Happy Monday, Boozie Book Nerds!

Ginny’s Update

What Ginny Finished:

• When in Rome  by Sarah Adams: Super famous popstar runs off to be invisible for a few weeks before starting a town and ends up staying with the guy who owns the house her car died outside of. It was a cute romance but the ending felt a bit too easy and honestly, it just made me want to rewatch the Netflix movie ‘Christmas with you’
• Lower Ed by Tressie McMillan Cottom: This book talked in detail about the rise of for-profit colleges, why they exist, and their pros/cons (heavy on the cons). It’s really a fascinating book and I hadn’t really had to think of for-profit colleges at any lengths. But the way this book highlights how the for-profit schools target their students and how predatory it can be was really scary. 
• False Witness by Karin Slaughter: Leigh and Cassie are sisters who became estranged after they ended up killing the abusive dad they babysat for. Years later, Leigh gets involved in a court case that brings up the past. And holy shit, this book was crazy dark (unsurprisingly). But the brutality of the assaults, the intricacy of the court case, this book was fascinating. 
• Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn: This book follows an all-woman group of assassin’s right after they retire. First, I do wish the woman had been a bit older (they’re in their mid-60’s) but the book goes all over the world and is cozy in the same way that the incredible Mrs. Pollifax is cozy. In other words, it was really fun watching these women get their revenge.
• Take the Lead by Alexis Daria: Stone (a reality wilderness star) and Gina (a professional dancer on a Dancing with the Stars like show) end up partnered in a dancing competition. And obviously they fall in love. Like When in Rome, I thought the ending on this was a little to easy, but I loved the chemistry between the couple!

What Ginny is Currently Reading:

• The Devouring Gray by C.L. Herman: The town of Four Points has four founding families with magic power that contain a devious monster. It’s a bunch of teenagers, and honestly, if the narrator didn’t do such a good job I probably would have put this down. 
• The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal: I picked this up from my favorite bookstore and I got a signed copy! (Kowal stopped there on a book tour recently). But this book starts with a literal blast and OMG I’m loving it. A meteorite hits the ocean off of DC in 1952 and for reasons it jumpstarts the space program. I’m about 100 pages in and I’m obsessed.

Sam’s Update

What Sam is Finished:

• The Poison Season by Mara Rutherford: Another Magical Readathon read. There’s an island called Endla (I think that’s the spelling, I’m listening on audio) where there’s a forest that kills things. The forest needs sacrifices to not kill things and who better than the islanders who can sing like sirens and lure their prey or whatever living creature hears it (humans included). But ALSO, they are surrounded by a poisonous lake. This was typical YA. Wasn’t elated with it, which was sad cause it was extra hyped on BookNet
• That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming: I have been waiting to read this for a while for the title alone. From what I can tell, our leading lady Cinnamon was in her way home from a bar and knocks this demon out of his stupor and saves him. He threatened her family so now they’re going on a journey to rid the world of a witch. I’m in. And this was great too.
• Witches of Moonshine Manor byBianca Mariais – This book is about a coven of witches in the modern world who are about to have their home taken away to make way for, and i shit you not, Man World, a themepark for men. There are 7 of them I think. Ruby is in jail but coming home, and the book discusses why or how. They want to find some treasure that Ruby knows where it is to pay off their mortgage and they can stay. This was very cute. Super girl power and I loved it. Oh did I mention they’re old AF? I love it.
• Arsenic & Adobo by Mia P. Manansala – This was a murder mystery that I thought was a rom com and I was NOT mad about it. Also made me super hungry cause the concept is that this woman gets framed for murder after a food critic (and also her ex bf) keels over at her family’s Filipino restaurant. It was really good. read it
• Catching Stars by Cayla Keenan – This wasn’t super great. So Jayin is a magic user or somethin that can change her look. Maddix is a convicted murderer but wasn’t actually the murderer. Jayin is sent to find maddix and bring him back after he escapes jail or some shit idk. I was bored and have forgotten a lot of this already
• Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca – This is the 4th book in this series and I think this one was just a delight. So Louisa basically has a mental breakdown at the Renn Faire and she quits her job and throws her phone in a washtub. Her cousin Mitch (from the previous book) basically forces her to go on a tech cleanse with no phone and travel with the Renn Faire band for several months before she tries to get her life back together. So naturally she falls in love with he guitar player.

What Sam is Currently Reading:

• Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim – This came in my Fairyloot. Basically, Imani’s older brother goes missing like a year ago. She’s a shield. In this world, people with magic are kept separate from people who don’t by a desert. By keeping Imani’s culture isolated, all the magic monsters stay there too. They don’t go in to the non-magic world, and have been told there is nothing out there, but naturally there is. And turns out her brother is over there. So she goes on a journey with her nemesis and a couple other folks to go back and get him because he’s clearly been bad.
• Cooking at Home: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Recipes by David Chang and Priya Krishna – I read a review online that said this book is meant to be read cover to cover like a novel… so that’s what I’m doing and it’s actually fab. It helps that they’re talking a lot about Asian flavors (naturally) and I’ve been dying to learn more about those flavor profiles.

Until next time, we remain forever drunkenly yours,

— Sam, Minda, and Ginny