Thursday, March 14, 2024

Where Is Your Bookmark: A Peek Into The Book of Doors & Other Friday Fun

I currently am reading (and loving) The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown and thought I would share a couple of teasers with you on this lovely (and very windy) Friday. 


A weekly meme where readers share the first sentence of the book they are reading and say what they think. Hosted by the amazing Gillion Dumas of Rose City Reader.


In Kellner Books on the Upper East Side of New York City, a few minutes before his death, John Webber was reading The Count of Monte Cristo. [opening of The Book of Doors]

My first thought was that dying while reading sounds like a good way to go, although maybe not in a bookstore. My second thought was to wonder just who John Webber is . . .



A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Our wonderful host Freda of Freda's Voice is on a break, and Anne of My Head is Full of Books  has stepped in to host! 

"I can't wait!" Cassie exclaimed, as panic frothed within. "I need to get back. I have no money, no house, what am I supposed to do here, stuck in the past?" [excerpt from 56% of The Book of Doors] 

I haven't yet reached this moment in the book, but it sounds like Cassie has found herself in a bit of a predicament. I can't wait to find out what happens next!

If you could open a door to anywhere, where would you go?

In New York City, bookseller Cassie Andrews is living an unassuming life when she is given a gift by a favorite customer. It's a book - an unusual book, full of strange writing and mysterious drawings. And at the very front there is a handwritten message to Cassie, telling her that this is the Book of Doors, and that any door is every door.

What Cassie is about to discover is that the Book of Doors is a special book that bestows an extraordinary powers on whoever possesses it, and soon she and her best friend Izzy are exploring all that the Book of Doors can do, swept away from their quiet lives by the possibilities of travelling to anywhere they want.

But the Book of Doors is not the only magical book in the world. There are other books that can do wondrous and dreadful things when wielded by dangerous and ruthless individuals - individuals who crave what Cassie now possesses.

Suddenly Cassie and Izzy are confronted by violence and danger, and the only person who can help them is, it seems, Drummond Fox. He is a man fleeing his own demons - a man with his own secret library of magical books that he has hidden away in the shadows for safekeeping. Because there is a nameless evil out there that is hunting them all . . .

Because some doors should never be opened.
 [Goodreads Summary]
Does this sound like something you would enjoy? If you have read it, what did you think?


Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. It is hosted by Linda Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell and Jen from That’s What I’m Talking About. Join in by answering this week's question in the comments or on your own blog.
What book genres do you tend to avoid?

I may shy away from certain genres or types of books, but it doesn't mean I wouldn't consider reading any of them if the book interested me enough. It has happened, and it will likely happen again. So what genres do I tend to avoid? 

I enjoy romance, even romance with spice from time to time, but I do not care for erotica. When the spice overpowers the plot, I lose interest fast. So I tend to stay away from books in that subgenre. There are a few other subgenres within romance I do not care for as well (certain dark/taboo romance tropes in particular). 

I gravitate more towards fiction, and am picky about the nonfiction I read. While I occasionally read memoirs, I generally do not go for the biographies or autobiographies. True crime is another genre I avoid. Too close to my everyday reality. I make an exception for historical true crime, which I often find interesting. 

The mystery/suspense genre is one of my favorites, but in recent years, I have found myself passing over books that feature ritual killings. I also cannot tolerate graphic violence as much as I used to. This goes for horror too, which I actually have been reading more of lately. I don't care for slasher/gory horror novels all that much, especially if there is not a supernatural element.

Of course, within all of these, there are always exceptions.

Is there a book genre or subgenre you tend to avoid?


Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

On average, how long do you spend writing a review? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

I haven't really set my stopwatch to time my review writing. I do know that it can vary, anywhere from an hour to days at a time. Sometimes the words come more easily than at other times. Not to mention life often gets in the way. 

How long does it take you to write a review? 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading!


© 2024 Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Waiting to Read Wednesday: The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties / Double Lives / The Husbands / The Blackbird Season


The New
Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by the marvelous Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight upcoming release we are excited about that we have yet to read.

The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties
(Aunties #3) by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Release Date: March 26, 2024 by Berkley
What should have been a family celebration of Chinese New Year descends into chaos when longtime foes crash the party in this hilariously entertaining novel by Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties.

After an ultra-romantic honeymoon across Europe, Meddy Chan and her husband Nathan have landed in Jakarta to spend Chinese New Year with her entire extended family. Chinese New Year, already the biggest celebration of the Lunar calendar, gets even more festive when a former beau of Second Aunt’s shows up at the Chan residence bearing extravagant gifts—he’s determined to rekindle his romance with Second Aunt and the gifts are his way of announcing his courtship.

His grand gesture goes awry however, when it’s discovered that not all the gifts were meant for Second Aunt and the Chans—one particular gift was intended for a business rival to cement their alliance and included by accident. Of course the Aunties agree that it’s only right to return the gift—after all, anyone would forgive an honest mistake, right? But what should have been a simple retrieval turns disastrous and suddenly Meddy and the Aunties are helpless pawns in a decades-long war between Jakarta’s most powerful business factions. The fighting turns personal, however, when Nathan and the Aunties are endangered and it’s up to Meddy to come up with a plan to save them all. Determined to rescue her loved ones, Meddy embarks on an impossible mission—but with the Aunties by her side, nothing is truly impossible… [Goodreads Summary]
I have enjoyed everything I have read by Jesse Q. Sutanto so far, and this was the series that introduced me to her work. I am so excited about this upcoming release. Oh, the trouble they get into! 


Double Lives
by Mary Monroe

Release Date: March 26, 2024 by Dafina
Award-winning New York Times bestselling author Mary Monroe returns with an outrageous new tale of Depression-era Southern drama starring identical twin sisters with a talent for switching lives and hiding the scandalous results—until one risk too many changes the game forever . . .

Since childhood, identical twins Leona and Fiona Dunbar have been getting in—and out—of trouble by pretending to be each other. Yet underneath, they couldn't be more different. Outspoken Leona lives to break rules, have a good time, and scandalize their respectable hometown of Lexington. Fiona is a seemingly-demure churchgoing girl who is the apple of her domineering, widowed mother Mavis’s eye.

But together, the twins have fooled teachers, boyfriends, bosses, racist police—and most importantly, strait-laced Mavis. Even when Leona does jail time for Fiona, their unbreakable bond keeps them fiercely loyal. . . . So when Fiona feels stifled in her passionless marriage, and Leona is heartbroken over losing her one true love, it's perfect timing to change places once again . . .

Leona is shocked to discover she enjoys the security of being a wife and homebody. And the unexpected spark between her and Fiona’s husband is giving her all kinds of deliciously sexy ideas. Meanwhile, Fiona enjoys being free, single, and reveling in the independence she's never had. And the more she indulges her secret, long-repressed wild child, the more Leona’s ex-lover becomes one temptation she’s having trouble resisting . . .

As the sisters’ masquerade ignites desires and appetites they never expected, it also puts their most damning secrets on the line. Once the fallout rocks their small town, can Fiona and Leona's deep sisterhood shield them from total disaster and help them reconcile their mistakes? Or will the trust between them become a weapon that shatters their lives for good? [Goodreads Summary]
I enjoy stories about identical twins in general and the trouble they can get into when switching places, and this has the added bonus of being set during the depression. It sounds like things are about to get extremely complicated and messy for both women with their latest switch. I imagine this will be an emotional read.  


The Husbands 
by Holly Gramazio
Release Date: April 2, 2024 by Doubleday
An exuberant debut, The Husbands delights in how do we navigate life, love, and choice in a world of never-ending options?

When Lauren returns home to her flat in London late one night, she is greeted at the door by her husband, Michael. There’s only one problem—she’s not married. She’s never seen this man before in her life. But according to her friends, her much-improved decor, and the photos on her phone, they’ve been together for years.

As Lauren tries to puzzle out how she could be married to someone she can’t remember meeting, Michael goes to the attic to change a lightbulb and abruptly disappears. In his place, a new man emerges, and a new, slightly altered life re-forms around her. Realizing that her attic is creating an infinite supply of husbands, Lauren confronts the If swapping lives is as easy as changing a lightbulb, how do you know you’ve taken the right path? When do you stop trying to do better and start actually living?  [Goodreads Summary]
This one had me from the description. A revolving door of husbands and second and third chances . . . I need to know more. 

Do any of these books interest you? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to reading?


The Old(er) 
Carole of Carole's Random Life in Books has given me the perfect excuse to spotlight those unread books on my TBR in her Books from the Backlog feature, reminding me what great books I have waiting for me under my own roof still to read!

I remember being really excited to read this one when it came out, but, alas, like so many other books I want to read that I acquire, it ended up getting lost among my other e-books. An old journal and a missing woman, an affair and plenty of secrets about to be uncovered . . . This one still sounds good to me. 

The Blackbird Season by Kate Moretti (Atria, 2017)
In a quiet Pennsylvania town, a thousand dead starlings fall onto a high school baseball field, unleashing a horrifying and unexpected chain of events that will rock the close-knit community.

Beloved baseball coach and teacher Nate Winters and his wife, Alicia, are well respected throughout town. That is, until one of the many reporters investigating the bizarre bird phenomenon catches Nate embracing a wayward student, Lucia Hamm, in front of a sleazy motel. Lucia soon buoys the scandal by claiming that she and Nate are engaged in an affair, throwing the town into an uproar…and leaving Alicia to wonder if her husband has a second life.

And when Lucia suddenly disappears, the police only to have one suspect: Nate.

Nate’s coworker and sole supporter, Bridget Harris, Lucia’s creative writing teacher, is determined to prove his innocence. She has Lucia’s class journal, and while some of the entries appear particularly damning to Nate’s case, others just don’t add up. Bridget knows the key to Nate’s exoneration and the truth of Lucia’s disappearance lie within the walls of the school and in the pages of that journal.

Told from the alternating points of view of Alicia, Nate, Lucia, and Bridget, 
The Blackbird Season is a haunting, psychologically nuanced suspense, filled with Kate Moretti’s signature “chillingly satisfying” (Publishers Weekly) twists and turns. [Goodreads Summary]
Have you read The Blackbird Season?  Does this book sound like something you would like to read? 


© 2024, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Weekly Mewsings: A Quick Check In

I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer and The Sunday Salon (TSS) hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz  where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking It's Monday! What Are you Reading? hosted by Kathryn of Book Date where readers talk about what they have been, are and will be reading.

 
I am linking up Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene of Reading Reality a meme in which participants share what new books came their way recently.  


I feel like the week got away from me. It's Sunday afternoon and this is the first I am sitting down to put together my weekend post. This past week, in addition to the usual activities, my daughter's school band performed a pre-festival concert to practice for the upcoming festival later this month. My husband, mom and I got front row seats, which means I was able to take some good photos for the photo album. I had another doctor's appointment, and so far the test results have been good. I am still waiting on one more. Mouse enjoyed a fun early birthday celebration with friends last weekend, and this weekend we had a small family celebration. In addition to dinner at her favorite restaurant, her one request was to visit two of the bookstores in town--an easy request to fill! She says thank you to everyone who sent her happy birthday wishes this past week. How was your week? What have you been up to? 

This past week, I finished listening to the graphic audiobook of Clean Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles #1) by Ilona Andrews, a book which was fun to re-visit. I also read and enjoyed Gone with a Witch (Witch Way Librarian #6) by Angela M. Sanders. I made a little more progress in my long-term reading of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.  It is slow going, but I like it so far. 


Thank you to everyone who voted in my March TBR List poll! In the end, Susan Mallery's The Summer Book Club came in with four (4) votes (perhaps it really is meant to be a summer read like the title suggests); The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins got nine (9) votes; and The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown won with sixteen (16) votes. I am looking forward to starting The Book of Doors in the next day or two! 


My TBR List is hosted by Michelle at Because Reading. The 1st Saturday of every month, I will list 3 books from my TBR pile I am considering reading and let you vote for my next read during that month. My review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise).  
New to my shelves:
The Book That Wouldn't Burn (The Library Trilogy #1) by Mark Lawrence
The Good Neighbors (#1-3) by Holly Black, illustrated by Ted Naifeh
There There by Tommy Orange

Pemberley: Mr. Darcy's Dragon (Jane Austen's Dragons #1) by Maria Grace (free)
Longbourn: Dragon Entail (Jane Austen's Dragons #2) by Maria Grace
Thank you to Sarah of Brainfluff for recommending the Jane Austen Dragons series!
Who Fears Death (#1) by Nnedi Okorafor
The Case at Barton Manor (Mrs. Lillywhite Investigates #1) by Emily Queen (free)
Fatalities and Folios (Poe Baxter Books #1) by A.C.F. Bookens (free)

Have you read any of these? If so, what did you think? 

I hope you have a great week! Let me know what you have been reading!

© 2024, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Thursday, March 07, 2024

Where Is Your Bookmark: A Peek Into Gone with the Witch & Other Friday Fun

I am currently reading Gone with a Witch by Angela M. Sanders. Oh, how I would love to have her kind of magical connection with books! I have enjoyed earlier books in this series and so far this is proving to be a good one too.


A weekly meme where readers share the first sentence of the book they are reading and say what they think. Hosted by the amazing Gillion Dumas of Rose City Reader.


"Poor devil." Duke gazed into the open grave. In a nod to custom, he wore black. Black jeans with a crease, a black Western shirt, and black work boots. A raindrop slipped off his Brylcreemed hair. 

"Whoever he was,"  added Desmond, also in black work clothes. [opening of Gone with the Witch]



A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Our wonderful host Freda of Freda's Voice is on a break, and Anne of My Head is Full of Books  has stepped in to host! 

"Have you learned anything more about [name withheld to avoid spoiler]?" I worked to keep my tone neutral.

I hadn't fooled Sam. From the stove, where he turned on the burner under a pot of water, he gave me side-eye. "You aren't thinking of getting involved, are you?" [excerpt from 26% of Gone with the Witch]

Being that this is a cozy mystery, it is a given that is exactly what Josie plans to do. She isn't very good at hiding it. 

Gone with the Witch
(Witch Way Librarian Mysteries #5) by Angela M. Sanders
Small-town Wilfred has turned into a quaintly cozy Oregon destination—but it also keeps turning up corpses! As the bones pile up, librarian and apprentice witch Josie Way will need to use all the sorcery at her disposal to stop a killer . . .

When human bones are discovered beneath an old outhouse covered in blackberry vines, no one knows who they once belonged to. But elderly Helen Garlington wants Sam the sheriff to test the remains, suspecting they may solve the mystery of her long-vanished husband. It’s not a match, and Helen takes it hard, drowning her disappointment in sherry at the tavern—where she sees a contestant on a game show who she swears is her missing spouse, Martin. To ease the woman’s mind, Josie contacts the show to track down the look-alike guest, who kindly agrees to travel to Wilfred—and is then found dead the next morning.

Horrified by this fatal turn of events, Josie asks the spellbound books for help, seeking the aid of Sherlock Holmes. But strange things continue to happen—frightening images flash on the screen of a long-abandoned movie theater and flocks of crows seem to appear wherever she goes. Is Josie about to meet her own Moriarty? It will take all her courage to untangle the twisted vines of this mystery before this chapter in the colorful story of Wilfred claims another life . . . [Goodreads Summary]
Does this sound like something you would enjoy? If you have read it, what did you think?


Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. It is hosted by Linda Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell and Jen from That’s What I’m Talking About. Join in by answering this week's question in the comments or on your own blog.
Describe yourself in three words.

This should not be so hard to do. But it is. So, in my typical fashion, I took an online quiz. Because I could.  

Quiz Results: Creative, Observant, Quiet

And then I asked those closest to me for help.

Mouse: Kind, Smart, Protective

Anjin: Funny, Serious, Thoughtful 

I think all of these are fairly accurate.   

What three words would you use to describe yourself? 


Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

What was your gateway book--the book that made you want to read more--into reading or into a specific genre? (submitted by Meezan Caboodle)

This question is from last week, but I did not get a chance to post about it then. I thought I would go ahead and fit it in this week. It is difficult to pinpoint a gateway book that got me hooked on reading. My love for reading has always been a part of my life. To this day I enjoy a wide variety of books, including different genres. I cannot even begin to tell you what first got me into some of them, but here are a few that I could (more or less) think of. 

My love for mysteries most likely began with the Encyclopedia Brown series by Donald J. Sobol and Carolyn Keane's Nancy Drew books. And from there I branched out into many of the subgenres. 

While I enjoyed fantasy as a child (The Chronicles of Narnia were a favorite), it wasn't until I was in college and my husband introduced me to Valdemar and Mercedes Lackey that I really became hooked on high fantasy. Thanks to Laurel K. Hamilton I discovered urban fantasy, which opened up even more doors in the fantasy genre for me.

I fell hard for romance in high school and college. I read all the Harlequin Intrigue Romance and Silhouette novels the public library carried. My interest in romance faded for a time after that, and I avoided the genre for many years, other than when it wasn't the main ingredient in a novel. I have since come back to the romance genre (although not so much through Harlequin and Silhouette), and while it doesn't make up a big part of my reading, I do enjoy it from time to time. 

I got my love of history from my dad. He was really more of a nonfiction reader when it came to history, but I have always leaned more toward fiction. Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston (nonfiction), Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell, Roll of Thunder, Hear Me Cry by Mildred T. Taylor were among my early favorites when I was a child and paved the way for my continued love for the genre. 

Although I am sure there were other books that got me into the thriller/horror genre, I most remember being really taken with John Saul books when I was in high school and college. I avoided trying Stephen King until much later. 

I cannot say what my first graphic novel was, but I know I got more into reading those after my husband and I were married. He was into manga too, but it was not until my daughter began to read manga that I decided to give it a try. I do not read nearly as much of it as she and my husband do, but I have come to really enjoy it.  The Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama books were what sold me on manga. 

I am sure I am forgetting something, but these are the ones that most come to mind as possible gateway books that lead me deeper into their genres and reading in general. Obviously this doesn't cover every genre I read and enjoy, but it's a good start. 

Can you think of a book that served as your gateway into reading or perhaps a particular genre? 

This week's topic: 

Do you use a book's Synopsis for your review? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

Sometimes I will post the synopsis from Goodreads with my review on my blog, but my preference is to try to write my own. I always try to include some sort of description of what the book is about with my reviews. I know when I read other people's reviews, that is something I like to see included. I try to keep the synopsis as spoiler free as possible, but what constitutes a spoiler can be subjective.

If you write reviews for your blog, do you include a synopsis?

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading!


© 2024 Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Saturday, March 02, 2024

Weekly Mewsings: My February Wrap Up and Kicking Off March (Please Vote in my TBR Poll!)

I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer and The Sunday Salon (TSS) hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz  where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking It's Monday! What Are you Reading? hosted by Kathryn of Book Date where readers talk about what they have been, are and will be reading.

I am linking up Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene of Reading Reality a meme in which participants share what new books came their way recently.  



Are you ready for March? It is here already! I feel a bit out of sorts--so much to do! But first some highlights since my last Sunday post a couple weeks ago. There was the usual work and then some. I got good news at a doctor's visit. There were Girl Scout cookie booths galore. But the best part was going to see The Wiz performed live at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre with my family. It was such a fun show and we had a great time.

Now it's March, which is always a full month for us. A certain someone in our house will officially become a teenager, and there will be lots of celebrating all month long. Cookie Season is coming to an end (thank  goodness--am I allowed to say that?). Mouse didn't meet her personal goal this year, but she is okay with that. Her troop's joint booth sales were good, so it balances out. This month we also have band performances, Girl Scout meetings, doctor's appointments, another couple musical outings, work, school, and spring break (for Mouse, at least). I feel out of breath already. 

I am afraid I have not had time to sit down and polish my final February bookish thoughts for you on my recent reads. They are coming though! Just not this weekend. February was a good reading month for me overall. My plan was to read Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson after finishing Women of the Post, but I was so taken with the women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, that I jumped right into Charity Adams Earley's memoir, One Woman's Army. An unexpected fiction/nonfiction pairing! Another goal completed. Then when my daughter recommended I read Misfit Mansion after she finished it, I could not say no. It sounded just like the kind of graphic novel I would like--and I did!

Books Read in February
Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands was my favorite February read. I love everything about the world building and characters Heather Fawcett has created in the series. The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel was my least favorite. It was more a case of the book not being the best fit for me, but there were things I liked about it, and I think others might too. 


What was your favorite book read in February? Did you have a good reading month?

I will soon be starting Gone with the Witch, the fifth in the Witch Way Librarian Mysteries series by Angela M. Sanders. It's one of my favorite cozy mystery series and I am looking forward to reading the latest installment! 

I am continuing to read Shannon Reed's  Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out, which I am slowly making my way through, reading an essay here and there. I have been highlighting passages that I find particularly relatable. Shannon Reed is both a teacher and a reader, and offers her perspective on both experiences as it relates to reading.


I enjoy Ilona Andrews' books and am re-visiting Clean Sweep, the first in the Innkeeper Series, this time in graphic audio format. This is my first graphic audio book--the occasional background music and sound effects took a little getting used to (I found myself looking around to see where that beeping or crash came from), but it certainly adds to the entertainment factor. 

I decided it was time to start a Big Book (one of my reading goals for the year), especially if I want to make my way through it by the end of the year. I hadn't even been thinking about reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, but as I looked over my bookshelves, eyeing Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead, I remembered Kingsolver's novel is inspired by the Dickens' classic. I found myself on Goodreads, reading some of my friends' reviews of David Copperfield. Thanks to Deb, Margaret, and Linda, I decided to give it a try. My plan is to take it slow. Like with many classics I have liked over the years, including other works by Dickens, they aren't the sort of books I find myself able to get through quickly. 

What are you reading right now?

My TBR List is hosted by Michelle at Because Reading. The 1st Saturday of every month, I will list 3 books from my TBR pile I am considering reading and let you vote for my next read during that month. My review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise). 

I could use your help deciding which book to read next! These are more recent additions to my TBR which caught my attention as I was looking over my books. I love the covers on all of these (I admit The Book of Doors cover is from the UK version--I like it better than the American one). Mostly, I just really like the sound of them. 

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown
If you could open a door to anywhere, where would you go?

In New York City, bookseller Cassie Andrews is living an unassuming life when she is given a gift by a favorite customer. It's a book - an unusual book, full of strange writing and mysterious drawings. And at the very front there is a handwritten message to Cassie, telling her that this is the Book of Doors, and that any door is every door.

What Cassie is about to discover is that the Book of Doors is a special book that bestows an extraordinary powers on whoever possesses it, and soon she and her best friend Izzy are exploring all that the Book of Doors can do, swept away from their quiet lives by the possibilities of travelling to anywhere they want.

But the Book of Doors is not the only magical book in the world. There are other books that can do wondrous and dreadful things when wielded by dangerous and ruthless individuals - individuals who crave what Cassie now possesses.

Suddenly Cassie and Izzy are confronted by violence and danger, and the only person who can help them is, it seems, Drummond Fox. He is a man fleeing his own demons - a man with his own secret library of magical books that he has hidden away in the shadows for safekeeping. Because there is a nameless evil out there that is hunting them all . . .

Because some doors should never be opened.
[Goodreads Summary]

The Summer Book Club by Susan Mallery
The rules of summer book club are simple:
• No sad books
• No pressure
• Yessssss, wine!

Besties Laurel and Paris are excited to welcome Cassie to the group. This year, the book club is all about fill-your-heart reads, an escape from the chaos of the everyday—running a business, raising a family, juggling a hundred to-dos. Even the dog is demanding (but the bestest boy).

Since Laurel’s divorce, she feels like the Worst Mom Ever. Her skepticism of men may have scarred her vulnerable daughters. Cassie has an unfortunate habit of falling for ridiculous man-boys who dump her once she fixes them. Paris knows good men exist. She’s still reeling after chasing off the only one brave enough—and foolish enough—to marry her.

Inspired by the heroines who risk everything for fulfillment, Laurel, Paris and Cassie begin to take chances—big chances—in life, in love. Facing an unwritten chapter can be terrifying. But it can be exhilarating, too, if only they can find the courage to change. [Goodreads Summary]

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins
When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. The victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over, Ruby ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family’s estate high in the Blue Ridge mountains. In the aftermath of her death, that estate—along with a nine-figure fortune and the complicated legacy of being a McTavish—pass to her adopted son, Camden.

But to everyone’s surprise, Cam wants little to do with the house or the money—and even less to do with the surviving McTavishes. Instead, he rejects his inheritance, settling into a normal life as an English teacher in Colorado and marrying Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past.

Ten years later, Camden is a McTavish in name only, but a summons in the wake of his uncle’s death brings him and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but coming home reminds Cam why he was so quick to leave in the first place.

Jules, however, has other ideas, and the more she learns about Cam’s estranged family—and the twisted secrets they keep—the more determined she is for her husband to claim everything Ruby once intended for him to have.

But Ruby’s plans were always more complicated than they appeared. As Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Camden, questions about the infamous heiress come to light. Was there any truth to the persistent rumors following her disappearance as a girl? What really happened to those four husbands, who all died under mysterious circumstances? And why did she adopt Cam in the first place? Soon, Jules and Cam realize that an inheritance can entail far more than what’s written in a will—and that the bonds of family stretch far beyond the grave. [Goodreads Summary]


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New to my shelves:

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo 
Maame by Jessica George 
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
Foolproof by Sander van der Linden

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times: Poetry by Taylor Byas
The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

One Woman's Army: A Black Officer Remembers the WAC by Charity Adams Earley
The Space Between Worlds (#1) by Micaiah Johnson
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think? 

I hope you have a great week! Let me know what you have been reading!

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