September Book Vote | Chapters & Chai
September Book Options for Chapters & Chai Book Club
It’s time to vote on our next book club read! The book we choose will be available to purchase at our next book club meet up at the end of August, with a £2 discount from Waterstones.
We’re aiming for a book that will lead us into Autumn; something cosy, maybe even a little witchy, but definitely with elements of fantasy, so take a look at the options and cast your vote* via our Google Form.
* If you already voted in person at our book club, please do note vote again! The in-person votes have already been counted. The Google Form is for those who could not make it, or those who are joining us in August.
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
Emily Wilde is good at many things: she is the foremost expert on the study of faeries; she is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world's first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby.
But as Emily gets closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones - the most elusive of all faeries - she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she'll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all - her own heart.
Pages: 368
Genre/Theme: Cosy Fantasy, Romantasy, First in a series
Paladin’s Grace by T Kingfisher
Whilst foraging for startleflower, perfumer Grace finds herself pursued by ruffians and rescued by a handsome paladin in shining armour. Only, to outwit her hunters they must pretend to be doing something very unrespectable in an alleyway.
Stephen, a broken paladin, spends his time knitting socks and working as a bodyguard, living only for the chance to be useful. But that all changes when he saves Grace and witnesses an assassination attempt gone wrong. Now, Stephen and Grace must navigate a web of treachery and poisoners, while a cryptic killer stalks one step behind.
Perfect for fans of Legends and Lattes, Paladin's Grace is a darkly whimsical fantasy featuring sock-knitting paladins, badass perfumers, courtroom hijinks and heart-racing romance, from Nebula and two-time Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher.
Pages: 384
Genre/Theme: Romantasy, First in a series
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
Every home needs a little magic . . .
Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people, and as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to.
She and her assistant Caz, a sentient spider plant, have spent most of the last eleven years sequestered among the empire’s precious spellbooks, protecting the magic for the city’s elite. But a revolution is brewing, and when the library goes up in flames Kiela and Caz steal whatever books they can and flee to the faraway island where she grew up. But to her dismay, in addition to a nosy – and very handsome – neighbour, she finds the town in disarray.
The empire has slowly been draining power from the island, and now Kiela is determined to make things right. But opening up her own spellshop comes with its own risks – the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela starts to make a place for herself among the townspeople, she realizes she must break down the walls she has kept so high . . .
From award-winning author Sarah Beth Durst, The Spellshop is a cottagecore cosy fantasy following a woman’s unexpected journey through the low-stakes market of illegal spell-selling and the high-risk business of starting over.
Pages: 400
Genre/Theme: Cosy Fantasy, Romantasy, Cottagecore, First in a series
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don't mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she's used to being alone and she follows the rules...with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos pretending to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously.
But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her three charges, but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and...Jamie. The handsome and prickly librarian of Nowhere House would do anything to protect the children, and as far as he's concerned, a stranger like Mika is a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat.
As Mika begins to find her place at Nowhere House, the thought of belonging somewhere begins to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn't the only danger in the world, and when a threat comes knocking at their door, Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect a found family she didn't know she was looking for....
Pages: 318
Genre/Theme: Cosy Fantasy, Witchy, Romantasy, Found-Family Trope
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson - Waterstones’ Pick
The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?
Pages: 443
Genre/Theme: Fantasy Fiction, Young Adult
A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan - Waterstones’ Pick
You, dear reader, continue at your own risk. It is not for the faint of heart—no more so than the study of dragons itself. But such study offers rewards beyond compare: to stand in a dragon's presence, even for the briefest of moments—even at the risk of one's life—is a delight that, once experienced, can never be forgotten. . . .
All the world, from Scirland to the farthest reaches of Eriga, know Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world's preeminent dragon naturalist. She is the remarkable woman who brought the study of dragons out of the misty shadows of myth and misunderstanding into the clear light of modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning, natural history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of her day.
Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, her prospects, and her fragile flesh and bone to satisfy her scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever.
Pages: 334
Genre/Theme: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Dragons
~
Which one piques your interest? Vote* for the book you want to read via our Google Form
* If you already voted in person at our book club, please do note vote again! The in-person votes have already been counted. The Google Form is for those who could not make it, or those who are joining us in August.
That's all for now. Be sure to follow our socials and/or sign up to our mailing list to make sure you don't miss out on ticket launches!
More soon!
Kee
