Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Waiting to Read Wednesday: Everything I Never Told You/The Witch's Kind/The Last Year of the War



The Old(er) 
I have an embarrassing number of unread books sitting on the shelves in my personal library. Carole of Carole's Random Life in Books has given me the perfect excuse to spotlight and discuss those neglected books in her Books from the Backlog feature. After all, even those older books need a bit of love! Not to mention it is reminding me what great books I have waiting for me under my own roof still to read!


Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (Penguin Press, 2014)
Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.

So begins this exquisite novel about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee, and her parents are determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. But when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos.

A profoundly moving story of family, secrets, and longing, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait, uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: This one got a lot of great reviews when it came out and the premise certainly got my attention. It sat on my wish list for awhile, but I couldn't resist eventually buying it for myself so I would have it handy when I was ready to read it. 

Have you read this one? If so, what did you think? What book has been lingering on your shelf for a while that you want to read?

*

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


The Witch's Kind by Louisa Morgan
Release Date: March 19, 2019 by Orbit
From the author of A Secret History of Witches comes an absorbing tale of love, sacrifice, family ties, and magic, set in the Pacific Northwest in the aftermath of World War II -- perfect for fans of Practical MagicThe Witch's Daughter, and A Discovery of Witches.

Barrie Anne Blythe and her aunt Charlotte have always known that the other residents of their small coastal community find them peculiar -- two women living alone on the outskirts of town. It is the price of concealing their strange and dangerous family secret.
But two events threaten to upend their lives forever. The first is the arrival of a mysterious abandoned baby with a hint of power like their own. The second is the sudden reappearance of Barrie Anne's long-lost husband -- who is not quite the man she thought she married.
Together, Barrie Anne and Charlotte must decide how far they are willing to go to protect themselves -- and the child they think of as their own -- from suspicious neighbors, the government, and even their own family... [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this one: World War II, a family secret, and witches . . . I cannot resist this one!


The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner
Release Date: March 19, 2019 by Berkley
Elise Sontag is a typical Iowa fourteen-year-old in 1943--aware of the war but distanced from its reach. Then her father, a legal U.S. resident for nearly two decades, is suddenly arrested on suspicion of being a Nazi sympathizer. The family is sent to an internment camp in Texas, where, behind the armed guards and barbed wire, Elise feels stripped of everything beloved and familiar, including her own identity.

The only thing that makes the camp bearable is meeting fellow internee Mariko Inoue, a Japanese-American teen from Los Angeles, whose friendship empowers Elise to believe the life she knew before the war will again be hers. Together in the desert wilderness, Elise and Mariko hold tight the dream of being young American women with a future beyond the fences[Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: Another World War II themed book that I just cannot resist wanting to read!


Do these interest you too? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to getting your hands on and reading?


© 2019, 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.

32 comments:

  1. I finally listened to Everything I Never Told You on audio last year and thought it was wonderful. I immediately went and bought Little Fires Everywhere and now that one has been sitting on my shelf forever, lol.

    I also want to read The Last Year of the War. Those WWII stories always get to me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Suzanne - I am so glad to hear it. I can't wait to read Everything I Never Told You. I have a copy of Little Fires Everywhere as well.

      I can't resist a WWII story. Thanks for visiting!

      Delete
  2. The Witches Kind looks fantastic! I'll have to add that to my piles too!

    Here's my Waiting On Wednesday post! Hope you can swing by! Thanks xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sassy Brit - I think so too! I am really looking forward to reading it. Thank you for visiting!

      Delete
  3. I read Everything I Never told you two years ago and I enjoyed it (I gave it four stars on Goodreads). I think that book made my son's school's summer reading list last year as well- they have a decent-sized list of books the students can choose from, and I'm happy to see more contemporary choices on there, instead of, say, Wuthering Heights (which I never did get through despite it appearing on my summer reading list, and I wasn't alone, because no one else in my class could get through it either!).

    The Last Year of the War looks *really* good!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stephanie - That is great that your son's school is including more contemporary books on the summer reading list. So many are much more relevant than some of the classics we had to read when we were students. (Wuthering Heights is not a favorite of mine--I read it, but didn't care for it).

      I am excited about The Last Year of War. I hope it is as good as it sounds! Thank you for stopping by!

      Delete
  4. I love witchy books and The Witch's Kind looks like one I'll really enjoy. Thanks for sharing it Wendy!

    My CWW & WWW this week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Louise - I love witchy books too and am very excited about The Witch's Kind. Thank you for stopping by!

      Delete
  5. I'm super curious about The Witch's Kind. It's got some great comparison novels listed.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The Last Year of the War is one I really want to read, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lark - I hope we both end up loving it if and when we read it!

      Delete
  7. The Last Year of the War is one that's really calling to me. I really love the time period and I've really been wanting to try this author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Katherine - It just sounds so good! I love that time period as well.

      Delete
  8. The Witch's Kind definitely looks good- and maybe a little spooky!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I really enjoyed Everything I Never Told You and her latest, Little Fires Everywhere was good, too!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I loved Everything I Never Told You as well as her more recent book Little Fires...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Diane - I have heard such wonderful things about both. I look forward to reading them.

      Delete
  11. Ha! Done that. Bought a book that was getting raves and then let it set. :) I still need to read Ng's books.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sophia Rose - I feel like I do it way too often. LOL

      Delete
  12. I was thinking how great your choice was. Then I scrolled down and thought, wow, this is a good one too. And then there was one more I'd love to read!

    My Books From The Backlog

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura - These all sound good, don't they? I need more reading time!

      Delete
  13. My daughter read Everything I Never Told You recently and wrote a paper about it. I proofread the paper and wish that I had already read the book because I think her paper spoiled it for me. Oh well. I hope you enjoy all of these, Wendy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carole - Oh no! I am sorry it was spoiled for you like that.

      Delete
  14. Wow, all of these sound like books I need to read. I think I have the Meissner book... must move it up on the list!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to visit Musings of a Bookish Kitty. Don't be shy! I would love to hear from you. Due to a recent increase in spam, I will be moderating all comments for the foreseeable future. Please be patient with me as it may take a few hours before I am able to approve your comment.