Blog — lindsay emory

There's a phenomenon that many authors experience, where reading for pleasure becomes difficult, if not obsolete. This can be for various reasons, whether we don't have the time, or we can't turn off the inner critic. I'm still reading, but I have to admit, it's not the easy, loving relationship I used to have with books. I know the pain of writing a book and, I'll be honest, my reading time is limited. If I'm not clicking with something, I'm a lot quicker to put a book in the DNF (Did Not Finish) pile than I've ever been.

But there are so many books out there that still make me sigh and squeal. I've been to several book-y events this year where the whole table just starts gabbing about their favorite authors and such and it's the best. There's a joy in book talk, in finding your people to book talk with.

So to combat the book ennui and remind myself of the things that I love about reading, I decided to start a (hopefully) monthly post about books I've read.

PLEASE NOTE: This will NOT be a review post, per se. If I do not like a book, or do not finish it, I won't write about it here. My taste is my taste and I respect authors too much to write negatively about their work.

I put together a list of four books that I've read recently and strangely, I noticed they fit into two very distinct categories.

ROYAL BOOKS

The Royal We

- by Jessica Morgan and Heather Cocks

I've been a long-time reader of

Go Fug Yourself

, a hilarious fashion blog by these two authors (and their intern George (Clooney, that sweetheart). This book is essentially a fictionalized account of Prince William and Duchess Catherine's romance, except in the book the heroine is an American exchange student who meets the heir to the throne whilst studying abroad at Oxford which is a super awesome fantasy that no girl in America ever has. *cough*

I would not call this a "romance" in the usual sense. Because it's essentially Wills and Kate (Nick and Bex in the book), we know they're getting married and having cherubic royal babies. The behind the scenes drama with the Pippa- like sister had me raging and the peek into the fashion reinvention of a princess was fun and fascinating.

This book would be an excellent movie and SURPRISE!

It will be!

My girl Lorelai, I mean Lauren Graham will be writing the screenplay and her onscreen daughter (not Rory, the other one) Mae Whitman will be starring. LOVE. Can't wait for that.

(Oooh. Just noticed that they have the

first seven (7) chapters for free

on Amazon if you want a deluxe sample.)

A Royal Pain

- by Megan Mulry

After I finished The Royal We, I decided I wanted a little more royal romance so I opened up A Royal Pain, which I've had on my TBR (To Be Read) pile FOR-EVER. Megan has been tremendously supportive of me and I adored her last contemporary release so I couldn't wait to get into her back list. If you like to read about the glamourous life, pick up a Megan Mulry book. Her descriptions of Valentino gowns, wines that I'll never be able to afford and ducal jewels kept in locked vaults are nearly as sexy as the... well, super-sexy scenes.

HISTORICAL ROMANCES

The Suffragette Scandal

- by Courtney Milan

This is book four of the Brothers Sinister series and I have no idea why I waited so long to read this. I flew through probably six or seven of Milan's books, the first three from this series and then her other series but not this one. Maybe I was sick or something. ANYWAY, I finally got to the story of Fredericka "Free" Marshall and it, like all of Milan's historicals is like a breath of fresh air. I don't know what it is, the Victorian time period, the forward thinking characters, the precise prose, but if you love historical romance or if you're looking for a nice romantic companion to a

Meryl Streep movie

check this one out.

hen A Scot Ties A Knot

-by Tessa Dare

If I could, I would compose a sonnet full of my love for Tessa Dare books (unless that's creepy. Is that creepy?) I know I've posted on Facebook about her books and when someone wants a historical romance recommendation, Tessa is one of the top authors I recommend. I was lucky enough to spend some time with the fabulous Ms. Dare at a recent event and she is lovely, literate and can make you laugh AND cry - in a speech as well as in her books!

I cried during this book, and it wasn't even at the half way mark. It was a good cry, there were good laughs. It's just plain good. If the title doesn't hook you, Tessa recently did

an Avon podcast

where she talked a little about her books and the plot .

I just noticed another theme with all these books. They're all set in Britain, mostly. Huh. Strange.

Alright, I'd love to hear what books you've loved and what you recommend to other readers. I have a HUGE TBR pile but I can always add on!

Cheerio!

Yes, you heard me. SISTERHOOD IS DEADLY, the first Sorority Sisters Mystery, ever, in the history of the world, will be released unto mankind A MONTH FROM TODAY. Can you feel it? The trembling excitement that readers everywhere are hearing about?

And no, authors don't exaggerate AT ALL about their books.

Everyone says self-promotion is super awkward and difficult and I agree. I'm not going to spend everyday tweeting and posting about this book because once it's released, it's kind of out of my hands. A really good friend of mine recently came clean and apologized for not reading KNOW WHEN TO HOLD HIM yet. And I just laughed and said, "It's okay" and something like, "I don't care if you do or not."

She's never looked that shocked by me before. And I've shared deep, dark, secrets with this woman, like how I was thisclose to getting a Grateful Dead dancing bear tattoo when I was eighteen.

I tried to explain, and I'm still not sure I was successful, that when I say "I don't care if she reads it" it's because I know she's a super busy high powered executive and involved mom of three active kids. She barely has time to return texts but I know this person has my back 100% and is a huge cheerleader for me and always has been. Her love and support are what's important to me. That's what keeps me going.

I recently wrote the dedication to SISTERHOOD IS DEADLY and I knew exactly who I wanted to dedicate this book to: Women everywhere who share their light with others and shine brighter for it.

Because in the past six months, I've learned a great deal about support - from other women, other writers, from friends, from maybe-enemies. Support that comes from unexpected corners and support that never materializes from those you relied on. The message has been reinforced from other things I've been reading, like an article about how women need to stop criticizing each other and play bigger. This older piece on Shine Theory was particularly eye-opening for me, especially this quote:

When you meet a woman who is intimidatingly witty, stylish, beautiful, and professionally accomplished, befriend her.Surrounding yourself with the best people doesn’t make you look worse by comparison. It makes you better.

Publishing is an extremely tough business, maybe even cutthroat, but it's also filled with women who build each other up, believing and living the above mantra. I've benefited tremendously from the support of many amazing women and I hope to give back twice as much.

This is, probably not uncoincidentally (that's a word, right?), the philosophy of Margot Blythe, the protagonist of the Sorority Sisters Mysteries. Whatever you think about Margot (after you've read the book, at 12:01 am on July 7, 2015, of course) know that she only wants everyone to succeed (except for that trashy sorority chapter - you know the one.)

So yeah. I'm really excited about what's to come. SISTERHOOD is a beautiful culmination of so many positive experiences that just having it published is pretty damn good. But it will also feel pretty good when y'all buy it.

Best Books to Read Now

A MONTH. AWAY.