Winter can sometimes feel like the longest season, but there is no better time to curl up under a blanket and get stuck into a great book. The Write for Harlequin team has read endlessly this season, and we’re here to share our favorite books of the last couple months with you. Hopefully you’ll find something to add to your to-read list to keep you busy until the spring arrives.
Natalia Castano is reading:
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt.
This a beautiful story about loss, love, and unique friendships.
After Tova Sullivan’s husband lost his battle against cancer, she decided to work in the local aquarium—keeping herself busy with tasks like cleaning and tidying up has always been Tova’s coping mechanism after the loss of her eighteen-year-old son, who drowned mysteriously thirty years ago. At the aquarium, Tova forms a remarkable bond with Marcellus, a giant pacific octopus, who teaches her the greatest lessons about loss and love. Marcellus’ intelligence and empathy brings Tova the closure she needs from the incredible grief that has marked her life.
I absolutely loved this book, I cried, laughed, and devoured it in record time.
Deirdre McCluskey is reading:
I finally caught up to the Thursday Murder Club books by Richard Osman. Cozy mysteries are having a moment, but it can be tough to hit the right balance of charm and high-stakes action in a cozy. And the premise of The Thursday Murder Club can sound a bit twee: a group of four friends living in a retirement home try to solve cold cases for fun and get mixed up in “live” murder investigations. Depictions of “seniors” quite often devolve into patronizing stereotypes, and there are some cliches in The Thursday Murder Club. But the author fleshes out his characters with engaging backstories and emotional relationships that hook the reader into really caring about what happens to them. And Osman is very good at humour – a scene of an author book reading in The Bullet That Missed had me laughing out loud. I read the first three: The Thursday Murder Club, The Man Who Died Twice, and The Bullet That Missed and enjoyed them all.
Before that, I spent several weeks (over the holidays and into January) listening to My Name is Barbra by Barbra Streisand, read by the author. It was, especially for someone who doesn’t usually read celebrity memoirs, surprisingly riveting. I listened in every spare moment and was completely fascinated by this talented, smart, funny, passionate, ambitious, and creatively curious human being. At a whopping 49 hours, can she possibly have left anything out? Probably – her early life feels sketched in. But every song, artistic project, business associate, lover, and outfit is meticulously related (from her point of view, of course) and it’s all great fun. I could have listened for 49 more hours.
Emma Cole is reading:
Dracula, Bram Stoker: I love Lucy and Mina’s relationship, and I especially love all these men forming this wonderfully protective group. They’re not only concerned with Mina’s safety but with each other, and the camaraderie is not played up in most of the movie adaptations. I don’t think I appreciated that last time I read this. Dracula himself is a bit less menacing than in many of the film versions. But there are some wonderful moments and it’s great to go back to the source after watching so many vampire movies this past year.
Wake Up and Open Your Eyes, Clay McLeod Chapman: This is a terrifically compelling, unapologetically awful time. I think Clay has done a fantastic job of creating a relentless car wreck of a book, and I was fully engrossed. If you are having a bad day, this is maybe not the book for you right now! There are no easy answers and good solutions presented here, it’s a bleak story that is both intimate and sweeping, giving readers glimpses into a wider apocalypse but mostly focusing on one family who have been possessed by the Great Reawakening by indoctrinating themselves with 24-hour news channels and social media influencers. There are content warnings galore; no one is safe in this story.
Below the Grand Hotel, Cat Scully: Great setting and characters in this sparkling debut that’s pitched as The Great Gatsby meets Hellraiser; who can pass that up? I loved the character of Mabel and her ambitious, no-nonsense demeanor. Interesting, infernal monsters and a mysterious hotel add texture and suspense to a wonderfully polished story. I raced through this book and would love to read more from Cat in the future!
Elena Lodge is reading:
Vengeful by V.E. Schwab. During the winter months, I’m typically drawn to romance stories for a bit of feel-good reading – there’s nothing cosier than a Happy Ever After! But after a few too many romances this season I decided to switch things up a bit, picking up the second instalment of V.E. Schwab’s fantastic Villains duology. Vengeful immerses you in a world of irresponsible science and power-hungry superheroes, which as it turns out, was just the change of pace I needed.
The story picks up where Vicious left off, carrying over familiar faces from the first book and bringing some new characters—and chaos—into the fold. I’m yet to read a book of V.E. Schwab’s that I don’t love. She is masterful at writing complex characters to root for and I particularly enjoyed her exploration of morality via the two main protagonists, Victor and Eli, who are constantly toeing the line between good and evil. I loved this grittier take on the often-formulaic superhero genre and would recommend it to anyone seeking a captivating tale of ambition and academic rivalry that snowballs into something far greater.
Caroline Timmings is reading:
The Face of Deception (Eve Duncan #1) by Iris Johansen: I just started this new series which features a forensic sculptor, which I thought was so unique. Eve Duncan was a teen mom who pulled herself out of adversity in the hopes of providing a better life for her daughter Bonnie. Just when Eve is about to finish schooling, Bonnie is kidnapped and murdered by a serial killer. Eve throws herself into her work, helping to bring justice for the lost ones as she calls the skulls she works on. She’s shut off from most of the world and likes it that way. The few people in her life are her mother and her longtime friend Joe Quinn, who was working for the FBI trying to capture the serial killer who murdered Bonnie. In the first book, a powerful and wealthy businessman forces Eve to help him uncover a political conspiracy. Book two re-opens Bonnie’s case when another serial killer claims it was he who murdered Eve’s daughter. He torments Eve with the possible location of Bonnie’s remains, for that is Eve’s greatest pain—the inability to lay Bonnie to rest properly. This series has been excellent so far! I love Joe and Eve’s relationship and know that the respect and love they have for each other will blossom into a romance at some point. There are currently more than 30 books in this series with a few featuring other characters from the same universe. They’re wonderful romantic suspense with great plots and well-developed characters.
Eye of the Beholder by Ruth Ann Nordin: This was an adorable story. A historical marriage of convenience and ugly duckling retelling… Mary Peters is the last of her siblings at home. After years of being overlooked and made fun of for her appearance, she decides to answer an advertisement for a bride wanted in Nebraska. Upon arrival though her would-be husband deems her too unattractive to wed. Luckily, when Dave Larson overhears this conversation, he thinks Mary will be perfect for him. He admires her confidence in the face of criticism and her refusal to back down to a bully. He offers for her on the spot and so begins a really, really sweet story wherein Mary and Dave support each other through everything and develop a wonderfully loving and close relationship. This story was heartwarming… a perfect book to read with a cup of tea in these cold winter months. For those who may be interested, it’s not a spicy or graphic read, but it’s not clean either. It’s the perfect blend or sensual, romantic, touching, and uplifting.
Safiya Tariq is reading:
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.
The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite.
Reading Piranesi is an experience that will be different for each reader. For myself, I read it as a tragedy for our titular character with the lack of control or decision he has over his life. Even the things he loves and admires most weren’t presented to him by his own free will. It begs the question of who is wiser between the innocent versus the experienced. In my opinion, neither wins as they can’t comprehend the perspective of the other. The House takes on its own character that leaves a lasting impression, despite being impossible to ever recreate or visualize fully. It’s infinite, but not in an intimidating way, more like a comforting entity that wants to take care of you and provide for you. Easily the most loveable character I have read in recent times, my love for Piranesi only deepens my sorrow for him and everything he could possibly be after the novel’s ending. The story balances the surreal with our grounded reality, allowing me to believe that Piranesi could really be out there, even as we speak.
We hope that you’ve found a recommendation or two and that you are as excited for your upcoming reads as we are!
