Musings of a Literary Wanderer

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Lost Summers of Newport

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

The Lost Summers of Newport

Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White

Expected publication date: May 17, 2022

From the New York Times bestselling team of Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White: a beachy historical novel of romance and intrigue set among the famous summer mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, spanning over a century from the Gilded Age to present-day.

2019: Andie Figuero has just landed her dream job as a producer of Mansion Makeover, a popular reality show about restoring America’s most lavish historic houses. Andie has high hopes for her latest project: the once glorious but gently crumbling Sprague Hall in Newport, Rhode Island, the beach town of the ultra-wealthy, famous for the historic, over-the-top “summer cottages” of Vanderbilts and Rockefellers. But Andie runs into trouble: the reclusive heiress who still lives in the mansion, Lucia Sprague, will only allow the show to go forward on two conditions: One: that no one speaks to her. Two: that no one go near the mansion’s ruined boathouse.

1899: Ellen O’Donnell has been hired to give singing lessons to Maybelle Sprague, a naive young heiress from out West whose brother John has poured their new money into buying a place among Newport’s elite. John is determined to see Maybelle married off to a fortune-hunting Italian prince, and Ellen is supposed to polish up the girl for her launch into society. But the demure-seeming Ellen has her own checkered past, and she’s hiding in plain sight at Sprague Hall.

1958: Lucia di Conti has always felt like an outsider at Sprague Hall. When her family fled Mussolini, it seemed natural to go back to the imposing Newport house her grandmother owned but hadn’t seen since her marriage in 1899. Over the years, she’s lost her Italian accent and found a place for herself among the yachting set, even acquiring a suitably blue-blooded husband, but one fateful night in the mansion’s old boathouse will roil the waters...and change everything.

As the cameras roll on Mansion Makeover, the house begins to yield up the dark secrets the Spragues thought would stay hidden forever…. - from Goodreads

When Team W gets together, it's always a hit - and the setting of Newport, Rhode Island is always a draw for me!

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Top Ten Tuesday: My Spring TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is our spring TBR. I managed to read the six books I chose for my winter TBR, so I'm happy about that. Honestly, this quarter's TBR is filled with books I chose almost completely at random. My reading is in a weird (but good) place lately (which I might talk about in a discussion post soon...), and I'm just trying to keep things fun and easy for myself!

What will you be reading this spring?

Friday, March 11, 2022

Fiction/Nonfiction Quick Reviews: The Beekeeper Edition

Honey and Venom: Confessions of an Urban Beekeeper by Andrew Cote (2021)

Honey and Venom is touted as a year in the life of NYC beekeeper Andrew Cote. While it was not quite what I expected, it was still an enjoyable and informative read! Cote is a fourth generation beekeeper (or "beek" as they sometimes call themselves) who clearly has a passion for the art. Each chapter represents a month of the year and he briefly describes the type of work that he will typically do in that month, while also recounting stories from his life that also took place during that time of year. His beehives grace the rooftops of some of New York City's most famous buildings, but his career has taken him all over the world as he educates others. Cote also gives the reader lessons in honey bee anatomy and behavior. His writing style is very readable and approachable, and he made the more scientific parts easy to understand. Although it was a bit uncomfortable when he called out other people's bad behavior, many of his stories were fun and interesting. 4 stars

The Beekeeper's Promise by Fiona Valpy (2018)

A dual timeline story about a woman in the present day who works at the Chateau Bellevue in France and another woman who lives and works as a beekeeper on the property during World War II and finds herself working for the Resistance. On paper, this book should have been perfect for me - dual timelines, WWII time period, chateau setting in France, loads of good reviews and a 4.3 average rating on Goodreads. Unfortunately, it was anything but. The current day storyline was completely unnecessary. Although I felt for Abi and how she was trying to recover from an abusive relationship and terrible accident, it just didn't work compared to the hardships Eliane was facing during WWII. The connection between the two timelines was forced and didn't make a lot of sense. As for the historical timeline, I think the rural French setting was interesting, but the story added nothing new to the WWII historical fiction genre. It felt like it was just ticking off boxes of things that "should" be included in such a story. It was too surface level, and a lot of things happened off page. The writing was simplistic; perhaps if there had been more nuance, description, and character development, it could have elevated the story. However, like I said, this book has really high reviews on Goodreads, so this could just be a "me" issue. 2 stars

* This post contains affiliate links; I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Part of Your World

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

Part of Your World

Abby Jimenez

Expected publication date: April 19, 2022

The New York Times bestselling author of Life's Too Short delivers a refreshingly modern fairy tale perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston and Emily Henry.

After a wild bet, gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich, and cuddle with a baby goat, Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down. The cause: Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who’s ten years younger than her and as casual as they come—the complete opposite of sophisticated city-girl Alexis. And yet their chemistry is undeniable.

While her ultra-wealthy parents want her to carry on the family legacy of world-renowned surgeons, Alexis doesn’t need glory or fame. She’s fine with being a “mere” ER doctor. And every minute she spends with Daniel and the tight-knit town where he lives, she’s discovering just what’s really important. Yet letting their relationship become anything more than a short-term fling would mean turning her back on her family and giving up the opportunity to help thousands of people.

Bringing Daniel into her world is impossible, and yet she can’t just give up the joy she’s found with him either. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his? - from Goodreads

I was a little late to the Abby Jimenez party, but now I'm a big fan and I can't wait to read this one!

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

Top Ten Tuesday: My Favorite Romance Trope

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is our favorite trope/theme. One of my favorite tropes in romance books is when royalty and "commoners" fall in love - there's just something about two people from wildly different walks of life meeting, falling in love, and finding a way to overcome their differences - bonus points if it's a forbidden love! I actually did a Top Ten Tuesday with this theme about 5 years ago, but it seems like a great time to update my list!

What are some of your favorite royal romances?

Friday, March 4, 2022

Bookish Romance Quick Reviews

Talk Bookish To Me by Kate Bromley (2021)

Kara is a bestselling romance novelist who is facing some serious writer's block on her current book until her college ex-boyfriend Ryan shows up as a groomsman in the same wedding she's in. Their encounter sparks her writing, but she'll have to keep him around for awhile in order to finish her book. Could a rekindling of their relationship also be in the cards? Oh man, I wanted to like this book, but there were just too many issues for me. The premise was decent, but the execution was severely lacking. The pacing was off from the beginning - everything was happening at warp speed for no reason. There was so much telling and not enough showing - and from what Kara tells us of her previous relationship with Ryan, it didn't sound that great, especially the way it ended, so I was really confused as to why everyone was pushing them to get back together. I didn't think Ryan was charming and he only got worse as the book went on. I love bookish characters, so the fact that Kara is an author and bookstagrammer should have been so fun, but the way she talked about her two passions felt like such an info-dump. Like, I would think most people reading this book are fans of romance novels - you don't need to explain tropes to me. Unfortunately, this one was a miss for me. 2.5 stars

The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser (2021)

Thea's husband just left her and she was laid off from her job; then she finds out a distant relative has passed away and left her his home and impressive book collection, so she takes off for the Scottish Highlands, where she runs into a grumpy bookseller. Unfortunately, this one was a DNF for me. It wasn't necessarily that it was a bad read. The writing was ok. But, I got 70 pages into it and felt like nothing had happened, and the story wasn't going anywhere. There were also too many characters introduced too quickly, and I didn't have the energy to keep track of them!

Wednesday, March 2, 2022

Month in Review: February 2022

February was a busy month! Tom returned to work in January, but this month he had to start actually going in more often (instead of working from home) and to different sites, so I had a few days where I was home alone with Henry for most of the day. Then, in preparation for my return to work, Henry started daycare on Valentine's Day, so he could get used to it and we could start to figure out our routine. Turns out, he has adjusted just fine; it was me who was literally sobbing that entire first day. Tom and I went to breakfast after dropping him off, and I had tears streaming down my face in the diner booth. Pretty embarrassing! It's gotten better since then, thankfully. Near the end of the month, I started back at work (still working from home, luckily!). While it's busy season for the accountants at the firm, it's a quieter time for me, so I've just been catching up on stuff from the three months I was off. We celebrated my mom's birthday this month and ordered in from a local restaurant we all enjoy. My mom and I also took a Chinese New Year cooking class. It was less cooking and more demonstration than we thought, but we did get to make our own dumplings, and the food was delicious! Henry turned three months old on the last day of February; he loves to smile and kick and has recently discovered his left hand, which he is fascinated by!

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