Tuesday Tomorrow

Queen B by Juno Dawson
Published by: Penguin Books
Publication Date: July 23rd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"This next spellbinding installment of Juno's "irresistible" fantasy series Her Majesty's Royal Coven (Lana Harper) takes us back to the reign of Henry VIII and the origins of Her Majesty's Royal Coven under the beautiful, the bewitching, Anne Boleyn.

It's 1536 and the Queen has been beheaded.

Lady Grace Fairfax, witch, knows that something foul is at play - that someone had betrayed Anne Boleyn and her coven. Wild with the loss of their leader - and her lover, a secret that if spilled could spell Grace's own end - she will do anything in her power to track down the traitor. But there's more at stake than revenge: it was one of their own, a witch, that betrayed them, and Grace isn't the only one looking for her. King Henry VIII has sent witchfinders after them, and they're organized like they've never been before under his new advisor, the impassioned Sir Ambrose Fulke, a cold man blinded by his faith. His cruel reign could mean the end of witchkind itself. If Grace wants to find her revenge and live, she will have to do more than disappear.

She will have to be reborn.

In this gripping, propulsive, sultry short novel, Juno Dawson takes us back to the bloody beginnings of Her Majesty's Royal Coven to show us the strength, steel and sacrifice it takes to make a sisterhood."

For all those who knew Anne Boleyn was a witch and wanted vengeance in her name.

The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish by Paula Brackston
Published by: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: July 23rd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish is book one in New York Times bestselling author Paula Brackston's new, magic-infused series about Hecate Cavendish, an eccentric and feisty young woman who can see ghosts.

England, 1881. Hereford cathedral stands sentinel over the city, keeping its secrets, holding long forgotten souls in its stony embrace. Hecate Cavendish speeds through the cobbled streets on her bicycle, skirts hitched daringly high, heading for her new life as Assistant Librarian. But this is no ordinary collection of books. The cathedral houses an ancient chained library, wisdom guarded for centuries, mysteries and stories locked onto its worn, humble shelves. The most prized artifact, however, is the medieval world map which hangs next to Hecate's desk. Little does she know how much the curious people and mythical creatures depicted on it will come to mean to her. Nor does she suspect that there are lost souls waiting for her in the haunted cathedral. Some will become her dearest friends. Some will seek her help in finding peace. Others will put her in great peril, and, as she quickly learns, threaten the lives of everyone she loves."

Books that are chained for reasons other than theft have always intrigued me...

Feisty Felines edited by Kevin J. Anderson and Allyson Longueira
Published by: Wordfire Press
Publication Date: July 23rd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When the witches and wizards are away, the familiars will play!

Gifted adventurers across time and space often travel with an animal familiar - usually a cat, but possibly other fuzzy, scaly, or prickly creatures. These magical companions lead their humans into mischief, help them out of sticky situations, or offer opinionated commentary along the way.

We're familiar with familiars...or are we?

Compiled by New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson and award-winning editor Allyson Longueira - and their Publishing graduate students at Western Colorado University - Feisty Felines and Other Fantastical Familiars features 26 never-before-published short stories and poems crafted by Mercedes Lackey, Heather Graham, Jody Lynn Nye, John Hartness, Steve Rasnic Tem, and many others.

You'll love this collection kitty-littered with surprises at every turn. Some stories are whimsical, some are sad, some will tug at your heartstrings - and some will stay with you long after you close this book.

From mischievous cats to cunning ravens, skittering spiders to - a cow? - these feisty familiars will take you on a magical trip to places even wizards don't tread."

Here's not just to awesome stories but awesome editors giving their graduate students due credit.

The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love by India Holton
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: July 23rd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Rival ornithologists hunt through England for a rare magical bird in this historical-fantasy rom-com reminiscent of Indiana Jones but with manners, tea, and helicopter parasols.

Beth Pickering is on the verge of finally capturing the rare deathwhistler bird when Professor Devon Lockley swoops in, capturing both her bird and her imagination like a villain. Albeit a handsome and charming villain, but that's beside the point. As someone highly educated in the ruthless discipline of ornithology, Beth knows trouble when she sees it, and she is determined to keep her distance from Devon.

For his part, Devon has never been more smitten than when he first set eyes on Professor Beth Pickering. She's so pretty, so polite, so capable of bringing down a fiery, deadly bird using only her wits. In other words, an angel. Devon understands he must not get close to her, however, since they're professional rivals.

When a competition to become Birder of the Year by capturing an endangered caladrius bird is announced, Beth and Devon are forced to team up to have any chance of winning. Now keeping their distance becomes a question of one bed or two. But they must take the risk, because fowl play is afoot, and they can't trust anyone else - for all may be fair in love and war, but this is ornithology."

Does anyone else hope that the cover is velvet? I want to stroke it.

The Modern Fairies by Clare Pollard
Published by: Avid Reader Press / Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: July 23rd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Lauren Groff's Matrix meets Ophelia Field's The Favourite in this wry, sexy, and sharp historical novel - inspired by true events - featuring an elite group of Paris intellectuals who perform fairy tales that will change the course of literature - and put both the storytellers and their closely kept secrets in grave danger.

Why don't they tell you it is the beautiful princess who becomes the evil queen; that they are just the same person at different points in their story?

At a safe distance from the intrigues of courtly life at Louis XIV's Versailles, an intellectual crowd of mostly women have been gathering in a Parisian home to share what hostess Marie D'Aulnoy herself has christened contes de fées: fairy tales. Recently ousted from court and still raw from the death of his beloved wife, Charles Perrault finds companionship and creative camaraderie at the salon, where he eagerly joins the storytellers. Their hostess is impressive, fiercely intelligent, but somehow unreadable. She is harboring secrets of her own: sold off as a child in marriage to a brutal baron, imprisonment, scandal. Despite the vicious Versailles gossip, Marie has mysteriously been allowed to return to polite society and establish her salon in the heart of Paris.

A devastating winter soon sweeps in, bringing with it all kinds of rumors and fears. A spate of poisonings at Versailles has led to several arrests, and no matter how high born the suspect, it seems no one is safe. Paranoia stokes the King's insecurities, and there is a wolf among the salon's members - someone more dangerous than any force they could conjure in their own tales, watching and waiting, reporting on the secret goings-on, and threatening to destroy them one by one.

Brilliant and bawdy, witty and wise, Modern Fairies is a dazzling novel of stories within stories, familiar tales spun with fresh and provocative meaning, perfect for fans of Jenny Offill, Deborah Levy, and Angela Carter."

I mean, I'm all about stories within stories, but will it have copious nun sex? I'm just asking, because that is a large portion of Lauren Groff's Matrix.

Peking Duck and Cover by Vivien Chien
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: July 23rd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Lana Lee and friends return for a fiery Chinese New Year celebration that rattles their quaint community. After all, an Asia Village party wouldn't be complete without an explosive finale.

Chinese New Year is supposed to be a time of fresh beginnings and celebrations of good fortune to come. Naturally, the shop owners of Asia Village jump at the chance to participate in creating a memorable holiday event that will bring positive light to the plaza, and prosperity for all those involved.

With Lana Lee as his right-hand woman and head event planner, Ian Sung orchestrates an extravagant evening filled with music, live entertainment, and generous giveaways. But at the end of the night, during an elaborate firework show in the parking lot, a member of the lion dance performance team is found dead backstage with a single bullet hole through the heart and a red envelope in their pocket containing four one-dollar bills - an omen of death.

When news of a curse on Asia Village make its way around the plaza, Lana readily agrees to find who killed the talented dancer before anyone else is marked for death."

AS a fan of this series personally I think this has the best title of the lot.

Charlotte Illes Is Not a Teacher by Katie Siegel
Published by: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Publication Date: July 23rd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The déjà vu is strong for 25-year-old former kid detective Charlotte Illes when she lands back in Frencham Middle School - this time as a substitute teacher with a sideline in sleuthing - in the second zany mystery based on the much-loved TikTok web series from @katiefliesaway.

For fans of Poker Face, Knives Out, Elle Cosimano's Finlay Donovan Series, and anyone seeking to satisfy their Harriet the Spy, Encyclopedia Brown, or Nancy Drew nostalgia!

Mention "returning to the scene of a crime," and people don't usually picture a middle school. But that's where kid detective Lottie Illes enjoyed some of her greatest successes, solving mysteries and winning acclaim - before the world of adult responsibilities came crashing in...

Twentysomething Charlotte is now back in the classroom, this time as a substitute teacher. However, as much as she's tried to escape the shadow of her younger self, others haven't forgotten about Lottie. In fact, a fellow teacher is hoping for help discovering the culprit behind anonymous threats being sent to her and her aunt, who's running for reelection to the Board of Education.

At first, Charlotte assumes the messages are a harmless prank. But maybe it's a good thing she left a detective kit hidden in the band room storage closet all those years ago - just in case. Because the threats are escalating, and it's clear that untangling mysteries isn't child's play anymore..."

There's prepared and there's Charlotte Illes prepared with a detective kit hidden for over a decade just "in case."

The Drowning House by Cherie Priest
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: July 23rd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A violent storm washes a mysterious house onto a rural Pacific Northwest beach, stopping the heart of the only woman who knows what it means. Her grandson, Simon Culpepper, vanishes in the aftermath, leaving two of his childhood friends to comb the small, isolated island for answers - but decades have passed since Melissa and Leo were close, if they were ever close at all.

Now they'll have to put aside old rivalries and grudges if they want to find or save the man who brought them together in the first place - and on the way they'll learn a great deal about the sinister house on the beach, the man who built it, and the evil he's bringing back to Marrowstone Island.

From award-winning author Cherie Priest comes a deeply haunting and atmospheric horror-thriller that explores the lengths we'll go to protect those we love."

There's not many authors who are must buy for me. Cherie Priest is one. If only so I can get the undying devotion of her cat Monty.

The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves and China Miéville
Published by: Del Rey Books
Publication Date: July 23rd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A mind-blowing epic from Keanu Reeves and China Miéville, unlike anything these two genre-bending pioneers have created before, inspired by the world of the BRZRKR comic books.

She said, We needed a tool. So I asked the gods.

There have always been whispers. Legends. The warrior who cannot be killed. Who's seen a thousand civilizations rise and fall. He has had many names: Unute, Child of Lightning, Death himself. These days, he's known simply as "B."

And he wants to be able to die.

In the present day, a U.S. black-ops group has promised him they can help with that. And all he needs to do is help them in return. But when an all-too-mortal soldier comes back to life, the impossible event ultimately points toward a force even more mysterious than B himself. One at least as strong. And one with a plan all its own.

In a collaboration that combines Miéville's singular style and creativity with Reeves's haunting and soul-stirring narrative, these two inimitable artists have created something utterly unique, sure to delight existing fans and to create scores of new ones."

I'm just saying, most celebs get a relative unknown as a coauthor, but then there's Keanu who gets China Miéville!