Showing posts with label Diana Biller. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diana Biller. Show all posts

Monday, March 27, 2023

Tuesday Tomorrow

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
Published by: Tor Nightfire
Publication Date: March 28th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A haunting Southern Gothic from an award-winning master of suspense, A House With Good Bones explores the dark, twisted roots lurking just beneath the veneer of a perfect home and family.

"Mom seems off."

Her brother's words echo in Sam Montgomery's ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone.

She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam's excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out.

But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn't what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she's the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above.

To find out what's got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried."

Did someone say Southern Gothic as a pop out from behind the rose bushes hiding the teeth?

White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link
Published by: Random House
Publication Date: March 28th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Seven ingeniously reinvented fairy tales that play out with astonishing consequences in the modern world, from one of today's finest short story writers - MacArthur "Genius Grant" fellow Kelly Link, bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Get in Trouble.

Featuring illustrations by award-winning artist Shaun Tan.

Finding seeds of inspiration in the Brothers Grimm, seventeenth-century French lore, and Scottish ballads, Kelly Link spins classic fairy tales into utterly original stories of seekers - characters on the hunt for love, connection, revenge, or their own sense of purpose.

In "The White Cat's Divorce," an aging billionaire sends his three sons on a series of absurd goose chases to decide which child will become his heir. In "The Girl Who Did Not Know Fear," a professor with a delicate health condition becomes stranded for days in an airport hotel after a conference, desperate to get home to her wife and young daughter, and in acute danger of being late for an appointment that cannot be missed. In "Skinder's Veil," a young man agrees to take over a remote house-sitting gig for a friend. But what should be a chance to focus on his long-avoided dissertation instead becomes a wildly unexpected journey, as the house seems to be a portal for otherworldly travelers - or perhaps a door into his own mysterious psyche.

Twisting and turning in astonishing ways, expertly blending realism and the speculative, witty, empathetic, and never predictable - these stories remind us once again of why Kelly Link is incomparable in the realm of short fiction."

I'm not the biggest fan of short fiction, but Kelly Link is always an exception to any rule.

The Best of Catherynne M. Valente, Volume One by Catherynne M. Valente
Published by: Subterranean Press
Publication Date: March 28th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 800 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The celebrated author of Fairyland, Space Opera, and much more, Catherynne M. Valente is also known for her stunning prose and captivating worldbuilding. From life on Mars to the zombified streets of Augusta, Maine, she has taken readers on unforgettable journeys for two decades. Subterranean Press is proud to present: The Best of Catherynne M. Valente, Volume One, the first comprehensive collection of Valente's short fiction, soaring through eighteen years of pushing the edges of storytelling. Among her award-winning stories, you'll find everything from melancholy robot girls to Eurydice and Orpheus; from detectives in Purgatory to time-traveling squirrels to a very different Santa Claus; from the grey coast of Washington to Alice's Wonderland. Valente's work is an open, beating heart, ready to welcome you in to its darkness and its light."

And you've got 800 pages of it!

Emma's Dragon by M. Verant
Published by: Acerbic Press
Publication Date: March 28th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 376 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The award-winning fantasy reinvention of Jane Austen continues.

Emma Woodhouse needs a dragon. Her life depends on it. But Emma's dragon is claimed...by Elizabeth Darcy.

When Emma Woodhouse meets newly wed Elizabeth, a brush of their gloved hands unmasks the Darcys' fantastic secret. Emma has discovered Yu nchi, the deadly dragon coveted by both Emperor Napoleon and England's Secretary of War.

Luckily, secrets are nothing new for Emma. She has her own: a deathbed promise, and a clever plan to achieve it. The Darcys' power, forbidden to her, might even help.

But clever plans can go astray. As treason stalks a royal ball, an avenging queen rises to ravage England. Survival rests on a fabled alliance: Emma and her secrets, Elizabeth and her dragon, and the magical music of Mary Bennet and Georgiana Darcy.

Will Emma, Elizabeth, and Mary unravel the mystery of the great wyves in time to save England and themselves?

Emma's Dragon is the second book in the award-winning Jane Austen Fantasy series. This boldly original story is filled with magical dragons, strong heroines, and a brilliantly reimagined Regency that challenges barriers of class, race, and love.

Don't miss this thrilling, romantic fantasy."

I just found out about this series and with my love of all things Regency Magic I feel like my life is now complete.

The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill by Rowenna Miller
Published by: Redhook
Publication Date: March 28th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 416Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this enchanting historical fantasy about sisterhood and self-discovery, a woman does everything she can to help her sister escape her husband - perfect for fans of C. L. Polk, Mary Robinette Kowal, and Marie Brennan.

There is no magic on Prospect Hill - or anywhere else, for that matter. But just on the other side of the veil is the world of the Fae. Generations ago, the first farmers on Prospect Hill learned to bargain small trades to make their lives a little easier - a bit of glass to find something lost, a cup of milk for better layers in the chicken coop.

Much of that old wisdom was lost as the riverboats gave way to the rail lines and the farmers took work at mills and factories. Alaine Fairborn's family, however, was always superstitious, and she still hums the rhymes to find a lost shoe and to ensure dry weather on her sister's wedding day.

When Delphine confides her new husband is not the man she thought he was, Alaine will stop at nothing to help her sister escape him. Small bargains buy them time, but a major one is needed. Yet, the price for true freedom may be more than they're willing to pay."

What would be the cost of freedom to the Fae?

Her Lost Words by Stephanie Marie Thornton
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: March 28th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From A Vindication of the Rights of Woman to Frankenstein, a tale of two literary legends - a mother and daughter - discovering each other and finding themselves along the way, from USA Today bestselling author Stephanie Marie Thornton.

1792. As a child, Mary Wollstonecraft longed to disappear during her father's violent rages. Instead, she transforms herself into the radical author of the landmark volume A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, in which she dares to propose that women are equal to men. From conservative England to the blood-drenched streets of revolutionary France, Mary refuses to bow to society's conventions and instead supports herself with her pen until an illicit love affair challenges her every belief about romance and marriage. When she gives birth to a daughter and is stricken with childbed fever, Mary fears it will be her many critics who recount her life's extraordinary odyssey...

1818. The daughter of infamous political philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft, passionate Mary Shelley learned to read by tracing the letters of her mother's tombstone. As a young woman, she desperately misses her mother's guidance, especially following her scandalous elopement with dashing poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Mary struggles to balance an ever-complicated marriage with motherhood while nursing twin hopes that she might write something of her own one day and also discover the truth of her mother's unconventional life. Mary's journey will unlock her mother's secrets, all while leading to her own destiny as the groundbreaking author of Frankenstein.

A riveting and inspiring novel about a firebrand feminist, her visionary daughter, and the many ways their words transformed our world."

Two women who transformed the world, they just happened to be mother and daughter.

Lone Women by Victor LaValle
Published by: One World
Publication Date: March 28th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Blue skies, empty land - and enough wide-open space to hide a horrifying secret. A woman with a past, a mysterious trunk, a town on the edge of nowhere, and a bracing new vision of the American West, from the award-winning author of The Changeling.

Adelaide Henry carries an enormous steamer trunk with her wherever she goes. It's locked at all times. Because when the trunk opens, people around Adelaide start to disappear.

The year is 1915, and Adelaide is in trouble. Her secret sin killed her parents, forcing her to flee California in a hellfire rush and make her way to Montana as a homesteader. Dragging the trunk with her at every stop, she will become one of the "lone women" taking advantage of the government's offer of free land for those who can tame it - except that Adelaide isn't alone. And the secret she's tried so desperately to lock away might be the only thing that will help her survive the harsh territory.

Crafted by a modern master of magical suspense, Lone Women blends shimmering prose, an unforgettable cast of adventurers who find horror and sisterhood in a brutal landscape, and a portrait of early-twentieth-century America like you've never seen. And at its heart is the gripping story of a woman desperate to bury her past - or redeem it."

What's in the trunk Adelaide? WHAT'S IN THE TRUNK!?!

Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: March 28th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Diana Biller's Hotel of Secrets is chock full of banter-filled shenanigans, must-have-you kisses, and romance certain to light a fire in the hearts of readers everywhere.

During ball season, anything can happen - even love.

It's ball season in Vienna, and Maria Wallner only wants one thing: to restore her family's hotel, the Hotel Wallner, to its former glory. She's not going to let anything get in her way - not her parents' three-decade-long affair; not seemingly-random attacks by masked assassins; and especially not the broad-shouldered American foreign agent who's saved her life two times already. No matter how luscious his mouth is.

Eli Whittaker also only wants one thing: to find out who is selling American secret codes across Europe, arrest them, and go home to his sensible life in Washington, DC. He has one lead - a letter the culprit sent from a Viennese hotel. But when he arrives in Vienna, he is immediately swept up into a chaotic whirlwind of balls, spies, waltzes, and beautiful hotelkeepers who seem to constantly find themselves in danger. He disapproves of all of it! But his disapproval is tested as he slowly falls deeper into the chaos - and as his attraction to said hotelkeeper grows."

Ball season in Vienna? YES!

Intrigue in Istanbul by Erica Ruth Neubauer
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: March 28th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In Agatha Award-winning author Erica Ruth Neubauer's fourth wanderlust-inspiring historical mystery, it's 1926 and the adventures of vibrant, young American widow Jane Wunderly send her to Istanbul, Turkey, where the search for her archeologist father unravels secrets tied to a mysterious relic from the Ottoman Empire...

Istanbul, 1926: After her historian father makes a clandestine journey abroad, Jane and the dapper Mr. Redvers trace his footsteps while signs of danger loom back home in the United States. They're greeted at their destination by Aunt Millie and unsettling news: Professor Wunderly was on a mission to locate the lost heart of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent - a legendary relic from the Ottoman Empire said to possess potent mystical powers - then vanished completely, leaving behind his unpacked luggage, a perplexing riddle, and an eerie mystery Jane must solve to keep her loved ones safe.

What starts off as a clear-cut investigation becomes an intercontinental game of cat and mouse as Jane realizes a gang of nameless figures have been stalking her every move from Turkey to Hungary. And it seems even helpful friends can't be trusted for long when a man is stabbed to death on the Orient Express to Budapest. With Redvers by her side and few clues to rely on, Jane’s desperate search for her father leads to centuries-old secrets and an unidentified enemy who could make her disappear like the missing Sultan's heart..."

Gotta support local authors!

Play the Fool by Lina Chern
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: March 28th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A cynical tarot card reader seeks to uncover the truth about her friend's mysterious death in this delightfully clever whodunit, "a delicious blend of suspense and madcap humor" (Library Journal, starred review).

For Katie True, a keen gut and quick wit are just tools of the trade. After a failed attempt at adulting in Chicago, she's back in the suburbs living a bit too close to her overbearing parents, jumping from one dead-end job to the next, and flipping through her tarot deck for guidance. Then along comes Marley.

Mysterious, worldly, and comfortable in her own skin, Marley takes a job at the mall where Katie peddles Russian tchotchkes. The two just get each other. Marley doesn't try to fix Katie's life or pretend to be someone she's not, and Katie thinks that with Marley's friendship, she just might make it through this rough patch after all. Until the day when Katie, having been encouraged by Marley to practice soothsaying, reads the cards for someone who stumbles into her shop. But when she sneaks a glance at his phone, she finds more than intel to improve her clairvoyance. She finds a photo. Of Marley. With a gunshot wound to the head.

The bottom falls out of Katie's world. Her best friend is dead? Who killed her? She quickly realizes there are some things her tarot cards can't foresee, and she must put her razor-sharp instincts to the ultimate test. But Katie's recklessness lands her in the crossfire of a threat she never saw coming. Now she must use her street smarts and her inner Strength card to solve Marley's murder - or risk losing everything."

I'm always here for the mystical and murder!

The Quarantine Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Published by: Avon Impulse
Publication Date: March 28th, 2023
Format: HPaperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Mia Thermopolis knows just what to do in a crisis: Rule.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, a section of the diary of Princess Mia Thermopolis of Genovia fell into the hands of Meg Cabot, the Princess's royal biographer.

As reported in media outlets such as Entertainment Weekly, The Mary Sue, Refinery 29, Bustle, and more, from March until June of 2020, sixteen entries of the princess's diary were leaked onto Ms. Cabot's blog, to the delight of over a million fans.

In these entries, titled The Coronavirus Princess Diaries, the princess recorded her most heartfelt emotions while dealing with her husband's quarantine after exposure to the virus; her personal (and political) battles while imposing health restrictions on her small European nation; life during lockdown (even in as idyllic a location as a palace on the Riviera); and of course, dealing with her demanding royal family, especially her grandmother.

Since then, readers have been clamoring for more chapters of Mia's coronavirus diary...and here they are at last: The Quarantine Princess Diaries include not only the previously released entries (now edited and updated with new content), but two hundred more pages of entirely original, never-before-seen entries, including the princess's worries over a possible royal affair; a showdown between Mia and Grandmère over the latter's intended nuptials; the eventual development and distribution of a groundbreaking intranasal vaccine for every citizen in Genovia; and, as always, a royally happy ending.

After all we've been through, what could be more comforting for any lover of royal romance than snuggling up with a brand new installment of the diary of Mia Thermopolis, the princess who started it all?"

So excited to be back with Mia... But I kind of wish it was the third movie...

Bayou Beloved by Lexi Blake
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: March 28th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When a woman returns home to Louisiana's Butterfly Bayou, her high school crush finally notices she exists, in a small-town contemporary romance from New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake.

Quaid Havery always planned to follow in his father's footsteps. He went to law school and then came home to take over his dad's legal practice. Being the only lawyer in small-town Papillon, Quaid is pretty sure he's seen everything. After all, he was once asked to sue an alligator for defamation of character. He's prepared for anything the town can throw at him, until he encounters Jayna Cardet. She's gorgeous, smart, funny, and unlike any woman he's met before.... Except he has.

Jayna never thought she'd return to Papillon, but when her life gets turned around she must learn to live in the close-knit community again. She certainly never dreamed she would practice law in her little town, but she finds herself in the courtroom, and the opposing counsel is her former high school crush, Quaid. It wouldn't be so bad if the man had developed a beer belly, but Quaid is more handsome than ever. And instead of ignoring her like he did in high school, he's made it plain that he wants to get to know her.

Thus begins a courtship destined to end in a wedding or a war. Either way, the locals are popping some corn and eagerly awaiting the outcome."

Hallmark meets all your high school reunion fantasies in one!

Monday, October 7, 2019

Tuesday Tomorrow

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Published by: Flatiron Books
Publication Date: October 8th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 480 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The mesmerizing adult debut from Leigh Bardugo, a tale of power, privilege, dark magic, and murder set among the Ivy League elite.

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug-dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. In fact, by age twenty, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most prestigious universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. Their eight windowless “tombs” are the well-known haunts of the rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street’s biggest players. But their occult activities are more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive. They tamper with forbidden magic. They raise the dead. And, sometimes, they prey on the living."

One of the reasons my blog is on hiatus is so that I can read books right when they come out and THIS book is one of those books I've been dying to read.

Into the Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo
Published by: Feiwel and Friends
Publication Date: October 8th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Into the Crooked Place begins a gritty two-book YA fantasy series from Alexandra Christo, the author of To Kill a Kingdom.

The streets of Creije are for the deadly and the dreamers, and four crooks in particular know just how much magic they need up their sleeve to survive.

Tavia, a busker ready to pack up her dark-magic wares and turn her back on Creije for good. She’ll do anything to put her crimes behind her.

Wesley, the closest thing Creije has to a gangster. After growing up on streets hungry enough to swallow the weak whole, he won’t stop until he has brought the entire realm to kneel before him.

Karam, a warrior who spends her days watching over the city’s worst criminals and her nights in the fighting rings, making a deadly name for herself.

And Saxony, a resistance fighter hiding from the very people who destroyed her family, and willing to do whatever it takes to get her revenge.

Everything in their lives is going to plan, until Tavia makes a crucial mistake: she delivers a vial of dark magic - a weapon she didn’t know she had - to someone she cares about, sparking the greatest conflict in decades. Now these four magical outsiders must come together to save their home and the world, before it’s too late. But with enemies at all sides, they can trust nobody. Least of all each other."

It's like Leigh Bardugo's duology but with morals!

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: October 8th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Survive the year.

No one speaks of the grace year. It’s forbidden.

In Garner County, girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, to drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive.

Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life - a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other.

With sharp prose and gritty realism, The Grace Year examines the complex and sometimes twisted relationships between girls, the women they eventually become, and the difficult decisions they make in-between."

With women's rights becoming more and more in jeopardy speculative fiction shows us the horrors of what could be and why we need to keep fighting.

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K. Eason
Published by: DAW
Publication Date: October 8th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"First in a duology that reimagines fairy tale tropes within a space opera - The Princess Bride meets Princess Leia.

Rory Thorne is a princess with thirteen fairy blessings, the most important of which is to see through flattery and platitudes. As the eldest daughter, she always imagined she’d inherit her father’s throne and govern the interplanetary Thorne Consortium.

Then her father is assassinated, her mother gives birth to a son, and Rory is betrothed to the prince of a distant world.

When Rory arrives in her new home, she uncovers a treacherous plot to unseat her newly betrothed and usurp his throne. An unscrupulous minister has conspired to name himself Regent to the minor (and somewhat foolish) prince. With only her wits and a small team of allies, Rory must outmaneuver the Regent and rescue the prince.

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse is a feminist reimagining of familiar fairytale tropes and a story of resistance and self-determination - how small acts of rebellion can lead a princess to not just save herself, but change the course of history."

My ten year old self is wondering where this book has been all my life.

Through the Water Curtain selected by Cornelia Funke
Published by: Pushkin Children's Books
Publication Date: October 8th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A delightful, diverse selection of fairy tales from around the world by one of our most beloved children's writers.

International bestselling children's author Cornelia Funke has long been inspired and fascinated by fairy tales. This wonderful anthology is Funke's personal selection of fairy tales from all around the world - not just from her native Germany but from Russia, Japan and the Native American tradition. It's the perfect Christmas gift for any young reader wishing to discover the wider world of fairy tales."

Cornelia Funke's work is so steeped in fairy tales it makes sense for her to select her favorites and release them in a gorgeous edition that is a wonderful addition to anyone's bookshelf.

The Princess Beard by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne
Published by: Del Rey
Publication Date: October 8th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Shave the princess? Inconceivable! The hilarious bestselling authors of Kill the Farm Boy and No Country for Old Gnomes are back with a new adventure in the irreverent world of Pell.

Once upon a time, a princess slept in a magical tower cloaked in thorns and roses.

When she woke, she found no Prince Charming, only a surfeit of hair and grotesquely long fingernails - which was, honestly, better than some creep who acted without consent. She cut off her long braids and used them to escape. But she kept the beard because it made a great disguise.

This is not a story about finding true love’s kiss - it's a story about finding yourself. On a pirate ship. Where you belong.

But these are no ordinary pirates aboard The Puffy Peach, serving under Filthy Lucre, the one-eyed parrot pirate captain. First there’s Vic, a swole and misogynistic centaur on a mission to expunge himself of the magic that causes him to conjure tea and dainty cupcakes in response to stress. Then there’s Tempest, who’s determined to become the first dryad lawyer - preferably before she takes her ultimate form as a man-eating tree. They’re joined by Alobartalus, an awkward and unelfly elf who longs to meet his hero, the Sn’archivist who is said to take dictation directly from the gods of Pell. Throw in some mystery meat and a dastardly capitalist plot, and you’ve got one Pell of an adventure on the high seas!

In this new escapade set in the magical land of Pell, Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne lovingly skewer the tropes of fairy tales and create a new kind of fantasy: generous, gently humorous, and inclusive. There might also be otters."

I hope I'm not the only one who thinks ALL books should reference The Princess Bride. It should actually be a law.

Harry Potter: Exploring Hogwarts by Jody Revenson
Published by: Insight Kids
Publication Date: October 8th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 48 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Explore the iconic locations of Hogwarts as seen in the Harry Potter films with this large-scale interactive book, Harry Potter: Exploring Hogwarts.

Harry Potter: Exploring Hogwarts pairs striking full-color illustrations of Hogwarts with interactive elements that reveal key movie scenes, concept art, and behind-the-scenes info on the most memorable locations within Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Go behind-the-scenes with iconic landmarks like the Forbidden Forest, the Great Hall, and Quidditch Pitch, and discover secret rooms and mysteries hidden beyond the school’s surface.

The first in a series of large-scale interactive books that explore the iconic locations from the films of the Wizarding World, Harry Potter: Exploring Hogwarts is the perfect book for readers of all ages to connect with and rediscover the magic of Hogwarts."

I can't be the only person out there who plays the Harry Potter video games just to wander the halls of Hogwarts... But now I have this! And I just adore the visual look, these illustrations are to die for! 

In the Hall with the Knife by Diana Peterfreund
Published by: Amulet Books
Publication Date: October 8th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A murderer could be around every corner in this thrilling YA trilogy based on the board game CLUE!

When a storm strikes at Blackbrook Academy, an elite prep school nestled in the woods of Maine, a motley crew of students—including Beth “Peacock” Picach, Orchid McKee, Vaughn Green, Sam “Mustard” Maestor, Finn Plum, and Scarlet Mistry—are left stranded on campus with their headmaster. Hours later, his body is found in the conservatory and it’s very clear his death was no accident. With this group of students who are all hiding something, nothing is as it seems, and everyone has a motive for murder. Fans of the CLUE board game and cult classic film will delight in Diana Peterfreund’s modern reimagining of the brand, its characters, and the dark, magnificent old mansion with secrets hidden within its walls."

What was my favorite board game as a kid? CLUE! What was my favorite movie? CLUE! So what's my new favorite book?

The Twilight Man by Koren Shadmi
Published by: Life Drawn
Publication Date: October 8th, 2019
Format: Paperback, 168 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A illustrated biographical tale that follows Hollywood revolutionary Rod Serling's rise to fame in the Golden Age of Television, and his descent into his own personal Twilight Zone.

We recognize Rod Serling as our sharply dressed, cigarette-smoking tour guide of The Twilight Zone, but the entertainment business once regarded him as the "Angry Young Man" of Television. Before he became the revered master of science fiction, Rod Serling was a just a writer who had to fight to make his voice heard. He vehemently challenged the networks and viewership alike to expand their minds and standards - rejecting notions of censorship, racism and war. But it wasn’t until he began to write about real world enemies in the guise of aliens and monsters that people lent their ears. In doing so, he pushed the television industry to the edge of glory, and himself to the edge of sanity. Rod operated in a dimension beyond that of contemporary society, making him both a revolutionary and an outsider."

Odd how the cover of this book looks more realistic than the CGI in the new "Blurryman" episode... 

The 19th Christmas by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
Published by: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: October 8th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"If the Women's Murder Club can't be together this Christmas, a killer is to blame.

As the holidays approach, Detective Lindsay Boxer and her friends in the Women's Murder Club have much to celebrate. Crime is down. The medical examiner's office is quiet. Even the courts are showing some Christmas spirit. And the news cycle is so slow that journalist Cindy Thomas is on assignment to tell a story about the true meaning of the season for San Francisco.

Then a fearsome criminal known only as "Loman" seizes control of the headlines. He is planning a deadly surprise for Christmas morning. And he has commissioned dozens of criminal colleagues to take actions that will mask his plans. All that Lindsay and the SFPD can figure out is that Loman's greed - for riches, for bloodshed, for attention - is limitless.

Solving crimes never happens on schedule, but as this criminal mastermind unleashes credible threats by the hour, the month of December is upended for the Women's Murder Club. Avoiding tragedy is the only holiday miracle they seek."

Woo hoo, a new Women's Murder Club installment!

Sorry for the Dead by Nichola Upson
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: October 8th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"At once a compelling murder mystery and a moving exploration of love and grief, critically acclaimed author Nicola Upson's eighth Josephine Tey mystery is a force to be reckoned with.

In the summer of 1915, the sudden death of a young girl brings grief and notoriety to Charleston Farmhouse on the Sussex Downs.

Years later, Josephine Tey returns to the same house - now much changed - and remembers the two women with whom she once lodged as a young teacher during the Great War. As past and present collide, with murders decades apart, Josephine is forced to face the possibility that the scandal which threatened to destroy those women's lives hid a much darker secret."

Is it weird that I like Josephine Tey better as a sleuth than a writer?

The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: October 8th, 2019
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A young widow restores a dilapidated mansion with the assistance of a charming, eccentric genius, only to find the house is full of dangerous secrets in this effervescent Gilded Age romantic comedy debut.

It’s 1875, and Alva Webster has perfected her stiff upper lip after three years of being pilloried in the presses of two continents over fleeing her abusive husband. Now his sudden death allows her to return to New York to make a fresh start, restoring Liefdehuis, a dilapidated Hyde Park mansion, and hopefully her reputation at the same time.

However, fresh starts aren’t as easy as they seem, as Alva discovers when stories of a haunting at Liefdehuis begin to reach her. But Alva doesn’t believe in ghosts. So when the eccentric and brilliant professor Samuel Moore appears and informs her that he can get to the bottom of the mystery that surrounds Liefdehuis, she turns him down flat. She doesn’t need any more complications in her life - especially not a handsome, convention-flouting, scandal-raising one like Sam. Unfortunately, though Alva is loath to admit it, Sam, a pioneer in electric lighting and a member of the nationally-adored Moore family of scientists, is the only one who can help. Together, the two delve into the tragic secrets wreathing Alva’s new home while Sam attempts to unlock Alva’s history - and her heart.

Set during the Gilded Age in New York City, The Widow of Rose House is a gorgeous debut by Diana Biller, with a darkly Victorian Gothic flair and an intrepid and resilient American heroine guaranteed to delight readers."

Literally THE BOOK everyone is talking about so go buy it and see why!

The Stranger from the Sea by Winston Graham
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: October 8th, 2019
Format: Paperback, 512 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Stranger From the Sea is the eighth novel in Winston Graham's hugely popular Poldark series, and continues the story after the fifth TV series, which has become an international phenomenon, starring Aidan Turner.

Cornwall 1810

The Poldark family awaits the return of Ross from his mission to Wellington's army in Portugal. But their ordered existence ends with Jeremy Poldark's dramatic rescue of the stranger from the sea.

Stephen Carrington's arrival in the Poldark household changes all their lives. For Clowance and Jeremy in particular, the children of Ross and Demelza, Stephen's advent is the key to a new world - one of both love and danger.

The Stranger From The Sea is followed by the ninth book in the Poldark series, The Miller's Dance."

Because the TV show has ended and you NEED to know what happens next with this beautiful edition with Morwenna from the TV show on the cover.

The Miller's Dance by Winston Graham
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: October 8th, 2019
Format: Paperback, 496 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The ninth novel in Winston Graham's classic Poldark saga, now a major TV series from Masterpiece PBS.

Cornwall 1812

At Nampara, the Poldark family finds the new year brings involvement in more than one unexpected venture. For Ross and Demelza there is some surprising - and worrying - news. And Clowance, newly returned from her London triumphs, finds that her entanglement with Stephen Carrington brings not only happiness but heartache.

As the armies battle in Spain, and the political situation at home becomes daily more obscure, the Poldark and Warleggan families find themselves thrust into a turbulent new era as complex and changing as the patterns of the Miller's Dance...

In his Poldark series, Winston Graham explores the complications of love lost and the class struggle of early 19th-century England with a light comic touch. The Miller's Dance is followed by the tenth book in the series, The Loving Cup."

When I saw these were coming out I literally preordered them the same day. 

The Stranger from the Sea by Winston Graham
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: October 8th, 2019
Format: Paperback, 592 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The tenth book in Winston Graham's classic Poldark saga, now a major TV series from Masterpiece PBS.

Cornwall 1813

A silver cup lies half-forgotten in a dank cave, amongst a pile of stolen goods. Yet the tiny vessel and its inscription Amor gignit amorem haunts the lives of the still-feuding Poldark and Warleggan families, as Ross, Demelza and the ambitious and powerful Sir George Warleggan watch their children make the decisions that will shape their destinies.

In the closing years of the wars against Napoleon, for Jeremy and Clowance, and for arrogant, cynical Valentine Warleggan, these are troubled and momentous times...

In his Poldark series, Winston Graham explores the complications of love lost and the class struggle of early 19th-century England with a light comic touch. The Loving Cup is followed by the eleventh book in the series, The Twisted Sword."

The final volumes to be released later in October. Also does anyone else not like this version of Geoffrey Charles?

Older Posts Home