Most Anticipated Part 2

 

How is it nearly May? Up until this month, it felt like this year was dragging along. Only now we're days away from May. I feel like all I did this month was go to work and do laundry. There might have been a few naps in there. Anyway, with May right around the corner. That means it's time for another round of what books I'm looking forward to reading over the next three months. Since my summer plans are pretty much to curl up in the sun and read, I have high hopes to put a dent in all my TBR piles!

Villian and Death on the Lanai are at the top of my list, the second they get released! I loved the first book in both of these series, and I've been waiting a long time to read Villain. So long, in fact, I should probably read Hench again before I jump into the second book when it comes out! Camilla Bruce is an autobuy author of mine. So, of course, she had to make the list. As for the other three, well, two of them pulled me because their covers and titles were too good to pass up. The other one, well, I'm always a sucker when Peter Pan is the villain of any story.

Seriously, my TBR for this summer is getting crazy! I have a stack already sitting on my book tree of books I want to read this summer. Some of which will have me sleeping in the living room with all the fairy lights. There's the library stack that I'm currently actually working my way through, and we're not even going to talk about the books by my bed. Now I've got this list! Books are getting released between May and July. 

So what's everyone else looking forward to reading over the next three months? What books did you read over the last three months that you gave five stars to? Because my TBR clearly isn't big enough.

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.

Be careful what you wish for. It might come true....

In 1910, on a small, remote island that boasts more sheep than people, life does not hold a lot of promise for spirited Charlotte North. Her only escape from both this insular community and a family who does not understand her seems to be through marriage—an institution she is not at all eager to join, given the unhappiness of her parents' own union. Plus, eligible suitors are few and far between, which is why Charlotte has fallen hard for one the few outsiders to join their community in recent the handsome—and likewise unhappily married—new priest.

And then an ancient tower once rumored to have imprisoned a witch—or an unfaithful wife—crumbles, and releases . . . something. A restless spirit that knocks inside the walls and sends household objects flying. A spirit that seems to have an affinity for Charlotte herself. Though many on the island are terrified of this new interloper, Charlotte sees in it potential. Power. And perhaps even a way to get everything she has most wanted out of life.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Jack Griffin has always been invisible to the people around him—at least in his own mind. But when an experimental breakthrough presents a path to make his dreams of invisibility a reality, no one—not even the woman he loves—will stand in his way.
Witness Griffin's legendary descent into madness as his humanity fades away and the monster inside is revealed, leaving only...THE INVISIBLE MAN!
The horror dream team of JAMES TYNION IV (SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN, EXQUISITE CORPSES) and DANI (The Low, Low Woods) reveal their vision for one of the most horrific monsters in cinematic history!

HAPPY READING!!

A Veritable Household Pet - Review

Author: Viggy Parr Hampton

Genre: Fiction

Format: Library Book

Pages: 336

I cannot tell a lie, I checked this book out a hundred percent because of the cover. It was labeled as horror, and there were lobotomy tools on the cover. So, this book had my attention. Add to the fact that another reader, Mother of Horror, gave this book a good rating. It was enough to push this book to the top of the pile. The very top of the pile. It added to the positive that this was written in two different voices: the sister who had the lobotomy and the sister who had taken care of the other.

The biggest downside of this book is feel like it was marketed as something it isn't. Which isn't the author's fault. It might even be my fault. Because I was sold a book that was a claustrophobic horror story about a young woman trapped in her own head, and her sister was forced to take care of her. It was a little of that, but not really. Which maybe that was a good thing because if I'd have known what I was getting into, I might not have picked up this book. Because it's not my usual type of read.

Is it horror? Yeah, kinda, not the scare your socks off or gross you out kind of horror. It's the quiet kind when you know exactly what's going to happen, just when or how. You know how Darla's story will end, but not if that's how the book is going to end. It's also probably the saddest book I'll read this year. Because both Darla's and Elle's stories broke my heart. For two entirely different reasons. Darla's story is about being sick with parents and a world that didn't know how to help her. So she was the victim of bad medicine. And Elle is a victim of her circumstances. It's not hard to understand why she wanted to get away, or why she did the things she did.

This book is quiet. That's the best way I can think to describe it. Nothing jumps out of you because Darla cannot have big emotions. She can just give facts about everything that happened to her because she lost the ability to have any kind of large emotions, and Elle... Well, some of her parts are loud but also full of emotions that pull at your heart. 

The entire book is sad, and there's not really a happy moment for three hundred plus pages. It made it hard to read because it just broke my heart. After about fifty pages, I needed break, but I kept coming back to this book. Even now, I don't know if I'm doing this book any justice because it is a beautiful, heartbreaking story. I just don't know if I'm doing the job of selling it as such. But it is a book I feel a lot of people would like to read. I think horror readers would find it interesting, and so would historical fiction. Even people who read books on the history of medicine might find it interesting. 

It's such a strange little book, but it was really good. Different from what I usually read, but I'm glad I gave this one a chance.

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sundays

     

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 take a closer look at a book. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday, I'll post some of my favorite book covers. Coming soon!

One isolated cabin. One cheating boyfriend. One plan to get even.

When Nora, Ruby, and Cham discover that they've each been dating the same man, what starts as outrage quickly spirals into a plot for revenge. Together they hatch a plan to lure their boyfriend to a romantic getaway in a secluded cabin at the top of a snow-covered mountain.

Only what was meant to be harmless payback soon takes a chilling turn when their not-so-adoring boyfriend is found dead in the cabin. 

Stranded and snowed in, the women begin to look at each other with increasing suspicion. And as tensions rise, hidden motives come to light. To survive, each woman must confront her own demons as they fight to uncover if one of them is the killer, or if something else lurks in the freezing wilderness, waiting to pick them off one by one. 

HAPPY READING!!

Night Worms Unboxing

 

April Theme: Foul Play

It's at Night Worms day! Well, it was several days ago, but I'm behind on my posting. So, that means it's at Night Worms day, again! Eric Larocca is one of those authors whom I keep meaning to read, and now I have no reason not to. Because I own his newest book! I'm not sure if I'll like Spoiled Milk. I've never been a huge fan of the Dark Academia genre. However, there have been a few outliers, and if Night Worms is sending it out, then I'll give it a proper go. (Plus some of the reviews I've seen about it have been really good!)

My roommate was excited to see the hot chocolate in the package. Because I am not a fan of the Golden Milk. Which means it goes into her stash for later. However, both of these stickers are amazing! They're both tucked away until I can find somewhere brilliant to put them! 

A huge thank you to both Ashley and Sadie! Another amazing box, with two great books. Now just to find time to read them all! My Night Worms cart is overflowing!

HAPPY READING!!

May Edmonds SBC

 

Huge thank you to everyone who came out to read with us yesterday! I know the weather was weird, but we had a great turnout. And the book swap basket was overflowing. I hope everyone found some treasures to take home. If you weren't able to join us yesterday, don't worry. We'll be back working on our TBR's next month, on May 20th 7pm at Leftcraft in Edmonds! Sadly, I will not be there to read with you, but Michelle will be there! So come read with her, and I'll se everyone else in June!

   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.

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!!