As always, I’m terrible at writing about the books I read. But let’s take a first stab at getting caught up before the end of the year:

An Impossible Imposter by Deanna Raybourn (review found here)

Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall

Rosaline, the bi single mum of a precocious daughter and amateur baker, has been selected to take part in a Great British Bake-Off-style reality show. As with every reality show, everyone taking part ticks off a single, obvious box (gay, grandmother, homemaker, entrepreneur, student, etc.). But as Rosaline starts to get to know her fellow contestants behind the scenes, she finds deeper connections — including possible romance — first with a well-spoken, driven architect and later with a kind electrician. Will she find her true love or her showstopper first? Or will she struggle both on the show and in her personal life, continuing a trend that disappoints her doctor parents to no end.

Perfect for fans of GBBO or other cooking shows. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

Paper. Library copy. Pages: 435

The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill

In this delightful tale of the power of friendship and generosity, the villagers in a downtrodden hamlet are suspicious of everything: Outsiders. Dragons. Learning. Reading. Each other.

Except at the orphanage, where a small group of children and their older caretakers make ends meet, barely, but where love — and books — abound.

Then, one day one of the orphans disappears. While this does bring the townspeople together a little bit, it mostly unites them behind the prejudice their mayor holds toward the Ogress who lives on the village outskirts, who has, unbeknownst to them all, been helping every single one of them make ends meet with the bounty that she grows and bakes.

Will small-mindedness, distrust, self-interest, and hatred win out?

At some point in the very near future, Kelly Barnhill is going to join my very short list of authors whose books I just buy, rather than borrow from the library. Highly recommended for all.

Paper. Library copy. Pages: 400

The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan

A man loses something precious and then spends the rest of his life trying to atone for that misstep by trying to reunite things with their people. When he dies, he tasks Laura, the young woman who’s kept house for him, to carry on his work. A woman, Eunice, heads to a job interview, finds a charm, gets the position, and lands herself a BFF. The book slips back and forth through time, alternating between Laura and Eunice’s stories, but inching forward to their inevitable meeting.

The book was too ambitious and didn’t fully pull off its periodic forays into otherworldliness. But other than that it was a pleasant enough way to pass the time while doing dishes. I did have to speed up the reader to 1.5 times her desired cadence to keep from gnashing my teeth.

Audio. Library copy. Pages: 278