Musings of a Bookish Kitty

Saturday, February 01, 2020

Weekly Mewsings: Goodbye January (Finally!) & Hello February (Please Vote For My Next Read!)

I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz where participants discuss what they are reading and other bookish topics. I am linking up to Nicole of Feed Your Addiction's Monthly Wrap-Up Post, where any book bloggers who write monthly wrap-up posts can link up and visit other bloggers to see what they have been reading. I am linking to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Team Tynga's Reviews and Marlene of Reading Reality a meme in which participants share what new books came their way recently.

Last night I learned that Mary Higgins Clark has died. I met her and her daughter Carol several years ago at a book festival. She was such a warm and lovely woman. I remember thinking she reminded me of "everyone's grandma". You would never imagine she wrote suspense thriller novels. It has been years since I last read one of her books, but I read them all through my teens, college years, and well into my adulthood. She will be sorely missed.

New to the Shelves:

Finding this book has proven to be a bit of a challenge! I have wanted a copy since I first heard about it, but put off buying one too long. I finally found a used copy and it now has a place on my TBR shelf.

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker & Wendy Xu

A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft.

Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers' bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town.

One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any town home.

Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery. [Goodreads Summary]

And more gift card book buys:

Wolf Gone Wild (Stay a Spell #1) by Juliette Cross

What's the worst thing that can happen to a werewolf? Unable to shift for three months, Mateo Cruz knows all too well. His wolf has taken up residence in his head, taunting him night and day with vividly violent and carnal thoughts. Convinced he's cursed, he needs the help of a powerful witch before he literally goes insane.

Evie Savoie has always obeyed the house rules of her coven--no werewolves. They're known for being moody and volatile. So, when a distempered, dangerous werewolf strolls into the bar and almost strangles one of her late-night customers, she's ready to bounce him through the door. But the desperation in his eyes when he begs her to help him softens her heart and convinces her to bend the rules.

What Evie doesn't know is that Mateo's wolf has a mind of his own. And now that she's in his sights, he wants only one thing. Her. [Goodreads Summary]

Sweep with Me (Innkeeper Chronicles #4.5) by Ilona Andrews

Thank you for joining us at Gertrude Hunt, the nicest Bed and Breakfast in Red Deer, Texas, during the Treaty Stay. As you know, we are honor-bound to accept all guests during this oldest of innkeeper holidays and we are expecting a dangerous guest. Or several. But have no fear. Your safety and comfort is our first priority. The inn and your hosts, Dina Demille and Sean Evans, will defend you at all costs. [But we hope we don’t have to.]

Every winter, Innkeepers look forward to celebrating their own special holiday, which commemorates the ancient treaty that united the very first Inns and established the rules that protect them, their intergalactic guests, and the very unaware/oblivious people of [planet] Earth. By tradition, the Innkeepers welcomed three guests: a warrior, a sage, and a pilgrim, but during the holiday, Innkeepers must open their doors to anyone who seeks lodging. Anyone.

All Dina hopes is that the guests and conduct themselves in a polite manner. But what’s a holiday without at least one disaster? [Goodreads Summary]

Trouble on the Books (Castle Bookshop Mystery #1) by Essie Lang

Rookie bookstore owner Shelby Cox must hit the books to learn the ropes before she loses a killer in the stacks.

Shelby Cox never intended to become a bookseller, so when the former editor returns to her hometown of Alexandria Bay, nestled in upstate New York’s breathtaking Thousand Islands region, to take over her aunt’s bookstore, she has no idea what to expect. To her amazement, she discovers that she now owns a fifty-percent share in Bayside Books, and will also run the store’s second location in the majestic castle on nearby Blye Island.

But just as Shelby is gearing up for the start of the tourist season, the Castle volunteer coordinator is found murdered in the nearby Grotto. Castle caretaker Matthew Kessler is suspect number one, but Shelby thinks the killing may be connected to an earlier era, when violence among Prohibition-era smugglers was rampant in the region. As Shelby launches her own investigation, handsome and unnerving Special Agent Zack Griffin of the Coast Guard Investigative Services tries to quell her smuggling theory and keep her safe. But Shelby is determined to summon all her savvy as a book editor to plot the murder—and find the killer before he strikes again—in Trouble on the Books, Essie Lang’s clever and captivating series debut. [Goodreads Summary]

Bear Witness to Murder (Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear Mystery #2) by Meg Macy

As autumn air settles into the quaint small town of Silver Hollow, there’s nothing more popular than Sasha’s teddy bears—and murder in cold blood . . .

Silver Bear Shop and Factory manager Sasha Silverman is cozying up to the fall season by hosting Silver Hollow’s Cranbeary Tea Party, the opening event of the village’s Oktobear Fest—a too-cute celebration themed around teddy bears. She barely has a moment to agonize over the return of her former high school rival, Holly Parker, whose new toy and bookstore in town could spell big trouble for her the Silver Bear Shop and her cousin’s small bookstore . . .

But when Sasha discovers Holly’s shop assistant dead with a knife plunged in her body, the unpleasant woman suddenly looks like a real backstabber. So does Sasha’s ex-husband, rumored to have rekindled the fiery extramarital affair he once had with the victim. Now, before a gruesome homicide case takes the fun out of both the Fest and her personal life, Sasha must identify the true culprit from a daunting suspect list—or risk becoming as lifeless as one of her stuffed bears . . . [Goodreads Summary]

Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think? What books have you added to your shelves recently?

What I Am Reading: I am just over halfway through S.K. Dunstall's Stars Beyond and loving it. It is the second book in a science fiction series written by two sisters. I hope to finish it this weekend. I think the next book I pick up will be a romance or mystery. Maybe a little of both.

What I Am Watching: I watched the final episodes of The Good Place. Yes, I cried. What a fitting ending! I am not generally a fan of sitcoms, but this one was a bit different, and I loved it. I enjoy the show's charm and humor. It was also thought provoking. I have always adored Kristen Bell, and that was the initial draw of the show for me. I have really come to like and respect Jameela Jamil outside of the show as well as her character on the show. Heck, I love the entire cast. I am going to miss The Good Place. Thank goodness I can watch it again.

Off the Blog: January was one of the longest months ever. There were dark clouds hanging over most of the month. And not the kind of clouds you find in the sky. There were lots of tears and angst and a mix of other emotions. But there were some bright spots too. My friend and coworker who was suffering from colon cancer had surgery in early January, and the surgeon was able to remove all the cancer. She has to undergo one more surgery, but her prognosis is very good. My great aunt is home and doing well after her heart surgery.

Girl Scout cookie season kicked off last weekend and Mouse has her first booth sale tomorrow. I will be assisting. I am not sure how many people will be out and about on Super Bowl Sunday, but hopefully we can catch some of those last minute shoppers before the game.

Auditions for the summer ballet and musical my daughter's dance studio is putting on were held last Saturday. She auditioned for both, and the cast lists came out earlier in the week. My husband even made it onto the ballet cast list! Rehearsals started today. Another busy spring and summer, with us spending most of our time at the dance studio . . . I am not complaining though. I love our dance family.

Mouse was selected to participate in one of her school's coding clubs this winter, and she had her first class this past week. She had hoped to get into the music or art group, but it wasn't meant to be. She did get her third choice though, which was fashion. She's loving it so far.

Work has been busy. The new manager is settling in well, and so far so good. She seems like she will be a good fit. I attended a training one day this past week and have another coming up next week. It's a chance to get out of the office. I actually like trainings--as long as I don't have to do any role playing or too many group activities where I have to report out.

Here is what I finished reading in January:

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
The Secret Chapter (Invisible Library, #6) by Genevieve Cogman
Madeline's Christmas by Ludwig Bemelmans
Merry Moosey Christmas by Lynn Plourde
Amelia Bedelia's First Valentine by Herman Parish
An Easy Death (Gunnie Rose, #1) by Charlaine Harris
The Family Next Door by Fiona Cummins
A Longer Death (Gunnie Rose, #2) by Charlaine Harris
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead
Mr. Willowby's Christmas by Robert Barry
Curious George and the Puppies by Margret Rey & H.A. Rey
The Pout-Pout Fish Goes to School by Deborah Diesen
The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
I Am Rosa Parks by Brad Meltzer
Superfudge by Judy Blume

There were a number of children's books in there (most re-reads). I did read a nice amount all for myself as well though. I am loving Charlaine Harris's Gunnie Rose series, and I cannot get enough of the Invisible Library series. The Song of Achilles was as good as everyone said it was. The Family Next Door was a compelling read--definitely chilling! Mouse and I enjoyed reading Superfudge together, although I had to skip most of chapter 10 when reading to her (she may barely believe Santa is real, but she isn't to the point yet where she wants to crossover to the non-believer side).

I got off to a good blogging start this year. I am behind in commenting on blogs and responding to my own comments at the moment, but hopefully I will find time to catch up. I also need to find time to do more prep work for future posts. I have not had a chance to work on many of the reviews I owe you. I am considering whether I want to include them in my weekend posts, just as quick reviews, continue to review books on Fridays with the Friday memes I participate in, or review them separately. What have you found works best for you?

This Past January In Reading Mews:

Tell me what you have been up to! What are you reading, listening to and watching? How was your January? Do you have anything planned for this month?

Thank you for helping me decide what book from my TBR collection I should read next:

My TBR List is a meme hosted by the awesome Michelle at Because Reading. It’s a fun way to choose a book from your TBR pile to read. The 1st Saturday of every month, I will list 3 books I am considering reading and take a poll as to which you think I should read. I will read the winner that month, and my review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise).

I selected three books this month to celebrate Black History Month, and am putting it up to you to help me choose which one to read in February. All three of these books have been on my TBR shelf awhile, and have come highly recommended. Have you read any of them?

Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay

From the New York Times bestselling author of Bad Feminist: a searingly honest memoir of food, weight, self-image, and learning how to feed your hunger while taking care of yourself.

“I ate and ate and ate in the hopes that if I made myself big, my body would be safe. I buried the girl I was because she ran into all kinds of trouble. I tried to erase every memory of her, but she is still there, somewhere. . . . I was trapped in my body, one that I barely recognized or understood, but at least I was safe.”
In her phenomenally popular essays and long-running Tumblr blog, Roxane Gay has written with intimacy and sensitivity about food and body, using her own emotional and psychological struggles as a means of exploring our shared anxieties over pleasure, consumption, appearance, and health. As a woman who describes her own body as “wildly undisciplined,” Roxane understands the tension between desire and denial, between self-comfort and self-care. In Hunger, she explores her past—including the devastating act of violence that acted as a turning point in her young life—and brings readers along on her journey to understand and ultimately save herself.

With the bracing candor, vulnerability, and power that have made her one of the most admired writers of her generation, Roxane explores what it means to learn to take care of yourself: how to feed your hungers for delicious and satisfying food, a smaller and safer body, and a body that can love and be loved—in a time when the bigger you are, the smaller your world becomes. [Goodreads Summary]

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

A novel of breathtaking sweep and emotional power that traces three hundred years in Ghana and along the way also becomes a truly great American novel. Extraordinary for its exquisite language, its implacable sorrow, its soaring beauty, and for its monumental portrait of the forces that shape families and nations, Homegoing heralds the arrival of a major new voice in contemporary fiction.

Two half-sisters, Effia and Esi, are born into different villages in eighteenth-century Ghana. Effia is married off to an Englishman and lives in comfort in the palatial rooms of Cape Coast Castle. Unbeknownst to Effia, her sister, Esi, is imprisoned beneath her in the castle's dungeons, sold with thousands of others into the Gold Coast's booming slave trade, and shipped off to America, where her children and grandchildren will be raised in slavery. One thread of Homegoing follows Effia's descendants through centuries of warfare in Ghana, as the Fante and Asante nations wrestle with the slave trade and British colonization. The other thread follows Esi and her children into America. From the plantations of the South to the Civil War and the Great Migration, from the coal mines of Pratt City, Alabama, to the jazz clubs and dope houses of twentieth-century Harlem, right up through the present day, Homegoing makes history visceral, and captures, with singular and stunning immediacy, how the memory of captivity came to be inscribed in the soul of a nation.

Generation after generation, Yaa Gyasi's magisterial first novel sets the fate of the individual against the obliterating movements of time, delivering unforgettable characters whose lives were shaped by historical forces beyond their control. Homegoing is a tremendous reading experience, not to be missed, by an astonishingly gifted young writer. [Goodreads Summary]

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Raw, captivating, and undeniably real, Nic Stone joins industry giants Jason Reynolds and Walter Dean Myers as she boldly tackles American race relations in this stunning debut.

Justyce McAllister is top of his class and set for the Ivy League—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. And despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, he can't escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates. Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr. King to find out.

Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up—way up, sparking the fury of a white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. Justyce and Manny are caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it's Justyce who is under attack. [Goodreads Summary]

Thank you for voting! I hope you all have a wonderful week! Happy Reading!

© 2020, 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.

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Can't Wait to Read Wednesday: The Manual of Detection/The Illness Lesson/The Stars We Steal/Mercy House

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 Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry (Penguin Books, 2009)

Reminiscent of imaginative fiction from Jorge Luis Borges to Jasper Fforde yet dazzlingly original, The Manual of Detection marks the debut of a prodigious young talent. Charles Unwin toils as a clerk at a huge, imperious detective agency located in an unnamed city always slick with rain. When Travis Sivart, the agency's most illustrious detective, is murdered, Unwin is suddenly promoted and must embark on an utterly bizarre quest for the missing investigator that leads him into the darkest corners of his soaking, somnolent city. What ensues is a noir fantasy of exquisite craftsmanship, as taut as it is mind- blowing, that draws readers into a dream world that will change what they think about how they think. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read it: I came across this book in 2010, adding it to my TBR shelves. I am not sure who recommended it--if anyone--but I am sure I was drawn to the mystery/fantasy combination. It has gotten such a wide range of reviews from my Goodreads friends. I am curious to know which side I will come out on.

Have you read The Manuel of Detection? If so, what do you think? Does it sound 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.

The Illness Lesson by Clare Beams

Release Date: February 6, 2020 by Doubleday

The year is 1871. In Ashwell, Massachusetts, at the farm of Samuel Hood and his daughter Caroline, a mysterious flock of red birds descends. Samuel, whose fame as a philosopher has waned in recent years, takes the birds' appearance as an omen that the time is ripe for his newest venture. He will start a school for young women, guiding their intellectual development as he has so carefully guided his daughter's. Despite Caroline's misgivings, Samuel's vision--revolutionary, as always; noble, as always; full of holes, as always--takes shape.

It's not long before the students begin to manifest bizarre symptoms. Rashes, fits, headaches, verbal tics, night wanderings. In desperation, the school turns to the ministering of a sinister physician--based on a real historic treatment--just as Caroline's body, too, begins its betrayal. As the girls' conditions worsens, long-buried secrets emerge, and Caroline must confront the all-male, all-knowing authorities around her, the ones who insist the voices of the sufferers are unreliable. In order to save herself, Caroline may have to destroy everything she's ever known.

Written in intensely vivid prose and brimming with psychological insight, The Illness Lesson is a powerful exploration of women's bodies, women's minds, and the time-honored tradition of doubting both. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read it: I am very curious about this novel about a mysterious illness and a woman challenging the ol' all-male establishment!

The Stars We Steal by Alexa Donne

Release Date: February 4, 2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for Young Children

The Bachelorette goes to space in this gripping story about a young girl caught in a world of royal intrigue and lost love in her quest to save her family from ruin. Perfect for fans of Katharine McGee, Melissa de la Cruz, and Kiera Cass.

Engagement season is in the air. Eighteen-year-old Princess Leonie “Leo” Kolburg, heir to a faded European spaceship, has only one thing on her mind: which lucky bachelor can save her family from financial ruin?

But when Leo’s childhood friend and first love, Elliot, returns as the captain of a successful whiskey ship, everything changes. Elliot was the one who got away, the boy Leo’s family deemed to be unsuitable for marriage. Now he’s the biggest catch of the season and he seems determined to make Leo’s life miserable. But old habits die hard, and as Leo navigates the glittering balls of the Valg Season, she finds herself falling for her first love in a game of love, lies, and past regrets. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: I am intrigued! There's just something about second chance love in space.

Mercy House by Alena Dillon

Release Date: February 11, 2020 by William Morrow

A powerful debut novel of a refuge in Brooklyn for women in trouble—and the one woman who will risk all to protect them.

In the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn stands a century-old row house presided over by renegade, silver-haired Sister Evelyn. Gruff and indomitable on the surface, warm and wry underneath, Evelyn and her fellow sisters makes Mercy House a safe haven for the abused and abandoned.

Women like Lucia, who arrives in the dead of night; Mei-Li, the Chinese and Russian house veteran; Desiree, a loud and proud prostitute; Esther, a Haitian immigrant and aspiring collegiate; and Katrina, knitter of lumpy scarves… all of them know what it’s like to be broken by men.

Little daunts Evelyn, until she receives word that Bishop Robert Hawkins is coming to investigate Mercy House and the nuns, whose secret efforts to help the women in ways forbidden by the Church may be uncovered. But Evelyn has secrets too, dark enough to threaten everything she has built.

Evelyn will do anything to protect Mercy House and the vibrant, diverse women it serves—confront gang members, challenge her beliefs, even face her past. As she fights to defend all that she loves, she discovers the extraordinary power of mercy and the grace it grants, not just to those who receive it, but to those strong enough to bestow it. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read it: Everything about this synopsis makes me want to read this. This sounds like it will be an emotional and heartwarming read.

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

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Bookish Mewsings from the Poetry Corner: A Poem a Day

Option one of the Poetry Reading Challenge hosted by Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit is to subscribe to a Poem-a-Day service through the Academy of American Poets, read a poem a day over the course of a week, select a favorite and share some of my thoughts and feelings about it.

While I am not officially taking on option one, I thought it would be fun to check out the service and see what I thought. Keeping up with a poem a day evidently is harder than it sounds. At least for me. I wanted to be in a position where I could give each one my full attention, which was not always at the moment I was checking through my e-mails. The poems generally are not that long and can easily be fit into most anyone’s schedule. I may not have read a poem every day, but I did read them intermittently throughout the month, often several back to back. Some did not speak to me much at all sadly, while there were many I enjoyed, with a few that really resonated with me.

One of my favorite poems I read this month is called "I do not remember my own name" by Valerie Wetlaufer (author of Call Me by My Other Name). The first excerpt I am sharing took me back to when I was pregnant with my daughter and the changes my body would undergo.

In the wind, my name sounds like a vowel.
Everyone keeps asking what the baby will call me.

I find myself worrying about my nipples,
how their textures will change.

I love the imagery in this second excerpt from Wetlaufer's poem--how often as of late do I stumble over words or forget things? It could be stress, lack of sleep, or part of the aging process. And then . . . When I was younger, how I had big dreams, and now I am older, more aware of my limitations and flaws.

I’m losing language in my sleep.
I open my mouth, and words are plucked

from my tongue. Before I was broken,
I planned to inherit the garden.

I have no idea if any of my own interpretations of the poem is what the author had in mind, but that is part of the beauty of poetry. It means something different to each reader.

Another of the poems that I especially liked was "Remember the Boys" by Rachel McKibbens (author of blud), which was inspired by Christine Blasey Ford's testimony against Brett Kavanaugh. I think most women can relate to stories of boys being boys, where their behavior has been excused because they are, well, boys.

chucking rocks at the wasps’ nest,
their gathered hum then sudden sting
at the nape of my neck. Oh, how I paid—
still pay—for the recklessness
of boys. [...]

McKibbens then wonders what it would have been like if she had been born a boy, how much different her life might have been.

And then there is "Bird" by Niki Herd (author of The Language of Shedding Skin: Poems), which I found myself reading again and again. It opens with people stopping what they were doing while at a shopping center to see the many birds, the grackles, that seemed to be everywhere. From there, Herd takes us back to her childhood: her adoptive father standing, arms raised, two stories up, about to jump. He was a Vietnam War veteran, a hero, who also suffered from a mental illness and addiction. I always feel a bit of an affinity with other children of Vietnam War veterans, however different our lives and experiences may be. My own dad was a Vietnam War veteran, and his drug of choice was alcohol.

Let me tell you how a child learns the alphabet by counting,
how she learns only 2 letters separate the words hero and heroin,
how he stood high on the ledge of a porch the child never much
liked because there was a crack in its wooden center as if the world
was waiting to open its jaws to swallow her body whole.

I wish I could share the poem in its entirety so you can experience it more fully. I appreciated the feelings Herd's poem draws out of the reader, the story she has to tell, as well as the more technical aspects of the poem, including how she opens with the birds and ends her poem with them too, coming full circle.

[...] Eventually, lights
went dark in the shops and each watcher retraced their steps back
home
to find their families, to rejoice over food, to laugh and settle the night;
and the birds, steadfast they stood, not quite ready for flight—

A service like the Academy of American Poets' Poem-a-Day service a great way for poetry readers to get to know the names of contemporary poets and sample their work. I hope to check out all three of the above poets' work more closely, especially after visiting their websites and learning more about their work. These are three amazing women.

Each weekend, the poems that appear in my mailbox are by older long ago poets. I will close my sharing today's featured poem, "Souvenir" by Edna St. Vincent Millay, written in 1923:

Just a rainy day or two
In a windy tower,
That was all I had of you—
Saving half an hour.

Marred by greeting passing groups
In a cinder walk,
Near some naked blackberry hoops
Dim with purple chalk.

I remember three or four
Things you said in spite,
And an ugly coat you wore,
Plaided black and white.

Just a rainy day or two
And a bitter word.
Why do I remember you
As a singing bird?

Have you read any poetry lately that you would recommend? Do any of these poems sound like ones you would further like to explore?

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Books from the Backlog & Can't Wait Wednesday: The Dead Cat Bounce/Belle Révolte/Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line/The Body Under the Piano

The Old(er)

The Dead Cat Bounce (Home Repair is Homicide #1) by Sarah Graves (Bantam, 1997)

dead cat bounce n. Stock market jargon for a small, temporary rise in a stock's trading price after a sharp drop.
Since she bought her rambling old fixer-upper of a house, Jacobia Tiptree has gotten used to finding things broken. But her latest problem isn't so easily repaired. Along with the rotting floor joists and sagging support beams, there's the little matter of the dead man in Jake's storeroom, an ice pick firmly planted in his cranium.

Not much happens in her tiny Maine town, but that's about to change. Jake's unknown guest turns out to be a world-famous corporate raider, local boy turned billionaire Threnody McIlwaine. When Jake's best friend, quiet and dependable Ellie White, readily confesses to the murder, cops and journalists swarm into snowbound Eastport.

Jake smells a cover-up, and begins poking into past history between McIlwaine and Ellie's family. But someone doesn't like nosy neighbors...and Jake's rustic refuge may become her final resting place. [Goodreads Summary]

I purchased a copy of The Dead Cat Bounce in 2005 after reading about it in a bookish newsletter. I had heard good things about the author in an online book group I belonged to at the time, and decided to give the author a try. Only, I never actually read the book. Given my interest in cozy mysteries, I still think this is something I would enjoy.

Does this sound like something you would enjoy? Have you read anything by Sarah Graves? Have you tried this series? If so, what did you think?

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.

Belle Révolte by Linsey Miller

Release Date: 02/01/2020 by Sourcebooks Fire

Emilie des Marais is more at home holding scalpels than embroidery needles and is desperate to escape her noble roots to serve her country as a physician. But society dictates a noble lady cannot perform such gruesome work.

Annette Boucher, overlooked and overworked by her family, wants more from life than her humble beginnings and is desperate to be trained in magic. So when a strange noble girl offers Annette the chance of a lifetime, she accepts.

Emilie and Annette swap lives—Annette attends finishing school as a noble lady to be trained in the ways of divination, while Emilie enrolls to be a physician’s assistant, using her natural magical talent to save lives.

But when their nation instigates a frivolous war, Emilie and Annette must work together to help the rebellion end a war that is based on lies. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: This high fantasy YA novel caught my interest because I enjoy stories where characters swap lives. And I love the cover!

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by by Deepa Anappara

Release Date: 02/04/2020 by Random House

In this transporting debut novel, three friends venture into the most dangerous corners of a sprawling Indian city to find their missing classmate.

Down market lanes crammed with too many people, dogs, and rickshaws, past stalls that smell of cardamom and sizzling oil, below a smoggy sky that doesn’t let through a single blade of sunlight, and all the way at the end of the Purple metro line lies a jumble of tin-roofed homes where nine-year-old Jai lives with his family. From his doorway, he can spot the glittering lights of the city’s fancy high-rises, and though his mother works as a maid in one, to him they seem a thousand miles away. Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line plunges readers deep into this neighborhood to trace the unfolding of a tragedy through the eyes of a child as he has his first perilous collisions with an unjust and complicated wider world.

Jai drools outside sweet shops, watches too many reality police shows, and considers himself to be smarter than his friends Pari (though she gets the best grades) and Faiz (though Faiz has an actual job). When a classmate goes missing, Jai decides to use the crime-solving skills he has picked up from TV to find him. He asks Pari and Faiz to be his assistants, and together they draw up lists of people to interview and places to visit.

But what begins as a game turns sinister as other children start disappearing from their neighborhood. Jai, Pari, and Faiz have to confront terrified parents, an indifferent police force, and rumors of soul-snatching djinns. As the disappearances edge ever closer to home, the lives of Jai and his friends will never be the same again.

Drawing on real incidents and a spate of disappearances in metropolitan India, Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line is extraordinarily moving, flawlessly imagined, and a triumph of suspense. It captures the fierce warmth, resilience, and bravery that can emerge in times of trouble and carries the reader headlong into a community that, once encountered, is impossible to forget. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: Deepa Anappara delves into the horror and tragedy of disappearing children, based on real events. This sounds like it will be an unforgettable and emotional read.

The Body Under the Piano (Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen #1) by Marthe Jocelyn, illustrated by Isabelle Follath

Release Date: 02/04/2020 by Tundra Books

A smart and charming middle-grade mystery series starring young detective Aggie Morton and her friend Hector, inspired by the imagined life of Agatha Christie as a child and her most popular creation, Hercule Poirot. For fans of Lemony Snicket and The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency.

Aggie Morton lives in a small town on the coast of England in 1902. Adventurous and imaginative but deeply shy, Aggie hasn't got much to do since the death of her beloved father . . . until the fateful day when she crosses paths with twelve-year-old Belgian immigrant Hector Perot and discovers a dead body on the floor of the Mermaid Dance Room! As the number of suspects grows and the murder threatens to tear the town apart, Aggie and her new friend will need every tool at their disposal -- including their insatiable curiosity, deductive skills and not a little help from their friends -- to solve the case before Aggie's beloved dance instructor is charged with a crime Aggie is sure she didn't commit.

Filled with mystery, adventure, an unforgettable heroine and several helpings of tea and sweets, The Body Under the Piano is the clever debut of a new series for middle-grade readers and Christie and Poirot fans everywhere, from a Governor General's Award--nominated author of historical fiction for children. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: I want to read more middle grade fiction and this sounded like a fun historical mystery.

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

Monday, January 20, 2020

Top Ten Tuesday: The Ten Most Recent Additions to My Bookshelf

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana at The Artsy Reader Girl.

My Top Ten Tuesday topic is the The Ten Most Recent Additions to My Bookshelf. Gift cards to a bookstore can make the best gifts for a booklover like me. I most recently got the following that have been lingering on my wish list (the photos are linked to the Goodreads page for each book):