Georgette Heyer, The Nonesuch

Sir Waldo Hawkridge—known as the Nonesuch because of his superior looks, wealth, and social status—has just inherited an estate in Yorkshire. When he and his young cousin Julian visit the estate to evaluate its condition, they soon meet the various residents of the neighborhood. Julian is immediately smitten with the beautiful (but headstrong and selfish) Tiffany Wield, while Sir Waldo is intrigued by her companion, Ancilla Trent. Meanwhile, Ancilla is immediately drawn to Sir Waldo but fears he’d never seriously be interested a nobody like her. I adore Georgette Heyer, and normally I reread four or five of her novels every year. But I recently realized that I hadn’t yet read a single Heyer book this year! It’s been a long time since I read this one, and I enjoyed it SO much. The main romance is sweet, and the secondary characters add a lot of humor and charm. It doesn’t quite have the sparkle of my top favorite Heyers, but it’s still a delightful read!

Lois McMaster Bujold, Masquerade in Lodi

This novella in the Penric & Desdemona series comes after Penric’s Fox in terms of internal chronology, but it’s set several years later, and Penric has recently relocated to the island city of Lodi. He is summoned to the local hospital to evaluate a “mad” patient, and he immediately realizes that the young man is possessed by a demon. Unfortunately, the patient escapes, so now Penric must find him somewhere in the city—no easy feat, given that Lodi is full of crowds for a holiday celebration—and team up with the local saint, with unexpected results. This series is such fun, and I really liked that this installment changes things up a little: Penric is in a new place, meeting new people, and looking for a missing person rather than investigating a murder. I’m especially intrigued by the saint, Chio, and hope she’ll return in future novellas. Overall, I’m still really liking this series and eager to continue with the next installment.

Angela Thirkell, Wild Strawberries

This 1930s social comedy centers around the Leslie family and Mary Preston, a niece by marriage who visits them one summer. The matriarch, Lady Emily, is kind but scatterbrained; her daughter Agnes is placid and indolent; her older son John is grieving the death of his wife; and her younger son David is an idle charmer. When Mary arrives at the Leslie estate, she’s immediately attracted to David, but Emily and Agnes want to set her up with John. This little love triangle is the only “plot” to speak of; the novel is very much a slice of life between the two world wars, and depending on one’s perspective, it’s either pleasantly soothing or incredibly dull. I’m in the former camp, and I enjoyed the peaceful, uneventful progress of this novel—though there is a jarring moment where David, who likes jazz, sings a racist minstrel song. I still liked the book overall, but it won’t be a keeper for me.