A Hero at the End of the World by Erin Claiborne: A delightful romp. An unusual take on the "chosen one" trope with hilarious British magicians, diverse characters, and swoony romance (both gay and straight). So many references to tea and scarves. So many things I love. This comes out next Tuesday (11/11) and I highly recommend it.
Burned by Sarah Morgan (Miller Sisters #2): I didn't like this as much as the first Miller Sisters story, but it was a fun, quick romance.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel: I was going to say that I am so over dystopians, but I'm not at all sure that I was, as they say, ever really under them. That said: This is a magnificent book, beautiful and terrifying, and Mandel's gorgeous writing kept me turning pages even though the subject matter usually wouldn't interest me.
All Fudged Up by Nancy Coco (Candy-Coated Mysteries #1): An entertaining cozy of my favorite flavor - a female small business owner who gets thrown into a murder investigation in a quirky small town and meets a hot detective. The townsfolk were a little too quirky at times here, but the main character was likable and had a nice edge of humor. I didn't love this, but it gave me a nice evening curled up under a blanket drinking tea, and I'll probably try the next in the series next time I'm in the mood. My main quibble was that it could have used a good copy editor.
Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando: Loved this one - sweet but real, warm and heartbreaking and funny and poignant all at once. I thought Zarr and Altebrando did a really good job of getting into the characters' heads, and though I'm long out of college, their correspondence (and their thoughts about it and the meaning of friendship) made me think about my faraway friends I text/IM/email/etc. all the time who often know more about me than the people I see every day do.
Cloche and Dagger by Jenn McKinlay (Hat Shop Mysteries #1): A decent start to a cozy series. The hat shop stuff was fun and I liked the supporting cast, though it took me a while to warm up to the main character because a lot of her thoughts and actions seemed neither rational nor particularly supported by the text. I really liked the romantic interest, so I may check out the next one at some point to see where that dynamic goes.
Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek by Maya Van Wagenen: A fascinating experiment and a charming, funny, and thoughtful memoir. Van Wagenen is clearly very talented and I can't wait to see what she does in the future.
(Disclaimers: I know A Hero at the End of the World's publicist and she gave me an advance copy; after reading and loving it I started chatting with the author on Twitter. I got Burned from NetGalley and the rest of the books this month from the library.)
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