Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please take some time to visit the other participants and see what others are reading. So, let’s get to it!
- What am I currently reading?
- What did I just finish?
- What am I reading next?
The 30th Stephanie Plum novel is out and I’m so excited to start it today. I never get tired of this story.
- Genre: Humorous Thriller
- Pages: 332 pages
- Publisher: Atria Books
- Publication Date: October 31, 2023
#1 New York Times bestselling author and “most popular mystery writer alive” (The New York Times) Janet Evanovich is in top form as she sends Stephanie Plum on the trail of a stolen cache of dirty diamonds.
Stephanie Plum, Trenton’s hardest working, most underappreciated bounty hunter, is offered a freelance assignment that seems simple enough. Local jeweler Martin Rabner wants her to locate his former security guard, Andy Manley (a.k.a. Nutsy), who he is convinced stole a fortune in diamonds out of his safe. Stephanie is also looking for another troubled man, Duncan Dugan, a fugitive from justice arrested for robbing the same jewelry store on the same day.
With her boyfriend Morelli away in Miami on police business, Stephanie is taking care of Bob, Morelli’s giant orange dog who will devour anything, from Stephanie’s stray donuts to the upholstery in her car. Morelli’s absence also means the inscrutable, irresistible security expert Ranger is front and center in Stephanie’s life when things inevitably go sideways. And he seems determined to stay there.
To complicate matters, her best friend Lula is convinced she is being stalked by a mythological demon hell-bent on relieving her of her wardrobe. An overnight stakeout with Stephanie’s mother and Grandma Mazur reveals three generations of women with nerves of steel and driving skills worthy of NASCAR champions.
As the body count rises and witnesses start to disappear, it won’t be easy for Stephanie to keep herself clean when everyone else is playing dirty. It’s a good thing Stephanie isn’t afraid of getting a little dirty, too.
I really enjoyed Check & Mate overall. There were a few little things that didn’t quite sit right with me but I loved the characters so much that I would follow them anywhere.
- Genre: YA RomCOm
- Pages: 362 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Teen
- Publication Date: November 7, 2023
In this clever and swoonworthy YA debut from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, life’s moving pieces bring rival chess players together in a match for the heart.
Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory’s focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious “Kingkiller” Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess.
Nolan’s loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone. What’s even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory’s victory opens the door to sorely needed cash-prizes and despite everything, she can’t help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist….
As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren’t only on the board, the spotlight is brighter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce (-ly attractive. And intelligent…and infuriating…)
I always enjoy a spy thriller and this once has gotten amazing reviews. I’m looking forward to reading it for myself!
- Genre: Spy Thriller
- Pages: 364 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster
- Publication Date: November 14, 2023
IT’S THE CASE OF AMANDA’S LIFETIME, BUT SOLVING IT WILL REQUIRE HER TO BETRAY ANOTHER SPY—WHO JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE HER FATHER.
SPYING IS THE FAMILY BUSINESS. Amanda Cole is a brilliant young CIA officer following in the footsteps of her father, who was a spy during the Cold War. It takes grit to succeed in this male-dominated world—but one hot summer day, when a Russian defector walks into her post, Amanda is given the ultimate chance to prove herself.
The defector warns of the imminent assassination of a US senator. Though Amanda takes the warning seriously, her superiors don’t. Twenty-four hours later, the senator is dead. And the assassination is just the beginning.
Corporate blackmail, covert manipulation, corrupt oligarchs: the Kremlin has found a dangerous new way to wage war. Teaming up with Kath Frost, a fearless older woman and legendary spy, Amanda races from Rome to London, from St. Petersburg to Helsinki, unraveling the international conspiracy. But as she gets closer and closer to the truth, a central question haunts her: Why was her father’s name written down in the senator’s notes? What does Charlie Cole really know about the Kremlin plot?
The Helsinki Affair is a riveting, globe-trotting spy thriller—but this time, with a refreshing female-centric twist. Perfect for fans of John le Carré and Daniel Silva, this book introduces Pitoniak as a singular new talent in the world of spy fiction.
I picked up way more books than I realized since the last time I posted this. They go pretty far into the future, though and they are quite a mix of genres.
What are you reading? Do you love it?
21 responses to “Books I Am Reading This Week plus Weekly Book Haul – November 1, 2023 #wwwwednesday #ReadersCommunity #BookTwitter #BookLover”
I’m about to start Check and Mate for a book club read!
I hope you like it. The lead guy is pretty swoon-worthy. Only a few things didn’t sit well with me – they just seemed contrived but I loved the story overall.
I love a spy thriller too, so hope you enjoy this one!
Me too! 🤞
You’ve got some brilliant covers in your book haul for this week. I love the look of Draw Down the Moon and Spin of Fate.
I do too! I think I took them just because of the covers 🤭
Nice book haul, Tessa. Have a wonderful day ☕📚🦃❄️🫕
Thank you!
My eye went immediately to The Sleepwalkers for good reason. Great cover but an even more fascinating description. I’m also interested in The Other Lola but will wait on that for the moment.
Enjoy it all, Tessa💜
Those two do look very good 😊
Brilliant selection of books, like the sound of the last one.
It does sound good. I can’t wait!
I have read a few Stephanie Plum books and really enjoy them! I need to get back into it because I think I’ve read like 4… there’s sooo many. hahaha! I am so behind on Hazelwood!! I hope you have a wonderful week!! <3
I also got Ghost Station. I’d requested it, so I was excited to see it as a download. I’ve always heard good things about the Plum books, but I’ve never read them. Maybe one day!
I enjoy spy thriller, even better if it’s action packed but haven’t come across many so far. So can’t wait to see what you think about this one.
[…] to Tessa @ Tessa Talks Books for featuring this in her WWW Wednesday post as one of her book hauls. Between the cover and the […]
I wasn’t sure about Check and Mate as it was listed as YA and I am not a fan of YA romance, but I might give it a go. Enjoy all your new additions, Tessa.
I question it being called YA. Though the leads are young – 18 & 20 – they are adults who are adulting (not in school and supporting themselves and, in the FMC case, their family).
Good to know, thanks Tessa.
Check & Mate is on my list.
I really enjoyed it!