Waiting to Read Wednesday (#20)

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 Awakening of Ren Crown (Ren Crown, #1) by Anne Zoelle (2012)

In a world where layers of magic create worlds on top of our own, a girl desperately hunts an elixir for death. Through the hallowed halls—and criminal underworld—of the magic world's most elite institution, time and glittering evil stalk her steps.

Animated creations, enchanted gadgets, and marvelous machines vie with the students themselves: mischievous engineers, diabolical tacticians, battle-hardened warriors, and terrifying roommates. But even amidst an eclectic and powerful student body, there is something off about Ren's magic...and the wrong people have started to notice.

Where art comes alive and the bonds of destiny are forged, Ren will find the answer to who and what she is.

A secret inside a secret world.

The series: The Ren Crown series is a New Adult and College Fantasy series that deals with art magic, magical science, and technology. The Awakening of Ren Crown is the start of an epic adventure featuring a protagonist who would rather be diligently working in her lab than saving (or ending) the world -- but who will do anything to protect her family and friends. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this one: I am not sure how long this has been sitting on my Nook bookshelf or even how I came to find it. I enjoy reading fantasy and the school setting is definitely appealing. The protagonist sounds like my kind of person.  

*

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.

A Dangerous Duet by Karen Odden

Release Date: November 6, 2018 by William Morrow

This dazzling new Victorian mystery from USA Today bestselling author Karen Odden introduces readers to Nell Hallam, a determined young pianist who stumbles upon the operations of a notorious—and deadly—crime ring while illicitly working as the piano player in a Soho music hall. Perfect for readers of Tasha Alexander, Anne Perry, and Deanna Raybourn.

Nineteen-year-old Nell Hallam lives in a modest corner of Mayfair with her brother Matthew, an inspector at Scotland Yard. An exceptionally talented pianist, she aspires to attend the Royal Academy; but with tuition beyond their means, Nell sets out to earn the money herself—by playing piano in a popular Soho music hall. And the fact that she will have to disguise herself as a man and slip out at night to do it doesn’t deter her.

Spending evenings at the Octavian is like entering an alternate world, one of lively energy, fascinating performers, raucous patrons—and dark secrets. And when Nell stumbles upon the operations of an infamous crime ring working in the shadows of the music hall, she is drawn into a conspiracy that stretches the length of London. To further complicate matters, she has begun to fall for the hall owner's charismatic son, Jack, who has secrets of his own.

The more Nell becomes a part of the Octavian’s world, the more she risks the relationships with the people she loves. And when another performer is left for dead in an alley as a warning, she realizes her future could be in jeopardy in more ways than one. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: As you may know, I have a soft spot for historical mysteries and this one appeals to me on many levels. From the crime ring to Nell having to disguise herself as a man--you know I can't resist that!

Pulp by Robin Talley

Release Date: November 13, 2018 by Harlequin Teen

In 1955, eighteen-year-old Janet Jones keeps the love she shares with her best friend Marie a secret. It’s not easy being gay in Washington, DC, in the age of McCarthyism, but when she discovers a series of books about women falling in love with other women, it awakens something in Janet. As she juggles a romance she must keep hidden and a newfound ambition to write and publish her own story, she risks exposing herself—and Marie—to a danger all too real.

Sixty-two years later, Abby Zimet can’t stop thinking about her senior project and its subject—classic 1950s lesbian pulp fiction. Between the pages of her favorite book, the stresses of Abby’s own life are lost to the fictional hopes, desires and tragedies of the characters she’s reading about. She feels especially connected to one author, a woman who wrote under the pseudonym “Marian Love,” and becomes determined to track her down and discover her true identity.

In this novel told in dual narratives, New York Times bestselling author Robin Talley weaves together the lives of two young women connected across generations through the power of words. A stunning story of bravery, love, how far we’ve come and how much farther we have to go. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: This dual time line novel sounds like a novel that is not to be missed. I want to know more about Janet and Abby and hear their stories.

Do any of these books appeal to you? Have you read them?

---

© 2018, 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.