When the Weather Outside is Frightful…

…Reading Books Can be Delightful

While the name of this blog is “Live, Read, Write,” I create more posts that relate to living and writing than posts about reading. That doesn’t mean I don’t read. It just means I read so fast that I move on to the next novel before I’ve fully digested the one before it. And sometimes I forget who the author was. Oops.

I jokingly refer to myself as a “sped redder.” My friend Stan would call my self-proclaimed title an “Audism.” Like the time I asked a friend who had just completed seminary school if he was now a “pastor guy.” I’ve got a million of them. And they’re contagious, which is why the graphic arts instructor at my school still refers to his clipboard as a “Clippy board.” But I digress. This is a post about reading.

Three of my favorite book categories are:

Fantasy – It’s always good to see what other fantasy authors are writing;

Travel – To read about other people’s adventures while sitting safely at home; and

Cozy Mysteries – For pure entertainment. They’re fun and often funny.

During winter break, when I should have been working on Book 4 of my Winnie and the “Wizard” fantasy series, I kicked back and read instead. Here are three cool books I read during break (one from each category) that I’d like to share with everybody.

First up. Fantasy.

I initially chose Other People’s Magic by Genevieve McKay based on this quote: “For fans of epic adventure, worldbuilding, sassy ravens, and heroines who just won’t quit no matter what the universe throws at them.”

She had me at “sassy ravens.” Winnie and the “Wizard” features feisty, talking birds and I wanted to see how another author handled hers. And who doesn’t want to read (or write) about a heroine who won’t quit? McKay didn’t just feature one heroine, she had two. I loved the characters. They were relatable and likable. The other great thing this book had going for it was lively dialog.

Similar to the “Winnie” series, McKay’s novel alternates between the two main characters. It takes a while before their lives intertwine, but both stories are engaging and full of surprises. Once you start you don’t want to stop. That “what is going to happen next?” question keeps you turning the pages. I never imagined or could guess what would happen next.

The blurb says it best:

Something strange is happening in the woods…

When the prize mare of Raincoast Farms gives birth to a strange, otherworldly creature, Harper West knows her life will never be the same. And when monsters destroy her family, and everyone she knows covers up the truth, Harper has no choice but to keep secrets and figure things out on her own.

Aided only by a sarcastic talking raven, and an unlikely crew of paranormal investigators, Harper must come to terms with her newfound abilities if she wants to survive… and maybe save the world.

Meanwhile….

Kenzie McDougal hates the useless visions that have plagued her since she was a child. She does everything she can to pretend they don’t exist. And she pushes everyone who loves her as far away as possible.

But after an animal attack in the middle of her city nearly kills her, two shadowy strangers make Kenzie an offer she can’t resist; join their team and save their Island from a fate worse than death.

So now Kenzie is doing her best to deal with her wayward visions, investigate the strange incidents happening on the Island, and resist her growing attraction to her rugged new boss. With a little luck, she’ll come out of this alive.

Doesn’t that blurb make you want to read the book? It worked for me! This novel is a stand-alone but the ending leaves enough up in the air that you can’t help but want to read the next book. Unfortunately, book two won’t be out until the summer. Although, you can preorder, which I just might do!

Next up. Travel.

Sometimes I read a blurb and download an eBook but don’t get to it for a while. That’s what happened with this next one. Sadly, the thumbnail on my Kindle looked like this, only smaller:

I couldn’t tell by the tiny black and white thumbnail book cover what the title was. Sole Aky Wher Els. What the heck did I buy? I had to open it and read the first lines before I remembered I bought a travel memoir about a woman who takes a trip to France with her wheelchair-bound daughter. The actual title is Squeaky Wheels: Travels with My Daughter by Train, Plane, Metro, Tuk-tuk and Wheelchair, by Suzanne Kamata.

I loved this book! Kamata captures the flavor and the atmosphere of France by not just describing the scenery and museums, but also lovingly expressing the joys and challenges of traveling alone with a thirteen-year-old with special needs.

And finally. The Cozy Mystery.

Specifically the British Cozy Mystery. Any cozy mystery is fun to read, but when you add British humor, I’m in heaven!

I discovered the “Belchester Chronicles” a few weeks ago and gobbled up all the books in the series. It’s listed as a five-book series, but book five ends with a hint of more to come. I’m only including the first book, Strangeways to Oldham: The Belchester Chronicles, by Andrea Frazer, but I highly recommend all of them. Frazer’s four main characters are as endearing as they are nutty. There’s Lady Amanda, her friend, Hugo, Amanda’s Jeeves-like servant, Beauchamp (pronounced Beecham), and her cleaning lady, but also a friend, Enid Tweedie. Don’t you love those character names?

In book one, Lady Amanda accidentally stumbles upon what looks like a murder. When she tries to inform the police, Inspector Moody, the man in charge, thinks she’s batty. Lady Amanda and her unlikely friends try to solve the puzzle in their own eccentric way. Frazer has given us a book with British upper-crust characters, high-jinx, silliness, and a little slapstick, and it all works to create some laugh-out-loud scenes.

I’ve read all five (and look forward to six. There will be a sixth, right?). These novels are stand-alone, so if you miss one in the middle, it won’t matter, but it’s fun to read them in order, if only to watch the characters grow. Below is the blurb at the back of Book One.

I highly recommend each of these books. If you get a chance, give them a look. Sometimes all it takes is some hot chocolate and a thumping-good-read to get you through those frosty, frigid winter nights.

Happy New Year and Happy Reading!