Showing posts with label Molly Harper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Molly Harper. Show all posts

Monday, April 20, 2026

Tuesday Tomorrow

The Antiquarian's Object of Desire by India Holton
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: April 21st, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When two history professors and best friends are forced to fake hate to protect their reputations, chaos ensues, in the next rollicking historical-fantasy rom-com from beloved author India Holton.

Magical-antique experts Amelia Tarrant and Caleb Sterling have been best friends forever, although lately each has begun secretly wishing for more than friendship. But when rumors about their relationship spread, they're forced to fake being enemies to protect their reputations and keep their jobs.

The resulting arguments spark havoc across Oxford University, and when they cause an explosion while fighting over a magical antique, it's the final straw for their exasperated faculty head. He dispatches them to a job in Cumbria where even they can't get into trouble....

Which proves just how wrong one man can be. In a stormbound old manor house, Amelia and Caleb face magical mayhem and rampaging ghosts that make the previous havoc look mild in comparison. Most troublesome of all, though, is the secret of how they feel about each other. When it comes to tackling deadly antiques, hiding the truth in their hearts could destroy them for real."

India Holt's Love Academic series is legitimately already enshrined as a classic. Why else is Julia Quinn featuring the first book in her publishing imprint Kickstarter?

Blackthorne Faire by John Adcox
Published by: Story Plant Gold
Publication Date: April 21st, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 688 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Welcome to Blackthorne Faire, a place of wild music and unbridled, boisterous dance! Of theatre and pageantry! Of deadly duels and rapier-fast quips! Of roasting turkey legs and drinking bouts!

Welcome to Blackthorne Faire, a place of whispered rumors of unexplained disappearances. Of mystery, intrigue, and murder.

Welcome to Blackthorne Faire, a modern Renaissance Festival where nothing is what it seems. It is a place where a lost tune rediscovered in The Hidden Book of Secret Knowledge stirs long forgotten magic, and where never-before-seen tarot cards foretell unexpected futures that always, always come true.

Welcome to Blackthorne Faire, where true love is found and lost and lost again in the shadow of a coming war between the mob and the Courts of Faerie.

Beware, mortal, oh, beware the sounds that echo over the hills, across the bluffs, and through the winding pathways, for no one can hear the horns of Elfland and remain unchanged."

Mainly due to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms I've been having Ren Faire withdrawal. This book perfectly fits the bill.

Tea and Treachery at the Infinite Pantry by Jo Miles
Published by: Jo Miles
Publication Date: April 21st, 2026
Format: eBook, 348 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A good cup of tea can fix any problem, she's always said. For this one, she's going to need more tea.

To Glendevyn, the Infinite Pantry is far more than a magical museum of the world's most treasured foods. It's the home she's always longed for. As the new head curator, she expected to wrestle with ornery funders and too-tight budgets…but when rare items in the collection suddenly start decaying, reduced to dust despite their protection spells, she's out of her depth.

The elven mage Irdruan would do anything for Glendevyn - even hide their feelings for her. She clearly doesn't return those feelings, after all, and how can they risk their friendship when she's relying on their support? But even with all Irdruan's magic, they can't find a way to do the one thing Glendevyn needs from them: to put a stop to the growing destruction.

Caught between an unknown magic threatening everything they've built and a wealthy funder pushing to take control, Glendevyn and Irdruan will do whatever it takes to save the Infinite Pantry. They'll have to learn to trust each other - and themselves - as they fight for their home with the power of love, friendship, and delicious food.

The first book in a new series, this sweet cozy fantasy is steeped in magic and deliciousness, like curling up with a warm mug of tea."

Those chonky cats on the cover have already stolen my heart.

Thristlemarsh by Moorea Corrigan
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: April 21st, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Faeries disappeared over one hundred years ago, as suddenly as slipping through a doorway. It was only the very foolish, or the very determined, who held out hope for their return.

Welcome to Thistlemarsh - a ramshackle estate where an impoverished orphan and a beguiling Faerie collide in an enchanting novel of love, revenge, and ruin.

In the wake of The Great War, the world is a decidedly unmagical place for Mouse Dunne. She once dreamed of becoming a Faerie anthropologist, but with one telegram, her world shattered. At the Battle of the Somme, her cousin's body disappeared into the mud, and her brother was left with debilitating shell shock. It was time, she knew, to put aside childish dreams.

When Mouse receives news that her uncle has left her the Faerie-blessed Thistlemarsh Hall, a dilapidated manor in the English countryside, she must leave her brother's side and return to her childhood home to claim her birthright. But there is a catch in her uncle's offer: If Mouse does not rehabilitate the crumbling house in one month's time, she will forfeit her inheritance and any hope of caring for her brother.

It quickly becomes clear it's impossible to repair the manor in the allotted time, until a mysterious Faerie appears with a proposition. He offers to restore Thistlemarsh...for a price. Mouse knows better than to trust a Faerie - especially one so insufferably handsome and arrogant - but she is out of options. There are dark and magical forces at work in the house, and Mouse must confront the ghosts of her past and the secrets of her heart or lose Thistlemarsh, and herself, in the process."

Desperate times call for desperate measures. In fact, they might call for Faerie bargains...

City of Iron and Ivy by Thomas Kent West
Published by: Forever
Publication Date: April 21st, 2026
Format: Paperback, 576 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"This beguiling historical romantasy debut blends dark academia with the glamour of Bridgerton, as a scholar of magic investigates her sister's murder - perfect for fans of Heather Fawcett and H. G. Parry.

In an alternate London alive with botanical magic, Elswyth Elderwood is a thorn among roses: a bristly, scarred scholar in a world of socialites. Her sister Persephone is the opposite: a graceful debutante seeking a marriage that will save their family from ruin. At least, until Persephone is murdered.

Suddenly the last scion of her house, Elswyth must abandon her studies and find a wealthy husband. She is thrust into a London fueled by floromancy: hedge witches sprout nightshade from their fingertips, high-born ladies weave gowns from wildflowers...and a serial killer called the Reaper transforms his victims into plant-human hybrids.

When clues suggest the Reaper is a powerful nobleman, Elswyth's search for her sister's killer and her hunt for a husband become one and the same. But she is drawn to bastard-born archaeologist Silas Blackthor - -who may have dark, twisted secrets of his own.

Elswyth must determine friend from foe and lover from liar - or suffer the same fate as her sister."

I love a ton tormented by terror. 

Aphrodite in Pieces by Lauren J.A. Bear
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: April 21st, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Experience the myth and magic of antiquity's most alluring - and provocative - goddess as never witnessed before, in this gorgeously rendered, unflinching, and deeply vulnerable retelling from the author of Mother of Rome and Medusa's Sisters.

Two hundred years before the common era, Aphrodite surprises an itinerant sculptor with a shocking request: Hear my story, see me for who I truly am, and carve it into stone. Never before has the goddess posed for her likeness, and as the artist works, she shares pieces of herself.

Her greatest triumphs and most grievous mistakes. The truth behind the tales of her beneficence and vengeance. And the one epic romance that slips through her perfect fingers, time and time again.

Part memoir, part fantasy, and all heart, Aphrodite in Pieces begs the eternal, essential questions: what do love and beauty truly mean? And can they last?"

Totally here for a muse baring her soul to a sculptor. 

May the Dead Keep You by Jill Baguchinsky
Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 21st, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Perfect for fans of Don't Let the Forest In and Wuthering Heights, this gothic horror novel is about the pasts that haunt us and the stories we decide to make for ourselves.

There's nowhere Catie East would rather be than the redwood forest that surrounds her family's unusual historic home, the Heights.

She prefers being alone in the forest. People are...complicated. But when a scientist and his son move into the estate's cottage, planning to study the woods around them, the boy catches Catie's eye. And when a dead woodpecker miraculously comes back to life in his precious hands...he captures her heart.

Necromancy isn't the only strange thing happening in the Heights. There's an unfamiliar face in the mirror. Blood on the floors. Eyes in the wallpaper. And the men around her - including her once-sweet nature boy - are becoming something else. Something possessive and frightening. Something violent.

As the Heights's dark history starts to come to light, Catie discovers that the home she loves is imbued with pain. And even though the pain isn't her own, it will corrupt her and the people around her all the same - unless she can stop it.

A story about breaking cycles of abuse and overcoming generational trauma, May the Dead Keep You is an edge-of-your-seat read - equally horrifying, heart-wrenching, and hopeful."

Confronting generational trauma can start the healing of house and home.

Odessa by Gabrielle Sher
Published by: Little Brown and Company
Publication Date: April 21st, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In a powerfully imagined Russia at the height of the pogroms, a grief-stricken family turn to ancient magic to bring their daughter back from the grave.

Yetta is a bright, quick teenage girl with a wild, searching spirit. Stifled by her mother's anxiety, her father's rules, and the path that's been laid out for her, she craves freedom, the edges of which she doesn't know. But her family has reason to be cautious and restrictive. Fear has wrapped itself around their shtetl. Jews are mysteriously disappearing, and there are whispers of an impending attack. When violence comes to their door, Yetta is killed.

Her father, in his grief, fumbles through his nascent knowledge of ancient texts and old magic to bring her back. By some miracle, Yetta is returned - but although she looks the same, she is not the girl she once was. Yetta senses there is a secret her family is keeping from her. The answer resides, in part, in the creature lurking in the woods beyond the shtetl - something that may be of her father's making, and a being that has plans of its own."

The Gothic vibes of that cover combined with necromancy make this a book that needs to be on my shelves.

Crossroads by Laurel Hightower
Published by: Shortwave
Publication Date: April 21st, 2026
Format: Paperback, 112 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"How far would you go to bring back someone you love?

When Chris's son dies in a tragic car crash, her world is devastated. The walls of grief close in on Chris's life until, one day, a small cut on her finger changes everything.

A drop of blood falls from Chris's hand onto her son's roadside memorial and, later that night, Chris thinks she sees his ghost outside her window. Only, is it really her son's ghost, or is it something else - something evil?

Soon Chris is playing a dangerous game with forces beyond her control in a bid to see her son, Trey, alive once again."

Yeah, I have a feeling you can see the theme I'm going for here...

The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer
Published by: Atria/Emily Bestler Books/12:01 Books
Publication Date: April 21st, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Follow the Rites...

Nothing less than the survival of humanity is at stake.


From Marcus Kliewer, a new "titan of the macabre and unsettling" (Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author), comes a supernatural horror about a young woman who accepts a caretaking job from Craigslist, only to discover the position has consequences far greater - and more dangerous - than she ever could have imagined.

EXCITING OPPORTUNITY:
Caretaker urgently needed. Three days of work. Competitive pay. Serious applicants ONLY.

Macy Mullins can't say why the job posting grabbed her attention - it had the pull of a fisherman's lure, barbed hook and all - vaguely ominous. But after an endless string of failed job interviews, she's not exactly in the position to be picky. She has rent to pay, groceries to buy, and a younger sister to provide for.

Besides, it's only three days' work...

Three days, cooped up in a stranger's house, surrounded by Oregon Coast wilderness.

What starts as a peculiar side gig soon becomes a waking nightmare. An incomprehensible evil may dwell on this property - and Macy Mullins might just be the only thing standing between it, and the rest of humanity.

Follow the Rites...

Follow the Rites...

Follow the Rites...


..--- / ..... / ---.."

Wait, is Craigslist still a thing? Also, if you're getting paid to save the world, it's not all bad...

The Black Crow Book of Best New Horror Volume 1 edited by Matt Holland and Jamie-Lee Nardone
Published by: Black Crow Books
Publication Date: April 21st, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 200 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"13 original tales to terrify in a brand new anthology showcasing the very best and bizarre in horror fiction.

Featuring horror legends and worldwide bestsellers Olivie Blake, Ramsey Campbell, Lisa Tuttle, Tim Lebbon, V Castro, Ally Wilkes, Rian Hughes, Lindy Ryan, Susi Holliday, Lily Kade, T.L. Huchu, Adrian Tchaikovsky, and Clay McLeod Chapman.

Be careful what you wish for.

Whether searching for love, fame, money or revenge, remember that everything comes with a price. From stepping into an unknown in nature to ignoring the warnings of locals, to finding your perfect match or facing the hidden horrors of your past, beware.

The thirteen stories in this brand-new anthology explore the dark side of human nature and take us into the hidden, terrifying recesses of a world we never see. Until it's too late..."

Why is this cover so familiar to me!?!

The Voice Said Kill by Si Spurrier and Vanesa Del Rey
Published by: Image Comics
Publication Date: April 21st, 2026
Format: Paperback, 136 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Fargo meets Deliverance in this trippy fever-dream thriller, juxtaposing gorgeously pastel sunsets and vibrant hues of the wilderness with shadowy nightmares and dark deeds.

The wet heat of the Louisiana bayou.

Alligator poachers prowl the mudbug mire.

A park ranger, heavily pregnant, raises a hateful mug of moonshine with a criminal matriarch.

And one deadly sonuvabitch, out of his mind on shrooms and retribution, loads his rifle for the human hunt and screams down the stars.

From award-winning creators Si Spurrier (Coda, X-Men, Step by Bloody Step) and Vanesa Del Rey (Redlands, The Creeping Below) comes a fever-dream Cajun crime thriller about murder, madness and motherhood.

Collects all 4 issues."

I can not tell you much I dislike the art of Vanesa Del Ray. If her name is attached to a comic I will never buy it.

Liar's Creek by Matt Goldman
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: April 21st, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From New York Times bestselling author and Emmy Award-winner Matt Goldman comes Liar's Creek, which asks how far we'll go to protect the people we love.

Riverwood, Minnesota is a scenic town threaded with trout streams carving their way through limestone bluffs. But beneath its picturesque facade, danger runs rampant.

Clay Hawkins isn't a stranger to the secrets of his hometown. After twenty years away, Clay has recently returned home from abroad with his twelve-year-old son, and his relationship with his father, the recently replaced sheriff, is as strained as ever.

But when Clay's beloved uncle disappears, the three generations of Hawkinses must overturn every stone in Riverwood and confront deep familial wounds to find the one person who brings them together. As danger looms, Clay worries that it might be too late to save his uncle - and that the rest of the family might be next."

Best time to have your family at your back? When otherwise you'd die.

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth
Published by: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: April 21st, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From Sally Hepworth, the New York Times bestselling author of The Soulmate and The Good Sister, comes a twist-filled, darkly funny mystery about the two kinds of people no one ever expects to be murderers: little girls and old ladies.

Meet Mad Mabel.

Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is eighty-one years old. She's lived on her idyllic street, Kenny Lane, for sixty years - longer than anyone else. Aside from being a curmudgeon who minds everyone else's business, few would suspect that Elsie has a past that she has worked exceedingly hard at concealing. Because when it comes to murder, no one ever suspects little girls or old ladies. And Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick, once a little girl and now an old lady, has a strange history of people in her life coming to a foul end.

When a new little girl (talkative, curious, nosy) moves into the neighborhood and stops at nothing to befriend Elsie, her carefully-constructed life threatens to come crashing down as the secrets in Elsie's past start coming to light. Who was "Mad Mabel" fifty years ago? Who is Elsie Fitzpatrick today? And if the past has a habit of repeating itself, who has the most to lose?

Told with Sally Hepworth's twists, humor, charm, and heart, Mad Mabel is novel that weaves past and present together - through the power of justice and redemption, and all the way to its stunning conclusion."

Well, if a little girl were nosing around why not just teach her the subtle arts of murder? Win win.

A Cute Little Murder by Molly Harper
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: April 21st, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"She used to be the sidekick. Now she might be the only one who can survive.

As teens, Harlow Drake and Lainey Piper built an online fandom solving small-town crimes. Harlow was the star, Lainey the behind-the-scenes genius (and often, Harlow's scapegoat). Years later, Harlow's hosting a hit true crime tv show. Lainey? She's working in forensics. Well, forensic accounting...from home. In pajamas. With her cat.

But when Harlow faces significant backlash over fumbling a case, she needs a quick win - like a special investigation into the decades-old disappearance of a starlet from a once-glamorous, now decrepit island hotel. The catch? It's bankrolled by Deke and Bryce of DBag Games, who are looking to shed their "frat bro" reputations. As long-time fans, they have one requirement for their funding: Lainey has to play the sidekick again.

Lainey is wary, but the offer is a lifeline in a sea of unpaid student loans. After reaching the Crossings Hotel, she realizes she's not content to be Harlow's helper anymore. As the cold case heats up, a crew member falls over dead, presenting Harlow and Lainey with a more modern mystery: what secrets does this hotel hide within its walls?

With sabotage, hidden staircases, and a killer in their midst, Lainey steps into the spotlight and takes charge of the investigation. It's up to her to crack the case - as long as she can stay alive."

Hey, working from home with your cat is a valid career path.

Flirting with Murder by Amanda Sellet
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: April 21st, 2026
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Agathas meets Thursday Murder Club in Amanda Sellet's next YA novel, a cozy mystery with a splash of romance.

Some people visit Florida for theme parks and beaches. High school junior Virginia Tillis is there for murder. Accidents, electrocution, tainted hand lotion: every victim meets a different end at her grandmother Lainey's rococo pink condo. Such is life (and death) when you roll with a crew of theater retirees who roleplay murder mysteries from the comfort of their own home in a game they fondly call Killing Me Softly.

But this summer, fictional murder has given way to the very real death of the building's beloved owner and his dramatic last testament has the vultures circling, from estranged relatives to sleazy property developers, dead set on getting the most from his will.

Adding to the tension for Virginia is the appearance of Felix, the cute guy she met at the airport who turns out to be the grandson of one of the condo's residents. With his charm and musical theater chops, he's the person Virginia most wants to beat at Killing Me Softly. That is, until the day they discover an actual dead body while playing the game, forcing them to work together to figure out whodunit.

In this comedic mystery about finding the Watson to your Holmes, Virginia and Felix must banter their way from rivals to co-detectives in time to save their eccentric grandparents from a shocking disruption to the community they've always loved."

Seriously though, why isn't this book called Killing Me Softly!?! 

Piece by Piece by Erin Frankel and Stacy Innerst
Published by: Calkins Creek
Publication Date: April 21st, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 48 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Stephen Sondheim learns to assemble musicals like the pieces of a puzzle on his way to becoming an American theater icon.

An inspiring nonfiction picture book on the creative process that will spark an interest in music for kids ages 7–10.

Before he became a greatest lyricist and composer, Stephen Sondheim was a boy filled with curiosity - a boy who loved figuring out how things worked. After his parents' divorce scattered the pieces of his life, he found comfort in music.

Guided by his mentor, Oscar Hammerstein II, Stephen learned that the best way to get better was to practice: choosing notes, choosing words, and putting it all together, piece by piece. Writing musicals wasn't easy, and not everyone loved Stephen's new and unusual shows. But Stephen loved figuring it out, and loved the way the people in every show became like a family.

Author Erin Frankel's prose and illustrator Stacy Innerst's art combine in beautiful harmony. Together, they bring to life Stephen Sondheim as he solves musical puzzles, writing hit shows like West Side Story, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, and many more!"

Wait this actually is for kids!?! When I read it I couldn't picture anyone who'd by it. Now I'm doubly sure no one will buy it if it's aimed at kids. It's too niche.

Margery and Me by Maryka Biaggio
Published by: Regal House Publishing
Publication Date: April 21st, 2026
Format: Paperback, 292 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the 1920s, Margery Crandon captivated both Boston society and psychic researchers with her astonishing seances.

At her gatherings, her deceased brother Walter regularly appeared, entertaining the circle with his witty and cheeky remarks.

Margery's abilities earned her the admiration of luminaries, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and William Butler Yeats.

But one man stood in opposition: Harry Houdini, the legendary magician, who was determined to expose her as a fraud.

Margery and Me tells the true story of the medium who mystified scientists, challenged skeptics, and sparked a sensation across America and Europe.

As Houdini and Margery clashed in a battle of wits and wills, the question remained: Could the master illusionist unmask her, or would her extraordinary powers be enough to convert even the most resolute of doubters?"

Always here for anything about mediums. Extra here because of Houdini.

Monday, September 4, 2023

Tuesday Tomorrow

Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose by Nancy Springer
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In May of 1890, Enola Holmes is finally fully on her own and, no longer hiding from her older brothers Sherlock and Mycroft, attending classes and occasionally pursuing her chosen profession as a scientific perditorian, a finder of lost things and people.

Wolcott Balestier, the representative of an American book publisher, arrived in London on a singular mission - to contract with English authors for their latest works. When Balestier disappears on the streets of London one day, his great friend - Rudyard Kipling - bursts into Enola's office looking for help in finding him. Brash and unwilling to hire a young woman, instead he turns to Sherlock Holmes. Convinced that evil has befallen Balestier, at the hands of rival American publishers who pirate the works of English authors, he sets the elder Holmes on the trail.

But Enola is not one to accept defeat, especially not to her brother, and sets off on her own - determined to learn the truth behind the disappearance of the young American. Can book publishing truly be so ruthless and deadly or can the missing man be rescued from his apparent fate and returned to his friends and loved ones?

The redoubtable Enola is determined to do just that, even if it means working with her brother Sherlock!"

I am an Enola Holmes devotee. What's more, the lawlessness of the early book publishing in the United States fascinates me!

The Dread Penny Society by Sarah M. Eden
Published by: Shadow Mountain
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"This beautiful, cloth-covered hardcover collector's anthology compiles all the penny dreadful short stories from Sarah M. Eden's five-book Victorian romance series. Included in this edition are three new, never-before-released stories.

Each short story is written in the style of the Victorian fiction that became so popular during that time period. From ghost stories to adventures to mysteries, Sarah weaves these gothic tales among her romantic storylines, making it the perfect way to celebrate the Dread Penny Society series (The Lady and the Highwayman, The Gentleman and the Thief, The Merchant and the Rogue, The Bachelor and the Bride, and The Queen and the Knave)."

Oh, cloth-covered collector's edition? Yes please!

The Spy's Daughter by Bianca M. Schwarz
Published by: Central Avenue Publishing
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The fourth and final book in the darkly romantic Gentleman Spy Mysteries.

Emily March, the illegitimate daughter of Sir Henry March, has all she needs: bountiful wealth, ample beauty, and abundant talent. But will this be enough to secure the one thing she truly wants: a loving marriage and her own family? However, it's not her illegitimacy that stands in her way, but a mystery her father - an agent of the crown - has never been able to solve.

Max Warthon has twice rescued Emily from the machinations of his sinister grandfather, the Earl of Warthon, enemy of Sir Henry. Max knows that getting too close to his daughter will lead to certain peril, but he cannot resist her. Played out in front of London's high society, their whirlwind romance attracts everyone's attention - and raises the ire of the Earl.

With old secrets standing in their way, will Emily and Max be able to unravel the mystery of an ancient hatred and unmask the true enemy? Their happiness and their lives depend on it."

Bring on the curtain call and the HEA!

The Witching Tide by Margaret Meyer
Published by: Scribner Book Company
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For readers of Margaret Atwood and Hilary Mantel, an immersive literary debut inspired by historical events - a deadly witch hunt in 17th-century England - that claimed many innocent lives.

East Anglia, 1645. Martha Hallybread, a midwife, healer, and servant, has lived peacefully for more than four decades in her beloved seaside village of Cleftwater. Having lost her voice as a child, Martha has not spoken a word in years.

One autumn morning, a sinister newcomer appears in town. The witchfinder, Silas Makepeace, has been blazing a trail of destruction along the coast, and now has Cleftwater in his sights. His arrival strikes fear into the heart of the community. Within a day, local women are being captured and detained, and Martha finds herself a silent witness to the hunt.

Powerless to protest, Martha is enlisted to search the accused women for "devil's marks." She is caught between suspicion and betrayal; between shielding herself or condemning the women of the village. In desperation, she revives a wax witching doll that belonged to her mother, in the hope that it will bring protection. But the doll's true powers are unknowable, Martha harbors a terrible secret, and the gallows are looming...

Set over the course of just a few weeks that will forever change history, The Witching Tide delivers powerful and psychologically astute insights about the exigencies of friendship and the nature of loyalty, and heralds the arrival of a striking new voice in fiction."

There are a few books I stumble on that I mark instantly as "must get" and this is one of them ever since Waterstones featured it in a recent email.

The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 528 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An orphaned fortune teller in 18th-century England searches for answers about her long-dead mother and uncovers shocking secrets in this immersive and atmospheric saga perfect for fans of Sarah Waters and Sarah Perry.

Cornwall, 1730: A young girl known only as Red travels with her father making a living predicting fortunes using the ancient Cornish method of the Square of Sevens. Shortly before he dies, her father entrusts Red's care to a gentleman scholar, along with a document containing the secret of the Square of Sevens technique.

Raised as a lady amidst the Georgian splendor of Bath, Red's fortune-telling delights in high society. But she cannot ignore the questions that gnaw at her soul: who was her mother? How did she die? And who are the mysterious enemies her father was always terrified would find him?

The pursuit of these mysteries takes her from Cornwall and Bath to London and Devon, from the rough ribaldry of the Bartholomew Fair to the grand houses of two of the most powerful families in England. And while Red's quest brings her the possibility of great reward, it also leads to grave danger.

Laura Shepherd-Robinson, "the queen of modern Georgian literature" (Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of Pandora), has written a dazzling and Dickensian story of mystery and intrigue, with audacious twists and turns."

Oh my, a fortune teller with comparisons to Sarah Waters and Sarah Perry, the two best English Sarahs!?!

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
Published by: Peachtree Teen
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"New York Times bestselling author Andrew Joseph White returns with the transgressive Gothic horror of our time!

Mors vincit omnia. Death conquers all.

London, 1883. The Veil between the living and dead has thinned. Violet-eyed mediums commune with spirits under the watchful eye of the Royal Speaker Society, and sixteen-year-old Silas Bell would rather rip out his violet eyes than become an obedient Speaker wife. According to Mother, he'll be married by the end of the year. It doesn't matter that he's needed a decade of tutors to hide his autism; that he practices surgery on slaughtered pigs; that he is a boy, not the girl the world insists on seeing.

After a failed attempt to escape an arranged marriage, Silas is diagnosed with Veil sickness - a mysterious disease sending violet-eyed women into madness - and shipped away to Braxton's Finishing School and Sanitorium. The facility is cold, the instructors merciless, and the students either bloom into eligible wives or disappear. When the ghosts of missing students start begging Silas for help, he decides to reach into Braxton's innards and expose its guts to the world - if the school doesn't break him first.

Featuring an autistic trans protagonist in a historical setting, Andrew Joseph White's much-anticipated sophomore novel does not back down from exposing the violence of the patriarchy and the harm inflicted on trans youth who are forced into conformity."

Gothic in so many ways.

The Mossheart's Promise by Rebecca Mix
Published by: Balzer and Bray/Harperteen
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From New York Times bestselling YA author Rebecca Mix comes the first book in a breathtaking middle grade fantasy duology about a young fairy who has always lived in her heroic grandmother's shadow, but now must step up and embark on a quest to save her mother from the ever-creeping mold overtaking their world. Perfect for readers who loved Brandon Mull's Fablehaven, The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau, and Endling: The Last by Katherine Applegate.

The mold takes all.

Twelve-year-old fairy Canary Mossheart knows this better than most. A few years ago, the mold took her papa, and even her famous, former-chosen-one Gran never found a cure. So when Ary's beloved mama falls ill, Ary decides it's taken enough. Armed with only a bucket and a prayer, she sneaks out to find a magical, underground lake whose healing waters are straight out of Gran's adventures.

But when Ary gets there, the lake's bone dry, and instead of healing waters, she finds a terrifying secret: Her entire world is actually trapped inside a giant terrarium - one they were meant to leave centuries ago. Worse, Gran knew and hid the truth, dooming Ary and her generation to a dying, rotting world.

Now, allied with only her doomsday-obsessed frenemy, a timid pill bug, and a particularly grumpy newt, Ary has one week to unravel the clues and find a way out of the terrarium - or they'll be trapped for good."

Yeah, being trapped in a terrarium, especially one that I'm in charge of, would be a very very bad thing.

Sleep No More by Seanan McGuire
Published by: Daw Books
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The 17th novel of the Hugo-nominated, New York Times bestselling October Daye urban fantasy series.

October is very happy with her life as the second daughter of her pureblood parents, Amandine and Simon Torquill. Born to be the changeling handmaid to her beloved sister August, she spends her days working in her family's tower, serving as August's companion, and waiting for the day when her sister sets up a household of her own. Everything is right in October's Faerie. Everything is perfect.

Everything is a lie.

October has been pulled from her own reality and thrown into a twisted reinterpretation of Faerie where nothing is as it should be and everything has been distorted to support Titania's ideals. Bound by the Summer Queen's magic and thrust into a world turned upside down, October has no way of knowing who she can trust, where she can turn, or even who she really is. As strangers who claim to know her begin to appear and the edges of Titania's paradise begin to unravel, Toby will have to decide whether she can risk everything she knows based on only their stories of another world.

But first she'll have to survive this one, as Titania demonstrates why she needed to be banished in the first place - and this time, much more than Toby's own life is at stake."

And you only have a month to wait until volume 18!

All the Dead Shall Weep by Charlaine Harris
Published by: Gallery / Saga Press
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"#1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author returns with the fifth installment in the bestselling Gunnie Rose series as sisters Lizbeth Rose and Felicia as well as brother Eli and Peter, are reunited in Texoma only to break apart before the Wizard's Ball held in San Diego, which will determine all their fates.

Following the murderous events of the "gripping...thrill-ride" (Karin Slaughter) Serpent of Heaven, Lizbeth Rose is awaiting the arrival of her sister Felicia and her husband's younger brother Eli in Texoma. Both needed to leave the seat of the Holy Russian Empire in San Diego after Felicia's burgeoning wizardly power in death magic became the reason for kidnapping and assassination attempts from her mother's family of high-powered wizards in Mexico.

Yet bad news has traveled ahead of them, as Eli is called back to San Diego, taking Peter along with him, splitting them apart in more ways than one as their enemies' plans for revenge come to fruition. In this fifth installment in the beloved and bestselling Gunnie Rose series, #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Charlaine Harris has crafted a family drama of murderous and magical thrills."

Charlaine Harris writes it, I will read it and love it.

Midnight at the Houdini by Delilah S. Dawson
Published by: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 368Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A girl discovers a surreal hotel where no one ever leaves. When the clock strikes midnight, she'll be trapped there forever unless she's able to break free from magic that in turn breaks all her rules. Perfect for fans of Caraval and The Starless Sea!

Life has gone according to plan for Anna - she stays in the background, letting her sister, Emily, shine in the spotlight. But on Emily's wedding night, Anna learns that her sister is moving away, abandoning her - and all their shared dreams. Devastated, Anna leaves the reception in the middle of a raging storm, taking shelter in a hotel she's never seen before: the Houdini.

The Houdini is a hotel unlike any other, with sumptuous velvet couches, marble tiled floors, secret restaurants, winding passageways, and an undercurrent of magic in the air. And when Anna meets Max, who has lived his entire life inside its walls, she's captivated. For the first time in her life, Anna is center stage, in a place that anticipates her every desire, with a boy who only has eyes for her.

But there's a terrifying secret hidden in the Houdini. When the clock strikes midnight, Anna will be trapped there forever unless she can find a way to break free from its dreamlike magic. But will she be able to do it if it means leaving Max behind?

Enchanting, mysterious, and utterly fantastic, Midnight at the Houdini will cast its spell on you."

And would you really want to leave a magic hotel?

The Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore
Published by: Harperteen
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Funny, moving, and heart-achingly real, this romantic romp and paranormal romcom debut - through a haunted library with trapdoors, ghosts, and memories - is full of great love that triumphs over even death, perfect for fans of Ninth House and Cemetery Boys.

Radcliffe Prep. The third most haunted school in the country, where a student disappearance isn't uncommon and no one dares stay in the library after dark. And Este Logano enrolls with the hopes of finding her dead father.

Not literally, of course. She doesn't believe in ghosts. Going to her dad's school just seems like her best hope at figuring out who he was.

But then Este meets Mateo, who is maybe - probably - definitely - a real ghost. And an annoying one at that.

When Mateo frames Este for the theft of a rare book from the library's secret spire and then vanishes, Este will have to track him down or risk being expelled and leaving Radcliffe early just like her father did.

Except following her father's footsteps might be more dangerous than Este ever anticipated. As she investigates the library with its secret passageways, hidden tunnels, and haunted halls, she learns that the student disappearances aren't just myth. And if she isn't careful, she'll be next."

Dark academia here I come! Bring on the library and ghosts!

Holly by Stephen King
Published by: Scribner Book Company
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Holly Gibney, one of Stephen King's most compelling and ingeniously resourceful characters, returns in this thrilling novel to solve the gruesome truth behind multiple disappearances in a Midwestern town.

Stephen King's Holly marks the triumphant return of beloved King character Holly Gibney. Readers have witnessed Holly's gradual transformation from a shy (but also brave and ethical) recluse in Mr. Mercedes to Bill Hodges's partner in Finders Keepers to a full-fledged, smart, and occasionally tough private detective in The Outsider. In King's new novel, Holly is on her own, and up against a pair of unimaginably depraved and brilliantly disguised adversaries.

When Penny Dahl calls the Finders Keepers detective agency hoping for help locating her missing daughter, Holly is reluctant to accept the case. Her partner, Pete, has Covid. Her (very complicated) mother has just died. And Holly is meant to be on leave. But something in Penny Dahl's desperate voice makes it impossible for Holly to turn her down.

Mere blocks from where Bonnie Dahl disappeared live Professors Rodney and Emily Harris. They are the picture of bourgeois respectability: married octogenarians, devoted to each other, and semi-retired lifelong academics. But they are harboring an unholy secret in the basement of their well-kept, book-lined home, one that may be related to Bonnie's disappearance. And it will prove nearly impossible to discover what they are up to: they are savvy, they are patient, and they are ruthless.

Holly must summon all her formidable talents to outthink and outmaneuver the shockingly twisted professors in this chilling new masterwork from Stephen King."

Aren't all professors shockingly twisted?

The September House by Carissa Orlando
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A woman is determined to stay in her dream home even after it becomes a haunted nightmare in this compulsively readable, twisty, and layered debut novel.

When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street - for sale at a surprisingly reasonable price - they couldn't believe they finally had a home of their own. Then they discovered the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former inhabitants appear, and all of them are terrified of something that lurks in the basement. Most people would flee.

Margaret is not most people.

Margaret is staying. It's her house. But after four years Hal can't take it anymore, and he leaves abruptly. Now, he's not returning calls, and their daughter Katherine - who knows nothing about the hauntings - arrives, intent on looking for her missing father. To make things worse, September has just begun, and with every attempt Margaret and Katherine make at finding Hal, the hauntings grow more harrowing, because there are some secrets the house needs to keep."

Why don't they got to an Airbnb for September?

There's No Way I'd Die First by Lisa Springer
Published by: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A spine-tingling contemporary horror novel that follows a scary-movie buff as she hosts an elaborate Halloween bash but soon finds the festivities upended when she and her guests are forced to test their survival skills in a deadly game, from debut author Lisa Springer.

Seventeen-year-old Noelle Layne knows horror. Every trope, every warning sign, every survival tactic. She even leads a successful movie club dedicated to the genre. Who better to throw the ultimate, most exclusive Halloween party on all of Long Island?

With some of the top influencers in her school on the guest list, including gorgeous singer-songwriter Archer Mitchell, her popularity is bound to spike. She could really use the social boost for an upcoming brand expansion. Nothing is going to ruin this party.

Except...maybe the low budget It clown she hired for a stirring round of tag. He axes one of her classmates. From the looks of his devilish grin and bag full of killer tricks, he's just getting started. A murderous clown is out for blood, but Noelle has been waiting her entire life to prove that she's a Final Girl."

Just saying, if Randy Meeks couldn't make it...

The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Ann Cleeves - New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows - returns with The Raging Storm, the extraordinary third installment in the Matthew Venn series.

Fierce winds, dark secrets, deadly intentions.

When Jem Rosco - sailor, adventurer, and legend - blows into town in the middle of an autumn gale, the residents of Greystone, Devon, are delighted to have a celebrity in their midst. But just as abruptly as he arrived, Rosco disappears again, and soon his lifeless body is discovered in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove, a place with legends of its own.

This is an uncomfortable case for Detective Inspector Matthew Venn. Greystone is a place he visited as a child, a community he parted ways with. Superstition and rumor mix with fact as another body is found, and Venn finds his judgment clouded.

As the winds howl, and Venn and his team investigate, he realizes that no one, including himself, is safe from Scully Cove's storm of dark secrets."

I stan Ann Cleeves!

Grave Expectations by Alice Bell
Published by: Vintage
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A fast-paced and hilarious debut crime novel, in which a burnt-out Millennial medium must utilize her ability to see ghosts and team-up with a band of oddball investigators to figure out which member(s) of a posh English family are guilty of murder.

Almost-authentic medium Claire and her best friend, Sophie, agree to take on a seemingly simple job at a crumbling old manor in the English countryside: performing a seance for the family matriarch's 80th birthday. The pair have been friends since before Sophie went missing when they were seventeen. Everyone else is convinced Sophie simply ran away, but Claire knows the truth. Claire knows Sophie was murdered because Sophie has been haunting her ever since.

Despite this traumatic past, Claire and Sophie are still unprepared for what they encounter when they arrive at the manor: a ghost, tragic and unrecognizable, and clearly the spirit of someone killed in a rage at the previous year's party. Given her obsession with crime shows - not to mention Sophie's ability to walk through walls - Claire decides they're the best people to solve the case. And with the help of the only obviously not-guilty members of their host family - sexy ex-policeman Sebastian and far-too-cool non-binary teen Alex - they launch an investigation into which of last year's guests never escaped the manor's grounds.

What follows is somewhat irregular detective work involving stealing a priest's cassock, getting too drunk to remember to question your suspect, and of course, Chekhov's sparkly purple dildo. As Claire desperately tries to keep a lid on the shameful secret that would definitely alienate her new friends, the gang must race against their own incompetence to find the murderer before the murderer finds them."

I'm all here for unconventional mysteries and crime solvers.

Scenes of the Crime by Jilly Gagnon
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An ambitious screenwriter tries to solve her friend's disappearance by re-creating their fateful final girls' trip in this riveting locked-room mystery from the author of All Dressed Up.

It should have been the perfect spring break: Five girlfriends. A remote winery on the Oregon coast. An infinite supply of delicious wine at their manicured fingertips. But then their center - beautiful, magnetic Vanessa Morales - vanished without a trace.

Emily Fischer was perhaps the last person to see her alive. But now, years later, Emily spots Vanessa's doppelganger at a local café. At the end of her rope working a lucrative yet mind-numbing gig on a network sitcom, Emily is inspired to finally tell the story that's been percolating inside her for so long: Vanessa's story. But first, she needs to know what really happened on that fateful night. So she puts a brilliant scheme into motion.

She gets the girls together for a reunion weekend at the scene of the crime under the guise of reconnecting. There's Brittany, Vanessa's cousin and the inheritor of the winery; Paige, a former athlete, bullish yet easily manipulated; and Lydia, the wallflower of the group.

One of them knows the truth. But what have they each been hiding? And how much can Emily trust anything she learns from them...or even her own memories of Vanessa's last days? Suspenseful, propulsive, and interspersed with scenes from Emily's blockbuster screenplay, Scenes of the Crime is an unforgettable mystery that examines culpability, the shiny rearview mirror of Hollywood storytelling, and the pitfalls of female friendship."

I mean, the only reason you'd go on this trip is if you're the killer and want to silence everyone right?

Murder Off Stage by Mary Miley
Published by: Severn House
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Welcome to Broadway - and to an unthinkable crime! Former theater starlet turned amateur sleuth Jessie Beckett gets mixed up in murder when an on-stage shooting turns all too real.

New York, 1926. It's not like Jessie Beckett goes around looking for murders to solve, but the vaudeville star turned movie script girl has a natural talent for it. After a lifetime on stage, she's sensitive to details that other people miss.

So when leading theatre star Allen Crenshaw is shot live on stage during a performance of hit Broadway show Rules of Engagement - a horrified Jessie watching from the second row - she knows she has to act fast before Allen's co-star, the beautiful Norah Rose, goes down for murder. After all, it was Norah who fired the fateful bullet...even if the shooting was all part of the show.

Jessie investigates those closest to Allen - the presence of her theater companion, the superstar Adele Astaire, opening doors wherever they go - and finds only enemies. With the suspects for the disliked actor so numerous, can she uncover the truth in time to save Norah - or will the killer silence her too?

Packed with real-life stars of the stage and screen, this page-turning romp through the boards and backstreets of Broadway is a perfect pick for readers who enjoy Jazz Age mysteries with intrepid female sleuths."

With this cast of characters and that cover there's no way I'm not picking up this book.

From Dust to Stardust by Kathleen Rooney
Published by: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 285 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the bestselling author of Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk comes a novel about Hollywood, the cost of stardom, and selfless second acts, inspired by an extraordinary true story.

Chicago, 1916. Doreen O'Dare is fourteen years old when she hops a Hollywood-bound train with her beloved Irish grandmother. Within a decade, her trademark bob and insouciant charm make her the preeminent movie flapper of the Jazz Age. But her success story masks one of relentless ambition, tragedy, and the secrets of a dangerous marriage.

Her professional life in flux, Doreen trades one dream for another. She pours her wealth and creative energy into a singular achievement: the construction of a one-ton miniature Fairy Castle, the likes of which the world has never seen. So begins Doreen's public tour to lift the nation's spirits during the Great Depression - and a personal journey worth remembering.

A sweeping journey from the dawn of the motion picture era through turbulent twentieth-century America, From Dust to Stardust is a breathtaking novel about one determined woman navigating change, challenging the price of fame, and sharing the gift of real magic."

I was an still am obsessed with her Fairy Castle!

Witches Get Stuff Done by Molly Harper
Published by: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Juggling newfound witchy powers, a house full of ghosts, and verbal battles with the handsome local librarian is almost too much for a new witch to manage. A new witch with a coven, however, can get so much more done...

From the moment Riley Everett set foot in Starfall Point, magic bubbled inside of her. But with only her late aunt's journals and a cantankerous live-in ghost butler to instruct her on all things witchy - including her newly inherited Victorian haunted house - Riley seeks out a coven for sisterhood and support. The last person she expects to be drawn to is the town's frustrating, yet ridiculously attractive head librarian.

Edison Held knows almost everything there is to know about Starfall Point, but Shaddow House was always off-limits, thanks to its elusive owner. If he can convince the new owner, Riley, to let him take a peek inside, there's so much he could learn. But as he gets closer to Riley, he's fascinated by her dazzling wit and fiery spirit. Edison will do whatever he can to help Riley keep her family legacy alive, especially if it means spending more time with the captivating new witch in town.

Bestselling author Molly Harper wields a magical pen in this hilarious, delightful witchy romcom perfect for readers of The Ex Hex and Payback's a Witch."

It's September, which means it's "officially" fall, which means you now need to read only books with witches, AKA read this book.

The Art of Desire by Stacey Abrams
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Trouble comes in threes...

One doomed love affair after another has made lovely Alex Walton swear off men. Now, she's determined to try something that maybe she can succeed at: a writing career. Little does she know that a chance meeting with a strikingly handsome stranger, a mysterious obelisk, and a lost kingdom will change her life forever. As Alex is about to discover, truth can be stranger - and far more dangerous - than fiction.

...but true love comes only once.

After three years inside a terrorist organization, Phillip Turman is trying to rebuild his life. His first assignment is to pick up Alex Walton, the maid of honor for his best friend's wedding, at the airport. His second is to deal with his instant attraction to her. But his third may be the toughest: to keep Alex out of danger as his past - and her need to know about it - threaten to destroy their future."

I love Stacey Abrams and I am bemused by the obelisk way more than I should be. I mean, it's a romance book after all!

The Secret History of Christmas Baking by Linda Raedisch
Published by: Llewellyn Publications
Publication Date: September 5th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Explore the Surprising and Sometimes Dark Origins of Beloved Holiday Bakes.

Spice up your season by rolling, molding, and kneading your way through some of the world's most iconic Christmas recipes. Interspersed with tales of sailors, saints, tomb raiders, and artisans, The Secret History of Christmas Baking proves that even the humblest holiday treat has a global backstory.

Did you know that the ancient Egyptians had their own version of gingerbread or that marzipan was once considered a pharmaceutical? Linda Raedisch dispels some long-standing culinary myths and delves into the darker chapters of the West's centuries-long romance with sugar and spices. In addition to more than forty recipes for modern bakers, you'll find illustrated instructions for dressing up your cakes and cookie plates with paper stars, angels, and witches. From Linzer tartlets to Christstollen, you can turn your kitchen into an Old World Christmas market stall."

I mean, I'm here for everything about this book, but Linzer tartlets!?! Oh yeah.

Monday, July 22, 2019

Tuesday Tomorrow

Thrawn: Treason by Timothy Zahn
Published by: Del Rey
Publication Date: July 23rd, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Grand Admiral Thrawn faces the ultimate test of his loyalty to the Empire in this epic Star Wars novel from bestselling author Timothy Zahn.

“If I were to serve the Empire, you would command my allegiance.”

Such was the promise Grand Admiral Thrawn made to Emperor Palpatine at their first meeting. Since then, Thrawn has been one of the Empire’s most effective instruments, pursuing its enemies to the very edges of the known galaxy. But as keen a weapon as Thrawn has become, the Emperor dreams of something far more destructive.

Now, as Thrawn’s TIE defender program is halted in favor of Director Krennic’s secret Death Star project, he realizes that the balance of power in the Empire is measured by more than just military acumen or tactical efficiency. Even the greatest intellect can hardly compete with the power to annihilate entire planets.

As Thrawn works to secure his place in the Imperial hierarchy, his former protégé Eli Vanto returns with a dire warning about Thrawn’s homeworld. Thrawn’s mastery of strategy must guide him through an impossible choice: duty to the Chiss Ascendancy, or fealty to the Empire he has sworn to serve. Even if the right choice means committing treason."

Timothy Zahn, you and Thrawn are why I'm a reader. Thank you from little budding bookworm Elizabeth circa 1991. 

The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H.G. Parry
Published by: Redhook
Publication Date: July 23rd, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The ultimate book-lover's fantasy, featuring a young scholar with the power to bring literary characters into the world, for fans of The Magicians, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, and The Invisible Library.

For his entire life, Charley Sutherland has concealed a magical ability he can't quite control: he can bring characters from books into the real world. His older brother, Rob - a young lawyer with a normal house, a normal fiancee, and an utterly normal life - hopes that this strange family secret will disappear with disuse, and he will be discharged from his life's duty of protecting Charley and the real world from each other. But then, literary characters start causing trouble in their city, making threats about destroying the world...and for once, it isn't Charley's doing.

There's someone else who shares his powers. It's up to Charley and a reluctant Rob to stop them, before these characters tear apart the fabric of reality."

And also throw in a strong dash of Jasper Fforde. 

Fledgling by Molly Harper
Published by: NYLA
Publication Date: July 23rd, 2019
Format: Kindle, 267 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Days away from completing her first year at Miss Castwell’s Institute for the Magical Instruction of Young Ladies, Changeling-born Sarah Smith might just get away with posing as an upper-class Guardian girl named Cassandra Reed.

But strange visions of a Lightbourne destroyed by Miss Morton’s revenant army keep Sarah from enjoying her achievement. Plus, the Mother Book, Sarah’s one secret advantage and the ultimate entrée in Guardian society, suddenly stops revealing itself to her...putting her in a precarious position with the Guild. On top of all that, her former lady’s maid left Miss Castwell’s, and the new hire is, well, taking some getting used to.

If it weren’t for her two best friends, Alicia McCray and Ivy Cowel, who will do anything to protect her secret, Sarah doesn’t know if she’ll make it another year. When the three girls take summer holiday with Alicia’s family (chaperoned by an exacting and very disapproving Mrs. McCray), a relaxing vacation in Scotland is the last thing they’ll find.

Mrs. Winter is thrilled that Sarah is spending time with the influential McCray family, but Sarah can’t help but feel that her real purpose is to find other Changeling children like her, and free them to realize their own magic. Can she find genuine satisfaction in her accomplishments when she knows there are others like her out there who need her help? Will the three girls uncover the deeply-held secrets they’re looking for in the mysterious mountains of Scotland? Will the Mother Book finally start talking to her again? And will Sarah come to understand the importance of her connection with Ivy and Alicia, and the true nature of her own power...before it’s too late?"

More magical schools is what makes me happy! 

The Marriage Clock by Zara Raheem
Published by: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication Date: July 23rd, 2019
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"To Leila Abid’s traditional Indian parents, finding a husband is as easy as match, meet, marry. Yes, she wants to marry, but after 26 years of singledom, even Leila is starting to get nervous. And to make matters worse, her parents are panicking, the neighbors are talking, and she’s wondering, are her expectations just too high?

But for Leila, a marriage of arrangement clashes with her lifelong dreams of a Bollywood romance, where real love happens before marriage, not the other way around. So she decides it’s time to stop dreaming and start dating.

It’s an impossible mission of satisfying her parents’ expectations, while also fulfilling her own western ideals of love. But after a series of speed dates, blind dates, online dates and even ambush dates, the sparks just don’t fly! Now, with the marriage clock ticking, and her 3-month deadline looming in the horizon, Leila must face the consequences of what might happen if she doesn’t find "the one…""

The perfect beech read for this summer.

Monday, August 20, 2018

Tuesday Tomorrow

Cemetery Girl Book Three: Haunted by Charlaine Harris and Christopher Golden
Published by: Dynamite Entertainment
Publication Date: August 21st, 2018
Format: Hardcover, 120 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"They call her the Ghost of Dunhill Cemetery, but most people think “the Cemetery Girl” is just a story. In some ways, that’s true. Her chosen name is Calexa Rose Dunhill, but she doesn’t know her real name. When she first arrived here, all she knew was that someone had tried to murder her, dumped her body, and left her for dead. Calexa has been hiding out, afraid to seek out her true identity in fear that her would-be murderer would find her and finish the job. And someone is searching for her…a man named Salazar, who holds the key that will unlock the secrets of Calexa’s past.

Calexa has new secrets as well―including the fact that she was murdered…she did die, if only for a moment. And in that moment, something changed inside her. Now, if someone dies near her, their spirit is drawn to Calexa, drawn into her. It has happened twice before, but now―as her worst fears come true and there are killers on her trail―the third ghost to take up residence in Calexa’s soul will change everything, and bring the Cemetery Girl trilogy to its shocking conclusion!"

It's finally here! After years of delay, the loss of their artist, we are finally getting the conclusion to this great graphic novel series from two of my favorite authors!

Giant Days by Non Pratt
Published by: Amulet Books
Publication Date: August 21st, 2018
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Based on the hit graphic-novel series from BOOM! Studios, the publisher behind Lumberjanes, Giant Days follows the hilarious and heartfelt misadventures of three university first-years: Daisy, the innocent home-schooled girl; Susan, the sardonic wit; and Esther, the vivacious drama queen. While the girls seem very different, they become fast friends during their first week of university. And it’s a good thing they do, because in the giant adventure that is college, a friend who has your back is key—something Daisy discovers when she gets a little too involved in her extracurricular club, the Yogic Brethren of Zoise. When she starts acting strange and life around campus gets even stranger (missing students, secret handshakes, monogrammed robes everywhere . . .), Esther and Susan decide it’s up to them to investigate the weirdness and save their friend."

It took me awhile to warm up to the graphic novel series, but now I'm a huge Giant Days fan, so I'm very curious for it's transition away from the medium... but mainly the cover just freaks me out because Susan looks like a deformed Gru from Despicable Me... 

The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: August 21st, 2018
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Mary Robinette Kowal continues the grand sweep of alternate history begun in The Calculating Stars, The Fated Sky looks forward to 1961, when mankind is well-established on the moon and looking forward to its next step: journeying to, and eventually colonizing, Mars.

Of course the noted Lady Astronaut Elma York would like to go, but there’s a lot riding on whoever the International Aerospace Coalition decides to send on this historic―but potentially very dangerous―mission? Could Elma really leave behind her husband and the chance to start a family to spend several years traveling to Mars? And with the Civil Rights movement taking hold all over Earth, will the astronaut pool ever be allowed to catch up, and will these brave men and women of all races be treated equitably when they get there? This gripping look at the real conflicts behind a fantastical space race will put a new spin on our visions of what might have been."

And here's the sequel to The Calculating Stars, just a month after that book's release... still feels like Tor is burning off it's contract with Mary Robinette Kowal... 

Changeling by Molly Harper
Published by: NYLA
Publication Date: August 21st, 2018
Format: Kindle, 271 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"If 14-year-old Cassandra Reed makes it through her first day at Miss Castwell’s Institute for the Magical Instruction of Young Ladies without anyone discovering her secret, maybe, just maybe, she’ll let herself believe that she really does belong at Miss Castwell’s.

Except Cassandra Reed’s real name is Sarah Smith and up until now, she lived her whole life in the Warren, serving a magical family, the Winters, as all non-magical “Snipes” are bound by magical Guardian law to do. That is, until one day, Sarah accidentally levitates Mrs. Winter’s favorite vase in the parlor...

But Snipes aren’t supposed to have magical powers…and the existence of a magical Snipe threatens the world order dictated during the Guardians’ Restoration years ago. If she wants to keep her family safe and protect her own skin, Sarah must figure out how to fit into posh Guardian society, master her newfound magical powers and discover the truth about how an ordinary girl can become magical."

A new magical series called Sorcery and Society? YAS!!! 

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