Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Waiting to Read Wednesday: Bait and Witch & Cleopatra


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.


Bait and Witch
by Angela M. Sanders

Release Date: December 29, 2020 by Kensington
Librarian Josie Way moved to small-town Oregon to lay low. Instead, thanks to newfound magic abilities—and a killer on the loose—she’s leapt out of the frying pan and into a cauldron of trouble . . .

Josie Way loved working among the Library of Congress’s leather-scented stacks—until she uncovered corruption and made herself a target. As Wilfred, Oregon’s new librarian, Josie can stay undercover until the case goes to court. But life in this little town isn’t as subdued as she expected. The library, housed in a a Victorian mansion, is slated to be bulldozed. Still digesting the news that her safe haven is about to become scrap lumber, Josie discovers a body in the woods . . .

Almost as shocking, Josie learns that she’s descended from a long line of witches—and her powers have suddenly sprung to life. With help from a spoiled alley cat who just may be her familiar, Josie’s thumbing through a catalog of suspects, hoping she can conjure a way to save her library—and her life . . . [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: Paranormal cozies are among my favorite type of mysteries, add to it a library, and I am a very happy reader. This sounds like a great start to a new series. I cannot wait to give it a try.


Does Bait and Witch interest you? What upcoming release are you looking forward to reading?


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!


Cleopatra: A Life
by Stacy Schiff
(Little, Brown & Company, 2010)
The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer brings to life the most intriguing woman in the history of the world: Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt.

Her palace shimmered with onyx, garnets, and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Above all else, Cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious negotiator.

Though her life spanned fewer than forty years, it reshaped the contours of the ancient world. She was married twice, each time to a brother. She waged a brutal civil war against the first when both were teenagers. She poisoned the second. Ultimately she dispensed with an ambitious sister as well; incest and assassination were family specialties. Cleopatra appears to have had sex with only two men. They happen, however, to have been Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, among the most prominent Romans of the day. Both were married to other women. Cleopatra had a child with Caesar and–after his murder–three more with his protégé. Already she was the wealthiest ruler in the Mediterranean; the relationship with Antony confirmed her status as the most influential woman of the age. The two would together attempt to forge a new empire, in an alliance that spelled their ends. Cleopatra has lodged herself in our imaginations ever since.

Famous long before she was notorious, Cleopatra has gone down in history for all the wrong reasons. Shakespeare and Shaw put words in her mouth. Michelangelo, Tiepolo, and Elizabeth Taylor put a face to her name. Along the way, Cleopatra’s supple personality and the drama of her circumstances have been lost. In a masterly return to the classical sources, Stacy Schiff here boldly separates fact from fiction to rescue the magnetic queen whose death ushered in a new world order. Rich in detail, epic in scope, Schiff ‘s is a luminous, deeply original reconstruction of a dazzling life.

Why I want to read this: I have always been interested in learning more about Cleopatra, and have heard  great things about Schiff's biography on the woman. I have a beautiful hardcover copy I got when this first came out. Yet another book that sits on my shelf, patiently waiting until I am ready. 


Have you read Cleopatra? Does this book sound like something you would like to read? 


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28 comments:

  1. I just read a book (A Death Long Overdue) which had hints of paranormal activity but just bits of it. It did not detract from the story which was a normal mystery murder but it added another dimension.
    Continuing our lockdown and trying to just keep on an even balance!

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    1. Mystica - I hope you enjoyed A Death Long Overdue. I think I may have that on my TBR shelf. It sounds like something I would enjoy. :-)

      I understand about trying to keep everything on an even balance. I'm thinking of you. Stay safe and well.

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  2. Cleopetra sounds fascinating! I hope the time to read it comes soon for you!

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    1. Eustacia - I need to stop staring at the cover and read the book. LOL Thank you for visiting.

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  3. Bait & Witch sounds like a lot of fun. :D

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  4. Bait and Witch sounds really good, its been a while since I've read a cozy mystery, so I'm adding this to the list. Thanks for sharing, Wendy!

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    1. Tammy - I read so many of them these days. They are what are keeping me sane. LOL I hope you enjoy Bait and Witch if you do read it. Thank you for visiting!

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  5. I love the sound of Bait and Witch. Paranormal cozies are some of my favorite mysteries too. I can't get enough of them. :)

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    1. Ashley - I can't seem to get enough of them either! Thank you for stopping by!

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  6. Love that the paranormal cozy is set in the library. Your Cleopatra bio sounds great. I love reading those. Hope you get the chance to pull it down off the shelf soon.

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    1. Sophia Rose - Me too! I can't resist a library setting. :-) I hope I will enjoy Cleopatra too! Thank you for stopping by!

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  7. Two very different genres, two books I'd equally like to read ... perhaps Bait and Witch first as it still that time of year for all things witchy.

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    1. Felicity - I hope you enjoy them if you do read them. I hope I will too! Thank you for visiting. :-)

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  8. I like paranormal mysteries too. The addition of the library to it makes it even more desirable. Hope we both enjoy it!

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    1. Laura - I agree! The library setting makes it sound even more irresistible. I hope we both enjoy it too! Thank you for stopping by.

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  9. Bait and Witch sounds really good. I have to add that one to my wishlist.

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    1. Yvonne - I hope you will enjoy it if you read it! I am really looking forward to it. Thank you for visiting!

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  10. Bait and Witch sounds like a lot of fun! The Cleopatra biography sounds like a really good read as well. I really need to read more non-fiction so I look forward to reading your thoughts on both of these.

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    1. Carole - Bait and Witch does sound fun, doesn't it? Hopefully I will get to both of these and enjoy them! I'm in the same boat. I really need to make more of an effort to read nonfiction. I enjoy it when I do, I just don't do it often. Thank you for stopping by!

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  11. Stacy Schiff's book is so good! I hope you enjoy both of these!

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    1. Jordan - I am glad you enjoyed Cleopatra! That is good news for me. :-) Thank you for visiting!

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  12. I hope you get to read both soon. The Cleopatra biography would be a perfect choice for Nonfiction November! I may have to look into this one.

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  13. I can see why paranormal cozies are your thing! I love the sounds of this one!

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    1. Verushka - Especially these days--light and fun! Thanks for visiting!

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