Second Hand Curses

 Audible Original Fiction by Drew Hayes.

https://www.audible.com

This was a fun little story set in a fairytale universe where mythical creatures and magic spells have real-world ramifications. For example, when Cinderella accepted the fairy's help for one wonderful evening at the ball with the prince, she effectively signed a magical contract to pay for that night of fun with a lifetime of servitude in the fairy's house afterwards. Whoops!

Enter the heroes of this story, the Bastard Champions, a trio of scoundrels who can help a person escape just such a problem... if that person can pay their fees. And since Cinderella has the besotted prince waiting in the background to marry her, it looks like she can afford their assistance.

This story is just part of the first chapter of the amusing little novel, full of great characters and fun plot twists. I really enjoyed it! 

I also listened to recently by Audible Originals: Poirot Investigates

Laughing in the Dark

 Nonfiction by Chonda Pierce

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This was a decent celebrity memoir but not spectacular. I wish it had been funnier, I guess. 

The Orphan Collector

 Fiction by Ellen Marie Wiseman

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Looking at this title, I wondered: Does that mean we have an orphan who collects things, or a person who collects orphans? I don’t want to spoil it and tell you…

I did really like this story, which is set during the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 and, unsurprisingly, involves a lot of orphans. I recommend this book! 

I also read by this author: The Life She Was Given

Neglected

 Nonfiction by Cathy Glass

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This is the newest book from Cathy Glass, a British foster carer. I have read nearly all her books. 

In this story she takes charge of a two year old called Jamie whose drug-addicted mother kept him in a crib almost all of his little life. As a result Jamie is undernourished, has severe diaper sores, is almost nonverbal, and doesn’t walk as well as he should. 

In the midst of this assignment, Covid lockdown hits, and Cathy is required to navigate Jamie’s recovery in near-isolation. 

Of course Cathy is able to nurse this little one into health and get him a permanent placement, which is always gratifying to read. I didn’t love this book as much as some of her others, maybe because there were no real surprises. But I still thought it was worth reading. 

I also read recently by this author: Girl Alone

The Inheritance Games

 Fiction by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Tobias Hawthorne, eccentric billionaire, dies and leaves a strange will. Instead of bequeathing his fortune to his two daughters and four grandsons, he gives instructions that all of his money will go to a complete stranger, a penniless teenager named Avery, provided that she lives in his mansion (with his disinherited family!) for one year after his death. 

Wait, what?

Yeah, it was a hard premise to swallow, but the idea was to set up the main character in the lap of luxury with FOUR attractive young men... And then she had to solve a puzzle with the boys' help to find out why she'd been chosen... Plus there's another mystery heir who may or may not be dead...

I didn't love this book. It was too convoluted and not believable, although I did like Avery's character.

I also read by this author: The Naturals

Unspeakable Things

 Fiction by Jess Lourey

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

In the early eighties in a small Minnesota town there is a girl called Cassie who isn't allowed to tell anyone about her family. Her dad says that what goes on in their rural home is their private business. When boys from the poor section of town are rumored to have been abducted and molested, Cassie wonders if her dad might know something about it. Or maybe Sergeant Bauer, her dad's buddy on the police force, is somehow involved.

All of this was an interesting setup, but I didn't completely like this novel. Cassie's character hinted at a vague ickiness that made the reader feel unsettled for the whole book, but nothing ever really got resolved to my satisfaction. Still it was an okay book.

Hamnet

 Fiction by Maggie O'Farrell

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

William Shakespeare, the real historical person, had two daughters called Susanna and Judith with his wife Anne (or maybe Agnes.) Apparently, he also had a son who died as a child, and the name of that son was Hamnet, which may be considered the same name as "Hamlet." 

This novel is about that family.

With a book is subtitled "a novel of the plague," obviously one can't expect a happy story; still it is a very well-written and emotionally affecting novel.