Where Is Your Bookmark? (Wormholes, Prince Charming with a Twist, Mystery/Thrillers by AAPI Authors on my TBR pile)

At the moment, my bookmark is in The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarer #1) by Becky Chambers, which won my May TBR poll. Thank you again to all who voted! I have not made much progress in the novel, sadly, but that has more to do with lack of reading time than anything else. It has been one of those weeks when I would rather be reading, but work and other obligations (but mostly work) keep getting in the way. 

A weekly meme where readers share the first sentence of the book they are reading and say what they think. Hosted by the amazing Gillion Dumas of Rose City Reader.

As she woke up in the pod, she remembered three things. First, she was traveling through open space. Second, she was about to start a new job, one she could not screw up. Third, she had bribed a government official into giving her a new identity file. None of this information was new, but it wasn't pleasant to wake up to. [opening paragraph of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet]

My initial thoughts: I like that the author jumps right in with introducing the reader to Rosemary--and what a hook! Doesn't it make you immediately want to know why she is using a false identity? Who is she running from and why? These are questions I must have answered! 

A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Hosted by the wonderful Freda of Freda's Voice.

"Kizzy!"

Kizzy ducked her head down. She pressed the clicker strapped to her wrist, turning down the volume of the nearby thump box. "'Sup?"

Jenks quirked an eyebrow. "Do you have any idea what this song is?"

Kizzy blinked. "Socks Match My Hat," she said. She went back up into the ceiling, tightening something with her gloved hands.

"Soskh Matsh Mae'ha. It's banned in the Harmagian Protectorate." 

"We're not in the Harmagian Protectorate."

"Do you know what this song's about?"

"You know I don't speak Hanto."

"Banging the Harmagian royal family. In glorious detail."

"Ha! Oh, I like this song so much more now." [excerpt from page 56 of  The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet]

My initial thoughts: This is a bit longer of an excerpt than I usually share, but breaking it up just didn't seem right. Besides, I think it gives the reader a glimpse into Kizzy's character. I love Jenks and Kizzy, the ships engineers. (I also couldn't help but think of all those times I get song lyrics wrong--and those songs are in English so I have no excuse!)

Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space-and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe-in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star.

Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.

Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe. [Goodreads Summary]

Does The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet sound like something you would like to read? Or perhaps you have read it--what did you think?  

Originally a feature called Last Year I Was Reading created by Maria from ReadingMaria. 

I liked it enough to continue on my own, but have tweaked it

 to feature Five Years Ago I Was Reading. 

(I would have gone back ten, but I read so little in 2011)

One of my favorite book blogging memes is the My TBR List poll, which is hosted by the awesome Michelle at Because Reading, not only because sometimes I need that little push to help clear off some of the TBR books languishing on my shelves, but also because I enjoy getting you involved in helping me decide what that book should be. It seems fitting that the book I featured above is this month's May winner of the monthly poll, and the book I was reading this week five years ago was another May TBR List winner.

Five years ago I at this time I was reading Charming by Elliott James, the first in his Pax Arcana series, featuring John Charming, a modern day version of the Knights Templar fighting monsters. High in action, wit, and obviously charm, I really enjoyed Charming. I had a hard time putting this urban fantasy novel down. 

Have you read Charming? What were you reading five years ago today? 

Connect Five Friday is a weekly meme where readers share a list of five books, 

read or unread, or bookish things, that share a common theme. 

Hosted by the  Kathryn of of Book Date.

In celebration of Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Month, I thought it would be fun to feature books by authors of Asian and Pacific Islander descent for the month.  Not all of these authors are American nor are their books all set in the U.S. Earlier in the week, I shared my thoughts on Arsenic and Adobo  (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #1) by Mia P. Manansala, which features a Filipino-American heroine, and so today I thought I would list five mysteries/thrillers currently on my TBR shelves waiting to be read: 

Mimi Reads Between the Lines (A Sassy Cat Mystery #2) by Jennifer J. Chow

When a local teacher is found dead, LA’s newest pet groomer Mimi Lee finds herself in a pawful predicament—with her younger sister’s livelihood on the line.

Mimi Lee is on top of the world. She has a thriving pet grooming business, the sweetest boyfriend, and a talking cat to boot. When she arrives at the elementary school where her sister Alice works, she's expecting a fun girls' night out—but instead finds a teacher slumped over in her car, dead.

Alice was the last one to see Helen Reed, which instantly marks her as the prime suspect. Unable to sit quietly and let the authorities walk all over her sister, Mimi starts snooping and talks to Helen’s closest contacts, including one jumpy principal, a two-faced fiancé, and three sketchy teachers. With the help of her sassy but savvy cat, Marshmallow, and a cute kitten named Nimbus, the clock’s ticking for Mimi to get to the bottom of yet another case before her sister gets schooled. [Goodreads Summary]

Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March

In 1892, Bombay is the center of British India. Nearby, Captain Jim Agnihotri lies in Poona military hospital recovering from a skirmish on the wild northern frontier, with little to do but re-read the tales of his idol, Sherlock Holmes, and browse the daily papers. The case that catches Captain Jim's attention is being called the crime of the century: Two women fell from the busy university’s clock tower in broad daylight. Moved by Adi, the widower of one of the victims — his certainty that his wife and sister did not commit suicide — Captain Jim approaches the Parsee family and is hired to investigate what happened that terrible afternoon.

But in a land of divided loyalties, asking questions is dangerous. Captain Jim's investigation disturbs the shadows that seem to follow the Framji family and triggers an ominous chain of events. And when lively Lady Diana Framji joins the hunt for her sisters’ attackers, Captain Jim’s heart isn’t safe, either.

Based on a true story, and set against the vibrant backdrop of colonial India. [Goodreads Summary]

Seven Years of Darkness by You-Jeong Jeong, translated by Chi-Young Kim

A chilling psychological thriller about how far some will go to maintain control--and exact revenge

When a young girl is found dead in Seryong Lake, a reservoir in a remote South Korean village, the police immediately begin their investigation. At the same time, three men--Yongje, the girl's father, and two security guards at the nearby dam, each of whom has something to hide about the night of her death--find themselves in an elaborate game of cat and mouse as they race to uncover what happened to her, without revealing their own closely guarded secrets.

After a final showdown at the dam results in a mass tragedy, one of the guards is convicted of murder and sent to prison. For seven years, his son, Sowon, lives in the shadow of his father's shocking and inexplicable crime; everywhere he goes, a seemingly concerted effort to reveal his identity as the reviled mass murderer's son follows him. When he receives a package that promises to reveal at last what really happened at Seryong Lake, Sowon must confront a present danger he never knew existed.

Dark, disturbing, and full of twists and turns, Seven Years of Darkness is the riveting new novel from the internationally celebrated author of The Good Son. [Goodreads Summary]

Take It Back (Zara Kaleel #1) by Kia Abdullah

A shocking, twisting courtroom thriller that keeps you guessing until the last page is turned.

The Victim: Jodie Wolfe, a physically flawed 16-year-old girl accuses four boys in her class of something unthinkable.

The Defendants: Four handsome teenagers from hard-working immigrant families, all with corroborating stories.

The Savior: Zara Kaleel, a former lawyer, one of London's brightest legal minds, takes on this case. She believes her client, even though those closest to her do not.

Together, they enter the most explosive criminal trial of the year, where the only thing that matters is justice for Jodie. But this time justice comes at a devastating cost. [Goodreads Summary]

Death by Dumpling (A Noodle Shop Mystery #1) by Vivient Chien

Welcome to the Ho-Lee Noodle House, where the Chinese food is to die for. . .

The last place Lana Lee thought she would ever end up is back at her family’s restaurant. But after a brutal break-up and a dramatic workplace walk-out, she figures that a return to the Cleveland area to help wait tables is her best option for putting her life back together. Even if that means having to put up with her mother, who is dead-set on finding her a husband.

Lana’s love life soon becomes yesterday’s news once the restaurant’s property manager, Mr. Feng, turns up dead―after a delivery of shrimp dumplings from Ho-Lee. But how could this have happened when everyone on staff knew about Mr. Feng’s severe, life-threatening shellfish allergy? Now, with the whole restaurant under suspicion for murder and the local media in a feeding frenzy―to say nothing of the gorgeous police detective who keeps turning up for take-out―it’s up to Lana to find out who is behind Feng’s killer order. . . before her own number is up. [Goodreads Summary]

Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think?

 I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading and are up to!

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