This month’s Theme for our TBR Project book club was Cottagecore. Since it’s officially Spring, we wanted to read something sweet, simple, and a little rustic. I chose Pride and Prejudice because I have seen many versions of the story in movies and TV, but I have never actually read the book. I didn’t realize until after I started reading that it is the 20th Anniversary of the Kiera Knightley movie. For those interested, it’s being rereleased in theaters to celebrate. I digress. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that there are so many details left out of the many interpretations. The lives of Lizzie and her sister is much more lively than they came across to me in any movie or TV show ever gave me an impression. They are all involved in the running of the house and in the town. While the focus may be on marriage, they all had other interests. It was good to get to know Jane a bit more. She is always portrayed as stoic, which she is, but she is also a lot more observant than she is given credit for. Even Wickham became a more interesting character. Same with Darcy. We get a little bit more incite into his mind much earlier in the novel than I believe we do in most adaptations. He’s not just rude but socially awkward. Who can’t relate to that? Anyway, it was delightful. I am glad I have finally read it.
Welcome to April! I can’t believe it is already April. Time waits for no man, eh? It’s a new month and the end of the week, so I’m back with another weekend reads that has suggestions for this month’s TBR Project Book Club on Fable. The TBR project is our book club with a twist: everyone reads their own selection! The catch is that it has to be something off your TBR. Every month, we pick a theme, you pick a book, and we cheer each other on and discuss our picks (no spoilers) on Fable.
After last month’s theme of Stories that were meant to stay fiction a.k.a. it was a story, not a suggestion, we thought this month we’d shoot for something lighter. I was thinking something Springy, maybe something pastoral and Beth suggested Cottage Core. The idea here is to pick something that is home-centered, chill, maybe a little bucolic, maybe a little slice-of-life. This is a good theme for that classic you’ve always wanted to get to but never had or that one romance novel you’ve been saving for just the right time. If you needed a sign, this is it! So, without further ado, here are four picks for you to consider.
An all-time fave here at Stacks, Beth and I have both read this multiple times. It follows the adventures of Heathcliffe as he meets a girl, loves a girl, loses a girl, and then proceeds to mess up both his life and hers! It is terrible people doing horrible things to each other and I know that doesn’t sound like a recommendation, but it is. If you like messy people, reality TV, and gossip columns and you haven’t read this yet, this is a classic for you.
This one has already made an appearance in weekend reads, but I’d be remiss in not mentioning it because it is my pick for this month! Beth read it an age ago and lent me her copy, and it is time I read it, too. I’m promised adventures, romance, hijinks, flying houses, and piracy. It is not necessarily the pastoral notion I first envisioned, but from the cover it seems like it’ll fit the bill. (And, yes, I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but… I’m also judging it by Beth’s recommendation. So, I think I’m all good.)
If you’re feeling the pastoral, country vibes of the theme, but you’re not excited for something soft and romantic, then I’d like to recommend some gothic horror to you. Set in the time after Mexico’s war for Independence, Beatriz moves to the countryside to her new husband’s pulque-producing estate. She has big plans about being the lady of the house and making her mark, but house itself has some other ideas. Interesting characters, good atmosphere, chilling and creepy moments. This is a fun one.
Last but absolutely not least, if you’re feeling the slice-of-life, soft home vibes, but you aren’t feeling the country aspects of the theme, try Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert. Part of the Brown sisters series, this installment follows eldest sister Chloe Brown as she decides to get a life. Chloe is thoughtful, hardworking, and serious and so she makes herself a to-do list of life-getting goals. This book was so cute. Chloe is wonderful and relatable. Red is also great. Chloe’s family are a hoot. I absolutely love this series and I think you will, too.
So, there you go. Some recs to start your weekend off right. Let us know what your favorite books with cottage core vibes are in the comments!
In a small village, a man named Ambrosio experiments and works to revive an old family recipe, a cheese his father remembers from his youth. What he creates is something so extraordinary that it wins awards and turns heads. In a college in the US, another man edits a newsletter for a local deli and becomes acquainted with the story of the world’s greatest cheese. Later, when he has a chance, he follows his heart to a small village in Spain to learn more about the cheese and the story he uncovers is so full of twists and turns that he writes a book about it.
This has been on my TBR for awhile because my friend E sent it to me with a note that said something to the effect of, “You also like cheese and Spain, so you’ll think this is an interesting story. But, you’re also not going to like the narrator.” She wasn’t wrong. I perhaps have a bit of sympathy for the author who idealizes this artisanal cheese maker and his integrity, along with the slow-paced small village life, but he’s not my fave. I get looking at the world around you, especially right now, and finding it wanting. But I’m not sure the solution is to quit the world and move to a small village in Spain to write a one-sided story about a very dramatic situation.
So, this book has a lot of ups and downs. The cheese bit was very interesting. The book writing bit was less so. For an author who has done some journalism, the approach he takes to the subject matter was annoying. His writing is fine, tight. The prose kept me interested. But the book has so many footnotes and that drove me mad. I get that stylistically that mimicked Castilian conversation with its many digressions but it did nothing for me. If I hadn’t decided early in the reading that I would not be defeated by this book, I would have DNF’d it for the footnotes alone. (Yes, apparently sometimes in my mind book reading is a game you can lose by not reading. And now I’m digressing. At least this isn’t a footnote?)
The descriptions of Spain and the cheese making process were awesome. But, the descriptions of writers block and interviewing and trying to be Spanish were not.
When you make it through both types of descriptions, you finally get into some of the betrayal and… no spoilers but the book doesn’t have a real ending. It sort of just… loses steam. This is maybe what happens when you go searching for the source of a myth? You find reality and it is long and rambling and stupid and you aren’t sure where something truly ends and the next thing begins.
Anyway, this one is a meh for me. I wouldn’t recommend it. it I also wouldn’t stop you from reading it. If you think you might be interested, let me know and you can have my copy.
I know, I know. It is Sunday Scaries time, the weekend is over, why I am even bothering? For starters, I’m trying to make a commitment to this new regular feature. And, secondly because we announced this month’s theme for the TBR project and I want to recommend some books!
The TBR project is our book club on Fable. Unlike regular book clubs, where everyone reads the same book, the structure of this club is a bit different. We pick a theme and everyone picks something off their TBR that has been hanging out there for awhile and fits the theme. We then share our choices, our struggles, and we cheer each other on towards a TBR that is one book shorter!
This month’s theme is Fiction that was meant to stay fiction a.k.a. It was a story, not a suggestion. So, now is the time to find the dystopian classic that is feeling a little too real for a lot of people and dive in. The theme is meant to be interpreted as broadly or as narrowly as you’d like, so I imagine you could also go for that non-fiction book about something historical that shouldn’t have happened. Without further ado, here are some of our suggestions. If one of these is on your list, March might be its month!
This is the first book of a trilogy that is unflinching. R. F. Kuang’s writing often deals with themes of colonialism, trauma, and racism. This one also deals with war and sexual assault, and doesn’t shy away from depictions of violence. The story follows Rin as she goes from a poor orphan to a member of the army. Beth loved this, and you might, too, but keep in mind it may contain upsetting descriptions
Another first book in a series, Children of Blood and Bone follows Zelie, who has a chance to bring magic back to Orïsha after it has been brutally wiped out by the monarchy. She and her friends must escape from the crown prince and stay a step ahead of him because if he wins, magic will be gone forever. These books are so good and a film based on them is now in production!
I hadn’t intended on picking three books that were first in a series, but I have. The Sapling Cage is the story of Lorel, a trans character who joins the witches in the place of her friend Lane. She must protect her identity to keep herself safe, but also help solve a mystery that has the power to be tragic not only for herself and witches, but for the entire world. Magic is being taken from the land, leaving it barren and dead. The witches have to figure out what is happening and stop it before they are blamed and hunted to extinction. I loved this one so much. Lorel is such a wonderful character and the side characters were also very fun.
So, here are three to get you started. Let us know in the comments what your favorites are. And, if it sounds like fun, join us on fable!
As you know we started a book club on Fable called the TBR project. Our first monthly theme is new beginnings. I am interrupting it has starting a new series. This book has been on my TBR list for years now. No better time to read it then now.
If you haven’t already, join us. Let’s attack our TBR piles. One month at a time.
2 Women, So Many Books 