Auntie's Annex: March Shelves
Where I wrap up ACOTAR but keep on romancing
Hello friends, and welcome to Auntie’s Annex, my once-a-month newsletter featuring reviews of the books I have been reading. This one is for you, Auntie Pants, and any of you lovely readers who do not have children…or maybe you do have children and, like me, want to take a moment to forget that you have them. Let’s dive right in.
After my eldest was born, way back in 2019, my family gifted me a few hours to sneak off and enjoy a book and a coffee by myself. Doesn’t this whole setup look absolutely delicious?! I was reading a Liane Moriarty, so you know I was having a good time. I hope you enjoy a treat and a good book this week!
I kept the romance train rolling in March — mostly because I read the rest of the ACOTAR (Thank you internet for teaching me that acronym as I was naively calling them A Court Of….) series, but also because I am loving the romances right now. They are breezy, fun to read, and are propelled forward by a buoyant hope that all will go well in the end, which is exactly the kind of feeling I want to fill my life with at the moment.
TOP PICK
If you only read one book from my March books, make it With Love, from Cold World by
and let me know what you think of it! It was my favorite read this month and you can see why below.Also, does anyone know if more royalties go to the author if purchases are from their indie press over buying it from bookshop.org? If you buy through my bookshop links I get a small commission at no extra charge to you — so, thanks for your support.
FROM THE STAX
A TRICK OF THE LIGHT (#7) by Louise Penny
Another body appears in Three Pines, this time a mysterious woman in a striking red dress who was obviously intending to be a guest at Clara’s big art-opening afterparty. So who is she? And why did she end up murdered in the flower bed? And who amongst the familiar guests did it this time?
How do I NEVER EVER not-even-get-close guess who the killer is?! Please listen to this series so that you and I can gush about how great Ralph Cosham is as narrator.
A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN by Sarah J. Mass
Feyre is back in Summer Court, acting as a spy and saboteur, biding her time until she can collect enough information to return to the Night Court and hopefully keep the King of Hybern and his war at bay. Meanwhile, her sisters are coming to terms with their powers, and even more menacing and ancient powers are being released.
I read this book hot on the tail of the second and devoured it in four days, so I guess you could say I was IN IT. I am discovering romantasy as a genre that I love to love. All my Goodreads review says is “Yesssssss. I am transported” so this book definitely sold me on the world and has taken me deep into it.
A COURT OF FROST AND STARLIGHT by Sarah J. Mass
Have y’all ever read holiday-themed romances? This felt like reading a drawn-out Christmas romance book or a made-for-TV Hallmark Christmas special, but ACOTAR style. Will Feyre find the perfect gift for Rhys? Will the big city news anchor fall in love with the maple farmer over a piping cup of hot cocoa with a ludicrous amount of marshmallows in it? It doesn’t matter if it was campy because they still have steamy hot sex that has me wondering if I’d be into a man with giant bat wings….because it seems like a yes?
A COURT OF SILVER FLAMES by Sarah J. Mass
Nesta is drunk all the time because she hates her powers and the guilt and nightmares she collected at war, so the Night Court has to intervene. Is it punishment or is it love? Meanwhile, there are cities to rebuild, new treaties to sign, and alliances to be made across the kingdoms. But one human Queen is stirring up trouble. Oh, and Feyre is preggo so we don’t really get to read about her—obviously, I have thoughts on that vibe.
**POTENTIAL SPOILERS BELOW**
Listen, I am already going through withdrawals and want to go back to this world, and don’t fully accept that this is the last book. I loved reading these books. BUT also, this book felt like a prolonged self-help advertisement that made me want to take some badass self-defense classes, eat more proteins and veggies, and meditate so I can become a warrior. Also, I am very disappointed that Feyre decides her winter solstice present to Rhys is gonna be a baby and then she is basically written out of the story because who wants to read about a mom, right? Oh wait — me! I am a mom! And I matter! Seems very anti-mom in a “get back in the kitchen” kinda way. Like somehow when Rhys puts an entire body shield on Feyre it’s cute, but when Tamlin tried to keep her in a palace it was torture. Whatever. Lastly, when Nesta sacrifices her powers at the end it is a hard sell for me that this would be much of a sacrifice since she absolutely abhorred her powers for the entirety of this series, and always acted in the best interest of her sisters even if she was a cold-hearted bitch about it. But, also, hot pent up anger sex with winged male warriors, so…still yum.
ONE SUMMER IN SAVANNAH by Terah Shelton Harris
When Sara’s father falls ill she and her daughter have to return home and face the ghosts of her past in the very tangible form of her sexual-assaulters twin brother.
**TW: Sexual assault** **SPOILERS LITE BELOW**
Despite the disclaimer/content warning at the start of the book that suggests that there are no graphic details (and that is true), this book revolves around trauma caused by sexual assault. I was a bit disturbed by the idea of falling in love with an identical twin of the person who assaulted you. Seems like a stretch. Also, she forgives her assailant on his deathbed — which feels like a less complicated version of forgiveness than if that person were to be a continual presence in her life. Oh, and the poetry was hard to stomach, and for me became a distraction from the story instead of bolstering it up or creating a layer of complexity.
WITH LOVE, FROM COLD WORLD by Alicia Thompson
Lauren Fox runs the numbers at Cold World and is as buttoned up and tidy as her cardigan — thank you very much, while blue-haired and tattoed Asa takes his work a bit less seriously. When the boss brings them in to come up with ways to help save Cold World they discover that a snowglobe in Florida isn’t the only surprising attraction.
YESSSS let me happy dance for a moment because I finally got to read this book and because I loved it as much as I hoped I would. First of all, the setting of Cold World is ridiculous and sad in that warehouse-gone-weird kind of way that only a person who has been inside a converted warehouse-turned-funhouse knows, and it just makes the story that much more real life. Second, Lauren and Asa are fully fleshed complicated humans who are insecure and vulnerable in heartbreakingly beautiful ways and then they just barely avoid muffing their whole romance. I love being able to agonize over miscommunications and misunderstandings because I so badly want the characters to reach the aha! moment when they realize they had it wrong the whole time. That payoff is always so good.
THE HAPPY EVER AFTER PLAYLIST (#2) by Abby Jimenez
Sloan is a bit of a mess, is still grieving her dead fiancee, and accidentally adopts a dog she almost ran over who then jumped through her sunroof. Turns out the dog, Tucker, belongs to musician Jason, who is across the globe trying to become famous. When their phone calls and texts about Tucker get a little flirty, Jason and Sloan have to decide if they’ve got what it takes to make it last.
A cute plot line with decent twists, but the characters ultimately fell a little flat and the steamy scenes were more like a cozy sweater than a ripped bodice. It felt a bit like the girl next door and the football star got some tattoos and motorcycles to feel edgy but they were still selling the America’s Sweetheart image in the end. Sloan’s best friend had more spunk to her than the rest of the book, and she was a secondary character. I did love the shoutout to the Boundary Waters and if any hunky man (read my hubs) wants to take me back there to “not see” the northern lights, I am game. Am I listening to the playlist suggested by the chapter titles while I write this lukewarm review? You betcha, Minnesota.
ON THE NIGHTSTAND
In hand: NOTHING! I wish I could say I am finally making some headway in The Overstory by Richard Powers or that I am having more success with Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead in print than I was as an audiobook, but those would be LIES. Those books are collecting dust as I type. What should I pick up next? Give me a book I can’t put down. Have a great one sitting on your shelf and you want to mail it to me? DM me and I will give you my address, I am desperate for my next great love.
On Kindle: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang is proving to be a quick and interesting (though sometimes cringy on purpose) read that I look forward to reviewing.
Audiobook: UGH — I had been (slowly, I will admit) listening to The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny on Libby but didn’t finish it in the allotted 14 days before it was due back, so now it is on hold and says there is still a FOUR WEEK WAIT! I picked up Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman because my husband recently read it and we like to book club books…but I am going to be totally honest and say it is likely a DNF. I am not in the mood for self-help books about time management RN. Maybe because tiny beautiful dictators without any concept of time run my agenda.
ON DECK
I’ve got Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny and Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano on hold at the library, with 4 and 14 weeks to wait, respectively.
I recently added The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Willems and The Measure by Nikki Erlick to my TBR list on Goodreads per recommendations a friend made while camping.
I feel like April is an empty slate — I am open to suggestions so bring your best! And if you know someone who loves to read, please support my work by sharing!
ADULTING
???? I haven’t decided what this segment is going to contain — my thought was to close out my newsletter with a quippy and fun little story about being an adult and living my life, but it seems my mind is also an empty slate. Is this 40?
Oh! Here is a fun one! SXSW was happening and I dragged my dear friend out with me to a movie premiere of a film a friend of mine from a past life (read: before I had kids of my own and used to be a traveling nanny) wrote and directed. It was a strange and haunting film about an unexpected party guest but it was also about the struggle of being a woman, a mother, and an artist trying to survive the Hollywood noise and I liked it quite a bit. I also LOVED seeing someone I know (knew?) standing on stage abuzz and positively glowing with the energy of having MADE something beautiful that is now out there in the world. Congrats.
Keep making beautiful things! And happy reading y’all.
I’m not letting myself read it til I’m done with David Copperfield. It’ll be my reward :)
Ok! If you are looking for a romance, can I recommend The Idea of You? It is not your traditional romance novel, and also VERY VERY spicy. There is a lot of sex. But it is a great book, and the movie adaptation comes out in May.