Books
I'm so glad it is Wednesday, and the week is almost half over. I want to think all of you for your well wishes for my eldest and his forthcoming Chemistry final. You are all so sweet. We are keeping fingers crossed. His last day is Friday, and I am hoping that the teacher will put him out of his misery and post grades quickly. Other than that, my week is going pretty well. I am starting to feel the itch to write again. I haven't really written anything since last year, but I am missing it something awful. Although I want to write, I am kind of lost as to what to write about. Maybe I should look at some of my wip and see if anything piques my interest? Or I know both and should be starting back up soon maybe I should look through their prompts and see if they spark anything. IDK I am just excited to feel that pull again to write.
This week I read: 1 historical mystery, 1 cozy mystery, and 2 contemporary romances.
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Sixty-year-old self-proclaimed tea expert Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy ‘detective’ work on the internet (AKA checking up on her son to see if he’s dating anybody yet). But when Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, it’s going to take more than a strong Longjing to fix things. Knowing she’ll do a better job than the police possibly could - because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands - Vera decides it’s down to her to catch the killer. ~Goodreads Description
I have been meaning to read Sutanto's other series Dial A for Aunties for a while now but when I saw the title and description for this book, I placed a hold at my library right away. Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is such a great title for an awesome story. I especially loved the titular character, Vera. She is a hoot. I love how upfront she is with her opinion and how confident she is that she is right in all things. A character like that could be annoying but Sutanto writes her with such humor and good intentions that you can't help in the end really liking Vera. I love how yes this is technically a mystery book, but it is the growing found family between Vera and her "suspects" that is really at the heart of this story. This looks like it is a standalone, but I would be more than willing to read more about these characters.
The Bombay Prince by Sujata Massey
The Bombay Prince was an awesome addition to the Perveen Mistry mystery series. Perveen is rapidly becoming one of my favorite detectives to read about. The author does such a great job with the setting, of 1920's India, you really feel you are there, and I have learned more about that time period through her books. Massey also writes Perveen's pov very well, her journey as she tries to solve the mystery of who killed Freny was excellent. Perveen is in a tough situation as the only female lawyer in India in the 1920's she walks a tightrope between tradition and more modern ways, one misstep and her career and reputation could go down the drain. Plus, the author brought back Colin from the previous book The Satapur Moonstone who complicates Perveen's life in really lovely ways. I can't wait for the next book in the series, which comes out later this year.
Home Game by Odette Stone
This book was recced to me as one of the better hockey romance books to read, and since sports romance is something, I do love to read from time to time, I decided to give it a try. The premise did sound interesting at first. Basically, Zoe is a homeless woman who helps Ryan at a cafe with his laptop then he lets her stay at his place (on the couch) for the night and he gives her his card in case she needs anything. A few weeks later when Zoe is attacked the hospital finds Ryan's number in her pocket and calls him. Ryan being the sweetheart he is offers her a place to stay till she heals, and Zoe eventually agrees. Although initially intrigued the further I got into the book the more the power dynamic bothered me. Now in all fairness, this is a topic the book addresses but since the dynamic doesn't change until the 80% mark, I found myself not really able to relax and just enjoy the friendship/relationship between the two. Once Zoe was independent, I really ended up liking their romance and so much so that I wished it had happened earlier on in the book. I did really enjoy the author's writing so I will be continuing on with the next book.
Crazy Bao You by Lyn Liao Butler
Crazy Bao You is probably closer to a 3.5 for me but as always, I rounded up. I received this book as an e-arc through a Goodreads giveaway. I did like this book, but some things also bothered me. For instance, I didn't like how long Kimmie lied about who she really was to various people throughout the book. Also, there was way too much going on in this book it was just jampacked with so many plot points. Having said that, I did like both Kimmie and Matt they were sweet and basically good people who you were actively rooting for to get together. I also really enjoyed that the author explored Kimmie and Matt's entire life and not just their romance. So, we got to see Kimmie growing her Etsy store and Matt working as a New York firefighter those scenes added a nice depth to the story. I also liked their relationship a lot once they met face to face so much so that I wish the author had gone a different direction in the first half of the book and done away with the lying altogether. Would I recommend it? I'm not sure, but I overall enjoyed it.
Reading Challenges 2023:
Mount TBR: N/A
Cloak & Dagger Challenge: The Bombay Prince, Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
50 State Challenge: Crazy Bao You (Oklahoma)
A Pyramid of Books: Home Game, Vera Wong, Crazy Bao You, The Bombay Prince
So how is your guy's week going so far?
This week I read: 1 historical mystery, 1 cozy mystery, and 2 contemporary romances.
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Sixty-year-old self-proclaimed tea expert Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy ‘detective’ work on the internet (AKA checking up on her son to see if he’s dating anybody yet). But when Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, it’s going to take more than a strong Longjing to fix things. Knowing she’ll do a better job than the police possibly could - because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands - Vera decides it’s down to her to catch the killer. ~Goodreads Description
I have been meaning to read Sutanto's other series Dial A for Aunties for a while now but when I saw the title and description for this book, I placed a hold at my library right away. Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is such a great title for an awesome story. I especially loved the titular character, Vera. She is a hoot. I love how upfront she is with her opinion and how confident she is that she is right in all things. A character like that could be annoying but Sutanto writes her with such humor and good intentions that you can't help in the end really liking Vera. I love how yes this is technically a mystery book, but it is the growing found family between Vera and her "suspects" that is really at the heart of this story. This looks like it is a standalone, but I would be more than willing to read more about these characters.
The Bombay Prince by Sujata Massey
The Bombay Prince was an awesome addition to the Perveen Mistry mystery series. Perveen is rapidly becoming one of my favorite detectives to read about. The author does such a great job with the setting, of 1920's India, you really feel you are there, and I have learned more about that time period through her books. Massey also writes Perveen's pov very well, her journey as she tries to solve the mystery of who killed Freny was excellent. Perveen is in a tough situation as the only female lawyer in India in the 1920's she walks a tightrope between tradition and more modern ways, one misstep and her career and reputation could go down the drain. Plus, the author brought back Colin from the previous book The Satapur Moonstone who complicates Perveen's life in really lovely ways. I can't wait for the next book in the series, which comes out later this year.
Home Game by Odette Stone
This book was recced to me as one of the better hockey romance books to read, and since sports romance is something, I do love to read from time to time, I decided to give it a try. The premise did sound interesting at first. Basically, Zoe is a homeless woman who helps Ryan at a cafe with his laptop then he lets her stay at his place (on the couch) for the night and he gives her his card in case she needs anything. A few weeks later when Zoe is attacked the hospital finds Ryan's number in her pocket and calls him. Ryan being the sweetheart he is offers her a place to stay till she heals, and Zoe eventually agrees. Although initially intrigued the further I got into the book the more the power dynamic bothered me. Now in all fairness, this is a topic the book addresses but since the dynamic doesn't change until the 80% mark, I found myself not really able to relax and just enjoy the friendship/relationship between the two. Once Zoe was independent, I really ended up liking their romance and so much so that I wished it had happened earlier on in the book. I did really enjoy the author's writing so I will be continuing on with the next book.
Crazy Bao You by Lyn Liao Butler
Crazy Bao You is probably closer to a 3.5 for me but as always, I rounded up. I received this book as an e-arc through a Goodreads giveaway. I did like this book, but some things also bothered me. For instance, I didn't like how long Kimmie lied about who she really was to various people throughout the book. Also, there was way too much going on in this book it was just jampacked with so many plot points. Having said that, I did like both Kimmie and Matt they were sweet and basically good people who you were actively rooting for to get together. I also really enjoyed that the author explored Kimmie and Matt's entire life and not just their romance. So, we got to see Kimmie growing her Etsy store and Matt working as a New York firefighter those scenes added a nice depth to the story. I also liked their relationship a lot once they met face to face so much so that I wish the author had gone a different direction in the first half of the book and done away with the lying altogether. Would I recommend it? I'm not sure, but I overall enjoyed it.
Reading Challenges 2023:
Mount TBR: N/A
Cloak & Dagger Challenge: The Bombay Prince, Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
50 State Challenge: Crazy Bao You (Oklahoma)
A Pyramid of Books: Home Game, Vera Wong, Crazy Bao You, The Bombay Prince
So how is your guy's week going so far?