Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #598: Brian Froud’s Green Women

 

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: 

The long-awaited new book―with gorgeous, all-new art―by Brian Froud, the “grandfather of faerie art"

In this compelling collection, acclaimed women writers from around the world share words and stories of fantasy and myth alongside Brian Froud’s provocative portraits of more than 70 Green Women. There are a range of voices, some humorous and witty, others nurturing and maternal, others dark and threatening.

New York Times bestselling and award-winning artist Brian Froud, who brought to life Trolls and Faeries, is also beloved for his conceptual design work with Jim Henson on the classic films The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. With Green Women, his gorgeous art illuminates an entirely new universe.

Open the pages of this gorgeous gift-ready book to meet the Green Women.

"While the Green Men peer down from their church roof bosses, and through their tendrils of oak and ivy, the Green Women move among us. Brian Froud has met more than a few of them. It's their eyes―deep wells of wisdom, stories and the slow, ancient song of the forest." ―Alan Lee, artist and concept designer of the film adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit

“I have always been fascinated by the carvings of ‘foliate heads’ that peer out of the shadows of medieval churches and cathedrals, generally known as the Green Man, yet their origins, meaning, and purpose remain elusive. As I attempted to capture them on canvas, however, I became aware of a deeper mystery. There are so many Green Man figures, but where was the Green Woman? Why had she been relegated to the spiritual shadows? I started to paint again. Faces emerged from the darkness of the unknown: Green Women in multiple forms, all insisting that they should be seen and heard.” ―Brian Froud

Contributors include:

• Sharon Blackie
• C. S. E. Cooney
• Maria DeBlassie
• Carolyn Dunn
• Sarah Beth Durst
• Amal El-Mohtar
• Kate Forsyth
• Wendy Froud
• Claudine Glot
• Theodora Goss
• Elizabeth Hand
• Frances Hardinge
• Joanne Harris
• Kat Howard
• Angela Mi Young Hur
• Ai Jiang
• Kathleen Jennings
• Alaya Dawn Johnson
• T. Kingfisher
• Ellen Kushner
• Katherine Langrish
• Carolyne Larrington
• Karen Lord
• O. R. Melling
• Jeannette Ng
• Sofía Rhei
• Lisa Schneidau
• Delia Sherman
• Angela Slatter
• Shveta Thakrar
• Tiffany Trent
• Lisa Tuttle
• Catherynne M. Valente
• Kris Waldherr
• Jo Walton
• Kit Whitfield
• Terri Windling

Brian Froud's Green Women: with Original Contributions by Extraordinary Women Writers of Fantasy and Myth is expected out October 6, 2026 from Abrams Books. It is currently available for pre-order on Amazon as well as other places.

Why am I waiting on this book? I love Brian Froud's art. I find the premise of the book interesting. And that is an all-star lineup of contributors.

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. Thanks for stopping by! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Pushing Daisies by Alex A. King

 

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!

 Olives. A house like this meant they sold a lot of olives. More than I could eat in one sitting, for sure, and I could eat my weight in Greece’s pieces. (p. 50)

Pushing Daisies by Alex a. King was published March 27, 2026. It is the third book in the Revenge Services Inc. series.

 

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #597: The Blue Moon Cafe & 24-Hour Occult Emporium by Lexie Sharabianlou

 

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 magical witness protection program, a town in need of saving, and a sorceress-in-training . . . oh, and the human woman she’s not supposed to fall for. The Blue Moon Café has a little bit of everything (except, you know, decent coffee).

In the tiny town of Pine Hollow, barista and fledging sorceress Talula Smith runs The Blue Moon Café & 24-Hour Occult Emporium, aka the worst coffee shop in town. The café’s horrible reputation hides its true purpose: providing new identities and safe passage to at-risk magical beings while keeping humans far, far away. That is, except for town local Dahlia. Dahlia’s devastating dimples, addiction to Talula's cocoa recipe, and keen observation skills keeps the smitten barista scrambling to ensure that her magical abilities (or, lack thereof) stay a secret.

But when big game hunters start preying on magical beings, her powerful sorceress mother is called away to track them down, leaving Talula and her barely-there magic in charge of The Blue Moon. With the impending Samhain festival to organize, magical refugees to help, half of the town turning against her, and her ever-growing feelings for Dahlia, Talula’s magical destiny feels further away than ever. But as the hunters set their sights closer to home, it’ll be up to Talula to master her craft, trust her heart, and bring her magical and human communities together . . . before she loses everything she loves.

The Blue Moon Cafe & 24-Hour Occult Emporium by Lexie Sharabianlou is expected out August 18, 2026 from Dell Books.

Why am I waiting on this book? I like the title. It piques my interest. I suspect that by the time this one comes out, I will be ready for a lighter read. This is a romantasy and a mystery.  And it definitely strikes me as a light read. Probably has some humor to it as well.

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. Thanks for stopping by! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

 

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!

 He held her gaze for a second, still managing to dodge an arrow that whizzed by without breaking eye contact. Evie was jealous. She couldn’t dodge a dead tree if she was staring right at it.

Maehrer, Hannah Nicole. Assistant to the Villain (Assistant to the Villain Book 1) (p. 9) Kindle Edition. 

There are 4 books in the series. The fourth book, Adversary to the Villain, will be available August 4, 2026. The first book in the series was published August 28, 2023 by Entangled Publishing: Red Tower Books.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #596: Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo

 

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.

This week I'm waiting on Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo. It's the third book in the Alex Stern/Ninth House trilogy.

From the publisher: The highly anticipated, explosive conclusion to the Ninth House trilogy from #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo.

Hell is empty and all the devils are here…

Alex Stern made it to hell and back more than once, but this time she left the door open behind her. Demons are creeping through the streets of New Haven and the Yale campus, feeding on the souls of the living, terrifying the dead. Alex and her allies can hunt them, but it’s only a matter of time before the gates to the underworld open and they face a war they cannot win. To stop it, they’ll have to reach deep into the secrets of Yale and its societies, and discover the truth hidden in Alex’s own blood.

While she struggles to hold onto the dream of a future Yale once offered, Alex must contend with the machinations of a corrupt Lethe Board and a deadly vampire with his own connection to the societies. But for the first time in her life, she won’t have to face the fight alone. Dawes, Turner, Mercy, and even Tripp will have a role to play, none more so than Alex’s mentor Darlington, the golden boy who lived so long in her head, now back in the flesh and cursed with dangerous powers of his own. Hell itself is stalking the delegates of Lethe House, and they’re all about to learn that demons don’t play by human rules.

Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo is expected out September 9, 2026 from Flatiron Books.

Why am I waiting on this book? I've read the first two books in the trilogy. I'd like to find out what happens to these college kids. I would love to see them come out of it relatively unscathed. But, being Dark Academia, Urban Fantasy, and Contemporary Dark Fantasy, it's hard to predict just what will happen.

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. Thanks for stopping by! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts by Kim Fu

 

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!

She felt certain she wouldn't get the house. She'd been gone for only a couple of hours, not long enough to have made such a momentous decision, the largest purchase of her life. It was like coming home married from a first date. 

(7% through on my Kindle)

The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts by Kim Fu was published March 3, 2026 by Tin House.

Audiobook Review: Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line by Elle Cosimano

 From the publisher:

Life hasn’t been easy for Finlay Donovan lately, but it just got a whole lot harder. Her nanny and partner-in-crime, Vero, has been extradited from Virginia to Maryland, where she’s facing criminal charges for a theft she swears she didn’t commit. A prisoner to an ankle bracelet as she awaits her trial, Vero is forced to live with her overbearing mother and nosy aunt. Threatening messages keep arriving on her mother’s door, demanding Vero “turn over the money . . . or else.” And if she doesn’t figure out who really stole her former sorority’s treasury funds, her next home might be a prison cell.

But proving her innocence might be an impossible feat. Vero was the treasurer of her sorority when the money went missing—one of the only people who had access to the cash. And her alibi is a date who ghosted her. With her court date quickly approaching, and her mysterious stalker on her tail, Vero needs to clear her name fast.

Finlay decides a trip to Maryland is in order. After all, Vero stood by her through her darkest moments, and Finlay will be damned if she lets her best friend and children’s nanny be convicted for something she didn’t do. She sets off on a mission to suss out the real thief and bring Vero home.

Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line by Elle Cosimano was released March 17, 2026 from Macmillan.

My Thoughts: 

Elle Cosimano brings us to a point to find out what happened to Vero that she got arrested and shipped to Maryland from Virginia. If you've been reading the series, then you know why already. But, it is brought up early in the book, so that part of the plot is easy enough to follow.

As usual, Vero and Finlay get up to shenanigans trying to solve the mystery and keep Vero out of jail. Meanwhile back at the ranch, Nick is babysitting the kids. No doubt this will lead to shenanigans as well. Taking care of young kids pretty much guarantees that.

I was listening to the 12 chapter sampler. It's well done. The narrator is clear and enjoyable to listen to. Now, I am going to get a copy of the book ASAP to find out what happens next.

I gave this book 5/5 stars. You really should read the books in order to see the relationships and attitudes toward each other develop. Vero has helped Finlay out many times. This time, it's Finlay to the rescue. If you enjoy your mysteries with a helping of humor, then you will enjoy this series.

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