Monday, February 10, 2025

Top Tuesday: My Favorite Novels Featuring Love Stories that Stole my Heart

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana at The Artsy Reader Girl.


This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic is the Love Freebie and after much consideration, I thought I would go through my five paw reviews and share some of My Favorite Novels Featuring Love Stories that Stole my Heart, whether the main story line or just one on the side, but still prominent, some tragic and others with happy endings.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Elizabeth and Darcy

The Charm Offensive
 by Alison Cochrun
 
Dev and Charlie

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors
 (The Rajes #1) by Sonali Dev
Trisha and DJ

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries (#1) by Heather Fawcett
Emily and Wendell

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
Lily and Kathleen

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
Mika and Jamie


Witchful Thinking (Elemental #1) by Celestine Martin
Lucy and Alex

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller 
Patroclus and Achilles

A Wedding in December by Sarah Morgan 
Maggie and Nick, Katie and Jordan, Rose and Dan

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
Sue and Maud 

Do you have a favorite novel featuring a love story? Have you read any of my favorites? 

© 2025, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Saturday, February 08, 2025

Weekly Mewsings: February Has Just Started and I Am Already Done With It / But It Isn't All Bad

I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer and The Sunday Salon (TSS) hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz  where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking It's Monday! What Are you Reading? hosted by Kathryn of Book Date where readers talk about what they have been, are and will be reading.


Hello from my little part of California! It has been a pleasant week, weather wise. Fog and a little rain, but mostly sunshine. I still find myself wanting to wrap up in a blanket in the morning and evenings. I am not sure if it's to stay warm or just for comfort. Maybe some of both.

It was an especially difficult week at work, a reminder of how short life is and how precious our families are. Luckily Mouse never complains about getting extra hugs when I have weeks like this. We started a new schedule and in office rotation this past week. It seemed to go well, without too many complications so far. We are down a supervisor right now because someone retired the end of the year. I am not sure when we will get a replacement.

It is hard not to feel helpless amidst the torrent of news coming out about the current U.S. administration. Making calls to my government representatives is a minor thing, but at least I feel like I am doing something. How are you all coping? 

A question for those of you who track your reading and keep stats: what sort of stats do you track or what tags do you use for your books on Goodreads, StoryGraph or other reading apps? I keep a spreadsheet with various statistics just for the fun of it, and while I tag books in LibraryThing, I do not really tag them on Goodreads or StoryGraph, but I am considering starting. 

What have you been up to this weekend and past week?  

I currently have my bookmark in three books. I am still reading The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett and am enjoying it quite a bit. I just started The Reformatory by Tananarive Due, and I can already tell it is going to be good. My current audio read is Bayou Moon (The Edge #2) by Ilona Andrews. February may be a short month, but it seems to be a month for reading big books!


This week I finished reading Murder in a Dressing Room, the first in the Misty Divine cozy mystery series, by Holly Stars and The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende, translated by Frances Riddle. Although I started off reading Allende's novel in print, I ended up listening to most of it in the audio version. It was heartbreaking and at times difficult to read, the parallels between the events in the book and what is happening in the U.S. today all too real. I hope to post my review later this week. Tomorrow I will be meeting with the book club where we will be discussing Allende's book. 


In the meantime, be sure and check out this past week's Bookish Mewsings:

And other posts you may have missed:


What are you reading right now?


My TBR List was the idea of Michelle at Because Reading, and while Michelle has not been hosting this monthly event for some time now, it's one of my favorite traditions that I cannot bring myself to give up. It's just too much fun! The 1st Saturday of every month, I will list 3 books from my TBR pile I am considering reading and let you vote for my next read during that month. My review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise).

Thank you to everyone who voted in this month's TBR List Poll! All three of the options this month are calling my name, but I will only have time to read the winner--at least right now. I definitely do want to read the other two as well.


Twenty-nine  (29) people voted, and while it wasn't all that close, each of the books got quite a few votes.  The Case of the Missing Maid (Harriet Morrow Investigates #1) by Rob Osler received seven (7) books, Haunting and Homicide (A Ghost Tour Mystery #1) by Ava Burke got eight (8) votes, and A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay won with fourteen (14) votes! The winning book does sound like it will be a lot of fun to read, and I cannot wait to start it! 


Thank you  again to everyone for voting in this month's TBR List poll! 

What are you reading next? 

Mouse is excited to be sharing one of her favorite anime series with us, and so we have been watching an episode or two of Haikyu!! in the evenings. We are on season two now. It's a cute anime about a high school boy's volleyball team, based on a manga series. I have started watching the crime show, High Potential when the mood strikes, although am not too far in yet. 


What have you been watching lately?


Following in the footsteps of Deb of Readerbuzz, who shares three good things in her Sunday Salon posts, I thought I would try to do the same. With all the worries and stressors in life, I want to highlight some of the good, even the seemingly small stuff. 

1. A surprise gift from my daughter. We all enjoy the Spy x Family manga series, and Mouse gave me a sleeping Yor, and set her Loid next to keep me company while I work.  


2.My husband's Tortilla Chip Enchiladas. Yum!

3. My Gracie. She's my little shadow. I haven't had the heart to throw my old desk chair out because she's made it her own, sitting right beside me in her own chair when I am working from home. Another of her favorite spots (besides on my lap or chest) right now is lying on blankets and bear pillow on the floor next to me. She's never far away. 


I hope you have a great week! Let me know what you have been reading!

© 2025, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Thursday, February 06, 2025

Where Is Your Book Mark: Bookish Mewsings on Murder in the Dressing Room & Other Friday Fun


Along with this mini review, I am linking to both Book Beginnings, a meme in which readers share the first sentence of a book they are reading, hosted by Gillion of Rose City Reader and First Line Friday hosted by Carrie of Reading is My Super Power, as well as Friday 56 hosted by Anne of My Head is Full of Books, in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading.  
Dead. [prologue opening of Murder in the Dressing Room]
               ★                    
It was a Wednesday night, hence the title of the chapter, and, like every Wednesday night, Misty Divine was working at Lady's Bar, the glittering and opulent cabaret club on old Compton Street in the heart of Soho. [Chapter 1 opening of Murder in the Dressing Room]
               ★                    
"It looks bad for me, doesn't it?" She knew that it did.

"We're not dealing with what it looks like, we're only dealing with the facts. But seeing it through the police's eyes, you had both motive and opportunity. It's not a surprise to me that they want to question you." [excerpt from 56% of Murder in the Dressing Room

Murder in the Dressing Room 
(Misty Divine Mystery #1) by Holly Stars
Berkley, 2025
Mystery/Suspense/Cozy; 368 pgs
Source: From the publisher via NetGalley
Drag queens aren't just dramatic. They're deadly...By day, shy hotel accountant Joe hides behind their desk and plays by the rules. By night, Joe takes to the stage as Misty Divine, an upcoming star of the London drag scene. But when Misty’s mentor, Lady Lady, is found dead in her dressing room, Misty finds herself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Because Lady Lady was murdered – and as the only ones with access to her room, Misty and her fellow performers quickly become prime suspects. Heartbroken by the loss, and frustrated by the inaction of the police, Joe is determined to uncover the killer in their midst. But what can they, a mere hotel accountant, possibly do? This is a case for Misty Divine…[From the Publisher]

My thoughts: Keeping in the theme of drag queens after attending a Drag Queen Story Hour this past weekend, I was excited to be reading this cozy mystery set around the drag queen and king scene in London. This mystery did not disappoint. It was smart, at times funny, and well-plotted, with an endearing cast of characters. Joe is much more comfortable facing the world as Misty, but even then, questioning her friends and trying to figure out who among them may be a murderer, is not easy. Misty cannot imagine any of her friends could be a killer. I adored Miles, the supporting partner, who tries to temper Joe's occasional impulsive decisions and never fails to be there for them. The glamour and sparkle of drag queen life is just as present in Murder in the Dressing Room as the offstage struggles the characters face in their daily lives. Although a cozy mystery, I appreciated that the author included a glimpse at the discrimination LGBTQ+ face, in drag or not, whether it be from a insensitive detective or an uber driver. This was such an entertaining and twisty mystery novel. I look forward to seeing what Holly Stars has instore for Misty next. 

Does this sound like something you would enjoy? If you have read it, what did you think? 


Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. It is hosted by Linda Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell and Jen from That’s What I’m Talking About. Join in by answering this week's question in the comments or on your own blog.
What is your least favorite thing about winter?

Trees this time of year look so sad without their leaves. But if I had to name my absolute least favorite thing about winter, it would be the cold. Definitely the cold. I find the cold gives me a runny nose and keeps me up coughing in the night. I don't know how those of you who live in snowy climates manage so well during the winter. The combination of the cold and the wet would drive me crazy (says the woman who loves rain). The temperatures do sometimes get to freezing or below here, although not often, and ice can be a threat to our water pipes, plants, and on the roads. It has snowed in town once or twice in the past thirty or so years (whether it actually counts as snow is another matter), but it's really only something we see on the mountain tops in the distance or in photos. 

What about you? 

Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

Do you prefer to read series one book after another, or do you read other books in between? [submitted by Submitted by Idea-ist @ Get Lost in Literature]


I generally read other books in between series books, although I have been known to binge series books on occasion, reading them back to back. Or I will read a couple or so back to back and then pick up something else before returning to the series. If it is a long series, I find I can only read so many before I need to read something else, otherwise I burn out on the series; which is one of the reasons I got into the habit of breaking up my series reading to avoid that from happening. The other reason is that sometimes the next book in the series isn't out yet--so unless I were to stop reading altogether (the horror!) while I wait, I will be reading other books in between.  

What is your preference?


 I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading and are up to!


© 2025 Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Wednesday, February 05, 2025

Bookish Mewsings: Home and Away by Rochelle Alers


Home and Away
by Rochelle Alers
Dafina, 2024
Fiction/Historical/Romance; 368 pgs
Source: From the Publisher via NetGalley

Harper Fleming has left behind her job with a Chicago paper and her on again/off again boyfriend to spend the summer with her grandfather in Tennessee. For too long she has waited for the opportunity to be promoted to a sportswriter, only to get excuses as to why she isn't right for the job, including the fact that she's a woman. One of her favorite places to visit during her childhood summers was her grandparents farm. She hopes to recreate that feeling of comfort and security by staying with her recently widowed grandfather and finally write the book she's been wanting to write about her great-grandfather and his time in the Negro Baseball Leagues during the 1930's and 1940's. Perhaps along the way, she can redefine her own life. 

Harper's grandfather had saved all of his father's journals from his father's time playing baseball. He never had the desire to read them, but he was willing to let Harper do so, and they would become the main source for her novel. She decided against writing a biography of her great-grandfather's life, knowing it might tarnish her family's reputation she discover any sort of scandal, especially given her father's public life as a former professional baseball player, now sports broadcaster. The story of Harper rediscovering what it is she truly wants in life is interwoven with that of the novel she is writing, the story of a fictional baseball player who is desperate to play ball, loosely based on her great-grandfather's life. 

While I appreciate what the author was trying to accomplish with the novel, the novel within the novel aspect did not entirely work for me. Perhaps the meta novel was meant to be a snapshot of what Harper was writing, but I did not read it that way. I was expecting it to hold its own along side the contemporary storyline. And so it seemed like certain aspects were rushed and others left incomplete, leaving me wanting more. Even so, I thought the overall novel had a lot going for it too. The main and minor characters, including those in Harper's novel, were all well-developed with strong backstories. I was fully invested in Moses, Winnie, and Sallie-Ann's stories just as much as I was Harper's and her old childhood friend Cheney's stories. I especially liked those moments when Harper reflected on the characters she created, relating them to her own life just as much as she did with her great-grandfather's story and history itself. 

I found Harper to be a very relatable character. Her fierce independence and wanting to prove to the world that she was able to do it all on her own, is something I can relate to. She is also very protective of her heart. Running into her brothers' old childhood friend and getting reacquainted with him causes her to have to re-evaluate some of the rules she's put in place. I loved her grandfather. There's one scene in which he confronts Harper with some hard truths and her life in general, and even I admit they made me stop and think.

While Harper's main character, Moses, is the main focus of her novel, the women she wrote about stood out even more for me. While some of them took on more tradition roles in their lives, others, like Winnie, the owner of her own baseball league, definitely was not. All of the women in Rochelle Alers novel were strong and intelligent women. 

There is a lot of baseball talk and baseball history in the novel, which may be off-putting to those not interested in the sport, but regardless, the history was fascinating. I knew so little of the Negro Baseball Leagues going into this novel, and now I find myself wanting to know more. Alers also gives us a look at life in the South (and beyond) during the 1930’s and 1940’s, with the Jim Crow laws and prejudice against people of color on high display. The fear these baseball players felt going into some of these towns, the discrimination they faced, was all too real. It wasn’t unheard of for them to be taken advantage of by their own league owners, having them sign contracts they couldn’t read because they hadn’t been afforded the opportunity to learn. The contrasts between the treatment of the Black players in Latin America where they played in the winter was immense. It made coming back to the U.S. in the spring particularly difficult and frustrating.

I thought this would be a perfect book to feature this month, for Black History Month. Not only does it feature a popular American past-time, but it also reflects a part of US history, both good and bad. As I see headlines today of attacks on diversity programs in workplaces and in education, it makes me sad—and mad. Mad that the powerful are championing the cause of racists, misogynists, ableists, and ageists to discriminate against those who appear differently than they do. These baseball players were amazing at their sport and many were probably better than their white counterparts. But because they were Black, they were looked down upon and treated poorly. Diversity programs in schools and in workplaces were set up to help educate and prevent discrimination and to create equal opportunity. The benefits of such programs have been documented over and over again. It would be nice if such programs weren’t necessary, but we’re already seeing the reasons why they are still very much needed—just by looking around and hearing what is going on in our communities and around the country today.


© 2025, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Tuesday, February 04, 2025

Can't Wait to Read Wednesday: The Crimson Road / First-Time Caller / The Quiet Librarian

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings 
to spotlight upcoming release we are excited about that we have yet to read.

Here are three upcoming releases that caught my attention and immediately ended up on my wish list I am looking forward to reading all of them. 

The Crimson Road
(Sourdough Universe) by A.G. Slatter 
 Release Date: February 11, 2025 by Titan Books 
A captivating dark gothic fantasy set in the same universe as the award-winning author's All The Murmuring Bones, The Path of Thorns and The Briar Book of the Dead. A tale of vampires, assassins, ancient witches and broken promises.

Violet Zennor has had a peculiar upbringing. Training as a fighter in underground arenas, honing her skills against the worst scum, murderers and thieves her father could pit her against, she has learned to be ruthless. To kill.

Until the day Hedrek Zennor dies. Violet thinks she’s free – a rich young heiress with a world of possibilities in front of her. Then, to her horror, Violet learns that her father planned to send her into the Darklands, where the Leech Lords reign. Where Violet’s still-born brother was taken years ago after Hedrek sold him to a man bearing the mark of the mysterious Anchorhold.

Her father’s solicitor and the city’s bishop are insistent she fulfil her duty, but Violet steadfastly refuses. Until one night two assassins attempt to slaughter her – and it becomes if she wants to enjoy a future free of the interference of either solicitors, bishops or assassins, she’s going to have to clean up the mess her father made.

On her journey, Violet seeks the help of Miren O’Malley in the hidden estate of Blackwater, whose family once produced the purest, strangest silver; Ellie Briar of Silverton, the Briar Witch who guards the gateway to the realm of the Leech Lords; and Asher Todd of Whitebarrow, who did terrible things and found The Three Who Went Beneath.

Ultimately, Violet must go alone. Into the Darklands. To the Anchorhold where it all began. Where it will all end. To do what must be done.

By turns gripping and bewitching, sharp and audacious, this mesmerising story takes you on a journey into the dark heart of Slatter's sinister and compelling fantasy world, where blood is currency and magic is a weapon. 
[From the Publisher]
A.G. Slatter is one of the authors whose books I always want to read when I hear about them, but I have yet to try any of her work. I really must change that. This year. 


First-Time Caller
(Heartstrings #1) by B.K. Borison

Release Date: February 11, 2025 by Berkley
A hopeless romantic meets a jaded radio host in this cozy, Sleepless in Seattle-inspired love story from beloved author B.K. Borison.

Aiden Valentine has a secret: he's fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore's romance hotline, that's a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight.

Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life-or lack thereof—she begins to question if she's as happy as she thought. Maybe a little more romance wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending... even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final call between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her. 
[From the Publisher]
This one had me at Sleepless in Seattle-inspired . . . 


The Quiet Librarian
by Allen Eskens

Release Date: February 18, 2025 by Mulholland Books
After the murder of her best friend, a librarian’s search for answers leads back to her own dark secrets in this sweeping novel about a woman transformed by war, family, vengeance, and love, from award-winning writer Allen Eskens.

Hana Babic is a quiet, middle-aged librarian in Minnesota who wants nothing more than to be left alone. But when a detective arrives with the news that her best friend has been murdered, Hana knows that something evil has come for her, a dark remnant of the past she and her friend had shared.

Thirty years before, Hana was someone Nura Divjak, a teenager growing up in the mountains of war-torn Bosnia—until Serbian soldiers arrived to slaughter her entire family before her eyes. The events of that day thrust Nura into the war, leading her to join a band of militia fighters, where she became not only a fierce warrior but a legend—the deadly Night Mora. But a shattering final act forced Nura to flee to the United States with a bounty on her head.

Now, someone is hunting Hana, and her friend has paid the price, leaving her eight-year-old grandson in Hana’s care. To protect the child without revealing her secret, Hana must again become the Night Mora—and hope she can find the killer before the past comes for them, too.
[From the Publisher]
I really enjoyed The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens and have been wanting to read more by him. This one caught my eye in particular because of the historical aspect. 


Do any of these books interest you? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to reading?

© 2025, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.