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!!

March Wrap Up

 Well, hello there! It's hard to tell whether there's another batch of winter hiding in the lovely spring weather we've had in the PNW the last few days. Still, it's been nice to be in the sun for longer periods of time. Don't get it twisted, I do love the dark and cozy winters. All curled up with my cat and a heated blanket. However, I'd also love to get out on my patio and read in the sunshine. Go outside to read at the park on the long days. Very excited for that!

March was a pretty solid reading month for me. A lot of library books this month, which was good because that stack was getting a bit crazy. Hopefully, I'll be able to knock off some books I own from that TBR. I've pulled a few that I'd love to read over the summer. Spooky stuff that'll be great for the long days of being the only one home. Super awesome for me!

Here's to hoping I keep reading like I did this month through the summer! No slumps, no too busy, just chilling. Cause look at these March stats:

Books Read: 7
BINGO Books: 2

Pages Read: 1432

I hit two more squares on BINGO this month: Stand Alone and Multiple Narrators. Both were great books, and the stand-alone square got me first BINGO of the year! Which means I'm already ahead of last year, where I got a whole zero! I'm close to a second BINGO in the middle, and not far off in a few other places. So I have hope I might just hit the goal of three BINGOs this year.

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.

There are locations in this world where the light doesn’t seem to reach. Where, no matter how illuminated the place might be, shadows creep in too strongly to fight back.

A suspiciously empty gas station rest stop in the middle of the night, littered with googley eyes... A doctor’s office, where a bottle of booze and a tear-stained folder wait on the desk... A tech millionaire’s haunted kitchen... A Bible-quoting ventriloquist’s dingy apartment... A yoga retreat in the middle of the desert, silent except for the screaming...

These supernatural and sinister locations are your destination, and bestselling author Nat Cassidy will be your guide. Featuring the Bram Stoker Award–nominated, critically acclaimed novella Rest Stop (one of Esquire’s Best Horror Books of 2024), along with a number of other original short stories, some which have never been published before, I Know A Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours is a travelogue down twisting side streets and through alleyways where the darkness has eyes...and teeth.

Let’s hope you make it home in one piece—if the ghosts, gory visions, and splatterpunk nightmares don’t get you first.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

 

Retail worker Emmett Truesdale has never fit the Southern California mold of six-pack, suntanned masculinity. Over three hundred pounds, he carries the weight of his childhood trauma and millennial ennui around his waist and in his soul. After trying every diet under the sun, he remains stuck—in his dead-end job, in love, and in his body.

Desperate for help, he enrolls in a clinical trial for a new weight loss product called Obexity. The treatment is as horrifying as the results are miraculous and as Emmett sheds pounds at superhuman speed, every part of his life improves overnight.

Unfortunately, Obexity comes with some killer side effects, including lost stretches of time and overwhelming cravings. Worse, people who were cruel to him have started disappearing and when the police warn of a cannibalistic killer on the loose, he fears that Obexity is turning him into a monster. But how can he give it up now that people are finally starting to treat him like he’s human?

Nerve-racking, sinister, and at times surreal, Nothing Tastes as Good is an unputdownable thriller that combines The Substance with the best of Stephen King and keeps you guessing until the final page.

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!

After surviving a shadowed childhood, Mallory Webb is ready to start fresh as a theater major at her mother’s alma mater, a sanitarium turned liberal arts university in Rhode Island. Landing the lead role in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet feels like a dream—until the blood-soaked wraith that caused her mother’s death resurfaces after years of quiet. With nothing to go on but cryptic symbols in an old college notebook, Mallory hopes the reason behind her mother’s haunting lies somewhere on campus, and resolves to find answers before she meets the same fate.

She’s surprised to make an unexpected ally in Ezra Pierce, the magnetic fourth year directing the play, and takes solace in their undeniable chemistry. But Ezra is a master secret keeper, and it’s clear he knows more than he’s letting on about Saskia Garin, Mallory’s elusive understudy whose past eerily mirrors her own.

When an ancient, bloodthirsty evil calls to collect a bargain that dates back to the New England vampire panic, Mallory, Ezra, and Saskia will have to untangle the tragic ways in which their histories are linked—and face the devastating consequences of their own star-crossed love story.

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.

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!!