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Reading, September
Oct. 31st, 2024 11:58 amMary Ellen, Craterean, Chaz Brenchey
Firefly Lane, Kristin Hannah
The earl who isn’t, Courtney Milan
My fair Brady, Brian D Kennedy
The pairing, Casey McQuiston
What was I doing in September? Vast amounts of gaming, since you ask, about which I shall post more shortly.
Mary Ellen, Craterean. Mary Ellen is a farm girl; she loves reading and research, but her family have neither the money nor the extra workers to send her to school. The a visiting author recognises her talent and arranges for a scholarship to the Crater School. Mary Ellen plunges into school life with enthusiasm - but, unexpectedly, her own learning is about to put her scholarship in danger…
I thought the central dilemma in this one was interesting but somehow it all didn’t quite click together; there’s a lot going on and a lot of characters to catch up with. I will certainly keep reading them, though!
Firefly Lane, Kristin Hannah. This is basically Beaches set 20 years later and with less singing. Kate is an uncool teenager who makes friends with new girl Tully, her apparent opposite, who is wounded by her past and determined to succeed; their friendship endures even as they lead very different lives (Tully childless but successful, Kate losing herself in her family), etc etc etc and then the obligatory tearjerker ending. Hannah’s writing is all very readable but as with her historicals things fall apart if you look too closely.
The Earl who Isn’t, Courtney Milan. Third in Milan’s Wedgeford Trials series, set in a small town in England with a largely Asian population. Andrew Uchida is aware that he is heir to an Earldom but would much rather grow long beans; unfortunately, the impetuous Lily so determined to uncover his past. As is often the case with Milan I liked the world building more than the romance (I mean it’s fine, I don’t dislike it but I already can’t remember much about the tensions/resolutions). I do like Milan’s focus on the problems with hereditary nobility and colonialism.
My fair Brady, Brian D Kennedy. Over-the-top theatre kid Wade is devastated when a) his boyfriend dumps him for being too self-obsessed and b) said ex gets the lead in the school production of My Fair Lady. Determined to win his ex back, Wade decides to impress him by making over Elijah Brady, a shy and awkward fellow student who has joined the crew of the production in an attempt to break out of his shell. Mostly predictable but entertaining.
The pairing, Casey McQuiston. Disaster bisexuals Theo and Kit with previous bad ending to their relationship meet up again on an extravagant gourmet food tour across Europe. They decide to compete to see who can hook up the most during the tour to prove how over each other they are, you can guess the rest. I thought I would like this more but it’s so shallow and one note - everyone is beautiful, everyone is bi, all the travel is smooth (one of the things I love about travel is the inherent inevitability of chaos!) and all the food is amazing in such a way that it all blurs together; there’s no specificity. Equally, there are no consequences for anything (Theo is apparently trying to get a struggling food truck business off the ground; but their family are wealthy, their sisters are film stars, and at no point in the trip does money appear to be even a hint of a problem). In addition, and irritating for a romance, most of the emotional work in this story happens off-stage and I am unconvinced the couple will even make it through their next argument.
Firefly Lane, Kristin Hannah
The earl who isn’t, Courtney Milan
My fair Brady, Brian D Kennedy
The pairing, Casey McQuiston
What was I doing in September? Vast amounts of gaming, since you ask, about which I shall post more shortly.
Mary Ellen, Craterean. Mary Ellen is a farm girl; she loves reading and research, but her family have neither the money nor the extra workers to send her to school. The a visiting author recognises her talent and arranges for a scholarship to the Crater School. Mary Ellen plunges into school life with enthusiasm - but, unexpectedly, her own learning is about to put her scholarship in danger…
I thought the central dilemma in this one was interesting but somehow it all didn’t quite click together; there’s a lot going on and a lot of characters to catch up with. I will certainly keep reading them, though!
Firefly Lane, Kristin Hannah. This is basically Beaches set 20 years later and with less singing. Kate is an uncool teenager who makes friends with new girl Tully, her apparent opposite, who is wounded by her past and determined to succeed; their friendship endures even as they lead very different lives (Tully childless but successful, Kate losing herself in her family), etc etc etc and then the obligatory tearjerker ending. Hannah’s writing is all very readable but as with her historicals things fall apart if you look too closely.
The Earl who Isn’t, Courtney Milan. Third in Milan’s Wedgeford Trials series, set in a small town in England with a largely Asian population. Andrew Uchida is aware that he is heir to an Earldom but would much rather grow long beans; unfortunately, the impetuous Lily so determined to uncover his past. As is often the case with Milan I liked the world building more than the romance (I mean it’s fine, I don’t dislike it but I already can’t remember much about the tensions/resolutions). I do like Milan’s focus on the problems with hereditary nobility and colonialism.
My fair Brady, Brian D Kennedy. Over-the-top theatre kid Wade is devastated when a) his boyfriend dumps him for being too self-obsessed and b) said ex gets the lead in the school production of My Fair Lady. Determined to win his ex back, Wade decides to impress him by making over Elijah Brady, a shy and awkward fellow student who has joined the crew of the production in an attempt to break out of his shell. Mostly predictable but entertaining.
The pairing, Casey McQuiston. Disaster bisexuals Theo and Kit with previous bad ending to their relationship meet up again on an extravagant gourmet food tour across Europe. They decide to compete to see who can hook up the most during the tour to prove how over each other they are, you can guess the rest. I thought I would like this more but it’s so shallow and one note - everyone is beautiful, everyone is bi, all the travel is smooth (one of the things I love about travel is the inherent inevitability of chaos!) and all the food is amazing in such a way that it all blurs together; there’s no specificity. Equally, there are no consequences for anything (Theo is apparently trying to get a struggling food truck business off the ground; but their family are wealthy, their sisters are film stars, and at no point in the trip does money appear to be even a hint of a problem). In addition, and irritating for a romance, most of the emotional work in this story happens off-stage and I am unconvinced the couple will even make it through their next argument.
