Cover Runway Sunday

     

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes, the cover initially catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday, I'll post some of my favorite book covers. Coming soon!

Demons clash with inheritance claims as secrets unfold and violence is unleashed over twelve harrowing hours trapped in a house with the worst thing family.

When Papi Ramon, the patriarch of the wealthy Abreu family dies, he gives the family one last message in the “One of you is el bacà, the demon that I made a deal with. Get rid of them or you will be damned.” Xiomara, the uncontested favorite of Papi Ramon (and therefore the least liked in the family), watches as everyone dismisses this as the joke of a senile old man and demands the lawyer obtain the previous will Papi wrote.

While the lawyer drives back to his office, a storm breaks out, forcing the entire family—Xiomara’s aunts and uncles and cousins—to remain in the house. And the words of Papi’s will hangs over their heads even heavier than the rain clouds. Over the course of the night, scandal after scandal is revealed to the public about the family. Suddenly a tense few hours of surviving her family turns into a vicious night of recrimination, violence, accusations…and murder.

Xiomara is faced with an impossible uproot a demon and somehow kill it or excise the ghosts that linger within her own family.

And the clock is ticking...

HAPPY READING!!

Vacation Mode

I am officially in Thanksgiving mode until Sunday! I've escaped to my parents' farm to spoil my niece rotten and catch up with family. Might even do some cooking if my dad surrenders his kitchen. I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend with good food and all their favorite pies. Because we all know the sides and pies are the best part of the weekend. Right? RIGHT?! Hopefully, everyone finds some time to read their current books! 

HAPPY TURKEY DAY

&

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

     

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes, the cover initially catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday, I'll post some of my favorite book covers. Coming soon!

When former serial killer Carol takes her place in a luxury retirement home, she begins to find her feet with a small new group of friends. If she can only keep her past hidden, maybe she has a chance at happiness.

That's when she discovers that, absurdly, every other one of Sheldon Oaks residents was involved in the law somehow. It's not long before her true identity is leaked, and when a former police commissioner resident is murdered, naturally all eyes turn to her...

Now she must solve the case to prove her innocence—just as her new friends start their own investigations into whether there is more than one killer at Sheldon Oaks.

HAPPY READING!!

Mini Reviews

This was my second round with this story, and I forgot more than I remembered with this story. At least until about two-thirds of the way through the audio. Then it all came flooding back to me, and I spent the rest of the book stressed. Hoping I was wrong. I wasn't, which sucked. However, I love the cast they picked for this; it was perfect. Without a doubt, Inspector Lestrade and Wiggles are my favorites. These books themselves are a lot of fun, but the audio cast just makes it that much more fun! Now to read the last book in the series! Because it's time to see if Watson ever breaks the bond Sherlock forced upon him, and just how the two of them brought the world to the end. Maybe even find out if they managed to save it. 

Okay, I discovered these at the library weeks ago, the first book never hitting shelves at my branch. So finally, now that it's turning cold, and I have the desire to be out and about more and more, I put it on Hold. This was totally worth the wait. It was absolutely adorable! The perfect low-stress, curl up with your own cat, kind of read. I enjoyed it so much that I already picked up the second volume, and I'm so glad there are fifteen books in this series. I love that I have so much catching up on! If you want a happy ending (at least so far) and a light read this winter, jump on this. 

   HAPPY READING!!

The House of Quiet - Review

Author: Kiersten White

Genre: Young Adult / Horror

Format: Hardback

Pages: 304

Up until this book, Kiersten White was one of those authors whose books always ended up on my TBR, but never once got picked. So this Spooky Season, I put her book, The House of Quiet, on Hold at my library. Now, I'm notorious for not reading whole synopses of books. I read enough to decide this sounds like something I want to read, then put it on some sort of TBR shelf. Which is exactly what I did in this book. Sounds like a trippy haunted house book, should read during Spooky Season. I was very wrong about the haunted house part, not wrong about when I should have read it. 

This book took me by surprise from start to finish, with a handful of mysteries to solve and characters with powers to figure out. I spent so long trying to figure out the little puzzles that most of the time, the main plot got away from me. It became less important than the characters involved, but once the story wraps up, so does the main plot. Sort of, it's a bit open-ended, but I was satisfied with it.

Personally, there was a lot I liked about this book. I really enjoyed Kiersten White's writing. I loved that we got the point of view of all the teenagers inside the house. Even when those points of view don't make sense right away, it all means something. Pieces to the puzzle that will eventually fit together. Because for the end to happen, you need to understand all the teens and their powers. It just worked so well together. Even the couple of times we got the House Wife. 

I did spend a good part of the first book trying to figure out everyone's power, and then realized Lake and Forest had the worst powers ever. Though River had my favorite power and I quickly realized I would abuse that power immediately. The idea of the powers, how they were seen by the different classes, was also one of my favorite facts about this book. While the lower class so these powers as a way to step out of poverty, into something better. The rich, upper class would do and pay anything to not have their children have these powers.

The only around politics in this book is intense, but believable and well sorted out. I liked that we didn't get a long, drawn-out chapter on the politics of this world. Instead, we got to look through each character's eyes. Why Birdie and Minnow were in the House of Quiet. How River got herself sent there. The real reason Minnow was there in the first place. Why did they need to shut it down and move it, but why does the Doctor need to keep it open? All those things paint a picture of what their world actually looks like, and what the world around these teens is like.

Now, several times, I have mentioned that the characters are teens. That's because this book is a young adult, dystopian-esque, and gothic. So it is geared toward a younger crowd. Now White does one of my favorite things, where she doesn't "dumb down" her books, even though the age range for this book is younger. However, there is nothing too graphic on either spectrum in this book, though certain themes are alluded to a couple of times. There is a bit of violence, but nothing overly graphic.

As a whole, I really liked this book and the time I spent reading it. Without a doubt, I need to read more books by Kiersten White. I have two more on my physical TBR shelf. Because The House of Quiet gave me a bit of a book hangover.

HAPPY READING!!

Edmonds Silent Book Club

A huge thank you to everyone who came out last night! It was an amazing turnout, and we had to expand to an extra table! I loved seeing books being added to our book swap basket for the first time, as well. I can't wait to see what kind of gems find their way inside. Speaking of gems, so many good books were being read last night. It did kind of seem like some of the reading was intense, including me. Here's to hoping our next reads are a little lighter.

If you couldn't make this month's event, don't worry, because we'll be back on December 17th, 7pm, once again at Leftcraft! Next month, I will have the physical 2026 BINGO cards on hand. Hopefully, the virtual will be up soon after, if not before.

So I can't wait to see anyone next month, and I hope everyone has a good and safe Thanksgiving weekend!

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we haven't yet read. Generally, they are books that have yet to be released, but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous folks at Breaking the Spine.

In an isolated desert town, a young woman seeking a fresh start is confronted by ancient gods, malevolent supernatural forces, and eccentric neighbours. A witty horror-tinged fantasy, perfect for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Chuck Tingle, and Rachel Harrison.

When Selena travels to the remote desert town of Quartz Creek in search of her estranged Aunt Amelia, she is desperate and short of options. Fleeing an unhappy marriage, she has exactly twenty-seven dollars to her name, and her only friend in the world is her dog, Copper.

On arrival, Selena learns Amelia is dead. But the inhabitants of Quartz Creek are only too happy to have a new resident. Out of money and ideas, Selena sees no harm staying in her aunt's lovely house for a few weeks, tending to her garden and enjoying the strange, desolate beauty of the desert. The people are odd, but friendly, and eager to help Selena settle into her new home.

But Quartz Creek's inhabitants share their town with others, old gods and spirits whose claim to the land long predates their human neighbours. Selena finds herself pursued by disturbing apparitions, visitations that come in the night and seem to want something from her.

Aunt Amelia owed a debt. Now her god has come to collect.

Why I'm Waiting: I'm a fan of T. Kingfisher. So her books are always on my TBR!

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

 

Greetings and salutations from Hansel Park, owner of Ainsworth Press!

As an independent literary agency situated within the legendary Acheron Estate, we strive to bring our clients’ works to the masses. Seeking to fulfill readers’ needs and wants, we sign authors of every genre. If you’re interested in working with us, please send a letter of inquiry to the address listed below.

Alternatively, if you’re in the area and would like to drop by for a brief conversation, please feel free to do so. Never mind the mess or those wandering throughout the estate. One can’t pick their neighbors, can they? Should you hear any troubling rumors or odd speculation, just know that jealousy can inspire malicious intent.

Also, keep in mind that no harm has ever befallen an author. Come see for yourself.

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

     

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes, the cover initially catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday, I'll post some of my favorite book covers. Coming soon!

When private investigator Shyla Sinclair is invited to the looming mansion of mysterious Texan tycoon Saxton Braith, she’s more than a little suspicious. The last thing she expects to see that night is Braith’s assistant driving an iron rod straight through the back of his skull. Scratch that—the last thing she expects to see is Braith’s resurrection afterward.

Braith can’t die, it turns out, but he has no explanation for his immortality, and very few intact memories of his past. Which is why he wants to pay Shyla millions to investigate him, and bring his long-buried history to light. 

Shyla can’t help but be intrigued, but she’s also trapped by the offer. Braith has made it clear that he knows she’s the only person he can trust with his secret, because he knows all about hers. 

Bold, atmospheric, and utterly frightening, Johnny Compton’s Dead First is spine-chilling supernatural horror about the pursuit of power and the undying need for reckoning.

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we haven't yet read. Generally, they are books that have yet to be released, but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous folks at Breaking the Spine.

Of the hundreds of murder cases that noted South Carolina attorney Dick Harpootlian has prosecuted, one in particular haunts him. Donald “Pee Wee” Gaskins was a serial killer and rapist, a master manipulator who claimed to have killed over 100 people and is known to have murdered over a dozen, including a toddler, and his own teenage niece. Yet it was on Death Row that he pulled off his most audacious murder, killing another inmate with a military grade explosive.

As personable as he was ruthless, Pee Wee defied easy categories. He killed to avenge minor slights as well as for pleasure, using any convenient method—including stabbing, shooting, poisoning, suffocation, and drowning. Evidence suggested he forced at least one victim to dig his own grave, stand in it, and be shot.

With escalating callousness, Pee Wee murdered acquaintances, friends, family members, and strangers. Yet within his North Charleston community, he was well-liked—a family man who took neighborhood kids to the beach and hosted cookouts. Ice-cold within but outwardly charming, he joked with judges, reporters, and Harpootlian himself, but didn’t hesitate to hatch a plot to kidnap the prosecutor’s daughter to extort an escape.

Dig Me a Grave is a haunting look at a prolific, remorseless killer, as well as a provocative exploration of justice and the death penalty.

Why I'm Waiting: First of all, how have I never heard of this man before? But also, I might rage-read some of this book. Either way, it has my attention.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

 

Fern has weathered the stillness and storms of a bookseller’s life for decades, but now, in the face of crippling ennui, transplants herself to the city of Thune to hang out her shingle beside a long-absent friend’s coffee shop. What could be a better pairing? Surely a charming renovation montage will cure what ails her!

If only things were so simple…

It turns out that fixing your life isn’t a one-time prospect, nor as easy as a change of scenery and a lick of paint.

A drunken and desperate night sees the rattkin waking far from home in the company of a legendary warrior surviving on inertia, an imprisoned chaos-goblin with a fondness for silverware, and an absolutely thumping hangover.

As together they fend off a rogue’s gallery of ne’er-do-wells trying to claim the bounty the goblin represents, Fern may finally reconnect with the person she actually is when there isn’t a job to get in the way.

HAPPY READING!!

Ghostly, Ghastly Tales - Review

Author: Anastasia Garcia

Genre: Middle Grade / Horror

Format: Hardback

Pages: 208

This was such a fun book to read during the spooky season. I picked it up specifically because of the cover. Not only does it glow in the dark, always a bonus for me, but just look how cool and creepy this book was. Also, it's a short story collection, which was a nice way to break up the books I was reading in October. Just a couple of stories here and there. I also loved that it looked like it had been checked out a lot, not in bad condition, just well-read. Which I always love to see in library books of any genre. 

As a short story collection, I really liked this one. Honestly, I don't think there was one story that I didn't enjoy to some degree. None that I DNFed and moved to the next one. A couple, I think I sped read, because they weren't so much holding my attention. But that could have just been me and not the story itself.

Now, this was a middle-grade book. It's geared toward younger readers, and I knew that when I snagged it from the library. I thought it would be a nice little break from the movies and other books I was reading during spooky season. Nothing too scary, just stories a younger me would have hidden under the blanket to read with a flashlight. Which, don't get twisted, was a hundred percent what this book was. While I didn't find the story super scary, I could imagine the type of reader who would.

One of the things I really liked about this book is that each story had a "Fright Rating". So the reader could decide how brave they felt like being. Like maybe it was too dark for that something that scary and should be saved for the daytime. I thought that was super cute, but it also gives a choice to how scared they're going to be.

However, I will say that even for me, toward the end of this book, it got a bit icky. Not like full-on too gross for middle-grade readers. It was definitely the kind of gross that makes an impression, but even I was like, uhm, gross. At one point, I was reading it out loud because I liked someone else. Please listen to how gross this book is. So, just a note, the last maybe four-ish stories get a bit icky in places.

I did really enjoy this, though, and I'm still in love with this cover. If I had more space to show off books these days, this was one I'd add to my collection.

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

    

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes, the cover initially catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday, I'll post some of my favorite book covers. Coming soon!

All his life, Sir Cameron has stayed as far away from danger as possible. He is, quite frankly, too handsome to die a violent and pointless death in battle. But when the Church hands down a prophecy to his fellow knights predicting that the only way to defeat their nemesis, the mad sorcerer Merulo, is to kill Cameron, he finds himself in a situation too sticky for even his considerable wiles. Short of ideas, Cameron throws himself on the mercy of the one person who now actually wants him to survive: the mad sorcerer.

Merulo isn’t thrilled to be babysitting a spoilt, attention-seeking knight, but fate has tied them together. And transmogrifying Cameron into a vulture is at least a great source of entertainment. Cameron, meanwhile, is on a voyage of self-discovery. It turns out he’s really, really into surly sorcerers who lock him up and tell him what to do. Who knew?

As a legion of knights surround their stronghold, the sorcerer’s poisonous ambitions draw ever closer to fruition. Cameron is quite invested in not dying, but he finds he’s also invested in Merulo. And sometimes, supporting the sorcerer you care about means taking an interest in their hobbies. Even if that hobby is trying to kill God.

Even if it might get you killed, too.

HAPPY READING!!

The Hex Girls: A Rogue Thorn - Review

Author: Lily Meade

Genre: Young Adult

Format: eBook

Pages: 256

When I tell you I hit the hold button on the library so fast, I nearly put my thumb through my phone! I grew up on Scooby-Doo, and the Hex Girls episodes were one of my favorites (quickly followed by the 13 Ghosts series of the show). So I cannot even start to find all the words to describe how excited I was for this book. A whole book told from Hex Girls, or more specifically, from Thorn's point of view. Honestly, I don't even think I read the synopsis of this, just saw the cover and was all in.

Now, all that being said, I did know a few things going in. The first is that this was a young adult book, which makes sense considering Mystery Inc. itself were high school students. So I knew the mystery and content would be aimed at younger readers. I also knew this was an adaptation based on the characters of the show. I also knew this as a sapphic novel. So it wasn't like I went in blind; I knew the important parts.

Thankfully, this book didn't disappoint. You can totally tell that Lily Meade grew on this show. I felt she did the characters justice. Myteric Inc. plays a background role in this book; they are there solving the mystery, but this book follows Thorn and her adjusting, and accepting herself after Oakhaven. So as you can imagine, there is quite a bit of angst. Which, you know, for a young adult geared book, doesn't surprise me. There has to be some sort of angst.

I'm just thankful that only a small amount was romance. Which was honestly really cute and awkward, and totally what you expect from kids still in high school. It was cute and a nice little change from the stress of the mystery unraveling around them. Plus, it made for a really cute epilogue after solving the last mystery.

As for the mystery, I thought it was well done. I had a couple of suspects about halfway through the book, one of them was correct. One of them, well, I hate to say they got what they had coming to them, but you know, they kind of did. I thought the mystery of the Harvest Host was very Scooby-doo and could totally see it being a Halloween episode. But that wasn't the only mystery in the book, and that one could only be stopped by the Hex Girls. Which I adored, and it tied back into Thorn's journey into understanding herself and what she can do.

You know, high school stuff, but with a bit of magic.

I really enjoyed this book; it was a lot of fun, and personally, I think Lily Meade did great. I'm so glad I stumbled across this at our library. Such a fun book!

HAPPY READING!!

Book Haul

So last week, a friend of mine had to be in West Seattle for a tattoo, and since I never get the chance to wander around that neighborhood, I tagged along. Hit up a couple of antique stores, a bakery that had too many delicious-looking options, and found a cute little coffee shop. But then I found the book exchange, which was books on top of books, on top of books. I spent a good hour just digging around in there. I could have probably spent longer, but for the love of my bank account, I wandered off to the pizza place for a slice.

But, if you're in West Seattle, I suggest the Peagus Book Exchange. The staff were great and they had so many books. It's a great combo of new and gently used, and they take donations as well, and give store credit, too!

Now we also hopped over to White Center to check out a new horror shop called Tomb of Treasure. They have all sorts of physical media and horror memorabilia. And, wouldn't you know it, I found a first print Goosebumps and more of Christopher Pike's books! It was such a cute shop, and again, I could have emptied my bank account there too.

This was a great little spooky trip, and I got such a great haul for myself, too! My Goosebumps collection is nearly complete! The best part of this trip is that all these places are just far enough away that any time I go, it feels like a little treat.

HAPPY READING!!

November Spotlight

 

I adored Legends & Lattes and totally need to read the prequel, and then I need to read this. Maybe I should just read more fantasy this winter while it's wet and cold and gross. Especially so I can read this. Because I love the world that Baldree has created and the characters of the first book. So it wasn't even a challenge to know which November release was going to be my favorite.

Fern has weathered the stillness and storms of a bookseller’s life for decades, but now, in the face of crippling ennui, transplants herself to the city of Thune to hang out her shingle beside a long-absent friend’s coffee shop. What could be a better pairing? Surely a charming renovation montage will cure what ails her!

If only things were so simple…

It turns out that fixing your life isn’t a one-time prospect, nor as easy as a change of scenery and a lick of paint.

A drunken and desperate night sees the rattkin waking far from home in the company of a legendary warrior surviving on inertia, an imprisoned chaos-goblin with a fondness for silverware, and an absolutely thumping hangover.

As together they fend off a rogue’s gallery of ne’er-do-wells trying to claim the bounty the goblin represents, Fern may finally reconnect with the person she actually is when there isn’t a job to get in the way.

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

 

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we haven't yet read. Generally, they are books that have yet to be released, but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous folks at Breaking the Spine.

Ten years ago, seven kids were taken and held captive until their kidnapper took his own life. Now the seven are thrust back together on a trip in the mountains, cut off from civilization and hunted by an unknown assailant who wants them dead. From the author of The Assassin Game and Have You Seen My Sister comes another chilling thriller.

Years ago, a tragedy shook a small community in rural Scotland. A bus driver kidnapped seven elementary school children, drove them into the wildnerness, and held them captive in a cave, before jumping from a cliff's edge. The children were unharmed, and for the most part, young enough to grow up and put their ordeal behind them.

But on the anniversary of their childhood trauma, Maggie, Ant, Ben, Stephanie, Lawrie, Seb, and Cass are on a school survival trip up in the mountains and cut off from the rest of the world when a storm hits. There's no help in sight and the group discovers they are just a stone's throw from the scene of their traumatic kidnapping.

As the group struggles to survive the elements, they realize someone else is on the mountain, someone who knows what really happened all those years ago, someone who wants them dead and is willing to take them out one by one.

Why I'm Waiting: This book sounds like it's going to be a wild freaking ride.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

 

A woman must confront the evil that has been terrorizing her street since she was a child in this gripping haunted house novel from the national bestselling author of The House That Horror Built and Good Girls Don’t Die.

On an otherwise ordinary street in Chicago, there is a house. An abandoned house where, once upon a time, terrible things happened. The children who live on this block are told by their parents to stay away from that house. But of course, children don’t listen. Children think it’s fun to be scared, to dare each other to go inside.

Jessie Campanelli did what many older sisters do and dared her little brother Paul. But unlike all the other kids who went inside that abandoned house, Paul didn’t return. His two friends, Jake and Richie, said that the house ate Paul. Of course adults didn’t believe that. Adults never believe what kids say. They thought someone kidnapped Paul, or otherwise hurt him. They thought Paul had disappeared in a way that was ordinary, explainable.

The disappearance of her little brother broke Jessie’s family apart in ways that would never be repaired. Jessie grew up, had a child of her own, kept living on the same street where the house that ate her brother sat, crouched and waiting. And darkness seemed to spread out from that house, a darkness that was alive—alive and hungry.

   HAPPY READING!!