Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Can't Wait to Read Wednesday: The Ghost Map/In Five Years/Havenfall/The Forgotten Home Child



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 Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson (2006)
From Steven Johnson, the dynamic thinker routinely compared to James Gleick, Dava Sobel, and Malcolm Gladwell, The Ghost Map is a riveting page-turner about a real-life historical hero, Dr. John Snow. It's the summer of 1854, and London is just emerging as one of the first modern cities in the world. But lacking the infrastructure--garbage removal, clean water, sewers--necessary to support its rapidly expanding population, the city has become the perfect breeding ground for a terrifying disease no one knows how to cure. As the cholera outbreak takes hold, a physician and a local curate are spurred to action--and ultimately solve the most pressing medical riddle of their time. In a triumph of multidisciplinary thinking, Johnson illuminates the intertwined histories and inter-connectedness of the spread of disease, contagion theory, the rise of cities, and the nature of scientific inquiry, offering both a riveting history and a powerful explanation of how it has shaped the world we live in. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: While I do not read a lot of nonfiction, there is the occasional nonfiction novel that catches my fancy. This was one of them. 


Have you read The Ghost Map? Does it sounds like something you might like 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.


In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
Release Date: March 10, 2020 by Atria Books
Where do you see yourself in five years?

When Type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Cohan is asked this question at the most important interview of her career, she has a meticulously crafted answer at the ready. Later, after nailing her interview and accepting her boyfriend’s marriage proposal, Dannie goes to sleep knowing she is right on track to achieve her five-year plan.

But when she wakes up, she’s suddenly in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and beside a very different man. The television news is on in the background, and she can just make out the scrolling date. It’s the same night—December 15—but 2025, five years in the future.

After a very intense, shocking hour, Dannie wakes again, at the brink of midnight, back in 2020. She can’t shake what has happened. It certainly felt much more than merely a dream, but she isn’t the kind of person who believes in visions. That nonsense is only charming coming from free-spirited types, like her lifelong best friend, Bella. Determined to ignore the odd experience, she files it away in the back of her mind.

That is, until four-and-a-half years later, when by chance Dannie meets the very same man from her long-ago vision.

Brimming with joy and heartbreak, In Five Years is an unforgettable love story that reminds us of the power of loyalty, friendship, and the unpredictable nature of destiny. [Goodreads Summary]
Why I want to read this: Well, I want to know what happens and what it all means for Dannie! Did she have some sort of vision or jump into the future? What changed within that five year period to change her future so dramatically, if that is in fact what happened?  I need to know!


Havenfall (Havenfall #1) by Sara Holland
Release Date: March 3, 2020 by Bloomsbury YA
A safe haven between four realms. The girl sworn to protect it--at any cost.

Hidden deep in the mountains of Colorado lies the Inn at Havenfall, a sanctuary that connects ancient worlds--each with their own magic--together. For generations, the inn has protected all who seek refuge within its walls, and any who disrupt the peace can never return.

For Maddie Morrow, summers at the inn are more than a chance to experience this magic first-hand. Havenfall is an escape from reality, where her mother sits on death row accused of murdering Maddie's brother. It's where Maddie fell in love with handsome Fiorden soldier Brekken. And it's where one day she hopes to inherit the role of Innkeeper from her beloved uncle.

But this summer, the impossible happens--a dead body is found, shattering everything the inn stands for. With Brekken missing, her uncle gravely injured, and a dangerous creature on the loose, Maddie suddenly finds herself responsible for the safety of everyone in Havenfall. She'll do anything to uncover the truth, even if it means working together with an alluring new staffer Taya, who seems to know more than she's letting on. As dark secrets are revealed about the inn itself, one thing becomes clear to Maddie--no one can be trusted, and no one is safe . . . [Goodreads Summary]
Why I want to read this: I am spoiled by Ilona Andrews' The Innkeeper Chronicles and admit it was the idea of the Inn of Havenfall and Maddie's position as innkeeper that first attracted me to this novel. I realize it will be completely different and I am perfectly okay with that. This sounds like it will be a fun read--a mix of fantasy and mystery. 


The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham
Release Date: March 3, 2020 by Simon & Schuster
2018

At ninety-seven years old, Winnifred Ellis knows she doesn’t have much time left, and it is almost a relief to realize that once she is gone, the truth about her shameful past will die with her. But when her great-grandson Jamie, the spitting image of her dear late husband, asks about his family tree, Winnifred can’t lie any longer, even if it means breaking a promise she made so long ago...

1936

Fifteen-year-old Winny has never known a real home. After running away from an abusive stepfather, she falls in with Mary, Jack, and their ragtag group of friends roaming the streets of Liverpool. When the children are caught stealing food, Winny and Mary are left in Dr. Barnardo’s Barkingside Home for Girls, a local home for orphans and forgotten children found in the city’s slums. At Barkingside, Winny learns she will soon join other boys and girls in a faraway place called Canada, where families and better lives await them.

But Winny’s hopes are dashed when she is separated from her friends and sent to live with a family that has no use for another daughter. Instead, they have paid for an indentured servant to work on their farm. Faced with this harsh new reality, Winny clings to the belief that she will someday find her friends again.

Inspired by true events, The Forgotten Home Child is a moving and heartbreaking novel about place, belonging, and family—the one we make for ourselves and its enduring power to draw us home. [Goodreads Summary]
Why I want to read this: I do love historical fiction and this particular story sounds like it is one well worth reading--and that needs to be shared. A story of a child who survives against all odds . . . 


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

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40 comments:

  1. That's a great variety of books and they all sound interesting!

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  2. I loved The Ghost Map! Top 5 book from 2 years ago. Science, mystery, and history - so readable. I’ve read more Johnson since.

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    1. Elizabeth - I am glad to hear you enjoy his books. The Ghost Map sounds so interesting!

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  3. The Ghost Map sounds fascinating! I hope you get to it soon, would love to hear your thoughts

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    1. Eustacia - It does sound fascinating, doesn't it? I hope I will be able to read it soon as well.

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  4. I recently read In Five Years and it is such a fantastic read. I hope that you enjoy it as well. I have had my eye on The Forgotten Home Child, too. It does sound like it is going to be a gripping story that will rip my heart out. I hope that we both love it! :)

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    1. Lori - I enjoyed In Five Years as well! I am glad to hear you liked it. I hope we both love The Forgotten Home Child!

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  5. Havenfall doesn't interest me but the rest of the books do. The Ghost Map sounds pretty timely.

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    1. Kathy - Hopefully they will all be as good as they sound. :-)

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  6. The Ghost Map is going on my list. Love good nonfiction. :)

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  7. I haven't heard of any of these, but the first three sound good! Thanks for sharing!
    Check out my Wednesday post

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  8. I haven't read any of those. I just got Fantastic Hope which has a new Anita Blake Vampire Hunter book in it. So I'm excited for that one.

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    1. Mary - It's been ages since I read an Anita Blake book. I really enjoyed the early books in the series. I hope you enjoy Fantastic Hope!

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  9. some good looking books and i especially the ghost map
    sherry @ fundinmental

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  10. Havenfall is on my list. It sounds really good. :)

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    1. Lark - Doesn't it sound good? I can't wait to read it!

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  11. These are some great finds! I especially like the sounds of In Five Years and Haven Fall!

    My CWW

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    1. Jenea - Thank you! I've read In Five Years since this post went up and enjoyed it.

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  12. Ghost Map has been on my TBR for so long but I somehow have never gotten to it. Hopefully one of us will give it a try soon!

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    1. Katherine - It had fallen out of my mind too. I hope we both enjoy it when we read it.

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  13. There seems to be a lot of books coming out March 3rd that I want to get my hands on. Haven Fall is one I completely forgot about!

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  14. I love Ilona Andrews' Innkeeper Chronicles, so Havenfall caught my eye for the same reason it did yours. And In Five Years sounds fascinating! I want to know what happens! Thanks for sharing! :)

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  15. Oh gosh, The Forgotten Child sounds heartbreaking -- and it's based on real events? Whew. This is going to leave me a wreck, isn't it?

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    1. Verushka - It probably well leave us both as wrecks, but it sounds so good, doesn't it?

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  16. The Forgotten Home Child sounds like a powerful read. I hope you love it!

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  17. Oh so many good books to come! I am especially interested in In Five Years!

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  18. Okay, The Ghost Map sounds like my kind of read. My degree is in Health Education and I loved all of my classes dealing with epidemiology so this sounds like it would be right up my alley. I hope you enjoy all of these, Wendy!

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    1. Carole - The Ghost Map does sound fascinating, but maybe a too close to home right now.

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  19. In Five Years and your backlog title interested me the most this week. Thanks for sharing! Hope you enjoy them all.

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  20. The Ghost Map is a great book, really fascinating! You should totally read it soon. :)

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    1. Jean - Thank you! I am glad you enjoyed The Ghost Map. I hope I will too!

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