#booklovers #emilyhenry #juliawhelan #meetmeinthemargins #melissaferguson #talondavid #bythebook #jasmineguillory #sarahhollis #thesiren #katherinestjohn #erinbennett #christinelakin #kamaliminter #willcollyer
May’s Best share a common theme as my monthly listens sometimes do. This month the common theme is books based on the business of books … writing books, editing books, publishing books. It’s a cutthroat business and whether your genre is the sweet and romantic or the dark world of mysteries and thrillers, the process is the same. The book is written, it’s edited, and it’s published with lots of hard work and sometimes heartbreak along the way. This month’s listens include editors, writers, editors who want to be writers, actors who want to be writers, and, of course, there is the requisite psycho who wants to kill writers.
By Emily Henry
Narrated by Julia Whelan
What could be more perfect than a book by one of my favorite authors narrated by one of my favorite narrators? Obviously it’s going to be a book about books. Nora Stephens and Charlie Lastra are in the book business and have met many times in business settings where sparks flew, but not sparks of a romantic nature. When they are accidentally thrown together in a small town through the machinations of Nora’s well-meaning sister who wants anything but a Charlie for her beloved Nora, the sparks fly again. The best thing about any Emily Henry book is the banter between the characters … sometimes heart wrenching, sometimes snarky, and sometimes LOL funny. As a couple of people with a tenuous past, Nora and Charlie will hit all those notes and more. Both the author and the narrator outdo themselves with this one. I think you will love it!
By Melissa Ferguson
Narrated by Talon David
Whether your book life is overwhelmed with too much weirdness or your cup runneth over with psychos or you’ve just heard one too many “F” bombs, Meet Me in the Margins should be your next listen. It’s one of those “cleanse your palette” books that is perfect for the times when you’ve been too deep into books with storylines that are so convoluted or disturbing that you need to pull back and listen to something that is sweet and romantic and lightly sprinkled with humor. I was intrigued by the notion of a mystery “editor” who discovers would-be author Savannah Cade’s manuscript and surreptitiously scribbles helpful notes in the margins. Savannah is shocked by the intrusion into her secret world, but when she figures out the notes are going to turn her work into something worth publishing, she refocuses her attention on learning the identity of her mysterious helper. This will be a sweetness overload for some of you, but just relax and let Melissa Ferguson and narrator Talon David leave you with that feel good HEA we all need from time to time.
By Jasmine Guillory
Narrated by Sarah Hollis
Fans of Jasmine Guillory are going to find By the Book a bit of a departure from her other books which can be quite steamy. They will also find the story engaging enough that it doesn’t really matter. The connection between the characters is so apparent that steam would just be superfluous. Izzy and Beau have something very important in common. They are both desparate. Izzy desperately needs to change her life and her career path and Beau desperately needs to fulfill a contractual agreement to write a book about his life when he totally lacks inspiration. Izzy takes on the task of being Beau’s inspiration to complete the “tell-all” about his painful history, and her creative method is one of the things that hooks you into the storyline. As she pulls Beau’s story from him, she also pulls her writing talent from within herself where she has buried it thanks to a jealous co-worker. The other thing that will hook you on the story is how the author paves the way to the perfect conclusion for all the characters. The classic storyline is loosely based on the fairytale Beauty and the Beast and narrator Sarah Hollis’s performance of a perennial favorite is excellent.
By Katherine St. John
Narrated by Erin Bennett, Christine Lakin, Kamali Minter, & Will Collyer
What if the mere suggestion that you intend to write a book makes someone want to kill you? That’s exactly what happens to Stella Rivers when she states her intention of writing her memoir to set the record straight about her life in order to salvage her badly damaged reputation. Katherine St. John‘s offering isn’t quite so much about writing the book as it is about the depths to which the characters will go to hide the past. I almost didn’t include it with my other “book” listens, but I was ultimately enticed by the prospect of another trapped-on-an-island-with-a-hurricane-coming storyline. The narrators are superb and they more than do justice to the variety of characters who range from the likable to the despicable and everything in between. All the characters get what they deserve making The Siren a worthy conclusion to a month of books about books.
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