Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Waiting to Read Wednesday: The Kindest Lie / The Iron Raven / Fearless Fourteen


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 Kindest Lie
by Nancy Johnson

Release Date: February 9, 2021 by William Morrow
It’s 2008, and the rise of Barack Obama ushers in a new kind of hope. In Chicago, Ruth Tuttle, an Ivy-League educated black engineer, is married to a kind and successful man. He’s eager to start a family, but Ruth is uncertain. She has never gotten over the baby she gave birth to—and abandoned—when she was a teenager. She had promised her family she’d never look back, but Ruth knows that to move forward, she must make peace with the past.

Returning home, Ruth discovers the Indiana factory town of her youth is plagued by unemployment, racism, and despair. While her family is happy to see her, they remind her of the painful sacrifices to give Ruth a shot at a better future—like the comfortable middle-class life she now enjoys.

Determined, Ruth begins digging into the past. As she uncovers burning secrets her family desperately wants to hide, she unexpectedly befriends Midnight, a young white boy who is also adrift and looking for connection. When a traumatic incident strains the town’s already searing racial tensions, Ruth and Midnight find themselves on a collision course that could upend both their lives.

The Kindest Lie examines the heartbreaking divide between black and white communities and plumbs the emotional depths of the struggles faced by ordinary Americans in the wake of the financial crisis. Capturing the profound racial injustices and class inequalities roiling society, Nancy Johnson’s debut novel offers an unflinching view of motherhood in contemporary America and the never-ending quest to achieve the American Dream. [Goodreads Summary]
Why I want to read this: This popped up on a list of must read 2021 books, and I was immediately intrigued. Digging into the past can be dangerous as well as cathartic. Sometimes to move forward, we must face our pasts. This novel appeals to me for that basic reason, but also for the more cultural and social issues the author takes on. 


The Iron Raven
(The Iron Fey: Evenfall #1) by Julie Kagawa

Release Date: February 9, 2021 by Inkyard Press
You may have heard of me...

Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Prankster, joker, raven, fool… King Oberon’s right-hand jester from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The legends are many, but the truth will now be known as never before, as Puck finally tells his own story and faces a threat to the lands of Faery and the human world unlike any before.

With the Iron Queen Meghan Chase and her prince consort, Puck’s longtime rival Ash, and allies old and new by his side, Puck begins a fantastical and dangerous adventure not to be missed or forgotten. [Goodreads Summary]
Why I want to read this: I do not know if reading this would be best after reading the Kagawa's original Iron Fey series (which I haven't yet done), but it captured my attention the first I heard about it. I enjoy stories about the fey and like Kagawa's writing, and so this goes straight onto my wish list.


Do The Kindest Lie and The Iron Raven interest you? What upcoming releases 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!


Fearless Fourteen
 (Stephanie Plum #14) by Janet Evanovich
 (St. Martin's Press, 2008) 
Personal vendettas, hidden treasure, and a monkey named Carl will send bounty hunter Stephanie Plum on her most explosive adventure yet. 

The Crime: Armed robbery to the tune of nine million dollars.
Dom Rizzi robbed a bank, stashed the money, and did the time. His family couldn't be more proud. He always was the smart one. 

The Cousin: Joe Morelli
Joe Morelli, Dom Rizzi, and Dom's sister, Loretta, are cousins. Morelli is a cop, Rizzi robs banks, and Loretta is a single mother waiting tables at the firehouse. The all-American family. 

The Complications: Murder, kidnapping, destruction of personal property, and acid reflux
Less than a week after Dom's release from prison, Joe Morelli has shadowy figures breaking into his house and dying in his basement. He's getting threatening messages, Loretta is kidnapped, and Dom is missing. 

The Catastrophe:
 Moonman
Morelli hires Walter Mooner Dunphy, stoner and inventor turned crime fighter, to protect his house. Morelli can't afford a lot on a cop's salary, and Mooner will work for potatoes. 

The Cupcake: Stephanie Plum
Stephanie and Morelli have a long-standing relationship that involves sex, affection, and driving each other nuts. She's a bond enforcement agent with more luck than talent, and she's involved in this bank-robbery-gone-bad disaster from day one. 

The Crisis: A favor for Ranger
Security expert Carlos Manoso, street name Ranger, has a job for Stephanie that will involve night work. Morelli has his own ideas regarding Stephanie's evening activities. 

The Conclusion:
 Only the fearless should read 
Fourteen.
Thrills, chills, and incontinence may result. 
[Goodreads Summary]
Why I want to read this: I used to rush to the bookstore as soon as I could on release day to buy copies of books in this series, but I burnt out. Stephanie's hijinks and her constant indecision about Joe and Ranger just wore on me after awhile. Along with this one, I have the next two books in the series too and number 19 (not sure why I skipped to 19), all sitting unread on my shelf. I always assumed I would go back to the series. It's been twelve or so years. I keep the books around, so perhaps . . .


Have you read the Stephanie Plum series? Does this book sound like something you would like to read? 


© 2021, 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.

55 comments:

  1. These all look nice! I hope you enjoy them and get to them soon. :)

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    1. Greg - I hope they will be as good as they sound! Thank you for visiting!

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  2. All your books look really interesting! Hope you can get to them soon!

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  3. I love the Stephanie Plum series, though I’m a few books behind. They always make me laugh.

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    1. Shelleyrae - Yes, they always made me laugh. :-) Thank you for stopping by!

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  4. I'm intrigued by the series by Julie Kagawa. I've not read any of her books but I do hear a lot of raves about them. Hopefully this year will be the year to start reading them. :)

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    1. Melody - I really enjoyed the one book I read by her (and need to read the rest of the trilogy), but I haven't tried her books set in this world yet. I hope you enjoy her books if you give her a try! Thank you for visiting!

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  5. The Kindest Lie sounds so good -- not to mention, it sounds like it has some wonderful charaterisation.

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    1. Verushka - I think so too! I hope it will be good. Thank you for stopping by!

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  6. I read one of the Stephanie Plum books, though to be fair - it wasn't the first one and though I enjoyed it, I didn't like it enough to want to continue with the series. As for the others - The Iron Raven is the one that caught my eye:). Happy reading, Wendy:)).

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    1. Sarah - They tend to be rather over the top books, but I found them funny. Not for everyone though, that's for sure. :-) I hope you get a chance to try The Iron Raven! Than you for visiting!

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  7. The Iron Raven looks like a new series, cool!

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    1. Tammy - It is! I believe it's set in the same world as her original Iron Fae series. Thank you for stopping by!

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  8. Love the cover of the first one. And I need to finish the first series by Kagawa, but I love her books! Hope you get these soon.
    Lisa Loves Literature

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    1. Lisa - I really like that cover too. Thank you for visiting!

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  9. The Kindest Lie sounds very interesting. I'll have to get my hands on that one. I've tried to like Julie Kagawa, but her writing style just doesn't resonate with me. And I, too, got tired of Stephanie Plum's constant dithering. I think I got as far as #17 in the series before I gave it up.

    Happy reading!

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    1. Lisa - You got much farther than I did with the Stephanie Plum series. :-) I hope we both enjoy The Kindest Lie when we read it! Thank you for stopping by!

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  10. Oooh! I love the look of the Iron Raven! I really need to read that series soon!

    Here’s my WoW!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog

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    1. Ronyell - Hopefully it will be good! Thank you for stopping by!

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  11. Oh I've seen so many bloggers talking about The Iron Raven! I hope it lives up to all the hype lol!

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  12. I've got books on my shelves too and this is after not buying books for over five years now. Maybe more. I have a habit of re reading favourites like P D James and Agatha Christie, Jane Austen so that adds to the delays.

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    1. Mystica - I am not much of a rereader, so I do not have that excuse. :-) Thank you for stopping by!

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  13. Whoa, seeing The Iron Raven takes me back. It's been years since I read the first book in the Iron Fey series. Hope you enjoy all these!

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  14. I am pretty much the same actually. I started getting her books from the library initially and gpot addicted pretty quickly! I loved the characters but mostly Joe and Ranger are pretty sexy, right? That said, I ran out of puff some years ago too and I'm pretty sure there's some unread Stephanie Plum books on my bookshelf.

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    1. Katerina - I am still undecided if I will try to pick up with the series where I left off. Maybe I should try one more and see if I just want to officially call it quits or not. Thank you for visiting!

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  15. These look like some great reads. I loved some of Julie Kagawa previous books.. so The Iron Raven sounds awesome!

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    1. Maureen - I hope they will be! Thank you for stopping by!

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  16. I lost my way with the Stephanie Plum books, too, but I am always tempted when I see one. Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

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    1. Laurel-Rain - I may give the series another try, but it's not high on my list of books to read. Thank you for visiting!

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  17. I don't know any of your books! Fearless Fourteen does seem like a fun read though.

    Hope you had a good week.

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  18. I'm so excited for The Iron Raven. I'm hoping it'll work as a standalone series. I loved Julie Kagawa's original Iron Fey series, but it's been so long since I read it I'm not sure I'll remember much of it.

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    1. Ashley - I hope The Iron Raven will work as a standalone series as well. It'll make it easier if I just want to jump in with this one first. Thank you for stopping by!

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  19. I have the first book in the Stephanie Plum series and look forward to it, but you are not the first person to be burned out on the later books so I have a feeling I'll just read the one I have and be done. Hope you get a spark of interest to finish the ones from your shelves. :)

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    1. Sophia Rose - Yes, read the one you have and if you like it a lot, you can read more of the series if you want. Each book has its own mysteries and so you wouldn't have to worry about being left hanging if you decided to stop anywhere in the series. Thank you for visiting!

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  20. The Stephanie Plum series is such a fun read. I hope you love this one. :)

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  21. I used to inhale the Stephanie Plum series. I have read the first 10? or so books several times. But eventually, I also got burnt out. I do know that I made it past 14 though :) I hope you enjoy all of these!

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  22. I also used to read all the books in the Stephanie Plum series. I stopped for a while and then started again. I am up to 22, I think. I get them from the library when I need a light, fluffy laugh.

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    1. Carla - So does she ever decide between the two guys? LOL It is a fun series. Thank you for stopping by!

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  23. I'm trying to remember where I got to with the Stephanie Plum series. I'm thinking it was 8 or 9. I loved them and then just kind of forgot about them for some reason.

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    1. Katherine - It sounds like many of us are that same boat with this series! Thank you for visiting!

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  24. thanks for sharing. stephanie plum used to be a favorite of mine. now i find myself reading a lot of indies
    sherry @ fundinmental

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    1. Sherry - It sounds like a lot of us moved away from the series for other books. Thank you for stopping by!

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  25. I was such a fan of the Stephanie Plum series too but I gave up around book thirteen or so. I thought these had so much humor but the back and forth Ranger/Morelli thing got so old. I do miss Lula and Grandma Mazur though :)

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    1. Iliana - The Stephanie Plum books were always good for a laugh. I used to look forward to finding out if her car would blow up again with each book. Grandma Mazur! I adored her! Thank you for stopping by!

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  26. Rita - Hopefully they will be good!

    I agree. I think there are some series out there that would have benefited from an earlier ending.

    Thank you for visiting!

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