So this month we have a book that I’m super excited about reading and one that I really don’t think I’m ever going to pick up. Plot twist? The fantasy is the one I’m unlikely to pick up.
First up is Learwife and I’m ridiculously excited about this. My top three William Shakespeare plays are:
- King Lear
- Hamlet
- The Merchant of Venice
I have been saving Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell for a while and now I have a King Lear inspired book to read? I think 2022 is the year I have to read both these books. Is there a Merchant of Venice retelling? I want one!
November Prem1er – Learwife by J.R. Thorp
Prem1er subscription details can be found here.
Inspired by Shakespeare’s King Lear, this breathtaking debut novel tells the story of the most famous woman ever written out of literary history.
“I am the queen of two crowns, banished fifteen years, the famed and gilded woman, bad-luck baleful girl, mother of three small animals, now gone. I am fifty-five years old. I am Lear’s wife. I am here.“
Word has come. Care-bent King Lear is dead, driven mad and betrayed. His three daughters too, broken in battle. But someone has survived: Lear’s queen. Exiled to a nunnery years ago, written out of history, her name forgotten. Now she can tell her story.
Though her grief and rage may threaten to crack the earth open, she knows she must seek answers. Why was she sent away in shame and disgrace? What has happened to Kent, her oldest friend and ally? And what will become of her now, in this place of women? To find peace she must reckon with her past and make a terrible choice – one upon which her destiny, and that of the entire abbey, rests.
Giving unforgettable voice to a woman whose absence has been a tantalising mystery, Learwife is a breathtaking novel of loss, renewal and how history bleeds into the present.
Learwife by J.R. Thorp
So why am I not excited about All of Us Villains? I really dislike the competition to the death trope! The very idea of The Hunger Games gives me hives and some much loved series through the years were almost ruined because of this trope being introduced. The reason I was able to go back is because the whole plot wasn’t dedicated to it. This sounds very much like the whole plot is dedicated to it and I just don’t think I’m bothered. I’ll keep an eye on the reviews and maybe read some spoilers and see if anything will call out to me.
November GSFF – All of Us Villains (All of Us Villains #1) by Amanda Foody
Waitlist for the GSFF subscription and buying options for previous picks can be found here.
After the publication of a salacious tell-all book, the remote city of Ilvernath is thrust into worldwide spotlight. Tourists, protesters, and reporters flock to its spellshops and ruins to witness an ancient curse unfold: every generation, seven families name a champion among them to compete in a tournament to the death. The winner awards their family exclusive control over the city’s high magick supply, the most powerful resource in the world.
In the past, the villainous Lowes have won nearly every tournament, and their champion is prepared to continue his family’s reign. But this year, thanks to the influence of their newfound notoriety, each of the champions has a means to win. Or better yet–a chance to rewrite their story.
But this is a story that must be penned in blood.
All of Us Villains (All of Us Villains #1) by Amanda Foody
So a mixed bag this month. I’m not completely ruling out All of Us Villains but I really won’t be in a rush to read it. Learwife could be a March 2022 read though!
mindforbooks.ie 