Emily McKay
The Farm Trilogy, Storybound
About a decade ago, I did a speech for the state librarian’s association about the value of romance novels. I ended with a list of romances that I described as, “If you don’t love at least one of these books, you’re dead inside.”
That’s how I feel about romance novels. Obviously, not every book is the right book for every reader. But if the list is long enough and you don’t love at least one of the books … well, I don’t know what to say to you. I mean, other than, “You’re dead inside!”.
Who knows what amazing book I’ll be reading next and need to add!
This is an oldie, but a goody. The hero is special needs, which makes it unique. It’s on my list for several reasons. First off, it’s on several “Best of romance” lists. I think it gets a lot of attention because of the special needs aspect. But the reality is, Jess is an amazing hero. I don’t think anyone other than Pam Morsi—whose voice is laid back and full of comfort—could have written this book. I include it here because it defies expectations. Though, I should say, it’s not my favorite book of hers. That slot is reserved for Something Shady (in romance) and What Was and Might Have Been (in women’s fiction). Did you see what I did there? How I slipped three books into one recommendation? Yeah. That’s because Pamela Morsi is that good. If none of the three I mentioned tickle your fancy, try a different one. They’re all good.
This is another book that’s at least a decade old. I don’t have the emotional distance to tell you whether it ages well. I just love it. SEP has a knack for dealing with emotionally complex issues in a way that is light-hearted and palatable. I can’t take vast caverns of angst. I can take angst dusted with candy sprinkles of humor. And that’s the way this book serves the angst. It’s deep enough for me to really feel it, but still bearable to read. This book is my favorite reread. Like, once a year reread. I just can’t get enough of it.
This one dates back all the way to 1989. It’s set in Austin, TX (where I now live) and it’s perfect in every single way. It starts with a down-on-her-luck reporter doing a piece on a romance novelist convention. A famous novelist decides to take her under her wing as a writer. And then decides the heroine is the perfect girl for the writer’s brother who is … recovering from leukemia, I think? Anyway, it’s hilarious. It’s portrayal of Austin in the 80’s is spot on. The glimpse into the romance industry in its heyday is unforgettable. There is so much to love here! The movie, DON’T TELL HER IT’S ME is based on this book. The movie is also good … but the book is perfect. And it’s been rereleased digitally. So buy it now!!!!
I love a lot of her books, but—OMG—this one is perfect. It’s a retelling of Romeo and Juliet from the point of view of Benvolio and Rosaline. For me, the trick to a perfect retelling is when the author makes it feel like this version is the true story.
Caine does that. Reading it, I felt like, “Okay, sure, that Shakespeare version of the story is very good. But he clearly didn’t know what was really going on.” Plus, Caine makes her writing feel like Shakespeare, but it never reads clunky. It’s very accessible to a modern reader. This book is soooo underrated, I can’t even tell you! As a bonus, the audio is so beautiful it will make you weep.
And winning the award for the best book that’s underrated because it’s title is shitty … But, no, seriously. I love this book so hard. It’s a book that I stayed up until 4 on Christmas morning reading. Like, Christmas day and I’m feeding a house full of people on two hours of sleep because I could not put it down. And then … as soon as I was done, I reread it. And I’ve continued to reread it every so often because it’s amazing. And it makes me feel like Cassandra, warning the ancient Trojans about that damn horse, because no matter how often I tell people to read this book—now!—no one ever reads it! Okay, except my mom. I told her and she read it. Also, I read it because my niece put it in my hands and said, “You must read this now.” So there you have it. Three generations of women in my family have loved this book. And when my daughter has kids, I will make him or her read it too.
There are three books here, Illuminae, Gemina, and Obsidio. Someday the rest of the world will realize how amazing this story is. They will make movies and TV shows from it. The world will rejoice. And the books will—as always—still be better. All three books are YA Sci-fi. They take place in a distance future, where humanity lives far from Earth. I don’t want to say much more about the plots, but just know that they are beautiful to read in book form (because they include some unique graphics) and beautiful to listen to (because the audio has a full and amazing cast). They are terrifying and lovely. The romances are fantastic and never feel forced. The books are like a master class in writing likable characters. You’ll want to read them over and over again.
