"Don't be sad just buy a new book," Is a phrase I first heard on a TikTok sound, and it has struck a chord so deep it has become my new life's mantra. Life has certainly thrown me a few sad and unexpected curveballs these past couple of months, so when I found myself in need of a mental health day, I decided to take a trip to Barnes & Noble. It's a short drive to my nearest B&N, so I decided to splurge a little. The following is a list of my book haul, and a little bit about why I decided to get each book.
1. The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova
This is the book I went into the store for. I've been wanting to read this book for months now. I had it checked out in e-book format from the library, but when I read the first chapter I knew this was a book I would just HAVE to own!
Synopsis: The Montoyas are used to a life without explanations. They know better than to ask why the pantry never seems to run low or empty, or why their matriarch won’t ever leave their home in Four Rivers—even for graduations, weddings, or baptisms. But when Orquídea Divina invites them to her funeral and to collect their inheritance, they hope to learn the secrets that she has held onto so tightly their whole lives. Instead, Orquídea is transformed, leaving them with more questions than answers.
Seven years later, her gifts have manifested in different ways for Marimar, Rey, and Tatinelly’s daughter, Rhiannon, granting them unexpected blessings. But soon, a hidden figure begins to tear through their family tree, picking them off one by one as it seeks to destroy Orquídea’s line. Determined to save what’s left of their family and uncover the truth behind their inheritance, the four descendants travel to Ecuador—to the place where Orquídea buried her secrets and broken promises and never looked back.
2. The Appeal by Janice Hallett
This is the book that was on my reading list. I recently just saw this book on TikTok. It's a murder mystery that is told through e-mails, texts, and letters. As the reader you get to try to figure out who the murderer is. I love a good murder mystery novel, and I love unique storytelling. So I just HAD to get this one.
Synopsis: Dear Reader,
Enclosed are documents relating to the events surrounding the Fairway Players' staging of All My Sons, and the tragic death of one of its members. Another member is currently in prison for the crime. We have reason to suspect that they are innocent, and that there were far darker secrets that have yet to be revealed.
We believe that the killer has given themselves away. It's there in writing, hidden in the emails, texts, and letters. In the events surrounding the charity appeal for little Poppy Reswick, and the question of whether that money was truly being used to fund her life-saving cancer treatment. Will you accept the challenge? Can you uncover the truth? Do you dare?
3. Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner
This is the book of an author I love. I've been a fan of Jeff Zentner for years now! For one reason or another I haven't bought one of his books yet. I'll be attending a zoom author visit soon, and as part of this visit I'll be getting a signed bookplate! Well, that bookplate will have to go somewhere...
Synopsis: What if you could spend one last day with someone you lost? One day Carver Briggs had it all—three best friends, a supportive family, and a reputation as a talented writer at his high school, Nashville Academy for the Arts. The next day he lost it all when he sent a simple text to his friend Mars, right before Mars, Eli, and Blake were killed in a car crash. Now Carver can’t stop blaming himself for the accident, and he’s not the only one. Eli’s twin sister is trying to freeze him out of school with her death-ray stare. And Mars’s father, a powerful judge, is pressuring the district attorney to open a criminal investigation into Carver’s actions. Luckily, Carver has some unexpected allies: Eli’s girlfriend, the only person to stand by him at school; Dr. Mendez, his new therapist; and Blake’s grandmother, who asks Carver to spend a Goodbye Day with her to share their memories and say a proper goodbye to his friend. Soon the other families are asking for a Goodbye Day with Carver, but he’s unsure of their motives. Will they all be able to make peace with their losses, or will these Goodbye Days bring Carver one step closer to a complete breakdown or—even worse—prison,
4. When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle
The reimagining. Look, I absolutely love a good retelling or reimagining! I've only read one of Rebecca Serle's books, and while it was not my favorite, I consider Serle a great author. When You Were Mine was originally released in 2012! This is a Romeo and Juliet reimagining from Rosaline's perspective! I don't know how I've never heard of it until now, but I can't wait to read this one.
Synopsis: What’s in a name, Shakespeare? I’ll tell you: Everything.
Rosaline knows that she and Rob are destined to be together. Rose has been waiting for years for Rob to kiss her—and when he finally does, it’s perfect. But then Juliet moves back to town. Juliet, who used to be Rose’s best friend. Juliet, who now inexplicably hates her. Juliet, who is gorgeous, vindictive, and a little bit crazy...and who has set her sights on Rob. He doesn’t even stand a chance.
Rose is devastated over losing Rob to Juliet. This is not how the story was supposed to go. And when rumors start swirling about Juliet’s instability, her neediness, and her threats of suicide, Rose starts to fear not only for Rob’s heart, but also for his life. Because Shakespeare may have gotten the story wrong, but we all still know how it ends…
5. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
The award winner. Another book I've been wanting to read. I had no idea this won the Women's Prize for fiction in 2021! I am trying to acquaint myself with adult fiction awards. That plus this story is about a labyrinth. Who doesn't love a good labyrinth?
Synopsis: Piranesi's house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.
There is one other person in the house—a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.
6. When Women Ruled the World by Maureen Quilligan
The history book. While I am mostly a fiction reader, I do enjoy reading a good non-fiction book every now and then. I love learning about new things, especially when it is an expansion of a topic I already love. I love period pieces in media such as "Reign" (the CW show) and "Six" (the musical). But I don't really know a lot about the true story behind these queens. This particular book discusses Mary Tudor; Elizabeth I; Mary, Queen of Scots; and Catherine de’ Medici. I am excited to learn more about these fascinating queens!
Synopsis: Sixteenth-century Europe was a time of destabilization of age-old norms and the waging of religious wars—yet it also witnessed the remarkable flowering of a pacific culture cultivated by a cohort of extraordinary women rulers who sat on Europe’s thrones, most notably Mary Tudor; Elizabeth I; Mary, Queen of Scots; and Catherine de’ Medici.
Recasting the dramatic stories and complex political relationships among these four women rulers, Maureen Quilligan rewrites centuries of scholarship that sought to depict intense personal hatreds among them. Instead, showing how the queens engendered a culture of mutual respect, When Women Ruled the World focuses on the gift-giving by which they aimed to ensure female bonds of friendship and alliance. Detailing the artistic and political creativity that flourished in the pockets of peace created by these queens, Quilligan’s lavishly illustrated work offers a new perspective on the glory of the Renaissance and the women who helped to create it.
7. Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett
The romance. Since I have fully embraced contemporary romance stories in December I couldn't leave the store without a new romance! Especially one that is part mystery as well.
Synopsis: After an awkward first encounter, Birdie and Daniel are forced to work together in a Seattle hotel where a famous author leads a mysterious and secluded life in this romantic contemporary novel from the author of Alex, Approximately.
Mystery-book aficionado Birdie Lindberg has an overactive imagination. Raised in isolation and homeschooled by strict grandparents, she’s cultivated a whimsical fantasy life in which she plays the heroic detective and every stranger is a suspect. But her solitary world expands when she takes a job the summer before college, working the graveyard shift at a historic Seattle hotel.
In her new job, Birdie hopes to blossom from introverted dreamer to brave pioneer, and gregarious Daniel Aoki volunteers to be her guide. The hotel’s charismatic young van driver shares the same nocturnal shift and patronizes the waterfront Moonlight Diner where she waits for the early morning ferry after work. Daniel also shares her appetite for intrigue, and he’s stumbled upon a real-life mystery: a famous reclusive writer—never before seen in public—might be secretly meeting someone at the hotel.
To uncover the writer’s puzzling identity, Birdie must come out of her shell…discovering that the most confounding mystery of all may be her growing feelings for the elusive riddle that is Daniel.
8. Perfect Equation by Elizabeth Everett
The romance but...math and spies. Ummm yes?! I know I am a literary person, but oh if I could do anything it would be this.
Synopsis: After an awkward first encounter, Birdie and Daniel are forced to work together in a Seattle hotel where a famous author leads a mysterious and secluded life in this romantic contemporary novel from the author of Alex, Approximately.
Mystery-book aficionado Birdie Lindberg has an overactive imagination. Raised in isolation and homeschooled by strict grandparents, she’s cultivated a whimsical fantasy life in which she plays the heroic detective and every stranger is a suspect. But her solitary world expands when she takes a job the summer before college, working the graveyard shift at a historic Seattle hotel.
In her new job, Birdie hopes to blossom from introverted dreamer to brave pioneer, and gregarious Daniel Aoki volunteers to be her guide. The hotel’s charismatic young van driver shares the same nocturnal shift and patronizes the waterfront Moonlight Diner where she waits for the early morning ferry after work. Daniel also shares her appetite for intrigue, and he’s stumbled upon a real-life mystery: a famous reclusive writer—never before seen in public—might be secretly meeting someone at the hotel.
To uncover the writer’s puzzling identity, Birdie must come out of her shell…discovering that the most confounding mystery of all may be her growing feelings for the elusive riddle that is Daniel.
9. Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife by Linda Berdoli
The book I would probably never see again. I'm a huge fan of Pride and Prejudice. I stumbled upon this while looking for something else. Essentially P&P fanfiction about the first year of marriage between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, I couldn't say no! Especially since this was the only copy and I would probably never come across this again.
Also, I may have bought a matching Persuasion and Mansfield Park because they were pretty and I don't have them yet.
Synopsis: Every woman wants to be Elizabeth Bennet Darcy-beautiful, gracious, universally admired, strong, daring and outspoken-a thoroughly modern woman in crinolines.
And every woman will fall madly in love with Mr. Darcy-tall, dark and handsome, a nobleman and a heartthrob whose virility is matched only by his utter devotion to his wife.
Their passion is consuming and idyllic-essentially, they can't keep their hands off each other-through a sweeping tale of adventure and misadventure, human folly and numerous mysteries of parentage.
Hold on to your bonnets! This sexy, epic, hilarious, poignant and romantic sequel to "Pride and Prejudice" is not for Jane Austen purists. Self-published in 1999 as "The Bar Sinister," this sequel continues the story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy through a sweeping tale of adventure.
10. The City of Dr. Moreau by J. S. Barnes
The reimagining...the second. I'm a huge fan of the original story The Island of Dr. Moreau. Later this year Silvia Garcia-Moreno is releasing her own version The Daughter of Dr. Moreau which I am super excited for! When I found this novel, I couldn't help myself. I thought it would be the perfect lead in to Garcia-Moreno's upcoming novel.
Synopsis: The City of Dr Moreau presents a sprawling history of the islanders, and an alternative vision of our own times. Spanning more than a century, criss-crossing across numerous places and many lives, we witness the growth of Moreau's legacy, from gothic experiments to an event which changes the world. From the wharves of Victorian London to a boarding house with an inhuman resident, to an assassin on a twentieth-century train ordered to kill the one man who knows the truth to a diplomat whose mission to parley with beast-men will surely be her last, we follow secret skirmishes and hidden plots which emerge, eventually and violently, into the open.
A tribute to the genius of H G Wells from the author of Dracula's Child, The City of Dr Moreau is a visionary new horror novel in the style of Wells' creepiest and most enduring fictions.
11. The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie
The mystery. Something short and back to the basics. What really convinced me is that even though I've read Hercule Peroit mysteries, I've never read a Miss Marple mystery.
Synopsis: It’s seven in the morning. The Bantrys wake to find the body of a young woman in their library. She is wearing evening dress and heavy make-up, which is now smeared across her cheeks.
But who is she? How did she get there? And what is the connection with another dead girl, whose charred remains are later discovered in an abandoned quarry?
The respectable Bantrys invite Miss Marple to solve the mystery… before tongues start to wag.
12. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The book I thought I was never going to read, but people are still talking about it, and I don't think anyone will stop any time soon.
To be honest this book never really interested me. However, this book has had a hold on people for YEARS! After 5 years, I finally decide to give in and see what this book is about. I'm interested to see if I will hate it or love it. I also would like to understand the booktok references.
Synopsis: Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
The Bonus Books
I was headed towards the stationary section. I was done shopping for books. Somehow the following caught my eye. I wasn't thinking. I just acted. Before I knew it I had two more books in my basket. It may not have been the most responsible move, but I'm hoping I enjoy them.
If We Were Villains by M. L, Rio
I've heard people either love it or hate it. I've been on a waitlist for the library for what feels like forever! I saw someone online call this the most pretentious book ever, and honestly I just want to see if I agree with that.
Synopsis: Oliver Marks has just served ten years in jail - for a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day he's released, he's greeted by the man who put him in prison. Detective Colborne is retiring, but before he does, he wants to know what really happened a decade ago.
As one of seven young actors studying Shakespeare at an elite arts college, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingenue, extra. But when the casting changes, and the secondary characters usurp the stars, the plays spill dangerously over into life, and one of them is found dead. The rest face their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, and themselves, that they are blameless.
Truth Hurts by Rebecca Reid
This was truly a vibe pick. When I saw "...perfect for fans of A Simple Favor and The Kiss Quotient" on the back cover I knew I had to read it.
Synopsis: In this twisty, compelling thriller, a young woman quickly embarks on what she thinks is the relationship and love of a lifetime, and she’s thrilled when her new husband insists they follow one rule: they don’t talk about the past, but it’s a rule that has dangerous consequences—perfect for fans of A Simple Favor and The Kiss Quotient.
Is her new husband hiding something?
Caught up in a whirlwind romance that starts in sunny Ibiza and leads to the cool corridors of a luxurious English country estate, Poppy barely has time to catch her breath, let alone seriously question if all this is too good to be true. Drew is enamored, devoted, and, okay, a little mysterious—but that's part of the thrill. What's the harm in letting his past remain private?
Maybe he's not the only one…
Fortunately, Drew never seems to wonder why his young wife has so readily agreed to their unusual pact to live only in the here and now and not probe their personal histories. Perhaps he assumes, as others do, that she is simply swept up in the intoxication of infatuation and sudden wealth. What's the harm in letting them believe that?
How far will they go to keep the past buried?
Isolated in Drew's sprawling mansion, Poppy starts to have time to doubt the man she's married, to wonder what in his past might be so terrible that it can't be spoken of, to imagine what harm he might be capable of. She doesn't want this dream to shatter. But Poppy may soon be forced to confront the dark truth that there are sins far more dangerous than the sin of omission…
*Whew* This was quite the haul! I won't be making any big purchases for a while, but I am very grateful that I was able to treat myself this week. Now lets see how long it will take to read them all!
Hey, Goodbye Days! A great book. Also, I loved Evelyn Hugo, but I know it's not everyone's favorite. This looks like a fantastic haul!