Bookshops and Bonedust
by Travis Baldree
I was a huge fan of Travis Baldree’s first novel, Legends and Lattes and had even picked it for one of our recent Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Discussion Group where we enjoyed discussing it while sampling cinnamon buns and other treats almost as tasty as Thimble’s. I was curious to see where Baldree would choose to go with his next novel, Bookshops and Bonedust. I wasn’t expecting him to decide to write a prequel, but I think this worked well and helped give further insight into the character of Viv who goes from enjoying and thriving in the adventurous life of a mercenary to retiring to coffee shop owner. I thought it might be awkward to have a romance with a character that had her HEA (Happily Ever After) already, but I found it to be bittersweet and moving in its own way. In both novels friendship is as if not more important than romantic feelings so in some ways the fact that we know that they will not have a lasting partnership adds to the strength of what they are able to forge for the time. I really enjoyed the new characters that were included in the book. Unlike the previous typically soft spoken shy ratkin, Thimble, in Bookshops and Bonedust, Fern a local ratkin bookshop owner has a mouth that would make a longshoreman blush despite her heart of gold. Her adorable pet, gryphet, Potroast, who is a whimsical spin on the gryphen, part owl and part dog, brought some adorable humor to the novel. Baldree excels at taking classic fantasy tropes and giving them fun tweaks. I will definitely look for more from Baldree in the future whether it is exploring more from his current characters or bringing new ones to life. You can also read a previous blog post about Legends and Lattes from one of my colleagues.
The Proof of the Pudding
by Rhys Bowen
Lady Georgianan Rannoch, a fictional cousin to the royal family in the 1930’s seems to have gotten her hearts desire. She and her husband, Darcy, are awaiting their first child at the beautiful Eynsleigh estate belonging to her stepfather Sir Hubert. But even with all the joy on its way, darkness also appears with the war with Germany on the horizon and mystery of course follows Georgie wherever she goes. This whodunnit, The Proof of the Pudding, surrounds her new chef, a Frenchman, who Georgie met in Paris and invited to be her cook at the estate, replacing the basic fare prepared by her former loyal, but clumsy lady’s maid, Queenie. When a nearby gothic horror novel author asks to borrow her chef, Pierre, for a special charity dinner party, Georgie and Pierre agree, but all does not go as planed with several guests falling ill and two of them being fatally poisoned. Georgie must help discover whether their deaths were an accident or were there darker motivations? Like many of the books in the charming Royal Spyness Mystery Series, the mystery is fun to unravel, but at time feels secondary to the humor between the charming, but proper Georgie and the fun unruly characters she often is surrounded by. I’m looking forward to the next entry where hopefully we will see what adventures Georgie and Darcy’s little one has them up to. You can read several previous blog posts about the series.
Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager
Hoboken Library Staff Picks 
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