And as I am not a beloved toy cowboy, let me never say that again.
So in the few months I was away, I accumulated quite a few books. As a result, I thought you should be aware of a few of the things I picked up.
Ledge by Stacy McEwan
If you’ve been on BookTok you may have seen Stacy McEwan at some point. The Australian author started out self publishing this book and ended up selling it to a publisher thanks to overwhelming demand, helped out by her TikTok account. I loved watching her try to turn her husband into romance novel’s leading man. Twas hilarious.
Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
I’ve had this book on my want to buy list for a while now, and when I saw the paperback in my local bookstore, I had to snatch it up. It’s all about the parts of feminism that the movement tends to overlook. I’m hoping to learn a lot from this one.
Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and art by Wendy Xu
I’ve heard nothing but good things about this graphic novel about a witch and a werewolf. It also helps that it looks adorable. I also accidentally order the special edition…so that’s nice.
Babel by R.F. Kuang
Given my love for the Poppy War, a book series I have yet to finish, I had to pick this up. I have heard some mixed things about this book, which surprised me given all the early amazing buzz about the book. But that also means I’m probably going to like it.
The Battle of the Linguist Mages by Scotto Moore
I’m not gonna lie, I picked this one up for the Hubs. He likes books to have a little humor to it and I had heard this one had it’s moments. He’s read it already and his opinion pretty much matches the blurb on the cover. But in a good way?
In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu
This novella has some interesting ideas and, I’m just guessing here, a non-binary main character. The pronouns used in the description are very interesting. But it intrigued me and when I saw it at the used bookstore, I grabbed it up.
The Boy With the Bookstore by Sarah Echavarre Smith
I saw a TikTok about this book and knew immediately it was for me. A romance story about a bookshop owner and a baker? Yes please, I will take it. Here’s hoping it lives up to that TikTok. Also, I watch too much TikTok.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
What can I say, I bowed to peer pressure. No but seriously, I have two friends who spent days extolling this series’ virtues, so I figured I would at least give the first book a try.
Bet On It by Jodie Slaughter
Plus size rep and bingo playing. This rom com sounded so cute. I couldn’t resist it when I saw it in the store. Also, the cover is purple and purple is my favorite color…it was meant to be.
Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater
This is another one that was all over the internet, both BookTok and BookTube! It’s a regency fairy fantasy romance? Yeah, I think that’s it. I’ve also heard it’s on the cozy side, and I’m really enjoying the cozy books right now.
And that is just a small portion of the over 50+ books I’ve bough in the last several months. My TBR shelves overflow with the fruits of my many excursions. I should stop making excursions.
Also, can we take a moment to shout out the local used book store? I bought most of my recent acquisitions at Half Priced Books, and most of them were used copies. Thank you HPB!!!
Well hello beautiful people! I thought I’d share with you a book haul as I haven’t done one since March! What? Well, we shall rectify that today. I’ve elected to share with you only a portion of the books that I have acquired over the last few months. Trust me, you want me to condense the list.
I may have a book rescuing problem.
Spear by Nicola Griffith
She left all she knew to find who she could be . . .
She grows up in the wild wood, in a cave with her mother, but visions of a faraway lake drift to her on the spring breeze, scented with promise. And when she hears a traveler speak of Artos, king of Caer Leon, she decides her future lies at his court. So, brimming with magic and eager to test her strength, she breaks her covenant with her mother and sets out on her bony gelding for Caer Leon.
With her stolen hunting spear and mended armour, she is an unlikely hero, not a chosen one, but one who forges her own bright path. Aflame with determination, she begins a journey of magic and mystery, love, lust and fights to death. On her adventures, she will steal the hearts of beautiful women, fight warriors and sorcerers, and make a place to call home.
I just started reading this this morning and I am hooked. It appears to be a queer story set in the world of King Arthur, which, love!
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuistson
What happens when America’s First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?
When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius―his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There’s only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.
Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instragramable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations and begs the question: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to be? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through? Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue proves: true love isn’t always diplomatic.
Now, I know what you’re saying. Yes, I already own an e-book copy of this book. But when I heard they were turning it into a movie, I had to get a copy of the book before it got those stupid “soon to be a film by Amazon Prime” not-stickers on it. I hate those things.
Chef’s Kiss by TJ Alexander
Simone Larkspur is a perfectionist pastry expert with a dream job at The Discerning Chef, a venerable cookbook publisher in New York City. All she wants to do is create the perfect loaf of sourdough and develop recipes, but when The Discerning Chef decides to bring their brand into the 21st century by pivoting to video, Simone is thrust into the spotlight and finds herself failing at something for the first time in her life.
To make matters worse, Simone has to deal with Ray Lyton, the new test kitchen manager, whose obnoxious cheer and outgoing personality are like oil to Simone’s water. When Ray accidentally becomes a viral YouTube sensation with a series of homebrewing videos, their eccentric editor in chief forces Simone to work alongside the chipper upstart or else risk her beloved job. But the more they work together, the more Simone realizes her heart may be softening like butter for Ray.
Things get even more complicated when Ray comes out at work as nonbinary to mixed reactions—and Simone must choose between the career she fought so hard for and the person who just might take the cake (and her heart).
You don’t see a lot of non-binary rep in romance books, so I’m curious to see how this will play out. I am very excited for it.
The Change by Kirsten Miller
In the Long Island oceanfront community of Mattauk, three different women discover that midlife changes bring a whole new type of empowerment…
After Nessa James’s husband dies and her twin daughters leave for college, she’s left all alone in a trim white house not far from the ocean. In the quiet of her late forties, the former nurse begins to hear voices. It doesn’t take long for Nessa to realize that the voices calling out to her belong to the dead—a gift she’s inherited from her grandmother, which comes with special responsibilities.
On the cusp of 50, suave advertising director Harriett Osborne has just witnessed the implosion of her lucrative career and her marriage. She hasn’t left her house in months, and from the outside, it appears as if she and her garden have both gone to seed. But Harriett’s life is far from over—in fact, she’s undergone a stunning and very welcome metamorphosis.
Ambitious former executive Jo Levison has spent thirty long years at war with her body. The free-floating rage and hot flashes that arrive with the beginning of menopause feel like the very last straw—until she realizes she has the ability to channel them, and finally comes into her power.
Guided by voices only Nessa can hear, the trio of women discover a teenage girl whose body was abandoned beside a remote beach. The police have written the victim off as a drug-addicted sex worker, but the women refuse to buy into the official narrative. Their investigation into the girl’s murder leads to more bodies, and to the town’s most exclusive and isolated enclave, a world of stupendous wealth where the rules don’t apply. With their newfound powers, Jo, Nessa, and Harriett will take matters into their own hands…
I’m sorry, but this book sounds amazing. Amazing!
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours, except for its most seminal event: the Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales, and talons; left a trail of fiery destruction in their path; and took to the skies. Was it their choice? What will become of those left behind? Why did Alex’s beloved aunt Marla transform but her mother did not? Alex doesn’t know. It’s taboo to speak of.
Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of this astonishing event: a mother more protective than ever; an absentee father; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and watching her beloved cousin Bea become dangerously obsessed with the forbidden.
I’m really intrigued by the premise of this story. I absolutely love the idea of a “Mass Dragoning” and what comes after. I’m really hoping I enjoy this one.
The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu
WHEN GHOSTS TALK SHE WILL LISTEN
Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghostalker – and they sure do love to talk. Now she speaks to Edinburgh’s dead, carrying messages to those they left behind. A girl’s gotta earn a living, and it seems harmless enough. Until, that is, the dead whisper that someone’s bewitching children – leaving them husks, empty of joy and strength. It’s on Ropa’s patch, so she feels honor-bound to investigate. But what she learns will rock her world.
Ropa will dice with death as she calls on Zimbabwean magic and Scottish pragmatism to hunt down clues. And although underground Edinburgh hides a wealth of dark secrets, she also discovers an occult library, a magical mentor and some unexpected allies.
Yet as shadows lengthen, will the hunter become the hunted?
This book grabbed my attention when I saw it in the store…all 15 times I walked past it and never picked it up. Apparently I had to wait for it to come out in paperback for me to actually want it? I have no idea. My mind is a weird place.
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel
Edwin St. Andrew is eighteen years old when he crosses the Atlantic by steamship, exiled from polite society following an ill-conceived diatribe at a dinner party. He enters the forest, spellbound by the beauty of the Canadian wilderness, and suddenly hears the notes of a violin echoing in an airship terminal—an experience that shocks him to his core.
Two centuries later a famous writer named Olive Llewellyn is on a book tour. She’s traveling all over Earth, but her home is the second moon colony, a place of white stone, spired towers, and artificial beauty. Within the text of Olive’s best-selling pandemic novel lies a strange passage: a man plays his violin for change in the echoing corridor of an airship terminal as the trees of a forest rise around him.
When Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, a detective in the black-skied Night City, is hired to investigate an anomaly in the North American wilderness, he uncovers a series of lives upended: The exiled son of an earl driven to madness, a writer trapped far from home as a pandemic ravages Earth, and a childhood friend from the Night City who, like Gaspery himself, has glimpsed the chance to do something extraordinary that will disrupt the timeline of the universe.
I have never read a book by this author and I’ll be honest, I picked it up on a whim. I don’t do well with post apocalyptic/dystopian books and this one seems to have, at the very least, some of that. So we shall see what the future holds for me with this story.
From Bad to Cursed by Lana Harper
Wild child Isidora Avramov is a thrill chaser, adept demon summoner, and—despite the whole sexy-evil-sorceress vibe—also a cuddly animal lover. When she’s not designing costumes and new storylines for the Arcane Emporium’s haunted house, Issa’s nursing a secret, conflicted dream of ditching her family’s witchy business to become an indie fashion designer in her own right.
But when someone starts sabotaging the celebrations leading up to this year’s Beltane festival with dark, dangerous magic, a member of the rival Thorn family gets badly hurt—throwing immediate suspicion on the Avramovs. To clear the Avramov name and step up for her family when they need her the most, Issa agrees to serve as a co-investigator, helping none other than Rowan Thorn get to the bottom of things.
Rowan is the very definition of lawful good, so tragically noble and by-the-book he makes Issa’s teeth hurt. In accordance with their families’ complicated history, he and Issa have been archenemies for years and have grown to heartily loathe each other. But as the unlikely duo follow a perplexing trail of clues to a stunning conclusion, Issa and Rowan discover how little they really know each other… and stumble upon a maddening attraction that becomes harder to ignore by the day.
I loved the first book in this series, Payback’s a Witch. Naturally, I’m really excited to see how the sequel plays out.
Well Met by Jen DeLuca
Emily knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?
The faire is Simon’s family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn’t have time for Emily’s lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she’s in her revealing wench’s costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they’re portraying?
This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can’t seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.
I’m sorry, a Ren-Faire romance series? When I tell you that the day after I heard about this I went out and bought it. So fast. And. And! It’s a series! There are three of these books! Hopefully the first one is good so I can pick up the others.
By The Book by Jasmine Guillory
Isabelle is completely lost. When she first began her career in publishing after college, she did not expect to be twenty-five, still living at home, and one of the few Black employees at her publishing house. Overworked and underpaid, constantly torn between speaking up or stifling herself, Izzy thinks there must be more to this publishing life. So when she overhears her boss complaining about a beastly high-profile author who has failed to deliver his long-awaited manuscript, Isabelle sees an opportunity to prove her worth and finally get the recognition she deserves.
All she has to do is go to the author’s Santa Barbara mansion and give him a quick pep talk or three. How hard could it be?
But Izzy quickly finds out she is in over her head. Beau Towers is not some celebrity lightweight writing a tell-all memoir. He is jaded and withdrawn and—it turns out—just as lost as Izzy. But despite his standoffishness, Izzy needs Beau to deliver, and with her encouragement, his story begins to spill onto the page. They soon discover they have more in common than either of them expected, and as their deadline nears, Izzy and Beau begin to realize there may be something there that wasn’t there before.
It’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but with writers! I’m very much looking forward to digging into the world the author creates, as beauty in the beast is one of my favorite fairytales.
Heartstopper Vol 1 by Alice Oseman
Shy and softhearted Charlie Spring sits next to rugby player Nick Nelson in class one morning. A warm and intimate friendship follows, and that soon develops into something more for Charlie, who doesn’t think he has a chance.
But Nick is struggling with feelings of his own, and as the two grow closer and take on the ups and downs of high school, they come to understand the surprising and delightful ways in which love works.
So I was going to wait until the library got this book back, but the reserve list is long. So yeah, I bought it. Everything I’ve heard about this story says it’s amazing and I had to have it!
Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake
Delilah Green swore she would never go back to Bright Falls—nothing is there for her but memories of a lonely childhood where she was little more than a burden to her cold and distant stepfamily. Her life is in New York, with her photography career finally gaining steam and her bed never empty. Sure, it’s a different woman every night, but that’s just fine with her.
When Delilah’s estranged stepsister, Astrid, pressures her into photographing her wedding with a guilt trip and a five-figure check, Delilah finds herself back in the godforsaken town that she used to call home. She plans to breeze in and out, but then she sees Claire Sutherland, one of Astrid’s stuck-up besties, and decides that maybe there’s some fun (and a little retribution) to be had in Bright Falls, after all.
Having raised her eleven-year-old daughter mostly on her own while dealing with her unreliable ex and running a bookstore, Claire Sutherland depends upon a life without surprises. And Delilah Green is an unwelcome surprise…at first. Though they’ve known each other for years, they don’t really know each other—so Claire is unsettled when Delilah figures out exactly what buttons to push. When they’re forced together during a gauntlet of wedding preparations—including a plot to save Astrid from her horrible fiancé—Claire isn’t sure she has the strength to resist Delilah’s charms. Even worse, she’s starting to think she doesn’t want to…
I have heard nothing but good things about this story so I’m excited to give it a read!
And there you go. 12 of the probably 5 million books I’ve bought over the last few months. Okay, so I’m exaggerating, I did not buy 5 million books. I have bought a fair few though. Do any of the these book sound good to you? What books have you picked up recently?
Well hello, beautiful humans! I decided to bring you a combined book haul today for the months of February and March since I’m done buying books for the month. Wishful thinking I know, but a girl can dream.
Finlay Donovan is killing it . . . except, she’s really not. She’s a stressed-out single-mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos: the new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written, her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her, and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.
When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer, and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet . . . Soon, Finlay discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.
In the town of Danvers, Massachusetts, home of the original 1692 witch trials, the 1989 Danvers Falcons will do anything to make it to the state finals—even if it means tapping into some devilishly dark powers.
Against a background of irresistible 1980s iconography, Quan Barry expertly weaves together the individual and collective progress of this enchanted team as they storm their way through an unforgettable season.
Helmed by good-girl captain Abby Putnam (a descendant of the infamous Salem accuser Ann Putnam) and her co-captain Jen Fiorenza (whose bleached blond “Claw” sees and knows all), the Falcons prove to be wily, original, and bold, flaunting society’s stale notions of femininity. Through the crucible of team sport and, more importantly, friendship, this comic tour de female force chronicles Barry’s glorious cast of characters as they charge past every obstacle on the path to finding their glorious true selves.
In the ultra-modern city of Olympus, there’s always a price to pay. Psyche Dimitriou knew she’d have to face Aphrodite’s jealous rage eventually, but she never expected her literal heart to be at stake…or for Aphrodite’s gorgeous son to be the one ordered to strike the killing blow.
Eros has no problem shedding blood. Raised to be his mother’s knife in the dark, he’s been conditioned to accept that he’s more monster than man. But when it comes time to take out his latest target…he can’t do it. Confused by his reaction to Psyche’s unexpected kindness, he does the only thing he can think of to keep her safe: he binds her to him, body and soul.
Psyche didn’t expect to find herself married to the glittering city’s most dangerous killer, but something about Eros wakens a fire inside her she’s never felt before. As lines blur and loyalties shift, Psyche realizes Eros might take her heart after all…and she’s not sure she can survive the loss.
In her forest-veiled pagan village, Évike is the only woman without power, making her an outcast clearly abandoned by the gods. The villagers blame her corrupted bloodline—her father was a Yehuli man, one of the much-loathed servants of the fanatical king. When soldiers arrive from the Holy Order of Woodsmen to claim a pagan girl for the king’s blood sacrifice, Évike is betrayed by her fellow villagers and surrendered.
But when monsters attack the Woodsmen and their captive en route, slaughtering everyone but Évike and the cold, one-eyed captain, they have no choice but to rely on each other. Except he’s no ordinary Woodsman—he’s the disgraced prince, Gáspár Bárány, whose father needs pagan magic to consolidate his power. Gáspár fears that his cruelly zealous brother plans to seize the throne and instigate a violent reign that would damn the pagans and the Yehuli alike. As the son of a reviled foreign queen, Gáspár understands what it’s like to be an outcast, and he and Évike make a tenuous pact to stop his brother.
As their mission takes them from the bitter northern tundra to the smog-choked capital, their mutual loathing slowly turns to affection, bound by a shared history of alienation and oppression. However, trust can easily turn to betrayal, and as Évike reconnects with her estranged father and discovers her own hidden magic, she and Gáspár need to decide whose side they’re on, and what they’re willing to give up for a nation that never cared for them at all.
Jack Tamerlaine hasn’t stepped foot on Cadence in ten long years, content to study music at the mainland university. But when young girls start disappearing from the isle, Jack is summoned home to help find them. Enchantments run deep on Cadence: gossip is carried by the wind, plaid shawls can be as strong as armor, and the smallest cut of a knife can instill fathomless fear. The capricious spirits that rule the isle by fire, water, earth, and wind find mirth in the lives of the humans who call the land home. Adaira, heiress of the east and Jack’s childhood enemy, knows the spirits only answer to a bard’s music, and she hopes Jack can draw them forth by song, enticing them to return the missing girls.
As Jack and Adaira reluctantly work together, they find they make better allies than rivals as their partnership turns into something more. But with each passing song, it becomes apparent the trouble with the spirits is far more sinister than they first expected, and an older, darker secret about Cadence lurks beneath the surface, threatening to undo them all.
The first rule of book club: You don’t talk about book club.
Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott’s marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.
Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.
Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville’s top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it’ll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.
Alexander Woodroe has it all. Charm. Sex appeal. Wealth. Fame. A starring role as Cupid on TV’s biggest show, Gods of the Gates. But the showrunners have wrecked his character, he’s dogged by old demons, and his post-show future remains uncertain. When all that reckless emotion explodes into a bar fight, the tabloids and public agree: his star is falling.
Enter Lauren Clegg, the former ER therapist hired to keep him in line. Compared to her previous work, watching over handsome but impulsive Alex shouldn’t be especially difficult. But the more time they spend together, the harder it gets to keep her professional remove and her heart intact, especially when she discovers the reasons behind his recklessness…not to mention his Cupid fanfiction habit.
When another scandal lands Alex in major hot water and costs Lauren her job, she’ll have to choose between protecting him and offering him what he really wants—her. But he’s determined to keep his improbably short, impossibly stubborn, and extremely endearing minder in his life any way he can. And on a road trip up the California coast together, he intends to show her exactly what a falling star will do to catch the woman he loves: anything at all.
Orphaned when still a toddler, Nicholas Withybeck knows no other home than Locksley Abbey outside Nottingham, England. He works in the scriptorium embellishing illuminated manuscripts with hidden faces of the Wild Folk and whimsical creatures that he sees every time he ventures into the woods and fields. His curiosity leads him into forbidden nooks and crannies both inside and outside the abbey, and he becomes adept at hiding to stay out of trouble.
On one of these forays Nick slips into the crypt beneath the abbey. There he finds an altar older than the abbey’s foundations, ancient when the Romans occupied England. Behind the bricks around the altar, he finds a palm-sized silver cup. The cup is embellished with the three figures of Elena, the Celtic goddess of crossroads, sorcery, and cemeteries.
He carries the cup with him always, listening as the goddess whispers wisdom in the back of his mind. With Elena’s cup in his pocket, Nick can see that the masked dancers at the May Day celebration in the local village are actually the creatures of the wood: The Green Man—known to mortals as Little John—and Robin Goodfellow, Herne the Huntsman, dryads, trolls, and water sprites. Theirs are the faces he’s seen and drawn into his illuminations.
Guided by Elena along secret forest paths, Nick learns that Little John’s love has been kidnapped by Queen Mab of the Faeries. The door to the Faery mound will only open when the moons of the two realms align. That time is fast approaching. Nick must release Elena so that she can use sorcery to unlock that door, allowing Nick’s band of friends to try to rescue the girl. Will he have the courage to release her as his predecessor did not?
Winter lasts most of the year at the edge of the Russian wilderness, and in the long nights, Vasilisa and her siblings love to gather by the fire to listen to their nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, Vasya loves the story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon. Wise Russians fear him, for he claims unwary souls, and they honor the spirits that protect their homes from evil.
Then Vasya’s widowed father brings home a new wife from Moscow. Fiercely devout, Vasya’s stepmother forbids her family from honoring their household spirits, but Vasya fears what this may bring. And indeed, misfortune begins to stalk the village.
But Vasya’s stepmother only grows harsher, determined to remake the village to her liking and to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for marriage or a convent. As the village’s defenses weaken and evil from the forest creeps nearer, Vasilisa must call upon dangerous gifts she has long concealed—to protect her family from a threat sprung to life from her nurse’s most frightening tales.
Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.
They’re polar opposites.
In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.
Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.
I’m really excited to pick up All the Feels and Electric Idol, as they are sequels to books I read last month. I should probably get on that, huh?
Well hello! Happy Monday! The ADHD is strong with me today. I found myself both clothes shopping, job hunting, and writing this post all at once! My brain is a strange place to be sometimes.
I also know that said brain failed when it came to my book buying slow down. I mean, I didn’t do terribly, but yeah, I bought some books.
Upon A Burning Throne by Ashok E. Banker
In a world where demigods and demons walk among mortals, the Emperor of the vast Burnt Empire has died, leaving a turbulent realm without an emperor. Two young princes, Adri and Shvate, are in line to rule, but birthright does not guarantee inheritance, for any successor must sit upon the legendary Burning Throne and pass The Test of Fire. Imbued with dark sorceries, the throne is a crucible—one that incinerates the unworthy.
Adri and Shvate pass The Test and are declared heirs to the empire . . . but there is another with a claim topower, another who also survives: a girl from an outlying kingdom. When this girl, whose father is the powerful demonlord Jarsun, is denied her claim by the interim leaders, Jarsun declares war, vowing to tear the Burnt Empire apart—leaving the young princes Adri and Shvate to rule a shattered realm embroiled in rebellion and chaos . . .
This one had been sitting in my Amazon wishlist for a while, and when I saw it in the used book store for half its cost, I snatched it up!
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
“Are you happy with your life?”
Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.
Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.
Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.”
In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.
Is it this world or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.
I’m not gonna lie, I had no idea what this book was about, I just saw that it was by Blake Crouch and grabbed it. Curse you used book store!
Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
A girl named Rose is riding her new bike near her home in Deadwood, South Dakota, when she falls through the earth. She wakes up at the bottom of a square hole, its walls glowing with intricate carvings. But the firemen who come to save her peer down upon something even stranger: a little girl in the palm of a giant metal hand.
Seventeen years later, the mystery of the bizarre artifact remains unsolved—its origins, architects, andpurpose unknown. Its carbon dating defies belief; military reports are redacted; theories are floated, then rejected.
But some can never stop searching for answers.
Rose Franklin is now a highly trained physicist leading a top secret team to crack the hand’s code. And along with her colleagues, she is being interviewed by a nameless interrogator whose power and purview are as enigmatic as the provenance of the relic. What’s clear is that Rose and her compatriots are on the edge of unraveling history’s most perplexing discovery—and figuring out what it portends for humanity. But once the pieces of the puzzle are in place, will the result prove to be an instrument of lasting peace or a weapon of mass destruction?
I’ve been wanting this book for a while, and every time I’d go to the used bookstore, the third one in the series was just staring at me. This time they had the first one! Naturally, I bought it.
Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they areburned.
As a huntsman of the Church, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. But when Lou pulls a wicked stunt, the two are forced into an impossible situation—marriage.
Lou, unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, must make a choice. And love makes fools of us all.
I’m not gonna lie, I’m not sure about this one. I’ve heard good things about this particular book, but when I look up the rest of the series, it doesn’t sound like the last two books go very well. Someone tell me that wrong and I won’t take it back!
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around–and Lazlo Strange, war orphan, and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was just five years old, he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the form of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.
What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? And who is the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams?
I’ve seen this one a few times around the interwebs and was excited to see it at the used book store. Don’t sleep on the used book stores!
The Starless Crown by James Rollins
A gifted student foretells an apocalypse. Her reward is a sentence of death.
Fleeing into the unknown she is drawn into a team of outcasts:
A broken soldier, who once again takes up the weapons he’s forbidden to wield and carves a trail back home.
A drunken prince, who steps out from his beloved brother’s shadow and claims a purpose of his own.
An imprisoned thief, who escapes the crushing dark and discovers a gleaming artifact – one that will ignite a power struggle across the globe.
On the run, hunted by enemies old and new, they must learn to trust each other in order to survive in a world evolved in strange, beautiful, and deadly ways, and uncover ancient secrets that hold the key to their salvation.
But with each passing moment, doom draws closer.
Yeah, I couldn’t help myself. I saw it in the store, and it is just so pretty! Also, I had store credit, so I paid nothing for it!
Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly
Recently divorced and on the verge of bankruptcy, Dahlia Woodson is ready to reinvent herself on thepopular reality competition show Chef’s Special. Too bad the first memorable move she makes is fallingflat on her face, sending fish tacos flying—not quite the fresh start she was hoping for. Still, she’s focused on winning, until she meets someone she might want a future with more than she needs the prize money.
After announcing their pronouns on national television, London Parker has enough on their mind without worrying about the klutzy competitor stationed in front of them. They’re there to prove the trolls—including a fellow contestant and their dad—wrong, and falling in love was never part of the plan.
As London and Dahlia get closer, reality starts to fall away. Goodbye, guilt about divorce, anxiety about uncertain futures, and stress from transphobia. Hello, hilarious shenanigans on set, wedding crashing, and spontaneous dips into the Pacific. But as the finale draws near, Dahlia and London’s steamy relationship starts to feel the heat both in and outside the kitchen—and they must figure out if they have the right ingredients for a happily ever after.
A Book of the Month pick for January. I do believe it will also be on my TBR for this month.
People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry
Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City, and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together.
Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven’t spoken since.
Poppy has everything she should want, but she’s stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows, without a doubt, it was on that ill-fated, final trip with Alex. And so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together—lay everything on the table, make it all right. Miraculously, he agrees.
Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong?
I had a friend that read this and really enjoyed it. Here’s hoping!
So yeah. Eight books. Could it have been worse? Absolutely. Could I have been better and bought fewer books? That’s an affirmative.
If you don’t know, one of the goals for the year is to buy fewer books. I am bound and determined to do better this month. I shall do better!
Well hello, beautiful peoples! And how are we doing today? I started the new year off right by watching the full extended edition of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. It’s an annual tradition for me and I can quote that movie line by line. So can the Hubs. Being nerds together is fun.
I thought I’d go over what books I got for Christmas. And given that I did this post, I’m going to keep it short and sweet. But seriously, if you want to see what Santa (Santa is the Hubs, the Hubs is Santa) brought me, check out that list. I got everything on it.
I did, however, go to the Barnes & Noble 50% off Hardcover sale after Christmas and picked up a few books. Not as many as I normally would have because they were sold out of so many of the things I wanted. I did get a few gems though.
The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox
Taryn Cornick believes that the past – her sister’s violent death, and her own ill-conceived revenge – is behind her, and she can get on with her life. She has written a successful book about the things that threaten libraries: insects, damp, light, fire, carelessness, and uncaring…but not all of the attention it brings her is good.
A policeman, Jacob Berger, questions her about a cold case. Then there are questions about a fire in thelibrary at her grandparents’ house and an ancient scroll box known as the Firestarter, as well as threatening phone calls and a mysterious illness. Finally, a shadowy young man named Shift appears, forcing Taryn and Jacob toward a reckoning felt in more than one world.
I’ve wanted this book for months and just kept forgetting to pick it up. When I saw it in the store I snatched it up. I didn’t realize it was such a thick book, coming in at 640 pages. Wowzer.
The Apollo Muders by Chris Hadfield
1973: a final, top-secret mission to the Moon. Three astronauts in a tiny spaceship, a quarter million miles from home. A quarter million miles from help.
NASA is about to launch Apollo 18. While the mission has been billed as a scientific one, flight controller Kazimieras “Kaz” Zemeckis knows there is a darker objective. Intelligence has discovered a secret Soviet space station spying on America, and Apollo 18 may be the only chance to stop it.
But even as Kaz races to keep the NASA crew one step ahead of their Russian rivals, a deadly accident reveals that not everyone involved is quite who they were thought to be. With political stakes stretched to the breaking point, the White House and the Kremlin can only watch as their astronauts collide on the lunar surface, far beyond the reach of law or rescue.
This book isn’t my usual cup of tea, but I had to pick it up because Chris Hadfield wrote a book! If you don’t remember him, he was the astronaut who did this:
Yeah, him. Naturally, I had to buy the book.
Sistersong by Lucy Holland
In the kingdom of Dumnonia, there is old magic to be found in the whisper of the wind, the roots of the trees, and the curl of the grass. King Cador knew this once, but now the land has turned from him, calling instead to his three children. Riva can cure others, but can’t seem to heal her own deep scars. Keyne battles to be accepted for who he truly is—the king’s son. And Sinne dreams of seeing the world, of finding adventure.
All three fear a life of confinement within the walls of the hold, their people’s last bastion of strength against the invading Saxons. However, change comes on the day ash falls from the sky. It brings with it Myrdhin, meddler and magician. And Tristan, a warrior who is not what he seems.
Riva, Keyne and Sinne—three siblings entangled in a web of betrayal and heartbreak, who must fight to forge their own paths.
Their story will shape the destiny of Britain.
This book’s premise gripped me from the moment I heard it, but I was content to wait for it to come out in paperback. Naturally, when I saw it was part of the sale, I snatched it up. Go me.
The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki
One year after the death of his beloved musician father, thirteen-year-old Benny Oh begins to hearvoices. The voices belong to the things in his house—a sneaker, a broken Christmas ornament, a piece of wilted lettuce. Although Benny doesn’t understand what these things are saying, he can sense their emotional tone; some are pleasant, a gentle hum or coo, but others are snide, angry and full of pain. When his mother, Annabelle, develops a hoarding problem, the voices grow more clamorous.
At first, Benny tries to ignore them, but soon the voices follow him outside the house, onto the street and at school, driving him at last to seek refuge in the silence of a large public library, where objects are well-behaved and know to speak in whispers. There, Benny discovers a strange new world. He falls in love with a mesmerizing street artist with a smug pet ferret, who uses the library as her performance space. He meets a homeless philosopher-poet, who encourages him to ask important questions and find his own voice amongst the many.
And he meets his very own Book—a talking thing—who narrates Benny’s life and teaches him to listen to the things that truly matter.
This book screams magical realism, but I found it in the literary fiction section of the store. I’ll be honest, I hadn’t heard of this book until I saw the cover, and then I had to know what it was about. It intrigued me, and that’s always a good thing.
Malice by Heather Walter
Once upon a time, there was a wicked fairy who, in an act of vengeance, cursed a line of princesses to die.A curse that could only be broken by true love’s kiss.
You’ve heard this before, haven’t you? The handsome prince. The happily ever after.
Utter nonsense.
Let me tell you, no one in Briar actually cares about what happens to its princesses. Not the way they care about their jewels and elaborate parties and charm-granting elixirs. I thought I didn’t care, either.
Until I met her.
Princess Aurora. The last heir to Briar’s throne. Kind. Gracious. The future queen her realm needs. One who isn’t bothered that I am Alyce, the Dark Grace, abhorred and feared for the mysterious dark magic that runs in my veins. Humiliated and shamed by the same nobles who pay me to bottle hexes and then brand me a monster. Aurora says I should be proud of my gifts. That she . . . cares for me. Even though a power like mine was responsible for her curse.
But with less than a year until that curse will kill her, any future I might see with Aurora is swiftly disintegrating—and she can’t stand to kiss yet another insipid prince. I want to help her. If my power began her curse, perhaps it’s what can lift it. Perhaps together we could forge a new world.
Nonsense again. Because we all know how this story ends, don’t we? Aurora is the beautiful princess. AndI—
I am the villain.
With a premise like that, why wouldn’t I want to read this sapphic retelling of sleeping beauty from the villans perspective? This is part one of the Malice Duology, and it just sounds so good! I’ve heard very good things about it.
I got a total of 15 books during the Christmas season. I have already started on them, with Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia being the first one. I’ve heard good things.
Well. This was originally going to be a very short book haul for you. By the end of the month I had only purchased three books. And then Black Friday happened. The Kindle books went on sale I was forced to buy some. And by forced I mean the prices were so good I couldn’t resist. Stupid Black Friday sales.
So on to the haul!
The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan
Laid off from her department store job, Carmen has perilously little cash and few options. The prospect of spending Christmas with her perfect sister Sofia, in Sofia’s perfect house with her perfect children and her perfectly ordered yuppie life does not appeal.
Frankly, Sofia doesn’t exactly want her prickly sister Carmen there either. But Sofia has yet another baby on the way, a mother desperate to see her daughters get along, and a client who needs help revitalizing his shabby old bookshop. So Carmen moves in and takes the job.
Thrown rather suddenly into the inner workings of Mr. McCredie’s ancient bookshop on the picturesque streets of historic Edinburgh, Carmen is intrigued despite herself. The store is dusty and disorganized but undeniably charming. Can she breathe some new life into it in time for Christmas shopping? What will happen when a famous and charismatic author takes a sudden interest in the bookshop—and Carmen? And will the Christmas spirit be enough to help heal her fractured family?
If this book sounds good to you, the only places you can really get are Barnes & Noble or Book Depository. It’s sold out almost everywhere else. Even Amazon! Including Target! That’s crazy! I’m glad I picked this up when I did last month because I did manage to get a physical copy of it in time for the holidays!
The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews
When newly-divorced Ivy Perkins buys an old farmhouse sight unseen, she is definitely looking for a change in her life. The Four Roses, as the farmhouse is called, is a labor of love—but Ivy didn’t bargain on just how much labor. The previous family left so much furniture and so much junk, that it’s a full-time job sorting through all of it.
At the top of a closet, Ivy finds an old Santa suit—beautifully made and decades old. In the pocket of a suit she finds a note written in a childish hand: it’s from a little girl who has one Christmas wish, and that is for her father to return home from the war. This discovery sets Ivy off on a mission. Who wrote the note? Did the man ever come home? What mysteries did the Rose family hold?
Ivy’s quest brings her into the community, at a time when all she wanted to do was be left alone and nurse her wounds. But the magic of Christmas makes miracles happen, and Ivy just might find more than she ever thought possible: a welcoming town, a family reunited, a mystery solved, and a second chance atlove.
This novella sounded so cute, so I snatched it up when I saw it at Target earlier in the month. I’m all for cute-sounding holiday books!
The Keeper of the Night by Kylie Lee Baker
Death is her destiny.
Half British Reaper, half Japanese Shinigami, Ren Scarborough has been collecting souls in the London streets for centuries. Expected to obey the harsh hierarchy of the Reapers who despise her, Ren conceals her emotions and avoids her tormentors as best she can.
When her failure to control her Shinigami abilities drives Ren out of London, she flees to Japan to seek the acceptance she’s never gotten from her fellow Reapers. Accompanied by her younger brother, the only being on earth to care for her, Ren enters the Japanese underworld to serve the Goddess of Death…only to learn that here, too, she must prove herself worthy. Determined to earn respect, Ren accepts an impossible task—find and eliminate three dangerous Yokai demons—and learns how far she’ll go to claim her place at Death’s side.
This was my Book of the Month pick. It sounds like an anime. I had to pick it up.
Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
What happens when America’s First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?
When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius—his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There’s only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.
Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instragramable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations and begs the question: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to be? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through? Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue proves: true love isn’t always diplomatic.
So yeah, I bought this. It better live up to its stellar reputation. Cause yeah. I was completely suckered in by its price point of $3.99.
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
They are the Beautiful Ones, Loisail’s most notable socialites, and this spring is Nina’s chance to join their ranks, courtesy of her well-connected cousin and his calculating wife. But the Grand Season has just begun, and already Nina’s debut has gone disastrously awry. She has always struggled to control her telekinesis—neighbors call her the Witch of Oldhouse—and the haphazard manifestations of her powers make her the subject of malicious gossip.
When entertainer Hector Auvray arrives to town, Nina is dazzled. A telekinetic like her, he has traveled the world performing his talents for admiring audiences. He sees Nina not as a witch, but ripe with potential to master her power under his tutelage. With Hector’s help, Nina’s talent blossoms, as does her love for him.
But great romances are for fairytales, and Hector is hiding a truth from Nina — and himself—that threatens to end their courtship before it truly begins.
I’ve had my eye on this title for a while, so when it went on sale for $2.99 I snatched it up.
Throne Of Glass E-Book Bundle by Sarah J. Mass
When magic has gone from the world and a vicious king rules from his throne of glass, an assassin comes to the castle. She is a prisoner, but if she can defeat twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in acompetition to find the greatest assassin in the land, she will become the king’s champion and earn her freedom. But the evil she encounters in the castle goes deep, and as dark forces gather on the horizon – forces which threaten to destroy her entire world – the assassin must take her place in a fight greater than she could ever have imagined.
I’ve heard mixed things about this series, and I was hesitant to pick it up, so when I saw it was available for $5.99 I had to do it. I just had to. I may never read it, but at least now I can.
The Guinivere Deception by Kiersten White
Princess Guinevere has come to Camelot to wed a stranger: the charismatic King Arthur. With magic clawing at the kingdom’s borders, the great wizard Merlin conjured a solution–send in Guinevere to be Arthur’s wife . . . and his protector from those who want to see the young king’s idyllic city fail. The catch? Guinevere’s real name–and her true identity–is a secret. She is a changeling, a girl who has given up everything to protect Camelot.
To keep Arthur safe, Guinevere must navigate a court in which the old–including Arthur’s own family–demand things continue as they have been, and the new–those drawn by the dream of Camelot–fight for a better way to live. And always, in the green hearts of forests and the black depths of lakes, magic lies in wait to reclaim the land.
Deadly jousts, duplicitous knights, and forbidden romances are nothing compared to the greatest threat of all: the girl with the long black hair, riding on horseback through the dark woods toward Arthur. Because when your whole existence is a lie, how can you trust even yourself?
I love it when books you want go on sale. This one was $1.99! How could I pass that up? Plus, it’s a King Arthur story. My weakness!
The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington
As destiny calls, a journey begins.
It has been twenty years since the godlike Augurs were overthrown and killed. Now, those who once served them — the Gifted — are spared only because they have accepted the rebellion’s Four Tenets, vastly limiting their powers.
As a Gifted, Davian suffers the consequences of a war lost before he was even born. He and others like him are despised. But when Davian discovers he wields the forbidden power of the Augurs, he and his friends Wirr and Asha set into motion a chain of events that will change everything.
To the west, a young man whose fate is intertwined with Davian’s wakes up in the forest, covered in blood and with no memory of who he is. . .
And in the far north, an ancient enemy long thought defeated begins to stir.
I’m not gonna lie, this $1.99 pick-up was a complete cover buy. I had no idea what this book was about until I read the synopsis for the blog. Yeah. I’m special. I hope it’s good.
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
She answered the Emperor’s call.
She arrived with her arts, her wits, and her only friend.
In victory, her world has turned to ash.
After rocking the cosmos with her deathly debut, Tamsyn Muir continues the story of the penumbral Ninth House in Harrow the Ninth, a mind-twisting puzzle box of mystery, murder, magic, and mayhem. Nothing is as it seems in the halls of the Emperor, and the fate of the galaxy rests on one woman’s shoulders.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, last necromancer of the Ninth House, has been drafted by her Emperor to fight an unwinnable war. Side-by-side with a detested rival, Harrow must perfect her skills and become an angel of undeath — but her health is failing, her sword makes her nauseous, and even her mind is threatening to betray her.
Sealed in the gothic gloom of the Emperor’s Mithraeum with three unfriendly teachers, hunted by the mad ghost of a murdered planet, Harrow must confront two unwelcome questions: is somebody trying to kill her? And if they succeeded, would the universe be better off?
I’m sorry, $2.99 for the sequel to a book I’m pretty sure I also only paid $2.99 for? Yes, please.
I am apparently easily manipulated by Kindle deal pricing. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, whoosh, I buy all the things. That’s a lot of books for under $20.
Did you pick up any books on Black Friday or Cyber Monday?
Update! The Christmas Bookshop is available for purchase at Amazon and Target again! I love it when a book gets restocked, don’t you?
The beginning of October is when I celebrate my birthday! Huzzah! This year I was wisely presented with gift cards and books as birthday offerings. It was great. I may have gone overboard.
Maybe.
Definitely.
I tried to stick with books that I have wanted for a while so I was able to stretch those gift cards out a little bit farther. It worked…as you will be able to see.
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn’t matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.
When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it’s to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.
To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.
This was an actual gift from the Hubs. I legit squealed when I got it. Still haven’t read it yet. Gotta fix that.
Quicksilver Court by Melissa Caruso
Ryxander, the Warden of Gloamingard, has failed. Unsealed by her blood, the Door hidden within the black tower has opened. Now, for the first time since the age of the Graces, demons walk the world.
As tensions grow between nations, all eyes—and daggers—are set on Morgrain, which has fallen under the Demon of Discord’s control. When an artifact with the power to wipe out all life in a domain is stolen, Ryx will do whatever it takes to save her home from destruction. But success may demand a larger sacrifice from Ryx than she could have imagined.
Is it bad that I bought the sequel when I haven’t even read the first one yet? I love the authors writing and am very happy to add this one to the collection!
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton
Cecilia Bassingwaite is the ideal Victorian lady. She’s also a thief. Like the other members of the Wisteria Society crime sorority, she flies around England drinking tea, blackmailing friends, and acquiring treasure by interesting means. Sure, she has a dark and traumatic past and an overbearing aunt, but all things considered, it’s a pleasant existence. Until the men show up.
Ned Lightbourne is a sometimes assassin who is smitten with Cecilia from the moment they meet. Unfortunately, that happens to be while he’s under direct orders to kill her. His employer, Captain Morvath, who possesses a gothic abbey bristling with cannons and an unbridled hate for the world, intends to rid England of all its presumptuous women, starting with the Wisteria Society. Ned has plans of his own. But both men have made one grave mistake. Never underestimate a woman.
When Morvath imperils the Wisteria Society, Cecilia is forced to team up with her handsome would-be assassin to save the women who raised her–hopefully proving, once and for all, that she’s as much of a scoundrel as the rest of them.
This was an option for voting for one of my book clubs a few months ago, and while it didn’t win, I have been intrigued by the premise ever since I saw it.
The Ruthless Ladies Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner
Dellaria Wells, petty con artist, occasional thief, and partly educated fire witch, is behind on her rent in the city of Leiscourt—again. Then she sees the “wanted” sign, seeking Female Persons, of Martial or Magical ability, to guard a Lady of some Importance, prior to the celebration of her Marriage. Delly fast-talks her way into the job and joins a team of highly peculiar women tasked with protecting their wealthy charge from unknown assassins.
Delly quickly sets her sights on one of her companions, the confident and well-bred Winn Cynallum. The job looks like nothing but romance and easy money until things take a deadly (and undead) turn. With the help of a bird-loving necromancer, a shapeshifting schoolgirl, and an ill-tempered reanimated mouse named Buttons, Delly and Winn are determined to get the best of an adversary who wields a twisted magic and has friends in the highest of places.
This one has been on my to-buy list since January. I am so looking forward to reading this. This means I probably won’t get to it until 2023.
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
Elatsoe—Ellie for short—lives in an alternate contemporary America shaped by the ancestral magics and knowledge of its Indigenous and immigrant groups. She can raise the spirits of dead animals—most importantly, her ghost dog Kirby. When her beloved cousin dies, all signs point to a car crash, but his ghost tells her otherwise: He was murdered.
Who killed him and how did he die? With the help of her family, her best friend Jay, and the memory great, great, great, great, great, great grandmother, Elatsoe, must track down the killer and unravel the mystery of this creepy town and its dark past. But will the nefarious townsfolk and a mysterious Doctor stop her before she gets started?
Yes. All of this. and the cover under the jacket is so pretty. That’s not why I bought it, I promise. It was totally the story.
Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back: From a Certain Point of View by Various
On May 21, 1980, Star Wars became a true saga with the release of The Empire Strikes Back. In honor of the fortieth anniversary, forty storytellers re-create an iconic scene from The Empire Strikes Back through the eyes of a supporting character, from heroes and villains, to droids and creatures. From a Certain Point of View features contributions by bestselling authors and trendsetting artists:
• Austin Walker explores the unlikely partnership of bounty hunters Dengar and IG-88 as they pursue Han Solo. • Hank Green chronicles the life of a naturalist caring for tauntauns on the frozen world of Hoth. • Tracy Deonn delves into the dark heart of the Dagobah cave where Luke confronts a terrifying vision. • Martha Wells reveals the world of the Ugnaught clans who dwell in the depths of Cloud City. • Mark Oshiro recounts the wampa’s tragic tale of loss and survival. • Seth Dickinson interrogates the cost of serving a ruthless empire aboard the bridge of a doomed Imperial starship.
Plus more hilarious, heartbreaking, and astonishing tales from: Tom Angleberger, Sarwat Chadda, S.A. Chakraborty, Mike Chen, Adam Christopher, Katie Cook, Zoraida Córdova, Delilah S.Dawson, Alexander Freed, Jason Fry, Christie Golden, Rob Hart, Lydia Kang, Michael Kogge, R. F. Kuang, C. B. Lee, Mackenzi Lee, John Jackson Miller, Michael Moreci, Daniel José Older, Amy Ratcliffe, Beth Revis, Lilliam Rivera, Cavan Scott, Emily Skrutskie, Karen Strong, Anne Toole, Catherynne M. Valente, Django Wexler, Kiersten White, Gary Whitta, Brittany N. Williams, Charles Yu, Jim Zub
All participating authors have generously forgone any compensation for their stories. Instead, their proceeds will be donated to First Book—a leading nonprofit that provides new books, learning materials, and other essentials to educators and organizations serving children in need. To further celebrate the launch of this book and both companies’ longstanding relationships with First Book, Penguin Random House will donate $100,000 to First Book and Disney/Lucasfilm will donate 100,000 children’s books—valued at $1,000,000—to support First Book and their mission of providing equal access to quality education.
So I loved the A New Hope volume in this series. I love that this is a book where the publisher is giving back to charity. Especially to a charity that works with children in need.
The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t With Her Mind by Jackson Ford
Teagan Frost is having a hard time keeping it together. Sure, she’s got telekinetic powers — a skill that the government is all too happy to make use of, sending her on secret break-in missions that no ordinary human could carry out. But all she really wants to do is kick back, have a beer, and pretend she’s normal for once. But then a body turns up at the site of her last job — murdered in a way that only someone like Teagan could have pulled off. She’s got 24 hours to clear her name – and it’s not just her life at stake. If she can’t unravel the conspiracy in time, her hometown of Los Angeles will be in the crosshairs of an underground battle that’s on the brink of exploding . . .
Telekentic powers? Mysterious murders? Strong Female Protagionist? Sign me up!
Monstress Vol One by Majorie Lui, art by Sana Takada
Set in an alternate matriarchal 1900’s Asia, in a richly imagined world of art deco-inflected steampunk, MONSTRESS tells the story of a teenage girl who is struggling to survive the trauma of war, and who shares a mysterious psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, a connection that will transform them both and make them the target of both human and otherworldly powers.
I’m not gonna lie, I bought this Trade Paperback for the cover art alone. When I got it I flipped through it and the art is just incredible. I hope the story is just as good.
A Natural History of Dragons (a Novel by Lady Trent) by Marie Brennan
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.
I saw this one on YouTube and was like “yes, I need that” because dragons!
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
The Alexandrian Society, caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity, are the foremost secret society of magical academicians in the world. Those who earn a place among the Alexandrians will secure a life of wealth, power, and prestige beyond their wildest dreams, and each decade, only the six most uniquely talented magicians are selected to be considered for initiation. Enter the latest round of six: Libby Rhodes and Nico de Varona, unwilling halves of an unfathomable whole, who exert uncanny control over every element of physicality. Reina Mori, a naturalist, who can intuit the language of life itself. Parisa Kamali, a telepath who can traverse the depths of the subconscious, navigating worlds inside the human mind. Callum Nova, an empath easily mistaken for a manipulative illusionist, who can influence the intimate workings of a person’s inner self. Finally, there is Tristan Caine, who can see through illusions to a new structure of reality—an ability so rare that neither he nor his peers can fully grasp its implications. When the candidates are recruited by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they are told they will have one year to qualify for initiation, during which time they will be permitted preliminary access to the Society’s archives and judged based on their contributions to various subjects of impossibility: time and space, luck and thought, life and death. Five, they are told, will be initiated. One will be eliminated. The six potential initiates will fight to survive the next year of their lives, and if they can prove themselves to be the best among their rivals, most of them will. Most of them.
I bought this one because of BookTok. It’s been making the rounds. Which is impressive for a self-published book. It’s done so well it got picked up by Tor. I actually hope to read it soon, because if I like it, I will pre-order the Tor version. Gotta support those who self-pub.
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children No Solicitations No Visitors No Quests
Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere… else.
But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.
Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced… they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.
But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up toNancy and her newfound schoolmates to get to the heart of things.
No matter the cost.
Another one I bought because of BookTube. I watch too much YouTube. Also, it sounds good. Plus it’s short, so it should be a quick read.
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix
In a slightly alternate London in 1983, Susan Arkshaw is looking for her father, a man she has never met. Crime boss Frank Thringley might be able to help her, but Susan doesn’t get time to ask Frank any questions before he is turned to dust by the prick of a silver hatpin in the hands of the outrageously attractive Merlin.
Merlin is a young left-handed bookseller (one of the fighting ones), who with the right-handed booksellers (the intellectual ones), are an extended family of magical beings who police the mythic and legendary Old World when it intrudes on the modern world, in addition to running several bookshops.
Susan’s search for her father begins with her mother’s possibly misremembered or misspelt surnames, a reading room ticket, and a silver cigarette case engraved with something that might be a coat of arms.
Merlin has a quest of his own, to find the Old World entity who used ordinary criminals to kill his mother. As he and his sister, the right-handed bookseller Vivien, tread in the path of a botched or covered-up police investigation from years past, they find this quest strangely overlaps with Susan’s. Who or what was her father? Susan, Merlin, and Vivien must find out, as the Old World erupts dangerously into the New.
I loved this book back when I read it in July. But that was a library copy and I wanted a copy of my very own to love! I did give it 4 stars, btw’s. It kept me entertained the whole time I read it!
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark
An epic clash between the forces of light and dark, between the Galactic Republic and the Separatists, between brave heroes and brilliant villains, the fate of the galaxy is at stake in the Emmy Award-winning animated series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. In this exciting anthology, eleven authors who are also fans of the series bring stories from their favorite show to life. Gathered here are memorable moments and stunning adventures, from attempted assassinations to stolen bounties, from lessons learned to loves lost. All of your favorite characters from The Clone Wars are here: Anakin Skywalker, Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Captain Rex, Darth Maul, Count Dooku and more!
Can you tell I like the Star Wars anthologies? Because I do. I really need to read the 5 million other books in the Star Wars canon (not the legacy books, I’d be here for years, although, Mara Jade.)
The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso
“They called me the Bitch Queen, the she-wolf, because I murdered a man and exiled my king the night before they crowned me.”
Born under the crumbling towers of her kingdom, Queen Talyien was the shining jewel and legacy of the bloody War of the Wolves. It nearly tore her nation apart. But her arranged marriage to the son of a rival clan heralds peace.
However, he suddenly disappears before their reign can begin, and the kingdom is fractured beyond repair.
Years later, he sends a mysterious invitation to meet. Talyien journeys across the sea in hopes of reconciling their past. An assassination attempt quickly dashes those dreams. Stranded in a land she doesn’t know, with no idea whom she can trust, Talyien will have to embrace her namesake.
So, I already own the Kindle version of this one. Didn’t know that until I looked today. I bought the physical copy on Amazon, but you know how you type something into the search bar and it gives you the option of kindle, audiobook, or paperback? Well, I picked paperback and never saw that I had already purchased this. Oh well. Now I have two copies.
Revenger Trilogy by Alastair Reynolds
Revenger is a rocket-fueled tale of space pirates, buried treasure, and phantom weapons, of unspeakable hazards and single-minded heroism. . . and of vengeance. . .
Adrana and Fura Ness are the newest crew members of the legendary Captain Rackamore’s ship, using their mysterious powers as Bone Readers to find clues about their next score. But there might be more waiting for them in space than adventure and fortune: the fabled and feared Bosa Sennen, in particular.
The galaxy is filled with treasures. . . if you have the courage to find them.
This is a set I picked up at the used book store near us. I don’t know if it’s good or bad that the whole series was there, but we got them. But the Hubs was interested, and I was interested, so score!
Fan Fiction by Brent Spiner
Set in 1991, just as Star Trek: The Next Generation has rocketed the cast to global fame, the young and impressionable actor Brent Spiner receives a mysterious package and a series of disturbing letters, that takes him on a terrifying and bizarre journey that enlists Paramount Security, the LAPD, and even the FBI in putting a stop to the danger that has his life and career hanging in the balance.
Featuring a cast of characters from Patrick Stewart to Levar Burton to Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, to some completely imagined, this is the fictional autobiography that takes readers into the life of Brent Spiner and tells an amazing tale about the trappings of celebrity and the fear he has carried with him his entire life.
When I saw that Brent Spiner had written a book, I knew I had to buy it, so I did. It was a birthday present to me from me!
The Awakening by Nora Roberts
In the realm of Talamh, a teenage warrior named Keegan emerges from a lake holding a sword—representing both power and the terrifying responsibility to protect the Fey. In another realm known as Philadelphia, a young woman has just discovered she possesses a treasure of her own…
When Breen Kelly was a girl, her father would tell her stories of magical places. Now she’s an anxious twentysomething mired in student debt and working a job she hates. But one day she stumbles upon a shocking discovery: her mother has been hiding an investment account in her name. It has been funded by her long-lost father—and it’s worth nearly four million dollars.
This newfound fortune would be life-changing for anyone. But little does Breen know that when she uses some of the money to journey to Ireland, it will unlock mysteries she couldn’t have imagined. Here, she will begin to understand why she kept seeing that silver-haired, elusive man, why she imagined his voice in her head saying Come home, Breen Siobhan. It’s time you came home. Why she dreamed of dragons. And where her true destiny lies—through a portal in Galway that takes her to a land of faeries and mermaids, to a man named Keegan, and to the courage in her own heart that will guide her through a powerful, dangerous destiny…
I was wandering through Costco, as one does, when I stumbled across this one. Will it be good? No idea, But I’m going to find out. Eventually.
The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson
In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet’s word is law, Immanuelle Moore’s very existence is blasphemy. Her mother’s union with an outsider of a different race cast her once-proud family into disgrace, so Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol, and lead a life of submission, devotion, and absolute conformity, like all the other women in the settlement.
But a mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood surrounding Bethel, where the first prophet once chased and killed four powerful witches. Their spirits are still lurking there, and they bestow a gift on Immanuelle: the journal of her dead mother, who Immanuelle is shocked to learn once sought sanctuary in the wood.
Fascinated by the secrets in the diary, Immanuelle finds herself struggling to understand how her mother could have consorted with the witches. But when she begins to learn grim truths about the Church and its history, she realizes the true threat to Bethel is its own darkness. And she starts to understand that if Bethel is to change, it must begin with her.
Picked this one up for one of my book clubs last month and I was disappointed. Sorry Book! I had to DNF you!
Vampires Never Get Old edited by Zoraida Cordova & Natalie C. Parker
In this delicious new collection, you’ll find stories about lurking vampires of social media, rebellious vampires hungry for more than just blood, eager vampires coming out—and going out for their first kill—and other bold, breathtaking, dangerous, dreamy, eerie, iconic, powerful creatures of the night.
Welcome to the evolution of the vampire—and a revolution on the page.
Vampires Never Get Old includes stories by authors both bestselling and acclaimed, including Samira Ahmed, Dhonielle Clayton, Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker, Tessa Gratton, Heidi Heilig, Julie Murphy, Mark Oshiro, Rebecca Roanhorse, Laura Ruby, Victoria “V. E.” Schwab, and Kayla Whaley.
I read this YA short story compilation and thought it was good. I gave it four stars because it had one bad story but the rest were pretty good! Also, I picked it up on Bookshop.org for $0.50 more than it was on Amazon. That’s not always the case, but it’s worth checking out.
Anywho, there is my massive book haul for the month. I think I’ll be okay with only buying the books I need for the book clubs next month. Maybe one more. Maybe. Let’s see if I can actually do a book buying ban for the month of November, shall we?
Well after August’s book buying extravaganza, you would think that I had no room for more books in my budget.
But books, much like life, find a way.
Mind you, I didn’t buy near as many books as I did in August. Praise be to Simon the god of hairdos.
On to the books!
The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss
What if Dr. Jekyll had a daughter? Oh, and Mr. Hyde too? And they teamed up with Watson and Holmes to solve some murders? That’s what this book is about, among other things. I picked it up for a book club pick.
Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender
I’m pretty sure this book about a woman whose family was murdered by colonizers is going to be great. Also, it was on sale for like, $2.99 on Kindle. Gotta love those sales.
The Sandman by Neil Gaiman
This audiobook, about Dream, who was imprisioned by a cult for decades, is free with an Audible membership until October 22, 2021. It features James McAvoy as the titular Dream, and a world class cast of other actors in these colorful roles. Get it now while you can!
Forever Young: A Memoir by Hayley Mills
I picked up this book with my audible credit. I love listening to memoirs, especially when the author reads them. They always inject little things into them that aren’t in the book.
How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas by Jeff Guinn
Using the true story of 1647 Puritanical England as it’s backdrop, this story tells how, well, Mrs. Claus saved Christmas. This is the sequel to the much loved (at least by me) The Autobiography of Santa Claus. I saw this on Thriftbooks for $3.00 and had to pick it up.
The Great Santa Search by Jeff Guinn
So this one is about Santa Claus getting fed up with all the fake Santas until he finally can’t take it anymore and enters a reality tv show to find the “real” Santa. I might be gearing up for my holiday reads. Can you tell? Also, this was on Thriftbooks for 4 bucks. I love when they have decent copies for cheap.
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
The authors story of her childhood and coming of age in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution. I’ve wanted to read it for a while, and when I saw it on the list of banned books for my banned books week post, I knew I had to have it.
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
Vivienne Jones cursed her ex. She knows she shouldn’t have, but she used a scented candle so it shouldn’t take, right? Of course, when Rhys comes back to town everything starts to go wrong for him. I honestly forgot I pre-ordered this one until I got the shipping notification. I have issues. Also, I laughed when I saw it on Book of the Month’s list for October reads and I had already purchased it!
Well, that wasn’t too bad. 8 books. Several of which I had gotten at discounts! Or for free! Huzzah!
An Alien comes to Earth to stop a scientist after he solves a math equation and steps into his life. This was a book club pick that, due to a hectic month, I wasn’t able to read. I am determined to read this one this year.
A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill
Just like his father, who built a park around them, Noah sees monsters. But unlike the rest of his family, Noah opens the door and lets them in. This book has been on my radar since it came out last year and when I saw it at my used book store I snatched it up!
Falling & Uprising by Natalie Cammaratta
Serenity never questioned her island’s boasting as the last dry land on Earth, but soon she begins to question everything. This was written by one of the members of one of my books clubs! Huzzah!
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
This is basically John Green reviewing the current geological age. He reviews geese y’all. Geese. I bought it for that alone. Also, if you want to pick it up, every first edition is signed by the author.
Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
Vern is seven months pregnant and fleeing the only life she has ever known for the safety of the woods. But even in the woods, Vern is hunted. I picked this up in the B&N book haul sale, where books were 50% off.
The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas
Starr lives in two worlds, her prep school, and her home life. But when her childhood best friend is killed by police, it upends her communities. And only Starr knows the truth of what really happened that night. This book feels like a very relevant and important read. So glad I found it at my local used book store.
The Walking Land by Callie Bates
When Elanna is accused of the murder of the king who raised her, she must flee back to the land where she was born, and the birth father she despises. I picked this one up from my favorite used book store in Knoxville, TN, McKay’s!
Provenance by Anne Leckie
Ingray wants nothing more than to take her place in her mother’s kingdom as her rightful heir. So she hatches a plan to free a thief and steal an artifact. Sounded fun and the author has a great reputation. Another McKay’s find!
The World Gives Way by Marissa Levien
Myrra is a contract worker with the Carlyles family, with fifty years left on her contract. But when they die, she must go on the run with their baby, and their terrible secret. Also there is a spaceship. So yeah, another Barnes and Noble book haul find.
The Inheritance of Orquidea Davina by Zoraida Cordova
Orquidea Divina lives a strange life. her pantry never runs dry and she never leaves her land. Ever. So when she summons her family to her side, they expect answers, that they don’t get. Now it’s seven years later and her family has received several powers, but an unknown enemy is determined to destroy them. Um, yes. I got this through Book of the Month. Sounds so good.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Piranesi has a house. It has infinite corridors. Oh, and an ocean in it. I picked this one up through Book of the Month as well. So excited to read it.
The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
Jess had given up on love, until she heard about a dating service that uses DNA based matching. But surprisingly, she is matched, at 98%, to the companies founder. I’m still not sold on this whole modern romance thing, but I didn’t hate In a Holidaze (I gave it 3 stars) so I thought I’d give another book by these authors a try.
Supernova Era by Cixin Liu
A star has died and it will shower the earth in deadly radiation. It’ll take a year, but everyone over the age of thirteen will die. What a concept.
Axiom’s End by Lindsey Ellis
Cora’s father may or may not be the whistle blower that told the world the truth about extra terrestrials. But Cora wants nothing to do with her father, or the press that seems to be following her around. A story about aliens? I’ll take it. A good used book store find.
And there you have it. My book store finds this month. It’s a bit of a long list, so I think I’m not going to buy very many books this month. I’m hoping I can get away with just the book club picks. And one of those I already own!
Well, I didn’t do as bad this month as I did last month.
Improvement is always a welcome thing.
Also, I bought quite a few newer releases, and that ate up my budget. And the cookbook. I can’t forget the cookbook.
A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers
Robots up and walked out into the wilderness one day in what humanity calls The Great Awakening. Now, years later, a traveling monk happens to meet a robot who has come to find out how humanity has done, and it asks the question, what does humanity need?
Soulless by Gail Carriger
This book was chosen by one of my book clubs for the month of July, and was described as Buffy meets Jane Austin. I like Buffy, so I picked it up.
The Unbroken by C.L Clark
This book had me at the tagline: “Every Empire Demands Revolution”. The description also mentions assassinations and massacres. So naturally, when Orbit books emailed about it being on sale, I snapped it up.
The Comfort Book by Matt Haig
A collection of essays, notes, and stories the author wrote to himself to remind his future self that things aren’t always that bad. I loved the way he wrote the Midnight Library, so I snatched this up.
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
A group of “final girls” form a support group to help each other deal with what they have been through. But someone starts picking off the girls one by one, it’s up to them to figure it out and save themselves. I loved The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, so I thought I’d give this one a try. I’m hoping it works out, especially since I’m not a big horror person. This could end badly.
Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
Danso is on the verge of achieving greatness. There is just one small problem, he doesn’t want it. I love that concept. And when I saw this book in the store, I may have snatched it up super quick. Like, embarrassingly quick.
Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell
Prince Kiem has long been a family disappointment, and he is commanded to marry Count Jainan, widower and murder suspect. I’ve been intrigued since I heard about this earlier this year, so I bought whilst in the bookstore. I should just avoid those at all costs.
Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Complete and Annotated by Luke Dempsey
This is pretty much what it says on the cover. The whole of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, complete with annotations. I bought it as a gift for the hubs, as he loves Monty Python. Picked it up for ten bucks! It’s on Amazon for fifty.
The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winters
After those he loves are brutally murdered, Tau wants vengeance, and will stop at nothing to achieve it. Also, there is magic, which Tau does not posses. This book has been all over the bookish community for a while now, so I thought I’d pick it up. I also thought the hubs might like it to read while I was out of town for two weeks.
Marvel Eat the Universe: the Offical Cookbook by Justin Warner
TikTok is a terrible place where people can learn all about interesting books. Take this cookbook that I turned around and bought two seconds after learning that it existed. There be nerds up in here.
The Parasol Protectorate Series by Gail Carriger
This series is about Alxia Tarabotti, a preturnatural, one who is born without a soul. It was described on the Amazon listing as Buffy meets Jane Austin, and yes, I did buy all 5. The first one was a book club pick for the month, so I picked it up. Stay tuned for a review!
And that’s it, that’s all the books I bought last month. A smaller list compared to the two previous months. I’m going to try to buy fewer books next month, but that may not work out so well.
Lauren Corcur 