As the holidays barrel down on us, intense preparations can make it hard to find time to relax and enjoy the season. Our “books we loved” picks this month may not be traditional holiday fair—no fir trees or menorahs or packages in sight—but each of them will, in its own way, pull you into another world of adventure, mystery, or romance long enough for the corn to pop or the cocoa to heat. And happy holidays!
And for those who check such things, yes, Claudia H. Long is one of our authors, but she published this book without any input from us, so we feel comfortable about including it in this space. Find out more about the books that Claudia has published with us on our Historical Fiction page.
Diana R. Chambers, The Secret War of Julia Child (Sourcebooks Landmark, 2024)
A mystery, a history, a riveting love story, this book has it all. In the latter half of World War II, Julia McWilliams, the future Julia Child, leaves her safe home in Pasadena to work for the war effort in Washington DC. Tall and ungainly—and with no interest in food or cooking!—she rises to great responsibility as the chief clerk of the Registry of Secret Files. That’s as high as a woman can expect to rise in that era, but Julia wants to serve overseas.
Rejected by the WACS and the WAVES as “too tall,” she manages, by an act of courage and brains, to impress her boss, General “Wild Bill” Donovan, enough to be sent to be part of the opening staff at the OSS offices in Delhi, India. From there, she will become, in her words, a spy. Her rise, potential fall, adventures, and awakening to love (eventually) with Paul Child is as much a transformation for her as it is for the men fighting on the front lines. Her life, and in a sense ours, will never be the same.—CHL
Claudia H. Long, Murder without a Duck (Sibylline Digital First, 2024)
At the beginning of this light-hearted and entertaining mystery, the start of a new series, the heroine, Salvia DeVine, has moved to the small town of Simpato, California, to lick her emotional wounds after a rocky divorce from a fellow lawyer whose offenses include not only infidelity but getting his soon-to-be ex suspended from her law practice for sixty days because of a fraud he committed. He has also taken custody of their cat, either to please his new girlfriend or to annoy Sal.
The town’s name means “Without a Duck” in Spanish, the result of a drunken founder misspelling “Simpatico,” and duck jokes abound in local culture. On Sal’s first trip to the local grocery store—known as the Duck Shop, naturally—she learns that in the minds of Simpato’s residents, she is the new Keeper of the House of Secrets. Sal has no idea what that means and no real desire to assume the role assigned her. Nor is she sure how to handle the eco-nun who shows up uninvited with cannabis-laden cookies. But it’s when Sal goes for a walk and finds the dead body of the local newspaper editor that her new life really gets weird.
The mystery ticks all the right boxes, but Sal’s intelligence, sassy sense of humor, and flexibility in response to rapidly changing circumstances were what kept me hooked into the story. If you enjoy the quirkiness of small-town life, it will work for you, too.—CPL
Breanne Randall, The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic (Alcove, 2023)
Part Practical Magic, part Gilmore Girls, The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic is a heart-wrenching exploration of family, legacy, and the sacrifices we make for those we love. Sadie has always accepted the curse that her magic comes with four inevitable heartbreaks. But her world is upended when her grandmother, the family’s rock, is diagnosed with terminal cancer, with only weeks to live. As Sadie grapples with impending loss, her first love, Jake, returns after a decade away, stirring long-buried feelings. Her estranged twin brother Seth also comes back, bringing with him secrets that threaten to unravel everything Sadie thought she knew about her family and their magical legacy. As she faces her last heartbreak, Sadie must confront an impossible choice: preserve the magic that defines her, or risk it all for love.—CJH
Commentaires