Review: The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs by Katherine Howe

Connie Goodwin is an on tenure track professor working on writing a book on the history of witchcraft, and in particular, the women who were called witches. She hs a vested interest in this because she comes from a long line of witches seemingly starting with Livvy Hasseltine and her mother.

The book alternates between snippets of her ancestors' lives and workings and the year 2000. Connie is desperately seeking a way to combat a curse on the women of her family that her mother makes her aware of. As the days go on the curse becomes more and more of an issue for her. Her love is in danger.

Meanwhile, her student Zazi is doing research to try and help her. And a former student of Connie's, Thomas, is after her for resources and support.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I did enjoy the book. It's well-written and has interesting characters. But, for me, there were a few places that dragged a little. And the ending seemed to be resolved kind of quickly. I did like how she showed whether or not the working worked. And I enjoyed the historical aspect.

I would recommend this book especially to people that like stories about witches with a historical background. There is a nice Author's Note at the end that discusses some of the history involved in the book. I understand this is a follow-up book to The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, but it can be read and enjoyed without reading the first book.

The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs by Katherine Howe was published June 25th, 2019 by Henry Holt and Company.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #291: Lost and Found by Orson Scott Card

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

From Goodreads:

“Are you really a thief?”

That’s the question that has haunted fourteen-year-old Ezekiel Blast all his life. But he’s not a thief, he just has a talent for finding things. Not a superpower—a micropower. Because what good is finding lost bicycles and hair scrunchies, especially when you return them to their owners and everyone thinks you must have stolen them in the first place? If only there were some way to use Ezekiel’s micropower for good, to turn a curse into a blessing. His friend Beth thinks there must be, and so does a police detective investigating the disappearance of a little girl. When tragedy strikes, it’s up to Ezekiel to use his talent to find what matters most.

Master storyteller Orson Scott Card delivers a touching and funny, compelling and smart novel about growing up, harnessing your potential, and finding your place in the world, no matter how old you are. 

Lost and Found by Orson Scott Card is expected to be published September 10th, 2019 by Blackstone Publishing.

Why am I waiting on this one? I've enjoyed other things that I've read by Orson Scott Card. This will be the first YA book by him that I will read. It sounds like urban fantasy and that is one genre that I really enjoy. I like the description of a micropower and I wonder if he will be able to use it the way he wants. 

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 TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Clouds in My Coffee by Julie Mulhern

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Damn. I'd planned my session of questions and answers without taking into account an essential fact. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a widower in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. 

I peeked through the open doorway. Hammie wasn't in the ground yet and already there were three widows circling round Randolph like vultures waiting for some poor animal to gasp its last breath. (61% through on my Kindle) 

Ellison, the main character, is talking in the above quotations. Clouds in My Coffee by Julie Mulhern is the third book in The Country Club Murders series. It was published May 10th, 2016 by Henery Press. 

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #290: His Hideous Heart ed. by Dahlia Adler

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

From Goodreads:

Thirteen of YA’s most celebrated names reimagine Edgar Allan Poe’s most surprising, unsettling, and popular tales for a new generation.

Edgar Allan Poe may be a hundred and fifty years beyond this world, but the themes of his beloved works have much in common with modern young adult fiction. Whether the stories are familiar to readers or discovered for the first time, readers will revel in Edgar Allan Poe’s classic tales, and how they’ve been brought to life in 13 unique and unforgettable ways.

Contributors include Kendare Blake (reimagining “Metzengerstein”), Rin Chupeco (“The Murders in the Rue Morge”), Lamar Giles (“The Oval Portrait”), Tessa Gratton (“Annabel Lee”), Tiffany D. Jackson (“The Cask of Amontillado”), Stephanie Kuehn (“The Tell-Tale Heart”), Emily Lloyd-Jones (“The Purloined Letter”), Hillary Monahan (“The Masque of the Red Death”), Marieke Nijkamp (“Hop-Frog”), Caleb Roehrig (“The Pit and the Pendulum”), and Fran Wilde (“The Fall of the House of Usher”).

His Hideous Heart edited by Dahlia Adler is expected to be published September 10th, 2019 from Flatiron Books.

Why am I waiting on this one? I've always enjoyed Poe's tales. And for the most part, I've also enjoyed retellings of them as well. I'm looking forward to seeing what these authors do with the stories especially the editor's take on "Ligeia."

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 TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Review: For the Love of Books by Graham Tarrant

For the Love of Books: Stories of Literary Lives, Banned Books, Author Feuds, Extraordinary Characters and More by Graham Tarrant covers a variety of nonfiction bookish topics. He starts the book with a brief history of printing, books, and libraries. He then progresses to historical notes on the novel. From there many topics are covered from book banning and writers' feuds to the history of crime fiction to writers who ran afoul of the law to lawsuits and authors. And so much more, roughly 22 bookish topics are covered.

I pretty much enjoyed most of the book. My favorite segments were those about spies, science fiction and fantasy, and children's books. While this is a very good book, it does have one drawback. It's pretty much centered on authors and books from the United Kingdom. While there are some other authors mentioned, I felt like there could have been a more balanced approach.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this well-researched book to people who enjoy reading about books and authors. Even though this book mainly has a UK focus, there is still a lot to enjoy for any book lover.

For the Love of Books by Graham Tarrant was published June 4th, 2019 by Skyhorse.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. all opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #289: Someone We Know by Shari Lapena

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

From Goodreads:

It can be hard keeping secrets in a tight-knit neighborhood.

In a tranquil, leafy suburb of ordinary streets – one where everyone is polite and friendly – an anonymous note has been left at some of the houses.

‘I’m so sorry. My son has been getting into people’s houses. He’s broken into yours.’

Who is this boy, and what might he have uncovered? As whispers start to circulate, suspicion mounts.

And when a missing local woman is found murdered, the tension reaches breaking point. Who killed her? Who knows more than they’re telling? And how far will all these very nice people go to protect their secrets?

Maybe you don’t know your neighbor as well as you thought you did . . .

Someone We Know by Shari Lapena is expected to be released July 25th, 2019 from Bantam Press.

Why am I waiting on this one? I enjoyed her book, The Couple Next Door. And the description for this one makes me think of the tv series Desperate Housewives. I like that it sounds like it's about normal people in an extraordinary circumstance. Just how far will people go to protect themselves? 

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 TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Review: Small Kingdoms and Other Stories by Charlaine Harris

Anne DeWitt wasn't always Anne DeWitt. Once upon a time, she was known as Twyla Burnside. Nor was she always a high school principal. In these 4 short stories, we see how her past affects her present.

It begins in "Small Kingdoms" where Anne's normal routine is interrupted and she has to kill a man and dispose of the body. It continues in "Sarah Smiles" where we get a pretty good idea of how Anne deals with some of her students' problems. This is followed by "Small Chances" where someone tries to ruin Anne's carefully built reputation. The collection concludes in "Small Signs" where her past catches up with her.

Although Anne is remorseless and perhaps a little bit of a psychopath, I still liked her. She works hard at being a good principal and improving her school. Coach Holt Halsey plays a good second to her. He's a good supporting character and appears in all 4 stories.

The stories are well-written. They move quickly. There is no extraneous material. Everything works toward the ending. There is just the right amount of telling and showing. Unlike her Sookie Stackhouse series or her Midnight, Texas series, there is no paranormal activity. The closest character that Anne resembles is Olivia in the Midnight, Texas series.

Small Kingdoms and Other stories by Charlaine Harris was published May 28th, 2019 by JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.

I give this collection 5 out of 5 stars. It's well-written with interesting characters and imaginative plot lines. I would love to see more stories about Anne DeWitt. I recommend this collection to people who enjoy short stories that are thrillers or mysteries.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #288: Changeling (The Oddmire #1) by William Ritter

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

From Goodreads:

Magic is fading from the Wild Wood. To renew it, goblins must perform an ancient ritual involving the rarest of their kind—a newborn changeling. But when the fateful night arrives to trade a human baby for a goblin one, something goes terribly wrong. After laying the changeling in a human infant’s crib, the goblin Kull is briefly distracted from his task. By the time he turns back, the changeling has already perfectly mimicked the human child. Too perfectly: Kull cannot tell them apart. Not knowing which to bring back, he leaves both babies behind.

Tinn and Cole are raised as human twins, neither knowing what secrets may be buried deep inside one of them. Then when they are twelve years old, a mysterious message arrives, calling the brothers to be heroes and protectors of magic. The boys must leave behind their sleepy town of Endsborough and risk their lives in the Wild Wood, crossing the perilous Oddmire swamp and journeying through the Deep Dark to reach the goblin horde and discover who they truly are.

Changeling (The Oddmire Book One) by William Ritter is expected to be published July 16th, 2019 by Algonquin Young Readers.

Why am I waiting on this one? I like that it's set in the same world as the Jackaby series. And I like the idea of the two boys being raised up as twins not knowing which one of them is the changeling. I can't recall reading a similar tale before. 

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 TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: For the Love of Books by Graham Tarrant

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"From the moment books came into being, people found reasons to ban them."

"Books were banned because they were deemed heretical, anti-clerical, licentious or obscene - which covered a lot of ground."

Both quotes are from 13% on my Kindle though they aren't right next to each other. They are from the chapter on Book Banning. I'm on the chapter about writers' feuds now.

For the Love of Books: Stories of Literary Lives, Banned Books, Author Feuds, Extraordinary Characters and More by Graham Tarrant is due to be released today June 4th, 2019 from Skyhorse Publishing.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!