Love & Saffron by Kim Fay

 

Love & Saffron by Kim Fay is a sweet little book that the author intended to be read in one sitting. Consisting almost exclusively of letters back and forth between two women of very different circumstances, it is easy to rip through it. Joan is a young, single woman finding her way in the world and Imogen is the married, middle-aged columnist to whom Joan sends what is essentially a fan letter. Along with the letter, she sends a sample of saffron for Imogen to try. Thus begins a pen pal friendship that changes both of their lives.

I didn't quite read this in one sitting, but it was pretty fast for me. I have always had friends of various age groups and so I particularly enjoyed the way the women were able to relate to one another despite their very different lives. Joan is looking down the road at her future and Imogen is looking back, remembering, while also not giving up on a future of her own.

I really liked this darling story and I think you will, too.

The Spectacular by Fiona Davis

 

This month's book club pick is The Spectacular by Fiona Davis. In 2022, we read The Lions of New York, which was very good so I was happy we were revisiting her. Davis sets all her books focused on New York landmarks and this one stars Radio City Music Hall and The Rockettes in 1956. Marion is a dance teacher who still wants more and when she learns about auditions to join the famous Rockettes, she figures she has nothing to lose. Well, except maybe her father's approval. This also happens to be during a streak of bombings all around New York that the police haven't been able to solve.

I enjoyed this book even more than I did our previous choice. Davis does a wonderful job of researching actual events and tying them into her own story that it would be easy to believe it all really happened. The only frustration I had was at the very beginning of the book, the narrator is 36 years older and recalling her time as a dancer. When she mentions that she is 55 years old, it pulled me out of the story because everything up to that point had me believing she was in her 80s. The description makes her sound so old and perhaps it is showing my own advancing age, but 55 doesn't seem all that old to me, especially considering the 55-year-olds that I know.

Otherwise, the characters are compelling, there is both family and societal drama, and it is fun to learn about how such an elite performance group makes the magic happen. I think you'll like this one, SmartGirls!

The Rise of Magicks by Nora Roberts

 

I've just finished reading the third book in the Nora Roberts The One series, The Rise of Magicks. I think I've mentioned before that fantasy isn't really my favorite genre, but this series was easy to read. The characters were compelling enough to keep me turning the pages and I never felt like the story got bogged down with world-building. By the end of this book, I even stopped getting snagged on the superfluous K in the word magick.

I haven't ever read any other Nora Roberts, so I can't say how this compares to her other books, but it was enjoyable enough. If you are a fantasy reader, you might like to give this one a chance. The story wraps up nicely. Love is found, evil is vanquished, families and home are the best place to be. 

Now I'm off to put my nose to the grindstone, or actually, in a book. I have a huge stack that came in at the library all at once! Happy reading, Smart Girls!