Tuesday, January 05, 2021

Waiting to Read Wednesday: The Last Tiara / The Ex Talk / Wilde Lake


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.


The Last Tiara
by M.J. Rose
Release Date: February 2, 2021 by Blue Box Press
From New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller M.J. Rose comes a provocative and moving story of a young female architect in post-World War II Manhattan, who stumbles upon a hidden treasure and begins a journey to discovering her mother’s life during the fall of the Romanovs. 

Sophia Moon had always been reticent about her life in Russia and when she dies, suspiciously, on a wintry New York evening, Isobelle despairs that her mother’s secrets have died with her. But while renovating the apartment they shared, Isobelle discovers something among her mother’s effects—a stunning silver tiara, stripped of its jewels. 

Isobelle’s research into the tiara’s provenance draws her closer to her mother’s past—including the story of what became of her father back in Russia, a man she has never known. The facts elude her until she meets a young jeweler, who wants to help her but is conflicted by his loyalty to the Midas Society, a covert international organization whose mission is to return lost and stolen antiques, jewels, and artwork to their original owners. 

Told in alternating points of view, the stories of the two young women unfurl as each struggles to find their way during two separate wars. In 1915, young Sofiya Petrovitch, favorite of the royal household and best friend of Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna, tends to wounded soldiers in a makeshift hospital within the grounds of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg and finds the love of her life. In 1948 New York, Isobelle Moon works to break through the rampant sexism of the age as one of very few women working in a male-dominated profession and discovers far more about love and family than she ever hoped for. 

In M.J. Rose’s deftly constructed narrative, the secrets of Sofiya’s early life are revealed incrementally, even as Isobelle herself works to solve the mystery of the historic Romanov tiara (which is based on an actual Romanov artifact that is, to this day, still missing)—and how it is that her mother came to possess it. The two strands play off each other in finely-tuned counterpoint, building to a series of surprising and deeply satisfying revelations.
[Goodreads Summary]
Why I want to read this: There's something about taking an object and weaving a story around it that I find very appealing. And did I see mention of the Romanovs? This is a must read for me.


The Ex Talk
by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Release Date: January 26, 2021 by Berkley
Public radio co-hosts navigate mixed signals in Rachel Lynn Solomon's sparkling romantic comedy debut.

Shay Goldstein has been a producer at her Seattle public radio station for nearly a decade, and she can't imagine working anywhere else. But lately it's been a constant clash between her and her newest colleague, Dominic Yun, who's fresh off a journalism master's program and convinced he knows everything about public radio.

When the struggling station needs a new concept, Shay proposes a show that her boss green-lights with excitement. On The Ex Talk, two exes will deliver relationship advice live, on air. Their boss decides Shay and Dominic are the perfect co-hosts, given how much they already despise each other. Neither loves the idea of lying to listeners, but it's this or unemployment. Their audience gets invested fast, and it's not long before The Ex Talk becomes a must-listen in Seattle and climbs podcast charts.

As the show gets bigger, so does their deception, especially when Shay and Dominic start to fall for each other. In an industry that values truth, getting caught could mean the end of more than just their careers. [Goodreads Summary]
Why I want to read this: I used to listen to a lot more talk radio than I do now, but the fact that this one is centered around just such a talk show is what first caught my eye. The Seattle setting doesn't hurt either. This sounds like it will be a fun rom-com. 


Do The Last Tiara and The Ex Talk interest you? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to reading?


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!


Wilde Lake
by Laura Lippman
(William Morrow, 2016)
The New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed standalones After I’m Gone, I’d Know You Anywhere, and What the Dead Know, challenges our notions of memory, loyalty, responsibility, and justice in this evocative and psychologically complex story about a long-ago death that still haunts a family.

Luisa “Lu” Brant is the newly elected—and first female—state’s attorney of Howard County, Maryland, a job in which her widower father famously served. Fiercely intelligent and ambitious, she sees an opportunity to make her name by trying a mentally disturbed drifter accused of beating a woman to death in her home. It’s not the kind of case that makes headlines, but peaceful Howard county doesn’t see many homicides.

As Lu prepares for the trial, the case dredges up painful memories, reminding her small but tight-knit family of the night when her brother, AJ, saved his best friend at the cost of another man’s life. Only eighteen, AJ was cleared by a grand jury. Now, Lu wonders if the events of 1980 happened as she remembers them. What details might have been withheld from her when she was a child?

The more she learns about the case, the more questions arise. What does it mean to be a man or woman of one’s times? Why do we ask our heroes of the past to conform to the present’s standards? Is that fair? Is it right? Propelled into the past, she discovers that the legal system, the bedrock of her entire life, does not have all the answers. Lu realizes that even if she could learn the whole truth, she probably wouldn’t want to. [Goodreads Summary]
Why I want to read this: I seem to collect Laura Lippman's books and while I have read a couple or so, I have more unread on my shelves than read. Her books always sound so good and Wild Lake is no different. 


Have you read Wild Lake? Does this book sound like something you would like to read? 


© 2021, 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.

42 comments:

  1. Wilde Lake sounds fascinating! I hope you read it soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Eustacia - I think so too! I look forward to reading it. Thank you for visiting!

      Delete
  2. I do like a good dual timeline story, and I've read one or two that alternated between WWI and WWII. I hope it's great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Greg - I hope it will be! I really like dual timeline stories too--and this one is between two of my favorite historical periods in time to read about. Thank you for stopping by!

      Delete
  3. I love the look and sound of The Last Tiara. And I haven't heard of Wild Lake before, but it definitely sounds like a good read. I hope you'll get to these soon ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maureen - I am really looking forward to them. Thank you for visiting!

      Delete
  4. The Last Tiara is on my TBR list! I'm also a sucker for a story involving the Romanovs. And my backlog is embarrassingly large. Perhaps 2021 is the year I make a dent in it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lisa - Me too! I can't resist a Romanov tale. I hope this year you can make a dent in your TBR backlog. I know mine is pretty huge too! Thank you for stopping by!

      Delete
  5. The Last Tiara sounds like a book I'd enjoy, thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tammy - I am looking forward to it. :-) Thank you for visiting!

      Delete
  6. A female architect in post-World War II Manhattan that has a connection to the Romanovs? Yes, please! The Last Tiara checks so many boxes for me. Thanks so much for sharing! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ashley - I'm right there with you! I hope it will be as good as it sounds! Thank you for stopping by. :-)

      Delete
  7. All three of your picks sound like good reads. Hope you enjoy them all when you get to them. It's like there's something for almost every mood.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura - I never know what mood I am going to be in. LOL Thank you for visiting!

      Delete
  8. So many good books to choose from! Happy reading these. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wendy I also seem to collect Laura Lippman books but I'm way behind on reading them. The plots just sound so good. And, really like the premise of The Ex Talk. Sounds like a fun and lighthearted book. Hope you get a chance to check these out!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Iliana - I am glad I am not the only one. Her books always sound so good! I'm looking forward to The Ex Talk. :-) Thank you for stopping by!

      Delete
  10. Good choices! I especially like the sound of the Laura Lippman book. I don't think I've read any books by her, but I might own one or two!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jan - I hope you will give Laura Lippman a try! She has a series out, but also writes a lot of stand alones. Thank you for visiting!

      Delete
  11. I only read one book by M.J. Rose and it was okay but I didn't love it. I hope this one is better. I loved Wilde Lake but it was a few years ago that I read it. Enjoy them all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carla - I read several of Rose's early series books and enjoyed them. I haven't read any of her stand alones. I am glad to hear you loved Wilde Lake! I look forward to reading it. :-) Thank you for stopping by!

      Delete
  12. Oooh! All of these books sound interesting! Great picks!

    Here’s my WoW!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog

    ReplyDelete
  13. This selection sound like so much fun - I hope you manage to get to all of them, Wendy:))

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh I LOVE the Russian family and anything that has to do with that time in history - will definitely have to check that first one out!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Penelope - I hope you get a chance to read it too and we both enjoy it! Thank you for visiting. :-)

      Delete
  15. I have to add The Last Tiara to my list. It sounds and looks really good. I love the setting and the time era of it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yvonne - I really like that time period too! I hope it will be as good as it sounds. Thank you for stopping by!

      Delete
  16. I've got The Last Tiara for review. I've always wanted to try her books.
    I think I may have a few Laura Lippman's that need to be read, too. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sophia Rose - I hope we both enjoy The Last Tiara when we read it. I read some of her earlier books and enjoyed them. Thank you for visiting!

      Delete
  17. Beautiful cover for The Last Tiara! And the Ex Talk is on my TBR after I read and loved a book by that author last year!
    Lisa Loves Literature's Wednesday Post

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lisa - I really like that cover too. I hope we both enjoy The Ex Talk. It sounds like a lot of fun. :-) Thank you for stopping by!

      Delete
  18. I think that I have a tendency to collect Lippman books too and I don't think that I have read any of them. I have read M.J Rose before and think that The Last Tiara sounds great.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carole - From the comments it seems like you and I aren't alone in collecting her books. LOL Hopefully we will enjoy the ones we have when we do read them! Thank you for visiting!

      Delete
  19. Just reading the blurb for The ex-talk just made me smile so much- it sounds like somuch fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Verushka - I think The Ex Talk sounds like a lot of fun too. :-) I can't wait to read it! Thank you for stopping by!

      Delete
  20. Somehow I've never read anything by Laura Lippman but I really should. So many of her books look so good!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Katherine - I really enjoy her books--when I read them. LOL I don't know why I seem to collect them and not read them . . . Thank you for visiting!

      Delete

Thank you for taking the time to visit Musings of a Bookish Kitty. Don't be shy! I would love to hear from you. Due to a recent increase in spam, I will be moderating all comments for the foreseeable future. Please be patient with me as it may take a few hours before I am able to approve your comment.