May Edmonds SBC

 

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.

Jack Chandler is the sole survivor of the zombie apocalypse in his rural farming community, but rather than eliminate them, he has chosen to continue living alongside the undead — including the husband and adopted daughter he fought so hard to have. But when his town is discovered by outsiders, Jack suddenly becomes the one thing standing in the way of his family and those who hope to kill them for good.

Eisner Award-nominated creators Tate Brombal (Barbalien, Batgirl) and Jacob Phillips (That Texas Blood, Newburn) team up for this unforgettable original story.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

 

October, 2026: Lee Turner doesn’t remember how or why he killed his college roommate. The details are blurred and bloody. All he knows is he has to flee New York and go to the one place that might offer refuge—his father’s new home in Japan, a house hidden by sword ferns and wild ginger. But something is terribly wrong with the house: no animals will come near it, the bedroom window isn't always a window, and a woman with a sword appears in the yard when night falls.

October, 1877: Sen is a young samurai in exile, hiding from the imperial soldiers in a house behind the sword ferns. A monster came home from war wearing her father’s face, but Sen would do anything to please him, even turn her sword on her own mother. She knows the soldiers will soon slaughter her whole family when she sees a terrible omen: a young foreign man who appears outside her window.

One of these people is a ghost, and one of these stories is a lie.

Something is hiding beneath the house of sword ferns, and Lee and Sen will soon wish they never unburied it.

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!

Our four-legged friends have witnessed the creation of some of history’s greatest Shakespeare’s plays, da Vinci’s masterpieces, the Sistine Chapel, the first printed book, and even the flushable toilet. Behind the achievements of every great innovator is their sometimes enthusiastically looking on, at other times asleep. Or chewing a bone. Or sniffing another dog’s bum...

Renaissance Dogs celebrates not just the delightfully odd-looking doggy depictions of the era but also our insistence on ensuring our furry friends’ place in history alongside our own. This carefully curated, full-color compendium of over 100 canine portraits immortalizes a wide array of pups, from the creepily humanoid dogs of the early Renaissance period (painted by artists who, clearly, had never seen a dog in their life) to the beautifully rendered canines of the Enlightenment.

Enjoy a humorous peek into Renaissance art and literature with witty captions, interesting dog facts, and excerpts from famous literary works accompanying astoundingly funny portrayals of our favorite canine companions.

HAPPY READING!!

Mini Reviews

 

You know, when you look at a book (or comic) over and over because you're just not sure if this is for you. Ice Cream Man was one of those for me. Every single time the cover and title caught my eye, and I'd pick it up, read the back again, and then always put it back. Finally, I was like screw it, the last book broke me. I don't want to fall back into the slump I just crawled out of in January. So I picked up and what the actual crap. Because excuse me, what did I in fact just read? What in the Eerie Indiana for adults was that? Of course, I picked up Volume Two the second I finished the first one. WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL?! Because of this book, I'm pretty sure is where nightmares go to die. And it's all connected to one another by the thinnest of threads. And then! Of course, it gets worse. I've already picked up Volume Three. Because you can't stop reading it. I have to know what's happening next because you don't end a book like that?! I'm pretty sure the hero was dead (though can a hell being be dead?). I don't know, I'm so confused, grossed out, and I cannot look away. 

I sat down to read this while I was doing chores, because it's a graphic novel. Easy to stop, easy to start. Wrong. I started this, ignored the laundry until I realized I was hungry. Only to realize I had devoured half this book in one sitting. I didn't even realize how quickly I was flipping pages, didn't realize time was passing. I was so locked into this story because it's so good. And you are so locked into Aiza's journey, and even though I knew how the plot was going to unfold, I still couldn't wait to see it happen and see how Aiza and her friends save the day, sort of save the day. Become big damn heroes, that's what they do! What bums me out the most about this book is that I don't think we're getting books anymore after this one. And while this book is wrapped up, I would follow Aiza and her friends through another book. On the other hand, I do like that it's a standalone. Because Squire is beautifully written and drawn, and the story itself is amazing, and it's a book I would definitely read again and again.

I wanted to like this book so much, I really did. I adored the character of Eddie Munson so much. So I loved the idea of getting his backstory of DnD. A little bit of origin story, if you will. What killed it for me was that it was also the start of how the boys joined Hellfire. So you go back and forth on the timeline. At first, it was fine because it was Eddie setting up the Vecna plot, but something about adding more of the Stranger Things plot just sort of killed it for me. While keeping track of the timeline was easy to track, I got bored with the 80s timeline. I skipped those pages and just kept to the original story, but about two-thirds of the way through, I realized I stopped caring. It didn't matter how cool the setup was. Tying it to the start of season four just kind of made me not care, I guess. I don't really care about the boys or the struggle of joining, or the rumors; we already know they join. We know Dustin adores Eddie, Lucas does sportsball, and Mike's a dick. I didn't need that in Eddie's book, I guess; I wanted this to be about Eddie and older Hellfire guys. Which I kind of got, but I don't know. This just wasn't for me, I guess, and it bummed me out. 

I love this series. For a random book I picked up because the title made me giggle, I'm seriously obsessed with it. I'm so glad we finally found out what is going on with all the onions. So, on that part we've gone full circle. I also liked that this book answered the question of why Lewellyn is obsessed with Shavonne. I want to say that these two share some of the sweetest moments, but that would only be part of the story. Because. Well. Woof. While some of my questions are being answered. Now I have so many more. But I've already picked up Volume Found, and I've already put the release of Volume Five in my calendar. Because I'm going to need both Volumes Five and Six the second they come out. I just need to know what's happening, what did happen, I just mighty need it when it comes to these two. I'm noisy, and they're crazy! 

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.

Not all fairytales were meant for children.

Aria Stokes is finally feeling settled—she lives in a tiny New York apartment, works as a bookseller at a local shop, and has even taken a leap of faith in love by indulging her attraction to bookstore regular Jasper. And he seems to already know her so well.

As a Valentine’s Day surprise, Jasper gets the two of them tickets to an exclusive, after-dark tour of the Daedalus Library—the grandiose establishment famed for its immersive genre-based reading rooms and, more notoriously, its rumored hauntings. While Aria normally loves all things ghastly, this place holds more dark secrets than she’d prefer Jasper to know. Like that the last time she was here, she left a body behind.

But when the automatic-door entry malfunctions and Aria, Jasper, and the five other people in their tour group become trapped in the library, they are forced to venture through the storied rooms and hidden passageways of the Daedalus in search of escape . . . and Aria quite literally has nowhere to hide from the shadows of her past. Then the group learns there’s a murderer in their midst.

Now, as she tries to break out of the library’s intricate reading rooms, Aria has to decide who she can trust—and what secrets are best kept buried—if she wants to make it out alive.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

 

Susan Cabot was a popular B-list movie actress in the 1940s-1950s whose grisly slaying perhaps gained her more notoriety than her on-screen and on-stage accomplishments. Susan had a significant acting career ultimately cheapened by the media circus surrounding her death.


The role for which Susan was most recognized was
Wasp Woman, Janice Starlin, the president of a cosmetics corporation who experiments with a youth serum made from the extract of wasps that proves to have deadly side effects—not unlike the experimental injections that contributed to her own real-life slaughter in 1986 at the hands of her son, Tim.


Susan was essentially tried and convicted of her own murder due to the overbearing mother narrative purported by Tim's defense attorney team and the media. This biography broadens the narrative of Susan Cabot, detailing her legacy from a fresh perspective beyond the coils of her last years and brutal murder. It also explores the sociopolitical implications of victim-blaming, mother blame, and toxic masculinity that led to the skewing of Susan's life and death.


Susan's side of the story has never been told... until now.

HAPPY READING!!

A Twisted Love Story - Review

Author: Samantha Downing

Genre: Horror

Format: Hardback

Hours: 390

This is my fourth Samantha Downing book, and she is one of my favorite authors. She still has two more books I need to read, and they are on my 'for later' shelf at the library. By now, I have learned that her books are never what you think they are going to be. There's always going to be this twist here or there that shakes the whole plot up. And, that it was like about her books, it works a bit like real life. With a whole lot of soap operas I was raised on, sprinkled in, and I love it so much.

Reading A Twisted Love Story was like being nosey about the couple that lives next door, who only have one volume, loud. Like you know, this whole thing is going to end in tears and cops, but you just hear for the ride as well. Because you know it's going to be wild and messy, and you cannot stop yourself from that nosey neighbor. Only this book takes that and throws you off a cliff, too. Because about halfway through, I realized something, and it threw a whole wrench in the plot.

I also really liked it because as I started to unravel one part of the plot, another thread would loosen that you'd sort of forgotten about. So then I'd start thinking about that piece. Then another piece was scratched off, so I toddled off over there. And at one point, you realize that all these little pieces actually fit together, and now you realize why all of a sudden that character, and that moment, are important. Because somehow Downing has started to tie it all together. But then you go back to another thing because it was all made up, or what a minute.

Over and over in a circle, I went for nearly four hundred pages. The book was hard to put down because what in the actual hell was going to happen next. How was Ivy going to make this worse? Because let's be serious, she was making everything worse because she didn't know how to not cause a scene. Though Wes wasn't helping because he couldn't just talk away and tell Ivy no. So, there was that. 

I spent the whole book knowing they were going to get caught because, of course, they are, but was it jail time. Was someone going to get shot? Were they going to get away? It also doesn't help that chapters are short, so you feel like you're flying through this book as you complete another chapter. Having more points of view was great as well because you're seeing everything from different angles. Which means you're getting information in different ways, but that doesn't always mean you know what you have right away. So you have those "holy crap" moments a lot.

I love Samantha Downing's book because they are low risk, high reward, and is just absolutely wild. I always know I'm going to enjoy them. Four books in and she hasn't disappointed with a read yet.

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!

SWORDS, SORCERY, AND A SPOT OF TEA

Kill All Wizards is a blood-soaked romp through high society—picture Conan the Barbarian caught up in a comedy of manners, and you're almost prepared for this unmissable new series.

We could think of nothing but the barbarian. He had come here, surely, to murder or marry someone, to exact revenge, or to say or do something very scandalous. We could hardly wait to see which it was. We hoped it would be all of them.

The barbarian traveled far to consult the wizards of the empire. Instead of lending their aid, they ensorcelled him, exploited his strength, and stole his sword. They should not have done that.

Now the barbarian plans to kill every wizard who wronged him, even if that means blending in with their vile dressing in finery, taking tea in exclusive clubs, and reserving the best box at the theater.

Oh, he hates it all with the fiery passion of his savage heart—but not as much as he hates these wizards.

HAPPY READING!!

March Book Haul

The plan had been to not buy any books this month outside of what came via Night Worms. I was going to work through my library stack and mayhaps read one of the several books I actually own. And honestly, I was doing so well. More library books were going back then, coming home, and I had my eye on a couple of books on my shelves. I so very much had this because it was a book ban; it was just a plan to read what I actually had in the Lair. Making a list of new books I wanted to own, and adding other books to my 'for later' shelf at the library. Everything was fine.

Until it clearly wasn't. Edmonds now holds a Night Market once a month, within in walking distance to my house. I love this for me, I do love a little market full of things and stuff, and even better food. Wouldn't you just know it, Lost the Plot mobile bookstore was there. Well, I had to go support Ash and get a book off my list. Just one book, it supports a local business, and I managed to go to the Edmonds Bookstore with friends and spent zero dollars. So one book was fine.

It was not one book. Then there was a stop at Third Place Books, two more books acquired. One that I didn't even realize was out yet, or how small it actually is. I do look at page counts when it comes to favorite authors. Then I found a book about death that sounded hilarious, and I'm such a sucker for coffee table books. Which is ironic since I don't actually own a coffee table. Still, here we are.

Then it was off to a day trip to North Bend, where they just opened a manga store that I have been itching to go to. Because I have definitely started my manga era. So we popped in there to maybe take a book or two off my list. One book off my list, one book that sounds terrifying, and I cannot wait. So those always came home with. And, I would love to tell you that I managed to get a hold of myself and stopped.

Nope, I had to run into North Seattle to return a movie, and it was a nice day, so I walked to my old stomping ground of the U-District. Ended up at the bookstore there just to waste some time before my train. It was fine until I realized they had a book I've been looking for forever, so I snagged it. Then! Yes, then again, I realized J.H. Markert's new book was out. So that came home with me, too.

For those keeping count, that's seven new books, seven. I wanted to go into April with zero new books. Upside is it's single digits. So I guess it could be worse, but still, there was a plan. I had a plant, and it was going to be great because I have so many books that need reading. I guess there's always April. You know the month that is also Independent Bookstore Day/Weekend. Guess we'll try again in May.

HAPPY READING!!

April Spotlight

 

Every year, campground manager Kate sends out a pamphlet titled “How to Survive Your Camping Experience.” It includes a list of rules to help campers have an enjoyable experience and hopefully survive any encounters with the campgrounds other…inhabitants.

With the campground in the throes of a bad year, it will take more than a list of rules to keep everyone safe. Monsters that were previously lying dormant are starting to stir and they’re waking up hungry. Among them is the Lady in Chains, a creature feared by both human and inhuman things alike.

Her reappearance creates an upheaval in the balance of power in the campground by renewing an old grudge with the harvesters, who are willing to sacrifice anyone they get their hands on in order to gain an advantage. On top of all this, the man with the skull cap has started taking an unusual interest in Kate. But with the harvesters on the prowl, the Lady in Chains hunting her down, and a sinister spider infestation, Kate is going to need all the allies she can get, even if those allies aren’t actually…human.

HAPPY READING!!