Can't Wait to Read Wednesday: Georgie, All Along / Vampire Weekend/ VenCo / Speaker of the Lost

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.

I love to lose myself in stories like this--rediscovering oneself and finding love. I cannot wait to read this one!

Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn 

(Kensington; January 31, 2023)

In this heartfelt tale of one woman’s quest to reinvent herself, the acclaimed author of Love Lettering and Love at First delivers a poignant, witty reflection on how the hopes, dreams, and stories from our past shape our future . . .

Longtime personal assistant Georgie Mulcahy has made a career out of putting others before herself. When an unexpected upheaval sends her away from her hectic job in L.A. and back to her hometown, Georgie must confront an uncomfortable truth: her own wants and needs have always been a disconcertingly blank page.

But then Georgie comes across a forgotten artifact—a “friendfic” diary she wrote as a teenager, filled with possibilities she once imagined. To an overwhelmed Georgie, the diary’s simple, small-scale ideas are a lifeline—a guidebook for getting started on a new path.

Georgie’s plans hit a snag when she comes face to face with an unexpected roommate—Levi Fanning, onetime town troublemaker and current town hermit. But this quiet, grouchy man is more than just his reputation, and he offers to help Georgie with her quest. As the two make their way through her wishlist, Georgie begins to realize that what she truly wants might not be in the pages of her diary after all, but right by her side—if only they can both find a way to let go of the pasts that hold them back. 

Honest and deeply emotional, Georgie, All Along is a smart, tender must-read for everyone who’s ever wondered about the life that got away . . . [Goodreads Summary]

The author's name is enough to get my attention, but I am really curious about this vampire tale.

Vampire Weekend by Mike Chen 

(MIRA; January 31, 2023)

Being a vampire is far from glamorous...but it can be pretty punk rock.

Everything you've heard about vampires is a lie. They can't fly. No murders allowed (the community hates that). And turning into a bat? Completely ridiculous. In fact, vampire life is really just a lot of blood bags and night jobs. For Louise Chao, it's also lonely, since she swore off family ages ago.

At least she's gone to decades of punk rock shows. And if she can join a band of her own (while keeping her...situation under wraps), maybe she'll finally feel like she belongs, too.

Then a long-lost teenage relative shows up at her door. Whether it's Ian's love of music or his bad attitude, for the first time in ages, Louise feels a connection.

But as Ian uncovers Louise's true identity, things get dangerous--especially when he asks her for the ultimate favor. One that goes beyond just family...one that might just change everything vampires know about life and death forever. [Goodreads Summary]

Everything about this book book screams, "Read me!" 

VenCo by Cherie Dimaline

(William Morrow; February 7, 2023)

For fans of The Once and Future Witches and Practical Magic, comes an incredibly imaginative, highly anticipated new novel featuring witches, magic, and a road trip across America—from Cherie Dimaline, the critically acclaimed author of Empire of Wild.

Lucky St. James, a Métis millennial living with her cantankerous but loving grandmother Stella, is barely hanging on when she discovers she will be evicted from their tiny Toronto apartment. Then, one night, something strange and irresistible calls out to Lucky. Burrowing through a wall, she finds a silver spoon etched with a crooked-nosed witch and the word SALEM, humming with otherworldly energy.

Hundreds of miles away in Salem, Myrna Good has been looking for Lucky. Myrna works for VenCo, a front company fueled by vast resources of dark money.

Lucky is familiar with the magic of her indigenous ancestors, but she has no idea that the spoon links her to VenCo’s network of witches throughout North America. Generations of witches have been waiting for centuries for the seven spoons to come together, igniting a new era, and restoring women to their rightful power.

But as reckoning approaches, a very powerful adversary is stalking their every move. He’s Jay Christos, a roguish and deadly witch-hunter as old as witchcraft itself.

To find the last spoon, Lucky and Stella embark on a rollicking and dangerous road trip to the darkly magical city of New Orleans, where the final showdown will determine whether VenCo will usher in a new beginning…or remain underground forever. [Goodreads Summary]

Do any 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!

This found its way to my TBR shelf five years ago. The lure of an FBI Paranormal Squad was irresistible. It still is. Unfortunately, this one got lost amongst my other e-books (that ol' hidden library curse again). 

Speaker of the Lost (Lark Nation #1) by Clara Coulson (2017)

In a sleepy town in coastal Maine, a dangerous storm is brewing…

Stella Newport is the new kid on the block in the FBI’s Paranormal Squad. With three training missions left to ace and enough drive to nail them blindfolded, she’s well on her way to securing her place among the ranks of the elite agents known as “Larks.”

And then…Aurora, Michigan.

After magic practitioners brazenly destroy a massive convention center, supernatural crime rates surge across the United States. With the regional paranormal crime-fighting group—DSI—overtaxed, and the Paranormal Squad woefully short on manpower, Stella is pulled out of training early and shoved on a plane to a small New England town.

Her mission? To assist the infamously moody Oswald Bolton, known as the “Great and Terrible Oz,” with a complex murder investigation.

In the town of Bismuth, Maine, an ancient creature has come calling, and it’s up to Stella and Oz to unravel the myriad secrets of a tight-knit (and tight-lipped) community…before another head goes rolling and another body falls. [Goodreads Summary]

Have you read Speaker of Lost?  Does this book sound like something you would like to read? 

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