Read Harder: THE PLOT IS MURDER by V.M. Burns

The Plot Is Murder by V.M. Burns
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Read Harder Challenge Category: a mystery written by a person of color or lgtbq author

I’d had The Plot is Murder on my TBR since before it hit shelves. Burns and I are both graduates of Seton Hill University’s MFA in Writing Popular Fiction program, and I love seeing my fellow #shuwpf-ers become published authors. Throw in that this is a charming cozy mystery about a book lover who wants to open a bookstore, and you had me at hello. Mysteries aren’t my most common reading stomping grounds. The ones that grab me are light on the violence and of the following type: a). British in nature (i.e. Rhys Bowen’s Her Royal Spyness series); b). involve music/theatre (such as Joelle Charbonneau’s Glee Club books), and c). about books—hence, The Plot is Murder.

And Burns did not disappoint me. There are books! And Samantha Washington, our resident bookshop owner/protagonist, is a character I can get behind. Her voice is sharp and fun while also being heavily emotional. She’s still struggling with her late husband’s death, and opening her bookstore is the dream she wants to come true in his honor. Unfortunately, dead bodies don’t want the dream to succeed. But some amateur sleuthing combined with old-fashioned determination are on Samantha’s side.

And then there’s the clan of old ladies who are dead-set (pun intended) on helping Samantha solve the case. They are a riot and surprisingly useful in the murder-solving department. They know their strengths. When they decide to go somewhere, they are on the clock and doing whatever they’re best at to get info. It was a joy to watch this gaggle of gals participate in the case.

A bonus with this book is it’s Michigan setting. Being a new resident of the Great Lakes State—and having an S.O. who grew up here, moved for work, and has now moved back—I’m now interested in books set in my new home turf, as it were. Though, I asked my boyfriend and googled the book’s setting of North Harbor. The boyfriend says it’s not a real city, and google didn’t find it. Despite this, The Plot is Murder set me smack dab on the hand. Michiganders, you know what I mean, apparently.


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2018 Read Harder: Level Up

Level Up by Cathy Yardley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book Riot Read Harder Category: A romance novel by or about a person of color

I had a very tentative book for this category. So when Book Riot sent out its list of books that would fill this requirement, I looked to see if there was something better/more interesting. A little ways down the list, I encountered Level Up. Given my propensity toward geeky romances, this struck me in all the right ways. I snagged it and read.

And I’m so glad I did. Level Up is adorkable with a capital K. Independent game creating office romance—yes, please. Tess and Adam’s relationship is so natural. He’s a gamer. She’s his very quiet, very introverted roommate, who also happens to work with him. She gets more social and grows a voice. He notices her…and that she’s a her. Sparks. The fandom references had me giggling like an idiot, and I laughed out loud many times. The chemistry is natural, and the circumstances that bring them together are wonderfully fun.

I enjoyed this so much that I went on to read book two, One True Pairing, and book 1.5, Hooked. I finished Level Up a few days ago and have been putting off writing my post—professional procrastinator here. Then I saw book 3, Game of Hearts, is out today, and I thought it was fitting to do my post. So, here it is.

Final note, the company where Tessa and Adam work has pickles in its name. I’m there.





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Read Harder Challenge: THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book Riot Read Harder Challenge Category: A book set in or about one of the BRICS countries (Russia)

I put this book on my to-read shelf toward the end of last year. I may have had plans to read it sooner, but when I caught wind of Read Harder and saw the BRICS countries category, I put it off until this year.

In a few words—beautiful, lyrical, haunting. From page one, Arden swept me into Russian myth and folklore. So many fascinating things. So much going on. So expertly woven into history in a plausible way. The Goodreads blurb says this book is for fans of Erin Morgenstern’s THE NIGHT CURCUS. I didn’t fall head over heels for this quite like I did for NIGHT CIRCUS, but Arden’s lush descriptions, rich story, and real characters drew me in.

Vasya (Vasilisa) is the wild-child heroine I can’t help but cheer for. The lengths she goes to in order to protect her family tugged at my heartstrings. Watching her grow stronger through the story was a treat, and her ending left me satisfied. It was what I wanted before I realized I wanted it. And there are sequels, THE GIRL IN THE TOWER and WINTER OF THE WITCH, which continues Vasya’s story. I’ll have to read it at some point.

Other authors I’d recommend after reading Katherine Arden: Alice Hoffman (THE RULES OF MAGIC), David Mitchell (SLADE HOUSE)





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