things you save in a fire

Cassie Hanwell was born for emergencies. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, she’s seen her fair share of them, and she’s excellent at dealing with other people’s tragedies. But when her estranged and ailing mother asks her to uproot her life and move to Boston, it’s an emergency of a kind Cassie never anticipated. The tough, old-school Boston firehouse is as different from Cassie’s old job as it could possibly be. Hazing, a lack of funding, and poor facilities mean that the firemen aren’t exactly thrilled to have a “lady” on the crew, even one as competent and smart as Cassie. Except for the handsome rookie, who doesn’t seem to mind having Cassie around. But she can’t think about that. Because she doesn’t fall in love. And because of the advice her old captain gave her: don’t date firefighters. Cassie can feel her resolve slipping…but will she jeopardize her place in a career where she’s worked so hard to be taken seriously?

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I was so lucky to get my hands on an eARC of this on NetGalley in my early NG days. I had never heard of the author before but the blurb and the cover immediately hooked me in. I’m so glad that I read it because I absolutely loved it! It’s an absolute treat.

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The song of achilles

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper – despite the displeasure of Achilles’ mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.

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I don’t know if it’s just me not thinking about this book for prompts but it has hardly come up in my posts and it’s such a shame because I love The Song of Achilles, even more than Circe! It emotionally destroyed me. I didn’t think I’d become so invested in Achilles and Patroclus!

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THE NATCHEZ BURNING TRILOGY

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Growing up in the rural Southern hamlet of Natchez, Mississippi, Penn Cage learned everything he knows about honor and duty from his father, Tom Cage. But now the beloved family doctor is accused of murdering Viola Turner, the beautiful nurse with whom he worked in the early 1960s. A fighter who has always stood for justice, Penn is determined to save his father. The quest for answers sends Penn deep into the past—into the heart of a conspiracy of greed and murder involving the Double Eagles, a vicious KKK crew headed by one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the state. Now Penn must follow a bloody trail that stretches back forty years, to one undeniable fact: no one—black or white, young or old, brave or not—is ever truly safe. 

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I don’t even know how I came across this series and author for the first time but I was blown away by this series. The first book of the Natchez Burning trilogy is actually book six following our protagonist, Penn Cage. This is a historical fiction/mystery/thriller that deeply explores race relations in the south, and incorporates a lot of elements that I love. They’re chunky AF reads but so worth it!

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sourdough

Lois Clary, a software engineer at a San Francisco robotics company, codes all day and collapses at night. When her favourite sandwich shop closes up, the owners leave her with the starter for their mouthwatering sourdough bread. Lois becomes the unlikely hero tasked to care for it, bake with it and keep this needy colony of microorganisms alive.  Soon she is baking loaves daily and taking them to the farmer’s market, where an exclusive close-knit club runs the show. When Lois discovers another, more secret market, aiming to fuse food and technology, a whole other world opens up. But who are these people, exactly?

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This was my second Robin Sloan book but it’s my favourite! I feel like it’s so underrated but I know it won’t be to everyone’s liking. For me it was such a relatable read but also absolutely heartwarming and feel good. If you’re looking for a solid comfort read I’d recommend checking this one out!

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ACE OF SHADES

Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…and secrets hide in every shadow.
Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—and her reputation—behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted. Frightened and alone, Enne has only one lead: the name Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and a con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn’t have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne’s offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems. Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless Mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi’s enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city… And she’ll need to play. 

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My last book of December 2018 was Ace of Shades and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I was wary going into it as there’s been a lot of shade thrown at this book because of how similar it is to SoC but I really enjoyed the world building, characters and plot. Maybe it’s not completely new but it doesn’t mean it was a bad book, imho.

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SORRY I’M LATE, I DIDN’T WANT TO COME…

What would happen if a shy introvert lived like a gregarious extrovert for one year? If she knowingly and willingly put herself in perilous social situations that she’d normally avoid at all costs? Writer Jessica Pan intends to find out. With the help of various extrovert mentors, Jessica sets up a series of personal challenges (talk to strangers, perform stand-up comedy, host a dinner party, travel alone, make friends on the road, and much, much worse) to explore whether living like an extrovert can teach her lessons that might improve the quality of her life. Chronicling the author’s hilarious and painful year of misadventures, this book explores what happens when one introvert fights her natural tendencies, takes the plunge, and tries (and sometimes fails) to be a little bit braver.

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I’m cheating a bit here because I’ve mentioned this once or twice. I read the ARC last year and fell madly in love with Jessica Pan her book. As someone who has become more introverted over the years and who has experienced many of the struggles she mentions, it was as if Pan took what was in my head and threw it perfectly on paper. I’d had some really tough months when I read this, but it was so comforting to know I’m not the only one with these thoughts/experiences. I went through a phase of recommending it to everyone when I first finished it but now I don’t really talk about it much…

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Little fires everywhere

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules. Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother – who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community. When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town–and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia’s past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.

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I don’t think I’ve ever used this book for a list and there’s actually not a lot of people I know who’ve read the book? I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this one as much as I did but I’m looking forward to reading more of Celeste Ng, and to also check out the show and see how Witherspoon adapted it! I’ve seen plenty of mention of it in the book community but I myself haven’t talked about it much at all!

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THE BONE CLOCKS

One drowsy summer’s day in 1984, teenage runaway Holly Sykes encounters a strange woman who offers a small kindness in exchange for ‘asylum’. Decades will pass before Holly understands exactly what sort of asylum the woman was seeking… The Bone Clocks follows the twists and turns of Holly’s life from a scarred adolescence in Gravesend to old age on Ireland’s Atlantic coast as Europe’s oil supply dries up – a life not so far out of the ordinary, yet punctuated by flashes of precognition, visits from people who emerge from thin air and brief lapses in the laws of reality. For Holly Sykes – daughter, sister, mother, guardian – is also an unwitting player in a murderous feud played out in the shadows and margins of our world, and may prove to be its decisive weapon.
Metaphysical thriller, meditation on mortality and chronicle of our self-devouring times, this kaleidoscopic novel crackles with the invention and wit that have made David Mitchell one of the most celebrated writers of his generation. Here is fiction at its spellbinding and memorable best.

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This one really surprised me because it was nothing like I remember ever reading. I mean “metaphysical thriller” doesn’t sound like my jam, does it? It’s seriously weird AF and it’s quite heavy on the magical realism but I went into it without expectations and ended up really enjoying it. Honestly, I don’t think I even remembered what it was about when I finally picked it up on a whim! It’s so odd that I’m not surprised it doesn’t fit any prompts 😂

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TRAIL OF LIGHTNING

While most of the world has drowned beneath the sudden rising waters of a climate apocalypse, Dinétah (formerly the Navajo reservation) has been reborn. The gods and heroes of legend walk the land, but so do monsters. Maggie Hoskie is a Dinétah monster hunter, a supernaturally gifted killer. When a small town needs help finding a missing girl, Maggie is their last best hope. But what Maggie uncovers about the monster is much more terrifying than anything she could imagine. Maggie reluctantly enlists the aid of Kai Arviso, an unconventional medicine man, and together they travel the rez, unraveling clues from ancient legends, trading favors with tricksters, and battling dark witchcraft in a patchwork world of deteriorating technology.
As Maggie discovers the truth behind the killings, she will have to confront her past if she wants to survive.
Welcome to the Sixth World.

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I think this YA fantasy is so underrated. Not only is the cover great (imo) but the story inside is just as good! I haven’t read many books inspired by Mexican folklore/Mayan culture and this post-apocalyptic world is a former Navajo reservation reborn. Roanhorse brings a terrifying but enchanting world full of spirits, Gods, and monsters to life. It is amazing! You’d think it would fit more prompts… 🤔

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pachinko

Pachinko follows one Korean family through the generations, beginning in early 1900s Korea with Sunja, the prized daughter of a poor yet proud family, whose unplanned pregnancy threatens to shame them all. Deserted by her lover, Sunja is saved when a young tubercular minister offers to marry and bring her to Japan.
So begins a sweeping saga of an exceptional family in exile from its homeland and caught in the indifferent arc of history. Through desperate struggles and hard-won triumphs, its members are bound together by deep roots as they face enduring questions of faith, family, and identity.

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This was another unexpected win for me. I can’t actually remember how I came across Pachinko but I have a feeling I just saw the gorgeous cover at the store and decided that I wanted it so it came home with me 😂 I love historical fiction and family sagas and this one had me hooked! This one also surprisingly fits few prompts…