Hello fellow boozie readers!

Sam’s Update:

I had a good week all in all. I wanted to avoid the St. Paddy’s nonsense in DC so I hosted my own mini weekend readathon. I was hoping for 24 in 48, but I got to 12… so it was a 12 in 48 lol.

What Sam finished this week:

• King of Fools by Amanda Foody: This is the sequel to Ace of Shades and we continue to follow our kids Enne and Levi. Holy hell was this good. I was meh about the first one but I LOVED this one. Our characters get more fleshed out, the plot twists were better, and we get angsty and non-angsty romances. I loved it. Review to come soon, closer to release date.
• Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik: This is the 4th book in the Temeraire series. Talking dragons, gentleman’s honor, etc. I didn’t like this one as much as the others, but the end though. THE END. So. Good.
• The Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa: I liked this much more than I thought I would. I liked the characters a lot. And the way it ended was… get this… a satisfying cliff-hanger. GASP. Linz wrote a review here.

What Sam’s reading now:

• The Defiant Heir by Melissa Caruso: I’m literally in chapter one. But I’ve been trying to finish up series that i’m in the middle of that are already out. I finished The Tethered Mage last year. I believe I have a review… yep. Here.
• Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik: This is the 5th book in the Temeraire series. Fortunately, this audio was available as soon as I finished the previous one and I was cooking so I needed something to listen to. Picks up some time after the 4th one left off.

Ginny’s Update:

Well, I didn’t get much reading done during the week but I fucking crushed some books this weekend.  I mean, yeah, one was a novella and one was middle grade but I still read a lot this week (sorry Sam for making you find so many pictures….). 

Currently Reading:

• Hold Me by Courtney Milan: I wasn’t lying about the romance novel kick.  This is a sequel to the one I just read by Courtney Milan, this book stars Maria who is Tina (from the first book’s) best friend who runs an apocalypse blog and absolutely loathes Jay, her brothers best friend.  She also has a long time commenter that’s she’s pretty into, one guess as to who it is… 
• Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta:  This is a book I’m reading for a book club.  Gonna be honest, I’m not very far into it, but it’s a book I’ve heard a lot about so I’m looking forward to telling you what I think. (Sidenote, goodreads is telling me I’ve already read it… Welp, guess who is still gonna have to skim it)

• The List by Patricia Forde:This was a pretty solid read, very reminiscent of the Giver, it’s a middle grade book (I assume) so I could give some of the more obvious twists and turns. Letta was a good character in that she grows to think for herself and fights for what she thinks is right.  For more info, Parker wrote a review.  (see it here) 3.5/5
• An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire: OMG I love Seanan McGuire’s books so much.  I know I’ve said that I’m not huge into Urban Fantasy, and that’s still true (I feel things tend to need to be life or death at all times and that can be a bit frustrating) but this book was by far the best in the series so far.  Toby Daye goes to fight the proverbial boogeyman.  This is a book that could have ended in three different places if Toby wasn’t so damn noble, but nope, if she’s working a job she’s going to see it through.  My favorite characters made a return; Tybalt, the king of cats, Quentin, the quasi-awkward teenager who follows Toby around.  And holy crap do I have some new favorites too! 5/5
• Once Ghosted Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole: Believe it or not, my biggest complaint is that I needed this to be longer.  Likotsi (from the first book in this series) has a novella of her own that explains her attitude in the first book.  I adore the way that Alyssa Cole fleshes out this universe she has created.  There are things going on in the background and it feels like she has thought out everything. Likotsi and Fab had a whirlwind romance set during A Prince In Theory, which is abruptly cut off for reasons.  This picks up 7 months later when they have a chance meeting and can’t fight their own magnetism.  4/5 but only because it was too short.
• The Lost Plot by Genevieve Cogman: Ugh, I’m digging this series so much.  I’m hoping I can knock out a post on this one so I don’t want to give too much away.

Melinda’s Update:

What Melinda is reading now:

Beach time! Great opportunity to finish what I’ve been reading and start something(s) new. What was the last thing you read at the beach?

What Melinda read this week:

• Vengeful by V.E. Schwab – I was really enjoying this book and SO excited to see how it ended, and then… well it had an ending. It was a bit of a let down, but it happens. Review pending. 

What Melinda is reading now:

• The Financial Diet: A Total Beginner’s Guide to Getting Good with Money by Chelsea Fagan – The title says it all—adulting all over the place. One of my resolutions this year was to get a handle on my finances, so figured this is could be a good first step. 
• The Charm School by Nelson DeMille – Spies, Russians, POWs, and the CIA… what more could you want? This has been on my to-read list for awhile, so planning to start on our road trip home.

Linz’s Update:

What Linz read:

• Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal: HIGHLY recommend. A young Indian-British woman signs up to teach a creative writing course at a Punjabi community center in London, and after a series of miscommunications, ends up with a group of Sikh widows who want to write some sexy creative stories. It’s funny, endearing, emotional, takes some great plot turns, and frankly, a piece of modern fiction I ended up loving.
• What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera: Didn’t love but I’m also not the intended audience. Two gay teens, Ben and Arthur, who are VERY different, meet-cute in a New York post office. Complicated teen romance and drama ensue. 

What Linz is currently reading:

• King of Fools by Amanda Foody: I had to put this one aside for a bit because I’m in feast mode with the library loans right now *hysterical laugh**frantic hand flapping*
• For A Muse of Fire by Heidi Heilig: I started reading this yesterday and I’m just having a really hard time getting into it. I actually tried to read another book by her recently and I think her books just might not be for me–there’s a LOT of telling, not showing, and I’m having a hard time with the world building. I strongly suspect I won’t finish it, especially when I want to knock out King of Fools
• Looker by Laura Sims: I REALLY want to finish King of Fools, but it’s got some formatting issues (it’s an ARC), so it’s hard to read when I’m working out, so I started this ebook today. I liked the premise–a woman set adrift by her inability to conceive (and subsequent divorce) becomes increasingly obsessed with a celebrity neighbor and her family–so I hopped on the waitlist immediately when it came out earlier this year. I GUARANTEE someone will try to tell me this is the 2019 Gone Girl; I don’t hate it, but I’m like 40% of the way in and wondering when the real action is gonna start.

Until next time, we remain forever drunkenly yours,

Sam, Melinda, Linz, and Ginny