Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #588: Field Guide for the Formerly Villainous by Autumn K. England

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher: STARDEW VALLEY meets STUDIO GHIBLI in a charming cozy fantasy about healing, redemption, and the subtle magic of simple living. Perfect for fans of Can't Spell Treason Without Tea and The Spellshop. Welcome home, weary traveler.

When Oaklin Nettlewood accidentally joined an evil world-ending cult, mind control magic forced them to do unspeakable things. Years later, the realm's heroes have finally saved the day, defeated the villain, and shattered the last remnants of the spell...leaving destruction in their wake. And so, with a spell-damaged memory and whole bushel of trauma, Oaklin escapes to a small farm on the edge of Mossley's Rest and swears an oath: After all the things they were forced to do with their magic, they will never use it again. Ever.

The no-nonsense ghost granny who lives in Oaklin's house has other ideas. As she coaxes Oaklin out of their shell and back into the world, they find companionship (a grumpy horse and a very good dog), friendship (a local bard and magical baker who should just kiss already), and tentative romance (a paladin-librarian who makes Oaklin's heart come alive for the first time in ages.) Magic even seems possible again—though strictly for foraging magical mushrooms and protecting the farm from bugs.

Healing comes in gentle waves, and Oaklin doesn't have to do it alone. So what does it mean when an inquisitor comes to town to hunt former cultists just as Oaklin begins to think that maybe, just maybe, they deserve a happy ending after all?

Field Guide for the Formerly Villainous is expected out June 2, 2026 from Poisoned Pen Press. This cover is from a special edition.

Why am I waiting on this book? Wondering how they accidentally joined a world-ending cult. I find the comparison with Studio Ghibli intriguing. And I love the idea of a paladin-librarian.

What book are you waiting on? Leave a note in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our ever growing TBR lists. Happy Reading!

Book Review: Wreck Your Heart by Lori Rader-Day

 

From the publisher: 

From award-winning author Lori Rader-Day, Wreck Your Heart is an engaging, “wisecracking and wonderful” crime novel with a big heart, about a country and midwestern singer out to catch her big break before family—or murder—wrecks everything.

Dahlia “Doll” Devine had the kind of hardscrabble beginning that could launch a thousand broken-hearted country songs, but now she’s the star of her own stage at McPhee’s Tavern. As part of Chicago’s—yes, Chicago’s—country music scene, Dahlia is an up-and-coming singer in spangles and boots of classic country tunes. Up and coming, that is, until her boyfriend Joey up and went, taking the rent money with him.

So Dahlia is back to square one, relying on Alex McPhee—again. Alex helped her out of a bad situation when she was a kid living rough with her mother. Now he’s part landlord, part band booster, all-around rescuer. It’s just that Dahlia wishes she didn’t keep giving him reasons to have to do it.

Just as Dahlia suspects she’s scraped rock bottom, the mother she hasn’t spoken to in twenty years shows up with something to say. The next morning, a distraught young woman arrives at the bar, asking after her missing mother—Dahlia's mother, too, even if the missing suburban PTA mom the girl describes sounds pretty different from the one who let Dahlia down all those years ago.

Though no one is using the word sister any time soon, Dahlia lets herself be drawn into reuniting the family that might have been hers. But when a body is discovered outside McPhee’s Tavern, the crime threatens not just the place Dahlia has made into a home, but everything she’s believed about her past, her dreams for the future, and the people she was just, maybe, beginning to let into her heart.

Wreck Your Heart by Lori Rader-Day was published January 6, 2026 by Minotaur Books.

My Thoughts: The characters were interesting, some more than others. Dahlia was probably the most interesting character in the book which is apt since it's a book about her. When the book starts, we see her at close to her lowest moment. She has been evicted because her boyfriend Joey disappeared with the rent money. She's carrying her belongings in a trash bag going back to Alex McPhee's Tavern. Her life after this point has its ups and downs. More downs than ups. Honestly I felt for her much of the time, but there were occasions where she came across to me as difficult and a little bratty. As the book progresses, the reader can see her changing. She grows emotionally.

Second most interesting character would be Alex McPhee. He is the neurodivergent owner and bartender of McPhee's Tavern. I thought that the author did a pretty good job of portraying him without hitting the audience over the head with his differences.

Plot wise, it's slow at first. When it picked up though, it kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next. The closer to the end, the faster the plot runs. I was rooting for Dahlia and her friends and family to come out alive at the end. The mysteries that drive the plot are varied. There's something for everyone.

I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars. Overall it is well-written. The characters are interesting. The plot moves once it gets going. I would recommend this mystery for people who like found family stories, a variety of mysteries, and diversity in the characters. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my opinions.

Book Review: King Sorrow by Joe Hill

 

From the publisher:

Arthur Oakes is a reader, a dreamer, and a student at Rackham College, Maine, renowned for its frosty winters, exceptional library, and beautiful buildings. But his idyll—and burgeoning romance with Gwen Underfoot—is shattered when a local drug dealer and her partner corner him into one of the worst crimes he can imagine: stealing rare books from the college library.

Trapped and desperate, Arthur turns to his closest friends for comfort and help. Together they dream up a wild, fantastical scheme to free Arthur from the cruel trap in which he finds himself. Wealthy, irrepressible Colin Wren suggests using the unnerving Crane journal (bound in the skin of its author) to summon a dragon to do their bidding. The others—brave, beautiful Alison Shiner; the battling twins Donna and Donovan McBride; and brainy, bold Gwen—don’t hesitate to join Colin in an effort to smash reality and bring a creature of the impossible into our world.

But there’s nothing simple about dealing with dragons, and their pact to save Arthur becomes a terrifying bargain in which the six must choose a new sacrifice for King Sorrow every year—or become his next meal.

King Sorrow by Joe Hill was published October 21, 2025 by William Morrow.

My Thoughts: When I started this book, I didn't realize that it was more than 800 pages long. By the time I found out, I was hooked on the characters and the plot and wanted to see what would happen. That desire to see what would happen next to the characters drove me to finish the whole book in a little over a week. For me, that's great. It had been a long time since I had read a Joe Hill novel. I had forgotten just how much of a master he is at grabbing your attention and keeping it. And that he has such a way with words.

The characters were interesting. There are 6 friends who are definitely individuals. My favorites would have to be Gwen and Arthur. I loved the way that they did the crossword puzzle together. There were other things, but their sweet feelings for each other shone through.

Plot and pace wise, the book is fantastic. It has momentum. And so much happens with and to the characters it keeps your attention. There is a huge twist at one point that was surprising to me, but it works. And while there are dragons, there are other fantastical creatures as well. This is definitely a dark story. Still, I would read it again if my TBR list wasn't so long. Who knows, I might reread it some day anyway.

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. The characters are real. There is plenty of action. The plot is interesting and well paced. If you have read and enjoyed Joe Hill, then this is a must read. Don't let the size deter you. You will want to finish it once you've started. It will get its talons into you and keep you reading to the end.

I borrowed my copy of King Sorrow from my local library. Check it out. You might love it too!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #587:Self-Help for Serial Killers byAsia Mackay

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher: In this rollicking sequel to A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage, two (mostly) reformed serial killers discover something more deadly than murder: living in suburbia.

This couple’s midlife crisis is murder . . . literally.

Hazel and Fox have it all: two children, a beautiful home, and a late-night habit of eliminating people who deserve it. Yet work-life balance is hard when you want to kill bad men but raise good kids.

With a school mum tyrant on Hazel's case, and Fox struggling with performance anxiety after a botched kill, things are spiraling. Therapy isn't helping, and bullet journaling has taken on a whole new meaning.

But when they accidentally draw a dangerous group to their doorstep, the couple must pull it together—and fast. Because surviving in suburbia is no longer just a challenge. Now it's a real fight for their family's lives.

And it turns out, self-help starts with staying alive.

Self-Help for Serial Killers by Asia Mackay is expected out June 16, 2026 from Bantam.

Why am I waiting on this book? Book one is already on my TBR. Book two sounds like what happens after the Happily Ever After. I haven't read book one yet, but I am liking the premise of book two. How do you do a job like that, keep it a secret, and raise kids in suburbia? 

What book are you waiting on? Leave a note about it in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our ever growing TBR lists. Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #586: Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the Publisher: From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes Nine Goblins, a tale of low fantasy and high mischief.

No one knows exactly how the Goblin War began, but folks will tell you that goblins are stinking, slinking, filthy, sheep-stealing, henhouse-raiding, obnoxious, rude, and violent. Goblins would actually agree with all this, and might throw in “cowardly” and “lazy” too for good measure.

But goblins don't go around killing people for fun, no matter what the propaganda posters say. And when a confrontation with an evil wizard lands a troop of nine goblins deep behind enemy lines, goblin sergeant Nessilka must figure out how to keep her hapless band together and get them home in one piece.

Unfortunately, between them and safety lies a forest full of elves, trolls, monsters, and that most terrifying of creatures…a human being.

Nine Goblins: A Tale of Low Fantasy and Mischief by T. Kingfisher is expected out January 20, 2026 from Tordotcom.

Why am I waiting on this book? This book intrigues me. It sounds like it will have humor and adventure. And T. Kingfisher is an excellent writer. I like the shift in perspective to the goblin's point of view.

What book are you waiting on?  Leave a note about it in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our ever growing TBR lists. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: King Sorrow by Joe Hill

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR! You can also just share what you are currently reading. We make it very easy to play along. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3! Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Ambrosia at the Purple Booker.

1: Grab your current read. 2: Open to a random page. 3: Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title and author so that other people can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teaser!

The dragon had been hunting people off Colin's Enemies List since 1990, five years now, and all of them had prayed for intercession, had suffered, bled, feared, and bargained with Jesus, Allah, and the stars. It always ended in fire. Allie didn't know how hard it would be to penetrate the scales slabbing King Sorrow's body, but she was quite certain that devout prayer bounced right off them. (page 326)

King Sorrow by Joe Hill was published October 1, 2025 by William Morrow. What have you been reading? Share it or a teaser in the comments. Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #585: Model Actress Whatever by Kim Newman

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher: From the acclaimed critic and award-winning author of Anno Dracula comes a bitingly satirical story of superheroism, soap opera and alternative reality -- for readers of Austin Grossman’s Soon I Will Be Invincible and George R.R. Martin’s Wild Cards.

When Chrissie Chambers (model actress whatever) discovers her soap opera character is about to be killed off, she finally stops dieting and discovers hitherto untapped supernatural abilities. Meanwhile, Chrissie’s aunt - former national heroine Lady Shade - goes missing. Afraid for Jasmine’s safety and itching to costume-up, Chrissie and her ghost-possessed best friend Loulee break into Devil’s Dyke, the asylum where Jasmine works as a therapist with the most dangerous cutthroats (supervillains) in Britain… only to find the inmates have taken over…  Chrissie debuts successfully as a cloak (superheroine), but who will become the arch-nemesis of Lady Shade II?

In Chrissie’s timeline, the Beatles didn’t split up and recorded a hallucinodelic album in 1972 – Never Mind (strictly, Never Mind the Beatles) – which literally changed the world. Set in an alternative 2020s London, this hugely entertaining, darkly humorous superhero tale is packed with Newman’s trademark wit, and comes with wickedly sharp edges.

Model Actress Whatever by Kim Newman is expected out May 12, 2026 from Titan Books.

Why am I waiting on this book? I love the idea that stopping dieting could give someone super powers. And I like the idea that she decides to use them for good as a "cloak." I wonder what her powers are and who her "cutthroat" will be. I like the idea of an alternate 2020s timeline. And I like that it's supposed to be "hugely entertaining" and full of "darkly humorous wit with wicked sharp edges."

What book are you waiting on?  Leave a note about it in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our ever growing TBR lists. Happy Reading!