Emily Reads Jane

A journey through literature, film and pop culture as I read through the BBC Top 100 Books List

[emilyreadsjane]

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[emilyreadsjane]

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[emilyreadsjane]

The 10 Best Books of 2018

The editors of The Times Book Review choose the best fiction and nonfiction titles this year.

Some ideas on what to read when you’re taking your holiday vacations.

[emilyreadsjane]

ARC Review: How to Fracture A Fairy Tale

This was my second Jane Yolen collection of short stories and I think it is official that she is one of my favorite fantasy writers. How to Fracture A Fairy Tale features an array of inspiration from rumplestiltskin and the little mermaid to more unknown source material like the fairy flag. Each story is accompanied by a short description of where her thoughts came from as well as a short poem.

For fans of Naomi Novic and Gregory Maguire, this book is sure to hit your sweet spot.

5 out of 5 stars 

Available November 5th

I’m providing this review in return for an ARC through NetGalley.

[writerswritecompany]

[bookporn]

I’m still laughing with mine XD

via Drunk Austen on Facebook

[emilyreadsjane]

Boy Bands, Assassins and Other Impossible Ordeals 

[readpenguin]

Discover the fantasy books to read this fall!

[emilyreadsjane]

ARC Review: The Royal Runaway

While the Royal Runaway has a fairly standard romance plot, the well formed characters have enough charm to make it a good beach read. While I felt much more connected to the characters and story of the Royal We, fans of the princess genre will enjoy this take on a fictional monarchy.

Princess Theodore is the next in line for the crown after her father in the small country of Dreiden. She is trying to cope with her very sensibly-matched fiancé's sudden disappearance the day of their wedding. While she doesn't love him, she wonders what happened. So of course she sneaks out of the castle to relax from all of her princess duties when she meets a super hot stranger that low and behold turns out to be her ex-fiance' s presumed dead brother. Trouble ensues and the truth finally starts to be revealed.

While not incredibly inventive and unique, the Royal Runaway has earned its place in the princess romance genre. 

3 out of 5 stars 

Available October 9th

I’m providing this review in return for an ARC through NetGalley.

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There’s only one or two… or thirty…

[penguinrandomhouse]

We recommend these books when you’re in a reading rut!

See the full list.

[books-read-in-nooks]

When a person interrupts your reading:

When your pet interrupts your reading:

[emilyreadsjane]

ARC Review: Heartbreaker

Heartbreaker took me by surprise. I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. With so much more to the story than there seems, it's hard to talk about without spoiling the mystery that grows eerily through the chapters. Heartbreaker has its main mystery, but the surrounding elements of the town and its inhabitants don't quite add up leaving you with unspoken questions. 

Billie Jean leaves her house one night without her shoes or jacket leaving her husband and teenage daughter behind without answers. The town they live in is so secluded that no one has left it, except for Billie Jean, who arrived just as mysteriously 17 years ago. Told from three perspectives, Heartbreaker explores the nuances of the town, the people and their culture. Each section reveals another piece of the story. 

For fans of horror and mystery, this subtle story will leave you uncomfortable but wanting more.

5 out of 5 stars

Available Now

I’m providing this review in return for an ARC through NetGalley.

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[hauntedbystorytelling]

Lilian Harvey as Lotte in Du Sollst Nicht stehlen | The Love Commandment (1928) | src misskayonyx 

[tiny-cloud-dragon]

My miniature Terry Pratchett Discworld novel library!

Made from an Altoids tin, Popsicle sticks, cardstock, copy paper, and a whole lot of patience. All of the miniature books open and have real printed pages you can leaf through. And the insidevof the lid has a sort-of-3D scene of the UU Library.

Contains the novels from The Color of Magic, all the way through Raising Steam

[emilyreadsjane]

This is amazing! I love it. 

[emilyreadsjane]

ARC Review: Foundryside

Foundryside is the exciting new beginning to the Founders fantasy series. Sancia is a thief with the ability to become a part of whatever she touches. It's the only reason that she's still alive. With her talent, she is brought in to a scheme to steal a box from a heavily guarded vault. What she finds drags her into a larger plot than she could ever imagine when the key she finds inside starts to talk to her.

The Founders world has an interesting magic system where objects can be changed to think they are different than what they are. Think of it almost like coding objects to adjust the rules of physics. This means things like wheels can be convinced that they are rolling downhill on a flat surface - creating cars without a motor. Of course, things are never as they initially seem and the magic system grows through the novel.

While I've never read any of Robert Jackson Bennett, which I will be sure to change shortly, I'm ready to follow this awesome series. The world building is solid and the characters are diverse and unexpected. A must read for fantasy fans.

5 out of 5 Stars

Available Now

[emilyreadsjane]

ARC Review: The Matrimonial Advertisement

Usually I read romance novels as a palette cleanser after a very intense and heavy book. Usually I have low expectations on quality. Characters draw out drama and the romance scenes are placed evenly and systematically rather than what makes sense.

However, I found the Matrimonial Advertisement rather charming. Helena is a woman forced into a corner by the societal views of women and her lying uncle. After her brothers death, Helena inherits a fortune leaving the family title to her uncle. Not willing to believe that her brother is even gone at first, her uncle takes the opportunity to concoct a plan that leaves her entirely under his control and her fortune in his control. Looking for a way to escape, she decides to take a chance and find a protector in a man through a matrimonial advertisement. While she never planned to marry, this may be her only option,

I found this story of women's place in society in the 19th century an interesting approach from what I expected. The characters seem fully fleshed out and whole, their world rich and descriptive. About three quarters of the way in they start to act silly - the usual assumptions and communication issues. But maybe that's what love does to us, turn us in to idiots.

Overall beautifully written and atmospheric, I'm very much looking forward to the next book in the series. The author has created a world I am excited to return to.

3.75 out of 5 stars

Available September 4th

I’m providing this review in return for an ARC through NetGalley.

[cair--paravel]

Word on the Water, London, a 1920s barge that has been made into a bookshop. It used to travel along Regent’s Canal, but is now permanently moored by Granary Square in King’s Cross.