I can’t believe that this is the next-to-last list of book recommendations for 2023. It seems like the year has just flown by, and I’ve had the opportunity to read so many amazing books this year. This month I started off the month with a little something in the fantasy genre that I don’t often read (but absolutely love) and I even had the chance to interview the author of After the Forest, Kell Woods.
Next, we have a heist for you to sink your teeth into in Micheal Ledwidge’s, The Girl in the Vault. For fans of the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella, we have a stand-alone novel, The Burnout which is brimming with charm, followed by The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West which is my absolute favorite book of the month. Last we have Susan Wiggs’s first holiday novel in a decade, The Twelve Dogs of Christmas for some fluffy and furry good fun.
After the Forest
Kell Woods
Have you ever wondered what might happen to fairytale characters after they’ve grown up? In her debut novel, Kell Woods does just that. Greta (Gretel) and Hansel (Hans) have fallen on hard times thanks to Hans’s passion for gambling. With the help of a grimoire that Greta discovered during their ordeal in the forest (as children), she makes the most delicious gingerbread that no one in the village is able to resist, however, her gingerbread isn’t enough to get them out of the financial hole that Hans has gotten them into.
For all lovers of fantasy, fairy tales, and the Brothers Grimm, this novel is a delicious must-read.
Twenty years after the witch in the gingerbread house, Greta and Hans are struggling to get by. Their mother and stepmother are long dead, Hans is deeply in debt from gambling, and the countryside lies in ruin, its people starving in the aftermath of a brutal war.
Greta has a secret, though: the witch’s grimoire, hidden away and whispering in Greta’s ear for the past two decades, and the recipe inside that makes the best gingerbread you’ve ever tasted. As long as she can bake, Greta can keep her small family afloat.
But in a village full of superstition, Greta and her mysteriously addictive gingerbread, not to mention the rumors about her childhood misadventures, is a source of gossip and suspicion.
And now, dark magic is returning to the woods and Greta’s magic—magic she is still trying to understand—may be the only thing that can save her. If it doesn’t kill her first.
The Girl in the Vault
Michael Ledwidge
Ledwidge’s descriptions of the streets of New York City will make you feel like you are really there, the scent of car exhaust and hot dogs wafting up your nose as you follow along with Faye Walker, a summer intern whose dreams of a full-time position at Greene Brothers Hale. All her dreams fall down around her when someone she’d thought of as a ‘friend’ gets the position instead. Determined to never go back to the small town that she grew up in, Faye devices a plan that will get her everything she’s wanted and more.
For those who enjoy a good heist with a twist, the ones for you!
They stole her dream.
Now getting it back will take…
The perfect crime.It’s summer in New York City and Faye Walker has it all. She’s not only scored one of the most highly coveted internships in all of Wall Street, she’s also just met the head-over-heels love of her life. With her natural-born gift for numbers and a work ethic that knows no bounds, Faye is a shoo-in for a full-time position at the illustrious merchant bank Greene Brothers Hale. Then, just as she awaits her offer and her signing bonus, a treacherous betrayal arrives to shatter Faye’s plans and her young life.
But what her high finance masters-of-the-universe bosses don’t know is that Faye isn’t like any of the other interns. Having made her way past her humble small-town beginnings, for Faye, going back is not an option. That’s why Faye now has a new plan. One that involves Swiss watch timing, nerves of steel and ten million dollars in cold hard Wall Street cash.
The Burnout
Sophie Kinsella
The quote from the queen of romance (in my opinion) Jojo Moyes couldn’t be more apt. The Burnout is a book you will find yourself racing through because you can’t wait to see what will happen next. It’s meant to be enjoyed in ‘one greedy gulp’.
The story centers around Sasha who is completely burnt out thanks to her overbearing boss and his minion Joanna who is constantly talking about aspirations/wellbeing while constantly overburdening Sasha.
After running into a brick wall (literally) Sasha goes on a much-needed vacation to the sea and a now rundown hotel in Devon that once held such happy childhood memories. As she attempts to work on herself and get her life back in order (despite the disgusting kale smoothies and the over-apologetic staff) she meets a fellow burnout, Finn.
“I devoured The Burnout in one greedy gulp. It’s funny, sad, relatable, and brilliantly done. Sophie Kinsella is the queen of romantic comedy.”—Jojo Moyes
She can do anything . . . just not everything.
Sasha has had it. She cannot bring herself to respond to another inane, “urgent” (but obviously not at all urgent) email or participate in the corporate employee joyfulness program. She hasn’t seen her friends in months. Sex? Seems like a lot of effort. Even cooking dinner takes far too much planning. Sasha has hit a wall.
Armed with good intentions to drink kale smoothies, try yoga, and find peace, she heads to the seaside resort she loved as a child. But it’s the off-season, the hotel is in a dilapidated shambles, and she has to share the beach with the only other occupant: a grumpy guy named Finn, who seems as stressed as Sasha. How can she commune with nature when he’s sitting on her favorite rock, watching her? Nor can they agree on how best to alleviate their burnout (Sasha: manifesting, wild swimming; Finn: drinking whisky, getting pizza delivered to the beach).
When curious messages, seemingly addressed to Sasha and Finn, begin to appear on the beach, the two are forced to talk—about everything. How did they get so burned out? Can either of them remember something they used to love? (Answer: surfing!) And the question they try and fail to ignore: what does the energy between them—flaring even in the face of their bone-deep exhaustion—signify?
The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West
Sara Ackerman
This has to be one of my favorite books I’ve read this year. You are so wrapped up in the story that you don’t want to put it down. From the characters Sara brought to life on the page, to the descriptions of Hawai’i, this is a book you will want to read more than once. Set around a very real air race, we meet two strong female characters, Olivia in 1927 who accepts a job as navigator when that is the only way she can get herself into the race, and Wren in 1987, a down-on-her-luck artist who finds out she’s inherited a run down piece of land on the Big Island.
If there’s one book you read from this list of recommendations, this one gets my top recommendation!
This extraordinary novel, inspired by real events, tells the story of a female aviator who defies the odds to embark on a daring air race across the Pacific.
1927. Olivia “Livy” West is a fearless young pilot with a love of adventure. She yearns to cross oceans and travel the skies. When she learns of the Dole Air Race—a high-stakes contest to be the first to make the 2,400 mile Pacific crossing from the West Coast to Hawai’i—she sets her sights on qualifying. But it soon becomes clear that only men will make the cut. In a last-ditch effort to take part, Livy manages to be picked as a navigator for one of the pilots, before setting out on a harrowing journey that some will not survive.
1987. Wren Summers is down to her last dime when she learns she has inherited a remote piece of land on the Big Island with nothing on it but a dilapidated barn and an overgrown mac nut grove. She plans on selling it and using the money to live on, but she is drawn in by the mysterious objects kept in the barn by her late great-uncle—clues to a tragic piece of aviation history lost to time. Determined to find out what really happened all those years ago, Wren enlists the help of residents at a nearby retirement home to uncover Olivia’s story piece by piece. What she discovers is more earth-shattering, and closer to home, than she could have ever imagined.
Releases on 2/6/2024
The Twelve Dogs of Christmas
Susan Wiggs
From the beloved author, Susan Wiggs (Welcome to Beach Town) comes her first holiday novel in a decade… The Twelve Dogs of Christmas. For those of you who enjoy reading and watching all things Christmas as we get into the swing of the holiday season, this is an endearing book that will pull at your heartstrings.
Brenda Malloy wants nothing to do with Christmas ever again. Last year, Brenda and her husband rushed their beloved dog Tim to the emergency vet on Christmas eve. The good news: Tim survived after the vet cleared the obstruction–a pair of women’s lace undies. The bad news: the undies were not Brenda’s.
A year after the breakup, Brenda has put her life back together. She’s trained for a marathon, is writing a children’s novel, and she’s found purpose and healing as a volunteer with a dog rescue organization in Houston, Texas. The rescue partners with a program in Avalon, New York–a small, snowy town deep in the Catskills. Now Brenda is arranging the transport of rescued dogs from Houston to Avalon—just in time for a merry Christmas with their forever families. Brenda’s friends worry about her driving a van two thousand miles with twelve dogs in crates, but she shrugs off their concern. How hard can it be? She knows the way, and she’s just looking to escape the Christmas overload for a while.
But a blinding snowstorm, an escaped mutt, and a life-saving encounter with Adam Bellamy—a single dad and paramedic—means Brenda has to stay in Avalon longer than she planned. As she drops off each precious pup at their new homes, some of the comfort and joy of the season begins to creep up on Brenda despite her determination to avoid the holidays. Perhaps you can bring Christmas into your heart after all…if you have the right furry friends to guide the way.
Also coming soon…
Today Tonight Forever
Madeline Kay Sneed
When thirty-three-year-old Athena Matthias is asked, yet again, to be a bridesmaid, she’s not exactly enthusiastic about the idea. Still reeling from a messy divorce from her wife, she’s never felt less inclined to celebrate love. But Athena can’t say no, especially to one of her oldest friends, and at least it’s a destination wedding, which means three days of sun and sand.
As the wedding weekend commences on the gorgeous beaches of Watercolor, Florida, for the first time in ages, Athena finds herself surrounded by people who know and love her. There’s the bride, nervous about an old relationship; a groomsman grappling with a big mistake; Athena’s mother, ready to date again; and even a potential new romantic interest.
But just as Athena begins to feel herself opening up again, an unexpected guest from the past throws the entire wedding party into chaos. By the time the cake is cut and the ultimate betrayal is revealed, Athena must find the courage to forgive—both others and herself—and embrace the beauty of a chance to move forward.
Perfect Little Lives
Amber and Danielle Brown
ON ASHER LANE, SOME SECRETS ARE WORTH KILLING FOR…
Simone’s mother was murdered when she was thirteen. When her father was convicted, everything changed. Overnight, Simone went from living in a wealthy white neighborhood to scraping by.
Ten years later, Simone has given up on her dreams and lives a quiet life, writing book reviews and getting serious with her boyfriend. But with a true crime documentarian hounding her for a scoop and a surprise encounter with her childhood next-door neighbor, Hunter, the past seems set on haunting her. And after Hunter reveals that his father and her mother had a years-long affair, Simone is determined to find out who really killed her mother.
Simone is convinced that all evidence points to Hunter’s father, a renowned judge who had everything to lose if his affair—and his nascent love child—came to light. Playing the game from all sides, Simone enlists Hunter’s help in her investigation into his family—whether he realizes it or not. But is she so desperate for closure that she’ll risk imploding her carefully rebuilt life?
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