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.

When a girl disappears, who do you suspect?

When 17-year-old Hunter Gifford wakes in the hospital on the night of homecoming, he's shocked to learn he and his girlfriend, Chloe Summers, have been in a terrible car accident. Hunter has no memory of the crash, and his shock turns to horror when he is told Chloe's blood has been found in the car―but she has disappeared.

Back at school, his fellow students taunt him, and his former best friend starts making a true-crime documentary about the case―one that points the finger directly at Hunter. And just when things can't get any worse, Chloe's mother stands in front of the entire town at a candlelight vigil and accuses Hunter of murder.

Under mounting pressure from the police, Hunter takes matters into his own hands by questioning anyone who might know the truth and posting videos to prove his innocence. When Hunter learns he and Chloe were seen arguing loudly outside the dance, he faces a sickening possibility. Was he angry enough to kill the person he loved?

Why I'm Waiting: Well this seems like a book I start and don't finish until I've read it all in one go.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

 Welcome to the United States of Cryptids, where mysterious monsters lurk in the dark forests, deep lakes, and sticky swamps of all fifty states. From the infamous Jersey Devil to the obscure Snallygaster, travel writer and chronicler of the strange J. W. Ocker not only uncovers the bizarre stories of these creatures but investigates the ways in which communities have embraced and celebrated their local cryptids.

My review can be found here! More information on where to buy the United States of Cryptids can be found here!

HAPPY READING!!

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!

Naomi Shaw used to believe in magic. Twenty-two years ago, she and her two best friends, Cassidy and Olivia, spent the summer roaming the woods, imagining a world of ceremony and wonder. They called it the Goddess Game. The summer ended suddenly when Naomi was attacked. Miraculously, she survived her seventeen stab wounds and lived to identify the man who had hurt her. The girls’ testimony put away a serial killer, wanted for murdering six women. They were heroes.

And they were liars.

For decades, the friends have kept a secret worth killing for. But now Olivia wants to tell, and Naomi sets out to find out what really happened in the woods—no matter how dangerous the truth turns out to be.

HAPPY READING!!

Butcher's Work - Review

Author: Harold Schechter

Genre: Nonfiction / True Crime

Format: eBook

Pages: 256

Huge thanks to NetGalley for an early look at Butcher's Work!

This is my second book by Harold Schecter, and I will say I wasn't disappointed. Though the last book I read by him was devasting, it was so well written and researched that I jumped at the chance to read his next book. Butcher's Work follows the same pattern, only less heartbreaking.

While these are still tales of murder through the early part of the United States, some of these crimes were bizarre. Like the man who just kept changing his name, getting married, killing brides, or leaving them with nothing, only to repeat the process for years. Only to almost get caught, slip out of their fingers, and start all over again.

Each chapter is well-researched, and I liked that they start with a small headline crime. Something that sort of sets the scene for what the chapter is going to entail. To get your mind ready for the weirdness that is about to happen. But each chapter is jammed packed with information about the city, the victims, and about the do-er. It doesn't just focus on one element.

I will say that the chapters did run a little longer. There were places where it felt like things were drawn out, and I would lose my focus on the book. End up doing something else. Though I always come back to it in the end. Still, there were moments when I was hoping we could skip to the end.

Though, as a whole, I enjoyed reading this and I've already recommended it to people for when it gets released!

Butcher's Work will be released on October 28, 2022!

HAPPY READING!!

Classic Horror Favorites

The horror genre has been one of my favorites for a long time, both in books and movies. I love just how many horror books come out each year in all shapes and sizes. It's cool to see how the genre has changed over the years. Not just in adult horror, but the spooky books for kids have changed as well. I've picked up some Middle-Grade spooky reads that would have had the younger me sleeping with the lights.

But, for me as much as I love horror authors I've discovered over the last few years. There's something about the classics that I hold dear to my heart. My mom and Mim were big about taking me to the library during the summer. It was there I discovered these books called Classics For Kids, sort of abridged versions of these books.  

This was how I first read Frankenstein, Dracula, Doctor Jekyll, and Mr. Hyde. The last one scared the crap out of me, but they also lead me to read Chuthulu and other weird and creepy books.

And, while I love so many of the horror books that came after them. These are the ones that probably started my love of horror in Middle School. That tipped me away from Goosebumps and into Christopher Pike and then Stephen King.

It's not just the old classic books that I enjoy either. I adore the Universal Creature Feature Movies. Nosferatu still creeps me right out, and thanks to Poe I hate small spaces. Not.

HAPPY READING!!

Book Mail

Sometimes book mail arrives at the perfect time. Last week was a struggle for a lot of reasons that are currently now important. What is important was I so excited to see that I was getting mail from Quirk Books! Did I know what it was? Nope sure didn't, but book mail is always a good thing. It also beats the usual junk mail that sits in my mailbox. Plus, I need a good surprise, and this was the best surprise. Perfect for the start of Spooky Month. 

I cannot thank Quirk Books enough for sending me this early! I've had my eye on it since Quirk Books announced its publication. Vampires have been some of my favorite supernatural creatures. I'm not even sure how the love of vampires started, but it only grew with the creation of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Tv Show and it's only grown since then. So I'm so happy that I get a chance to read Hanging With Vampires before its release date, March 28, 2023!

Hanging With Vampires is at the top of my TBR for my next weekend when I don't have anywhere to be but curled up reading. I also hope this is the cover they end up keeping because it's absolutely adorable! So thanks again to Quirk Books. I cannot wait to read this!

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.

In this daring tale of female agency and revenge from a New York Times bestselling author, a girl becomes a teenage vigilante. She roams Victorian England using her privilege and power to punish her friends' abusive suitors and keep other young women safe.

Adele grew up in the shadows--first watching backstage at her mother's Parisian dance halls, then wandering around the gloomy, haunted rooms of her father's manor. When she's finally sent away to boarding school in London, she's happy to enter the brightly lit world of society girls and their wealthy suitors.

Yet there are shadows there, too. Many men trying to charm Adele's new friends do so with dark intentions. After a violent assault, she turns to a roguish young con woman for help. Together, they become vigilantes meting out justice. But can Adele save herself from the same fate as those she protects?

With a queer romance at its heart, this lush historical thriller offers readers an irresistible mix of vengeance and empowerment.

Why I'm Waiting: This sounds hard to put down, holy cow what's going on, kind of book.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

The Witch in the Well is a dark Norwegian thriller from Camilla Bruce, author of You Let Me In.

When two former friends reunite after decades apart, their grudges, flawed ambitions, and shared obsession swirl into an all-too-real echo of a terrible town legend.

Centuries ago, beautiful young Ilsbeth Clark was accused of witchcraft after several children disappeared. Her acquittal did nothing to stop her fellow townsfolk from drowning her in the well where the missing children were last seen.

When author and social media influencer Elena returns to the summer paradise of her youth to get her family's manor house ready to sell, the last thing she expected was connecting with—and feeling inspired to write about—Ilsbeth’s infamous spirit. The very historical figure that her ex-childhood friend, Cathy, has been diligently researching and writing about for years.

What begins as a fiercely competitive sense of ownership over Ilsbeth and her story soon turns both women’s worlds into something more haunted and dangerous than they could ever imagine.

HAPPY READING!!

October Spotlight

 

I adored this! I cannot thank Quirk Books enough for letting me read this book early. I adored Cursed Objects last year, but this definitely topped that read. Cryptids hold a special place in my heart. What I loved about this book is that it covers creatures I've heard of, and read about, and also some that were completely new to me. This was fun read that picked throughout a month. It was so much fun!

Welcome to the United States of Cryptids, where mysterious monsters lurk in the dark forests, deep lakes, and sticky swamps of all fifty states. From the infamous Jersey Devil to the obscure Snallygaster, travel writer and chronicler of the strange J. W. Ocker not only uncovers the bizarre stories of these creatures but investigates the ways in which communities have embraced and celebrated their local cryptids.

The United States of Cryptids hits shelves on October 11! My review can be found here!

HAPPY READING!!

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!

When a secret society has you in its sights, it can lead to power, privilege... or death.

It's been two weeks since Polly St. James went missing. The police, the headmistress of Torrey-Wells Academy, and even her parents have ruled her a runaway. But not Maren, her best friend, and roommate. She knows Polly had a secret that she was about to share with Maren before she disappeared― something to do with the elite, ultra-rich crowd at Torrey-Wells.

Then Maren finds an envelope hidden among Polly's things: an invitation to the Gamemaster's Society. Do not tell anyone, it says. Maren is certain her classmates in the Society know the truth about what happened to Polly, though it's no easy feat to join. Once Maren's made it through the treacherous initiation, she discovers a world she never knew existed within her school, where Society members compete in high-stakes games for unheard-of rewards―Ivy League connections, privileges, favors.

But Maren's been drawn into a different game: for every win, she'll receive a clue about Polly. And as Maren keeps winning, she begins to see just how powerful the Society's game is―bigger and deadlier than she ever imagined. They see, they know, they control. And they kill.

HAPPY READING!!

September Wrap Up

Hello October! I honestly didn't think I got a lot of reading done, but going back through everything for this post proved me wrong. Mostly because I swore I read some of this in August. So unless both my notes and Goodreads are lying to me, it was a good month of reading for me. It also held some gems as well. I cannot thank NetGalley enough for putting Hollow on the path. So cute.

Let's see personal things, personal things. Started the month strong coming off a concert high. Saw four amazing bands that had been on my list to see live for years! Gearing up to head out to more concerts tomorrow! So starting October off strong on that front.

Even my reading game is starting strong. Finish a weird little nonfiction book about some long-forgotten killer in Butcher's Work. Which, is less weird than Icepick Surgeon which has been filled with weird and fun little history facts. And, I can't wait to show off what Quirk Books send last night in the mail!

But, to the September breakdown!

Books Read: 6
BINGO Books: 3 (As a Gift & Set in the 90s & Female Lead Cast)

Pages Read: 1659

Hours Listened: 9 Hours

Currently Reading: Icepick Surgeon & Butcher's Work

 

 

This month I got my book buying under control. We aren't going to talk about August. Anyways, got some solid second-hand store finds this month! You can also jump onto Instagram (@Bookish_Whispers) and see the awesome Night Worms package I got! This month's book is probably going to keep me awake for weeks, so I need to buckle up for those.

But the rest of my book hauls, are here on the blog. Hit the archives section on the right-hand side to check those out! Or, sign up for the emails and rarely miss a post.

I'm human and sometimes forget to send emails. So maybe stop by from time to time. Just in case!

HAPPY READING!!