Cover Runway Sunday

 

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally 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'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon!

Nine strangers receive a list with their names on it in the mail. Nothing else, just a list of names on a single sheet of paper. None of the nine people know or have ever met the others on the list. They dismiss it as junk mail, a fluke - until very, very bad things begin happening to people on the list. First, a well-liked old man is drowned on a beach in the small town of Kennewick, Maine. Then, a father is shot in the back while running through his quiet neighborhood in suburban Massachusetts. A frightening pattern is emerging, but what do these nine people have in common? Their professions range from oncology nurses to aspiring actors.

FBI agent Jessica Winslow, who is on the list herself, is determined to find out. Could there be some dark secret that binds them all together? Or is this the work of a murderous madman? As the mysterious sender stalks these nine strangers, they find themselves constantly looking over their shoulders, wondering who will be crossed off next....

HAPPY READING!!

Book Mail

Is there anything better than coming home to book mail? This one came at the perfect time since I celebrated my birthday last weekend! I've also been really excited to get this book because it sounded absolutely adorable. At least the cover is super adorable. This is on the top of my weekend TBR this weekend!

How could I turn this book down? Look at this adorable cover! I love possums, and this book is jammed packed with fun facts about possums and even more adorable photos. Author Ally Burguieres is a wildlife rehabber and possum advocate! Possums Are NOT Cute hits shelves May 10, 2022!

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to 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 at Breaking the Spine.

Arek hadn’t thought much about what would happen after he completed the prophecy that said he was destined to save the Kingdom of Ere from its evil ruler. So now that he’s finally managed to (somewhat clumsily) behead the evil king (turns out magical swords yanked from bogs don’t come pre-sharpened), he and his rag-tag group of quest companions are at a bit of a loss for what to do next.

As a temporary safeguard, Arek’s best friend and mage, Matt, convinces him to assume the throne until the true heir can be rescued from her tower. Except that she’s dead. Now Arek is stuck as king, a role that comes with a magical catch: choose a spouse by your eighteenth birthday, or wither away into nothing.

With his eighteenth birthday only three months away, and only Matt in on the secret, Arek embarks on a desperate bid to find a spouse to save his life—starting with his quest companions. But his attempts at wooing his friends go painfully and hilariously wrong…until he discovers that love might have been in front of him all along.

Why I'm Waiting: I adored In Deeper Waters so I've got high hopes for F.T Lukens next book!

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

A GHOST SHIP.
A SALVAGE CREW.
UNSPEAKABLE HORRORS.

Claire Kovalik is days away from being unemployed—made obsolete—when her beacon repair crew picks up a strange distress signal. With nothing to lose and no desire to return to Earth, Claire and her team decide to investigate.

What they find at the other end of the signal is a shock: the Aurora, a famous luxury space-liner that vanished on its maiden tour of the solar system more than twenty years ago. A salvage claim like this could set Claire and her crew up for life. But a quick trip through the Aurora reveals something isn’t right.

Whispers in the dark. Flickers of movement. Words scrawled in blood. Claire must fight to hold onto her sanity and find out what really happened on the Aurora before she and her crew meet the same ghastly fate.

HAPPY READING!!

She Kills Me - Review

Author: Jennifer Wright

Genre: Nonfiction

Format: e-book

Pages: 176

I liked this for what it was, a small collection of female killers throughout history. It's been sitting on my TBR for over a year and was sadly one of the ARCs that fell through the cracks. I saw it was available through my local library, and I needed a nonfiction book for my BINGO card! Wins all around.

I liked that Wright broke the book into sections: Psychos, Pretty Poisoners, Bad Family, etc. While the book is short enough to read in one sitting, I broke up the sections to one, or two, a day. It meant I could take my time with this book because I have a hard time reading nonfiction books even when the topic holds my interest. It also collects the stories into their categories so you know what kind of crime, or event, you read about. 

Normally when I read these there is always a handful of chapters that I skip. This was not one of these books. I only knew three of the women in this book, everyone else was a new name for me. And, since each section is so small about one, there is a handful I want to do my research about. So this was not an introduction to some badass women in history, but parts of history I hadn't known.

This is another thing I liked about this book, it wasn't just serial killers or traditional murders. Some of these women did what they thought was best for their country, for their people, or just to protect themselves. Women imagine history would like as all to forget.

Despite, each chapter being so small, it was clear Wright did a lot of research for this book. I also really liked that Wright cited everything at the end of each chapter. This way you can see where Wright got their information, but also pick those books up yourself for more information on these infamous women.

I also really liked the bit of sass that Wright added to each story. It was a reminder that most of these women were bad people, just people in bad circumstances. Stuck in a morally grey area of doing bad things for sort of decent reasons. Kind of. Maybe. That's for you to decide.

My biggest issue with She Kills Me is the illustrations at the start of each chapter. I understand that it's supposed to be an introduction to the women, a first look, but for me, it felt unneeded and a little child-like. I could have done with it out. But, all-in-all I enjoyed this read, glad I finally got around to it. If you are into true crime or forgotten women in history, I suggest grabbing this one from your local library. 

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sundays

 

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally 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'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon!

Olivia Prior has grown up in Merilance School for girls, and all she has of her past is her mother’s journal—which seems to unravel into madness. Then, a letter invites Olivia to come home—to Gallant. Yet when Olivia arrives, no one is expecting her. But Olivia is not about to leave the first place that feels like home, it doesn’t matter if her cousin Matthew is hostile or if she sees half-formed ghouls haunting the hallways.

Olivia knows that Gallant is hiding secrets, and she is determined to uncover them. When she crosses a ruined wall at just the right moment, Olivia finds herself in a place that is Gallant—but not. The manor is crumbling, the ghouls are solid, and a mysterious figure rules overall. Now Olivia sees what has unraveled generations of her family, and where her father may have come from.

Olivia has always wanted to belong somewhere, but will she take her place as a Prior, protecting our world against the Master of the House? Or will she take her place beside him?

HAPPY READING!!

Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments - Review

Author: T.L Huchu

Genre: Young Adult

Format: eBook

Pages: 370

First, a huge thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for an early copy of this book for my honest review!

Second, the cover, the title, and the synopsis were enough for me to hit the request button that I didn't do any more research. I was a solid hundred pages in when telling my roommate about the book, realizing that this was the second book in the Edinburgh Night series, and I haven't read The Library of the Dead yet. However, the great thing about this book is I didn't need to read it. T.L Huchu includes an index of characters and places at the start of the book, and I didn't feel lost on the magic side of things, or world-building since this series takes place in an alternate Edinburgh.

The author also didn't spoil the first book, so I still don't know what happened, which I'm grateful for because I liked the second book, and would love to jump into the first book. I missed a lot of the introduction to Ropa's heritage and I'd love to dive into that part of her story.

I think my favorite thing about Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments is the magic. I'm a sucker for science-based magic, and I could read about Ropa nerding out theories behind this world's magic all day. I love the weave of science fiction into fantasy, and I adored how T.L Huchu weaved into this story. A little bit of science fact mixed with science fiction. Loved it!

The world-building in this was also first class in my opinion. Huchu takes a world a lot of people know and turns into a war zone. I liked seeing it from Ropa's point of view, and you get a real look at the Edinburgh of this reality.

And then there is our cast of characters. I would follow Ropa anywhere. You see the whole story through her first-person point of view, and honestly you forget how young she is. Ropa has had to grow very quickly to help keep her Grandmother and sister afloat during these hard times, and I too keep reminding myself that she wasn't an adult. She was a teenager, but she has just a strong narrative, and she has such a big heart. And, her sass! I adore her, and I think without her all-around demeanor this book would have fallen a little flat for me. There are so many things happening at once, build up to a bigger plot, and so much on Ropas plate, that having her narrator makes a lot of things a lot more visceral.

I'm also in love with Priya and Jomo, the latter I just want to wrap up on bubble wrap to keep him safe. He's too precious for this world! I also really like Ropa's Grandmother, there's a story there that was hinted out a few times through the book that I hope we get soon. Because I think her Grandmother is more badass than we know. Also, I'm not sure how much I trust Callander. While I don't think he's a bad guy, he's not a good one either. I also don't have enough space to talk about how much I dislike Cockburn. Like I get it things are changing and that's hard, but like give Ropa a freaking break you classist snob. If something could eat her in the future that would be a win for me.

All of the issues I had with this book were my own and not worth bringing up. I liked this book and I'm eager to get my hand on the first book to dive back into this world.

Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments is on shelves on March 8, 2022!

HAPPY READING!!

February Spotlight

 

I feel like I've been waiting forever for this book to come out. Not to mention I've had some serious FOMO after seeing so many people with their advanced copies! Everything about this sounds right up my alley. Not to mention early reviews have been great. Just a few more days before I can pick up my copy. Just a few more days! Thank goodness I'm working next Tuesday so I can run into the bookstore after work. Four more days!!

A GHOST SHIP.
A SALVAGE CREW.
UNSPEAKABLE HORRORS.

Claire Kovalik is days away from being unemployed—made obsolete—when her beacon repair crew picks up a strange distress signal. With nothing to lose and no desire to return to Earth, Claire and her team decide to investigate.

What they find at the other end of the signal is a shock: the Aurora, a famous luxury space-liner that vanished on its maiden tour of the solar system more than twenty years ago. A salvage claim like this could set Claire and her crew up for life. But a quick trip through the Aurora reveals something isn’t right.

Whispers in the dark. Flickers of movement. Words scrawled in blood. Claire must fight to hold onto her sanity and find out what really happened on the Aurora before she and her crew meet the same ghastly fate.

HAPPY READING!!

January Wrap Up

Happy February! I have to say on a personal level I cannot complain about this last month. My job finally found a Head Chef, and it feels like we're getting some kind of structure. We've also been busier which has helped my hours, and things were just all around chill in my little micro-world. 

I even lucked out and enjoyed all the books a read this month. That's rare for me! On top of the fact my books for this month seem to be following the pattern.

And, I found my BINGO book for the 1000+ page square! Plus, my birthday is Saturday! This luck will run our and some point, and something will crash. Until thing, I'm reading this wave.

Books Read: 4
BINGO Books: 4 

Pages Read: 904

Currently Reading: For Your Own Good

 I actually have jumped back into the Broke Bitch Book Club on Instagram! Their book sthis month For Your Own Good is one I've been meaning to pick for like a year. So this seemed a great time to do it. I'm currently about a quarter of the way through it, and I don't even know what is going on. What I do know is Teddy is the worst and I cannot wait to see he's going to do next.

I did let my Night Worms roll over this year. Yes, I'm behind reading the books from last year, but books don't of an expiration date. So I'll get to them what I get to them. But! I really like the access to Indie titles I get through Night Worms, and I like that we don't get a ton of stuff in the packages. Though, my roommate was more excited for this months box than me, but that's okay.

I also went on a small book shopping trip while out running errands. I always forget we have a Half Price Books so close our place. Mostly because I'm rarely on that side of town, which is a good thing. So I popped in there and found a couple of gems. Might be the smalled haul of every pulled from a Half Price books as well! LOL!

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to 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 at Breaking the Spine.

Olivia Prior has grown up in Merilance School for girls, and all she has of her past is her mother’s journal—which seems to unravel into madness. Then, a letter invites Olivia to come home—to Gallant. Yet when Olivia arrives, no one is expecting her. But Olivia is not about to leave the first place that feels like home, it doesn’t matter if her cousin Matthew is hostile or if she sees half-formed ghouls haunting the hallways.

Olivia knows that Gallant is hiding secrets, and she is determined to uncover them. When she crosses a ruined wall at just the right moment, Olivia finds herself in a place that is Gallant—but not. The manor is crumbling, the ghouls are solid, and a mysterious figure rules overall. Now Olivia sees what has unraveled generations of her family, and where her father may have come from.

Olivia has always wanted to belong somewhere, but will she take her place as a Prior, protecting our world against the Master of the House? Or will she take her place beside him?

Why I'm Waiting: Because it sounds amazing!

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Once there was a young woman from a well-to-do New England family who never quite fit with the drawing rooms and parlors of her kin.

Called instead to the tangled woods and wild cliffs surrounding her family’s estate, Margaret Harlowe grew both stranger and more beautiful as she cultivated her uncanny power. Soon, whispers of “witch” dogged her footsteps, and Margaret’s power began to wind itself with the tendrils of something darker.

One hundred and fifty years later, Augusta Podos takes a dream job at Harlowe House, the historic home of a wealthy New England family that has been turned into a small museum in Tynemouth, Massachusetts. When Augusta stumbles across an oblique reference to a daughter of the Harlowe's who has nearly been expunged from the historical record, the mystery is too intriguing to ignore.

But as she digs deeper, something sinister unfurls from its sleep, a dark power that binds one woman to the other across lines of blood and time. If Augusta can’t resist its allure, everything she knows and loves—including her very life—could be lost forever.

HAPPY READING!!