Tuesday, September 01, 2020

Waiting to Read Wednesday: I Do Not Come to You by Chance / Well Played / The Talented Miss Farwell / How to Fly


The Old(er) 
I have an embarrassing number of unread books sitting on the shelves in my personal library. Carole of Carole's Random Life in Books has given me the perfect excuse to spotlight and discuss those neglected books in her Books from the Backlog feature. After all, even those older books need a bit of love! Not to mention it is reminding me what great books I have waiting for me under my own roof still to read!


I Do Not Come to You by Chance
by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani
(2009)
A deeply moving debut novel set amid the perilous world of Nigerian email scams, I Do Not Come to You by Chance tells the story of one young man and the family who loves him.

Being the opara of the family, Kingsley Ibe is entitled to certain privileges--a piece of meat in his egusi soup, a party to celebrate his graduation from university. As first son, he has responsibilities, too. But times are bad in Nigeria, and life is hard. Unable to find work, Kingsley cannot take on the duty of training his younger siblings, nor can he provide his parents with financial peace in their retirement. And then there is Ola. Dear, sweet Ola, the sugar in Kingsley's tea. It does not seem to matter that he loves her deeply; he cannot afford her bride price.

It hasn't always been like this. For much of his young life, Kingsley believed that education was everything, that through wisdom, all things were possible. Now he worries that without a "long-leg"--someone who knows someone who can help him--his degrees will do nothing but adorn the walls of his parents' low-rent house. And when a tragedy befalls his family, Kingsley learns the hardest lesson of all: education may be the language of success in Nigeria, but it's money that does the talking.

Unconditional family support may be the way in Nigeria, but when Kingsley turns to his Uncle Boniface for help, he learns that charity may come with strings attached. Boniface--aka Cash Daddy--is an exuberant character who suffers from elephantiasis of the pocket. He's also rumored to run a successful empire of email scams. But he can help. With Cash Daddy's intervention, Kingsley and his family can be as safe as a tortoise in its shell. It's up to Kingsley now to reconcile his passion for knowledge with his hunger for money, and to fully assume his role of first son. But can he do it without being drawn into this outlandish mileu?
Why I want to read this: I added this book to my TBR shelf in June of 2009. I am sure many of us have received those scam e-mails, from Nigeria or elsewhere, of people asking for money over the internet. Perhaps you have wondered who might be behind them and what their motivations are. This novel is described as being a bit tongue in cheek--funny and heartfelt. I wonder what I will think when I get to it.

Have you read I Do Not Come to You by Chance?  Does this book sound like something you would like to read? 


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


Well Played
(Well Met #2) by Jen DeLuca
Release Date: September 22, 2020 by Berkley
Another laugh-out-loud romantic comedy featuring kilted musicians, Renaissance Faire tavern wenches, and an unlikely love story.

Stacey is jolted when her friends Simon and Emily get engaged. She knew she was putting her life on hold when she stayed in Willow Creek to care for her sick mother, but it's been years now, and even though Stacey loves spending her summers pouring drinks and flirting with patrons at the local Renaissance Faire, she wants more out of life. Stacey vows to have her life figured out by the time her friends get hitched at Faire next summer. Maybe she'll even find The One.

When Stacey imagined "The One," it never occurred to her that her summertime Faire fling, Dex MacLean, might fit the bill. While Dex is easy on the eyes onstage with his band The Dueling Kilts, Stacey has never felt an emotional connection with him. So when she receives a tender email from the typically monosyllabic hunk, she's not sure what to make of it.

Faire returns to Willow Creek, and Stacey comes face-to-face with the man with whom she’s exchanged hundreds of online messages over the past nine months. To Stacey's shock, it isn't Dex—she's been falling in love with a man she barely knows.
[Goodreads Summary]
Why I want to read this: I loved Well Met and am looking forward to stepping back in this series with the second book. 


The Talented Miss Farwell
by Emily Gray Tedrowe
Release Date: September 29, 2020 by Custom House
Catch Me If You Can meets Patricia Highsmith in this electrifying page-turner of greed and obsession, survival and self-invention that is a piercing character study of one unforgettable female con artist.

At the end of the 1990s, with the art market finally recovered from its disastrous collapse, Miss Rebecca Farwell has made a killing at Christie’s in New York City, selling a portion of her extraordinary art collection for a rumored 900 percent profit. Dressed in couture YSL, drinking the finest champagne at trendy Balthazar, Reba, as she’s known, is the picture of a wealthy art collector. To some, the elusive Miss Farwell is a shark with outstanding business acumen. To others, she’s a heartless capitalist whose only interest in art is how much she can make.

But a thousand miles from the Big Apple, in the small town of Pierson, Illinois, Miss Farwell is someone else entirely—a quiet single woman known as Becky who still lives in her family’s farmhouse, wears sensible shoes, and works tirelessly as the town’s treasurer and controller.

No one understands the ins and outs of Pierson’s accounts better than Becky; she’s the last one in the office every night, crunching the numbers. Somehow, her neighbors marvel, she always finds a way to get the struggling town just a little more money. What Pierson doesn’t see—and can never discover—is that much of that money is shifted into a separate account that she controls, “borrowed” funds used to finance her art habit. Though she quietly repays Pierson when she can, the business of art is cutthroat and unpredictable.

But as Reba Farwell’s deals get bigger and bigger, Becky Farwell’s debt to Pierson spirals out of control. How long can the talented Miss Farwell continue to pull off her double life?
[Goodreads Summary]
Why I want to read this: One woman, two very different lives. I do love a good con-artist story. This one sounds intriguing.


How to Fly: In Ten Thousand Easy Lessons
by Barbara Kingsolver
Release Date: September 22, 2020 by Harper
In this intimate collection, the beloved author of The Poisonwood Bible and more than a dozen other New York Times bestsellers, winner or finalist for the Pulitzer and countless other prizes, now trains her eye on the everyday and the metaphysical in poems that are smartly crafted, emotionally rich, and luminous.

In her second poetry collection, Barbara Kingsolver offers reflections on the practical, the spiritual, and the wild. She begins with “how to” poems addressing everyday matters such as being hopeful, married, divorced; shearing a sheep; praying to unreliable gods; doing nothing at all; and of course, flying. Next come rafts of poems about making peace (or not) with the complicated bonds of friendship and family, and making peace (or not) with death, in the many ways it finds us. Some poems reflect on the redemptive powers of art and poetry itself; others consider where everything begins. Closing the book are poems that celebrate natural wonders—birdsong and ghost-flowers, ruthless ants, clever shellfish, coral reefs, deadly deserts, and thousand-year-old beech trees—all speaking to the daring project of belonging to an untamed world beyond ourselves.

Altogether, these are poems about transcendence: finding breath and lightness in life and the everyday acts of living. It’s all terribly easy and, as the title suggests, not entirely possible. Or at least, it is never quite finished. [Goodreads Summary]
Why I want to read this: I have not read her first poetry collection, but I was drawn to this one from the description. It sounds like it is full of poems I will be able to relate to and appreciate. Poetry speaks to the soul, and I hope this one will speak to mine. 


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


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39 comments:

  1. The Talented Miss Farwell sounds really good! Hope you get to read it soon!

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  2. I finally got to read Well Met, and now I can't wait for Well Played! Hope you get all these books soon!
    Lisa Loves Literature

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    1. Lisa - Wasn't Well Met good? I am excited for Well Played. Thank you for stopping by!

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  3. Well Played sounds awesome! I've been in the mood for a romantic comedy for awhile now. Thanks for sharing! :)

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    1. Ashley - I think it sounds awesome too! I can't wait to read it. I hope you give it a try too! Thank you for visiting!

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  4. some great looking books. i hope you get a chance to enjoy them all
    sherry @ fundinmental

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    1. Sherry - I hope I will too! Thank you for stopping by. :-)

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  5. I'm very interested in Well Played! Great choices this week:-)

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    1. Tammy - I can't wait to read Well Played. :-) Thank you for stopping by!

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  6. Oooh! I like the look of Well Played! Great list!

    Here’s my WoW!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog

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    1. Ronyell - Thank you! I'm really excited about that one especially. :-) Thank you for visiting!

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  7. I'm really looking forward to reading Well Played when it comes out because I totally loved Well Met! :D

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    1. Lark - Me too! I am so excited about Well Played. I hope we both enjoy it when we read it. :-) Thank you for stopping by!

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  8. I hope you enjoy them! I came across a positive review of Well Played this morning, so I guess other bloggers are liking it.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. AJ - Thank you! I am glad Well Played is receiving positive buzz. I have high hopes for that one after loving Well Met. Thank you for visiting!

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  9. Rita - You know how sometimes a book just hits the very right spot at that very right moment? That was Well Met for me. I hope I am as lucky with Well Played. I hope you enjoy whichever of these you decide to give a try. I hope I do too for that matter! :-) Thank you for visiting!

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  10. All your reads seem very fascinating (and different) ones. I am reading The London Restoration - already I am deep into Wren churches bombed during the war, history, romance and a spy story. All linked.

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    1. Mystica - The London Restoration sounds really interesting! I hope you are enjoying it. Thank you for stopping by!

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  11. Oh my, I am convinced — a good con artist story like The Talented Miss Farewell is definitely worth my attention! Great pick!

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    1. Verushka - I am looking forward to The Talented Miss Farwell and hope you enjoy it if you read it! Thank you for visiting!

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  12. I enjoyed reading Well Met so I'm looking forward to reading Well Played. And The Talented Miss Farwell sounds great, too!

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    1. Melody - I hope they both will be good! Thank you for stopping by!

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  13. These all look good, I enjoyed The Poisonwood Bible when I read it years ago. I Do Not Come to You by Chance looks really good also. Enjoy when you get to them!

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  14. I am crazy excited for Well Played. Well Met was such an unexpected surprise hit for me last year.

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    1. Tanya - Me too! Well Met took me by surprised too. I loved it so much. I hope we both love Well Played just as much! Thank you for stopping by. :-)

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  15. I Do Not Come to You By Chance sounds really interesting and unlike anything else that I have read before. I do want to read Jen DeLuca's books as well.

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    1. Carole - Yes, it isn't quite like anything I've ever read either. It'll be interesting to see what I think when I get to it. THank you for visiting!

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  16. Well Played looks super cute! I heard about this one earlier this week, and it has me intrigued. Hope you enjoy!

    Thanks for visiting Shell's Stories!

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    1. Shell - I can't wait to read Well Played. :-) Thank you for stopping by!

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  17. So many intriguing sounding books. Only one question left: with what book do I start *lol* Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Vi - Right?! It's hard to decide. :-) Thank you for visiting!

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  18. A Barbara Kingsolver poetry collection? I have got to get my hands on that. Great books to look forward to!

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    1. Iliana - Isn't that great? I can't wait to read it! Thank you for stopping by!

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  19. How unique! I hope I Do Not Come to You By Chance turns out to be as good as it's premise.
    Well Played does look fun.

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  20. I've seen Well Played around and it looks like an interesting book! Great picks!

    Here’s my WoW!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog

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    1. Ronyell - I am really looking forward to it! Thank you for stopping by!

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