Waiting to Read Wednesday: The Witch's Trinity/Penny for Your Secrets/Laughter at the Academy/The Christmas Keeper

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!

The Witch's Trinity by Erika Mailman (Broadway Books, 2007)

The year is 1507, and severe famine strikes a small town in Germany. A friar arrives from a large city, claiming that the town is under the spell of witches in league with the devil. He brings with him a book called the Malleus Maleficarum—“The Witch’s Hammer.” It is a guide to gaining confessions of witchcraft. The friar promises he will identify the guilty woman who has brought God’s anger upon the town, burn her, and restore bounty.

The elderly Güde Müller suffers stark and frightening visions; none in the village knows this, and Güde herself worries that the sharpness of her mind has begun to fade. Yet of one thing she is absolutely certain: She has become an object of scorn and a burden to her son’s wife. In these desperate times, her daughter-in-law would prefer one less hungry mouth at the family table. As the friar turns his eye on each member of the tiny community, Güde dreads what her daughter-in-law might say to win his favor, and that her secret visions will be revealed. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: I cannot remember how this landed on my TBR shelf, but there it sits and has for awhile. The mention of a witch is always going to attract my attention. This sounds like it will be heart wrenching. 

Have you read The Witch's Trinity? If not, does it sound like something you would enjoy?

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.

Penny for Your Secrets (Verity Kent #3) by Anna Lee Huber

Release Date: October 29. 2019 by Kensington

England, 1919. In Anna Lee Huber’s latest mystery, former Secret Service agent Verity Kent is finding that life after wartime offers its own share of danger . . .

The Great War may be over, but for many, there are still obstacles on the home front. Reconciling with her estranged husband makes Verity sympathetic to her friend Ada’s marital difficulties. Bourgeois-bred Ada, recently married to the Marquess of Rockham, is overwhelmed trying to navigate the ways of the aristocracy. And when Lord Rockham is discovered shot through the heart with a bullet from Ada’s revolver, Verity fears her friend has made a fatal blunder.

While striving to prove Ada’s innocence, Verity is called upon for another favor. The sister of a former Secret Service colleague has been killed in what authorities believe was a home invasion gone wrong. The victim’s war work—censoring letters sent by soldiers from the front—exposed her to sensitive, disturbing material. Verity begins to suspect these two unlikely cases may be linked. But as the connections deepen, the consequences—not just for Verity, but for Britain—grow more menacing than she could have imagined. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: I loved the first book in this series and while I haven't yet read the second book, I cannot help but feel excited about the upcoming release of the third. Verity is such a great heroine. I look forward to visiting her again. 

Laughter at the Academy by Seanan McGuire
Release Date: October 31, 2019 Subterranean Press

From fairy tale forest to gloomy gothic moor, from gleaming epidemiologist’s lab to the sandy shores of Neverland, Seanan McGuire’s short fiction has been surprising, delighting, confusing, and transporting her readers since 2009. Now, for the first time, that fiction has been gathered together in one place, ready to be enjoyed one twisting, tangled tale at a time. Her work crosses genres and subverts expectations.

Meet the mad scientists of “Laughter at the Academy” and “The Tolling of Pavlov’s Bells.” Glory in the potential of a Halloween that never ends. Follow two very different alphabets in “Frontier ABCs” and “From A to Z in the Book of Changes.” Get “Lost,” dress yourself “In Skeleton Leaves,” and remember how to fly. All this and more is waiting for you within the pages of this decade-spanning collection, including several pieces that have never before been reprinted. Stories about mermaids, robots, dolls, and Deep Ones are all here, ready for you to dive in.

This is a box of strange surprises dredged up from the depths of the sea, each one polished and prepared for your enjoyment. So take a chance, and allow yourself to be surprised. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: Seanan McGuire has fast become one of my favorite urban fantasy authors, and so of course this upcoming release of short stories caught my attention. While many of these stories have been out for awhile, they will all be new to me.

The Christmas Keeper (Happily Ever After #2) by Jenn McKinlay
Release Date: October 29, 2019 by Berkley

True love and holiday cheer combine for an unforgettable romance in this second Happily Ever After novel featuring a North Carolina bookstore from the New York Times bestselling author of The Good Ones.

All he wants for Christmas...

The second Joaquin Solis saw Savannah Wilson, he knew she was destined to be his wife. Unfortunately, Savannah's sights are set on a happily-ever-after of another kind: skewering the boss who got her fired. Until then, she won't act on the scorching sexual chemistry that is brewing between them, leaving Joaquin scrambling to find a way to capture her heart.

When the opportunity arises to use his ranch to boost Savannah's publicity career, Joaquin doesn't hesitate to invite her into his world at Shadow Pines and woo her with all of his Christmas loving mojo. It's a gamble since the holidays aren't really Savannah's thing and helping her might also mean losing her as she plans to shake the dust off of their quaint town in North Carolina and head back to New York City the first chance she gets.

But Joaquin believes in the magic of Christmas and he knows with a little help from his friends at the Happily Ever After Bookstore, he can convince the woman of his dreams that he's a keeper... [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: I really like Jenn McKinlay's mysteries and look forward to trying her romance novels. I really like the sound of this one. 

Do any of these sound like novels you would like to read? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to reading? 

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