Another year’s reading goal has been crushed! I aimed to read 34 books and I actually read 38. My goal for 2022 is 36 books, so I hopefully hit that, too. If you’re looking for your next read or some reading inspiration, I’ve got you covered. Ready? 

All 2021 Recent Reads | All Recent Reads posts | All books posts

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American Duchess: A Novel of Consuelo Vanderbilt – “Just 18, the beautiful bride has not only arrived late, but in tears, yet her marriage to the aloof Duke of Marlborough proceeds. Bullied into the wedding by her indomitable mother, Alva, Consuelo loves another. But a deal was made, trading some of the vast Vanderbilt wealth for a title and prestige, and Consuelo, bred to obey, realizes she must make the best of things. At Blenheim Palace, Consuelo is confronted with an overwhelming list of duties, including producing an ‘heir and a spare,’ but her relationship with the duke quickly disintegrates. Consuelo finds an inner strength, charming everyone from debutantes to diplomats including Winston Churchill, as she fights for women’s suffrage. And when she takes a scandalous leap, can she hope to attain love at last…?” (x).

Eh, this was fine. Considering what Consuelo Vanderbilt’s life was like, this novel didn’t live up to the real life woman. It’s fine if you’re vaguely interested and are going to be only half-listening (which is what I did), but it’s nowhere near the best book in this post. 

2021 Recent Reads: July-September

Heresy – “OXFORD, 1583. A PLACE OF LEARNING. AND MURDEROUS SCHEMES. England is rife with plots to assassinate Queen Elizabeth and return the country to the Catholic faith. Defending the realm through his network of agents, the Queen’s spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham works tirelessly to hunt down all traitors. His latest recruit is Giordano Bruno, a radical thinker fleeing the Inquisition, who is sent undercover to Oxford to expose a Catholic conspiracy. But he has his own secret mission at the University — one that must remain hidden at all costs. When a series of hideous murders ruptures close-knit college life, Bruno is compelled to investigate. And what he finds makes it brutally clear that the Tudor throne itself is at stake!” (x)

Is this interesting? Sure. Is it the most interesting or the most well-written book in this post? No. There are better historical fiction novels, and better mystery novels, in this post than this book. So, to me, it’s definitely a borrow-from-the-library type of book and not a buy-a-copy book. It’s also only going to really fit or work for people who are interested in historical fiction AND mystery. 

2021 Recent Reads: April-June

Ayesha at Last – “​​Ayesha Shamsi has a lot going on. Her dreams of being a poet have been set aside for a teaching job so she can pay off her debts to her wealthy uncle. She lives with her boisterous Muslim family and is always being reminded that her flighty younger cousin, Hafsa, is close to rejecting her one hundredth marriage proposal. Though Ayesha is lonely, she doesn’t want an arranged marriage. Then she meets Khalid, who is just as smart and handsome as he is conservative and judgmental. She is irritatingly attracted to someone who looks down on her choices and who dresses like he belongs in the seventh century. When a surprise engagement is announced between Khalid and Hafsa, Ayesha is torn between how she feels about the straightforward Khalid and the unsettling new gossip she hears about his family. Looking into the rumors, she finds she has to deal with not only what she discovers about Khalid, but also the truth she realizes about herself” (x).

This is so good! It’s a modern Muslim retelling of Pride and Prejudice. And you don’t have to like Pride and Prejudice to like this book, although if you hated Pride and Prejudice you shouldn’t read Ayesha at Last.  

2021 Recent Reads: January-March

The Vanishing Half – “The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it’s not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it’s everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Ten years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters’ story lines intersect?” (x).

This book absolutely lives up to the hype! I passed on it for a long time because I didn’t think it possibly could, but I was missing out. 

This book covers and includes a lot: 

• Racism (duh)
• Colorism
• Being trans in the 80s and 90s 
• Domestic violence 
• Family 
• And more

I powered through this book because it’s just so good. I super recommend it!

2020 Recent Reads: October-December

Daisy Jones & the Six – “Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock ’n’ roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things. Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road. Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend. The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies” (x).

I put off reading this because I didn’t think it could possibly be a good audiobook, but I was missing out. I decided to read it after a friend told me the audiobook was actually incredible, and she was definitely right. 

This book is by the same author as The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and it is just as good. I totally didn’t expect the twist towards the end! 

I’m really looking forward to the miniseries, which has the possibility of being even better than the book. I would say also that while this kind of fits into the category of historical fiction, it has a way higher appeal than to “just” people who read historical fiction. 

2020 Recent Reads: July-September

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle – “Aiden Bishop knows the rules. Evelyn Hardcastle will die every day until he can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest at Blackheath Manor. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others. With a locked-room mystery that Agatha Christie would envy, Stuart Turton unfurls a breakneck novel of intrigue and suspense” (x).

This is a super clever book, which is honestly what saved it for me. The fatphobia in this book is horrific and made me feel sick. At one point Aiden embodies someone who is a sexual sadist and, while embodying them, he almost assaults someone. If this book wasn’t so clever, I would give this 2 stars. 

2020 Recent Reads: April-June

Rose Daughter – “Once upon a time, a wealthy merchant had three daughters. When his business failed, he moved his daughters to the countryside. The youngest daughter, Beauty, is fascinated by the thorny stems of a mysterious plant that overwhelms their neglected cottage. She tends the plant until it blossoms with the most beautiful flowers the sisters have ever seen—roses. Admiring the roses, an old woman tells Beauty, ‘Roses are for love.’ And she speaks of a sorcerers’ battle many years ago that left a beast in an enchanted palace, and a curse concerning a family of three sisters . . .” (x).

This was a reread, and one that I’ve been meaning to reread for years! It was about how I remember it – good, cute, a fun retelling, but not one that I couldn’t put down, and it’s not one that made me go “Everyone has to read this.” This is by the same author who wrote one of my favorite books of all time, Spindle’s End, so in comparison it isn’t a book that stands out. Check out my review of Spindle’s End here.

2020 Recent Reads: January-March

The Huntress – “Bold and fearless, Nina Markova always dreamed of flying. When the Nazis attack the Soviet Union, she risks everything to join the legendary Night Witches, an all-female night bomber regiment wreaking havoc on the invading Germans. When she is stranded behind enemy lines, Nina becomes the prey of a lethal Nazi murderess known as the Huntress, and only Nina’s bravery and cunning will keep her alive. Transformed by the horrors he witnessed from Omaha Beach to the Nuremberg Trials, British war correspondent Ian Graham has become a Nazi hunter. Yet one target eludes him: a vicious predator known as the Huntress. To find her, the fierce, disciplined investigator joins forces with the only witness to escape the Huntress alive: the brazen, cocksure Nina. But a shared secret could derail their mission unless Ian and Nina force themselves to confront it. Growing up in post-war Boston, 17-year-old Jordan McBride is determined to become a photographer. When her long-widowed father unexpectedly comes home with a new fiancée, Jordan is thrilled. But there is something disconcerting about the soft-spoken German widow. Certain that danger is lurking, Jordan begins to delve into her new stepmother’s past – only to discover that there are mysteries buried deep in her family…secrets that may threaten all Jordan holds dear” (x).

This book is absolutely amazing! I had heard that about it, but I put off reading it because: 1) I loved The Alice Network and couldn’t image this book being at the same level and 2) I didn’t want to read a book that maybe positioned a Nazi as a good person. But it is as good as The Alice Network. And it’s important to remember that, while there were plenty of monstrous Nazis, a lot of them were normal people … which is important because we can’t associate bad behavior as only coming from horrific people. That’s what makes 1940s Nazis so bad: some of them were normal people who were swept up in the movement. 

(To be fair, if the COVID-19 pandemic has shown anything, it’s that a LOT more people are okay with eugenics that we may have known. But that’s a whole other issue.)

Anyway, all that being said, The Huntress is amazing. I listened to the audiobook and I powered through it. I love the non-Nazi characters. And if you’re a fan of romance tropes, there is the classic Marriage of Convenience trope in there. 

(PS – I’m not going to spoil the book by stating whether or not Jordan’s stepmother is one of the horrific Nazis or a normal person swept up in Nazism or a completely innocent person, but I will say that it’s a book worth reading.)  

2019 Recent Reads: October-December

Cavendon Hall – “Cavendon Hall is home to two families, the aristocratic Inghams and the Swanns who serve them. Charles Ingham, the sixth Earl of Mowbray, lives there with his wife Felicity and their six children. Walter Swann, the premier male of the Swann family, is valet to the earl. His wife Alice, a clever seamstress who is in charge of the countess’s wardrobe, also makes clothes for the four daughters. For centuries, these two families have lived side-by-side, beneath the backdrop of the imposing Yorkshire manor. Lady Daphne, the most beautiful of the Earl’s daughters, is about to be presented at court when a devastating event changes her life and threatens the Ingham name. With World War I looming, both families will find themselves tested in ways they never thought possible. Loyalties will be challenged and betrayals will be set into motion. In this time of uncertainty, one thing is sure: these two families will never be the same again” (x).

This book is incredible, especially for fans to Downton Abbey, but you should know that the inciting incident of the major plot is a rape. Do not read if you are triggered by that! 

Now that I’ve covered that, I want to say that this is the first book in a series, so there are 3 more books after this one to read. I loved this so much that I bought the second book on Audible because my library only had audiobook copies of the first and last in the series and I just had to read the next book. 

Finally, while I loved this book, if you didn’t like Downton Abbey, you’re not going to like this book.

2019 Recent Reads: July-September

Time and Chance – “​​It was medieval England’s immortal marriage—Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II, bound by passion and ambition, certain to leave a legacy of greatness. But while lust would divide them, it was friendship—and ultimately faith—that brought bloodshed into their midst. It began with Thomas Becket, Henry’s closest confidant, and his elevation to be Archbishop of Canterbury. It ended with a perceived betrayal that made a royal murder seem inevitable. Along the way were enough scheming, seductions, and scandals to topple any kingdom but their own. . .” (x).

This was a reread and it was just as good as I remember it! I love Sharon Kay Penman, and this is a classic Penman book. In fact, I liked rereading this book so much that I started rereading the book right before this one. To be clear, you do not need to read any of Sharon Kay Penman’s other books before reading this one, but When Christ and His Saints Slept ends with Henry II becoming king. (Time and Chance is book 1 in the Henry II trilogy, but it’s book 2 in the Plantagenet series.)

If you love historical fiction and you haven’t read any of Sharon Kay Penman’s books, you’re missing out. 

2019 Recent Reads: April-June

The Cavendon Women – “Cavendon Women, the stunning sequel to Barbara Taylor Bradford’s Cavendon Hall follows the Inghams’ and the Swanns’ journey from a family weekend in the summer of 1926 through to the devastation of the Wall Street crash of 1929. It all begins on a summer weekend in July of 1926 when, for the first time in years, the earl has planned a family weekend. As the family members come together, secrets, problems, joys, and sorrows are revealed. As old enemies come out of the shadows and the Swanns’ loyalty to the Ingham gets tested in ways none of them could have predicted, it’s up to the Cavendon women to band together and bring their family into a new decade, and a new way of life” (x).

This book picks up about 10 years after Cavendon Hall ends, and we meet the characters from the first book as they are all adults. I binged this book in 4 days. I think I like it more than the first book, especially as this book isn’t based around a sexual assault. 

Basically, read this if you wish Downton Abbey included more characters. It’s a really good read, but as I said with the first book, if you didn’t like Downton Abbey, you’re not going to like this.

2019 Recent Reads: January-March

A Deadly Education – “I decided that Orion Lake needed to die after the second time he saved my life. Everyone loves Orion Lake. Everyone else, that is. Far as I’m concerned, he can keep his flashy combat magic to himself. I’m not joining his pack of adoring fans. I don’t need help surviving the Scholomance, even if they do. Forget the hordes of monsters and cursed artifacts, I’m probably the most dangerous thing in the place. Just give me a chance and I’ll level mountains and kill untold millions, make myself the dark queen of the world. At least, that’s what the world expects. Most of the other students in here would be delighted if Orion killed me like one more evil thing that’s crawled out of the drains. Sometimes I think they want me to turn into the evil witch they assume I am. The school certainly does. But the Scholomance isn’t getting what it wants from me. And neither is Orion Lake. I may not be anyone’s idea of the shining hero, but I’m going to make it out of this place alive, and I’m not going to slaughter thousands to do it, either. Although I’m giving serious consideration to just one” (x). 

I got this book for Christmas and read it in 24 hours! It’s so, so good. I love the concept of it, and the follow-through is better than I expected it to be. Basically, you know how in the 2nd Harry Potter book people think Harry is the heir of Slytherin, but he isn’t? Imagine if he famously was, and everyone treated him like he was, but he tried to make choices that ensured he WOULDN’T be as prophesied.  

I want to read the next book in the trilogy, but I want to wait for the third book to be released first, as according to reviews the second book ends on a cliffhanger.  

2018 Recent Reads: October-December

Miss Moriarty, I Presume? – “A most unexpected client shows up at Charlotte Holmes’s doorstep: Moriarty himself. Moriarty fears that tragedy has befallen his daughter and wants Charlotte to find out the truth.  Charlotte and Mrs. Watson travel to a remote community of occult practitioners where Moriarty’s daughter was last seen, a place full of lies and liars. Meanwhile, Charlotte’s sister Livia tries to make sense of a mysterious message from her beau Mr. Marbleton. And Charlotte’s longtime friend and ally Lord Ingram at last turns his seductive prowess on Charlotte—or is it the other way around? But the more secrets Charlotte unravels about Miss Moriarty’s disappearance, the more she wonders why Moriarty has entrusted this delicate matter to her of all people. Is it merely to test Charlotte’s skills as an investigator, or has the man of shadows trapped her in a nest of vipers?” (x). 

This is the most recent book in the Lady Sherlock series, and it’s just as amazing as other ones. While you can read this without reading the others, you really should read the others because they’re really good. 

I love this series so much that I regularly check to see information about book 7, and I’m seriously considering starting the entire series over again even though I started reading it in 2020. (For others wondering, there will be a book 7, but Sherry Thomas is still writing it and there’s no word on release date.) 

If you like mystery and historical fiction, you must read this series. 

What have you read recently? 

Like this post? Check out: 

The Best Audiobooks I’ve Listened To, 19 Retellings of Classic Fiction You Need To Read, Advice Books To Read (That Aren’t Cheesy!), 17 Modern Classic Novels