Let’s just say my tastes in fiction are…eclectic.
Some days I long for a schmaltzy romance, other times for a dark thriller, or then for a page-turning suspense novel. Here are my latest, incongruous, reads…
–Marissa
1. Rosie Hopkins’s Sweetshop of Dreams by Jenny Colgan
Johnna actually loaned me this novel, telling me it was a sweet, funny romance, and she was totally right. Rosie Hopkins leaves London for “the country” to help an ailing aunt and fix up a sweetshop to sell for profit. Along the way, there’s a cranky patient, a collision course with a bicycle, a worthless boyfriend and oh, such a lot of sweets. What a fun, funny read!
2. Only Enchanting by Mary Balogh
Balogh is considered the new “grand dame” of Regency fiction, taking over the place held for years by Georgette Heyer – but with more, uh, bodice-ripping in her novels. This is the latest in her “Survivor’s Club” series, and features Flavian, he of the stutter and the shaggy blond hair. He becomes entangled with a young widow while on holiday with the rest of the Survivor’s Club. Another great entry into the series, I really liked the interplay between Flavian and Agnes. Another winner!
3. Vicious by V. E. Schwab
I had the pleasure of meeting Schwab at the annual library conference (ALA) last summer and got an autographed copy of this book…which somehow got tucked away when I got home, and I’ve only just rediscovered it! Vicious is a great science fiction-set-in-realism novel about two boys – Victor and Eli – who find themselves at odds when they begin to possess powers greater than human. Both have darkness and light, both believe they are right, and both are fascinating, twisted, complex characters. It took me a bit to “catch on” to the world this novel was set in, but after that, I couldn’t put it down. A great recommendation for folks who want a touch of science fiction or fantasy, without the world we know drastically changing.
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