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? 

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© 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.

Bookish Mewsings from the Poetry Corner: A Poem a Day

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.   

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?

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© 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.

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) 

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 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? 

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© 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.

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):

Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything 

by Lydia Kang & Nate Pedersen

Book Love by Debbie Tung

I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of The Reading Life by Anne Bogel

Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper

Monstress, Volume Three: Haven by Marjorie M. Liu, illustrated by Sana Takeda

Monstress, Volume Four: The Chosen by Marjorie M. Liu, illustrated by Sana Takeda

Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dreyer

Romanov by Nadine Brandes (e-book)

The Sixth Victim (Constance Piper Mystery #1) by Tessa Harris (e-book)

 Find Me Their Bones (Bring Me Their Hearts #2) by Sara Wolf (e-book)

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

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© 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.

Weekly Mews from Mouse's Corner: Unicorn Food

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.








My daughter loves everything unicorn related. She was very excited when she unwrapped this particular gift on Christmas morning: Unicorn Food: Rainbow Treats and Colorful Creations to Enjoy and Admire by Cayla Gallagher.

Mouse loves to bake and went through the book as soon as she could, bookmarking all the pages of recipes she would like to try. Which, let's be honest, was pretty much all of them. Over the holiday break, she and her grandmother tried a couple of the recipes out. While they did not turn out exactly as originally designed, my mom and Mouse added their own personal touches. I did not get photos of the Gummy Bear Ice Pops--which in Mouse's version included lifesaver gummies. But I did get a photo of their Lollipop Cookie Pops, which they renamed Rainbow Cookie Pops for obvious reasons. They turned out to be very yummy!

Lollipop Cookie Pops aka Rainbow Cookie Pops 

(Mouse and her Grandmother's version)

Lollipop Cookie Pops (book version)

Mouse and I have been through the book a couple of times and she is looking forward to making many other unicorn treats. Here is a small sampling of some of the other goodies in the book (including the Gummy Bear Ice Pops). So many of them look fun and promise to be tasty!

Do you have a favorite unique cookbook? 

Currently Reading: 

Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star (Dork Diaries #3) by Rachel Renée Russell

 Superfudge by Judy Blume

Pippi Longstocking (#1) by Astrid Lindgren, translated by Florence Lamborn, illustrated by Louis S. Glanzman

What are you reading, listening to, and watching?  I hope you have a great weekend! Happy Reading!

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© 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.

Where Is Your Bookmark? (Featuring The Family Next Door by Fiona Cummins)

I started and finished reading my January TBR List winner, An Easy Death by Charlaine Harris this week, and also have been reading a domestic thriller called The Family Next Door by Fiona Cummins. The Family Next Door is titled The Neighbour in other countries where it has been published. While both titles fit the book, I am not sure why it was necessary to change it just for the American version. Americanizing the spelling of "neighbour" to "neighbor" would have been easier. But what do I know?

For Sale: Lovely family home, ready for your updates. Friendly neighborhood setting close to park; secluded.

If not for the bodies discovered in the woods behind their new home, Garrick and Olivia Lockwood couldn't have afforded to buy number 25 The Avenue. It's the fresh start they and their two children badly need. Soon, these terrible crimes will be solved, they tell themselves, and once Garrick has remodeled, he's confident they'll sell the house for a profit.

But the darkest secrets can reside on quiet, ordinary streets like this--behind the doors of well-kept houses and neighbors' friendly faces. Secrets that can destroy a family, or savagely end a life, and will surface just when they're least expected . . .[Goodreads Summary]

I tend to avoid books involving serial killers these days, but I find it hard to resist a novel involving secrets, especially in the setting of an entire neighborhood. The Family Next Door follows several of the neighborhood characters, and, from what I have read so far, it seems like most have something to hide.

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

From the Prologue:

Saturday 20th July 1985, 3:00 P.M.

18 The Avenue

GRAND REOPENING

AND 

PUPPET SHOW TODAY

At first, the children were laughing. 

The snap of crocodile teeth. A ballerina in a tutu tripping over her feet. The painted cheeks of a policeman out his breath.

The limbs of the puppets jerked with a peculiar sort of grace, and the Doll & Fancy Dress Emporium echoed with the sound of merry voices and a promise of new beginnings. 

Chapter 1:

Now

Every killing has a taste of its own.

My thoughts: That first sentence in the prologue offers a hint of foreboding before going on to paint a pleasant scene. And then there's the opening of the first chapter, which sends chills down my spine.

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'm always up for some fun." She cringed inwardly but the reaction from the boys was instantaneous. 

Charlie's face broken open in surprise and he saluted her, a new respect in his eyes. Bailey squeezed her hand, hot breath in her ear, "I knew you were one of us."

Only Marco shook his head slowly, naked disappointment on his face.  [excerpt from 56%]

My thoughts: I am only about 25% into the novel and have not yet reached this point. I can only imagine what trouble these kids are planning. Aster, the "she" in this scene, is the new kid on the block and it is obvious she isn't completely up for whatever Charlie and Bailey have in mind.

Does this sound like something you would enjoy reading?
Which cover do you like better? 

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© 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.

Books from the Backlog & Can't Wait Wednesday: I'm Not Scared/The Book of Candlelight/The Lost Book of Adana Moreau/Shall We Dance?

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!

One of the first bloggers I followed when I began blogging 13 1/2 years ago was Kimberly Forrester aka Kimbofo of Reading Matters. She was using Typepad at the time. In 2007, She featured a book called I'm Not Scared by Niccolò Ammaniti. You can find her review here. Her review was enough to convince me to buy a copy and add it to my TBR pile. It is also one of those books that I feel like I have to be in the right mood for. It sounds like a heart-wrenching and thought provoking book.

I'm Not Scared by Niccolò Ammaniti, translated by Jonathan Hunt
(Anchor, 2001)

In this immensely powerful, lyrical and skillfully narrated novel, set in southern Italy, nine year-old Michele discovers a secret so momentous, so terrible, that he daren’t tell anyone about it. 

The hottest summer of the twentieth century. A tiny community of five houses in the middle of wheat fields. While the adults shelter indoors, six children venture out on their bikes across the scorched, deserted countryside.

In the midst of that sea of golden wheat, nine year-old Michele Amitrano discovers a secret so momentous, so terrible, that he daren’t tell anyone about it. To come to terms with it he will have to draw strength from his own imagination and sense of humanity. The reader witnesses a dual story: the one that is seen through Michele's eyes, and the tragedy involving the adults of this isolated hamlet.  [Goodreads Summary]

Does this sound like something you would like to read? Have you read it? 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.

The Book of Candlelight (Secret, Book, & Scone Society #3) by Ellery Adams

Release Date: 01/28/2020 by Kensington

In the new Secret, Book, and Scone Society novel from New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams, the rain in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, has been relentless—and a flood of trouble is about to be unleashed . . .

As the owner of Miracle Books, Nora Pennington figures all the wet weather this spring is at least good for business. The local inns are packed with stranded travelers, and among them Nora finds both new customers and a new friend, the sixtysomething Sheldon, who starts helping out at the store.

Since a little rain never hurt anyone, Nora rides her bike over to the flea market one sodden day and buys a bowl from Danny, a Cherokee potter. It’ll make a great present for Nora’s EMT boyfriend, but the next day, a little rain turns into a lot of rain, and the Miracle River overflows it banks. Amid the wreckage of a collapsed footbridge, a body lies within the churning water.

Nora and the sheriff both doubt the ruling of accidental drowning, and Nora decides it’s time for the Secret, Book, and Scone Society to spring into action. When another body turns up, it becomes clearer that Danny’s death can’t be blamed on a natural disaster. A crucial clue may lie within the stone walls of the Inn of Mist and Roses: a diary, over a century old and spattered with candle wax, that leads Nora and her friends through a maze of intrigue—and onto the trail of a murderer . . . [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: Yet another series I have yet to start, but really want to. I had better hurry up before too many more books come out! I love the idea of this cozy mystery series. 

The Lost Book of Adana Moreau by Michael Zapata

Release Date: 02/04/2020 by Hanover Square Press

The mesmerizing story of a Latin American science fiction writer and the lives her lost manuscript unites decades later in post-Katrina New Orleans.

In 1929 in New Orleans, a Dominican immigrant named Adana Moreau writes a science fiction novel titled Lost City. It is a strange and beautiful novel, set in a near future where a sixteen-year-old Dominican girl, not all that unlike Adana herself, searches for a golden eternal city believed to exist somewhere on a parallel Earth. Lost City earns a modest but enthusiastic readership, and Adana begins a sequel. Then she falls gravely ill. Just before she dies, she and her son, Maxwell, destroy the only copy of the manuscript.

Decades later in Chicago, Saul Drower is cleaning out his dead grandfather’s home when he discovers a mysterious package containing a manuscript titled A Model Earth, written by none other than Adana Moreau.

Who was Adana Moreau? How did Saul’s grandfather, a Jewish immigrant born on a steamship to parents fleeing the aftershocks of the Russian Revolution, come across this unpublished, lost manuscript? Where is Adana Moreau’s mysterious son, Maxwell, a theoretical physicist, and why did Saul’s grandfather send him the manuscript as his final act in life? With the help of his friend Javier, Saul tracks down an address for Maxwell in New Orleans, which is caught at that moment in the grip of Hurricane Katrina. Unable to reach Maxwell, Saul and Javier head south through the heartland of America toward that storm-ravaged city in search of answers.

Blending the high-stakes mystery of The Shadow of the Wind, the science fiction echoes of Exit West, and the lyrical signatures of Bolaño and Márquez, Michael Zapata’s debut shines a breathtaking new light on the experiences of displacement and exile that define our nation. The Lost Book of Adana Moreau is a brilliantly layered masterpiece that announces the arrival of a bold new literary talent. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: How could I not want to read this?! Layer upon layer of mystery and intrigue! I have so many questions I need answers just reading this synopsis. 

Shall We Dance? (Dance With Me #1) by Shelley Shepard Gray

Release Date: 01/28/2020 by Blackstone Publishing

At twenty-seven, Shannon Murphy has just discovered that she has two sisters she never knew. Now, through Shannon's loving persistence, the three of them are moving in together above her dance studio in Bridgeport. Shannon is excited to make a home with her sisters and to grow her budding business. Then she meets her newest client--he has all the right muscles, a perfect smile, and a lot of attitude. Will Shannon be able to keep things professional with this charming stranger?

Dylan Lange has a lot on his mind. He's just been assigned a new partner at his job with the Bridgeport Police, and while he's busy striving to protect and serve his town, he's also trying to keep his baby sister out of harm's way while she heals from her own trauma. And on top of everything else, he's gone and lost a bet with his buddies, forcing him to take dance lessons. But when he walks into the dance studio to meet his instructor, a young and beautiful brunette with a sweet southern drawl is the last person he expected to find.

Get ready to fall in love again as Shelley Shepard Gray takes us back to Bridgeport, Ohio, where nobody gets left behind and a powerful community helps ordinary men and women to find extraordinary strength inside themselves. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: So I admit my initial interest in this novel had everything to do with the cover featuring a ballerina. It does sound like a sweet story. The dance studio aspect doesn't hurt. I am looking forward to giving this one a try.

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

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 © 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.

Six Degrees of Separation: Daisy Jones & the Six to On the Come Up

Six Degrees of Separation is a monthly link-up hosted by Kate of Books Are My Favourite and Best in which our lovely host chooses a book and participants take it from there: creating a chain of books, each connected to the one before. Seeing where we end up is half the fun! 

I have missed participating in Six Degrees of Separation and am hoping to take part more consistently this year. Sometimes the titles come easily to me, and other times I know what direction I want to go and have to do a little research. While I try to use books I have read, that isn’t always the case. If it is a book I haven’t read, I choose books that are at least on my wish list or TBR mountain.

This month’s featured book is Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, which I hadn't heard of until recently when it began popping up on so many favorite books lists for 2019. Set in the 1960’s and 1970’s, this novel tells the story of Daisy and Billy and their rise to fame in a rock band.

However loosely, I immediately thought of Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity about Rob who cannot keep a girlfriend for long and who escapes into pop music, works in a record store, and is still stuck on his last ex, Laura. The closest I have come to reading Nick Hornby is reading a couple of his essays, but I have long wanted to read this particular book. I even have a copy on my TBR shelf! From what I have read about Rob, he sounds like someone many of us can relate to, even if not his exact circumstances. At the very least, I can appreciate his love for music.

Record shops can make for great settings, especially for meeting possible love interests. It worked out that way for Natasha and Daniel in The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon. Daniel is an all-around good guy. He does his best to live up to his parents high expectations, but at heart, this Korean-American boy is a poet, something his parents do not understand. Natasha, on the other hand, is all about science and facts. Her family is in the United States illegally and facing deportation to Jamaica if she cannot find an attorney to help them. The two of them seem an unlikely match, especially under the circumstances, but sometimes opposites do attract. I adored this novel and Natasha and Daniel.

The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez also features an immigrant family. Natasha in The Sun is Also a Star really knows no other life than her life in America, much like that of Mayor in The Book of Unknown Americans. The Riveras have come to the United States from Mexico so their daughter, Maribel, can get better care after a near-fatal accident that left her with a brain injury. Maribel and Mayor, her neighbor form a friendship that evolves into something more over the course of the novel. The author gives the reader a glimpse into the struggles immigrant families have in terms of adapting to a new culture, finding a place in society, and the prejudices and obstacles they may face as a result. It is an emotional read, and one I highly recommend.

It may seem quite the leap to go from The Book of Unknown Americans to RaeAnne Thayne’s Coming Home For Christmas, but both share protagonists who have suffered brain injuries. I read the latter just this past fall. Elizabeth is in a terrible car crash that leaves her with memory loss and other health issues. She has been separated from her family for seven years, them not knowing whether she is alive or dead and her afraid to reach out to them. Now that her husband has found her, she and he have a lot of healing to do. Whether that means they renew their relationship or move on from there is just one of the decisions they face. RaeAnne Thayne is one of my favorite romance authors, and this one did not disappoint.

A car accident irrevocably changed Elizabeth’s life in Coming Home For Christmas, and it was a car accident that claimed the life of Mia’s family and has left her in limbo in If I Stay by Gayle Forman. Over the course of the novel, Mia reflects on her once perfect life and must decide whether she wants to continue to live or would rather die. It is a beautifully told story, that is both heartbreaking and inspiring. Music was a big part of Mia’s life and plays a large part in this young adult novel.

Which is why I am ending with On the Come Up by Angie Thomas, a novel about a sixteen year old girl who is hoping to become a famous rapper one day. Given all the obstacles Bri faces, it looks like it will be an uphill battle, but she is determined to reach the top on her own terms. I love the sound of this book and am looking forward to eventually reading it.

It seems fitting to end the chain which began with a novel about a legendary (fictional) rock band with one about an up and coming young star. Like the first and last books, all of the books in between involve characters who are facing what at times may seem like insurmountable odds.

Whew. That was a bit like putting together a puzzle. It is fun to do, and I hope you will consider participating if you haven’t before!

Have you read any of these books?

[February's featured book is Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. Come play along!]

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© 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.

Weekly Mews: World Disasters & My January TBR List Winner

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. 

On Monday I sent a reluctant Mouse off to school and spent much of the school day doing laundry and working on my blog, trying to get ahead. I did not make as much progress as I hoped, but I did make some. So that's something. It was back to work on Tuesday. My new manager took the supervisor team out for lunch, which was a nice and rare treat. Mandatory overtime has started up again at my husband's workplace. It seems to be the norm this time of year. Hopefully it will not last long. The rest of the week was pretty routine. Mouse is back to her dance classes. Unfortunately the Girl Scout meeting was cancelled due to too much illness going around. It worked out for me though because it made the transition back to our regular routine a little easier than if we'd jumped back in with both feet first.

What I Am Reading: I am eager to start this month's TBR List Poll winner. I am nearly finished with Genevieve Cogman's The Secret Chapter, which I am enjoying very much. I finished my first book of the year, The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. It definitely deserves all the praise my fellow bloggers have given it.

What I Am Watching: I am still making my way through The Vampire Diaries. I am about halfway through the second season. There is much I had forgotten about the early seasons of the show. We have also been watching a lot of Disney+, catching up on all the princess movies (all thanks to Mouse).

Listening To: Nothing at the moment. I do hope to start an audiobook this week. That's the plan anyway.

Worried About: Those facing the seemingly never-ending fires in Australia and everyone impacted by the earthquakes in Puerto Rico. A friend, who also is one of Mouse's former Girl Scout leaders, and her family live in Puerto Rico and have been sharing photos and reports of the damage caused and the current situation there. Some still haven't recovered from the devastating Hurricane Maria. To go from that and then seeing the damage and lives lost (animals included) in Australia, is just heartbreaking.

Closer to home, I am worried about my Great Aunt who had surgery last Tuesday to have an aortic aneurysm removed. She's being tested for pneumonia after they found fluid in her lungs yesterday. My mom is staying with her and her aunt's partner (who has early stage Alzheimer's) for a few weeks to help when her aunt gets home from the hospital.  I  also am worried about a friend who is fighting colon cancer. She had her first surgery last weekend (two more to go) and is doing well. This is just the start of her treatment. A coworker of mine (we've worked together for over 15 years) is suffering from acute leukemia of the bones and blood, and undergoing treatment for that. Prayers or healing thoughts are appreciated.

Grateful For: My friend in Puerto Rico who has raised over $1200 to help her community, especially those in desperate need of aid. I am grateful for her as well as all the other Good Samaritans out there doing what they can to help. Also for the firefighters who are risking their lives and working long hours to save Australia. And those donating time and resources to help that cause as well.

It seems silly after such serious matters to add that I am  thankful for the sticky notes my daughter leaves around the house for me, reminding me she loves me. And yet I am so grateful for her kindness and love.

This Past Week In Reading Mews:

• Top Ten Tuesday: My Top 12 Most Anticipated Releases in the Next 6 Months
• Books from the Backlog & Can't Wait Wednesday: A Superior Death/Bitter Falls/Diamond City/Cartier's Hope
• Where Is Your Bookmark? (Once Upon a Bad Boy & 2020 Reading Challenges & Goals)

Tell me what you have been up to! What are you reading, listening to and watching? How was your week? 

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). 

Thank you to everyone who voted in this month's poll. I had four great choices I could not choose between, and I appreciate the help!

The Late Great Wizard (Wayward Mages, #1) by Sara Hanover came in 4th with 4 votes.
Spectacle (Spectacle, #1) by Jodie Lynn Zdrok came in 3rd with 6 votes.
Gilded Wolves (Gilded Wolves, #1) by Roshani Chokoshi came in 2nd with 9 votes.

 and the winner, with 11 votes, is . . .

An Easy Death (Gunnie Rose, #1) by Charlaine Harris

Set in a fractured United States, in the southwestern country now known as Texoma. A world where magic is acknowledged but mistrusted, especially by a young gunslinger named Lizbeth Rose. Battered by a run across the border to Mexico Lizbeth Rose takes a job offer from a pair of Russian wizards to be their local guide and gunnie. For the wizards, Gunnie Rose has already acquired a fearsome reputation and they’re at a desperate crossroad, even if they won’t admit it. They’re searching through the small border towns near Mexico, trying to locate a low-level magic practitioner, Oleg Karkarov. The wizards believe Oleg is a direct descendant of Grigori Rasputin, and that Oleg’s blood can save the young tsar’s life.
As the trio journey through an altered America, shattered into several countries by the assassination of Franklin Roosevelt and the Great Depression, they’re set on by enemies. It’s clear that a powerful force does not want them to succeed in their mission. Lizbeth Rose is a gunnie who has never failed a client, but her oath will test all of her skills and resolve to get them all out alive. [Goodreads Summary]

I hope you all have a wonderful week! Happy Reading!

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© 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.