discoveredinalj | Member Posts

They are the Beautiful Ones, Loisail’s most notable socialites, and this spring is Nina’s chance to join their ranks, courtesy of her well-connected cousin and his calculating wife. But the Grand Season has just begun, and already Nina’s debut has gone disastrously awry. She has always struggled to control her telekinesis—neighbors call her the Witch of Oldhouse—and the haphazard manifestations of her powers make her the subject of malicious gossip.

When entertainer Hector Auvray arrives to town, Nina is dazzled. A telekinetic like her, he has traveled the world performing his talents for admiring audiences. He sees Nina not as a witch, but ripe with potential to master her power under his tutelage. With Hector’s help, Nina’s talent blossoms, as does her love for him.

But great romances are for fairytales, and Hector is hiding a truth from Nina — and himself — that threatens to end their courtship before it truly begins. The Beautiful Ones is a charming tale of love and betrayal, and the struggle between conformity and passion, set in a world where scandal is a razor-sharp weapon.

Moreno-Garcia seems to have moved away from horror, but she still manages to enchant me with her stories. Her characters always have depth and substance, their lives filled with passion.

Here we have both innocence and jaded worldliness; deep love and a need to own. There is Nina, just beginning to explore the world, and her cousin’s scheming wife, Valerie. Unbeknownst to Nina, they are locked in a battle where there can be only one winner.

I especially liked the addition of the telekinesis, seen more as a source of shame rather than a power to be coveted. Placed in a romantic setting, with an evil nemesis to be reckoned with, the book is a truly lovely read.

( Mount TBR 2025 Book Links 1-45 )

46. A Path Where No Man Thought: Nuclear Winter and Its Implications by Carl Sagan
47. 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
48. Curfew by Phil Rickman
49. The King's Justice by Stephen R. Donaldson
50. Virgin by F. Paul Wilson
51. The Ancients by John Larison
52. Children of Memory (Children of Time 3) by Adrian Tchaikovsky
53. Claude’s Christmas Adventure by Sophie Pembroke
54. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King
55. The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Goodreads 62

gilda_elise

What if the woods were full of them? And of course they were, the woods were full of everything you didn't like, everything you were afraid of and instinctively loathed, everything that tried to overwhelm you with nasty, no-brain panic.

The brochure promised a "moderate-to-difficult" six-mile hike on the Maine-New Hampshire branch of the Appalachian Trail, where nine-year-old Trisha McFarland was to spend Saturday with her older brother, Pete, and her recently divorced mother. When she wanders off to escape their constant bickering, then tries to catch up by attempting to shortcut through the woods, Trisha strays deeper into a wilderness full of peril and terror. Especially when night falls.

Trisha has only her wits for navigation, only her ingenuity as a defense against the elements, only her courage and faith to withstand her mounting fear. For solace she tunes her Walkman to broadcasts of Boston Red Sox games and the gritty performances of her hero, number 36, relief pitcher Tom Gordon. And when her radio's reception begins to fade, Trisha imagines that Tom Gordon is with her--her key to surviving an enemy known only by the slaughtered animals and mangled trees in its wake.

A classic story that engages our emotions at the most primal level, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, explores our deep dread of the unknown and the extent to which faith can conquer it. It is a fairy tale grimmer than Grimm, but aglow with a girl's indomitable spirit.

It’s a horrifying situation, to be lost in the woods. Probably more so if you’re only nine years old. Trisha’s story is an interesting one, though it seemed to go on perhaps longer than it should. I think it would have been better as a short story. Because there’s only so much that can happen when you’re alone in the forest. Yes, there is the cold, the bugs, hunger. And maybe something else. But after awhile it’s those same things, over and over.

And oddly enough, the “horror” parts of the book were probably the least horrifying. Because imagining yourself lost in the woods is terrifying enough. Which made me wonder if perhaps it was her imagination working overtime. It would make sense; being alone, frightened out of your mind.

Her lifeline is her Walkman, the baseball games she listens to and her love for Tom Gordon. They are her only connection to the world she can only hope she’ll see again.

Katsu, Ketchum, King, or Koontz
1. You Like It Darker by Stephen King
2. Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King
3. The Regulators by Richard Bachman (aka Stephen King)
4. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King

gilda_elise

Meet Claude. He’s a loveable, big-eared, permanently hungry French Bulldog, who loves his humans – the McCawley family of number 11 Maple Drive to be precise.

When Daisy and Oliver McCawley start using new words like, ‘ferry’, ‘chateau’ and ‘France’, Claude realises they won’t be spending this Christmas at home. Only, when he finds himself on the street, as the family car pulls away, Claude realises he is ALONE. And more importantly, he is without all the yummy treats he knows the festive season brings…

Cue the start of Claude’s Christmas Adventure. It all begins with a belly-flop through next door’s catflap, where he finds newly single and craft-a-holic Holly, Jack the ex-army postman, his arch nemesis Perdita the cat … and serious amounts of gingerbread.

Maple Drive’s cutest resident is about to bring the street together for Christmas, in ways no-one could have imagined …

It’s a sweet little story with a predictable ending, but still a nice read. You’re introduced to several humans: Claude’s family, the postman, several of the neighbors. Plus there’s a cat that may be good or bad, depending on her mood.

The book jumps from one POV to another, with several of the characters having interesting back stories. I especially enjoyed the postman’s, Jack, story, as well as Holly’s, the young woman who fills her time was crafts. They’re all brought together as they try to reunite Claude with his family. In a way, it’s really more their story than Claude’s.

Oddly enough, I wasn’t all that taken with Claude. I’ve read several books where the dog has a “voice.” I think this one was a tad too sweet for me.

I still want to thank

severina2001 for recommending the book.

NOV - “Popcorn Fiction”

A book that makes for light but enjoyable reading Binge-worthy and low stakes. One-sitting reads. Quick and fun palate cleansers.

Claude’s Christmas Adventure by Sophie Pembroke

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The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King

Claude’s Christmas Adventure by Sophie Pembroke

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