Before There Was Juliet...

 Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons

For most of my teaching career, I taught freshman English, which means I taught Romeo and Juliet A LOT. Every time I read it, I find little things I never noticed before (like there's an Ok Boomer-type joke between Capulet and one of his guests). One thing I have always pointed out to my students is that Romeo isn't the romantic hero that time has made him out to be. He's flighty and lovesick. He's a creeper (I mean, he jumps the wall to Juliet's backyard, watches her while she's talking to herself, then, once she's poured her heart out, lets her know he's there). He's also sixteen hitting on a thirteen-year-old child. 

When we read R&J, all we learn of Rosaline is that until mere moments before he sees Juliet, Romeo is in love with Rosaline, and that she is going to become a nun. I have always jokingly said that Romeo drove her to a sex-free life (without actually saying that because I'd like to keep my job). As it turns out, Rosaline is bound for the nunnery because it's what her father wants. Allegedly, it is what her dead mother wanted too, as a letter left for Rosaline after her mother's death indicates as much. The problem with that is that her mother was illiterate and couldn't write, so this letter was "dictated" to her father and he wrote it. Somehow methinks he made that up. 

At any rate, Rosaline manages to get her father to agree to let her be free for a bit before going to the nunnery. She wants a year, but her father gives her twelve days. The first thing she does is dress as a man and go to a party at the Montague house. Of course, she meets Romeo. He says pretty words and she falls in love with him. Oh, and he's like 25 in this book, and Rosaline is 15 (and Juliet is still 13, so ewwwww). Anyway, he weasels his way into her bed and deflowers her, which is not going to bode well at the nunnery, but she believes Romeo when he says he wants to marry her. All those lines he is famous for in R&J he has used on every conquest he's had. 

Romeo is slick. He gets Rosaline drunk and/or roofied, and steals the necklace that was her mother's. He tells her that she gave it to him. He convinces her to steal money from her father. Then there are little chinks in the armor, if you will. First, there is a young (like 12) girl who is pregnant with Romeo's baby. Then, when she is visiting the nunnery in Mantua, she finds the cell/room of a young woman who was also one of Romeo's conquests. Ultimately, they were both poisoned by Friar Laurence (remember that soliloquy when he talks about the duality of plants?).

When Rosaline confronts Romeo at the Capulet's party, he, of course, denies everything. The rest, as they say, is history. We all know the story. What we don't know is that Rosaline, with the help of Tybalt, tries to get through to Juliet, but she's not having it. 

And Tybalt? His death is a bit more grisly in this book than what Willie Shakes wrote. Like Romeo stabs him more than once and there's viscera everywhere. Oh, and they're fighting in the graveyard, not the middle of town.

There are just enough little differences to make this interesting, but on the whole, this book is mid, as the kids say. Am I glad I read it? I guess so, but if I'd never read it, I could've been fine too.

A STEM Trio

 Loathe to Love You by Ali Hazelwood

This book contains three short stories, each about a different woman, who are all friends.

The first story, "Under One Roof," is about Mara. She inherited half of a house in Washington DC from her mentor. The other half of the house belongs to the mentor's nephew, Liam. They can't stand one another at first, but as time, in this case weeks, they start to warm up to one another. Ultimately, they have incredible sex because they fell in love.

The second is "Stuck With You," and this one is about Sadie. She lives in New York City, and is very superstitious. Like, eats the same thing and wears the same underwear when she is presenting a pitch because she attributes her first "win" to those things. It is because of this that she meets Erik, who just happens to work in her building. They end up spending a good portion of the day together before going back to his apartment for incredible sex. Then, she hates him due to a misunderstanding, until they are stuck in an elevator together, where they talk things out.

The third is "Below Zero" starring Hannah, a NASA engineer. She gets stuck in a crevasse in Norway, and Ian comes to rescue her. Five years prior, they hit it off, but she hurt his feelings when she wouldn't go to dinner with him. Fast forward to the present, he vetoes her project at NASA, which leads to her stuck in said crevasse. He rescues her, they have incredible sex.

Then there is a Bonus Chapter which is told by Liam, Erik, and Ian. It fills in a little bit of the what happens next that I, as a reader, always want to know.

In all, I have enjoyed reading this. It would be difficult to say which story I liked best because there were bits I loved in all three. 

Now the wait for her next book is on.

Love and Physics

 Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

Because I read it before I resumed my blog, I never reviewed Love on the Brain by the same author. Because I loved that book, I bought this one, the previous one I reviewed, as well as the next one I am reading. They're cute books, and I end up learning some things.

This one is about Elsie who is a theoretical physicist, but working as an adjunct professor and a fake girlfriend. The brother of one of the men she fake dates is Jack, and he seems to despise Elsie just for existing. 

Elsie is up for her dream job at MIT, and has to go through an extensive interview process that involves dinner and talking to everyone in the department. At the fancy dinner, in walks Jack because he works in the physics department at MIT. Turns out, he is the guy that wrote an article that caused a great divide between theoretical physicists and experimental physicists, and Elsie hates him.

What ensues is a series of misunderstandings that lead to the two of them dating. There was one really spicy scene that was so fun to read, and some heartbreak, but on the whole, I enjoyed this immensely. 

Also, I got the Barnes and Noble edition that has a section in the back where the author pairs Taylor Swift songs with the chapters and gives her reasoning. 

Love and Science

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

This is the second book by this author that I have read, and I enjoyed this one immensely, just as I did the first one. One thing I can appreciate about this author is that she writes about women in STEM. I am not a sciencey girl myself, but I know that women are underrepresented in the field. And even though her books are STEM related, they are still relatable for those of us who aren't STEM oriented.

This book is about Olive, a grad student at Stanford. She kisses Adam, a professor/scientist in an attempt to show her best friend, Anh, that she has moved on from Jeremy, a guy she went out with a few times. Anh and Jeremy are smitten, but Anh won't date him because of girl code. Anyway, Olive and Adam decide to fake date for a while because it is mutually beneficial to them both. What Olive doesn't count on is discovering she has feelings for Adam. 

The premise, though overplayed in movies, is just fine here, and so cute. I don't want to say too much more because I will undoubtedly give it away. I will say this much: if you need a lighthearted, contemporary romance, this is for you. 

Not His Finest

 Try Not to Breathe by David Bell

If you go back to some of my prior years' posts, you'll see David Bell's work. He was an author I discovered quite by accident on July day at Barnes and Noble. I devoured that first book, and within days of finishing it, I ordered everything else he had published to date. I've read every book of his that has been published since, including a few that came out while I was not keeping up with my blog (I'll try to remember to review those soon). He's a fantastic writer, and for the most part, I enjoy his books. This one though, didn't grab me like his others.

First of all, when you read the blurb, it's about two sisters. One who is in her early 20s and is ignoring her family and school, and one who is in her late 20s/early 30s. According to the blurb, the younger sister refusing to talk to her family has her dad concerned, so he sends his oldest daughter, a former cop, to find her and bring her home. The book is very much about that for the first two-thirds, then there's a major plot twist that sends everything on its head. 

This took me more than a month to read. Sure, we could blame me going back to work for not getting to read much, and that would be true. We could blame my ADHD for not keeping me focused, and that would also be true. We could even blame the fact that this book just isn't as engaging as other of Bell's works. Personally, I think it is a combination of all three. 

I didn't feel satisfied at the end of this. I was glad it was over and I could move on with my life, but there was nothing that blew me away. This probably should've ended up in my DNR pile, except that I don't have one. 

Anyway, read this or not, as you see fit. As for me, I will just hope that his next book is on par with some of his others.

Up next though, Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood.

Reading to Prepare for the Release of the Movie

 Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie

In September, a movie, A Haunting In Venice, hits the theaters. Because I read books before I see the movies they are based on, I read this (the movie is adapted from this book). I was excited about it because Kenneth Branagh portraying Hercule Poirot for the third time. I loved him in Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile. I enjoyed those books as well. This one though, not so much. 

The premise is that a young girl, Joyce Reynolds, was killed at a Halloween party. Ariadne Oliver, an authoress, was in attendance at the party, and she asks her friend Poirot to assist in finding out who committed the crime. Of course, he does; he's Hercule Poirot. What I got from this is Poirot talked to every damn person in this town, and in doing so, discovered other crimes that were committed. 

I had a hard time staying focused on this one, and ended up doing something I very seldom do--listened to the audiobook. Even with the audio, I struggled to focus. This one bored me, and is nowhere near as good as the other Agatha Christie books I have read. I'm still going to see the movie. Maybe it will be one of the rare cases where the movie is better than the book. 

The Works of Fiona Davis

 The Spectacular by Fiona Davis

This is the most recent book by this author, and like everything of hers that she has written, I loved it. This book revolves around Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Marion is a dancer, who is let go from teaching at the ballet school she has attended most of her life. She's nineteen, and lives at home with her father, Simon, and older sister, Judy. She has a boyfriend that she dated all through high school, Nathaniel, who is on the brink of proposing to her. 

Simon is not bothered by the fact that Marion was fired. He wants her to get married and raise a family like a woman is supposed to want to do. But, she is like her deceased mother, who was an actress. She wants to do what she loves while she can. 

On her last day at the ballet school, one of the other girls from her class mentions that she is going to try out for the Rockettes the next day. Initially, Marion blows it off, but the more she thinks about it, the more she wants to do it. After a long and arduous auditioning process, Marion finds out that she will be a Rockette for the 1956-57 season. She's excited, but afraid to tell her dad, knowing he will not react well. She meets Bunny, a veteran Rockette, and they become fast friends. It is because of Bunny that Marion is able to find a place to live in the city, which is good because her dad kicked her out. It is also because of Bunny that Marion meets Peter Griggs, a friend of the married man that Bunny is seeing. 

During this time, the Met Power bomber has resurfaced after being gone for sixteen years. Sometimes the bombs detonate, and sometimes they don't, and he focuses on iconic places in New York to place the bombs. One of the bombs that detonates happens on the opening night of the Christmas Spectacular. That is also the night that Marion's sister attends the performance. Judy is sitting in the seat next to where the bomb went off, and Marion saw it from the stage. 

Finding the bomber becomes important to Marion, so with the help of Peter Griggs, they try to help the police, but are more or less shunned. Still they keep trying. I won't ruin it for you, so to find out the rest, you're going to have to read this.

What I like about Ms. Davis' books is that they are always told in two time periods, often with two different perspectives. This was no exception. This one takes place in the 1950s and the 1990s, all told by Marion. I enjoyed this very much, but I am not in any way surprised, as I was hooked on her books from the very first one. 

I was introduced to Fiona Davis' books on the Saturday after Thanksgiving 2021. My son and I were driving back to his apartment outside of Washington DC from Manhattan. We were tired, but he doesn't listen to music when he's tired and driving because it will make him even sleepier, so he listens to audio books. I am not much of an audio book person, but I can appreciate them from time to time. 

So that first book? It was The Lions of 5th Avenue. It takes place in the New York public library. It's told by two women, some fifty years apart. I was enthralled. So much so that I bought the book for my kindle so I could finish it on the plane ride the next day. 

After that, I was hooked. I borrowed as many books as I could from Overdrive, bought one for my kindle, and got one as a Book of the Month selection. I loved them all. They all take place in New York City. There's usually an element of mystery, and I love the dual timelines. I won't go into specifics on each of the books, as it's been more than a year since I read them and I have slept since then, but I will share the names and the locales that are represented in them.

The Dollhouse takes place in the Barbizon Hotel. The Address takes place in the Dakota, which is also the building where John Lennon lived. The Masterpiece is in Grand Central Station. The Chelsea Girls centers around the Chelsea Hotel. And last, The Magnolia Palace is in the Frick Museum, and one of the narrators is the woman whose image is used in several sculptures around the city. You can't go wrong with this woman's books. 

As for me, I am on to the next one, whatever that ends up being. I promise I will take some time before summer is over to reflect on as many of the books as I can remember reading during my absence from this blog. I read some great ones.