Where Is Your Bookmark: A peek into Exes and O's & A Couple (more) Upcoming Releases I Can't Wait to Read

A weekly meme where readers share the first sentence of the book they are reading and say what they think. Hosted by the amazing Gillion Dumas of Rose City Reader.

You know your day is going swimmingly when you've been projectile vomited on and someone stole your Greek yogurt from the staff room refrigerator. And it's only seven in the morning. [opening lines from Exes & O's]

A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Hosted by the wonderful Freda of Freda's Voice.

I've written My Life Would Totally Succ Without You across the top of the card in faux calligraphy. This card screams friend-zone. A least, I thought it did. Technically, I've made the eyes tiny hearts. Under Angie's critical eye, I'm now paranoid Trevor will mistake it for a declaration of love, which is the last thing I need. [excerpt from 56% in Exes & O's]

At the moment, my bookmark is in Amy Lea's Exes and O's, a romcom after the romance reader's heart. I am just over half way finished with the novel and look forward to finishing it soon. That opening line is an attention grabber, isn't it? As to the Friday 56 excerpt, I think a card like that could have gone either way--until the heart eyes . . . 

A romance novel–obsessed social media influencer revisits her exes on her hunt for true love in this romantic comedy from the author of Set On You.

Romance-novel connoisseur Tara Chen has had her heart broken ten times by ten different men--all of whom dumped her because of her "stage-five clinger" tendencies. Nevertheless, Tara is determined to find The One. The only problem? Classic meet-cutes are dead thanks to modern dating apps. So Tara decides to revisit her exes in hopes of securing her very own trope-worthy second-chance romance.

Boston firefighter Trevor Metcalfe will be the first to rush into a burning building but the last to rush into a relationship. Love just isn't his thing. When his new roommate Tara enlists him to help her reconnect with her exes, he reluctantly agrees. But Tara's journey is leading him to discover his own new chapter.

The more time they spend together, the more Tara realizes Trevor seems to be the only one who appreciates her authentic, dramatic self. To claim their happily-ever-after, can Tara and Trevor read between the lines of their growing connection? [Goodreads Summary]

Does this sound like a book you would enjoy? 

Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

Are there any new books you are excited to read this year? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

 

So many! I actually posted a list of ten for this week's Top Ten post, which I hope you will check out. Here are a few I did not mention previously but which recently caught my attention.

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig (June 6, 2023) 

For readers of Outlawed, Piranesi, and The Night Tiger, a riveting, roaring adventure novel about a legendary Chinese pirate queen, her fight to save her fleet from the forces allied against them, and the dangerous price of power.

When Shek Yeung sees a Portuguese sailor slay her husband, a feared pirate, she knows she must act swiftly or die. Instead of mourning, Shek Yeung launches a new plan: immediately marrying her husband's second-in-command, and agreeing to bear him a son and heir, in order to retain power over her half of the fleet.

But as Shek Yeung vies for control over the army she knows she was born to lead, larger threats loom. The Chinese Emperor has charged a brutal, crafty nobleman with ridding the South China Seas of pirates, and the Europeans-tired of losing ships, men, and money to Shek Yeung's alliance-have new plans for the area. Even worse, Shek Yeung's cutthroat retributions create problems all their own. As Shek Yeung navigates new motherhood and the crises of leadership, she must decide how long she is willing to fight, and at what price, or risk losing her fleet, her new family, and even her life.

A book of salt and grit, blood and sweat, Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea is an unmissable portrait of a woman who leads with the courage and ruthlessness of our darkest and most beloved heroes. [Goodreads Summary]

 

 Episode Thirteen by Craig DeLouie (January 24, 2023)

A ghost-hunting reality TV crew gain unprecedented access to an abandoned and supposedly haunted mansion, which promises a groundbreaking thirteenth episode, but as they uncover the secret history of the house, they learn that “reality” TV might be all too real — in Bram Stoker Award nominated author Craig DiLouie's latest heart pounding novel of horror and psychological suspense.

Fade to Black is the newest hit ghost hunting reality TV show. It’s led by husband and wife team Matt and Claire Kirklin and features a dedicated crew of ghost-hunting experts.

Episode Thirteen takes them to Matt's holy grail: the Paranormal Research Foundation. This crumbling, derelict mansion holds secrets and clues about the bizarre experiments that took place there in the 1970s. It's also, undoubtedly, haunted, and Matt hopes to use their scientific techniques and high tech gear to prove it.

But, as the house begins to slowly reveal itself to them, proof of an afterlife might not be everything Matt dreamed of.

A story told in broken pieces, in tapes, journals, correspondence, and research files, this is the story of Episode Thirteen — and how everything went horribly wrong. [Goodreads Summary]

 

A Witch's Guide to Fake-Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley (March 7, 2022)

Mariel Spark knows not to trust a demon, especially one that wants her soul, but what’s a witch to do when he won’t leave her side—and she kind of doesn’t want him to?

Mariel Spark is prophesied to be the most powerful witch seen in centuries of the famed Spark family, but to the displeasure of her mother, she prefers baking to brewing potions and gardening to casting hexes. When a spell to summon flour goes very wrong, Mariel finds herself staring down a demon—one she inadvertently summoned for a soul bargain.

Ozroth the Ruthless is a legend among demons. Powerful and merciless, he drives hard bargains to collect mortal souls. But his reputation has suffered ever since a bargain went awry—if he can strike a bargain with Mariel, he will earn back his deadly reputation. Ozroth can’t leave Mariel’s side until they complete a bargain, which she refuses to do (turns out some humans are attached to their souls).

But the witch is funny. And curvy. And disgustingly yet endearingly cheerful. Becoming awkward roommates quickly escalates when Mariel, terrified to confess the inadvertent summoning to her mother, blurts out that she’s dating Ozroth. As Ozroth and Mariel struggle with their opposing goals and maintaining a fake relationship, real attraction blooms between them. But Ozroth has a limited amount of time to strike the deal, and if Mariel gives up her soul, she’ll lose all her emotions—including love—which will only spell disaster for them both. [Goodreads Summary]

 

Block Party by Jamie Day (July 18, 2023)

On the night of the annual Summer block party, the Meadowbrook community Facebook page lights up with posts reporting sirens descending on the desirable and exclusive cul-de-sac neighborhood on Alton Road. Bit by bit, the comments trickle in, some taking pleasure in their neighbors’ misfortune and others showing concern. The truth eventually comes out. It's not an accident, or a drowning, or a fire, as some had predicted. For the first time in forty years, there's been a murder in Meadowbrook.

The residents of Alton Road—The Fox family, the core of the neighborhood but each with secrets of their own; the Adair Family, the seemingly perfect all-American family; the Thompson Family, on the brink of an explosive divorce; The Kumars, the mysterious "new neighbors"; Brooke Bailey, the "Black Widow"; and Gus Fisher, the quirky salesman— are entangled in a web of secrets and scandal unbeknownst to the outside world and even each other.

Who was murdered at the block party? Who committed the murder? And why? As the night unfolds, the residents will discover that the real danger lies within their own block and nothing—and no one—is ever as it seems. Propulsive and layered, THE BLOCK PARTY will keep you guessing until the very last page. [Goodreads Summary]

 

Do any of these books interest you? What new book are you looking forward to reading? 

 I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading!

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© 2023 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.

Can't Wait to Read Wednesday: Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun / A Courage Undimmed / The Terror

The New

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by the marvelous Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight upcoming release we are excited about that we have yet to read.

Elle Cosimano's Finlay Donovan is so much fun! I cannot wait to read the next installment in the series. 

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun (#3) by Elle Cosimano

(Minotaur Books; January 31, 2023)

Author and single mom Finlay Donovan has been in messes before―after all, she's a pro at removing bloodstains for various unexpected reasons―but none quite like this. When Finlay and her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero accidentally destroyed a luxury car that they had "borrowed" in the process of saving the life of Finlay's ex-husband, the Russian mob did her a favor and bought the car for her. And now Finlay owes them.

Mob boss Feliks is still running the show from behind bars, and he has a task for Finlay: find and identify a contract killer before the cops do. The problem is, the killer might be an officer themself.

Luckily, hot cop Nick has just been tasked with starting up a citizen's police academy, and combined pressure from Finlay's looming book deadline and Feliks is enough to convince Finlay and Vero to get involved. Through firearm training and forensic classes (and some hands-on research with a tempting detective), Finlay and Vero use their time in police academy to sleuth out the real contract killer to free themselves from the mob's clutches―all the while dodging spies, confronting Vero's past, and juggling the daily trials of parenthood. [Goodreads Summary]

Ian Fleming, a séance, murder, and a pigeoneer! I am intrigued already! 

A Courage Undimmed (Olive Bright Mystery #3) by Stephanie Graves

(Kensington, January 31, 2023)  

British pigeoneer Olive Bright is proud of the role her racing birds have played in the war effort and has hopes of becoming an agent herself . . . but first there is a baffling murder to solve.

As the weather turns bitterly cold in the dark days of November 1941, fewer pigeons are being conscripted for missions into occupied Europe and Olive fears her covert program may be dropped altogether. In fact, the new CO of the Baker Street intelligence operation at Brickendonbury Manor, Major Blighty, has expressed his doubts regarding her birds--not to mention Olive herself--and assigned her to a far more insignificant role: escort to a visiting officer of the Royal Navy Intelligence Special Branch.

She's none too keen on her assignment or her charge--the aloof and arrogant Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming--but the last place she expects to accompany him is to a séance. Self-proclaimed medium Velda Dunbar--new to the village of Pipley--has drawn fascination and skepticism after a very public channeling of a doomed seaman aboard the HMS Bartholomew, which she claims has sunk. Fleming remains tight-lipped about his reason for attending her séance, but his arrival with Olive raises eyebrows as she is still maintaining the ruse of dating Captain Jameson Aldridge. When murder occurs before her very eyes, Olive must trust her own instincts and not rule out anyone as a suspect--including the secretive Fleming--for one of them is harboring a hidden deadly agenda. [Goodreads Summary]

Does either of these books interest you? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to reading?

The Old(er) 

Carole of Carole's Random Life in Books has given me the perfect excuse to spotlight those unread books on my TBR in her Books from the Backlog feature, reminding me what great books I have waiting for me under my own roof still to read!

In going through some of my bigger TBR books I came across The Terror by Dan Simmons. It may not be my usual type of read, but I was drawn to it nonetheless. It comes highly recommended and it still appeals to me. So maybe this year will be its year? 

The Terror by Dan Simmons (2007)

The men on board HMS Terror have every expectation of triumph. As part of the 1845 Franklin Expedition, the first steam-powered vessels ever to search for the legendary Northwest Passage, they are as scientifically supported an enterprise as has ever set forth. As they enter a second summer in the Arctic Circle without a thaw, though, they are stranded in a nightmarish landscape of encroaching ice and darkness. Endlessly cold, with diminishing rations, 126 men fight to survive with poisonous food, a dwindling supply of coal, and ships buckling in the grip of crushing ice. But their real enemy is far more terrifying. There is something out there in the frigid darkness: an unseen predator stalking their ship, a monstrous terror constantly clawing to get in.

When the expedition's leader, Sir John Franklin, meets a terrible death, Captain Francis Crozier takes command and leads his surviving crewmen on a last, desperate attempt to flee south across the ice. With them travels an Inuit woman who cannot speak and who may be the key to survival, or the harbinger of their deaths. But as another winter approaches, as scurvy and starvation grow more terrible, and as the terror on the ice stalks them southward, Crozier and his men begin to fear that there is no escape.

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

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© 2023, 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.

Top Ten Tuesday: My Top Ten Books Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2023

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

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic is my Top Ten Books Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2023. There are so many to choose from! These are among the most tempting to me right now. 

City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita

Release Date: January 10, 2023

A stranded detective tries to solve a murder in a tiny Alaskan town where everyone lives in a single high-rise building, in this gripping debut by an Academy Award–nominated screenwriter.

When a local teenager discovers a severed hand and foot washed up on the shore of the small town of Point Mettier, Alaska, Cara Kennedy is on the case. A detective from Anchorage, she has her own motives for investigating the possible murder in this isolated place, which can be accessed only by a tunnel.

After a blizzard causes the tunnel to close indefinitely, Cara is stuck among the odd and suspicious residents of the town—all 205 of whom live in the same high-rise building and are as icy as the weather. Cara teams up with Point Mettier police officer Joe Barkowski, but before long the investigation is upended by fearsome gang members from a nearby native village.

Haunted by her past, Cara soon discovers that everyone in this town has something to hide. Will she be able to unravel their secrets before she unravels? [Goodreads Summary]

The Book Spy by Alan Hlad

Release Date: January 24, 2023

Based on the true story of the heroic librarian spies of WWII who hunted down crucial intelligence throughout Europe, this thrilling espionage tale from the internationally bestselling author of The Long Flight Home is perfect for fans intrigue-packed historical fiction by authors such as Kate Quinn, Marie Benedict, and Pam Jenoff.

1942: With the war’s outcome hanging in the balance, every sliver of intelligence can be critical. Though far from the battlefields, cities like Lisbon, Portugal’s neutral capital, become lynchpins in a different kind of warfare, as President Roosevelt sends an unlikely new taskforce on a unique mission. They are librarians and microfilm specialists trained in espionage, working with a special branch of the Office of Strategic Services. By acquiring and scouring Axis newspapers, books, technical manuals, and periodicals, the librarians can gather information about troop location, weaponry, and military plans.

Maria Alves, a microfilm expert working at the New York Public Library, is dispatched to Lisbon, where she meticulously photographs publications and sends the film to London to be analyzed. Working in tandem with Tiago Soares, a brave and honorable bookstore owner on a precarious mission of his own—providing Jewish refugees with forged passports and visas—Maria acquires vital information, including a directory of arms factories in Germany.

But as she and Tiago grow closer, any future together is jeopardized when Maria’s superiors ask her to pose as a double agent, feeding misinformation to Lars Steiger, a wealthy Swiss banker and Nazi sympathizer who launders Hitler’s gold. Gaining Lars’ trust will bring Maria into the very heart of the Fuhrer’s inner circle. And it will provide her with a chance to help steer the course of war, if she is willing to take risks as great as the possible rewards . . . [Goodreads Summary]

Not Your Ex's Hexes by April Asher

Release Date: February 7, 2023

In April Asher’s next Supernatural Singles novel, Not Your Ex's Hexes, a one-night-stand between a willful witch and a broody half-demon conjures an adventure that wouldn’t be complete without several magical mishaps.

For her entire life, Rose Maxwell trained to become the next Prima on the Supernatural Council. Now that she’s stepped down, it’s time for this witch to focus on herself. And not think about her impulsive one-night stand with Damian Adams, a half-Demon Veterinarian who she can’t get out of her head. Neither of them is looking for a relationship. But when Rose is sentenced to community service at Damian’s animal sanctuary it becomes impossible for them to ignore their sparking attraction. A friends-with-benefits, no feelings, no strings arrangement works perfectly for them both.

After a sequence of dead-end jobs, it’s not until Rose tangos with two snarly demons that she thinks she’s finally found her path. However, this puts Damian back on the periphery of a world he thought he left behind. He doesn’t approve of Rose becoming a Hunter, but if there's one thing he's learned about the stubborn witch, it was telling her not to do something was one sure-fire way to make sure she did.

Working—and sleeping—together awakens feelings Damian never knew he had...and shouldn't have. Because thanks to his ex's hex, if he falls in love, he'll not only lose his heart—but his humanity. [Goodreads Summary]

Black Candle Women by Diane Marie Brown

Release Date: March 7, 2023

Generations of Montrose women—Augusta, Victoria, Willow—have lived together in their quaint two-story bungalow in California for years. They keep to themselves, never venture far from home, and their collection of tinctures and spells is an unspoken bond between them.

But when seventeen-year-old Nickie Montrose brings home a boy for the first time, their quiet lives are thrown into disarray. For the other women have been withholding a secret from Nickie that will end her relationship before it’s even begun: the decades-old family curse that any person they fall in love with dies.

For each member of the household, revealing this truth to Nickie also means reckoning with their own past choices and mistakes. And as new questions about long-held family beliefs emerge, the women are set on a collision course dating back to a voodoo shop in 1950s New Orleans’s French Quarter—where a hidden story in a mysterious book may just hold the answers they seek in life and in love… [Goodreads Summary]

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Release Date: March 14, 2023

A lonely shopkeeper takes it upon herself to solve a murder in the most peculiar way in this captivating mystery by Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties.

Vera Wong is a lonely little old lady--ah, lady of a certain age--who lives above her forgotten tea shop in the middle of San Francisco's Chinatown. Despite living alone, Vera is not needy, oh no. She likes nothing more than sipping on a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy detective work on the Internet about what her Gen-Z son is up to.

Then one morning, Vera trudges downstairs to find a curious thing--a dead man in the middle of her tea shop. In his outstretched hand, a flash drive. Vera doesn't know what comes over her, but after calling the cops like any good citizen would, she sort of . . . swipes the flash drive from the body and tucks it safely into the pocket of her apron. Why? Because Vera is sure she would do a better job than the police possibly could, because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands. Vera knows the killer will be back for the flash drive; all she has to do is watch the increasing number of customers at her shop and figure out which one among them is the killer.

What Vera does not expect is to form friendships with her customers and start to care for each and every one of them. As a protective mother hen, will she end up having to give one of her newfound chicks to the police? [Goodreads Summary]

The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner

Release Date: March 21, 2023

From the author of the sensational bestseller The Lost Apothecary comes a spellbinding tale about truth, illusion and the grave risks women will take to avenge the ones they love.

May mercy be upon the man who finds himself the enemy of a vengeful medium…

1873. At an abandoned château on the outskirts of Paris, a dark séance is about to take place, led by acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire. Known worldwide for her talent in conjuring the spirits of murder victims to ascertain the identities of the people who killed them, she is highly sought after by widows and investigators alike.

Lenna Wickes has come to Paris to find answers about her sister’s death, but to do so, she must embrace the unknown and overcome her own logic-driven bias against the occult. When Vaudeline is beckoned to England to solve a high-profile murder, Lenna accompanies her as an understudy. But as the women team up with the powerful men of London’s exclusive Séance Society to solve the mystery, they begin to suspect that they are not merely out to solve a crime, but perhaps entangled in one themselves… [Goodreads Summary]

Rubicon by J.S. Dewes

Release Date: March 28, 2022 

Sergeant Adrienne Valero wants to die. She can't.

After enduring a traumatic resurrection for the ninety-sixth time, Valero is reassigned to a special forces unit and outfitted with a cutting-edge virtual intelligence aid. They could turn the tide in the war against intelligent machines dedicated to the assimilation, or destruction, of humanity.

When her VI suddenly achieves sentience, Valero is drawn into the machinations of an enigmatic major who’s hell-bent on ending the war—by any means necessary. [Goodreads Summary]

Happy Place by Emily Henry

Release Date: April 25, 2023

A couple who broke up months ago make a pact to pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t.

They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.

Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.

Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week…in front of those who know you best? [Goodreads Summary]

Scarlet by Genevieve Cogman

Release Date: May 9, 2023 

A thrilling reinvention of the tale of The Scarlet Pimpernel with the addition of magic and even more mayhem.

In Revolutionary France, the aristocrats are vampires – and they face the guillotine. However, the Scarlet Pimpernel, a disguised British noble, is determined to rescue them. These predators are being offered sanctuary by their aristocratic British kin, but at great cost to London’s ordinary people. Then an English maid discovers the only power that could stop them. Assuming she survives.

Scarlet is the first book in the trilogy, set during the turbulent French Revolution, and featuring all of Genevieve Cogman’s trademark wit and fast-paced plotting. It’s perfect for fans of The Invisible Library series, Kim Newman and Gail Carriger.[Goodreads Summary]

Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See

Release Date: June 6, 2023

The latest historical novel from New York Times bestselling author Lisa See, inspired by the true story of a woman physician from 15th-century China—perfect for fans of See’s classic Snowflower and the Secret Fan and The Island of Sea Women.

According to Confucius, “an educated woman is a worthless woman,” but Tan Yunxian—born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and loneliness—is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the Four Examinations—looking, listening, touching, and asking—something a man can never do with a female patient.

From a young age, Yunxian learns about women’s illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purpose—despite the prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with it—and they vow to be forever friends, sharing in each other’s joys and struggles. No mud, no lotus, they tell themselves: from adversity beauty can bloom.

But when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling and from helping the women and girls in the household. Yunxian is to act like a proper wife—embroider bound-foot slippers, pluck instruments, recite poetry, give birth to sons, and stay forever within the walls of the family compound, the Garden of Fragrant Delights.

How might a woman like Yunxian break free of these traditions, go on to treat women and girls from every level of society, and lead a life of such importance that many of her remedies are still used five centuries later? How might the power of friendship support or complicate these efforts? Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is a captivating story of women helping other women. It is also a triumphant reimagining of the life of a woman who was remarkable in the Ming dynasty and would be considered remarkable today. [Goodreads Summary]

Tell me what your most anticipated book releases are the first half of this year!

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© 2023, 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.

Weekly Mews: A Rainy Start to January

I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer and The Sunday Salon (TSS) hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz  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 It's Monday! What Are you Reading? hosted by Kathryn of Book Date where readers talk about what they have been, are and will be reading.

I am linking up Stacking the Shelves hosted by Marlene of Reading Reality a meme in which participants share what new books came their way recently.  

Rain! I am loving all this rain. There's a little reprieve this weekend, but another storm is on it's way. All this rain will not get rid of the drought, but it will help. My uncle up in Northern California posted photos on Facebook of the damage in his part of the state. As much as I like the rain, I do not like the destruction it is causing or the lives the flooding has taken. I feel for all of you who are dealing with inclement weather and hope you are staying safe and warm. 

The first week of the new year was fairly uneventful. Mouse started back to school last Monday (it made the local news even--ours was evidently the only district in the area to send kids back to school on a national holiday--there were quite a few disgruntled parents). Work picked up towards the end of the week. I have a feeling it will be back to being crazy busy this coming week. 

I finally have a new desk! I still don't have my own desk in the office (I desk share with other supervisors), but at least when I am working from home, I will have a desk that will hopefully not require me to use a TV tray on the side. Mouse, Anjin and I plan to dedicate time tomorrow to putting the desk together and getting it in place. 

At the moment, my house is filled with the sound of giggles and chatter. Mouse has a couple of friends over to play. We took them out for lunch earlier and put them to work helping carry boxes of book donations to the local library. We couldn't fit all the boxes in the car this trip and so will have to make another trip next weekend. 

I am experimenting with my weekend post format, trying to decide what content I want to include and where. In my dream blogging world, I would have full monthly features for Poetry Corner, Mouse's Corner, and On the Spinner Rack, but, truth be told, that isn't my reality right now. Family, work, and other commitments and interests all get a share of my time. I know many, if not all of you, can relate. Besides, I am not sure I want to review all the manga and graphic novels (On the Spinner Rack) or poetry (Poetry Corner) I read.  If I decide a full review is in order, I will do a separate post. My darling husband, Anjin, created the headers for me. He is way more tech savvy than I am! 

I lean more toward being a monogamous reader, but sometimes I take on more than one book at a time. What I am not: a fast or prolific reader--at least not compared to many of you. My confidence though was given a boost recently when I came across this on Google (because random information that pops up on my phone when I'm doing a search about which big books would make good year long reads is so noteworthy): 

The average number of books read is much less than 33, at least in the U.S. The number 33 is based on the average speed a person reads per Lenstore's online reading quiz (Lenstore is a British contact lens company with which I have no affiliation). It isn't based on how many books a person actually reads, but literally how much you can read. According to last year's Gallup Poll, American adult readers are averaging about 12.6 books (in all formats: print, e-books, and audio books) a year. Evidently the number of non-readers hasn't changed much over the years, but the amount of books readers read has gone down. Ultimately though, it is not about how much we read, but how much we get out of it what we are hoping to. 

Anyway, I went off on a tangent, didn't I? Back to being a monogamous reader. Or not, as the case may be at the moment. 

What I am reading: 

A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab (Fantasy)

Exes & O's by Amy Lea (Romance)

Dreyer's English by Benjamin Dreyer (Nonfiction)

My TBR List is 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 let you vote for my next read during that month. My review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise). 

I could use your help deciding which book to read next! Which of these three books do you think I should read next? Have you read any of them? If so, what did you think? 

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams (2021)

An unforgettable and heartwarming debut about how a chance encounter with a list of library books helps forge an unlikely friendship between two very different people in a London suburb.

Widower Mukesh lives a quiet life in the London Borough of Ealing after losing his beloved wife. He shops every Wednesday, goes to Temple, and worries about his granddaughter, Priya, who hides in her room reading while he spends his evenings watching nature documentaries.

Aleisha is a bright but anxious teenager working at the local library for the summer when she discovers a crumpled-up piece of paper in the back of To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s a list of novels that she’s never heard of before. Intrigued, and a little bored with her slow job at the checkout desk, she impulsively decides to read every book on the list, one after the other. As each story gives up its magic, the books transport Aleisha from the painful realities she’s facing at home.

When Mukesh arrives at the library, desperate to forge a connection with his bookworm granddaughter, Aleisha passes along the reading list… hoping that it will be a lifeline for him too. Slowly, the shared books create a connection between two lonely souls, as fiction helps them escape their grief and everyday troubles and find joy again. [Goodreads Summary]

Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks by Annie Spence (2017)

A Gen-X librarian's snarky, laugh-out-loud funny, deeply moving collection of love letters and break-up notes to the books in her life.

Librarians spend their lives weeding--not weeds but books! Books that have reached the end of their shelf life, both literally and figuratively. They remove the books that patrons no longer check out. And they put back the books they treasure. Annie Spence, who has a decade of experience as a Midwestern librarian, does this not only at her Michigan library but also at home, for her neighbors, at cocktail parties—everywhere. In Dear Fahrenheit 451, she addresses those books directly. We read her love letters to The Goldfinch and Matilda, as well as her snarky break-ups with Fifty Shades of Grey and Dear John. Her notes to The Virgin Suicides and The Time Traveler’s Wife feel like classics, sure to strike a powerful chord with readers. Through the lens of the books in her life, Annie comments on everything from women’s psychology to gay culture to health to poverty to childhood aspirations. Hilarious, compassionate, and wise, Dear Fahrenheit 451 is the consummate book-lover's birthday present, stocking stuffer, holiday gift, and all-purpose humor book. [Goodreads Summary]

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew J. Sullivan (2017)

When a bookshop patron commits suicide, his favorite store clerk must unravel the puzzle he left behind. Lydia Smith lives her life hiding in plain sight. A clerk at the Bright Ideas bookstore, she keeps a meticulously crafted existence among her beloved books, eccentric colleagues, and the BookFrogs.....the lost and lonely regulars who spend every day marauding the store’s overwhelmed shelves.

But when Joey Molina, a young, beguiling BookFrog, kills himself in the bookstore’s upper room, Lydia’s life comes unglued. Always Joey’s favorite bookseller, Lydia has been bequeathed his meager worldly possessions. Trinkets and books; the detritus of a lonely, uncared for man. But when Lydia flips through his books she finds them defaced in ways both disturbing and inexplicable. They reveal the psyche of a young man on the verge of an emotional reckoning. And they seem to contain a hidden message. What did Joey know? And what does it have to do with Lydia?

As Lydia untangles the mystery of Joey’s suicide, she unearths a long buried memory from her own violent childhood. Details from that one bloody night begin to circle back. Her distant father returns to the fold, along with an obsessive local cop, and the Hammerman, a murderer who came into Lydia’s life long ago and, as she soon discovers, never completely left. [Goodreads Summary]

Thank you for voting!

Iliana of Bookgirl's Nightstand mentioned having read A Nature Poem for Every Night of the Year edited by Jane McMorland Hunter this past year, and I liked the idea enough to get my own copy. It is one of those books that I can read through every year if I want to. The book is described as a "calming collection of nature poems to help you relax and unwind at the end of every day."

I almost think Sara Coleridge's poem, "The Months", which is the January 2nd poem, would have been a good one to start off the collection given it is sort of an ode to all the months:

January brings the snow,

Make our feet and fingers glow.

But ultimately, I agree with the editor's choice to begin with "Tapestry Trees" by William Morris. It sets the perfect tone for the start of the year: 

Oak.

I am the Roof-tree and the Keel;

I bridge the seas for woe and weal.

I like to read poetry out loud and this one reads well with its rhyming couplets, each of which opens with a different type of tree and touches on the different seasons within some of the descriptions. Perhaps my favorite from the Morris's poem:

Pear-tree.

High o're the mead-flowers' hidden feet

I bear aloft my burden sweet.

So far I have enjoyed all the poems. I read about the four seasons of life in "Sonnet: The Human Seasons" by John Keets, which is a moving poem. There is also John Greenleaf's Whittier's "A Dream of Summer" which I imagine many of you in colder climates would appreciate right about now. Shakespeare makes an appearance with "Sonnet 60".  I may not be a fan of his plays, but I do enjoy his poetry.

I will leave you with an excerpt from Friday's poem, "Not so Far as the Forest" by Edna St. Vincent Millay:

The sun sets in a cloud 

And is not seen.  

Beauty, that spoke aloud, 

Addresses now only the remembering ear. 

The heart begins here 

To feed on what has been.

I am in between graphic novels and manga at the moment. Next up on my TBR are Guts by Reina Telgemeiger (which my daughter handed me last month and told me I needed to read) and Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 10 by Kamome Shirahama (my daughter's already read it because she called first dibs). Will I get to them this coming week? I am not sure, but I will try. 

For Christmas this year, I accidentally got Mouse the second and third light novel versions of My Happy Marriage, thinking I was getting the manga versions. Anjin recommended I get the first light novel for her because sometimes the telling of a story doesn't line up exactly between the two book types. And so she ended up with the first three light novel versions (and I've pre-ordered the 2nd volume of the manga version which comes out next week). Mouse recently finished the first volume of of the light novel, My Happy Marriage by Akumi Agitogi, illustrated by Tsukiho Tsukioka. Mouse said it was more detailed than the manga version, just as exciting, and she liked them both about the same. 

Mouse is currently reading the 8th book in Shannon Messenger's Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Legacy. She described the series as "dramatic and intense". I told her I was thinking of giving the series a try and she warned me it is filled with drama, which I might not like. Anjin's response was, "Have you seen the types of books your mom reads?" I think there is some fear on her part that I won't like her favorite series if I do read it. 

Mouse recently found a gift card from her birthday last year she didn't realize she had. She went crazy spending it on manga she wasn't able to find at our local bookstores. She's anxiously awaiting that package to arrive next week. 

New to my shelves:

Bad Girls Drink Blood (Blood Fae Druid #1) by S.L. Choi (because of Carole)

A Nature Poem for Every Night of the Year edited by Jane McMorland Hunter (because of Iliana)

What new books made it onto your shelf recently? 

I have been watching lots of Grey's Anatomy. I just finished season 8. It's a good show to have on in the background as I blog and respond to comments. I have long passed the season where I stopped watching the show when it initially aired, although I know parts of what happens in later seasons thanks to various news and gossip sources. Avoiding the spoilers was not possible. As a family, we watched the last episode of the first season of Spy x Family. I like the anime, but I much prefer it in its original manga form. 

What have you watched recently?

This Past Week In Reading Mews

• A Year in Review: 2022 (And Looking Ahead)
• Top Ten Tuesday: My Top Ten Books Favorite Books of 2022
• Can't Wait to Read Wednesday: The Game is a Footnote / Independence / Dreyer's English

I hope you have a great week! Let me know what you have been reading!

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