Calendar Girls January 2019

Calendar Girls is a monthly blog event created by Melanie at MNBernard Books and Flavia the Bibliophile and now be hosted by Katie at Never Not Reading and Adrienne at Darque Dreamer Reads.  It is designed to ignite bookish discussions among readers and was inspired by the 1961 Neil Sedaka song Calendar Girl.

This month we explore what’s coming in the new year with our most anticipated 2019 release.

 

So a couple of weeks ago, I did a Top 5 Wednesday Post that highlighted five books I’m looking forward to this year. When it comes to a lot of these Calendar Girls post, I find myself picked different Maureen Johnson books. Don’t get me wrong, I am thrilled for The Vanishing Stair, but it will not be the book I’m highlighting as my pick this month. I will, however, talk about it for a hot second and share a link to get a signed copy because Maureen Johnson is important to me.

All Stevie Bell wanted was to find the key to the Ellingham mystery, but instead, she found her classmate dead. And while she solved that murder, the crimes of the past are still waiting in the dark. Just as Stevie feels she’s on the cusp of putting it together, her parents pull her out of Ellingham academy.

For her own safety, they say. She must move past this obsession with crime. Now that Stevie’s away from the school of topiaries and secret tunnels, and her strange and endearing friends, she begins to feel disconnected from the rest of the world. At least she won’t have to see David anymore. David, who she kissed. David, who lied to her about his identity—son of despised politician Edward King. Then King himself arrives at her house to offer a deal: He will bring Stevie back to Ellingham immediately. In return, she must play nice with David. King is in the midst of a campaign and can’t afford his son stirring up trouble. If Stevie’s at school, David will stay put.

The tantalizing riddles behind the Ellingham murders are still waiting to be unraveled, and Stevie knows she’s so close. But the path to the truth has more twists and turns than she can imagine—and moving forward involves hurting someone she cares for. In New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson’s second novel of the Truly Devious series, nothing is free, and someone will pay for the truth with their life.

I love me a good mystery story, and with Truly Devious, Maureen Johnson gave us a book for that person that binge listens to murder podcasts and has seen every episode of Law and Order more than once.  (This is a feat, because there is *a lot* of Law and Order, shows from that franchise have been on the air since 1990.) Johnson has a fun writing style that I found to be conversational and something I try to emulate in my writing to a certain extent. Maureen Johnson is my favorite author, she’ll brilliant, and I think you should read all of her books.

If you are interested in getting your hands on a signed copy, you can order one from Books of Wonder in NYC. Shipping is a bit steep, but if you don’t mind waiting to get your hands on the book, shipping goes down considerably. At least it did for me; I live in New England, I am assuming in the US it would be the same.

NOW my choice for most anticipated book of 2019.

Sherwood by Meagan Spooner

Robin Hood is one of my favorite stories. I wore out the animated Disney version tape back in the day. I love the whole idea of this story. Essentially, Maid Marion is taking Robin of Lackey’s place after he dies. I loved Spooner’s Beauty and the Beast retelling, and I can’t wait to see what she does with Robin Hood.

The reviews I’ve seen from people how have gotten ARCs have been overall very positive, which I take as a good sign. I can’t wait to read this. I’ve only read one other Spooner book, but from reviews of her other works, she had a very unique writing style, and that style comes through in this book as well. Part of what I loved so much about Hunted was the style and the way the prose were written. I’m predicting a five-star book here; I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

Here’s the blurb:

Robin of Locksley is dead. 

When news comes that he’s fallen in battle at the King’s side in the Holy Land, Maid Marian doesn’t know how she’ll go on. Betrothed to Robin, she was free to be herself, to flout the stifling rules of traditional society and share an equal voice with her beloved when it came to caring for the people of her land.

Now Marian is alone, with no voice of her own. The people of Locksley, persecuted by the Sheriff of Nottingham, are doomed to live in poverty or else face death by hanging. The dreadful Guy of Gisborne, the Sherriff’s right hand, wishes to step into Robin’s shoes as Lord of Locksley, and Marian’s fiancé. Society demands that she accept her fate, and watch helplessly as her people starve.

When Marian dons Robin’s green cloak, and takes up his sword and bow, she never intended that anyone should mistake her for Robin, returned from the Holy Land as a vigilante. She never intended that the masked, cloaked figure she created should stand as a beacon of hope and justice to peasant and noble alike. She never intended to become a legend.

But all of Nottingham is crying out for a savior. So Marian must choose to make her own fate and become her own hero…

Robin Hood.

What’s your most anticipated book of 2019? Be sure to keep a look out for the rest of the Calendar Girls posts today and to check in with Katie and Adrienne throughout the month to see all the other great Calendar Girl activities, like our twitter chats.

Until next time Internet,

Deanna