"The Kingdoms" by Natasha Pulley

I love Natasha Pulley's writing. This is the fourth book that I've read by this author and she does not disappoint. I think her books will appeal to readers who like historical fiction and plots involving time-travel. Even though not all of her books involve time-travel per se, they all do include some aspect of time-bending in them. The Kingdoms specifically does have time-travel in it. The story is set in an alternative history London, and follows several timelines. We first meet our main character Joe Tournier in 1899. France had won the Napoleonic wars and England is under the French rule. Joe gets off the train in London and suddenly realizes that he cannot remember anything about himself. He is quickly taken to a hospital where he learns that it is a type of epilepsy that has affected large portions of the population. Three months later he receives a postcard in the mail which was held for him at the post office for 93 years...

It is really not necessary to know anything else about the book. We basically follow Joe as he is desperately trying to find out what happened to him. He has vague memories of a woman in green, a man waiting by the sea, he speaks several languages: he is utterly lost in time. As with her other novels, Natasha Pulley is amazing at describing the minute aspect of life in a certain time period - what technology was emerging at the time, how machinery worked, what it was like to be on a tall ship in the middle of a stormy sea... I absolutely love her writing. And of course, there is an epic love story. 5 out of 5 stars. Another favorite. I will definitely be re-reading this one soon.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com

"Piranesi" by Susanna Clarke

This was another read that we selected for the book club I attend. In addition, this was one of the books I got through my Book of the Month subscription. One of my reading goals for the year is to read the books I get in the subscription boxes in a timely manner so this was a perfect choice for that reason.

Piranesi is a portal fantasy novel. It is written from the perspective of a person (called Piranesi) who lives in a vast building with a countless number of rooms. Each room (or hall as he calls them) contains statues of varying sizes depicting people, mythical creatures and other lifeforms. This building is also so large that it has an entire ocean within its walls. Piranesi is aware of only one other live human being whom he calls the Other and meets twice a week at a pre-determined time.

One thing I must say is that for such a short novel, it certainly has a lot packed into it. First of all, we have the mystery of what this world is, who Piranesi is, and how he got there. As I began reading the novel, I got a distinct sense of "wrongness" - there was something not right with this character and the world. Things were not lining up nicely and Piranesi sounded distinctly like an unreliable narrator. Secondly, as we begin unraveling the mystery and as Piranesi begins to learn more details about the past, I was struck by the idea of adaption: the things people can adapt to, the defense mechanisms and survival instincts that kick in, and overall the idea of how much the environment really shapes who we are. 

Without spoiling anything, I would say this is a great pick for book clubs. I love when an author does not spell everything out, but instead lets the reader connect the dots and figure out possibilities. One complaint that I do have about the book is that it is too short. I would have loved a bit more world building beyond what we see in this novel. Overall, I really liked this book. 4 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it.

"The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig

I have been curious about Matt Haig's books for a while now. In fact, I own three novels by this author. So I was really excited when the book club I am a member of picked this novel as our next read. 

This book was equal parts surprising and heart-wrenching. I'll explain. The main character Nora is struggling with depression and on a particularly bad night, she resolves to end her life. She ends up in a sort of coma as her mind travels to a place called the Midnight Library. There, a librarian explains to her that each book on the shelf is a version of Nora's life and she can pick and choose them in order to glimpse what a different life could feel/look like. So for most of this book we follow our main character as she explores different versions of herself/her life story. This part was a bit unsettling because in these alternate lives, Nora just sort of takes over the consciousness of her other ego and her other personality is just sort of dormant for that period of time that Nora overtakes the body.

As Nora travels from lifetime to lifetime, she does learn a lot about herself and the people who surround her. She also gets to see how minute decisions not only could alter the course of a single day but have a much bigger impact on the entire course of one's life. The ending of this book is ultimately filled with hope. In fact, the novel felt almost therapeutic and at times read like a self-help book. I definitely think that folks with depression might need to be aware of the subject matter before picking up the novel. The beginning of the story is pretty bleak. But in the end, I found it hopeful and charged with positive energy. 5 out of 5 stars.

"The Soulmate Equation" by Christina Lauren

This is my sixth novel from the writing duo that goes by the pen name of Christina Lauren. They mostly right in the romance genre, although granted, several of their books veer more heavily towards women's fiction. In fact, some romance readers feel that their books are not steamy enough. I think I am on the opposite end of this. I tend to like their more emotional, grounded in life stories better. Out of the 6 books I read, four were five star reads, and two I rated at 3 stars. The Soulmate Equation is by far my favorite from them. In fact, this is the book that kept me up reading till 3AM on a Monday morning. And yes, I had no regrets even though I only got 3 hours of sleep and had a pretty tough workday ahead of me.

The Soulmate Equation is about two people who unexpectedly get matched via a new dating app that uses DNA as the basis for matching applicants. Jess is a single mother struggling to keep up with the bills, and River is the founder of the company and the brains behind this new genetic matching app. As I mentioned, I found the story hard to put down. The characters in this book are amazing and so relatable. There is something very cozy and heartwarming about Jess's relationship with her grandparents and her daughter. Her relationship with River is super intense and is in equal part hate to love and instant attraction. I think this is a perfect book for getting out of a reading slump. And for readers who are like me and prefer more complex, grounded in life romance stories, this one will not disappoint. 5 out of 5 stars.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com

"The Heiress: The Revelations of Anne de Bourgh" by Molly Greeley

This book will be of interest to Pride and Prejudice fans. The focus of this novel is Anne de Bourgh, the sickly daughter of Lady Catherine, and the intended betrothed (at least in Lady Catherine's mind) of Mr. Darcy. The book follows Anne through her entire life: from infancy to death, and provides a comprehensive take on her childhood, coming of age and adulthood. In Pride and Prejudice we see Anne through the eyes of Elizabeth Bennett. She gets very little description other than a sickly young woman, with no personality, conversation or any sort of participation in the outside world. 

Fans of Pride and Prejudice often wonder what disease Anne had. Austen assigns no name to her ailment; and given the state of medicine in the Regency era, it is fair to assume that she was ill due to whatever "treatments" might have been fashionable at the time. The author of The Heiress opines that Anne was a fussy child and was given daily doses of laudanum from infancy all the way into her late 20s. Laudanum kept her not only subdued and drowsy, but also had a negative impact on her appearance and health. Simply put, Anne de Bourgh was addicted to opium based on the recommendation of the family physician and with the full blessing of Lady Catherine. 

Anne de Bourgh throughout the book goes through an incredible transformation. At the age of 29, she makes the decision to stop taking laudanum and escapes the smothering care of her domineering mother by traveling alone to London. There, she stays with her cousin Col. Fitzwilliam and his wife. Col. Fitzwilliam has always been one of my favorite characters in the book and I was really happy to see him in this novel. In London, Anne also finds romance and eventually happiness. The highlight of the novel for me was Anne's taking place as the rightful owner of Rosings Park. To do that, she had to stand up to her own mother, whose unbending will and controlling nature have long acquired a legendary status. 

In addition, to a wonderful plot and well-developed and interesting characters, this book is beautifully written. If you were disappointed by some other P&P variations, give this one a chance. It is well worth your time. 4 out of 5 stars. I will definitely be reading the book about Charlotte Lucas by the same author.