Bookish Thoughts: Jolene, by Mercedes Lackey

I bought Jolene by Mercedes Lackey because of an ear worm. Everytime I saw the book, I heard Dolly Parton singing her song. Every time. I happen to really like a Lackey book, too, so… I snapped it up

Lately I’ve been loving her dedications. Like to the point of buying a book entirely based on the dedication. This one happens to be in memory of the indomitable RBG. Ms. Lackey has a new part of the Herald series out and that one was an effing mic drop worthy of gold. (I kind of wish we gave awards out just for that!)

Jolene is part of the Elemental Masters Series but works well on its own. It takes place in America whereas most of the others in the series (if not all) take place in England.

Now, I can be a little slow on the uptake. My family loves it because it makes me a prime target for pranking. I didn’t get much of the Dolly song during reading most of them book because I was so hooked into the book. Totally ignoring the thematic hooks that tied back to the song. I was immersed. But when the literal payoff came I screamed! It was wonderful! And after finishing the book, I got it. So yes, the earworm source is throughout the book but does not detract in any way.

A couple of notes on the book: number one is that it is dialect heavy. Not a sprinkling but completely true. It didn’t really bother me once I got into it, however it can be hard to read for some.

The second thing is that.. poor Anna May! She got Wendy’d by Jolene. Jolene is not the main character yet the title is her name (which, ok I get based on the novel) but also… Anna May is not on the cover. Her love interest is. Jolene is. But Anna May? Nope. I feel for Anna May and Wendy– there stories while awesome kind of get hijacked.

This was definitely a 4.5 ring book. Lots of phone calls while I was reading on break!

Book Talk: Christmas Romance

There is nothing quite as refreshing as a Christmas Romance novel. They are holly and jolly and just break in the season so well.

I read my first Christmas Romance of the season on Halloween.

Yup.

It may have been a bad year.

It was a great little book, one in the Beach Street Bakery series. I had only come to this series on my first or second forray back into print books and it was the second book in the series (Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery). I saw the Christmas entry into the series and had to go for it. I meant to save it but… saving didn’t happen.

A review also didn’t happen. Mainly because i was embarassed I started out the season so soon. But I ripped right through it. No holds barred. A couple of days at most from start to finish.

I just finished my second Christmas romance, called The Christmas Wedding Guest by Susan Mallery. Ripped right through it. And I noticed something. Something that happened every single time I went on break at work.

A little back story. I answer phones at work, and I’m able to take the phone with me when I go out to my car to read for a few minutes. I answer the phones on my breaks– it doesn’t happen often and frankly it’s easier for me to talk to the customers. Unless I’m in the middle of a book that has sucked me in completely and I’m already reluctant to go back to work after my break (just let me stay and read! please!). EVERY SINGLE TIME I’m in the grip of a book, the phone will ring. Every single break. Lunch, too.

It happened so much I debated starting a new rating method— rings. As in phone rings. As in I got 4 phone calls! 1 each break and 2 on lunch and that’s just bull puckey when you’re trying to read a good book!

I raced home and was able to finish it and with the Wedding Guest story I actually got 2 happy endings AND a Christmas Wedding so all’s well that ends well!

What’s your secret life is hard and i need something to make me feel better type of book?

Reading Log: All Adults Here by Emma Straub

All Adults here by Emma Straub was one of those books where I’m not sure where I sit in regards to it. I read it all and enjoyed it to some degree, but it wasn’t one of my favorite reads. The way I can tell is in how fast I read, and this one took a bit to get through.

Part of it is the tone of the book. While it does have some funny bits, such as Porter coming to the realization that “Doing stupid things didn’t have to be wasted on the young,” the book is a quiet, literary type of funny. Or maybe just a quieter book.

A lot of my lagging in the reading speed might have been that most of the novel relied on people… not Adulting. Communication is KEY PEOPLE! There were a couple of times when I wanted strangle Porter— or throw the book across the room. The actual teenager in the book shows more compassion and understand and just general adulting than her parents and some of the other “adults” in the novel. Again. Is the point of the book more than likely…. but….. wow.

Sometimes a girl needs to take a break from the book she’s reading. Those breaks may or may not include Redditt. (I don’t do Facebook much anymore.) Sometimes I read the articles on Google. This doesn’t happen with every book, and it doesn’t mean the book is bad. It just means that I needed a break of all the not adulting the adults were doing in All Adults Here, by Emma Straub.