Hello boozie readers!

Reminder:Our Will Read For Booze twitter account (formerly Sam’s personal account) is going to be dedicated to the whole blog! So go check us out kthxxxx. While that’s amazing, Sam has to start from scratch on a new account, let’s show her some love huh? Check out her new account TheBooktender_  She’ll love you forever and ever.

Linz’s Updates

A missive from the holiday front lines: Decorations are finally up, and this is the year we bake nothing and throw money at the problem. Also saw Knives Out and it was excellent. Also ate a pretzel the size of my head.

What Linz read:

• Strangers and Cousins by Leah Hager Cohen: Family and friends come together in a small New York town for a daughter’s wedding. Also there’s a group of ultra orthodox Jews moving into the town. I dunno, it was a little boring and I just don’t think the discrimination issue addressed held up for 2019? It definitely felt like a mediocre indie film – not a lot happens and you’re not really satisfied at the end.
• The Wicked Wallflower by Maya Rodale: Romance novel about a young woman who tricks a lord into a fake engagement. The writing wasn’t terrible, the romance was eh, could have definitely used some steamier sex scenes. What I’m super pissed about is that the lord is into modernization and tries to get funding for what’s effectively the early version of the calculator in the 1820s. The thing is Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace would come up with this idea like a decade later, and this could have been a REALLY great opportunity to have the heroine be an Ada Lovelace-esque character…and nothing. Lovelace doesn’t even get a shoutout in the book’s end notes, which pissed me off because Lovelace’s name is easily discovered if you do 5 minutes of research on Babbage.

What Linz didn’t finish:

• There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool: One prophecy and the seven people whose paths cross to either fulfill it or ruin it, something like that. So much wading through telling language for the worldbuilding, and so much barely veiled versions of real places that it feels like the author kinda just Googled faraway countries and dropped in 3-4 things that kinda represented it?

What Linz is reading:

• Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney C. Stephens: Coming of age story about a a tomboy trying to discover her sexuality. I’m actually not sure how I came across this book but I”m very excited for it.

Minda’s Updates

Starting the countdown: six weeks until baby. And wine.

What Minda finished:

• The Wicked King by Holly Black – So so good! In the next saga of the series, Jude grapples with her newfound power and love interest in Faerieland—but with an increasing number of enemies she needs to be watching her back. Oh, there will be a review.

What Minda is reading now:

• Dark Age by Pierce Brown – It’s definitely taking some time to get back into the Red Rising series—sooo many characters that I can’t remember. An author on Twitter recently recommended that all books in series start with a “Last time on…” section and um can we totally make this a thing? Please?

Ginny’s Updates

Guess who’s tired!

Finished:

• The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst: Going to write a review of this, but Daleina has a small amount of talent to control the sprites that cause most of the problems in their country. She ends up going to a magic school where she works incredibly hard but always seems to fall short of others natural talents.
• Cowboy Christmas Redemption by Maisey Yates: Fun fact, I already wrote a review about this one. It’s part of a blog tour so keep your eyes out soon. Caleb was the person who helped Ellie get through the death of her husband (who was his best friends) years later, she asks him for help fulfilling a Christmas list to help her get back into the dating game.
• Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh: This is book is number 10 in a series and all I can say is finally! Sierra, a young-ish Psy that defected, and Hawke, the leader of the clan, are finally getting their story told. The book told an interesting tale of the difference in decisions between brain and heart. 4/5

Currently Reading:

• Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff: Still working on this one. I want to read it, I just haven’t been in a reading mood when I’ve had the book on hand.
• The Night County by Melissa Albert: This is the sequel to The Hazel Wood. I’m glad I get the chance to revisit this world. So far we’re back in New York while Alice tries to figure out life. A strong start.
• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid: I know, this is a lot of books to read at once, but this book was going to disappear from the library so… I started this book and was kind of bummed at the premise. I’ve read a lot of books where the young reporter gets called in to write a story with no concrete reason why they were chosen. But this book is so so worth it. I’m not super far in, but Evelyn is in incredibly interesting character.

Sam’s Updates

I feel like a broken record but I had one hell of a work week. This week should be better though because the clients are out of town and I have time to catch up!

What Sam read this week:

• A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer: This is the sequel to A Curse So Dark and Lonely. I didn’t love the first one (check the review here). This went about how I guessed. Full review to come.
• Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo: I loved this! I was surprised at how much I loved this paranormal contemporary fantasy but I did. Check our Linz’s drunk review!!!

What Sam’s currently reading:

• Graceling by Kristen Cashore: I am WAY behind the band wagon on this one. In this story, Katza is a Graceling (one with magic) and in her country, they are “given” to the king to use as he will. Her grace is murder… so you know how that goes. Anyway, in secret, she starts an organization called The Council to actually do some good. While on a mission she runs into another Graceling man. The mission actually creates more questions than answers, Katza and Poe (the other Graceling) go on an adventure to get their answers. I’m really liking this. I’m listening on audio and it’s fully casted and has some sound effects and I am LOVING it so far. It has some problematic elements, but I’m still liking it.
• Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim: I’ve barely started this, but it seems like one story is about a person who’s spent the last 7 years working on a debtor’s ship and a merchant’s son. They havent met up yet, but I’m assuming they will soon.

Until next time, we main forever drunkenly yours,

Sam, Ginny, Linz, and Minda