Happy Winter, readers! I hope these first few weeks of the new year have been kind to you and you’ve had some time to settle in with a few good books. (Maybe some of The Booked Mama’s Favorites from 2020?) Living in the northeast of the United States we are still bundled up and buried under snow. The snowbank next to our garage is close to 5 feet tall with more snow predicted in the coming days. (Curse you, Groundhog!) We are very ready for spring here with the hope for warmer days allowing for outdoor, distanced, safe visits with family and friends once again. Until then…we always have books to keep us company. This 10 stack has a good mix of thrillers, historical fiction, romance, fantasy, memoirs and more. Though some of these were big misses for me I hope you find a few titles to add to your TBR list to get you through winter’s end warmly.

“The Night Swim” by Megan Goldin

When your true crime podcast helps free an innocent man, you become a household name. That’s what happened to Rachel Krall, host of “Guilty or Not Guilty”. With the pressure to surpass her own success for season 3 she decides to throw her previous format out the window and cover a current trial, an underage rape case in North Carolina. The town’s golden boy vs the police chief’s granddaughter. Scott Blair was on the way to being an Olympic swimmer, endorsements a plenty, a bright future ahead and depending on which side of the case your opinion lands you are either happy the mighty have fallen or crushed that everything Blair had worked for is now gone due to what you believe are baseless accusations. Rachel has never seen a town or her audience so divided. The nice thing about being a podcaster is that your voice is what you are famous for, not your face, so when someone starts leaving Rachel letters asking for her help in another case it’s unnerving. When the letters begin arriving in unexpected places Rachel realizes this person is following her, Hannah Stills now has her attention. Hannah believes that her sister, Jenny, was murdered 25 years ago and the more Rachel investigates she learns that Jenny’s death was anything but ordinary and in an eerie way parallels that of her current case. In a small town where memories are long but loyalties run deep will Rachel be able to unearth the truth about what really happened on the nights in question? To say that “The Night Swim” is unnerving is a bit of an understatement. This would be a very difficult read for anyone who has a history with assault especially the trial scenes where testimony goes into detail. I really liked the creative way the podcast episodes weaved into the narrative. “The Night Swim” was a good general crime read but will not be for everyone.

“What You Wish For” by Katherine Center

Sam is the happiest she has been in a long time but it’s not because she is one of those naturally blissful people, no, it’s because every day she chooses joy. With summer coming to a close, soon Sam will be returning to her beloved job as the librarian at the most wonderful elementary school but when Sam finds out who the new head of school is going to be she starts to immediately mentally draft her resignation letter. There is no way she can work…with him. Duncan Carpenter is the reason she left her last school when she realized he would never love her the way she secretly loved him. However, Sam knew Duncan was the perfect fit for their school. His fun-loving, silly tie wearing, carefree personality combined his ability to always put the kids first would blend right in with Kemper’s community. Then Duncan arrived for his first faculty meeting wearing a three piece suit and shared his plans of order, reform, remodeling and restructuring leaving Sam very confused. This is not the man she knew. What happened to the old Duncan? Sam makes it her personal mission to stop Duncan from destroying the spirit of Kemper and along the way try and get him to remember who he used to be. “What You Wish For” is filled with uplifting messages of finding joy and celebrating life whenever you can all while fighting through fear. If you are looking for a little sunshine add this book to your TBR list. (Disclosure: this book covers the topic of school violence.) Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

“A Rogue of One’s Own” by Evie Dunmore

The suffragette’s saga continues! Lady Lucie, Annabelle, Hattie & Catriona have secured funding to purchase their own publishing house in order to help the Cause. What they didn’t plan on was the cad, Lord Ballentine, purchasing the other half of London Print. Tristan, having returned from fighting in Afghanistan, has ulterior motives behind his acquisition. He is desperate to get out from under his cruel father’s thumb and somehow escape the impending engagement he is being forced into. Lady Lucie and Lord Ballentine are both fighting for financial and social freedom in their own way but will they see that they are more alike than they believe to be before they can maneuver one another and possibly ruin the business or worse, their reputations in the process? This sequel to Dunmore’s “Bringing Down the Duke” was just as scandalous, witty and filled to the brim with fantastic feminist themes. If you have spent the first few weeks of 2021 bingeing Netflix’s “Bridgerton” and now need something else to fill your time with these two books from author Evie Dunmore’s “A League of Extraordinary Women” series is just the thing you are looking for. Also, good news for fans of this series book number 3 will be out September 2021.

“The Starless Sea” by Erin Morgenstern

Zachary Ezra Rawlins has found himself entangled in a mystery. He has come across an uncatalogued book at his campus library with a scene from his childhood written in it, down to the tiniest details. How could a book that was written before his birth know about that afternoon and the painted door? Determined to uncover the secrets “Sweet Sorrows” holds, Zachary sets out on a mission to decode what the bee, key and sword symbols mean and locate the Starless Sea. What Zachary doesn’t yet know is that his quest will lead him far under the earth through a web of captured stories, doors and passages through time. “The Starless Sea” is complicated, complex and confusing. There are so many plots, time jumps, metaphors and symbols to keep track of its dizzying. Though Morgenstern has created a world that is beautifully imagined it was hard to really fall in love with its story when most of the time I needed to remind myself what was going on. I felt like I was stuck in a literary version of “Inception” or “The Matrix” where you think you understand what is happening but then at the end you realize you have absolutely no idea what you just used up a small portion of your life on. I wouldn’t recommend picking up “The Starless Sea” unless you have ample time to active read, decipher said notes and then reread the book to possibly get the plot…if there was one buried under all of the bees.

“Sky Girls: The True Story of the First Women’s Cross-Country Air Race” by Gene Nora Jessen

In 1929 nineteen female pilots took to the skies for the first women’s cross-country air race starting in Santa Monica, California and ending nine days later in Cleveland, Ohio. The pilots pushed on despite the race being riddled with accidents, delays, suspicion of sabotage and even loss of life. The women were met with press and thousands of curious onlookers at close to a dozen stops en route to the finish line. Some of the headlines and rhetoric written about these trailblazers are enough for modern day women to grit their teeth. Though each competitor was standout in their own right mostly the name Amelia Earhart will stand out for those not familiar with aviation’s early celebrities. “Sky Girls” is filled with fantastic pictures and each chapter begins with a quote from Will Rogers pulled from his commentary on the race. The race itself takes up the majority of the book but for me the last section which gives space for readers to learn about the lives of each of the competitors was the most compelling. A great non-fiction read for anyone wanting to learn more about female contributions to American history.

“The Lake House” by Kate Morton

The Edevane family are attempting to move on from the aftermath of World War I. Anthony Edevane has returned a changed man but Elenor is determined to bring some normalcy to their sprawling estate in Cornwall with their annual Midsummer party. Hundreds of guests enjoyed the grounds at Loeanneth that night but come morning the estate is declared a crime scene when it is discovered that the youngest Edevane child has vanished without a trace. Decades later, Detective Sadie Sparrow happens upon the abandoned house while out on a run. Curious as to the property’s history, Sadie begins to research and uncovers the mystery of Theo’s disappearance. Determined to figure out what happened that night so long ago Sadie reaches out to famous author Alice Edevane, Theo’s older sister, who has spent her life crafting crime stories of her own but for Alice this long buried secret isn’t one she wants brought to the surface. “The Lake House” is a multi-POV story with quite a few time jumps to keep track of as well as plot points but once the treads all begin to weave together Kate Morton has written an enjoyable historical fiction mystery that I liked much more than my previously reviewed Morton title. Though the reveal is a bit predictable you find yourself too invested with these characters to not follow through to its conclusion. If you like your mysteries tied up with a nice bow give this one an add to your TBR list.

“Stealing the Crown” by TP Fielden

When a Palace courtier is found shot in his office things must be taken care of, a death at the Palace is just not acceptable. At first the story is that Major Brampton took his own life but suspicions begin to eat at his fellow courtier, Guy Harford. With a list of suspects a mile long Guy is determined to uncover the truth as to what happened to Brampton but realizes that his own life may be in danger. In order to get the job done he joins forces with his roommate, Rupert, as well as known burglar, Rodie Carr. The trio must make quick work of their investigation to discover Brampton’s real fate and ultimately protect the King. Set during WWII, “Stealing the Crown” is a great historical fiction crime read. Keeping track of the cast of characters might be a challenge as there are a number of real life and fictional names dropped throughout this book. I loved Rodie and could see a spin-off based on her character alone. Anya Taylor-Joy would need to play her in the movie. Author TP Fielden is the pen name of Palace biographer Christopher Wilson who has a number of royal stories under his belt. If you are looking for a good who-done-it read without the typical graphic details that usually go hand in hand with this genre then be sure to add “Stealing the Crown” to your TBR list. Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

“The Shadow Land” by Elizabeth Kostova

Alexandra Boyd’s plane has only just arrived in Bulgaria from America where she is hoping to leave behind her painful past. When the taxi drops her off at the wrong hotel she meets an elderly couple in the taxi line and helps their struggling son with the luggage. Once safely back on her way to her accommodations Alexandra realizes she has accidentally kept one of the couple’s bags. Inside she discovers an urn containing a man’s ashes. Distraught, Alexandra is desperate to find the family and return what they are sure to be missing. As luck may have it, Alexandra’s taxi driver is just as invested in solving the mystery of who Stoyan Lazarov belongs to. The two unlikely travel companions set off on a quest to return the urn and along the way discover who Stoyan was in life and what dangers still are lurking from his past. “The Shadow Land” is a beautiful piece of historical fiction. Though the plot is a bit far fetched (young girl driving all over a foreign country to return an item she very easily could have left with the police) you make allowances because the story is that well written…and well it’s a work of fiction, far fetched is allowed. I knew nothing of Bulgaria’s history prior to reading “The Shadow Land” and Kostova does an outstanding job weaving lessons throughout the narrative. Looking forward to adding her other titles to my TBR list.

“The Guardians” by John Grisham

After being assigned to defend a horrific criminal Cullen Post had had enough and quit being a lawyer right then and there. Years later he was led back to the law after meeting an innocent man who was behind bars for someone else’s crime. Guardian Ministries was founded and to date they have helped eight innocent people walk out of prison. Their newest client is Quincy Miller, a man who is twenty-two years into his sentence for the murder of Keith Russo, a prominent lawyer from Seabrook, FL. Post is convinced that Miller is innocent and The Guardians take on his case. As he investigates, Post becomes aware that he is being watched and a very dangerous group of people will do just about anything to keep Miller behind bars. “The Guardians” was my first book by John Grisham (shocking, I know, considering the author has written at least 28 books) and though it was a good read story-wise I’m not sure I would wander back into Grisham’s collection again unless directed to a specific book. I found his use of certain phrases and description of race to be a little outdated and somewhat offensive. I understand the setting/context provided the possibility for this but it didn’t sit well with this reader. If you are a Grisham fan should I give his collection another try? If so, let me know your favorite title.

“The Miseducation of Henry Cane” by Charles Brooks

Now that he has said goodbye to his ex-girlfriend Henry is Hamptons bound for the next eight weeks before starting his new job at his father’s Manhattan based publishing company. Bored with the same scene year after year Henry decides to do something spontaneous and applies for work on a fishing boat under a different name. After a chance encounter, “Joe” finds himself entangled in an affair and his double-life becomes increasingly more difficult to maintain by the day. The complicated web he thought would be fun to weave for the summer could disrupt everything he has planned for his future and cause ripples he couldn’t have predicted. For fans of the tv show “Younger” you will be familiar with this book that has been ghostwritten by author Charles Brooks. Though the book does have a tie-in to the show, I have never seen a single episode and had no trouble getting into the story. “The Miseducation of Henry Cane” is a quick, light (and sometimes steamy) read that would be a good companion on a future beach day.

‘Til next time,

The Booked Mama

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