Review: Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore has to be one of my top mystery/thriller reads of the year so far, and for that reason I must insist that you add it to your summer reading list. 

The book introduces us to Lydia Smith, who works at an eccentric bookstore in Denver. It's the kind of store that attracts not only customers, but also loyal followers. Lydia dubs a group of regulars her "Book Frogs," and is devastated one night when she stumbles upon the body of Joey - the youngest of the Book Frogs - among the stacks. Lydia cannot fathom why a patron would kill himself in the store, until she realizes that he's left behind a puzzle, and that she is the one who he hoped would solve it. As Lydia works to discover the motivation behind Joey's death, she is forced to remember a traumatic event from her childhood and to confront the ways in which that terrible night still keeps hold over her life.

This one is a five-star read for any season and one of those books where I can't tell you much about it -- for fear of spoiling the suspenseful reading experience that I loved, as I was surprised by the level of sophistication in its twists and turns. This is one of those reads that I didn't want to put down, and that still has me thinking about the depth of plotting that Matthew J. Sullivan had to do in order to achieve such a perfectly twisty novel.

 If you're looking for a book club suggestion for this summer, this would be mine -- I think it would make for some great discussions about suspense novels in general. I've already given it to my mother to read (she agrees that this makes for a great summer read) and just lent it to my best friend (who loves thrillers) who also thought it was a great beach read! I have a feeling I'll be passing this one around for a while.

Bottom-Line Rating: 5/5

Title: Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore

Author: Matthew J. Sullivan

Publisher: Scribner, 2017

Price: $20 on Amazon

ISBN: 1501116843

Format: Hardcover

Source: Scribner Publishers

Note: Top Shelf Text received a copy of this book from Scribner Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Children's Review: Artie Conan Doyle and the Gravedigger's Club

{image via Goodreads}

I am a fan of all-things Sherlock Holmes, so anytime I hear about a new spinoff of my favorite detective series I am guaranteed to give it a try. Artie Conan Doyle and The Gravedigger's Club is the first in a new series that I'm looking forward to following. The mystery stars a young Arthur Conan Doyle (the author of the original Sherlock Holmes) as he solves mysteries around his hometown in Edinburgh. In this first adventure, Artie and his best friend Hamilton are exploring a local graveyard late at night when they spot a ghostly woman and the paw prints of a gigantic hound. Soon, they're on a quest to discover the mystery behind the two sightings, as well as the culprit of several robberies carried out by a mysterious society known as The Gravedigger's Club.

I loved that this book carried elements of some of the tales of Sherlock and Watson -- the idea being that these events in Artie's life would later influence his storytelling -- and I also loved how the story was steeped in historical detail. Though the mystery is the main focus of the plot, this also featured a theme of friendship, particularly as it relates to the hero-sidekick relationship that we see in this type of story. Recommended for middle grade readers who enjoy detective stories (and potentially a great summer reading pick)!

This title will be released on June 15, 2017.

Bottom-Line Rating: 4/5

Title: Artie Conan Doyle and The Gravedigger's Club

Author: Robert J. Harris

Publisher: Kelpies, 2017

Price: Pre-order for $9.94 on Amazon

ISBN: 1782503536

Format: E-book

Source: Net Galley

Note: Top Shelf Text was provided with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own!

Review: Whispers Beyond the Veil

{image via Goodreads}

At this point, you already know that I love historical fiction, and especially novels with strong female protagonists. There were many periods in history (most periods, actually), when women were expected to be coy, meek, and generally silent in all things. I love to experience stories in which women do not meet those expectations -- and Jessica Estevao's Whispers Beyond the Veil is one of those stories. This novel takes place at the very end of the 19th century, at a seaside resort town in Maine. Ruby Proulx is a victim of her father's crimes. Since childhood, he has carted her from town to town, selling his "medical miracles" and forcing her to take part in his schemes. When one of his miracle demonstrations goes horribly wrong, Ruby is forced to flee. Ruby finds herself traveling to the seaside town of Old Orchard, Maine, where her Aunt Honoria is opening a new hotel geared towards believers in the spiritual realm. 

Ruby is welcomed by her aunt, and is grateful to take up a role in running the hotel but before the season can truly begin, tragedy strikes. Not only is the hotel's future and Honoria's reputation in danger, but Ruby fears her past role in her father's schemes will catch up to her. She takes it upon herself to investigate the crime. The Spiritualists' beliefs in otherworldly powers and an ghostly realm were in contrast with the Victorian propriety expected of the characters. I certainly enjoyed the mystery element too, and the book reminded me of Cat Winter's In the Shadow of Blackbirds and Deanna Raybourn's A Curious Beginning (review here). Recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction with a touch of the supernatural. This novel is the first in a series that I'll certainly be following in the future. 

Bottom-Line Rating: 4/5

Title: Whispers Beyond the Veil (A Change of Fortune Mystery #1)

Author: Jessica Estevao

Publisher: Berkley, 2016

Price: $10 on Amazon

ISBN: 04255281604

Format: Paperback

Source: Public Library

Review: The Fifth Petal

{on Goodreads}

First, you must know that Brunonia Barry is a local author. She lives in Salem, Massachusetts, a city rife with historical significance, and also the city where I teach. I was first drawn to Barry's novels because of Salem's storied past, along with my love of reading fiction set in places that I know in real life. I first read The Map of True Places in college and loved both Barry's writing style and her penchant for bringing the past to life in a contemporary novel. Last year, I picked up The Lace Reader and was blown away by the surprise ending. The Fifth Petal is the sequel to The Lace Reader and will be released next week on January 24th. If you haven't yet read The Lace Reader but think you might be interested, stop reading here and go grab it off the library shelf! Be warned, spoilers ahead.

The Fifth Petal begins sometime after the ending of The Lace Reader. In it, Rafferty, our charming and flawed investigator, is married to Towner and has been promoted to chief of police. The story opens with a new look into an old cold case -- what's known locally as The Goddess Murders. Back in the late eighties, three beautiful and notoriously promiscuous friends had formed a mysterious clique, naming themselves The Goddesses and using their ancestral link to the convicted witches of Salem as part of their lure for Salem's eligible (and ineligible) men. One night, they are brutally murdered at the site of a Wiccan ceremony. There are only two survivors from the ceremony -- an old woman named Rose and a five year old child, daughter of a goddess, who is whisked away to be raised by nuns after the traumatic incident. Flash forward to modern day, and Rose has become Salem's resident crazy homeless lady, while Callie (the traumatized child), returns to Salem to find that so much of her past is not what she thought it was. Old faces from both The Lace Reader and The Map of True Places come into play as Rafferty and Callie work to find out what really happened on the night of the Goddess Murders and how it's all connected to those original Salem witches.

I have to say that the beginning of this novel was a teensy, tiny bit slow for me. I wasn't really sure what Barry was getting at and went into it thinking that more loose ends from The Lace Reader would be addressed. I'm still waiting on some of those loose ends (Barry has commented that it will happen in book 3!) but as soon both Rafferty and Callie started to discover more details about the night of the murders, the more suspenseful it got and the more I became invested in Callie's character and her backstory. Over time, I tried to make my predictions about the resolution to the mystery, but if there's one thing Barry writes well, it's an all-is-revealed, high-intensity ending. This one absolutely rivaled the ending of The Lace Reader. If you enjoyed the first I'd highly recommend this second installment. You still have almost a week to pre-order your copy before its release -- enough time to have it on your doorstep early next week!

Bottom Line Rating: 5/5

Title: The Fifth Petal

Author: Brunonia Barry

Publisher: Crown, 2017

Price: $20 to pre-order on Amazon

ISBN: 110190563

Format: E-book

Source: Net Galley

Note: Top Shelf Text was provided with a copy of this text by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own!

Top Ten of Twenty Sixteen

Welcome Twenty Seventeen!

This year, I read 55 books. That's actually quite a bit less than I read last year, so I'm taking some time to reflect on what worked (and what didn't) as I plan my reading resolutions for 2017. You can read more about those on the blog next week!

As always, these are some of my most highly-rated books, and come to you in no particular order. 

I'd love to hear some of your top picks from 2016 in the comments if you'd like to share!

The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell

You know a book is good when you cannot stop talking about it. I've raved about The Year of Living Danishly to anyone willing to listen, and even talked a few of my coworkers into reading it too. Now we all gush about the Danish way of life. I am the type of person who thinks a lot about quality of life and how to improve my own, and this book actually gave me a few great ideas for finding that balance between work and personal life (spoiler: teachers rarely find that balance). Not to mention, I'd jump at the chance to relocate to Denmark, where quality of life is the driving focus for the entire population. You can read more of my thoughts here.

The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny

If you like mysteries and have not yet started Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache novels, then all I have to say to you is "What are you waiting for?!?"

The Beautiful Mystery is the eighth in the series and I think it's the best of them all, though I want to be clear in saying that this is the best mystery series I have ever (ever) read, so all of the books are great in their own right. I started this series over the summer and have been raving about it since. Even if you aren't a mystery lover, I would still recommend it to you. Worth a try, I promise.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

I didn't read many classics this year (oops), but this 1938 gothic novel was one of the best books I read and continue to think about. I'm sure there are other reviewers who could put it into words better than I can, but it's haunting and mysterious and the character of Mrs. Danvers is unforgettable.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

I have yet to speak with a reader who read Outlander and didn't love it. The only intimidation of it is the size of each book in the series. I flew through this first one in just a few days over the summer (when reading for five hours at the beach was possible) and went immediately to the bookstore to pick up the next two. These are books that you want to be fully immersed in, and I find the mix between historical fiction and fantasy to be perfectly captivating.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

I read this in two days with no interruptions, thanks to a seaside vacation. It was beautifully written. Definitely a reading experience that I highly recommend, if you're interested in more serious historical fiction or stories from WWII.

The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley

This is a new-to-me series that I fell in love with this year. The vibrant cover is what first caught my eye at the library, but the story inside was just as mesmerizing. I'm looking forward to reading the second in the series in 2017.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

How interesting is it that I have been a reader for twenty years and had not yet read Anne of Green Gables until this year? Looking back on it, I'm sad for all of those years I spent without the influence of Anne Shirley. I love this book so much that I read it twice just this year (once in paperback, once through audible -- I highly recommend the Rachel McAdams narration) and loved it equally both times. Tears were shed, giggles escaped, and I can't help but dream of my own little Green Gables.

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Though I read this in childhood, I rediscovered it this year in an effort to read more children's classics. This is another one that I both read and listened to through audible. I love the level of writing in it -- sophisticated, and with the best closing line in all of literature (well, maybe except for Ulysses) -- and my students loved Templeton's character ("He's so rude!"). We celebrated finishing the book by watching the 1973 animated film and I loved how closely the film stuck to the dialogue of the book. 

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

I don't read a lot of young adult literature (something I'm attempting to branch out in next year), but this was a really fascinating read that mixed mystery and sci-fi with a classic villain character. Highly recommended for those who enjoy Marvel-esque stories. I'm looking forward to reading more of Schwab's work in 2017.

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

I'm doing something unprecedented here -- I'm adding a book to my top ten for the second year in a row. The Tale of Despereaux easily holds a spot in my top three books of all time, and I swear it doesn't feel like a children's book when I'm reading it. The theme of dark and light, or chiaroscuro, has stayed with me and has had a profound impact on the way that I both interpret characters by other authors and try to write my own. If you haven't read this yet, put it at the top of your list for 2017. 

***

What made it to the top of your list in 2016?

You can find my top ten lists from past years here:

Twenty Thirteen

Twenty Fourteen

Twenty Fifteen

Currently Coveting {December}

Oh my goodness. I'm ashamed to say that it has been months since I posted a Currently Coveting list.

Not that I haven't been coveting -- and buying -- books in that time.

My most recent purchases have been this and this for my December book club reads, and I am so excited for our book club discussion at the end of this month.

Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine by Sarah Lohman

I've recently started cooking almost all the meals in my family (I just headed up my very first Thanksgiving this year) and I've become really interested in how to use spices to flavor healthy, fresh food. Since I started eating mostly clean a few years ago, I have found spices to be my biggest resource in the kitchen. This exploration of the eight flavors that unite American cooking seems like a great way to learn more about the cultural history of the country, in addition to being a resource for great recipes.

The Glass Universe by Dava Sobel

I'm craving a good story about fascinating, intelligent women and this seems to be just the right fit. It just came out yesterday and tells the story of the women who worked as "human computers" for the Harvard Observatory. Those women went on to make significant contributions to astronomy. 

The Long Way Home by Louise Penny

Are you tired of hearing me talk about Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series? I have been working my way through them since the summer. Shown above is the tenth in the series, which is on my to-read list for this weekend. I have been lucky so far in that my library was fully stocked with every volume in the series except this one, so when I went to snatch it from the shelf I was so disappointed to find that I would have to wait for a hold copy to come in. I'm telling you, this is one of the best series that I have ever (ever) read.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

This has been recommended to me several times (most recently by my grandmother), and I've heard that it is lovely as an audiobook. It's in the same category as The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. I'm looking forward to picking it up soon.

Penny Dreadful by Laurel Snyder

Sadly, I haven't been reading much middle grade lately. Sometimes (okay, often) being in school all day makes me want to read only adult fiction when I get home. I'm hoping to reignite my love for children's lit this month. Penny Dreadful looks like a great place to start.

Lately at the Library

There are few things I love more than going to the library. I love the way that the library feels. It's quiet, but it's almost as if you can hear the rustling of pages, of stories waiting to be read. I love thinking about how many characters and worlds exist in such a small space.

The library is a place where I sometimes go to recharge. Most of the time I run in and out to return books and to pick up holds, but about once a week I like to go in just to wander. A lot of the time I come out with way more books than I could possibly read in the amount of time I'm allowed to keep them, but I like having the choice when I get home.

I wanted to share what kind of books have caught my eye lately during my wanderings. I tend to always get about 10 picture books to browse and take with me to school for the kids to read, but I also usually end up with a relatively tall stack of pleasure reads. 

I know that the fall doesn't really begin for another month or so, but I've been drawn to fall reads on recent trips. That can only mean that my favorite season is approaching -- but I'll refrain from talking about it for another week or so!

Here's what ended up in my stack on a recent trip to my local public library -- I've included Goodreads links below -- check out the full description if the cover catches your eye (like it did mine)!

Conversion by Katherine Howe // Young Adult, by a favorite (local) author. An elite prep school, allusions to The Crucible, and of course a local setting. Oh, and that witch-y feeling, which you know is my favorite to read in the fall.

Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid // I've since decided that it would probably be a literary crime to read this before I've read the original (Austen) version. It caught my eye because it's part of The Austen Project series, in which contemporary writers modernize Jane's original works. It'll go back to the library unread -- for now. You can consider the original to be at the top of my classics list for now.

The Nautical Chart by Arturo Pérez-Reverte // I've read this author before in high school (I highly recommend his The Fencing Master), and really loved his style. Plus, this has sunken ships, and you can always count on my interest in a treasure hunting-type of tale.

The Cruelest Month (Inspector Gamache #3) by Louise Penny // I just started reading this mystery series this summer thanks to the recommendation of Anne Bogel, and I love it. This is the third, which I just finished today -- in my opinion, it was the best of the series so far. I'll be posting more about the series after I've read a few more.

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier // Another recommendation from Anne Bogel, for readers who loved The Thirteenth Tale (one of my all-time favorite gothic books). I can't wait to dive into this, if not to relive that subtle, creepy-crawling feeling that comes with gothic fiction.

Haunted Ground by Erin Hart // Forensics + history + archaeology + suspense. Need I say more? This is totally in my wheelhouse. Plus, the main investigator is a woman, somewhat unusual in mystery novels and definitely to my liking.

***

I will add a disclaimer here that although this particular batch is a little grim-looking, my children's picks are usually rather bright and cheery. Balance, right?

***

What's caught your eye at the library lately?

Happy Reading!

-Madeleine-

Children's Review: The Great Shelby Holmes

{on Goodreads}

I am a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes, so when I saw this new middle grade series pop up, I couldn't resist taking a sneak peek. My college roommate and I both love the iconic detective in all his forms and I liked the idea of a female/male team. The Great Shelby Holmes is written from the perspective of John Watson, an eleven year-old boy who has just moved to NYC with his military mom after his parents' recent divorce. 

On the first day in his new city, John meets his neighbor, a verbose and sassy girl named Shelby Holmes. Shelby's not used to making friends, but soon enough John proves himself to be a valuable sidekick and she decides to bring him along on her latest case: the kidnapping of a prize-winning show dog belonging to a schoolmate. The plot itself isn't anything new in this book -- in fact, the dognapping was really the least interesting part of it, as I felt that the level of the plot could have really been raised had the crime been something more serious than a kidnapped pet. However, I really liked the friendship themes that went on through the book. Even though Shelby may be the incredible detective, Watson was a good model for a caring friend, which is poignant for kids at this time of year when a new school year means forming new friendships. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to my students, and I'll definitely follow the series in the future to see how that friendship grows. For those who want to help get this into the hands of young readers, there's still time to purchase a pre-order copy on Amazon before The Great Shelby Holmes hits shelves on September 6th!

Bottom Line Rating: 4/5

Title: The Great Shelby Holmes

Author: Elizabeth Eulberg

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's

Price: $9.65 to pre=order on Amazon

ISBN: 1681190516

Format: E-book

Source: Net Galley

Note: Top Shelf Text was provided with a copy of this text by the publishers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A Reader's Dilemma

Earlier this year, I picked up The Cuckoo's Calling after owning it for several months. I was looking for a good mystery (these have been my favorite recently) and of course I had high expectations for the book, considering its author. I felt that I was a prime candidate for enjoying it, because not only do I regularly read mysteries, but I've been a fan of JK Rowling since I was about nine years old.

Would I have bought this book if I hadn't known that Robert Galbraith was a pseudonym of hers? There's really no way to tell, but I do tend to seek out lesser-known series so it's certainly a possibility. I've read the Harry Potter series more times than I can count, and -- despite the difficult transition away from Harry Potter -- I did really like Rowling's The Casual Vacancy when it came out a few years ago. So I had high hopes for this one when I started reading it.

My usual marker for judging whether or not I like a book is around the 100 page mark. In this case, I got to that point and was feeling so.incredibly.bored. Not a single thing had happened to draw in my interest, and I wasn't particularly fond of (or even motivated to learn more about) any of the characters. I posted this image on Instagram expressing my boredom and disappointment. Don't get me wrong here, JK is without a doubt my favorite author of all time. I love her writing style and think that she has immense talent, but I didn't see any of that come through. I wasn't captured in the way that I have been in reading her work before.

I put the book down (but haven't yet moved it to the donate pile), and was glad that I picked out a new one. I listened to this episode of my favorite podcast (you can read about how much I love the podcast in general here) about the book and I thought that their guest host, Margaret, did a great job expressing my same feelings/concerns in a much more eloquent way. (But be warned, the episode contains spoilers so if you're interested in reading the book, tread carefully.)

So, there's the dilemma. As an avid reader and lifelong fan of Rowling, do I continue to read this book, hoping that it will eventually hook me and I'll come to appreciate that slow beginning? Or do I move on to read one of the thousands more books that are worthy of my attention and waiting to be read? As a reader, what do I owe this author? A second chance? The benefit of the doubt? Or, as her use of a pseudonym suggests in the first place, do I merely judge this book as I would any other?

Are you one to always finish a book, or do you only continue reading what interests you?

Happy Reading!
-Madeleine-

Word Worship {Carlos Ruiz Zafón}

"Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens."

- Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Shadow of the Wind 

If You Liked That, Read This!

If you liked:

Read this:

If you're a fan of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot series, pick up Charles Finch's Charles Lenox series  the next time you're in the mood for a good old-fashioned mystery! I may have mentioned this repeatedly a few times, but October is such a good month for reading mysteries. Agatha Christie will always be the queen of the genre, but for those who have read all of her books (bravo, by the way), the Charles Lenox mysteries won't disappoint. Though I expect that more people will have read The Mysterious Affair at Styles first, I actually picked up A Beautiful Blue Death last year (the cover hooked me) and loved it. You can read my review of it here, though I have to laugh at myself a bit here because in my review, I said that it wasn't quite up to the level of excitement of an Agatha Christie novel. Well, I must have been comparing it to And Then There Were None, because after reading A Mysterious Affair at Styles last month, I could go on forever about the similarities between the two. (And yes, both are great for fans of Sherlock Holmes as well!) I think some readers may shy away from these types of novels because of their subdued nature -- they're nothing like the action-packed mystery movies that we see today -- but that's precisely why I've fallen in love with them. They're more subtle, the detectives have more exacting natures (it's my favorite trait of theirs) and while there are no high-speed chase scenes, I'm often left shocked at finding out the culprit. I just finished the second in the Charles Lenox series, The September Society a few days ago and am already itching to get the next installment. For those of you who like to follow a series, this is one that I'd recommend. There are currently ten books in the Charles Lenox mysteries (one just recently published), and forty-five in the Hercule Poirot series, if you can believe it. 

Review: A Curious Beginning

{on Goodreads}

A Curious Beginning is the first in a new series featuring Veronica Speedwell, who just happens to have made it onto my ever-growing list of favorite cheeky heroines. In this, we are introduced not to a demure and proper young lady, rather, we are met with a woman who is outspoken, highly intelligent, and audacious. That is, she is outrageously out of place for the tight-lipped and easily shocked society of London in the late 19th century. Though I do enjoy reading more traditional historical fiction, Veronica hooked me with her fearlessness; she had no problem causing a scandal and was easy to connect with as she navigated society's expectations and her own desires. Veronica is a lepidopterist, a collector of butterflies, and known by her clients as a lady unafraid to travel to the most dangerous of places to secure the rarest specimens.

 At the start of the story, Veronica is left with a choice to make after the death of her beloved aunt: accept the suitable match presented by concerned members of her town, or take off on a new adventure? It's not hard to guess which one frightens Veronica more, but just as she's about to flee town, danger comes to her. She is rescued from an abductor by a kind old Baron, who claims to know the secrets of her past and promises to tell her in good time. The Baron deposits her with a friend, and from there Veronica embarks on an adventure greater than any of her most far-flung travels. She is forced to throw in her lot with an unlikely companion-- a reclusive man by the name of Stoker-- and while the two of them work to unveil the plot against Veronica they also must face truths about themselves and the secrets of both their pasts-- all while being chased by more than one potentially dangerous opponent! What I loved most about Veronica through the whole process of solving the mystery was her calm and collected manner. I loved the way that Stoker and Veronica played off each other, and boy was there some tension simmering there throughout the story.

Not only were Veronica and Stoker both excellently crafted, but the other characters in the story were excellent as well, each character unique in revealing that there's more behind the mask of polite society than one might think. I'm always drawn to female-led historical fiction, and often the mystery aspect is of second concern to me, but I have to say that when the mystery is finally unveiled, my reaction was one of total surprise. I did not see that coming! And I loved the way that it was resolved, leaving me anxious for the next in the series! In fact, I was so wound up after finishing the book that I tweeted at the author, Deanna Raybourn (whose twitter is actually hilarious -- I can see how her humor translated into Veronica's personality) and she replied that she's turning in the manuscript for the second installment at the end of this month! I will be anxiously awaiting news on that one. In the meantime, though, if you're a fan of brazen heroines and fast-paced mysteries, pick up A Curious Beginning, which will make its debut on September 1st!

Bottom-Line Rating: 5/5

Title: A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell #1)

Author: Deanna Raybourn

Publisher: NAL/Penguin, 2015

Expected Publication Date: September 1, 2015

Pre-Order on Amazon

Pre-Order on Barnes & Noble

ISBN: 0451476018

Format: E-Book

Source: Advanced Review Copy provided by Net Galley

Note: Top Shelf Text was provided with an advanced copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own!

Currently Coveting {July}

Summer is in full swing, and I have a long list of books for you today! I think summer is the perfect time to stack your "to be read" pile with both light beach reads and more suspenseful ones. A few summers ago, one of my favorite beach reads turned out to be Gone Girl, despite the fact that it is decidedly dark in nature. This month I've picked out of a few perfect thrillers, a few of my (favorite) historical fiction reads, and a new pick for younger readers. I'm looking forward to reading all of these soon!

Here's a peek at what I'm currently coveting:

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz // I stumbled upon this book in the Eric Carle gift shop and fell in love with the cover design. It's the story of a fierce friendship between two young boys and has incredible ratings on Goodreads. It's recommended for ages 12 and up, so if you have a middle school-aged reader at home this might be a good one to read together!

The Misbegotten by Katherine Webb // You know by now that I love historical fiction. This one includes mystery, romance, and lots of deep, dark secrets. 

Orient: A Novel by Christopher Bollen // Published relatively recently, this novel features a mystery on a small Long Island town. What drew me in was the promise of culture clash between locals and visitors and that small-town proclivity for harboring big secrets.

What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman // I love those dual-perspective stories that blend contemporary and historical lives and this one looks particularly captivating. 

The Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne // Last but certainly not least, this thriller is high on my list but already making me nervous to read it. I really haven't explored whether or not I can handle true thrillers (I'm that person that wants to watch a scary movie but then regrets it afterwards and stays up half the night with wide eyes and the covers pulled up to my nose), so I'm going to give this one a try.  Click on the title link to read the description, which has to do with a family moving to an isolated spot after a tragic accident -- perfect elements for the horror that follows. 

What's on your reading list for this month?

Happy Reading!

-Madeleine-

Review: Miramont's Ghost

{on Goodreads}

Miramont's Ghost is the story of Adrienne Beauvier, a young woman of privilege, but also of fearsome talent. From the time she was little, Adrienne knows things before they happen. At first, her clairvoyance is taken as an active imagination, but soon it becomes the subject of town gossip. Adrienne's beloved grandfather seeks to protect her, while her own mother ignores her and her malicious Aunt Marie watches her with disdain. The loss of her grandfather sends Adrienne into a dark, inward spiral, and she hides her gift from her family and community. For a time, it seems as though Adrienne has a chance at true love and will be able to escape the oppressive atmosphere of her childhood home. Her Aunt Marie, however, is far more evil than Adrienne predicted, and she finds herself falling for Marie's carefully plotted traps. 

I downloaded this book with the Kindle First subscription and I'm so glad I chose it because it was one of those books that just completely sucked me in right from the start. I felt so strongly for the character of Adrienne; I sympathized with her loneliness and had empathy for her fear of being herself. Many of the characters were in the background, but the relationship between Adrienne and Marie was very intense. I wouldn't necessarily call this a scary story, but reading the passages about Marie's wickedness in the dark with only the backlight on my Kindle had me feeling like I might have nightmares. I don't want to give away the major twists of the novel, because they are of the no-way-I-did-not-see-that-coming, gasping-out-loud type. I can say that I found myself in such despair over this story and Adrienne's misfortunes that I had to explain my terrible mood to my boyfriend when he pointed out that I had been acting sad. I just can't help but feel that Marie is one of the most villainous characters I've ever encountered. I later found out that the setting of the story, Miramont Castle, is actually a real place, and located in Maintou Springs, Colorado. The castle was built by Father Jean Baptiste Francolon, who shows up in Miramont's Ghost as Adrienne's cousin and Marie's only, beloved son. Like his mother, he was a character that I found wholly disturbing. The Miramont Castle is now a historic landmark and rumored to be haunted; I'd love to read some nonfiction about the supernatural events at the castle and the history of it. The only writing-related criticisms that I have are that some of the characters fell a bit flat (I would have liked to see a more well-developed mother for Adrienne) and that I was sometimes confused by the direction of the plot. This would be one that I recommend to readers who enjoy mysteries, thrillers, and historical fiction.

Bottom Line Rating: 4/5

Title: Miramont Ghosts

Author: Elizabeth Hall

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing, 2015

Price: $10.99 {for a paperback on Amazon, only $4.99 for Kindle!}

Format: E-book

Source: Free with Kindle First subscription

Literature Link Roundup

 Happy Monday! I spent the past week at home for my spring break, and it was one of those weeks during which absolutely nothing got done. I lazed around for pretty much the whole week, and while it was nice to feel like I had no obligations, I'm feeling ready to get back to a routine!

While I was home, I stumbled upon some fun links on Pinterest. Mostly, I find that Pinterest is a great place to find inspiration for interior decorating, but last week I found some fun links that will appeal to a range of my fellow book-lovers, so I thought I'd share them here!

One // 29 True Crime Books Every Armchair Detective Should Read 

This buzzfeed list is one for fans of Serial, and since I'm a big-time fan, I'll be adding a few to my reading list. I like that these books appeal to mystery and non-fiction-lovers alike.

Two // 18 Pulitzer Prize-Winning Books By Women

I have more than a few of these on my shelves already (most of them still unread) but I like the idea of working my way through this list. They're listed in reverse chronological order, and first up is Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch, which you can read my review of here.

Three // 12 Clever Ways to Decorate With Books

I am loving some of these ideas! I have been looking into DIY headboard ideas for my next apartment, and though the book one doesn't look feasible for me next year, I love how these ideas bring personal touches into a space that really speak to a love of (and reverence for) books. 

Four // Libraries of the Rich & Famous

I'm telling you, these personal libraries are the stuff of dreams. I am especially smitten with this one, the Biltmore House, which is the largest privately owned home in the country. It has such an old world feel with the candles, ornate architectural touches, and richly textured furnishings. And can we talk about that spiral staircase? I would gladly pay a premium for a few hours to peruse those shelves.

Review: Kingdom of Lies

{on Goodreads}

Kingdom of Lies is the first mystery in a series featuring Keen Dunliffe, a gruff Enlglish Inspector with an honest-cop complex. Dunliffe is going through a dull and somewhat depressing period in his life (recent divorce, stalled career, etc.) when he is assigned to a case that seems ordinary at first but soon requires him to confront more danger than he's used to in his small, quiet village. A woman attending a local academic conference is found naked, floating in the pond on the grounds of a wealthy aristocratic family's estate. At first, Dunliffe expects this to be an open-and-shut case of an accidental death due to drunken skinny-dipping. Then Dunliffe gets a call, asking him to cozy up to the victim's close friend, Jillie Waltham, an American academic who has an inkling that there's more to the case than she's been told. As Keen and Jillie work together in London to solve the mystery, their personal relationship becomes more complicated, the case becomes more dangerous, and they realize that its implications are far reaching, both in history and in scope.

I picked this up on a whim after the spine caught my eye on a library shelf. My book rut has been somewhat ongoing, and I was looking for a read that would pull me in, even if it meant picking a cheesy mystery. Though this book doesn't have great ratings on Goodreads (3.26/4 from 72 ratings), I wouldn't hesitate to pick up the next in the series. I wouldn't say I'm going to become an avid fan of the series, but there are a few choice reasons that I can say that I'll probably look for the next one: (1) Keen Dunliffe is a great character. I love that he's full of flaws. For me, he's a different take on the classic, over-confident type of cop character that one usually sees in this type of story. (2) I couldn't guess the ending, or the "who done it" for the life of me. It caught me totally off guard, and that's always a plus for me when it comes to mysteries.

Bottom Line Rating: 3/5

Title: Kingdom of Lies

Author: Lee Wood

Publisher: Minotaur Books, 2005

Price: {Not available directly from Amazon or B&N, I'd suggest the library}

ISBN: 0312340303

Format: Hardcover

Source: Public Library

Book #1 of 2015

10 Great October Reads

I think we can all agree that October is one of the best months of the year. It's that time when the leaves have changed and are starting to fall but the sun still shines and the air is just the perfect temperature. As I write this, it's raining outside and all I want is to curl up with a good book and a warm drink (but first, homework...). I'm one to embrace gloomy days, and I can't help but feel that October is the perfect time to really appreciate life in New England. I think by now I've mentioned once or twice (okay, three times) how much I love Halloween, but really what I love about this time of year is that it inspires me to write. A good book can give you goosebumps, have you gasping in surprise, and even make you wonder if there really are monsters under the bed, and this is the perfect time of year to find one of those books. Now, I know that not everyone appreciates a scary story, so I've rounded up a list of books that, scary or not, have that perfect October vibe.

*****

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo // You may recognize this from last month's currently coveting. I picked it up at the library recently and let me say...so good. Keep an eye out for a review soon, but for now, just know that it gave me the creepy-crawlies and had me totally intrigued from start to finish.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield // I cannot recommend this enough. It's on my list to re-read this month, and has the.best.ending.ever. Setterfield is just brilliant.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness // I love this trilogy. You can read more about my obsession with it here.

The Quick by Lauren Owen // This was one of my summer reads this year, but it's certainly more suited for an October to-read list, considering it's a Victorian England novel with a rather macabre twist. You can read my review of it here.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova // One year in high school we had a choice of books for a summer reading assignment and I picked this one, along with maybe seven other students. It certainly wasn't the most popular book that year (I have a feeling it's because of its 700 pages) but it's one that I would highly recommend for your to-read list this month. 

Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield // Another one by Diane Setterfield because, why not? Read my review of this book here.

The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg // I love a good book about magic at anytime during the year, and I know I recently raved about this one in a review but I just can't stop. Love, love, loved it. And for those who aren't into scary stories, this is the one for you. 

The Truth of All Things by Kieran Shields // This is a relatively new series that I started reading last year. It follows a detective in the late 1800s as he investigates a gruesome murder, the mystery behind which is wrapped up in magic rituals and the Salem Witch Trials. Definitely has that Halloween feel to it. 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern // This book was a big deal when it came out in 2011, and when I read it last year I absolutely loved it. And, I mean, look at that cover art. Swoon.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn // Perfect timing to read this, especially with the movie coming out this month. But please, don't go see the movie before you've read it! I'm not usually such a stickler for the book-before-movie rule, but this has to be one that you read first. Also, it will make you question your own sanity and the sanity of everyone around you. So there's that. 

*****

Do you have a favorite thriller, mystery, or fantasy book?