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!

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

 

The first book club book of 2024 is The Housemaid by Freida McFadden and it is a great start!

It's always a daunting task to choose the book of the month. There is so much pressure to choose one everyone will like and that will also have enough meat for a good discussion. It was my turn to pick, and I was thrilled to find that I had chosen well.

Millie is a recently released convicted felon in desperate need of a job and a place to live. When she sees the ad for a live-in housekeeper, it seems like the perfect arrangement. She will be well paid and also have a secure, if tiny, small attic bedroom and bathroom all to herself. She will need to cook and clean and babysit a little girl, but she's looking forward to working hard and seeing the results of her efforts.

Nina is the woman who hires Millie. She has been happily married for a decade to a very handsome, very wealthy man who adores her. And yet, something just isn't right. Millie can't put her finger on what seems off, but she needs the job enough to not look too closely. Until she has no other choice...

This book was a quick, enjoyable read. I flipped the pages more quickly than I have in a while. One night it was so compelling that I had to make myself close the book. I like to read in bed before falling asleep, but on this particular night, this book was having the opposite of the desired effect. I could feel my adrenaline rising with each twist and turn and my choices were to put it away or stay up the rest of the night to finish it. I had work in the morning, so it had to wait. 

I'd love to discuss character development and story arc, but I would be a terrible book friend if I gave away any of the secrets. And I would never do that to you, Smart Girls! I'll tell you it was exciting enough that I had to give my husband a play-by-play each day as I read it. There was just too much excitement to keep it to myself! No spoilers, but I'll leave you with this one quote:

I'd say there's at least a twenty-five percent chance she's going to murder me in my sleep if I get this job. But I still want it. 

Of Blood and Bone by Nora Roberts

 

Book two in the series Chronicles of The One by Nora Roberts is Of Blood and Bone. We've jumped ahead in time nearly thirteen years from the end of The One and we see how the survivors of The Doom and the ensuing chaos are managing to rebuild society. We also begin to learn about The One, the savior in this post-apocalyptic world. Like any good fantasy book, our hero is a teenager, this time a girl. Fallon Swift leaves her family on her thirteenth birthday to begin her rigorous magickal, logical, and physical training.

Can we pause here and allow me to rant for a moment? Okay, I don't read a lot of fantasy; a little, but not a lot. I understand there are rules and conventions to the genre, but it makes me twitch a little every time I read the word magick or magickal. I'm sure there is a long-standing tradition for adding that k, but it trips me up and pulls me out of the story a little every time I read it. Okay, rant over. My apologies to all the fantasy fans out there. It's just not my thing.

Often, the second book in a trilogy is a bit of a bridge book: the story needs to move from the interesting part at the beginning (book one) to the interesting part at the end (book three). Book two can be less compelling, but not in this case. I enjoyed reading about Fallon's training and growth from young thirteen-year-old lightly-skilled witch to nearly-adult sixteen-year-old leader and warrior.

We are introduced to more characters (oh, the list grows ever longer), but they continue to add to the story rather than weigh it down. We also see the way power-hungry men have taken advantage of the vacuum of organized government to terrorize and impose their religious fanaticism. They rule with mandatory conversion and attendance to worship services. Public torture and executions are used to rid the world of those they deem evil and to keep everyone else in line.

The battles are laying the groundwork for the coming war. I hope the final book in the series delivers a satisfying end. I'll leave you with this quote that I'm adding to my collection:

Knowledge is a blessing, and a power, and a weapon.

Year One by Nora Roberts

 

WHERE have you been, Smart Girls??

Oh, wait. It was me that was missing in action. I will not insult you by offering a weak excuse for my absence, but please know that I have recommited to sharing the books I read. The last couple of years have been less read-y for me, but I'm hoping that changes as well. All we can do is try.

My first book of 2024 is Year One by Nora Roberts. I've never read a Nora Roberts book before now because I only knew of her as a romance writer and that's not really my jam. When a friend recommended this sci-fi trilogy, I was intrigued. The copyright is dated 2017, but boy was this book about a global plague ahead of its time. Fortunately for us, the pandemic we just endured was not nearly as bad as the one in Roberts' books.

A mysterious flu sweeps the Earth, taking out 80% of the world's population. In its wake, some of the survivors discover new magical abilities. It isn't difficult to imagine the power struggle that ensues.

The cast of characters in this first book is lengthy and I did find myself forgetting who they were and needing to flip back a bit to remember. Max, Lana, Arlys, Fred, Chuck, Poe, Kim, Jonah, Rachel, Will, et cetera, et cetera. 

It's a lot.

I was immediately drawn in by the description of how The Doom, as they call it, makes its way across the globe. The different groups of characters that we watch as they begin their survival is interesting. This being the first in a trilogy, it needed to lay out a lot of information. At times, that became a little tedious for me, and near the end, I wasn't sure I would want to continue the series. Fortunately, the last couple of chapters renewed my interest.

I will give this book a hopeful three stars.

🌟🌟🌟

I hope you're reading something wonderful, Smart Girls. There are so many fantastic books out there!

What I've Heard- Conviction

I really enjoyed reading Conviction by Denise Mina and honestly, the audio version was even better! This book is all about a woman who loves listening to true crime podcasts and then gets pulled into her own crime mystery. Listening to the characters makes it seem like listening to that podcast. This was a good one.