We are just days away from our first Boozy Book Club of the year. Don’t worry, if you are feeling out of the loop, there’s still time to read either The Cruel Prince or The Immortalists before Monday, February 26th! (Join Boozy Book Club here.) In an attempt to keep our discussions monthly, we are opening up the poll for March’s picks today–of BBC’er suggested books–and will announce the winners on Tuesday.
If you are reading this and haven’t joined our book club, what the heck are you waiting for? Not only do we pick two books a month to collectively chat about like a “proper” book club, but we also fill up our goodreads “want to read” shelves sharing our current reads and encourage our members to start bookish conversations themselves. Who doesn’t want more books in their newsfeed between pictures of old classmates’ babies?
Without further ado rambling: It’s time to pick our next Boozy Book Club picks!
The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo
Anyone that has ever made a Wreath Witherspoon should be into this one–it’s Reese Witherspoon’s book club’s February pick. Not to send you to her club over ours (Are you really trying to tell me that you don’t follow a bunch of bookstagrams?), but she picks amazing books for her club–plus, you know, Big Little Lies–so I am down to read anything she suggests.
Lucy is faced with a life-altering choice. But before she can make her decision, she must start her story—their story—at the very beginning.
Lucy and Gabe meet as seniors at Columbia University on a day that changes both of their lives forever. Together, they decide they want their lives to mean something, to matter. When they meet again a year later, it seems fated—perhaps they’ll find life’s meaning in each other. But then Gabe becomes a photojournalist assigned to the Middle East and Lucy pursues a career in New York. What follows is a thirteen-year journey of dreams, desires, jealousies, betrayals, and, ultimately, of love. Was it fate that brought them together? Is it choice that has kept them away? Their journey takes Lucy and Gabe continents apart, but never out of each other’s hearts.
Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh
I have had The Flame in the Mist near the top of my TBR since I heard rumors about it one quiet Saturday at work. The Wrath and The Dawn Duology is one of my favorite too-little known series in YA, and Mulan is streamed in my house at least once a month–no, I don’t have children. If you don’t rewind “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” at least once each time you watch, I don’t think we can be friends. With the duology’s conclusion coming out in June (thank you for not dragging things out, Renee), now would be a great time to read it.
The only daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has always known she’d been raised for one purpose and one purpose only: to marry. Never mind her cunning, which rivals that of her twin brother, Kenshin, or her skills as an accomplished alchemist. Since Mariko was not born a boy, her fate was sealed the moment she drew her first breath.
So, at just seventeen years old, Mariko is sent to the imperial palace to meet her betrothed, a man she did not choose, for the very first time. But the journey is cut short when Mariko’s convoy is viciously attacked by the Black Clan, a dangerous group of bandits who’ve been hired to kill Mariko before she reaches the palace.
The lone survivor, Mariko narrowly escapes to the woods, where she plots her revenge. Dressed as a peasant boy, she sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and hunt down those responsible for the target on her back. Once she’s within their ranks, though, Mariko finds for the first time she’s appreciated for her intellect and abilities. She even finds herself falling in love—a love that will force her to question everything she’s ever known about her family, her purpose, and her deepest desires.
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
This was another Saturday morning “you have to read this” first-in-a-series suggestion that I haven’t gotten to on my never ending TBR. The movie is coming out this summer; its screenplay was adapted by Peter Chiarelli who wrote The Proposal. Did I mention you can vote for all the books that you like?
Crazy Rich Asians is the outrageously funny debut novel about three super-rich, pedigreed Chinese families and the gossip, backbiting, and scheming that occurs when the heir to one of the most massive fortunes in Asia brings home his ABC (American-born Chinese) girlfriend to the wedding of the season.
When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home, long drives to explore the island, and quality time with the man she might one day marry. What she doesn’t know is that Nick’s family home happens to look like a palace, that she’ll ride in more private planes than cars, and that with one of Asia’s most eligible bachelors on her arm, Rachel might as well have a target on her back. Initiated into a world of dynastic splendor beyond imagination, Rachel meets Astrid, the It Girl of Singapore society; Eddie, whose family practically lives in the pages of the Hong Kong socialite magazines; and Eleanor, Nick’s formidable mother, a woman who has very strong feelings about who her son should–and should not–marry. Uproarious, addictive, and filled with jaw-dropping opulence, Crazy Rich Asians is an insider’s look at the Asian JetSet; a perfect depiction of the clash between old money and new money; between Overseas Chinese and Mainland Chinese; and a fabulous novel about what it means to be young, in love, and gloriously, crazily rich.
Everless by Sara Holland
This book has been EVERYWHERE. I’ll let the reviews talk for the first in the debut series: Publisher’s Weekly says “the twists are genuinely surprising” and Kirkus says its “a heady, addicting page-turner–especially for readers who prize worldbuilding over romance” (source). If you are into book trailers, I’ve got you here.
In the kingdom of Sempera, time is currency—extracted from blood, bound to iron, and consumed to add time to one’s own lifespan. The rich aristocracy, like the Gerlings, tax the poor to the hilt, extending their own lives by centuries.
No one resents the Gerlings more than Jules Ember. A decade ago, she and her father were servants at Everless, the Gerlings’ palatial estate, until a fateful accident forced them to flee in the dead of night. When Jules discovers that her father is dying, she knows that she must return to Everless to earn more time for him before she loses him forever.
But going back to Everless brings more danger—and temptation—than Jules could have ever imagined. Soon she’s caught in a tangle of violent secrets and finds her heart torn between two people she thought she’d never see again. Her decisions have the power to change her fate—and the fate of time itself.
Egomaniac by Vi Keeland
We love office romances around here (Christina Lauren or Sally Thorne anyone?). This one was placed high in last year’s Goodreads final round of voting for romance. And, I mean. Look at that cover. I would love to sleep with that book on my night stand for a few nights.
The night I met Drew Jagger, he’d just broken into my new Park Avenue office. I dialed 9-1-1 before proceeding to attack him with my fancy new Krav Maga skills. He quickly restrained me, then chuckled, finding my attempted assault amusing.
Of course, my intruder had to be arrogant. Only, turned out, he wasn’t an intruder at all.
Drew was the rightful occupant of my new office. He’d been on vacation while his posh space was renovated. Which was how a scammer got away with leasing me office space that wasn’t really available for rent. I was swindled out of ten grand.
The next day, after hours at the police station, Drew took pity on me and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. In exchange for answering his phones while his secretary was out, he’d let me stay until I found a new place. I probably should have acted grateful and kept my mouth shut when I overheard the advice he was spewing to his clients. But I couldn’t help giving him a piece of my mind. I never expected my body to react every time we argued. Especially when that was all we seemed to be able to do.
*all summaries are quoted from their Goodreads page.
HOW DO I VOTE?
Glad you asked. Join Boozy Book Club on Facebook, and vote for all the books that interest you in our poll. Remember, the top two books are the ones that we will discuss at the end of March.
