November was a...frustrating reading month for me. The stress leading up to the election and the upset after maybe? Who knows. In any case, I started and stopped reading a bunch of books, some because they weren't the right book at the time and some because they weren't for me at all. But I did read few new-to-me books that I enjoyed:
Good Neighbors by Stephanie Burgis (M/F cozy fantasy romance): I'm still kicking myself because I didn't remember to put one of Stephanie Burgis's books on my cozy book rec post earlier this month because her books fit that vibe so well! Good Neighbors is a collection of novellas and short stories about Mia, an inventor with a magical affinity for metals, and Leander, her charming/provoking necromancer neighbor, who form an alliance for protection, which of course turns into more. Mia is grumpy and a bit oblivious; Leander is sunshiney and outrageous. It's cozy and delightful, filled with found family and wonderful supporting characters with their own distinct personalities and romances too. Seriously, it was just what I needed this past month, and it's going on my list of cozy books to reread.
How to Summon a Fairy Godmother by Laura J Mayo (Fantasy): I've heard this book described as a Cinderella retelling, but it isn't quite that. The story picks up toward the end of the Cinderella story with the ball and carries on from there in the point of view of one of Cinderella's (Beatrice, in this telling) stepsisters. Theodosia's life has been ruined since Beatrice married the prince and told the kingdom how she's been treated, and Theo blames Beatrice for all of it. Then Theo finds out that her mother is going to marry her off to an elderly (and quite awful) duke, and Theo decides that if Beatrice can summon a fairy godmother to get her into a marriage, Theo can summon one to get her out of one. But the fairy she summons won't give Theo what she wants immediately—Theo has to prove herself worthy. What follows is a delightful set of adventures and an ultimate redemption for a "wicked" stepsister. This is book one in the series, and I'm looking forward to the next.
The Shabti by Megaera C Lorenz (MM historical fantasy romance): I saw KJ Charles recommend this book and what she said made me immediately snap it up—I'm very glad I did. This is a book with a quiet, lovely romance and a ghost story, set in the 1930s, and all of it was perfect for me. Dashiell is an ex-fake medium who found a line that he wasn't willing to cross and is trying to be a better person (though he's still king of a con artist), and Hermann is a professor of Egyptology who is dealing with a haunting at his museum. The haunting is tense and creepy—and the resolution absolutely perfect. The romance is understated, which seemed right for the characters and right with regard to the rest of the plot (both the literal ghost and the figurative ones from Dashiell's past). I also loved both Hermann's neighbor and department secretary. The audio was excellent.
Into the Bright Open by Cherie Dimaline (YA fiction with FF romance): Into the Bright Open is part of the remixed classics series, in which authors take classic stories and reimagine them through their own cultural lenses. This one is a queer and indigenous reimagining of The Secret Garden, which I enjoyed as a child—I still have the Barnes & Noble edition that my aunt and uncle gave me when I was a kid on my shelf—though I'm very aware of the racism in the original now. This reinterpretation makes Mary a teenager and moves the setting to Canada. When Mary's parents die, she is sent away from Toronto to live with her uncle in Georgian Bay. There she finds an indigenous community that challenges the racism she's been taught by her parents and nanny and growing bonds of sisterhood and romance. The atmosphere and bare bones of the original are here, making it a lovely reinterpretation of the original.
What have you read and loved lately?
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