You Watched the Grammys Last Night

Want a pick-me-up of a book or love murder in the English countryside

Hi friends,

Welcome to February! January seemed to me — and everyone I know — to stretch on for ages. Although, the Groundhog did say we have six more weeks of winter headed our way.

Some exciting news you might have missed last week: Bookshop.org is now selling e-books, providing an alternative to Amazon. I mostly do library books on my e-reader but I’m looking forward to checking it out.

And, now, what to read if…

You Watched to See if Beyoncé Finally Got Her Album of the Year Win

American Diva by Deborah Paredez

Beyoncé has — somehow — never won the coveted “Album of the Year” Grammy award, despite receiving four nominations in that category and holding records for the number of awards won (32) and nominations received (99). As of this writing, they haven’t announced the winner, but by the time you read this, we’ll know if Cowboy Carter won it all. If you’re hoping Beyoncé finally gets her due, you’ll want to check out American Diva, Deborah Paredez’s celebration of “strong, complicated, virtuosic, larger-than-life, unruly women.”

Blending memoir, music criticism and research, Paredez brings to life iconic figures, including Aretha Franklin, Divine and Tina Turner, as she explores the history of the word “diva.” It’s a loaded term that has alternatively been used as high praise and an insult.

While the history and criticism sections are certainly well done, it’s in the memoir sections that the book really shines. Paredez writes brilliantly about how certain songs and artists come to define different eras of our lives (Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” immediately transports me back to summers spent lifeguarding). Her chapter on dancing to Celia Cruz and other salsa musicians during grad school is a particular standout.

American Diva is a quick read, broken into ten 25-ish page chapters, each on a different diva, making it an ideal option to pick up and put down when you’re busy. As a bonus, Paredez is a poet, and her fluidity with language shines through. I wish it came with a playlist.

You’re Looking for a Pick-Me-Up

The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel

The winter blues are real. I unfortunately learned that about a holiday designed to treat them — Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day (the first Saturday in February) — only after it had passed. (Don’t worry. I have already marked my calendar for next year.) If you want a book that is the equivalent of a big bowl of ice cream, grab Amy Poeppel’s The Sweet Spot.

The Sweet Spot follows three women:

• Lauren, a ceramic artist, who lives in a Greenwich Village brownstone that’s long overdue for an update and on top of a beloved neighborhood bar, The Sweet Spot. Within a few days of moving to the neighborhood, she accidentally causes the divorce of a couple she’s never met, making an enemy of our second character, Melinda.
  

• Melinda, whose life falls apart after her husband leaves her for up-and-coming TV home designer Felicity (who misconstrued Lauren’s advice to “follow her heart” to mean continue her affair with a married man). In a rage, Melinda goes to Felicity’s boutique and destroys its inventory, a fit that unfortunately goes viral.
  

• Olivia, an ambitious twenty-something, who has finally landed her dream job at Felicity’s boutique but is fired after Melinda’s meltdown.

Their lives intersect as Melinda attempts to exact revenge on everyone she believes contributed to her marriage’s end. (In a hilarious subplot, she uses her position as the receptionist at the school Lauren’s kids attend to drive the other woman crazy through excessive forms and class pet duty.)

Poeppel is a big-hearted writer who excels at depicting the joy that can be found in messy lives, and The Sweet Spot is another wonderful addition to her backlist. I’d love to spend a day at The Sweet Spot with these characters and am already looking forward to Poeppel’s next book, out in June.

You Love an English Countryside Mystery

The Framed Women of Ardmore House by Brandy Schillace

There are few things mystery readers love more than a trip to the English countryside. (For proof, see Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village by Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper.) If these books are your cup of tea, you’ll want to read Brandy Schillace’s The Framed Women of Ardmore House.

After losing her mom, her marriage and her job in one year, Jo Jones jumps at the chance to take possession of a decrepit family estate in an English village. The house needs some major TLC — there’s a room with a hole in it — but Jo’s bigger concern is that her new neighbors have already decided not to like her. She’s not sure if her autism or American heritage is causing the divide.

Jo’s image does not improve when the body of the groundskeeper she fired is found rolled up in a rug in her new home. In an effort to clear her name, she begrudgingly accepts help from a fellow outcast the Irish innkeeper's wife and a Welsh antiques dealer.

Jo is a great sleuth and an even better character. I loved rooting for her to solve the murder — and unravel the bigger mystery of how her family came to own a manor they never discussed. As Deanna Raybourn, author of the Veronica Speedwell books, said, it’s “A must read for any mystery lover.”

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