Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #624: The Southern Sorority of Superstitious Witches by Katie Ortiz

 

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 spellbinding Southern Gothic novel, three women weave together old Southern folklore and magic to fight sexism and educational discrimination in post–Civil War Alabama, perfect for fans of Hester Fox and Louisa Morgan.

When Lucille, Catherine, and Victoria are invited to participate in a trial semester for women at Alabama's most prestigious university, they each have their own reasons for accepting. Lucille wants freedom from both her father's control and reminders of her traitorous first love. Catherine wants to escape an arranged marriage meant to halt her attraction to women. And Victoria wants to run from the guilt that haunts her after the death of one of her fellow mill girls.

The trial semester will determine whether or not women across the state will be allowed to attend other universities. But the enrolled women quickly learn that success is not guaranteed, and some of their male cohorts are determined to see them fail. When the men's pranks go too far Lucille, Catherine, and Victoria form a coven under the guise of a sorority and call upon witchcraft steeped in the traditions of Southern folklore to fight back.

As they gather their fellow witches, they discover there is something darker at work at the university, a force that is determined to expel all the women at the university, and they'll need all the allies they can get if they want to succeed.

For fans of Witchcraft for Wayward Girls and Weyward, this historical speculative novel explores the darker side of human nature and the ways in which women navigate—and survive—oppressive, male-dominated societies.

The Southern Sorority of Superstitious Witches by Katie Ortiz is out now as of October 6, 2026 from Alcove Press.

Why am I highlighting this book? Normally I wouldn't put a spotlight on a book that was already out, but this one sounded so good. I love southern gothic stories. This one seems to put the women as the underdogs who harness magic. And it compares it to Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix. I enjoyed that book. So I'm thinking I have a good chance of enjoying this one as well.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our evergrowing TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

The Top 11 Books Challenged in 2025 as determined by the American Library Association

ALA documented 713 attempts to censor library materials and services, 487 of which targeted books. 

The Top 11 Most Targeted Titles in 2025 were: 

1. Sold by Patricia McCormick  

2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky  

3. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe  

4. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas  

5. (tie) Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo  

5. (tie) Tricks by Ellen Hopkins  

7. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas  

8. (tie) A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess  

8. (tie) Identical by Ellen Hopkins  

8. (tie) Looking for Alaska by John Green  

8. (tie) Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout 

"ALA defines a “ban” as the removal of materials from a library based on the objections of a person or group. A “challenge” is an attempt to have a library resource removed, or access to it restricted, based on the objections of a person or group. In 2025, OIF documented 5,668 books banned from libraries (66% of the total challenged). An additional 920 books were censored through access restrictions such as relocation or requiring parental permission. This is both the highest number of titles censored in one year and the highest rate of challenges resulting in censorship from 1990–2025."  

I used the ALA Banned Books Week website to generate this blog entry. 

For me, I feel like we should be able to decide for ourselves what we read. I can understand guidance from parents for their children, but they shouldn't seek to prevent all people from reading what they don't want to read or have their children read themselves.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #623: Hazel Turner Is in Too Deep by Hannah Karena Jones

 

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: 

A laid-off mystery book editor turned lifeguard is thrust into a real-life whodunit when she finds a dead body in her pool.

After her career implodes, twenty-nine-year-old Hazel Turner retreats to Whispering Willows, her childhood home in the Pennsylvania suburbs, and returns to her teenage lifeguard job to stay afloat. But her plans to spend the summer piecing her life back together are thwarted when she stumbles upon two mysterious deaths in the deep end. 

Hazel saved the first victim, Patrick Mason, from drowning when he was a child. The second victim—whose skeletal remains are clenched in Patrick’s death grip—brings back even more traumatic memories. The remains are identified as belonging to the missing teenager from the last cold case her police officer dad worked on before his death. 

Hazel knows that she should leave the investigation to the professionals. After all, she has edited enough bestsellers to know how the story goes. But with the swim club closed until further notice and the police stumped, she lets her penchant for mysteries kick into full gear. 

With the help of her retired detective godmother, the elderly neighborhood know-it-alls, and her internet sleuth stepsister, Hazel swan dives into the hunt for the killer. 

But when you disturb the waters, you never quite know what secrets will float to the surface.

Hazel Turner Is in Too Deep by Hannah Karena Jones is expected out March 23, 2027 from Crooked Lane Books.

Why am I waiting on this book? How desperate does a 29 yr old woman have to be to go back to her teenage summer job? There are two victims. Are their deaths connected? And I like that the plot also involves some older characters as well. I think the plot has some possibility of things getting crazy and fuinny. Definitely worth checking out.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer

 

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!

 

“Those who loved books and those who wanted to ban them have one single thing in common—we all believe reading a book can change you. It’s only that the book banners consider this a bug, and Maxine—and likely everyone in this room—sees it as a feature.”
― Meg Shaffer, The Book Witch

The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer was published April 7, 2026 by Ballantine Books.

Book Review: Rich Girl by Julie Mulhern

 From the publisher:

One secret. Two decades. And a body on the patio. A whirlwind marriage to a French count who wanted her father's money more than he wanted her? It's a secret Libba has kept for 20 years.She's never told anyone. Not even Ellison. But secrets can be deadly -- and this one is revealed with a knife in his side on Ellison's back patio. Ghisain de Fevre is dead. Quite obviously murdered. And the police think Libba might have killed him. The truth is tangled in two decades of lies, heartbreak, and unsigned divorce papers. To clear her name, Libba will have to do something she's assiduously avoided -- face the worst mistake of her life. Fortunately, she has Ellison, a sharp lawyer, and a pitcher of martinis. Unfortunately, the killer isn't finished.

Rich Girl, a novella by Julie Mulhern, was published March 10, 2026 by J & M Press.

Julie Mulhern has been a longtime auto-buy author for me. I love reading about Ellison, her friends, and her family. This novella focuses on Libba and is #20.5 in The Country Club Murders series.

The only thing that was a little hard to swallow, was that Libba could hold onto a secret from Ellison for that long. She must have really been horrified by her mistake. Fortunately, her good friend Ellison doesn't hold that against her. Her neighbor, not a nice woman, tries to hold it against her and Ellison that so many bodies have been found in the neighborhood. 
Ultimately though, that is more of a subplot. Who killed Ghislain is the focus, and who might they kill next.

It's a good mystery. The plot moves along at a good pace. The ending surprised me a little, which is a good thing. Overall, it's a suspenseful mystery with interesting characters. This one probably could be read as a standalone since it is a novella, but might read better if you've had a chance to get to know some of the characters before this. I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. I got my kindle version from Amazon. And I've already purchased the next book in the series and am looking forward to reading it, Evil Ways. 

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #622: Big Cult Energy by Jack Friday

 

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:

Jack Friday's wickedly funny and irrepressible PI Peter Key returns with two new baffling cases.

After surviving a brush with death, Peter Key is debating if he wants to stay in the detective game. On the one hand, his last case left him with a house in Austin, a loyal dog and enough money to coast for ages. On the other, his new home is a wreck, and there’s no better cure for wealth than foundation repairs.

Luckily for Peter, two lucrative cases fall into his lap within twenty-four hours. First, a pair of good-looking young people arrive with a carful of packages addressed to a man they’ve never heard of. The packages have been arriving at their home for days with no explanation, which would be weird enough. Now, however, menacing strangers have started turning up at their doorstep looking for this same mystery man. These strangers wear robes, sandals, and big cult energy.

The next morning, as Peter returns to work for his former mentor—the unflappable PI Grady Bernaisse—he’s handed a second case. A curmudgeonly old woman from the deep country arrives with a surreal story about how a box of her dead grandson’s belongings were stolen from her while she was trapped in the floor of her house. Peter can’t shake the feeling there’s something the woman isn’t telling him, but he also can’t pass up the reward she’s promising.

As these strange investigations unfold, Peter’s search for answers will take him from a tech billionaire’s mansion to the state penitentiary, from a tiny town with some rotten secrets to a remote compound with some dangerous fauna. It will introduce him to a con artist and an honest-to-God cowboy, a pair of very hungry mountain lions and the devoted followers of Lizard-Jesus. Strangest of all, Peter will soon come to suspect that these two cases might not be so separate after all.

Big Cult Energy by Jack Friday is expected out June 1, 2027 from Minotaur Books.

Why am I waiting on this book? The first book in the series, Killer Vibes, was entertaining. It had a good mystery, interesting characters, had some humor, and was well-written. I expect that Big Cult Energy would be similar. "Now, however, menacing strangers have started turning up at their doorstep looking for this same mystery man. These strangers wear robes, sandals, and big cult energy." Makes me think that there is humor to it as well as interesting characters. And add that the two cases, as different as they may seem, might be connected, and it sounds quite possibly entertaining. I want to know what happens to Peter. And I want to know more about the devotees to Lizard-Jesus as well.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Rich Girl by Julie Mulhern

 

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!

 One would think she'd at least pretend grief. Instead, like a rat fleeing a sinking ship, she'd switched men. 

...

Also, she hadn't exactly traded up. 

57% through on my Kindle. Rich Girl by Julie Mulhern was released March 10, 2026 from J & M Press.