly unaware of the tragedy they were about to be a part of.  When a boiler explosion on board destroyed the ship that night, the vessel sunk in just 45 minutes, leaving about 128 people dead.  The others were stranded on the water, forced to endure hunger, thirst, exposure, terror, and illness before being rescued.  Only 59 people survived.  In January 2018, 180 years after Pulaski sank, divers found the wreckage of the doomed ship.

Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan (available March 9) brings the event to life in a dual-timeline novel that explores the sinking and its aftermath in an intriguing blend of fact and fiction.  The story features Everly Winthrop, a modern-day history professor who is asked to help curate an exhibit of Pulaski artifacts for a Savannah museum.  Still reeling from the death of her best friend a year ago, she finds purpose in studying the famous ship and her elite passengers.  She's especially intrigued by the story of a large family of passengers—some members died in the tragedy, some survived, and others' fates remain unknown.  Everly wants to change that.  As she investigates in the present, the reader taken back to 1838 where they're introduced to Lilly Forsyth, an abused aristocratic wife who's forced to make impossible decisions when Pulaski sinks, giving her an unexpected chance at freedom.  What does Lilly choose?  And how does her life change because of it?  What happens to her after the Pulaski sinks?

I had never heard of the Pulaski, so I learned a lot about the ship and its tragic end from Surviving Savannah.  The dual-timeline format is one I always enjoy.  As per usual, I found myself more invested in the past story than in the present one, although both had enough meat to keep me interested.  Even though the historical characters didn't get enough development, I still found them to be a likable, sympathetic lot.  Same goes for the present cast, although I didn't love Everly, who's just too victim-y for me.  I'm all for a sympathy-inducing lead, but I get impatient with too much wallowing—a character has to be at least a little bit selfless for me to really care about them.  Plot-wise, Surviving Savannah moves along at a steady pace, which kept me turning pages.  As for its storytelling, Callahan's prose gets heavy-handed at times (Everly's dialogue, for instance, often feels too formal and flowery). Still, I enjoyed this novel for its colorful historical backdrop, its engrossing story, its intriguing characters, and its capable (if at times overblown) writing. If you like dual-timeline novels about little-known historical events, definitely check this one out. 

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Bonny Blankenship's happiest memories from childhood all center around one place: Watersend, South Carolina.  She loved spending long, languid summers there with her best friend, Lainey.  Known around town as the "Summer Sisters," the girls wiled away the hours swimming, dreaming, and reading at Title Wave, the local bookstore.  Although those idyllic vacations ended abruptly when Lainey's mother disappeared, Bonny still longs for the innocent, bygone days of her youth.  

When Bonny, now an ER doctor in Charleston, makes a critical mistake at work, she's encouraged to take some time off.  Lainey's suggestion of spending one last summer at Watersend seems to be just the ticket. Piper, Bonny's college drop-out daughter, comes along to nanny for Lainey's children while the two old friends (sans spouses) reconnect at the family cottage they've always loved.  As Bonny and Lainey share their individual triumphs and tragedies, they find camaraderie and understanding.  While trying to make sense of both their presents and their shared past, the duo poke into the continuing mystery of Lainey's mother.  With some help from Mimi, the owner of Title Wave, the women search for answers, healing, and the comfort that can only be found within the pages of a good book.  

The Bookshop at Water's End by Patti Callahan Henry combines several of my favorite novel themes: the South, the beach, and books.  That's a trifecta pretty much guaranteed to make me swoon.  In this case, though, it just ... didn't.  Not really.  I had trouble feeling any connection with Bonny or Lainey, both of whom seemed immature and self-absorbed.  While the story felt melodramatic to me, it was compelling enough to keep me reading.  Overall, though, I didn't love it.  In fact, The Bookshop at Water's End was so forgettable to me that I had to read a couple different plot summaries before I could remember enough about the book to write this review.  Bummer, because I wanted to like this one a lot more than I did.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of books by Karen White and Dorothea Benton Frank)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated: 

for language (a few F-bombs plus milder expletives), violence, mild sexual content, and references to illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of The Bookshop at Water's End from the generous folks at Penguin Random House.  Thank you!