Currently Coveting {January}

If you read my 2017 Reading Resolutions then you know that one of my goals this year is to spend more time reading the books that I love. With that goal in mind, I picked out a few titles that I'm coveting this month. My reading time is pretty packed this month (new releases galore!) but these are some of the books I'm hoping to get to when I have a spare slot in my to-read list. There are a lot of great books coming out this month, but if you want the sneak peek for the whole year, check out The Great 2017 Book Preview from The Millions.

A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn // I read & reviewed the first in this series last year and really enjoyed it. I'm always interested in mysteries but add a strong female detective into the mix and I'm hooked. The historical fiction element is an added bonus. I'm looking forward to picking this up after I've finished the latest installment in the Inspector Gamache novels -- my current mystery read. 

Release date: January 10th

The Chosen Maiden by Eva Stachniak // This story features elements of Russian historical fiction, the world of professional ballet, and that tenuous relationship between siblings who are both prodigies in the same field. I read The Winter Palace by Stachniak and really enjoyed both her writing and her attention to historical detail. 

Release date: January 17th

The Jolly Regina by Kara LaReau // This new series has been compared to A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place  -- two of my favorite series to recommend for middle grade fiction fans. The series features the unintentional adventures of the Bland sisters aboard a pirate vessel. The cover art is adorable and I am so on board for a new witty series. Fun fact: the author for this series edited my all-time favorite (modern) children's novel: The Tale of Despereaux. So I'm willing to bet she'll be an author to follow in the future.

Release date: January 10th

Books for Living by Will Schwalbe // My non-fiction pick for the month. In this, Schwalbe explores the role that books play in our modern society and the books that help us to navigate our universal questions. Each chapter features a book, with stories about how the book influenced him and the people in his life that are tied to it. You know I love books about books, and this seems like a perfect fit for the beginning of a new year.

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What are you looking forward to reading this month?

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

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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!