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A Double Dose of 50 Years of Island Books: Rachel Linden / Martha Brockenbrough
Rachel Linden is a novelist and international aid worker whose adventures in over fifty countries around the world provide excellent grist for her writing. She is the author of The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie, The Enlightenment of Bees, Becoming the Talbot Sisters, and Ascension of Larks. Currently Rachel lives with her family on a sweet little island near Seattle, WA where she enjoys creating stories about strong women facing big challenges, travel, food, and second chances at love. She promises her readers a happy, or at least very hopeful, ending and infuses each of her stories with a touch of magical realism. Her newest novel, Recipe for a Charmed Life, comes out in early 2024.
Miriam: Welcome, Rachel. Let's start with your first visit to Island Books. Where were you in your career then, and what stood out about the store?
Rachel: When I think of Island Books, I feel I can sum it up best in the word "inviting". I first visited Island Books when my second novel, Becoming the Talbot Sisters, was about to release. If I remember correctly, I came bearing homemade cookies my husband and son had made, and an advanced reader copy of my new book. I was hoping to meet some of the staff and see if they'd be interested in stocking my book. I was instantly charmed by the special Island Books vibe. I love independent bookstores and feel so fortunate that we have so many in our area. Island Books has always been one of my very favorites because of the wonderful, friendly and knowledgeable staff (with fabulous owner Laurie at the helm), the inviting places to sit and stay awhile, and such an excellent and extensive selection of books. They were so warm and welcoming to me on my first visit, and I continue to greatly enjoy and appreciate their enthusiastic support and care for local authors like me! I love every chance I get to be at Island Books because I always feel so welcomed. It's an inviting, enjoyable space with true book lovers, and for a bookworm like me, that's basically my definition of paradise!
Miriam: Rachel, you can't drop a teaser about bringing cookies to Island Books and not share the specific recipe. When many of us think of you, we think, foodie book club, mmmm.....Will you share which cookies you brought to that first event here on the blog? We can make them official "Rachel-Linden's-Take-a-Trip-to-Island-Books cookies" or something.
Rachel: Absolutely! I can't remember exactly which cookies I brought the first time I visited Island Books, to be honest! But here's a recipe for some amazing lemon bars that I know I brought along with an advanced reader copy of The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie! These delicious lemon bars are super easy and super yummy! I enjoy this recipe from one of my favorite baking sites, Sally's Baking Addiction! I amended it slightly, but mostly it is her recipe.
Rachel-Linden's-Take-a-Trip-to-Island-Books-Luscious-Lemon-Bars
Ingredients
SHORTBREAD CRUST
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
optional: you can add a bit of the zest of the lemon to the crust for added lemon flavor
LEMON FILLING
2 cups granulated sugar
6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 large eggs
1 cup lemon juice (about 4-5 large lemons)
powdered sugar for dusting over the top of the bars when cooked and cooled
optional: add a bit of the zest of the lemon to the filling for an added kick of lemony flavor
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 325°F. Carefully line the bottom and sides of a 9×13 glass baking pan (do not use metal for these bars) with parchment paper, leaving the paper hanging over the sides so you can easily lift the finished bars out. This is an important step and makes cutting the bars much easier!).
Make the crust: Mix the melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the flour and stir to completely combine. The dough will be quite thick. Press firmly into your prepared pan, making sure the layer of crust is nice and even with no holes. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until you see the edges of the crust are lightly browned. Remove from the oven. Using a fork, poke holes all over the top of the warm crust (careful not to poke all the way through the crust). This helps the filling stick and holds the crust in place. Set crust aside.
Make the filling: Sift the sugar and flour together in a large bowl. Whisk in the eggs, and then add the lemon juice (and zest if using) and stir until completely combined.
Pour filling over the warm crust. Bake the bars for 22-26 minutes or until the center is relatively set and no longer jiggles. (You can give the pan a light tap with an oven mitt to test that the filling is set.) Remove bars from the oven and cool completely at room temperature. It is recomemnded to cool them for about 2 hours at room temperature, then stick in the refrigerator for 1-2 more hours until fairly chilled.
Once cool, lift the parchment paper out of the pan using the overhang on the sides. Dust the bars with confectioners’ sugar and cut into squares before serving. Enjoy!
Miriam: Thank you! Okay, one last question, now that I'm thinking about The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie. One of the big messages in that book is that instead of looking backward, we should make the best of things and focus on the road ahead. With that theme in mind, as we head toward our store's 50th anniversary, what do you think the road ahead looks like for indie bookstores?
Rachel: Looking forward, I believe indie bookstores will continue to thrive because of the amazing connections they provide between people and great stories. In an increasingly digital world, to walk into an independent bookstore, talk to smart, book loving booksellers, and walk out with amazing stories in our hands...that personal experience cannot be replaced. For authors, independent bookstores offer wonderful opportunities for us to make personal connections with book lovers—both bookselling professionals and readers. I think Island Books does this so beautifully, and what they offer will continue to be valued by readers and authors alike.
Miriam: Thanks so much for stopping by our blog, Rachel. We always love hearing from you.
To our community—if you make Rachel's Lemon Bars, send us a picture! In the next installment of Island Books, I'll be talking to...
50 Years of Island Books: Martha Brockenbrough
Martha Brockenbrough (rhymes with broken toe) is the author of Frank and the Masked Cat and more than twenty books for young readers, including YA fiction and nonfiction, picture books, a middle grade mystery, and a chapter book series. Her next nonfiction book for teens, Future Tense, will hit shelves in 2024.
A faculty member at Vermont College of Fine Arts, she's also the founder of National Grammar Day (every March 4), and she's written game questions for Cranium and Trivial Pursuit.
The former editor of MSN.com, Martha has interviewed lots of celebrities, including the Jonas Brothers and Slash. Her work has been published in a variety of places, including The New York Times. She also wrote an educational humor column for the online encyclopedia Encarta for nine years.
She lives in Seattle with her family. Her favorite kind of food is Indian, although Thai runs a close second. Besides writing, she likes dogs, cats, cooking, weight-lifting, and laughing.
Miriam: I'm so excited to have you here, Martha, especially because my 10-year-old twins LOVED To Catch a Thief and we are big fans of yours. Let's start with your first visit to Island Books. Where were you in your career then, and what stood out about the store?
Martha: That makes my day! The book is set in a slightly distressed Seabrook—if you ever go, the kids will recognize some of the sights!
Meanwhile, I can’t even remember the first time I went into Island Books. I’m a Bellevue native and only a few years older than the store. So let’s just say I have no memories of life without Island Books. As an author, though, I think one of the first events I attended was for the wonderful Jennifer Longo debut novel, Six Feet Over It, inspired in part by her life growing up at a cemetery. My first event with Island Books was a King County Library fundraiser—Garth Nix and I were in conversation with each other. I really love his writing and it was so much fun learning more about how he thinks about storytelling.
I led here with the people, because in truth the writing and reading life isn’t lived only on the page. I love Laurie (and we share appreciation for a good Old Fashioned). I’ve known Lillian and Caitlin for years and through other stores, and I so appreciate people who make a life out of literature. The store itself is an absolute treat. It’s exquisitely edited and I find something I didn’t know I needed every time I go in. It’s also a place I love to shop for gifts, and not just books—the whole store is full of beautiful and joyful objects.
Miriam: We've been to Seabrook and yes they did recognize the sights, funny you mention that. I think that's half the fun of reading local authors who write about the Pacific Northwest! These are great memories, and for us it's all about the people too, so we love that. Tell me, I know we've offered special pre-orders of signed copies of your books over the years. Do you have any special memories of signing in the store?
Martha: Coming to Island Books is like a visit with old friends. Seeing Lillian and Caitlin at Island Books gathers all of those fond memories from other stores in one place—and it’s a testament to the deep knowledge that the stores booksellers have. They are in this work for life. I was a reader first, and truly I always will be. So to have my reader heart in such good hands means the world to me.
Miriam: Thanks, Martha. We're so grateful for to have you and your books in our lives too.
To our Island Books community: In the next 50 Years of Island Books installment, I’ll be talking to author Elise Hooper about how she crashed a staff party the first time she visited our store, and why her underdog stories have a special appeal at Island Books.
—Miriam
#miriam landis#island books#Rachel linden#the enlightenment of bees#lemon bar recipe#lemon bars#The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie#Martha Brockenbrough#Frank and the Masked Cat#50 years of island books
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This Chick Read: Recipe For a Charmed Life by Rachel Linden
American Chef Georgia May Jackson is close to achieving her goal, running a restaurant in Paris. She’s on the cusp of success when it all falls apart during one very bad day. At the same time, she loses her sense of taste, everything tastes bitter. When her absentee mother reaches out from the West Coast and offers her a place to stay she jumps at the chance of getting to know her mom and somehow…
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Review: Recipe for a Charmed Life by Rachel Linden
Author: Rachel LindenPublisher: BerkleyReleased: January 9, 2024Received: Berkley Besties
Find it on Goodreads | More Romance
Book Summary:
Georgia May Jackson may be an American, but she is determined to achieve her goal – running (and owning) a restaurant in Paris. That may be an impossible dream to some, but Georgia believes that hard work can get her there.
That is, until she wakes up one…
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#Berkley#Berkley Besties#Book#Book Box#Book Review#Books#Contemporary#Contemporary Fiction#Contemporary Romance#Fiction#Literary#Literature#Net Galley#NetGalley#Rachel Linden#Recipe for a Charmed Life#Recipe for a Charmed Life by Rachel Linden#Review#Romance
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Title: The Enlightenment of Bees
Author: Rachel Linden
Series or standalone: standalone
Publication year: 2019
Genres: fiction, contemporary, romance
Blurb: At 26, idealistic baker Mia West has her entire life planned out: a Craftsman cottage in Seattle, baking at the Butter Emporium, and the love of her life - her boyfriend Ethan - by her side...but when Ethan breaks up with her instead of proposing on their sixth dating anniversary (with the Tiffany blue box in his pocket), Mia’s carefully-planned future crumbles. Adrift and devastated, she determines to find new meaning in her life by helping those in need. Guided by recurring dreams about honeybees that seem to be leading her toward this new path in life, Mia joins her vivacious housemate Rosie on an around-the-world humanitarian trip funded by the reclusive billionaire Lars Lindstrom. Along with a famous grunge rockstar, an Ethiopian immigrant, and an unsettlingly attractive Hawaiian urban farmer named Kai, Mia and Rosie embark on the trip of a lifetime. From the slums of Mumbai to a Hungarian border camp during the refugee crisis, Mia’s eyes are opened, and her idealistic vision is challenged as she experiences the euphoria, disillusionment, and heartbreaking reality of humanitarian work abroad. As Mia grapples with how to make a difference in an overwhelmingly difficult world, circumstances force her to choose between the life she thought she wanted...and the unexpected life she has built.
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Review: "The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie" by Rachel Linden
Review: “The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie” by Rachel Linden
Thanks for stopping by for my review of Rachel Linden’s newest release, The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie. It’s a women’s fiction story with elements of romance and a little magical realism.
An uplifting novel about a heartbroken young pie maker who is granted a magical second chance to live the life she didn’t choose. . . . from the bestselling author of The Enlightenment of Bees.
Lolly Blanchard’s…
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#Berkley#Book#book review#fiction#Rachel Linden#read#Reading#Review#Romance#The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie#Women&039;s Fiction
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The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden--A magical ta
Happy Friday! The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden is a story about choices. Drop by to see what I thought about this “what if” tale! Happy Reading!
https://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-magic-of-lemon-drop-pie-by-rachel.html
#Themagicoflemondroppie#Themagicoflemon#rachel linden#theavidreader#book review#paranormal fiction#womens fiction
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Prom Night (2008)
In today's review, I race against the clock for the most killer prom night ever. As I attempt a #positive review of the 2008 remake of Prom Night.
#BrittanySnow
#ScottPorter
#JessicaStroup
#DanaDavis
#CollinsPennie
#KellyBlatz
#JamesRansone
#BrianneDavis
You don’t need me to tell you that modern life can be terrifying with its deadlines, pressures, and potential stalkers. Typically, these challenges don’t all happen simultaneously, but if they did, it would feel like a perfect storm of anxiety and uncertainty, perfect for a potential slasher film. In 2008, a film successfully rebooted a franchise to confront the terrors of the modern world, ones…
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#2008#Brianne Davis#Brittany Snow#Collins Pennie#Dana Davis#film#films#horror#Idris Elba#James Ransone#Jana Kramer#Jessalyn Gilsig#Jessica Stroup#Johnathon Schaech#Joshua Leonard#Kellan Lutz#Kelly Blatz#Linden Ashby#Lori Heuring#Mary Mara#Ming-Na Wen#Movies#Nicholas James#positive#Rachel Specter#review#Scott Porter#Valeri Ross
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A Low-Key Love! Rachel McAdams and Jamie Linden’s Relationship Timeline | In Trend Today
A Low-Key Love! Rachel McAdams and Jamie Linden’s Relationship Timeline
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#A Low-Key Love! Rachel McAdams and Jamie Linden’s Relationship Timeline#Celebrities#Money#Motors#Politics#ShowBiz#Sport#Tech#UK#US#World
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Hate to Feel - Alice In Chains / Shameless / Blud, "Glutton" - Rachel McKibbens / Girls / Candidly - Violet Piper Twenty-Four / Rocky Balboa / Antigone (Sophocles / trans. Anne Carson) / I AM ANGRY BECAUSE OF MY FATHER - Halsey / Rupi Kaur / Succession / When Doves Cry - Prince / The Spectacular Now / Richard Siken in an interview with Green Linden Press / The House / Kellin / Sharp Objects / What A Catch, Donnie - Fall Out Boy / Girls / In The Blood - John Mayer / Mayans MC / seven - Taylor Swift / Succession x / The Lion In Winter - James Goldman
#parallels#hate to feel#alice in chains#jemima kirke#rocky balboa#milo ventimiglia#antigone#sophocles#anne carson#I am angry because of my father#halsey#rupi kaur#when doves cry#prince#the spectacular now#sharp objects#gillian flynn#mayans mc#the house 2022
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Book Notes: Recipe for a Charmed Life
As I type these words, I’m watching the rain/snow come down out of a grey sky and thinking how good it is that so many different books exist. I can choose if I want to complement the day or season, or if I want something to take me away. I’ll have something for you cold-lovers soon, but for today, I’ve got the perfect read to immerse you in the smells of the kitchen and the beauty of the San Juan Islands: local author Rachel Linden’s latest novel, Recipe for a Charmed Life.
We begin in Paris, the city of Julia Child’s culinary heart, where American chef Georgia May Jackson is on the brink of getting the only thing she’s ever wanted: a restaurant of her own. But when a shocking betrayal causes Georgia to snap at the worst possible time, it appears as though she’ll lose everything. It’s at this moment that Georgia receives an email from her mother, a woman who left her family decades ago. "Come home," she says, "I have things to tell you about our family." Her mother’s made a home and life on San Juan Island, and Georgia decides to fly to the Pacific Northwest, take the ferry out to San Juan to regroup, and see if anything can be made of the tattered remnants of her restaurant dream. Because it’s not just Georgia’s lapse in professionalism that’s standing in her way; she’s also lost her ability to taste the nuance of flavor. And what’s a chef without her sense of taste?
Rachel’s writing is light of spirit and not lacking in depth. Georgia, and other characters, are at a moment where circumstances force both a reckoning and a reassessing. The things they’ve worked hard for might be nearly within their grasp, but is that still what they want? How have they changed in the pursuit of their goal? How can they make room for their dreams to change with them? What choices have been made out of fear or protectiveness or a misplaced sense of guilt that need to be faced? Anchoring all this self-discovery is the gorgeous depth of her descriptions, from all the delectable food Georgia makes (and eats) trying to recover her palate, to the picturesque San Juan farmhouse her mother lives in, surrounded by gardens and fields and… well, if you can’t take a trip to the San Juans in person, you can take yourself there in the pages of Recipe for a Charmed Life. The hint of magic Rachel sprinkles deftly throughout gives it a touch of wonder and whimsy. And for those of us who like some romance along with introspection, there’s a grumpy oyster farmer just down the way.
Join us Wednesday, January 31st at 6:30pm to celebrate Rachel Linden and Recipe for a Charmed Life. She’ll be in conversation with me, and knowing Rachel, she’ll bring some delicious treats along!
— Lori
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REVIEW
THE MAGIC OF LEMON DROP PIE by Rachel Linden at The Reading Cafe:
‘a delightful, lighthearted, fun and charming story‘
http://www.thereadingcafe.com/the-magic-of-lemon-drop-pie-by-rachel-linden-a-review/
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The True Story of the Boise Murder House
805 W Linden Street in Boise, Idaho, its covered in a layer of soot, with windows broken and boarded up and trash strewn about the yard, the 2-story, 2,728 square-foot Craftsman-style home looks like an abandoned horror movie set.
Known commonly as the Boise Murder House, the home is also sometimes referred to by locals as the Chop-Chop House, a glib reference to the gruesome homicide that took place there more than three decades ago. In the early morning hours of June 30th, 1987, 37-year-old Daniel Rodgers and 31-year-old Daron Cox shot and killed 21-year-old Preston Murr in the basement of Rodgers’s home at 805 W Linden Street. The two men then used an axe and knife to dismember his corpse, wrapped the pieces in plastic bags, and drove to the Idaho-Oregon border to dump the body parts in the Brownlee Reservoir. Horrifying as the facts of the crime are, there is one detail more haunting than the rest: Murr almost escaped.
According to court documents, an altercation broke out around midnight between the three men and Murr was shot in the shoulder by one of the two others. Having somehow managed to flee the home, he ran to a nearby house and banged on the door begging for help, but no one answered. The neighbor inside did call the police, however. He reported hearing pounding on his door, as well as someone screaming “let go of me,” followed by an anguished yell. Peeking out his window, he saw someone chasing Murr, eventually catching him and dragging him back into the basement of Rodger’s home, where he was fatally shot in the back of the head.
Though police never responded that night, they were called again the next morning by the same neighbor who asked officials to come investigate blood on his screen door. The blood found throughout the neighborhood—on sidewalks and at least one other neighboring house—further painted a harrowing picture of Murr’s desperate attempt to escape his murderers the night before. While the crime scene has long since been cleaned up, a dark legacy lingers around 805 W Linden Street to this day.
It’s unclear what happened to the house in the immediate years after Rodgers was sent to the Idaho State Correctional Center to serve out a life sentence without parole, but property records available online list a new owner, James Howell, as of 2000. Howell has since rented the house to a number of tenants and, given its proximity to Boise State University, it’s become a popular choice among students seeking off-campus housing. As a result, local lore about the house has a decidedly collegiate flair: One persistent rumor claims that fraternity brothers have reported seeing blood dripping down the walls of the basement for years. While there is no truth to this tale—and 805 W Linden was never an official frat house—many former residents say there is something “off” about the space.
“The basement was creepy and had a weird feel. We would take people down there to scare them. I never saw any ghosts but you could tell something wasn't right,” Joe W., a former BSU student, told a local radio station, 107.9 LITE FM. Another Boise resident, Rachel R., told the station that her family almost bought the house back in 2000, and to this day she still gets anxious when thinking about their tour of the home. “It looked like it had been abandoned and the basement was by far the creepiest part,” she said. But of all the accounts shared with 107.9, the strangest tale, submitted by Dan D., goes well beyond the basement.
According to his story, one night Dan and his friend thought they heard someone trying to break into the house. When they went out to the front porch to check things out, no one was there. After looking around the front yard, Dan turned to face the house and saw a “big black oily looking thing” in the window of a bedroom upstairs. He remembers seeing the shadow-y figure move back from the window and towards the bedroom door before it disappeared. Shortly after, it reappeared outside in a mirror sitting on the porch. Dan watched as the “ball of oily blackness” moved down the large column of the porch, slowly growing in size until it took up the entire reflection of the mirror and moved right through him. “It was the weirdest, most disturbing thing I've ever felt and just typing this makes me feel it again. It's like ice fingers sinking into my shoulders,” he said.
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The True Story of the Boise Murder House
805 W Linden Street in Boise, Idaho, its covered in a layer of soot, with windows broken and boarded up and trash strewn about the yard, the 2-story, 2,728 square-foot Craftsman-style home looks like an abandoned horror movie set.
Known commonly as the Boise Murder House, the home is also sometimes referred to by locals as the Chop-Chop House, a glib reference to the gruesome homicide that took place there more than three decades ago. In the early morning hours of June 30th, 1987, 37-year-old Daniel Rodgers and 31-year-old Daron Cox shot and killed 21-year-old Preston Murr in the basement of Rodgers’s home at 805 W Linden Street. The two men then used an axe and knife to dismember his corpse, wrapped the pieces in plastic bags, and drove to the Idaho-Oregon border to dump the body parts in the Brownlee Reservoir. Horrifying as the facts of the crime are, there is one detail more haunting than the rest: Murr almost escaped.
According to court documents, an altercation broke out around midnight between the three men and Murr was shot in the shoulder by one of the two others. Having somehow managed to flee the home, he ran to a nearby house and banged on the door begging for help, but no one answered. The neighbor inside did call the police, however. He reported hearing pounding on his door, as well as someone screaming “let go of me,” followed by an anguished yell. Peeking out his window, he saw someone chasing Murr, eventually catching him and dragging him back into the basement of Rodger’s home, where he was fatally shot in the back of the head.
Though police never responded that night, they were called again the next morning by the same neighbor who asked officials to come investigate blood on his screen door. The blood found throughout the neighborhood—on sidewalks and at least one other neighboring house—further painted a harrowing picture of Murr’s desperate attempt to escape his murderers the night before. While the crime scene has long since been cleaned up, a dark legacy lingers around 805 W Linden Street to this day.
It’s unclear what happened to the house in the immediate years after Rodgers was sent to the Idaho State Correctional Center to serve out a life sentence without parole, but property records available online list a new owner, James Howell, as of 2000. Howell has since rented the house to a number of tenants and, given its proximity to Boise State University, it’s become a popular choice among students seeking off-campus housing. As a result, local lore about the house has a decidedly collegiate flair: One persistent rumor claims that fraternity brothers have reported seeing blood dripping down the walls of the basement for years. While there is no truth to this tale—and 805 W Linden was never an official frat house—many former residents say there is something “off” about the space.
“The basement was creepy and had a weird feel. We would take people down there to scare them. I never saw any ghosts but you could tell something wasn't right,” Joe W., a former BSU student, told a local radio station, 107.9 LITE FM. Another Boise resident, Rachel R., told the station that her family almost bought the house back in 2000, and to this day she still gets anxious when thinking about their tour of the home. “It looked like it had been abandoned and the basement was by far the creepiest part,” she said. But of all the accounts shared with 107.9, the strangest tale, submitted by Dan D., goes well beyond the basement.
According to his story, one night Dan and his friend thought they heard someone trying to break into the house. When they went out to the front porch to check things out, no one was there. After looking around the front yard, Dan turned to face the house and saw a “big black oily looking thing” in the window of a bedroom upstairs. He remembers seeing the shadow-y figure move back from the window and towards the bedroom door before it disappeared. Shortly after, it reappeared outside in a mirror sitting on the porch. Dan watched as the “ball of oily blackness” moved down the large column of the porch, slowly growing in size until it took up the entire reflection of the mirror and moved right through him. “It was the weirdest, most disturbing thing I've ever felt and just typing this makes me feel it again. It's like ice fingers sinking into my shoulders,” he said.
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i think i'm gonna start sharing what books i DNF, cuz idk it might be interesting. i DNF a *lot* (at least as much as i finish) and tbh it's one of the reasons that i read as much as i do. i put down a book as soon as it's not working for me.
the #1 reason i stop reading a book is that I'm not vibing with the writing style, so assume that's probably true for all of these in addition to whatever else i didn't like lol.
books i DNF'ed recently:
August Kitko and the Mechas from Space by Alex White. it was too fun. lmao. and leaned a little YA-feeling for me.
A Fractured Infinity by Nathan Tavares. again, writing felt YA, and also the book opened by talking about how the love the two main characters had for each other was so powerful it broke the world or whatever, and that's something i would prefer to see over the course of the book rather than being told on page 3. (i am very picky about romances.)
The Wise Hours by Miriam Darlington. i was expecting it to be about owls, but it's more of a memoir. probably a lovely book but not what i wanted in the moment.
The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai. i really tried with this one but i felt bored by the writing. can't remember specifically what wasn't clicking.
The Insatiable Volt Sisters by Rachel Eve Moulton. the first chapter was really good and creepy! but then chapter 2 established this as a contemporary horror. i am REALLY picky about horror and i hate when it's too contemporary lol.
The Second Rebel by Linden A. Lewis. i really enjoyed the first book in this series, The First Sister, but this is the third or fourth time I've tried reading the sequel and i get bored/into a reading slump each time. I'm gonna try the audiobook of this one before i must officially give up on the series.
The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison. the beginning was fine, i honestly could have kept going, but i was approaching a reading slump and didn't feel like reading a sherlock retelling. also the reviews are middling. shrug.
The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro. opened with a long "motherhood is pain" sequence, which i'm not very interested in. also felt like there was too much telling and not enough showing.
Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh. okay i really wanted to love this one and i swear it isn't supposed to be YA, but it reads that way soooo much. if you love YA scifi or if you're newer to adult scifi, please try this one, you might love it.
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