Mini-Reviews: Perilous, Retreat, Never

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Elizabeth Marie Pope, The Perilous Gard

Plain and practical Kate Sutton, a lady-in-waiting to Princess Elizabeth Tudor, is banished (after a misunderstanding) to a remote estate known as the Perilous Gard. There are strange rumors about the estate, and locals whisper that it’s a sacred place for the Fairy Folk, who grant pilgrims relief from their suffering but also kidnap the occasional human to be a slave in their realm. At first Kate scoffs at these superstitions, but as she spends more time with the “young lord,” Christopher Heron, and hears the tragic tale at the heart of the estate, she becomes a believer. But will she be able to stop the Fairy Folk from claiming Christopher as their own? I adore this Tam Lin retelling, which I’ve only read a couple times before, so I’m still surprised by just how good it is! It’s dark, meaty historical fantasy with a wonderful heroine, and while it’s marketed as children’s/YA, I think it’s an excellent book to read at any age. Highly recommended!

Nancy Butler, The Rake’s Retreat

When beautiful young actress Lovelace Wellesley witnesses a murder, she needs protection. Fortunately, she encounters local landowner Beecham Bryce, who invites her to stay at his estate until the investigation is concluded. Less fortunately, Bryce is a notorious rake and libertine, so Lovelace may not be safe in his house. Fortunately again, they meet Lady Jemima Vale, a “spinster” nearing 30 who is available to act as Lovelace’s chaperone. But when sparks start to fly between Bryce and Jemima, it’s the latter’s reputation that may be in danger. I read a positive review of this book somewhere and picked up a used copy, but I found it pretty disappointing. Yes, there’s some fun banter between Bryce and Jemima, but there’s also a lot of inconsistent character behavior and anachronistic dialogue. The murder mystery felt undercooked as well, so all in all, it’s not a book I’d recommend.

Mhairi McFarlane, If I Never Met You

Laurie and Dan have been together since their freshman year at university. Now they’re in their late 30s, living together and working at the same prestigious law firm. So when Dan dumps Laurie out of the blue, she’s shocked, angry, and grief-stricken – especially because she still sees him all the time at the office. Meanwhile, Jamie Carter is an ambitious new attorney at their firm whose reputation as a womanizer may harm his chances of making partner. He proposes a fake relationship to Laurie: He’ll appear to be “settling down,” which will help his career prospects, and Laurie will be able to demonstrate she’s moved on – and perhaps make Dan jealous. I’m a big fan of McFarlane’s but have read most of her books only once. Upon rereading, I devoured this one in a day and absolutely loved it! Though the novel doesn’t shy away from some heavy emotions and hard situations, watching Laurie and Jamie slowly discover each other is a delight. If you like your romance/chick lit with some emotional weight to it, I highly recommend this book and author!

Mini-Reviews: Promised, Stab, Bonnet

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Connie Willis and Cynthia Felice, Promised Land

Delanna’s mother has just died, so she’s returned from her fancy education in the big city to her home planet to claim her inheritance. To her dismay, she learns that under the planet’s laws, she has to live on her property for one year before she’s allowed to sell. Moreover, she’s legally married to Sonny Tanner, the man who owns the neighboring property. Delanna is furious to be stuck in what she considers a backwater full of ignorant yokels, but the longer she remains on this planet, the more she grows to like her surroundings—and Sonny. Though there are some sci-fi trappings, this novel reads more like a Western, as the main characters rough it on a frontier planet with few luxuries. Delanna is quite a spoiled brat initially but changes for the better as she gets to know Sonny and the other locals better. This book isn’t as unique or interesting as Willis’s solo work, but I did enjoy it and would recommend it to fans of the premise.

Jill Bearup, Just Stab Me Now

Caroline is writing a novel, which she imagines as a tropey, enemies-to-lovers romantasy complete with smoldering glances and flirty banter. Unfortunately, her characters have other ideas. The heroine, Rosamund, is a widow still grieving for her dead husband, and she’s laser-focused on the diplomatic mission she’s supposed to carry out. The hero, Leo, is quiet and kind, not the cocky charmer Caroline had envisioned. As Rosamund and Leo navigate the complicated politics of their world together, Caroline occasionally pops in with questions and advice—all while navigating her own real-life romance with her persnickety editor.

This book apparently started as a YouTube series called The Fantasy Heroine, and I’m glad I didn’t know that beforehand, because I might never have read this book, which would have been a real shame. The fantasy book-within-a-book is genuinely entertaining, and I liked how the narrative gleefully skewers a lot of romance tropes (“Only one bed? No problem, I’ll sleep on the floor!”). The contemporary story is pretty thin—I didn’t care about Caroline’s work woes at all—but otherwise, I really liked this one! I may even go back and watch the web series now…

Mary Balogh, The Plumed Bonnet

Alistair Munro, the duke of Bridgwater, is handsome, rich, and bored out of his mind. So when he spots a bedraggled young woman while traveling, he impulsively offers her a ride. She’s dressed in gaudy attire that leads him to believe she’s a prostitute. But Stephanie Gray is actually a respectable young woman who worked as a governess until inheriting an unexpected fortune, which she’s on her way to claim. Alistair doesn’t believe her farfetched story, but when he learns the truth, he realizes he’s compromised a lady and promptly offers to marry her. Stephanie accepts, but she’s horrified to discover that he’s a duke and she’ll need to learn how to act like a duchess. Can they build a workable marriage, and perhaps even find love, after such a bad beginning? I was in the mood for a Balogh novel and decided to revisit this one, which I first read about five years ago. It’s not a top-tier Balogh for me, but I liked that both of the characters truly grow and change throughout the story. Overall, a pleasant read that I finished in a single day.

Mini-Reviews: Love, None, Hedges

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Sheila Simonson, Love and Folly

Twins Jean and Maggie Conway are about to start their first London Season, but the death of King George III and the subsequent political unrest delay their come-out. However, the girls don’t need a Season to find romance: Jean is smitten with Owen Davies, a radical poet, while Maggie falls for Johnny Dyott, her cousin’s private secretary. But when Owen’s poetry runs afoul of the sedition laws, the whole Conway family must band together to protect both him and themselves. This book is a sequel to Lady Elizabeth’s Comet, which I loved, but it also features characters from The Bar Sinister, which I haven’t read. And while Simonson gives enough background that readers won’t be totally confused, I don’t think they will care much about these characters unless they’ve read the previous two books. Also, if you’re expecting a romance, you’ll be disappointed; the love story between Maggie and Johnny is brief and barely developed. This novel is well written and well researched, but for me it was disappointing, especially compared with Lady Elizabeth’s Comet.

Agatha Christie, And Then There Were None

Ten people of different ages, genders, and walks of life are summoned to an island off the coast of Devon. They’ve been invited under various pretexts, but the real reason becomes clear after dinner on their first night, when a recorded voice accuses them all of murder. Then the guests start dying one by one, in ways that echo a sinister nursery rhyme displayed in each of their bedrooms. Who is behind these deaths, and will anyone make it off the island alive? This is one of Christie’s most famous mysteries, and also in my opinion one of her creepiest! The setup—a mysterious murderer on the rampage in an isolated location—is straight out of a horror novel, and the tension builds wonderfully as the guests each face their inevitable fate. To be honest, it’s so dark that it isn’t one of my favorites by Christie, but it’s masterfully done and I admire the way she pulled it off!

Side note: Newer versions of this book have understandably used this title rather than the far more problematic Ten Little Indians (and, before that, Ten Little N—–s). I don’t fault the publisher for that, but I do wish this edition had acknowledged that changes were made, not only to the title but to the rhyme itself and several lines of dialogue. If I’m reading something different from the originally published version, I want to know about it!

Lish McBride, Rough around the Hedges

Will and Vanessa have been best friends for years, and he’s been in love with her the entire time. Van has only ever seen him as a friend—until their mutual friend group unintentionally spills the beans. Now she’s seeing him in a whole new light, but because of her cold, manipulative father and horrible upbringing, she’s scared to take a chance on love. Meanwhile, Van wants to enroll in courses to become a hedge witch, but her father, an esteemed professor, may throw a wrench in her plans. This book is a sequel to A Little Too Familiar, which I remember liking, but this one didn’t work as well for me. The world is so black and white—the good characters are all perfectly understanding and emotionally fluent, while the bad characters are irredeemably awful. Will in particular is flawless (unless you count the fact that he’s been lying to his supposed best friend for their entire relationship) and just doesn’t feel believable as a person to me. Overall, a very “meh” read.

Mini-Reviews: Afterlife, Thirteen, Crime

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Kirsty Greenwood, The Love of My Afterlife

When twentysomething Delphie chokes on a microwavable hamburger and dies, she finds herself in a strange version of the afterlife. She’s greeted by Merritt, a quirky and enthusiastic “afterlife coach,” and also meets a handsome man named Jonah who isn’t dead, just unconscious during a dental surgery. Merritt, a lover of romance novels, decides to give Delphie a second chance: She claims that Delphie and Jonah are soulmates, and if she can find him on Earth and get him to kiss her within 10 days, she’ll get her life back. Finding Jonah is more difficult than Delphie expected, but as she looks for him, she also starts to see her life and the people around her in a new light. I stayed up way too late to read this book in a single sitting, and I’d definitely recommend it to romantic comedy fans! But it’s a surprisingly emotional book, too; Delphie’s initial loneliness is heart-wrenching, and it’s satisfying to see her slowly open up to the people in her life. Overall, I liked this one a lot and will look out for more by Greenwood.

J. Jefferson Farjeon, Thirteen Guests

Lord Aveling has invited 12 guests to his country house for a hunting party. They’re a strange assortment that includes a politician, an actress, a painter, a journalist, and a rich tradesman’s family. A last-minute 13th guest observes various tensions among the group—tensions that come to a head with vandalism, a dead dog, and finally murder. I liked a lot of things about this book: The plot is twisty without being overly complicated, and several of the characters are three-dimensional and interesting. However, it’s hard to know whom to care about or root for because there’s no clear protagonist. At first it seems like the 13th guest, John Foss, and his love interest are the main characters, but they’re largely abandoned in the middle for the police inspector and a few sleuths among the guests. I found the shifts in focus distracting and frustrating, and I also didn’t love the ultimate solution of the mystery. Overall, a decent read, but I’m not eager to read more by Farjeon.

Ally Carter, The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year

Maggie Chase is a successful writer of cozy mysteries. Ethan Wyatt writes blockbuster thrillers for the same publisher. She’s hated him for years, viewing him as a golden boy who’s able to coast through life, while he continually calls her Marcie. But the two find themselves unlikely allies when they’re both invited to the estate of Eleanor Ashley, the world’s greatest living mystery writer, for Christmas. When Eleanor disappears from a locked room—and many of her guests have a motive for wanting her gone—Maggie and Ethan team up to solve the mystery, and perhaps to find love in the process. I enjoyed this book, but it didn’t give me the same sense of pure, unadulterated glee as The Blonde Identity. There was just a little too much going on between Eleanor’s disappearance, Maggie’s and Ethan’s individual pasts, and their budding romance. It’s definitely heavier than the fun Christmas caper I was expecting. I did like the book overall, but sadly not quite as much as I was hoping to.

Mini-Reviews: Appointment, Doctor, Invisible

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Mimi Matthews, Appointment in Bath

Meg Burton-Smythe is a shy wallflower with unfashionable red hair, freckles, and a stammer. Her neighbor Ivo Beresford, by contrast, is handsome, well off, and worldly. He’d never look at her twice—especially because their parents have been enemies since before she was born (as detailed in Gentleman Jim). So when Ivo goes out of his way to befriend her, Meg is suspicious at first but soon comes to hope that he might actually be interested in her. But will their parents’ feud quash their budding romance? Mimi Matthews continues to be one of my go-to authors for steamless historical romance, and I really enjoyed this book! I love a wallflower heroine, and Meg’s loneliness is especially poignant when contrasted with Ivo’s boisterous, loving family. I was rooting for her happily-ever-after and liked seeing her gain confidence throughout the book. Now I’m even more excited for the next installment of the series!

P.G. Wodehouse, Doctor Sally

This short comic novel features Sally Smith, a doctor whom no one takes seriously because she’s a young and attractive woman. “Doctor Sally” has no interest in falling in love, but her resolve is tested when Bill Bannister is instantly smitten with her. Unfortunately, he’s trying to extract himself from a previous romantic entanglement with a lower-class woman who isn’t willing to let him go. Luckily, Bill’s affable but dimwitted friend, Lord Tidmouth, is on hand to come to the rescue. This little book is pure delight—Wodehouse is an absolute master of comic farce, and Lord Tidmouth is a lovable idiot worthy of Bertie Wooster. If you’re looking for a nice quick read that will make you laugh out loud, I highly recommend this one!

Genevieve Cogman, The Invisible Library

Irene works for the Library, a secret organization that collects rare and unique books throughout the multiverse. Her latest mission is to retrieve a particular Grimm manuscript from an alternate Victorian world, and her partner will be a student assistant, Kai, who hasn’t been on a mission yet. What should be a fairly routine retrieval immediately goes awry: The manuscript has been stolen, and they’re not the only ones trying to find it. Not to mention, a rogue Librarian seems bent on destroying both this world and the Library itself—unless Irene and Kai can stop him first. This is a fun read with a lot of action and interesting world-building. The writing style is confident and made me feel like the author knows what she’s doing. I do think this book barely scratches the surface of the possibilities of this world, but fortunately there are several more books in the series! I’m excited to continue with book #2 next month.

Mini-Reviews: Howling, Charity, Rider

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Maryrose Wood, The Mysterious Howling

Miss Penelope Lumley has just graduated from the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females and is about to take up her first position as a governess. When she arrives at the vast estate of Ashton Place, she soon learns that the three children under her care aren’t the biological children of Lord and Lady Ashton. Rather, they were found in the forest surrounding the estate, apparently having been raised by wolves. As Penelope teaches Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia how to speak and behave like human children, she notices several sinister aspects of her new life, such as Lord Frederick’s obsession with hunting and an apparently deliberate plot to make the children regress into wolflike behavior. This is a fun, cheeky read with more than a few nods to Victorian gothic novels. I liked Penelope and the children and enjoyed reading about their shenanigans. My only complaint is that the larger questions about the children’s identity and background are unanswered; I may just have to continue with the series to find out more!

Georgette Heyer, Charity Girl

The young, rich, and handsome Viscount Desford gets into a scrape when he meets Charity “Cherry” Steane, the poor relation of a family he happens to be visiting. The day after their meeting, he discovers her running away from her family’s cruel treatment, and he feels honor-bound to help her reach her grandfather in London. But of course, when they reach London, her grandfather is nowhere to be found; so Desford leaves Cherry with his old friend, Lady Henrietta, and sets off to discover the grandfather’s whereabouts. In the midst of these events, romance blooms in an unexpected place. Much as I adore Heyer, this novel isn’t one I frequently revisit, and now I remember why. Too much of the book is spent on Desford’s solo adventures and on introducing characters who appear in just one or two scenes. As a result, the romance gets short shrift and almost feels like an afterthought. The book is still a pleasant read with a lot of funny moments, but it’s not one of Heyer’s best, in my opinion.

Kristen Britain, Green Rider

Karigan G’ladheon is a university student who’s on her way home after being unfairly suspended. She unexpectedly crosses paths with a Green Rider, one of the king’s messengers, who is dying with two black arrows in his back. He urges her to complete his mission and take the message he’s carrying to the king. Karigan somewhat reluctantly agrees and is immediately plunged into a series of dangerous adventures. Meanwhile, King Zachary faces many threats, including the ambition of his disgruntled brother and the dark powers of a supernatural being known only as the Gray One. I first read this book back in 2010 and liked it enough to pick up the next two in the series. Rereading it now, I still enjoyed it, though it’s pretty standard sword and sorcery. Karigan definitely seems to be some kind of “chosen one,” though I liked that she wasn’t amazing at everything and often needed help to complete her mission. All in all, I’m interested in continuing with the series to see what’s next for Karigan and her new friends and allies.

Mini-Reviews: Bookshop, Notebooks, Vampire

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Madeline Martin, The Last Bookshop in London

Grace and her best friend Viv are excited to move to London from the countryside, both of them dreaming of working in a fashionable clothing shop. But the only job Grace can get is as an assistant at the disorganized and overcrowded Primrose Hill Books. At first she just wants to work there long enough to get a good reference, but gradually she comes to find fulfillment in her job, as well as a new love of literature. However, her joy in her work is tempered by the onset of World War II, in which she experiences the horrors of the Blitz firsthand. I have to say, much as I enjoy a book set during the Blitz, this one did nothing for me. The writing style felt awkward and unpolished, and while the author obviously did some research, it intruded on the narrative rather than being subtly incorporated. I wasn’t impressed with this one and won’t seek out more by this author.

John Curran, Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks: Fifty Years of Mysteries in the Making

This book is based on a collection of Agatha Christie’s notebooks, in which she jotted down the ideas and worked out the plots that would eventually become her published novels, stories, and plays. Curran, obviously a huge fan, compares Christie’s notes with her finished works and thereby paints a picture of her creative process. I think Christie aficionados would enjoy this book, but it’s definitely not for the casual fan as it assumes in-depth knowledge of her work (though Curran does provide spoiler warnings). Many of the notes aren’t particularly detailed or interesting, though they do shed a fun light on Christie’s somewhat haphazard process. The book also feels disorganized, with photos of the notebooks and little informational boxes interrupting the main narrative, sometimes for several pages. Basically, I’d only recommend this one to the true die-hard fans, but it did make me want to go back and reread some of my favorite Christie novels!

Jenna Levine, My Roommate Is a Vampire

Struggling artist Cassie is about to be evicted, so when she sees a “roommate wanted” ad on Craigslist for a great apartment with a suspiciously low rent, she’s desperate enough to check it out. Her would-be roommate, Frederick J. Fitzwilliam, seems strange and old-fashioned but harmless – that is, until she discovers the bags of human blood in the refrigerator. Yes, Frederick is a vampire, and he needs Cassie’s help to navigate the modern world. A romance soon develops between them, but people from Frederick’s past seek to keep them apart. I liked the premise of this book and found it a fun read, but I was unable to suspend my disbelief about Frederick’s situation. There are too many inconsistencies in what he knows about the modern world vs. what he doesn’t, and very little time is spent on what vampire life is like, whether Cassie will be “turned” and what that will mean for her, etc. Those hoping for a modern vampire story that makes sense will be disappointed, but if you’re just looking for a cute contemporary romance with paranormal trappings, you might like this one.

Mini-Reviews: Spade, Satterthwaite, Conjuring

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Alan Bradley, What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust

Passionate chemist and adolescent sleuth Flavia de Luce is back on the case when Buckshaw’s cook, Mrs. Mullet, is accused of killing a Bishop’s Lacey resident with poisoned mushrooms. Flavia knows Mrs. Mullet is innocent and decides to clear her name. The dead man, Major Greyleigh, seemed reasonably well liked, so who had a motive to kill him? As Flavia digs deeper, she uncovers a shocking secret that will upend her whole life. I’ve read every book in this series, which I enjoy for Flavia’s breezy, often hilarious narration (though I’m not convinced she’s a realistic or even a coherent character). But the mysteries tend to be weak, and that’s certainly the case here. I also don’t love the direction in which this book seems to be taking the series; it doubles down on some of my least favorite plot elements from previous books. Overall, it’s mid, as the kids say. But if another Flavia book comes out, I’ll most likely read it!

Mimi Matthews, Return to Satterthwaite Court

This Victorian romance centers around Lieutenant Charles Heywood, son of the couple from The Work of Art, and Lady Katherine Beresford, daughter of the couple from Gentleman Jim. They meet in passing and are instantly smitten, and their relationship develops as they investigate an anonymous letter that hints at a past wrongdoing involving Charles’s mother. Much as I love Mimi Matthews, this is not one of my favorites by her. The central romance just seemed a bit bland to me; Charles and Kate didn’t feel like fully fleshed out characters, though I did like that Kate knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it. Still, I found myself much more interested in the hints of romance among the secondary characters—two of Kate’s brothers are the heroes of the next two books in the series. It’s a perfectly good (and steamless!) historical romance, and I did enjoy reading it, but it didn’t blow me away.

V.E. Schwab, A Conjuring of Light

Immediately after the events of A Gathering of Shadows, Kell finds himself in White London being confronted by Osaron, a god (or demon) whose magic threatens to ruin everything in its path. Kell defies Osaron, but the latter still manages to get to Red London, where he promptly enslaves or murders most of its residents. It’s up to Kell, Lila, Rhy, Alucard et al. to stop Osaron before he destroys their entire world—and perhaps the neighboring worlds as well. This conclusion to the Shades of Magic trilogy is huge—my hardcover is more than 600 pages long, and the margins are small—but it’s also a page-turner. That said, I would have preferred a shorter book; we didn’t really need all the flashbacks, nor the chapters from non-protagonist POVs. I did enjoy the story and think this book gives a satisfying ending to the series (though I believe the author has since written more books in this world). Overall, I’m glad I finally read this whole trilogy, but it’s not a keeper for me.

Mini-Reviews: Apprentice, Flowers, Moon

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Hannah Nicole Maehrer, Apprentice to the Villain

This book picks up shortly after Assistant to the Villain left off: Trystan has been captured by the nefarious King Benedict, and Evie & co. must find a way to rescue him. They then learn that the magic in their kingdom is fading, and it seems the solution is to fulfill the Rennedawn Prophecy, an ancient piece of lore that most people view as a myth. As Trystan and Evie seek the elements they need to fulfill the prophecy – and avoid capture by Benedict’s army – they continue to fight their mutual attraction. I’m not entirely sure why I decided to read this book, since I thought the previous one was just okay. The main characters still feel like they belong in teen fanfiction, and their waffling over whether they can give into their feelings gave me constant emotional whiplash. I still found myself entertained enough that I will probably read the third book when it comes out…but I’m really hoping that will be the end of the series!

Laura Kinsale, Flowers from the Storm

Christian Langland, the duke of Jervaulks, is a well-known rake and libertine—and also a mathematical prodigy writing a paper on non-Euclidean geometry with Quaker mathematician John Timms. John’s daughter, Maddy, despises Christian’s worldly ways; but when he suffers a brain injury and is confined to a lunatic asylum, she’s aghast at his treatment and becomes convinced of his sanity, despite his near inability to communicate. Maddy feels called to help Christian and is forced to take drastic measures when his family tries to have him declared legally incompetent. I read this book years ago but didn’t remember much about it, so I’m very happy to say I loved it this time around! Both Christian and Maddy are flawed yet appealing characters: He’s often stubborn and autocratic but slowly learning to be more patient, and she’s judgmental but also principled and courageous. The angst quotient is pretty high, which isn’t usually my preference in a romance novel, but in this case it genuinely worked for me. I definitely need to seek out more of Kinsale’s backlist!

Elizabeth C. Bunce, Liar’s Moon

This sequel to StarCrossed sees Digger back in her hometown of Gerse, where tensions are high due to civil war: King Bardolph and his anti-magic Inquisition on the one side, Prince Wierolf and a group of refugee magicians on the other. But Digger is concerned with a more personal problem: Her friend Durrell Decath has been arrested for the murder of his wife, but Digger knows he’s innocent. As she investigates to learn who really killed the woman, Digger also finds evidence of organized crime and human trafficking. This is an odd sequel in that book #1 was largely about the buildup to the civil war, but in this book the war is really just a backdrop for the murder mystery. I did enjoy the plot and the writing style, but I wanted more continuity between the books. Frustratingly, the author clearly intended to write more in the series – this book ends on a pretty big cliffhanger – but more than 10 years later, she hasn’t come out with book #3, so I think this is all we get. Overall, the series had a lot of potential but never really fulfilled it, for me.

Mini-Reviews: Love, Byzantium, Ensemble

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Lindsey Kelk, Love Me Do

UK native Phoebe Chapman is excited to spend a couple weeks visiting her sister in Los Angeles. Sure, her sister has to leave pretty much immediately for an emergency work trip, but Phoebe is happy enough to stay at her luxurious house and explore the city, with the help of handsome neighbor Ren and bubbly personal trainer Bel. Phoebe soon learns that Bel has a crush on Ren but is painfully awkward around him, so she decides to help the couple get together. But a little well-meaning advice soon spirals out of control, with Phoebe writing love letters to Ren on Bel’s behalf – while falling for Ren herself. I’m a sucker for a Cyrano de Bergerac storyline, and I enjoyed this book even though Phoebe’s plan was obviously doomed from the start. Yes, Ren is a little too good to be true, and the conflicts are all resolved pretty quickly. But I liked Phoebe’s humorous voice and her enthusiastic descriptions of LA from an outside perspective. Overall, it’s a fun read if the premise interests you.

John Julius Norwich, A Short History of Byzantium

In the late ’80s and early ’90s, English popular historian John Julius Norwich wrote a three-volume history of the Byzantine Empire. This book condenses that longer work into a single tome of 500-ish pages, giving a broad-strokes overview of the history of Byzantium from the reign of Constantine the Great in the fourth century to the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. It’s a lot of ground to cover, so Norwich mostly sticks to the emperors and other powerful figures (popes, patriarchs, rival monarchs, etc.) who show up in the historical record. As someone who’s only mildly interested in the Byzantine Empire, I don’t think I’m the target audience for this book, which would probably be more enjoyable to someone with more background knowledge. But Norwich is an entertaining writer, and I think I will retain at least some of what I read, so I’d recommend it to people who are enthusiastic about the period.

Aja Gabel, The Ensemble

This novel closely follows four characters, members of a professional string quartet whose careers and lives are intertwined in various complicated ways. There’s first violinist Jana, the ambitious and emotionally ruthless leader of the group; Brit, the calm and kind second violinist; Henry, the viola prodigy to whom everything seems to come easily; and Daniel, the cellist with a monumental chip on his shoulder. As time passes, each character comes to terms with what he or she really wants from the quartet and from life in general. Literary fiction doesn’t always appeal to me; I find “literary” is often synonymous with “depressing.” But in this case, I found enough to like about these (sometimes quite unlikable) characters, and enough outcomes to root for, that I liked the book more than I expected to. I also thought the descriptions of music and life as a musician rang true. Overall, I think I’d like to read this book again someday, so I’m keeping it on my shelves for now.