Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Waiting to Read Wednesday: Crime and Poetry, The Affair of the Mysterious Letter, The Stationery Shop, & The Lemon Sisters



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!


Crime and Poetry (A Magical Bookshop Mystery, #1) by Amanda Flower (2016)
From Amanda Flower—who writes the national bestselling Amish Quilt Shop Mysteries as Isabella Alan—comes the first in the new Magical Bookshop Mystery series.

Rushing home to sit by her ailing grandmother’s bedside, Violet Waverly is shocked to find Grandma Daisy the picture of perfect health. Violet doesn’t need to read between the lines: her grandma wants Violet back home and working in her magical store, Charming Books. It’s where the perfect book tends to fly off the shelf and pick you...

Violet has every intention to hightail it back to Chicago, but then a dead man is discovered clutching a volume of Emily Dickinson’s poems from Grandma Daisy’s shop. The victim is Benedict Raisin, who recently put Grandma Daisy in his will, making her a prime suspect. Now, with the help of a tuxedo cat named Emerson, Violet will have to find a killer to keep Grandma from getting booked for good... [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read it: The title and cover say it all, don't they? Murder, a bookstore, and magic. Emily Dickinson! Why haven't I read this one yet?!


Have you read this one? If not, does it sound like something you would enjoy? 

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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 Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall
Release Date: June 18, 2019
In this charming, witty, and weird fantasy novel, Alexis Hall pays homage to Sherlock Holmes with a new twist on those renowned characters.

Upon returning to the city of Khelathra-Ven after five years fighting a war in another universe, Captain John Wyndham finds himself looking for somewhere to live, and expediency forces him to take lodgings at 221b Martyrs Walk. His new housemate is Ms. Shaharazad Haas, a consulting sorceress of mercurial temperament and dark reputation.
When Ms. Haas is enlisted to solve a case of blackmail against one of her former lovers, Miss Eirene Viola, Captain Wyndham finds himself drawn into a mystery that leads him from the salons of the literary set to the drowned back-alleys of Ven and even to a prison cell in lost Carcosa. Along the way he is beset by criminals, menaced by pirates, molested by vampires, almost devoured by mad gods, and called upon to punch a shark.

But the further the companions go in pursuit of the elusive blackmailer, the more impossible the case appears. Then again, in Khelathra-Ven reality is flexible, and the impossible is Ms. Haas' stock-in-trade. [Goodreads Summary]
Why I want to read it: So this book just sounds fun and different. I cannot wait to get my hands on it. 


The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali
Release Date: June 18, 2019
From the award-winning author of Together Tea—a debut novel hailed as “compassionate, funny, and wise” by Jill Davis, bestselling author of Girls’ Poker Night—comes a powerful love story exploring loss, reconciliation, and the quirks of fate.

Roya is a dreamy, idealistic teenager living in 1953 Tehran who, amidst the political upheaval of the time, finds a literary oasis in kindly Mr. Fakhri’s neighborhood book and stationery shop. She always feels safe in his dusty store, overflowing with fountain pens, shiny ink bottles, and thick pads of soft writing paper.

When Mr. Fakhri, with a keen instinct for a budding romance, introduces Roya to his other favorite customer—handsome Bahman, who has a burning passion for justice and a love for Rumi’s poetry—she loses her heart at once. And, as their romance blossoms, the modest little stationery shop remains their favorite place in all of Tehran.

A few short months later, on the eve of their marriage, Roya agrees to meet Bahman at the town square, but suddenly, violence erupts—a result of the coup d’etat that forever changes their country’s future. In the chaos, Bahman never shows. For weeks, Roya tries desperately to contact him, but her efforts are fruitless. With a sorrowful heart, she resigns herself to never seeing him again.

Until, more than sixty years later, an accident of fate leads her back to Bahman and offers her a chance to ask him the questions that have haunted her for more than half a century: Why did he leave? Where did he go? How was he able to forget her?

The Stationery Shop is a beautiful and timely exploration of devastating loss, unbreakable family bonds, and the overwhelming power of love. [Goodreads Summary]
Why I want to read it: Such an interesting and tumultuous time period in Iran. And my heart is already aching for Roya and Bahman. But what happened?! I have to know . . .


The Lemon Sisters (Wildstone, #3) by Jill Shalvis
Release Date: June 18, 2019
The New York Times bestselling author of Rainy Day Friends and Lost and Found Sisters returns to Wildstone, California, where two completely opposite sisters—who are still nursing wounds from the past—realize they need each other more than they think.

When Brooke’s older sister, Mindy, shows up at her door with her three kids in tow, she barely recognizes her sibling who looks like she’s on the verge of a total breakdown. While adventurous, wanderlust Brooke was always the problem child, eager to slip free of Wildstone and its small-town constraints, Mindy was the golden child, who never had a hair out of place or a GPA below 4.0. The Mindy that arrives at Brooke’s apartment however, is a far cry from the ever-perfect doctor’s wife.

Brooke’s further stunned when Mindy asks to trade places with her for a few days so she can pick up her pieces and put herself back together. What Mindy doesn’t realize is that Brooke is just as broken. Her sister needs her though, so Brooke takes the kids and returns to Wildstone.

But how does one go home after seven years away and what feels like a lifetime of secrets? It doesn’t take long for Brooke to come face-to-face with her past, in the form of one tall, dark, sexy mistake. But Garrett’s no longer interested, or so he says. Only his words don’t match his actions, leaving Brooke feeling things she long ago shoved deep.

The sisters begin to wonder if the childhood taunts were true, are they lemons in life? In love? True or not, they know one thing—you can’t run far enough to outpace your demons. And when long-dead secrets surface, they’ll have to overcome their differences and learn that sometimes the one person who can help you the most is the one you never thought to ask. [Goodreads Summary]
Why I want to read it: Jill Shalvis' name on the cover is enough to catch my interest, but this really does sound like an interesting book with characters who both deserve a good turn in their lives after everything they've been dealing with.


Do any of these sound like something you would like to read? What upcoming release are you looking forward to? 


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31 comments:

  1. I love the play of words of Crime and Punishment from your older book choice!

    Here's my Wednesday post! Happy Hump Day!

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  2. I am really excited for The Stationary Shop, too! There are a couple of books here that are new to me that I am really intrigued by. Thanks for sharing them! :)

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    1. Candid Cover - It sounds like it will be such a good one. I hope so!

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  3. The Stationary Shop sounds really good! I hope you have the chance to read it soon! (:

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    1. Eustacia - I think so too! I look forward to reading it.

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  4. The Stationary Shop sounds really good to me.

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  5. Without a doubt its the Magical Bookshop Mystery for me. I love the cover and, well, anything set in a book shop has to be good, right?

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    1. Tracy - Doesn't that sound good? I hope it will be.

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  6. Crime and Poetry sounds really good to me too. I love books set in bookstore or library settings. Thanks for sharing it!

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    1. Laura - I do too! I can't resist that type of setting.

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  7. All of these seem like great picks! My post-https://paigesofbook.blogspot.com/2019/05/cant-wait-wednesday-secrets-of-fangirl.html

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  8. All new to me. All four intriguing in different ways.

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    1. Mystica - I hope they will be as good as they sound.

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  9. Cosy mysteries are cool. I need to start reading more. Hope you enjoy!

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  10. I need to start that cozy mystery too and also want to read The Affair of the Mysterious Letter. I am definitely in book overload mode right now as there are too many things I want to read.

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    1. Barb - Same here. Too many books out there right now I want to read. It's a bit overwhelming.

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  11. I don't own any of these books, but the first three are on my To Read list. Maybe someday I'll actually read them? :D

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  12. The Hall book sounds fun, and that title totally reminds me of an old Nancy Drew title!

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  13. I am a huge Jill Shalvis fan! I agree, The Lemon Sisters looks awesome! It's on my wishlist as well!

    Lindy@ A Bookish Escape

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  14. The Lemon Sisters is calling to me though I haven't gotten my hands on it. I actually own the Amanda Flower mystery and it looks amazing but of course I haven't read it yet! Soon I hope!

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  15. The first two sound the most appealing to me, but that FIRST one :D...is that considered a "cozy" mystery? I just never know what to read anymore---too many books waiting!---and this one looks like one I'd want to add *sigh*

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  16. Just ordered it from the library! We'll see if get to it lol My confidence is always low!

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