Can't Wait Wednesday: The Song of the Blue Bottle Tree / The Keeper of Lonely Spirits / A Spirited Blend

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings 

to spotlight upcoming release we are excited about that we have yet to read.

Here are three upcoming releases that caught my attention and immediately ended up on my wish list I am looking forward to reading all of them. 

The Song of the Blue Bottle Tree by India Hayford
Release Date: March 25, 2025 by A John Scognamiglio Book

Disguised by years in exile and a name she found on a gravestone, an unconventional young woman returns to her childhood home in rural 1967 Arkansas in this hauntingly visceral Southern tale of desperate choices, found family, folk magic and noisy ghosts.

Genevieve Charbonneau talks to ghosts and has a special relationship with rattlesnakes. In her travels, she’s wandered throughout the South, working in a Louisiana circus and as a hootchy kootch dancer in Texas. Now for the first time in a decade, she’s allowed her winding path to bring her to the site of her grandmother’s Arkansas farmhouse, a place hallowed in her memory.

Disguised by years in exile and a name she found on a gravestone, Genevieve intends only to visit briefly and leave. But a chance meeting with a guilt-ridden young Vietnam veteran draws her into more unexpected connections. Her hard-won independence inspires an abused woman and her daughters to find their own path to empowerment, and a hypocritical preacher is brought to a long-deserved reckoning.

With undertones of magical realism and dark humor, here is a powerful story of discovering—and sometimes rediscovering—one’s place in the world, and the unexpected challenges and gifts that present themselves along the way. [from the Publisher]

This one just sounds so amazing! 

The Keeper of Lonely Spirits by E.M. Anderson
Release Date: March 25, 2025 by MIRA

In this mesmerizing, wonderfully moving queer cozy fantasy, an immortal ghost hunter must confront his tragic past in order to embrace his found family.

Find an angry spirit. Send it on its way before it causes trouble. Leave before anyone learns his name.

After over two hundred years, Peter Shaughnessy is ready to die and end this cycle. But thanks to a youthful encounter with one o’ them folk in his native Ireland, he can’t. Instead, he’s cursed to wander eternally far from home, with the ability to see ghosts and talk to plants.

Immortality means Peter has lost everyone he’s ever loved. And so he centers his life on the dead—until his wandering brings him to Harrington, Ohio. As he searches for a vengeful spirit, Peter’s drawn into the townsfolk’s lives, homes and troubles. For the first time in over a century, he wants something other than death.

But the people of Harrington will die someday. And he won’t.

As Harrington buckles under the weight of the supernatural, the ghost hunt pits Peter’s well-being against that of his new friends and the man he’s falling for. If he stays, he risks heartbreak. If he leaves, he risks their lives. [from the Publisher]

Doesn't this sound fun? A ghost hunter, found family and a curse. Yes, please!

A Spirited Blend (Crystals & CuriosiTEAS #3) by Lauren Elliott
Release Date: March 25, 2025 by Kensington Books

For charmed tea shop owner Shay Myers, getting steeped in Bray Harbor, California’s October festivities is spookier than she ever could have bargained for—especially when a bone-chilling murder mystery spells grave danger . . .

With Halloween around the corner, Shay Myers is brewing witchy seasonal sips at Crystals and CuriosiTEAS—while simultaneously steaming over pub owner Liam Madigan’s decision to take anybody but her to the town’s Monster Mash dance. Her romantic premonitions have missed the mark since she settled into coastal Bray Harbor, opening the door to questions about whether she’s really the gifted seer her late mother imagined. It’s why she second guesses the dark vision in her tea leaves about a local citizen and their obsession with genealogy, Irish folklore, and magic . . .

But when bad omens come true, Shay doesn’t have time for self-doubt. A woman’s body has been discovered, frozen in a strange pose with an eerie black butterfly on her forehead, leading to suspicions that the victim took a conjuring ritual too far due to limited experience—or was murdered by someone with too much. As an investigation stirs up a sinister connection to a boardwalk mystic shop, Shay, guided by her knowing dog, Spirit, finds herself tracking down a shady figure from her past, navigating the sudden reappearance of her ex-husband, and chasing down a wickedly perceptive criminal who might finally be her match! [from the Publisher]

I haven't yet started this series, but I do like the sound of it. A mix of magic and murder-solving, what's not to like? 

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

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© 2025, 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.

Can't Wait Wednesday: The Bane Witch / O Sinners! / When the Moon Hits Your Eye

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings 

to spotlight upcoming release we are excited about that we have yet to read.

Here are three upcoming releases that caught my attention and immediately ended up on my wish list I am looking forward to reading all of them. 

The Bane Witch by Ava Morgyn
Release Date: March 18, 2025 by St. Martin's Griffin

Practical Magic meets Gone Girl in Ava Morgyn's next dark, spellbinding novel about a woman who is more than a witch - she's a hunter. Piers Corbin has always had an affinity for poisonous things - plants and men. From the pokeweed berries she consumed at age five that led to the accidental death of a stranger, to the husband whose dark proclivities have become… concerning, poison has been at the heart of her story. But when she fakes her own death in an attempt to escape her volatile marriage and goes to stay with her estranged great aunt in the mountains, she realizes her predilection is more than a hunger - it’s a birthright. Piers comes from a long line of poison eaters - Bane Witches – women who ingest deadly plants and use their magic to rid the world of evil men. Piers sets out to earn her place in her family’s gritty but distinguished legacy, all while working at her Aunt Myrtle’s cafe and perpetuating a flirtation with the local, well-meaning sheriff to allay his suspicions on the body count she’s been leaving in her wake. But soon she catches the attention of someone else, a serial killer operating in the area. And that only means one thing - it’s time to feed. In Ava Morgyn’s dark, thrilling novel, The Bane Witch, a very little poison can do a world of good. [from the Publisher]

Faking one's death, a legacy of poison eaters, secrets, and suspense . . . Of course I want to read this!

O Sinners! by Nicole Cuffy
Release Date: March 18, 2025 by One World

A journalist investigates a seductive and mysterious cult and its leader, an enigmatic Vietnam War veteran, in this not-to-be-missed novel.

Faruq Zaidi, a young journalist reeling from the recent death of his father, a devout Muslim, takes the opportunity to embed in a cult called The Nameless. Based in the California redwoods and shepherded by an enigmatic Vietnam War-veteran named Odo, The Nameless adhere to the 18 Utterances, including teachings such as “THERE IS NO GOD BUT THE NAMELESS,” “ALL SUFFERING IS DISTORTION,” and “SEE ONLY BEAUTY.” Faruq, skeptical but committed to unraveling the mystery of The Nameless, extends his stay over months, as he gets deeper into the cult's inner workings, compassionate teachings, and closer to Odo. Faruq himself begins to unravel, forced to come-to-terms with the memories he has been running from while trying to resist Odo's spell.

Told in three seamlessly interwoven threads between Faruq’s present-day investigation, Odo’s time before the formation of the movement as a Black infantryman during the Vietnam War, alongside three other Black soldiers, and a documentary script that recounts The Nameless’ clash with a Texan fundamentalist church, O SINNERS! examines both longing and belonging. Ultimately the novel What is it that we seek from cults and, inevitably, from each other? [from the Publisher]

I've been wanting to read something by Nicole Cuffy, and O Sinners! appeals to me on many levels, from the Vietnam War, to the lure of cults and coming to terms with the past for starters.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi
Release Date: March 25, 2025 by Tor

From the New York Times bestselling author of Starter Villain comes an entirely serious take on a distinctly unserious subject: what would really happen if suddenly the moon were replaced by a giant wheel of cheese.

It's a whole new moooooon.

One day soon, suddenly and without explanation, the moon as we know it is replaced with an orb of cheese with the exact same mass. Through the length of an entire lunar cycle, from new moon to a spectacular and possibly final solar eclipse, we follow multiple characters -- schoolkids and scientists, billionaires and workers, preachers and politicians -- as they confront the strange new world they live in, and the absurd, impossible moon that now hangs above all their lives. [from the Publisher]

I just want to read this because it is by John Scalzi, but it does sound fun and ridiculous.

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

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© 2025, 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.

Weekly Mewsings: My Recent Reading Frenzy & Remember to Spring Forward

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.

Hello! It was quite a week here with band performances, rainy days and sunny days, school, work, visits with friends, and all the usual. I need to remember to set my clocks ahead this weekend. I hope your week has been going well. I have not been sleeping well, although that is nothing new. It just seems worse than before. I just cannot seem to shake this exhaustion I feel. We finally took down our Christmas tree and the cats are happy to have the couch back under the window so they can sit on the back of it and look out during the day. 

On the health front, my Great Aunt is back home after her brief hospital stay and even briefer stay in a rehab facility. She seems to be doing better and is being set up with in-home services. Thank you for all of the well wishes! My mom is hoping to return to California from Washington sometime this next week if everything works out. One of my uncles and aunts here in California recently came down with COVID, and my aunt hospitalized for a short time. While there, the doctors discovered a severe obstruction in an aortic artery valve, which will require surgery. She will likely have surgery soon after she recovers from COVID. We are all hoping for the best. 

What have you been up to this weekend and past week?  

This week I finished three books. One of which was a re-read for my upcoming Diverse Romance Book Club: The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava. I decided to try the audio version this time around since my library had a copy on CloudLibrary. I originally had read it in print last summer and it was among my favorite 2025 reads. The other two I read were Fate's Edge (The Edge #3) by Ilona Andrews and Haunting and Homicide (A Ghost Tour Mystery #1) by Ava Burke. I plan to post my thoughts on all three soon, but the short version: The Truth According to Ember was just as good the second time around; Fate's Edge is my favorite in the urban fantasy/romance Edge series so far; and I really enjoyed Haunting and Homicide--especially after just having gone on a real ghost tour this past weekend (my only regret is it wasn't in New Orleans where the book takes place)!

I am still reading Ida, In Love and In Trouble by Veronica Chambers. It took me a little bit to get into it, but I am enjoying it. It is a YA historical fiction novel about the great Ida B. Wells, and is the March selection for my Historical Mystery Book Club which meets in a couple of weeks. I also recently started Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott, a modern day re-imagining of Baga Yaga steeped in Jewish lore. 

What are you reading right now?

My TBR List was the idea of Michelle at Because Reading, and while Michelle has not been hosting this monthly event for some time now, it's one of my favorite traditions that I cannot bring myself to give up. It's just too much fun! 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).

Thank you to everyone who voted in this month's TBR List Poll! The approaching spring has put me in the mood for fantasy and all of this month's choices reflected that. 

This will not be the month I finally read my first T. Kingfisher book, which is okay. It's time will come. A Sorceress Comes to Call came received four (4) only four votes. The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love (Love's Academic #1) by India Holton came in second with ten (10 votes). The winner this month is The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst, earning twelve (12) votes. The Spellshop made many people's favorites list last year and I am eager to read it finally!

Thank you  again to everyone for voting in this month's TBR List poll! 

What are you reading next? 

Following in the footsteps of Deb of Readerbuzz, who shares three good things in her Sunday Salon posts, I thought I would try to do the same. With all the worries and stressors in life, I want to highlight some of the good, even the seemingly small stuff. 

1. Seeing Mouse perform is always a joy. She plays the flute in her middle school band. They put on a good show for family and friends, showing off what they would be performing in an upcoming competition. 

2.  We had a fun time on the ghost tour last weekend, learning a little about the city's history and legends of haunts. We went out for a late night dinner after, which was a nice way to top off the night.

3. My cuddle buddy and shadow. She likes to follow me everywhere just about. Our morning routine recently has included her wanting me to pick her up and cuddle her to my chest as soon as I get out of bed. 

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

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© 2025, 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.

Where Is My Bookmark: A Peek Into Ida, In Love and In Trouble & Other Friday Fun

If not for my historical book club, I likely would not have picked today's featured book to read. It is a nice change after our last two selections though, which were both on the heavier side (but both 5 paw reads for me--so no complaints here!). 

A weekly meme where readers share the first sentence of the book they are reading and say what they think. Hosted by Gillion of  Rose City Reader. Also linking to First Line Friday hosted by Carrie of Reading is My Super Power.

Ida perched languorously on the banister at the opera house, waiting for the curtain to rise. [opening of Ida, In Love and in Trouble]

 Not an attention-grabbing start, but I do not mind a novel that eases me into the story. 

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

The dichotomy of a tremulous present and a very present past sat uncomfortably side by side, in her heart, and she thought, Was this what Dickens meant when he said it was the best of and the worst of, at the same time?  [excerpt from page 96]

A couple paragraphs above this passage, Ida thinks "it was a strange and hazy time when freedom--the feeling of it, and the knowing of it--was as changeable as the weather." One moment she is making the most of her life as a Black woman in a free America and in the next, she is reading stories of lynch laws and white mobs murdering Black men without punishment.

There are more light moments in the novel than heavier ones. I am enjoying the novel, but I do not think it will end up on my favorites list this year. But I still have over half way to go, so that may change!

Ida, in Love and in Trouble by Veronica Chambers 

Before she became a warrior, Ida B. Wells was an incomparable flirt with a quick wit and a dream of becoming a renowned writer. The first child of newly freed parents who thrived in a community that pulsated with hope and possibility after the Civil War, Ida had a big heart, big ambitions, and even bigger How to be a good big sister when her beloved parents perish in a yellow fever epidemic? How to launch her career as a teacher? How to make and keep friends in a society that seems to have no place for a woman who speaks her own mind? And – always top of mind for Ida – how to find a love that will let her be the woman she dreams of becoming? Ahead of her time by decades, Ida B. Wells pioneered the field of investigative journalism with her powerful reporting on violence against African Americans. Her name became synonymous with courage and an unflinching demand for racial and gender equality. But there were so many facets to Ida Bell and critically acclaimed writer Veronica Chambers unspools her full and colorful life as Ida comes of age in the rapidly changing South, filled with lavish society dances and parties, swoon-worthy gentleman callers, and a world ripe for the taking.

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 are three things you'll never get tired of doing?

I cannot imagine ever tiring of hugging my husband and daughter, cuddling the cats, catching a show with my family, or glamping in the mountains (what is more peaceful than being surrounded by trees?). That's four things, isn't it? Oops. I would like to say I would never tire of reading, but the truth is, sometimes I need break even from that.

What about you?  

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 fantasy or Sci-Fi should be part of the literary canon? 

Is this where I recommend my favorite fantasy and science fiction novels or do I talk about books I think are essential to the fantasy and science fiction genres? I love Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books and think Ursula K. Le Guin's work deserves all the accolades it has received. Douglas Adams deserves more praise than he gets. The Grimm brothers and Homer are entrenched in Western culture and few would argue their spot in literary canon. But the problem with literary canons are that they tend to be subjective and limited, even to the point of sometimes being exclusionary. I think there is great value in stories from around the world, reflecting various cultures, folklore and mythologies. And that should be reflected in any literary canon. 

Fantasy and science fiction of today are just as worthy (in some cases even more so) as many of the older works that generally make the lists. Octavia E. Butler's work is amazing and continues to be relevant. Some would argue she is already part of the literary canon. I wouldn't be surprised if  N.K. Jemisin and Nalo Hopkinson one day make that list--their works are already notable. I would like to see books like Marjorie Liu's Monstress added to the canon as well. Too often graphic novels are dismissed as lesser literature, but I full-heartedly disagree. 

There really is not just one literary canon that is the end all, be all. There are many lists that claim the title, and while they may have some of the same authors or books on their lists, they include different ones too. Personally, I enjoy fantasy and science fiction of all kinds. Just as much as I love Lord of the Rings, Mercedes Lackey has also earned a place on my list of greats.

If you were making your own list of fantasy and science fiction greats (books or authors), who would be on it?

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

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© 2025, 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.

Can't Wait Wednesday: Malinalli / Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder / The Anatomy of Magic / The Winter Goddess

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings 

to spotlight upcoming release we are excited about that we have yet to read.

Here are three upcoming releases that caught my attention and immediately ended up on my wish list I am looking forward to reading all of them. 

Malinalli by Veronica Chapa
Release Date: March 11, 2025 by Atria Books 

An imaginative retelling of the triumphs and sorrows of one of the most controversial and misunderstood women in Mexico’s history and mythology, perfect for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Gods of Jade and Shadow and Zoraida Córdova’s The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina.

A real-life historical figure, the woman known as Malinalli, Malintzin, La Malinche, Doña Marina, and Malinalxochitl was the Nahua interpreter who helped Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés communicate with the native people of Mexico. When indigenous leaders observed her marching into their cities, they believed she was a goddess—blessed with the divine power to interpret the Spaniards’ intentions for their land. Later, historians and pop culture would deem her a traitor—the “Indian” girl who helped sell Mexico’s future to an invader.

In this riveting, fantastical retelling, Malinalli is all of those things and more, but at heart, she’s a young girl, kidnapped into slavery by age twelve, and fighting to survive the devastation wrought by both the Spanish and Moctezuma’s greed and cruelty. Blessed with magical powers, and supported by a close-knit circle of priestesses, Mali vows to help defend her people’s legacy. In vivid, compelling prose, debut author Veronica Chapa spins an epic tale of magic, sisterhood, survival, and Mexican resilience. This is the first novel to reimagine and reinterpret Malinalli’s story with the empathy, humanity, and awe she’s always deserved. [from the Publisher]

This sounds fascinating and is about a part of history I know little about. I imagine this is one of those books that will have me researching the actual history of Malinalli as I read--or at least when I finish it.

Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder by Bellamy Rose
Release Date: March 18, 2025 by Atria/Emily Bestler Books

A spoiled heiress must investigate her grandmother’s death in order to gain back her trust fund, all while discovering how to be her own person and maybe even in falling in love in this rom-com meets murder mystery.

When Pomona Afton, Upper East Side hotel heiress, stumbles out of a gala and upon the scene of her grandmother’s murder, her first thought is that the society queen won’t be missed for her kind, cookie-baking ways. In fact, she was mean, greedy, and paranoid—so paranoid that she secretly slipped a clause into her will mandating that, should she die an unnatural death, all the family assets get frozen. And if the “unnatural death” isn’t explained? Those accounts stay frozen.

Practically overnight, Pomona is locked out of her penthouse with no other option than to move in with a Gabe, the irritable (yet handsome) son of her former nanny. Not only is his apartment cramped, but it doesn’t even have a doorman. Or a chef! Pom needs someone to solve this murder, like, yesterday, so she can get her trust fund back.

And Gabe? He needs this murder solved because that’s the only way his mother, who toiled for the Afton family for years, will ever get the retirement money she deserves. As Pom’s family clams up, blocking the police at every turn, Pom quickly realizes that if she wants her glamorous life back, she’s going to have to put on her big-girl Manolos and do it herself…with the help of Gabe, who she’s falling for more and more by the day.

Can Pomona Afton (who previously couldn’t solve a crossword in the bath on a hungover Sunday) actually solve this murder? And if she does return to her former life of luxury, will it be worth the possibility of losing Gabe? [from the Publisher]

This sounds like it will be a fun mix of romance and mystery!

The Anatomy of Magic by J.C. Cervantes

Release Date: March 11, 2025 by Park Row

A young woman learns to embrace all the messy imperfections of life and love with some help from her magical family in this next novel by New York Times bestselling author J.C. Cervantes.

Lilian Estrada seemingly has it all: an ob-gyn star on the rise, a master at balancing work with whirlwind romances and part of a family of fiercely loyal and exceptional women, all bound together by an extraordinary secret. The Estrada women each possess a unique power, and Lily shines with the rare gift to manipulate memories. Yet not even her mystical abilities can shield her from a harrowing event at the hospital, one that sends her powers—and her confidence—spiraling out of control.

Seeking solace, Lily retreats to her family's ancestral home in Mexico, only to find herself face-to-face with a ghost from her past—Sam, the first love she never forgot. Nearly a decade since she last saw him, Sam is hardly the boy she once knew, and as old flames spark to life, Lily must navigate the mysteries of their shared history and the depths of her own heart if she hopes to control her unpredictable magic. [from the Publisher]

What an interesting gift to have--being able to manipulate memories. I want to know more about the Estrada women, and I really hope things work out for Lily!

The Winter Goddess by Megan Barnard
Release Date: March 11, 2025 by Penguin Books

A goddess is cursed to endlessly live and die as a mortal until she understands the value of human life, in this inventive, moving reimagining of Gaelic mythology.

Cailleach, goddess of winter, was not born to be a blight on humanity, but she became it. If anyone asked her, she would say with scorn that it was their own humans were selfish, thoughtless, and destructive, bringing harm to each other and the Earth without cause or qualms.

One day, Cailleach goes too far. Thousands die, lost to her brutal winter. In punishment, her mother Danu, the queen of the gods, strips the goddess of her powers and sends Cailleach to Earth, to live and die as the mortals she so despises, until she understands what it is to be a human. Though determined to live in solitude, Cailleach finds that she cannot help but reach for the people she once held in such disdain. She loves and mourns in equal measure, and in opening herself to humanity, hears tales not meant for immortal ears—and a secret long-buried, that will redefine what it means to be a god.

I am super excited about this one and cannot wait to read it!

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

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© 2025, 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.