Two words: Chanel Cleeton! Add to that a recommendation from Carla at Carla Loves to Read (won’t you Continue reading “Review: A Night at the Tropicana: A Short Story by Chanel Cleeton”
Major League Baseball starts up in town today so I get to work from home. Since I’m a Cubs fan and not a Continue reading “Review: Here Goes Nothing: A Novel by Eamon McGrath”
Novellas in November, hosted by Bookish Beck and Cathy at 746 Books, goes perfectly with Christmas reading. There are always a lot of great, short Christmas books. So far this year I’ve enjoyed two Christmas novellas (or maybe they are short stories?).
I listened to the audio version of each book.
Sammy the Cat narrates this marvelous little look at Christmas from a cat’s perspective. “Tree Bauble Time,” as Christmas is known to cats, holds a special magic. There is the tree itself–which may or may not be tied to the bookcase and wall so it can’t be knocked over. There are the boxes, ribbons, and wrapping paper. There are the piles of presents to ascend and dislodge. Oh, it’s such fun! If you are a cat person you will simply love this little story.
My Verdict
4.0
Cat at Christmas by Candy Rae
Technically this is a sequel (more like a “between the numbers” in a series) for The Appeal by the same author, but I had no problem enjoying it as a stand-alone. I do want to go back and read the first book, too! The Fairway Players, a community theater group is staging a pantomime (a big deal in the UK–almost unknown in the USA), of Jack in the Beanstalk based on politically incorrect script from the 1970s. The story, told in epistolary form of emails, text message, Whatsapp messages and the like, is being read by law students (in the USA these are often called Fall or Summer Associates in law firms).
SPOILERS–sorry. “Christ in Crocs!” The giant beanstalk, which “smells like a pensioner’s carpet, and which may or may not contain asbestos, and the “sweets” (candy) for the children after the performance may or may not be drugs, but worse is to come. A mummified Santa is found when the beanstalk sort of “explodes.” Yet “its all woke now days.”
No more spoilers. This is a wonderful little story with great characters, true-to-life dialogue, overly earnest law students already gunning to make partner. Just plain fun.
My Verdict
3.75
The Christmas Appeal by Janet Hallett
Maybe next year? I just couldn’t get anywhere with The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson.
I wanted a Thanksgiving book to listen to this week. I Googled and found this one–by Janet Evanovich, pre-Stephanie Plum. Color me shocked–I had NO IDEA this woman had written 70+ books? End of my excuses for not getting my TWO professionally proofread and submitted!! Add to this the fact that the audio version is preformed by C.J. Critt, the original voice of Stephanie Plum (and the only one to me) and I had to listen. It’s 256 pages or 5 hours if you listen, just over the suggested limit, but what the heck! It’s short and moves VERY fast. I’m calling it a novella.
Thanks to the Novellas in November is hosts, Cathy of 746 Books and Rebecca of Bookish Beck.
If you are Reading Across the USA(click to learn more), then this book is set in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Meghan Murphy is new to Williamsburg, Virginia and lives in the Colonial area. (It’s an amazing place to visit, by the way). Patrick Hunter has just begun his career as a pediatrician in the same part of town. When a desperate mother leaves her baby, Timmy, with them things go a bit hay-wire (hyphen because later in the story…..) In the run up to Thanksgiving and just after they “couple” (who were not a couple until Timmy’s arrival) navigate faux-parenthood and the perils of instant attraction. Continue reading “Novellas in November Review: Thanksgiving by Janet Evanovich”
Thank you to Bookish Beck and Cathy at 746 Books for hosting this fun annual reading event.
I’ve long wished that library e-book apps were searchable by number of pages or listening time. I often want something very short now and then. This story–I’m calling it a novella. but like Claire Keegan’s short works it could just simply be called a short story. It was exactly one hour of listening. I’ve read two other works by this author, After the Quake and Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. He’s a little out of my usual type of books, but not so far out I feel challenged. This book involving a library and being only an hour was a natural fit for me. Continue reading “Novellas in November Review: The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami”
At least one of you guess my interest, right? I went looking for an available audio book! Yep! And, a this was nice and short. I did think it might be translated–#Womenintranslation is coming up, but the author writes in English. The story blurb sounded like a Japanese novel even thought the author’s name is not Japanese. It was very like some of the Japanese books I’ve read–but I no expert on them. Continue reading “Review: Ghost Music by An Yu”
This is another great find at a time when I trolled the library e-audios in desperation for something to listen to on my car trip. Newly published, this is her first novel by this author, though she has written for online sources. It sounded it interesting and was short (4.5 hours/ 188 pages). Although just over the 150 pages, I will call this a novella.
“…he sees what I see but from the other side. A woman in between two selfs undecided as to which she could remain loyal…”
[Quotes are written down from the audio so the punctuation may be off a little].
Two well-off Nigerian-British girls meet in school and become best friends. In college [University] they decide to live their lives a certain way and forgo marriage, family, etc, in favor of living for themselves. Temi is the driving force in the relationship. Her friend is more of a follower. But then the friend marries and not only does she no longer work, but she agrees to try for a baby. One child. Temi cannot take this–she sees it as betrayal. Meanwhile, the husband cannot stand Temi. The husband and wife are well suited to each other–they share a common vision of their life. But, Temi does not like this vision–there is not enough room in it for her and her influence on her friend. Each of the three chapters is told in the voice of first the wife, then the husband, and then Temi.
Wow! Like Lee Cole’s Groundskeeping, the animosity–no, hatred, I felt for Temi is a testament to the excellent writing of Ms. Agbaje-Williams. Temi, the friend from hell. Exactly what I imagine it is like to be friends with the wife of the author of WAAAH! of South Park fame. And this woman was friends with the husband’s sister? Amazing. I’ve thought a lot lately about how sick I am of the “I’m gonna f with you because I can” culture. Temi is the fictional post child of the movement. That’s how real she is in the book. Like the aforementioned Mrs. WAAAH!, you have to do the math to figure out if it’s better having her in the family or out. I was so unsettled by this character that I had to go for a walk afterwords. I can hear her asking “But, did you die? Did anyone die?” Wow. Wow. Wow.
“[Temi] is probably the only person in my life who has never wanted something from me–only for me.”
The wife believes this! Yet it is so obvious that Temi only wants to keep her trapped in their friendship because she is so unhappy. I kept wondering why the wife didn’t tell her friend to stop belittling her husband or to not come over, but WOW, I get it now. You’d have a full time job keeping this monster happy. “I’m staying forever” Temi said to the husband once. Won’t she just!
I sincerely hope Ms Agbaje-Williams writes more books! This had the impact of Muriel Sparks’ The Driver’s Seat and then some. Previously that was the most unsettling story for me (of the ones I went on to finish). That is high praise.
The Three of Us: A Novel by Ore Agbaje-Williams
Tina and Elton–The Bitch is Back, the perfect song for this book!
Had I not just the day before sat listening to the Mc Ian Duo at my tiny rural Ohio library, I might have overlooked this little gem of a book. But suddenly, my eye is drawn immediately to anyone in a kilt! A nonfiction novella in length, this was just what I needed when I was too tired to start another novel on my drive home from a roadtrip. Who knew he was a TikTok sensation? Not me, that’s for sure!
Part growing up memoir, part geography and history lesson, part folklore, and part cookbook, this “wee” book packs a lot of fun between very few pages. I was concerned about staying awake on the road as he read out long recipes, but thankfully he was aiming this at today’s cooks! (A Tik Tok star would do that, wouldn’t he?) What’s not to like about Whiskey Ice Cream or a Smoked Salmon Cornish Pasty? LOL. (Thankfully, all the recipes were not read out).
The audio was about 2 hours–novella length and since I listened to it I’m “counting” it as a novella. The actual book was 321 pages, so more than a novella. Who cares–it was fun! He even tells you to go listen to a certain Celtic singer! My kind of “cookbook.” And, with a degree in Icelandic sagas, he’s a great storyteller.
I borrowed the e-book as well and hope to try a couple of recipes soon.
The Hebridean Baker by Coinneach MacLeod
I listened to the audio version.
I was in the mood for a “put your brains under the seat and don’t ask too many questions” sort of Christmas book. [That quote, by the way, originated long ago with a Bond movie–The Spy Who Loved Me, iirc].
Heiress and museum director, Claire MacIntosh (fyi, I’ve never met a woman named Claire–nor Tess…most popular names in novels) plays Runaway Bride by seizing Santa’s “sleigh” and making a run for it when her society husband-to-be plans a cheesy Pinterest/Instagram-worthy proposal. Trey may have money and be an up-and-coming partner in her father’s environmental law firm, but he’s not at all what Claire dreams of. Her society mother Hildy pushes Trey at her like an exceptional hors d’oeuvres. Claire sees him as wheat grass. Happily, Santa’s sleigh has been hijacked by Sam, a well known investigative journalist. Yep, you guessed it…..[No spoilers here].
This little book was just what I needed. I laughed, I “awed-d” and I just plain had a fun time listening to it.
It Happened One Christmas Eve by Jenn McKinlay
I don’t have the page total but it was only 3 hours and 22 minutes on audio
November has too many great reading events! Thankfully, I started a new job this month, so my participation was curtailed by the exhaustion of all day in new surroundings, all day surrounded by people, and all day learning new things. So, my goals were a little too lofty this year!
Sorry, German Literature, but you were the one that got lost in the crowd this time. No worries–I’d already read one German book in translation this year.
My Nevile Shute reading put me in good stead this year. I finished my second book by the Australian author at the start of the month. I reviewed What Happened to the Corbetts by Nevil Shute (Also titled The Ordeal) and the newer Jane Harper novel Lost Man.
Nonfiction November is an event I look forward to each year. This year I did “ok,” not great, but “ok.” I finished two audio books–Christmas Far From Home about Christmas in the Korean War and The Women of Rothschild, a biography of the women of that famous family.
I had big hopes for little books this year! But Novellas in November just didn’t go very far this time. A few “double dips”–books that worked for this and some other reading challenge or event. I reviewed A Christmas Escape by Anne Perry which “doubled” with 20 Books of Christmas, and What Happened to the Corbetts which doubled with Aus Reading Month.
20 Books for Christmas is still on going, so I’m not done. I’m trying to just use Christmas themed books–fiction or nonfiction. So, I reviewed Christmas Far From Home (nonfiction), The Christmas Escape, The Christmas Bookshop, Mistletoe and Magic for the Cornish Midwife, and another book I’m reviewing on Monday.
I also read two other books, too long for NovNov and not Christmas Themed Meredith, Alone and The Blue Castle.
Have you done a November reading round-up type post? Have you read any of these books? Read anything else you think I’d want to know about? Leave me a comment or a link to your post!
Hopewell's Public Library of Life 