Book 7 The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzie Lee fulfilled the category “Book with a Character on the Ace Spectrum” for the PopSugar 2022 Reading Challenge. Ace stands for asexual. I’m so glad the LGBTQA+ designation was included this year.

The Lady’s Guide is Book Two in the Montague Siblings series. This might be considered a duology, but the books have two different main characters. Felicity is a side character in the first book. I’m not sure how the author will do a third in the series, as the youngest brother is only about two years old. But I digress.

In this novel, Felicity Montague, a gentleman’s daughter, is trapped by social and political conventions of the late 1700s. Like her brother before her, Felicity has ideas, wants, and needs that do not conform to their society’s. Monty wanted to be with a man (his true love), and Felicity wants to be a doctor.

The first novel took us on Monty’s adventures with Felicity in tow. In her story, she goes alone into the world to try to convince hospitals and doctors of her worth to study medicine. Like her brother, her adventure takes her all over the map of Europe. Finally, in the Mediterranean, a touch of magical realism rears its head.

Unlike the first volume, this is not a romance, but it kinda is, though… Felicity receives a proposal from a male baker early in the book. She turns him down (indirectly as she never goes back to his shop) because she wants to pursue her dream of being a doctor. Later in the story, a woman tries to romance Felicity. Throughout the novel, Felicity states she does not enjoy touching, and that romance and love do not have a place in her life. But she knows she’s lonely. She realizes she needed more fraternal/sisterly love than romantic. She ends up happy. So yes, it is a romance!

I loved how Felicity knew who she was. She knew she did not wish to get married and have children. Nor did she want to live a secret life in love with someone of the same sex. Nor did she want any type of physical or romantic relationship with anyone. It wasn’t just that she turned these things down. She knew it was not in her nature to pursue such things. She didn’t feel weird or awkward about her true self. She accepted it. The best part was those who really loved her—her brother, her friends, even the woman romancing her—accepted Felicity for who she was. If only the modern world could be so accepting!

I also found it very interesting how different the first book is from the second. We romance authors are chided constantly about heat levels in our books. We have to always be sweet (no sex) or be hot. In these two books, we had a gentleman who was gay and pansexual. His libido had a hard time fitting in the room. In contrast, we have Felicity, the complete opposite in her opinions and nature about sex. Both books are great reads. I like that the author chose LGBDQA+ as her “category” rather than worrying about the heat level. I would’ve been sorely missed not to hear Felicity’s story.

I give The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzie Lee Five Letters of Recommendation from the Medical Board.

 

 

Book 6 The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

 

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab fulfilled the category “Book with a Constellation on the Cover or in the Title” for the PopSugar 2022 Reading Challenge. Again, I read multiple books for the category. I can’t seem to help myself.

I read the wonderful, enlightening, beautiful novel Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. The story had so much fantastic teenage angst and drama. The characters were real, and as teens, both lovable and frustrating. I enjoyed every moment of this story.

But…

There’s no constellation on the cover. There are stars, but nothing specific. Therefore, it did not fit the category.

Arg.

Go read it, anyway. It’s a lovely tale of two lonely soles realizing they love each other.

Instead, I grabbed The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. I’d originally chosen this title as a BookTok recommendation. The main character has an actual constellation of freckles on her nose. So it seemed fitting. Addie LaRue wishes to escape her predictable, dictated life and be free to live as she chooses. Unfortunately, the wrong god grants her wish. Instead of freedom, she is cursed. Now she can live any way she chooses, forever. The only problem is no one remembers her.

Ever.

Others forget her as soon as they leave the room. Addie has no way of making a mark on the world, nor being a part of anyone’s life. Good thing she’s smart and clever and discovers loopholes in her curse. For hundreds of years, Addie finds a way to get her image into art or re-meet and fall in love with people. Until the one day, a boy remembers her, and her entire universe changes.

It’s a good thing Addie is the stubbornest character I’ve ever met. She uses her sheer force of will to get her through these long years and never gives up or submits to the dark god. She works, plays, and lives. Which was the point of her wish—to live. Could you imagine a life where no one knew you? Where you couldn’t write or draw? Where the same people you see every day have no recollection of you? I’d go mad in about two weeks!

I won’t spoil the ending, though I’ll mention it’s not a romance. And you all know what that means. BUT the ending is great and satisfying.

My only complaint about the book is about its structure. Ms. Schwab takes a very long time to tell the tale. In the middle of the novel, we switch to Henry’s story. I have no problem with bringing in new characters, into hearing their story, but 200 pages in? I feel like much of the beginning of the book is backstory. But that’s just me.

I give The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab Five Renaissance Paintings with a particular girl in the background.

 

Book 5 Arsenic and Adobo

 

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala fulfilled the category “Book with a Recipe” for the PopSugar 2022 Reading Challenge. This one had the recipes at the end of the book, instead of the middle. They were much easier to find. As an audiobook person, I could skip listening to the lengthy descriptions of ingredients and baking times.

Once again, I read multiple titles for the category. The Hannah Swenson culinary mystery, Cherry Cheesecake Murder, seemed rather dry and repetitive. Not that I don’t like the series, I do. They are great for a quick, comfort story, but not for the blog. I also checked out Dial A for Aunties. I liked this book, except (SPOILER) the heroine and her aunties kill someone. They are completely negligent, and a man dies. I couldn’t stomach that. Cozy mysteries mains are not supposed to commit murder. I started Lemon Tart until the author dissed romance books. (She had her heroine say she read romance books before she was a real woman.) I returned that one immediately.

But Arsenic and Adobo filled the bill for the prompt nicely. In this cozy, Lila moves home to help her aunties run the family restaurant. Her ex, the town food critic, visits and dies right in the restaurant! Lila must find out what happened, clear her name, and get their business back on its feet.

I loved the wonderful culture in the novel. (Dial A for Aunties had fabulous culture too, but murder by the protagonist so…) In Arsenic and Adobo, the author took her time describing all the amazing food available in town and the heroine’s home. Some critics complained that there was too much food love, but it’s a culinary mystery! What do you expect? Our heroine had to eat at almost all the diners, restaurants, bakeries, food carts in town. Each meal was divine. I could smell all the savory ingredients. (I gained only three pounds though, phew.)

I read so many cozies, and it was nice to have a unique voice, different culture, original characters in a mystery. Most of the cozies I’ve delved into are from white American or British culture. I loved the diverse characters and learned something new. (By the way, Lila and her family are Filipinos.)

Ms. Manansala gets the story right. The pacing, the red herring, the suspense are perfect, not to mention the humor. I loved this book from beginning to end!

I give Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala Five Little Sausage Doggies.

 

 

Book 4 The Warehouse

 

The Warehouse by Rob Hart fulfilled the category “A Social Horror Book” for the PopSugar 2022 Reading Challenge. If this novel doesn’t speak about modern times, I don’t know what will.

The Warehouse centers on the premise that one company, one man, has completely dominated the American market, government, and society. The business, The Cloud, is not only a place to work but somewhere to live and socialize. Employees reside in the warehouses, working six days a week at a gut-wrenching pace to supply goods to the world. (I’m sure nobody heard Amazon there.)

Due to some horrible societal disasters (not COVID, but violence), people never leave their houses and must have all their goods delivered by drone from Cloud. The company has become so “essential” to American society and safety that it can influence the government. By the time the book events take place, the company owns us—heart and soul.

What a scary story!

It is so plausible. In the past two years, most Americans have been stuck in their homes, unable or afraid to venture out due to COVID-19. I’m right there with them. I have ordered more things from online retailers in the last 24 months than in my entire life. Even groceries can be delivered. I can order anything from the internet and am happy to hide in my cocoon.

This book extrapolates on our pandemic lockdown, imagining we’ve given these retailers power over our lives. The company reverts to the mining town society of the nineteenth century. Workers must live at the warehouse, use Cloud money, and because of environmental disasters, cannot leave the place. Could we end up here if we aren’t careful?

I worry with the love of capitalism in this country, we are headed down an ugly road. With these billionaires as head of many industries and people dependent on their companies for a living and supplies, are we giving them too much power?

In high school, I took a class called History of the Future. We read 1984, Brave New World, Walden 2, Foundation, and others. The Warehouse would be a perfect book for that class. Students could discuss how commercialism and fear-manipulate society and the public into something twisted and dark. It would also generate great “history” lessons on the COVID pandemic and the changes it caused.

To read the novel now with the dependence on internet shopping and billionaires hitting the 160 billion mark, it was SCARY. I recommend everyone read the novel and start a discussion about local and small business shopping and get our universe closer to where we were a few years ago.

End of rant. (Sorry.)

I give The Warehouse by Rob Hart Five Self-Aware Drones bringing you sunglasses.