Hot Chocolate on Thursday

 By: Michiko Aoyama   

Location: FIC AOY

Genre: Japanese Fiction

Japanese Fiction is my new binge, over Easter on the shores of Lake Taupo I nailed two books. I love how they use a constant theme to create stories that roll around what that constant is. Mini novellas wrapped up with a connection tying them together. I read one about a restaurant and the other about cats- stories of life, love, death, hope, memories, journeys- all different- all linked. I love it!

This one the link is hot chocky- it has to be good! It is also written by the same author as one of my favourites "What You Are Looking for Is in the Library"- that has to do with books and croquet and life and living and love and family!

Here is the blurb of Hot Chocolate on Thursday!

Across a bridge in a quiet neighbourhood in Tokyo, a seasonal cherry blossom sits on the river. Nearby is the Marble Cafe, where a woman writes in a notebook and a young waiter prepares her favourite hot drink. Both wonder about each other and about the other lives of the clientele who frequent this charming little cafe behind the trees...

Without even realizing it, we may touch and change someone else's life.

Taking a walk along the river, cooking the best tamagoyaki, ordering hot chocolate, forgetting to remove our nail polish... The small, everyday acts that we do can lead to unexpected encounters and reverberate far beyond our own lives to make a real difference in the world.

Hot Chocolate on Thursday is a tapestry of slice-of-life moments that open and close with a woman ordering her regular hot chocolate at the mysterious Marble Cafe.

What happens in between will touch and swell your heart, as we connect with a community of untold unfolding lives.

Review by Libroskate

I loved it! The setting, the mysterious aura, the way the stories are interwoven, the endearing characters, the memorable quotes, and so on. I liked it so much that it made me want to be in that café. ☕✨

Books and Bewitchment

 By:Isla Jewell  

Location: FIC JEW

Genre: Romance

'From eccentric townsfolk to magical mysteries and family secrets, this book was a total joy to get lost in. It’s lighthearted and whimsical, but also grounded in themes of identity, acceptance, and stepping into one’s power—both magical and emotional. Rhea is the kind of heroine you want to be friends with: humble, kind, resilient, and just the right amount of quirky." Nilfer

If you love stories with magical realism, second chances, slow-burn romance, and a parrot with an attitude, then this gem of a book deserves a spot on your shelf.

In this cozy, witchy romcom, a young woman works to turn a run-down small-town video store into the bookshop of her dreams, only to discover a powerful magic that’s been lying dormant—and a forbidden love she can’t resist.

Dutiful and hard-working, Rhea Wolfe lives a simple, mundane life with her pet parrot in small-town Alabama. Sure, she may not love her desk job working for an insurance agency. And her on-again-off-again relationship with the local mechanic may not have the fiery passion she’s read about in her favorite books. Still, things are stable, which is more than she can say about the two hopelessly immature younger sisters who rely on her.

But when Rhea’s estranged grandmother dies, leaving her everything—including a magical heritage Rhea never knew she carried—she finds herself in Arcadia Falls, the quaint mountain town her mother made her swear to avoid at all costs. While the defunct business she’s also inherited needs a serious upgrade, Rhea’s lucky that resident handyman Hunter Blakely is more than happy to help—and more than easy on the eyes. If only he wasn’t the grandson of her grandmother’s sworn enemy in witchcraft.

As Rhea works to build a future, strange occurrences begin to make her think someone—or something—is trying to drive her out. As she gets closer to solving the mystery, each clue she uncovers points to Arcadia Falls’s magic hanging in the balance. To keep her new home safe, Rhea must step into her enchanted birthright . . . before it’s too late.

Diddly Squat: The Farmers Dog

 By: Jeremy Clarkson   

Location: NF  630.09 CLA

Genre: Jeremy Clarkson

Uncooperative animals, underperforming crops, and rather less than best-laid plans pursued with unbridled enthusiasm. Clarkson’s farm is the gift that keeps on giving.

But, as one overseas visitor* admitted, he only came to Diddly Squat because he just didn’t believe that Jeremy could be so incompetent.

Not one to be discouraged, however, our hero decides to bring his misunderstood entrepreneurial flair to bear on a new a pub. And just a few short weeks later, the doors open on The Farmer’s Dog.

All British produce, Hawkstone beer on tap, a private bar for farmers and a vintage tractor hanging from the ceiling. The perfect country pub. A welcome distraction from sustainable farming initiatives, psychedelic wheat, angry protests in central London and a headbutting goat.

What, you may be asking, could possibly go wrong?

On top of the lavatories packing up and the electricity running out, you mean? As the Cotwolds’ newest publican quickly discovers, there’s a lot more to landlording than pulling pints.

Just as well, then, that he still has Lisa, Kaleb, Cheerful Charlie and Gerald to help him through. Especially now his doctor’s told him he’s got to become a vegetablist …

Dragon Cursed

 By: Elise Kova   

Location: FIC KOV

Genre: Romantasy

SHOW NO MERCY

The cover art!!! Next level!

"This was fun! The magic system is unique and very different from any other dragon book I’ve picked up. The mystery of whether Isola is the Chosen One or if she’s Dragon Cursed had me invested! " mIKAYLA

The moment you see a dragon is usually your last…

Since the dragons emerged–along with the scourge that ravaged our lands and people–there’s only one human city that remains standing: Vingard.

But the hellfire from above is nothing compared to the threat from within. For there is no worse fate than being dragon cursed. Slowly and excruciatingly, you’ll be transformed into a mindless beast who destroys everything–and everyone–you love.

Any of us could be tainted. Any of us could be lying. Any of us could be caught and killed by the authorities.

And I’m terrified that I might be next.

There’s only one other person who might suspect my secret. He’s like my shadow, following me wherever I go. Part protector, part tormentor, fully annoying. Sometimes I think I am just one of the million unfathomable secrets he keeps hidden.

Because Lucan definitely knows something.

And if I’m dragon cursed, death might be the only mercy I get.

BREAKING NEWS!

Dragon Cursed has been optioned for film. It’s all very visual, with lots of plot and action, right from chapter one. I hope the producers do it justice.

Anatomy of An Alibi

 By: Ashley Elston  

Location: FIC ELS

Genre: Thriller

Elston builds a smart, propulsive puzzle that keeps your brain happily sprinting. From the first chapters you’re juggling three delicious questions:

Who killed Ben?

Who killed Aubrey’s parents?

What’s on the flash drive?

A tense, feverish thriller about two women’s lives that are forever intertwined when a murder threatens to expose them both.

“Elston expertly unravels a web of secrets and lies. You won’t be able to put this excellent thriller down until the final shocking page.” —Megan Miranda

Everyone at Chantilly’s Bar noticed out-of-towner Camille Bayliss. Red lips, designer heels, sipping a Negroni. But that woman wasn’t Camille Bayliss. It was Aubrey Price.

Camille Bayliss appears to have the picture-perfect life; she’s married to hotshot lawyer Ben and is the daughter of a wealthy Louisiana family. Only nothing is as it seems: Camille believes Ben has been hiding dirty secrets for years, but she can’t find proof because he tracks her every move.

Aubrey Price has been haunted by the terrible night that changed her life a decade ago, and she’s convinced Benjamin Bayliss knows something about it. Living in a house full of criminals, Aubrey understands there’s more than one way to get to the truth—and she may have found the best way in.

Aubrey and Camille hatch a plan. It sounds simple: For twelve hours, Aubrey will take Camille’s place. Camille will spy on Ben, and the two women will get the answers they desperately seek.

Except the next morning, Ben is found murdered. Both women need an airtight alibi, but only one of them has it. And one false step is all it takes for everything to come undone.

The Poet Empress

 By: Shen Tao  

Location: FIC TAO

Genre: Fantasy

TO KILL A MONSTER, SHE MUST BECOME ONE . . .

As the emperor lays dying, the once-great Azalea Dynasty plunges towards civil war. While its princes plot for power, a more hidden war - to become the next empress - occupies the imperial court.

Wei Yin - peasant girl turned concubine to the cruel Prince Terren - has already endured unimaginable suffering. Ripped from her family, she has no title, no allies, and no escape. But she does have a secret . . .

In the shadows of the palace, surrounded by enemies, she is learning a skill forbidden to women. Because when words are weapons and poetry holds an ancient magic, the fate of a girl - and a nation - can both be rewritten. All she has to do is compose the perfect poem - a tale so powerful, it can kill any man, even the next emperor.

The epic political arena of The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang meets the intimate tragedy and luscious language of The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller in this sensational debut novel by visionary new talent Shen Tao, unmissable for die-hard genre fans as well as readers of literary fiction looking to make their first foray into fantasy.

Such a brutal, tragic but beautiful story. It’s a different type of a story where instead of getting lots of action & complex plot, we instead do a dive into the past and dig into the upbringings of certain complex characters in the story.

Every time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies

 By: Catherine Mack  

Location: FIC MAC

Genre: Mystery

Ten days, eight suspects, six cities, five authors, three bodies . . . one trip to die for.

All that bestselling author Eleanor Dash wants is to get through her book tour in Italy and kill off her main character, Connor Smith, in the next in her Vacation Mysteries series―is that too much to ask?

Clearly, because when an attempt is made on the real Connor’s life―the handsome but infuriating con man she got mixed up with ten years ago and now can't get out of her life―Eleanor’s enlisted to help solve the case.

Contending with literary rivals, rabid fans, a stalker―and even her ex, Oliver, who turns up unexpectedly―theories are bandied about, and rivalries, rifts, and broken hearts are revealed. But who’s really trying to get away with murder?

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is the irresistible and hilarious series debut from Catherine Mack, introducing bestselling fictional author Eleanor Dash on her Italian book tour that turns into a real-life murder mystery, as her life starts to imitate the world in her books.

"Fresh, clever, and laugh out loud funny! Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is written by an author about an author being an author. Mack smashes through the fourth wall, giving you an inside look at the complex and hilarious world of publishing, while making you feel like you're a part of the story. It's wildly fun, completely addictive, and an absolute must read!"