Happy Monday, Epic Insiders! How’s that pollen-in-the-face treating you? It’s another year of “allergies or COVID?” roulette, so pop a Claritin, and let’s get into our epic updates:
Announcements
— The winner for the Book Riot Podcast bonus episode poll was The Wayback Machine!
What Are You Reading?
Happy last Monday of April, Insiders fam! Join me in a collective gasp at the realization that this time next week <insert that meme here, you know the one>, it’s gonna be May. That means it’s time to wrap up my month sharing my reading life with y’all. Let’s get to it!
I finished Iron & Velvet by Alexis Hall and yo, what a rollicking good time. Vampires! Faerie! Sex demons! Bloodbaths and sexy times! Alexis Hall does funny dialogue so, so well. Whether it’s romance or mystery, human or paranormal, his books are just always a really fun and hilarious time.
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I was taking my time with The Rib King when my Libby loan expired! So I’m back on the hold list for that and moved on to Under Lock & Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian in the meantime. I was going pick up a physical copy, but I was reminded that the audiobook is narrated by Soneela Nankani so audio was the way to go. It’s an homage to classic mysteries with all kinds of secret passageway/hidden room stuff and magic (as in magic tricks, not fantasy magic), plus Scottish folklore and Indian food. SO fun!
You already know: still working on Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness but I’m actually 75% of the way through! I took a break from Cackle by Rachel Harrison to do some work reading and started Café Con Lychee by Emery Lee. It’s about two young men who’ve always been at odds because their families own competing businesses: an Asian American café and a Puerto Rican bakery (sold!!!). Then a new fusion café in town threatens both of those enterprises, and they realize they need to join forces to win back their customers BUT ALSO FEELINGS. I just heart it so much. This one’s from the author of Meet Cute Diary which is also on my (ludicrously unmanageable) TBR.
Finally, I’m working on the audiobook of Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe. It’s been on my list for awhile but got bumped up this weekend after my 5th rewatch of Derry Girls, which reminded me that I’ve been meaning to read up on the history of The Troubles. It’s so far a very compelling read and I’m all of 4% in. It reads like fiction but it’s very much not. Also, thanks Derry Girls for once again making me say stuff like, “Catch yourself on!”
That’s it for me, folks. It’s been fun spending some time with y’all this month! One last time: what are you reading this week? Click through to add your reading list to the comments!
Till next time, stay bad & bookish.
Vanessa