Every week, the editors of The Paris Review lift the paywall on a selection of interviews, stories, poems, and more from the magazine’s archive. You can have these unlocked pieces delivered straight to your inbox every Sunday by signing up for the Redux newsletter. This week at The Paris Review, we’re resolving to read even more of our archive in the New Year. Read on for Octavio Paz’s Art of Poetry interview, Rachel Cusk’s “Freedom,” and Catherine Davis’s poem “The New Year’s Burden.” If you enjoy these free interviews, stories, and poems, why not subscribe to The Paris Review and read the entire archive? You’ll also get four new issues of the quarterly delivered straight to your door—and if you subscribe via our special bundle, you’ll get a tote bag, too! And don’t forget to listen to Season 2 of The Paris Review Podcast!
Octavio Paz, The Art of Poetry No. 42
Freedom
The New Year’s Burden
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We’re away until January 6, but we’re reposting some of our favorite pieces from 2019. Enjoy your holiday! I find myself most aware of silence when I am thinking about the many ways it can be punctured. Under the wrong circumstances, a hospital room can become a symphony of noises, each of them courting the worst of a person’s anxieties. There might be an incessant but inconsistent beeping, or the sounds of several machines doing the work of keeping a person alive. It is a privilege to be told that someone you love is going to survive. The message comes from some exhausted doctor, eager to give the good news after the tests, or the surgery, or whatever else. I have also been on the other side: knowing that I would be watching a person I love slowly fade until they vanished altogether, and understanding there’s nothing that can be done. There’s something uniquely challenging about the moments in between, when the good news of a person’s continued living is delivered, but they still have to stay in a hospital room for a few more days before they can go home. From far enough away, underneath a wave of monochromatic hospital blankets, it can be hard to tell if someone is still breathing. Particularly if you’ve already imagined a world without them in it. If you’ve spent enough time imagining someone as dead, it can be difficult to visualize them as simply sleeping. I don’t love hearing the beeping and the sonic hiccups of hospital machinery, but it is worse not to hear anything. The post On Nighttime appeared first on NeedaBook. via Need a Book – NeedaBook https://ift.tt/39tY0sF Love Lettering is a way to end the decade on a perfect note. Or perhaps it’s a way to start the new decade on a perfect note. Whichever option you choose, my enthusiastic recommendation remains the same. It’s not a book to race through and devour in a short span of time. My advice is to linger on each page and let the words engulf you. Love Lettering is about signs, art, words, and the power they wield over us — it’s only fitting that the reader treats the neat black letters on the page with as much gravity as the book does. Meg Mackworth is at the pinnacle of her professional career and the rock-bottom of her personal life. Blessed with Instagram renown and a New York Times endorsement, The Planner of Park Slope has no shortage of clamoring clients to commission intricate hand-lettering and calligraphy. The inexplicable erosion of her relationship with roommate-slash-BFF Sibby is Meg’s biggest problem…until Wall Street quantitative analyst Reid Sutherland walks through the door. A former client with an engagement that never reached the altar, Reid is in possession of Meg’s worst M-I-S-T-A-K-E. Literally. A year ago, Meg crafted Reid’s wedding program to the exact specifications of her clients — with one major exception. Privately speculating the couple’s inevitable doom, she hid a secret code of M-I-S-T-A-K-E amidst the artistic swirls. Meg’s careless conjecture has backfired, but Reid isn’t interested in making her M-I-S-T-A-K-E public. He simply wanted some closure before he left NYC for good. Their confrontation should’ve been their last interaction, but Meg ropes Reid into her quest to seek artistic inspiration and help him say farewell to New York City. I love this book. I love this book so much that I preordered an autographed print copy, an ebook, and an audio version. I love this book so much that I mailed the print ARC to my college BFF as part of her Christmas/romance-starter-pack present (she dabbles in calligraphy and I’ve been plotting to indoctrinate her into romance for some time now). Meg’s quirky train of thought, Reid’s guarded tenderness, calligraphy and hand-lettering pr0n — I love it all. The artistic descriptions will appeal to any reader who wanders the stationery aisle to stroke gleaming pens and inhale the scent of brand-new notebooks (you don’t need another one, but will adding a journal to your infinite collection hurt anyone? No). One book won’t work for everyone, but I still want to shove Love Lettering into the laps of every romance reader in the slightest chance that they might love it as much as I do. Love Lettering is not a fluffy or comedic romance. Sparks of humor certainly exist, but it’s loneliness that anchors the characters together. Both Meg and Reid are desperately alone in ways that necessitate a box of tissues next to the reader. Meg’s isolation is easily apparent; the book is solely from her first person present POV and her heartbreak is spelled all over the pages. Cut off from her family and her best friend, Meg’s grief manifests in a creative block. Artistic blocks are always inconvenient, but Meg is within touching distance of a life-changing retailer contract. The letters aren’t speaking to her anymore, but maybe rediscovering New York City with fresh eyes beside her will spark inspiration and companionship anew.
Reid is more opaque as the reader is reliant on Meg’s perspective. The reasons for his loneliness are unknown — or so I initially believed. Love Lettering’s triumph is the hidden clues within the text. Like Meg’s secret premonition weaved into the wedding program, Love Lettering provides ample but easy-to-miss clues for discerning readers. Whether or not the reader guesses accurately is irrelevant. If you do decipher the signs, it’s an exhilarating “Aha!” moment that makes the reveal so much sweeter. If you don’t decipher the signs, it’s a revelatory “this is brilliant and it all makes sense!” moment. Either way, the reread is rewarding. I’ve read Love Lettering twice, and the second read is completely different from the first. The nuances gleaned in the reread make the experience so much more thrilling. There’s a tragic irony in that both protagonists are lonely in a city of over eight million residents. Perhaps it’s not irony at all but a reflection of reality. The easiest place to feel alone, as we all know, is sometimes in a crowd that would never notice your absence. Watching Meg and Reid build their community of two amidst that bustling crowd feels cathartic. They’re both survivors of a sort, and finding their paths to each other is a last grasp at happiness. The road to love isn’t easy, but it’s well-earned and I was crying my eyes out by the end. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll just say that Meg and Reid’s relationship is beautifully orchestrated with notes of yearning, teasing but gentle banter, and a warm embrace of each other. I was astounded by the amount of care and nuance given to the non-romantic relationships. Meg has been hurt badly: by her parents in the past and by her best friend in the present. Sibby has been pulling away for no apparent reason, and her inexplicable dislike/ambivalence is slowly killing Meg on the inside. Meg’s grief is heart-wrenchingly familiar to anyone who has gone through a break-up of an adult friendship. Meg is talented at many things, but conflict resolution isn’t one of them. She struggles with confrontation and unpleasant communication. It’s easier to paste a smile and swallow her feelings; why create problems by lashing out? Her hesitance extends to problems outside of her own; she certainly has opinions on the toxicity of a client’s marriage, but is it her place to say anything? It’s incredibly satisfying to watch Meg gain the confidence to say something, to defend herself, and to fight for her friendships. Love Lettering primarily focuses on Meg and Reid, but the attention paid to Meg’s non-romantic relationships is pitch perfect. Friendships are just as critical as romance to a person’s emotional equilibrium, and I was so happy to see that the romantic arc didn’t overpower everything else. There are three love stories in Love Lettering: 1) the love story between Reid and Meg, 2) the love story between the protagonists and New York City, and 3) the love story between Meg and her lettering. I’m not sure which story the title is referring to, but I’d like to think that it’s all of them. First, Meg and Reid meet and fall in love via Meg’s career in hand-lettering. Second, the book is a literal love letter to New York City. Third, “love lettering” is a widespread term in the artistic community (for instance, #lovelettering is a popular Instagram hashtag to showcase hand-lettering). All three love stories are intertwined to an extent that it’s impossible to pluck distinct plot threads out, but the second love story has changed the way I viewed my own city.
Meg’s point-of-view is unique. She organizes her thoughts according to signs under the Manhattan skyline. The descriptions of New York City read like a revelation. I’m not a New Yorker, but I’ve never really focused on small lettering details in an urban environment. The day after reading Love Lettering, I stepped outside in my home city of Philadelphia and looked at the world around me. Normally, I confess, my earphones are vibrating with music and I’m completely focused on my destination. The city is home for now, but it’s not a home that I’ve ever paid attention to. I’m more concerned with dodging other pedestrians and making sure that no car is nearby if I jaywalk. I’m nothing like Meg; we’re both introverted but the similarities stop there. I certainly don’t possess any artistic inclinations. I wasn’t sure what to expect with my spontaneous experiment; it felt incredibly awkward to walk without purpose. To my surprise and faint embarrassment, I realized how little I knew about the environment around me. I’ve strolled past a nearby bakery hundreds of times, but have never once noticed that the outside sign was red with white letters and a black border. I wish I was an expert at lettering; I couldn’t decipher any of the fonts or artistic styles, but I still tried to commit the curvature to memory. I’m not sure if I can ever truly organize my mind the way Meg does, but it was an interesting experience to actually pause and notice the world around me. I live in a vibrant, bustling city full of art and beautiful signs. My mind may not translate experiences via signs, but it’s still a good idea to lift my head up every once in a while and soak in the atmosphere. Love Lettering is a special book that I’ll hold close to my heart for a long time. It’s a quiet romance with quiet protagonists, but sometimes it’s the quiet moments that echo the loudest. Meg and Reid will make your heart melt as they cross the finish line into their Happily Ever After. The post Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn appeared first on NeedaBook. via Need a Book – NeedaBook https://ift.tt/2MH2P8b The Madness of Lord Ian MackenzieRECOMMENDED: The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley is $1.99! I loved this book and give it five stars on Goodreads. It’s easily one of my favorite historical romance and it recently showed up in the comments of our Rec League: Unassuming, Underestimated Heroes post. However, some readers didn’t feel any love necessarily between the hero and heroine. For those who have read this, what did you think? The year is 1881. Meet the Mackenzie family–rich, powerful, dangerous, eccentric. A lady couldn’t be seen with them without ruin. Rumors surround them–of tragic violence, of their mistresses, of their dark appetites, of scandals that set England and Scotland abuzz. The youngest brother, Ian, known as the Mad Mackenzie, spent most of his young life in an asylum, and everyone agrees he is decidedly odd. He’s also hard and handsome and has a penchant for Ming pottery and beautiful women. Beth Ackerley, widow, has recently come into a fortune. She has decided that she wants no more drama in her life. She was raised in drama–an alcoholic father who drove them into the workhouse, a frail mother she had to nurse until her death, a fussy old lady she became constant companion to. No, she wants to take her money and find peace, to travel, to learn art, to sit back and fondly remember her brief but happy marriage to her late husband. And then Ian Mackenzie decides he wants her. Daughter of the BloodDaughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop is $2.99! This is the first book in The Black Jewels series and was recommended in our Inner Goth Rec League. Ellen notes that this series deserves all of the content warnings. I know for many readers this was a formative series for their fantasy reading. What are your thoguhts? The Dark Kingdom is preparing itself for the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy–the arrival of a new Queen, a Witch who will wield more power than even the High Lord of Hell himself. But this new ruler is young, and very susceptible to influence and corruption; whoever controls her controls the Darkness. And now, three sworn enemies begin a ruthless game of politics and intrigue, magic and betrayal, and the destiny of an entire world is at stake. Never-Contented ThingsRECOMMENDED: Never-Contented Things by Sarah Porter is $2.99! This is a rather dark YA fantasy that Carrie graded an A-: My day was very productive until I picked up Never-Contented Things, planning to read just a few pages.That concluded the day’s productivity. I’m not saying that this book is perfect but I am sure as heck saying that it is gripping. This is NOT a romance. It’s really good YA Urban Fantasy/Fae Horror, with a really good fledgling romance in it. A new YA standalone novel about dark faeries with surefire appeal by Sarah Porter, the critically-acclaimed author of Vassa in the Night and When I Cast Your Shadow. Prince and his fairy courtiers are staggeringly beautiful, unrelentingly cruel, and exhausted by the tedium of the centuries—until they meet foster-siblings Josh and Ksenia. Drawn in by their vivid emotions, undying love for each other, and passion for life, Prince will stop at nothing to possess them. First seduced and then entrapped by the fairies, Josh and Ksenia learn that the fairies’ otherworldly gifts come at a terrible price—and they must risk everything in order to reclaim their freedom. A Memory Called EmpireA Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine is $2.99! It’s the first book in a new sci-fi series and we had Arkady on the podcast. The episode focuses on narratology and I found it fascination. Did you listen to this episode? The book has impressive 4.2-star rating on Goodreads. Ambassador Mahit Dzmare arrives in the center of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire only to discover that her predecessor, the previous ambassador from their small but fiercely independent mining Station, has died. But no one will admit that his death wasn’t an accident–or that Mahit might be next to die, during a time of political instability in the highest echelons of the imperial court. Now, Mahit must discover who is behind the murder, rescue herself, and save her Station from Teixcalaan’s unceasing expansion–all while navigating an alien culture that is all too seductive, engaging in intrigues of her own, and hiding a deadly technological secret–one that might spell the end of her Station and her way of life–or rescue it from annihilation. The post Anne Bishop, Recommended Fantasy, & More appeared first on NeedaBook. via Need a Book – NeedaBook https://ift.tt/39CYxc6 NB: This week, we’re taking a look back at some of our favorite and our most popular pieces of writing this year. We’ve got a week of best-of posts to share, with reviews, cover snark, sales, and more. We hope you enjoy revisiting our archives, and most of all, we wish you and yours a wonderful holiday and a happy new year – with all the very best of reading. … These are the top five Cover Snark posts of 2019! I’m not sure if it was this year or really last year, but we upped the Cover Snarkage. Instead of once a month, we started doing it twice a month. There is never a shortage of covers to snark and these collections in particular were quite popular. Let’s see which Snarks reign supreme. 5. Cover Snark Bingo (June 10) One cover in particular really nails all the usual suspects we’ve come to expect in a good Cover Snark. Bad photoshop. Several distracting font choices. A lake of fire? Best reader comment is from PamG: Alpha’s Concubine is not actually a romance but rather a YA dystopian novel about the consequences of rampant, outta control fracking.
4. Cover Snark: Return of the Mullet (July 8) One hero’s cover mullet cred is called into question, while another reveals the ability to levitate off a staircase. But the true winner of this snark is the magical face seen in one lucky man’s torso. Best reader comment is from Ren Benton: I assume the last one is a paranormal because that’s the face of a vampire bat (which is not one of the more attractive bats—sorry your man doesn’t turn into a flying doggo who wraps himself in a stylish leather cape to hang out).
3. Cover Snark: Chainmail, But Make It Fashion (February 11) We may have reached the peak of cover snark fashion, with a man in a hoodie paired with a woman who has some chainmail elegantly draped over one shoulder. Watch out, Vogue! Best reader comment is from cbackson (who became a staff reviewer for us this year!): I STRONGLY encourage you to read the Amazon page for the Haunting of the Hockomock Swamp (especially the “from the author” note). There’s a lot of WTF going on here: “Perhaps when your children are haunted and plagued by a mysterious illness, it is not a result of biology or science but a vengeful spirit of the past using your children as a medium for the truth.”
2. Cover Snark: Wait, How Many Babies? (July 29) This Snark is full of medical mysteries. We have a man with a missing belly button. There’s a woman who had a “sextuplet baby surprise.” And, a woman who may be seconds around from strangling the hero with her own legs. Best reader comment is from Lisa F: I’m trying to imagine having enough energy to date around after having six infants puking and peeing on me all day. Oh Romance.
1. Cover Snark: Dr. Nips, Private Practice (August 12) The Dr. Nips category of romance covers is probably one of my favorite phrases we’ve coined on the site. It’s truly the gift that keeps on giving with seemingly endless covers to snark. Best reader comment is from Another Kate: I’m very worried about Dr. Nips… I have a working knowledge of musculoskeletal anatomy (a Physical Therapy degree will do that) and the layers of his abdominal muscles are all wrong. He really ought to see one of his colleagues about that.
And that’s our top five! What do you think? Did you have any Cover Snark favorites this year? The post Cover Snark: Best of 2019 appeared first on NeedaBook. via Need a Book – NeedaBook https://ift.tt/2QauC3h Stormy PersuasionStormy Persuasion by Johanna Lindsey is $1.99 at Amazon and $2.99 elsewhere! Readers loved the opposites attract element of this historical romance, while others found the plot to be a little all over the place. It looks like a few other of Lindsey’s books are discounted. James Malory sets sail for America to honor a promise he made to his in-laws: His and Georgina’s daughter, Jacqueline, will have her come-out in America. Judith and Jacqueline Malory are not simply cousins; they are inseparable best friends. Refusing to miss Jacqueline’s come-out in Connecticut, Judith convinces her parents to let her delay her London debut by a few weeks so she can accompany her cousin. Neither girl intends to fall in love during her first Season. But Judith’s plans are overturned when aboard ship she comes face-to-face with the ghost who has been haunting her dreams. Unknown to the Malorys, deckhand Nathan Tremayne is a smuggler with a noose around his neck. Determined to carry out a covert mission in America that could gain him a pardon, Nathan senses that beautiful Judith Malory is trouble. Somehow the minx knows his secret—and now she’s blackmailing him into doing her bidding. While passions can soar on the high seas, Nathan knows this aristocratic beauty is merely amusing herself with a scoundrel like him. When the unthinkable happens in Connecticut and the elder Malorys’ hands are tied, Nathan takes command of a dire situation. Captaining his own ship, he turns the tables on Judith, as he steers them into some intense Caribbean heat where he will fight with all his mettle to win the right to her heart. The Scotsman Who Swept Me AwayThe Scotsman Who Swept Me Away by Hannah Howell is $1.99! This is an American historical romance with a Scottish hero. It also came out this August. Readers say this is a slow burn romance, but felt the lack of conflict keeping the main couple apart made it feel too slow. New York Times bestselling author Hannah Howell brings the proud heart of Scotland to life in her magnificent novels. Now the seven MacEnroy brothers are about to take America by storm . . . Off the New England coast, courageous Mehitabel Ampleford wields a rifle to protect her home from a brutish band of men who are after her land. She will not be intimidated, but their attacks are growing fiercer, and just as their latest confrontation threatens violence, a bold stranger appears out of the ocean mists to send the raiders packing. Geordie MacEnroy has seen the ravages of war in his mountain town—and in the injuries suffered by his youngest brother; now, his restless soul is calling him to find sanctuary by the sea. His long journey to the beautiful coastline of his adopted homeland feels like a new beginning as lovely Mehitabel, so wise and self-sufficient, offers blessed hope for healing his brother’s wounds. Geordie envisions a beautiful life with her as his bride, but a woman who has fought so fearlessly for her home may not willingly surrender all for his love. Pirates, Passion, & PlunderPirates, Passion, & Plunder is 99c on Amazon! This is an anthology of seventeen novellas featuring pirates. It looks like the average page count is around 90 pages or so per story. If you want even more pirate romances, there is another anthology with a slightly higher page count per book. I think these sets are related since they have a few authors in common and the were released the same day. Warning : Bodices will be ripped! What’s a lady to do when she’s boarded by ruthless brigands and barbarous buccaneers, kidnapped on the lawless High Seas? Stripped to the skin by piercing eyes. Prepare for hair-raising shenanigans. Discover seventeen wicked historical romances, in ‘Pirates, Passion and Plunder’ All Souls TrilogyThe All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness is $1.99! This set contains a complete, finished trilogy for under $2. This trilogy seems to be rather divisive as I’ve seen comments on the site where people have love it or couldn’t make it through the first book. The All Souls Trilogy follows the story of Diana Bishop, a historian and reluctant witch, as she solves the mystery of Ashmole 782, falls in love with a mysterious vampire named Matthew Clairmont, and learns how powerful it can be to accept who you are. A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, and The Book of Life, now available in an eBook bundle With more than a million copies sold in the United States, A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night have landed on all of the major bestseller lists, garnered rave reviews, and spellbound legions of loyal fans. The post Pirates, Witches, & More appeared first on NeedaBook. via Need a Book – NeedaBook https://ift.tt/39pVRhP
Hace diez años que venimos hablando de los libros electrónicos. Al principio, de la revolución que podía suponer su aparición en contraposición a las posturas más inamovibles de la industria editorial. Luego, de las ventajas que podía suponer para un autor saltarse la cadena tradicional de distribución. También, de la democratización de la publicación, ya que no existía la presión editorial. Después de diez años, los libros electrónicos siguen sin desbancar a los libros en papel. Y cada vez parece más difícil que lo hagan. Estados Unidos es el mercado referente del ebook, claro. Ahí aparece de manera masiva por primera vez, tiene a Amazon como motor indiscutible de todo el negocio, y, en un primer momento, el crecimiento del mercado parecía imparable. Hoy día, se ha estabilizado en un 20% de las ventas totales, que comparte con los libros en papel y los audiolibros. La tendencia parece estable, apenas está cambiando, y es la que se aprecia en otros países. Todos los que vaticinaron la muerte del libro tradicional, tienen que aceptar la realidad: todavía falta mucho para que llegue ese día, si llega. No existe un motivo único para esta situación, probablemente sea una conjunción de pequeños detalles que se van acumulando. Hay mucha gente que no quiere leer en dispositivos de pantalla, pese a que la calidad de estos haya aumentado mucho en los últimos años. Otros leen de manera tan esporádica que ni se lo plantean. Y los que regalan libros, lo harán casi siempre en papel: el formato físico es el formato físico. Luego, claro, está el tema de que cuando compras un ebook, no lo estás comprando de verdad, como descubrió toda la gente que había adquirido libros electrónicos en la tienda de Microsoft… Cuando esta cerró, se quedaron sin libros. Porque lo que compras es el derecho al uso, no la propiedad. Ojo con esto. El DRM es otra limitación que sigue presente en la mayoría de los libros y que entronca con el punto anterior. No puedes prestar ebooks con facilidad, algunos necesitan programas específicos para su lectura, o incluso dispositivos concretos. Ha pasado una década y muy poca gente de la industria ha cedido. Eso sí, saltarse el DRM es tan fácil que muchos usuarios casi ni se dan cuenta al hacerlo. Los autores independientes han tratado de aprovechar el primer auge del ebook y, con la ayuda de la promoción que tanto necesita Amazon y otras tiendas, sí que es cierto que han logrado un cierto éxito. Tantos, que se pueden contar con los dedos de una mano, de la misma manera que en el circo industrial tradicional. Y, que me perdonen, lejos del estándar de calidad que se conseguía con un buen editor hace veinte años. Lo cierto es que ni en lo tradicional ni en lo digital estamos cerca ya de la excelencia. Sin embargo, hay un grupo de gente que sí usa los ebooks con insistencia. Suelen ser, además, grandes lectores. De eso no hay duda, los lectores de libros electrónicos suponen una minoría muy activa, que sustenta nada más y nada menos que ese 20% de ventas totales, que es, no nos engañemos, una auténtica barbaridad. Por otro lado, el mercado de papel sigue subiendo, a un ritmo minúsculo, pero no decae, más allá de las cifras derivadas de la crisis económica, que también sufre el ebook. Entonces, ¿llegará en algún momento el reinado del ebook? Parece complicado a corto plazo y difícil a medio. Quizá cuando las condiciones ambientales del planeta sean tan complicadas que la producción de la pulpa de papel se convierta en un verdadero problema económico (ya ha estado a punto en un par de ocasiones en los últimos cinco años) la diferencia de precio se convierta en algo tan sustancial que parezca imposible sustraerse a ella. Por lo demás, las ventajas y desventajas del ebook llevan ya diez años encima de la mesa. Pocas sorpresas le quedan por enseñarnos. The post ¿Llegará alguna vez el dominio del libro electrónico? appeared first on NeedaBook. via Need a Book – NeedaBook https://ift.tt/2ZAj3p0 “The cities and the economies we have,” Jane Jacobs observed, “have been created by ordinary people who didn’t have to have a big plan. It is good to remember in the culture that ordinary people can do these things and still do them.” Public-private enclaves and supertall towers are antithetical to that vision. The more a city gives over its organically evolved urban fabric to this kind of development, the more it diminishes the human-scale, bricks-and-mortar substance of the real city. The fate of 270 Park exemplifies how the real estate interests hold the city captive and foist on us Singapore-style, glass-and-steel mega-buildings.
The post How New York Is Zoning Out the Human-Scale City appeared first on NeedaBook. via Need a Book – NeedaBook https://ift.tt/2F7RDNL NB: This week, we’re taking a look back at 2019. We’ve got a week of best-of posts to share, with reviews, cover snark, sales, and more. We hope you enjoy revisiting our archives, and most of all, we wish you and yours a wonderful holiday and a happy new year – with all the very best of reading. … We have arrived to the official top five! Are you ready? I’ll give you a few minutes to place any last minute bets into the betting pool at which books are listed below. Aside from that, I want to get a little mushy and say thank you to all the readers who visit the site every day. Whether you’ve been here for a couple months or nearly all of our fifteen years on the internet, we so appreciate you being here. The community wouldn’t the same without your suggestions, you engagement, and of course, your book recommendations. Top five, here we go! … 5. Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean (July 29) Review by Carrie Grade: A This book is funny, sexy, and empathetic towards its characters. It does tend towards the melodramatic so readers will have to decide if melodrama is a feature or a bug. The supporting characters are wonderful (or infuriating, depending on which character we are speaking of). The ambience is flawless. It’s also notable that neither Hattie nor Whit are members of the aristocracy. Hattie’s family is rich, but her father is a businessman, after all, and Whit’s background is best referred to as “complicated.” I will re-read this book many times, but first I have to read the previous book in the series! …
4. The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare (August 13) Review by Carrie Grade: A- The Wallflower Wager delivered many things I love with humor, pathos, and sexy times. It involves a woman who loves everything and everyone and a Very Bad Man who is helpless against her powers. It also involves animal rescue. While there are some structural flaws and the pace of the character revelations bothered me, I ate it up. … This is a lovely book about two unseen people who see each other. It’s also a good book about the evils of home repair and the horror of realizing that your rescue parrot was rescued from a brothel and learned interesting words there. It’s fun, it has pathos, there are clothes both hilariously awful and droolingly lovely, it contains found family, and it has plentiful humor. A keeper, for sure. …
3.The Bride Test by Helen Hoang (May 6) Review by Amanda Grade: A- The Bride Test is very much a Cinderella story. It’s tender and so flippin’ sweet. As a book that I was really looking forward to since finishing The Kiss Quotient, it didn’t disappoint. Granted, there were more things that might bug some readers, but I loved this one even more than The Kiss Quotient. I didn’t even think that was possible. … The Bride Test is so beautiful and Hoang was right when she said it was impossible not to love Esme. She’s tenacious and battles against her fear of failure, of judgement, and of her own self-doubt, to become this confident and self-assured woman. This Bride Test has only solidified my love for Hoang’s romances; they are truly a gift to the genre. …
2. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (May 14) Review by Amanda Grade: C+ I so loved a majority of The Unhoneymooners: the humor, the banter, all the fun exciting things Olive and Ethan get to do! Their gradual dislike to like to love trajectory felt real and natural; I’m sure the fact they had ten gorgeous days in Maui had nothing to do with it. Where the book stuttered for me was the abrupt shift from bliss to THE SHIT HAS HIT THE FAN. The fallout was so awful for Olive and I wasn’t seeing what everyone else was, that she was cynical and angry and bitter. That wasn’t the heroine I had been reading. …
1. Sweet Agony by Charlotte Stein (January 14) Review by Elyse Grade: Squee We have a recluse hero with an unbearably sexy voice and impressive lexicon, we have a Gothic mansion, and we have lots of sexy times that turn into something poignant. More than that, we have a Dom hero who feels nuanced and creates Scenes that are entirely about the heroine. I don’t think I’ve read much erotica where the sex scenes are infused with adoration and love, but this book does that and does it so well. I don’t think Sweet Agony will be for everyone. Some people might not like the hero very much or will find the erotic content too intense, but it was absolutely perfect for me. … What did you think of our top five? Were your guesses correct? The post Best of 2019 Reviews, Part Two! appeared first on NeedaBook. via Need a Book – NeedaBook https://ift.tt/354SWaT Happy Hanukkah, 2019! Tonight is the final night of Hanukkah! Time to clean the wax off the menorot, finish off the latkes, and possibly make smores with all that heat from the candles. And, it means we have one last giveaway. Ready? Let’s do this! Today’s prize is: a Kate Spade Ellie Small tote in Anthracite. I have to tell you, I liked this bag so much I bought one for myself, and I really, really love it. It’s shiny and silver, it’s very lightweight, it stands up on its own, and it has a nifty zipper pocket on the side of the larger zipper for my phone. I hope you like it just as much! Of course I have pics! Hot diggity, a top view. You can see the second zipper in this picture: I love that feature. Want some specs?
Want to enter? Yay! Just leave a comment telling us the book you discovered here this year that you’re most happy to have read! Standard disclaimers apply: I am not being compensated for this giveaway. Void where prohibited. Open to international residents where permitted by applicable law. Must be over 18 and open to the consumption of still more latkes, and possibly also some bubbly because why not? Not responsible for how much you like the zipper on the top of the bag because I’m not kidding that it’s superbly nifty. Comments will close Monday 30 December 2019 at or near 12pm ET, and winner will be announced shortly afterward. Good luck, Happy Hanukkah, and thank you for being part of Smart Bitches! The post Smart Bitches Happy Hanukkah Giveaway 2019 – Night Eight! appeared first on NeedaBook. via Need a Book – NeedaBook https://ift.tt/2SAkeTW |