"Mary B: An Untold Story of Pride and Prejudice" by Katherine J. Chen

Every now and then I stumble upon a delightful Pride and Prejudice retelling. Mary B looked promising. The novel was supposed to give us the story of the middle sister Mary, the one who would have made a great match for Mr. Collins. Thank goodness I checked this book out of the library and did not pay for it! What an absolute disappointment and a waste of time! Not only did Chen make out the characters to be nothing like they were in Austen's novel (enter whiny Darcy and selfish and rude Lizzy), her characters also behaved in ways that would be unimaginable during that time period. A maid gulping down water meant for her mistress, a young religious girl (Mary) throwing herself at a clergyman, and a son of an earl mistaking a gentlewoman for a housemaid. What was the author thinking?

I do realize that Chen was trying to make Mary B interesting just very misunderstood. In fact, I kept thinking she was trying to pattern her after Jane Eyre and Darcy after Rochester. Alas, Jane Eyre's appeal is not only in the strength of character, resilience and independence of spirit, it is also in her sound principles. She flatly refuses to be with the man she loves when she learns he has a wife who is still living. Mary B's version of independence of spirit is more akin to our modern notions of sexual freedom. And don't get me started on Colonel Fitzwilliam - he is nothing close to the one in Austen's novel!

I will stop the rant here. You get the picture. This book is bad. Chen should have written a completely original novel that has nothing to do with Pride and Prejudice and she definitely should not have set it in the time period she clearly does not understand. 1 out of 5 stars.

"My Favorite Half-Night Stand" by Christina Lauren

I had never read a book by Christina Lauren before, but I knew she wrote in the modern romance, chick lit and new adult genres. I did, therefore, expect an easy-to-read, fluffy romance, which would also hopefully be funny. Bridget Jones Diaries and the Shopaholic series are the unwritten standard setters for me in this genre in terms of the overall entertainment value.

First of all, I was surprised to see that My Favorite Half-Night Stand has 400 pages. It certainly did not read like it did. I finished it easily in a couple of days. Secondly, it definitely does not measure up to some of the better books in the genre, which makes me wonder what the fuss is all about with Christina Lauren's books. I will have to read some others and see if they are any better.

This novel focuses on a group of four friends (four men and one woman) who on a whim decide to try online dating in order to secure partners for an upcoming work event. The story gets a bit more complicated after Millie (the only female in the group) hooks up with Reid (one of the four male friends). They do decide that it would be better to keep their relationship strictly platonic, but then they also get matched by the dating app. As they start communicating via the app, only one of them knows the real identities behind their online personalities.

Overall, I would say this is not the worst book I've ever read, but it is definitely not the best. It is what it is: a cheesy romance novel with some cringy and hard to believe situations. It is however a quick read and helps pass the time while sitting on a long flight. 3 out of 5 stars.

I received an advanced e-copy of the novel from NetGalley.com. It will be available for purchase in December.

"The Fifth Season" by N.K. Jemisin

The Fifth Season is book 1 in N.K. Jemisin's award-winning Broken Earth fantasy trilogy. Now that I finished this book, I can honestly say it deserves all the praise and the prizes that it has received. Not only does it have a unique and interesting world, complex characters and intricate political and environmental situation, it is also structured in a very unusual way.

We follow three different timelines in the life of the main character. Her life is divided into several distinct periods, and fittingly, she even goes by a different name in each of them. This is not unlike the feeling many of us have looking back on various phases in our lives: we are not the same when we were children, young adults and so on. Granted, Essun has had much more heartbreak and loss in her life than an average person. To begin with, she is an orogene, or a person who is able to create, manipulate and quiet seismic events.

In addition to orogenes, this world is populated with stills, humans who do not possess the skill of orogeny, and stone eaters, a mysterious humanoid species of whom little is known. The continent where the book is set is misleadingly called Stillness. It is in reality nothing but still. Life on the continent is regularly interrupted by powerful seismic events, each of which is followed by a Fifth season, a period of winter, hunger and desolation brought on by a large-scale earthquake. The population lives in constant anticipation of the next big shake, and their lore has specific rules and instructions that are to be followed during a Fifth Season.

As you can guess from the title, Stillness is entering its Fifth season, and the book describes the events leading up to it and immediately following its beginning. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writing is exceptional, the plot is intricate and from what I hear, the sequel is even better. 5 out of 5 stars.

"Mr. Dickens and His Carol" by Samantha Silva

I listened to this book on audio and it did not disappoint. The narrator has a British accent which only adds to the atmosphere of a Dickensian London. The main character in the novel - you guessed it - is Charles Dickens. His latest serialized creation called Martin Chuzzlewit is not doing well in terms of sales, and his publisher tasks him with writing a Christmas story just a few weeks before Christmas.

It was fun to follow Dickens around as he got increasingly frustrated with his family and friends who have over the years gotten used to relying on his generosity. Now that his financial situation is a bit strained he has trouble getting into the holiday spirit of giving and ends up alienating his own wife and children. He is also plagued by self-doubt wondering if he can ever write well again. He ends up fleeing his home and going back to where he started: staying in a humble inn where he penned his early works and seeking inspiration in roaming the streets of London. He also meets a mysterious young widow who unexpectedly shows him the way back to himself and to a perfect story.

This was a delightful read. I highly recommend it to everyone who likes Charles Dickens, his Christmas Carol, and everything Victorian. 5 out of 5 stars.