New year, new books

 I did not start the year off well. Only 6 books. A total of 2,491 pages. An average of 80 pages per day. Which is way below my average. 

The Ordeals by Rachel Greenlaw (364 pages). This was my Up All Night Once Upon a Book Club book. Sophia DeWinter is desperate to escape the clutches of her uncle, the Collector. When she finally learns about the entrance exam to Killmarth (a magically college that will help her break her bond to him), she goes. There, she meets other wielders- illusionists (which is what Sophia is), masquiers, botanists (including the handsome Alden Locke) and alchemists. This entrance exam, known as the Ordeals, is more intense than Sophia realized. It is made up of four parts- poisons, illusions, lies and the final ordeal. During the Ordeals, you succeed, you quit or you die.  While the Ordeals seem to pit the hopefuls against each other (after all, only 20 will become scholars), Sophia can’t seem to view everyone as a rival. She becomes friends and allies with Tessa, Greg and Knox. Turns out that the Ordeals are not the only threat facing them. I finished in 4 days.

The Last Carolina Girl by Meagan Church (288 pages). This was my gym book club book. In 1935 Brunswick County, North Carolina, 14 year old Leah Payne lives in a one room house with her father, lumberjack Harley. Her best friend Jesse lives next door in the big house with his parents. Leah had always had flashes (or spells as I’d call them). Small moments of probable seizures that cause her to stand still and zone out for just a bit. But when an accident takes her father’s life, Leah is sent to live with a family in Matthews as a helpmate. And the wife seems to have a vendetta against Leah. When Dr Foster comes to a women’s meeting, preaching about eugenics and how it will lead to a better society, Leah doesn’t understand what that means. But I did. The story was quite sad, but good. I finished in 3 days.

My Salty Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadow (422 pages). 1719, the Golden Age of Piracy.  Mary Read (former little mermaid, current pirate) has been sailing the Caribbean for a year, posing as a boy. One of the other pirates on board, young Tobias Teach, is in love with her. And also trying to figure out how to let his father, Blackbeard, know that he doesn’t want to be his father- he wants to crew Mary’s ship. Jack Rackham is Mary’s cousin. And half human, half mer. He’s in love with Anne Bonny, who has designs to become a lady pirate.  But Jonathan Barnet has been hired to weed out and kill all the pirates in the Caribbean. And when he succeeds in killing Blackbeard, Tobias’ whole world changes. Because there must be a new Pirate King. And Toby does NOT want it to be him. So the adventure begins to help Mary win the title. I’ll say it again- these authors are so cute. There’s all sorts of familiar captains- Hook, Morgan, Penzance. Pirates named Swift (who is great with a catchy line) and Child (an excellent cook). All in all, good fun. I finished in 4 days. 

Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman (396 pages). This is part of the Pratical Magic series. Didn’t know it was a series?  Neither did I!  This tells the story of Maria Owens, the witch who cursed all men who would fall in love with an Owens woman. Maria was born in England in 1664, a natural born witch. Her mother abandoned her to be raised by the kindhearted (and talented) Hannah Owens. It was here that Maria learned much of the Nameless Arts. But seeing as her mother was a true witch, Maria came by it honest. when Hannah was killed for witchcraft, Maria fled to Curaçao. There she met Puritan John Hathorne and became pregnant. She followed him to Salem and nearly escaped death (just like we saw in the movie). And at that point, cursed any man who would fall in love with an Owens woman. Her daughter Faith was stolen from her by a jealous neighbor. When they were finally reunited in New York, Faith’s natural abilities had turned dark. Her goal?  Revenge. I really liked this book. But I didn’t like that it changed Maria’s story as we had learned it in the movie.  If this had been the story from day one, chef’s kiss!   And it only made me more excited about Practical Magic 2 in September! I finished in 4 days. 

Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood (397 pages). Maya Killgore is 23 and trying to decide her next step in life- continuing in academia, getting a job. But the one thing she knows she wants is Conor Harkness. He’s 38 and her brother Eli’s best friend and business partner. But Conor has made it perfectly clear- he’s too old for her. When they end up in Italy for a week for Eli’s wedding, Maya isn’t sure she can just let her feelings go. Because maybe Conor cares more than he lets on. I’ve read several Ali Hazelwood and love that her main characters are women in STEM (Maya is a physicist). But this one wasn’t my favorite of hers. I finished in 4 days.

The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo (624 pages). This was the February book for my gym book club. It was 1975 when Marilyn Connolly met David Sorenson. 41 years later, they are content in their semiretirement. But eldest daughter Wendy is a young widow who spends her time on booze and men. Violet is a stay at home mom of two who left her job as a litigator. Liza just became a tenured professor but finds herself drowning with a depressed partner. And youngest Grace just seems lost- she can’t get into law school and life just keeps passing her by. When Jonah Bendt comes into the family’s lives, everything changes. Because Violet gave him up for adoption 15 years ago. The book looks back at the family’s past and also their present. Honestly, I found myself bored through some of it. I think I wanted more out of it than it actually provided. I finished in 6 days.

This month’s favorite was…Magic Lessons. Probably out of nostalgia and excitement for Practical Magic 2!