I met Jessica in college because we had some mutual friends, but we didn't really know each other. We reconnected several years later when we argued in the comment section of a blog, and then AGAIN a few years later when we started chatting on Facebook. Third time's a charm, I guess, because she's one of my best friends now. Jessica and I have fairy disparate reading preferences, so it's a challenge to make a list for her-- she still pooh-poos my love of romance novels and she loves suspense (which makes me hide under my blankets) but I keep chipping away anyway. These books are listed approximately in order from least-angsty to most. She wanted well done lit with lower intensity than her normal reads. Here is my attempt.
Soulless is just plain fun. It's a comedy of manners with werewolves and airships.
Band Sinister is a New Adult(ish) historical romance by an author who says it's unique among her offerings for its "body count of zero." I LOVE KJ Charles's sense of humor, her characters, and their hearts. This one is pretty NSFW, for the record.
Same with Cat Sebastian and A Delicate Deception. Cat is hilarious (you should follow her on Twitter), and her characters are such dummies and I love them.
Rainy Day Sisters is probably the most Women's Fiction book on here. There is some romance, but the heart of the story is the relationships between women-- the titular sisters, as well as the mother-daughter legacy. It's kind of cozy and it's set on the seaside in England which is basically the best setting for anything.
A Curious Beginning is the first in the Veronica Speedwell mystery series. I have a huge soft spot for Victorian Lady Detectives and Veronica (and her grumpy taxidermist partner) are my FAVORITE.
Witchmark is a historical fantasy. It was recommended to me by my sibling, who has an unerring intuition for where the venn diagram of our interests intersect. It's the first in a duology, and the second, Stormsong, was released just last month.
I recommended Spinning Silver because I know Jessica loved Katherine Arden's Winternight series (as is correct). Spinning Silver has the same sort of dark-tundra-fairytale vibe.
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows is the first free book I picked up off of a table at my very first Texas Library Association Annual Conference. It's a pretty delightful story of a woman who volunteers to teach a creative writing course and it ends up being a pretty wild ride. It's not super angsty, really, but there's an attempted murder and some more sinister patriarchy nonsense, so that's why it's where it is on the list.
Madeline Miller is a genius and I am so grateful for her books in the world. Circe is an Odyssey retelling except from the perspective of Circe, the woman who turned Odysseus and his men into pigs. Good times.
Homegoing is perhaps the best book I have ever read. It's episodic-- following the descendants of two sisters-- one who was captured and sold into slavery and another who remained in west Africa. It is incredible. Yaa Gyasi's sophomore release is coming out this year and I can't wait to get my hands on it.
Band Sinister is a New Adult(ish) historical romance by an author who says it's unique among her offerings for its "body count of zero." I LOVE KJ Charles's sense of humor, her characters, and their hearts. This one is pretty NSFW, for the record.
Same with Cat Sebastian and A Delicate Deception. Cat is hilarious (you should follow her on Twitter), and her characters are such dummies and I love them.
Rainy Day Sisters is probably the most Women's Fiction book on here. There is some romance, but the heart of the story is the relationships between women-- the titular sisters, as well as the mother-daughter legacy. It's kind of cozy and it's set on the seaside in England which is basically the best setting for anything.
A Curious Beginning is the first in the Veronica Speedwell mystery series. I have a huge soft spot for Victorian Lady Detectives and Veronica (and her grumpy taxidermist partner) are my FAVORITE.
Witchmark is a historical fantasy. It was recommended to me by my sibling, who has an unerring intuition for where the venn diagram of our interests intersect. It's the first in a duology, and the second, Stormsong, was released just last month.
I recommended Spinning Silver because I know Jessica loved Katherine Arden's Winternight series (as is correct). Spinning Silver has the same sort of dark-tundra-fairytale vibe.
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows is the first free book I picked up off of a table at my very first Texas Library Association Annual Conference. It's a pretty delightful story of a woman who volunteers to teach a creative writing course and it ends up being a pretty wild ride. It's not super angsty, really, but there's an attempted murder and some more sinister patriarchy nonsense, so that's why it's where it is on the list.
Madeline Miller is a genius and I am so grateful for her books in the world. Circe is an Odyssey retelling except from the perspective of Circe, the woman who turned Odysseus and his men into pigs. Good times.
Homegoing is perhaps the best book I have ever read. It's episodic-- following the descendants of two sisters-- one who was captured and sold into slavery and another who remained in west Africa. It is incredible. Yaa Gyasi's sophomore release is coming out this year and I can't wait to get my hands on it.
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