Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #523: When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi

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:

 New York Times bestseller John Scalzi flies you to the moon with his most fantastic tale to date: When the Moon Hits Your Eye

The moon has turned to cheese.

Now humanity has to deal with it.

For some it’s an opportunity. For others it’s a moment to question their faith: In God, in science, in everything. Still others try to keep the world running in the face of absurdity and uncertainty. And then there are the billions looking to the sky and wondering how a thing that was always just there is now... something absolutely impossible.

Astronauts and billionaires, comedians and bank executives, professors and presidents, teenagers and terminal patients at the end of their lives -- over the length of an entire lunar cycle, each get their moment in the moonlight. To panic, to plan, to wonder and to pray, to laugh and to grieve. All in a kaleidoscopic novel that goes all the places you’d expect, and then to so many places you wouldn’t.

It’s a wild, magical moonage daydream. Ride this rocket.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi is expected out March 25, 2025 from Tor Books.

Why am I waiting on this book? I've read a few John Scalzi books now. I've always found them to  be entertaining and imaginative. I expect this one will be the same. 

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 out TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Happy Book Birthday to The Sullivan's Island Supper Club by Susan Boyer

 

Today is the publication day for The Sullivan's Island Supper Club by Susan Boyer and published by Stella Maris Books! I'm reading it now and finding it a good and interesting read. Review to follow. 

From the publisher:

Welcome to Sullivan’s Island, an idyllic beachside town just outside Charleston, South Carolina. This serene, unspoiled sanctuary offers tourists a picturesque taste of the lush Lowcountry while the locals enjoy a laid-back, small-town lifestyle. Amidst an eclectic mix of newcomers and natives, lifelong resident and social maven Tallulah Wentworth’s legendary monthly dinners have united an unlikely group of women into the very best of friends.

To outsiders, this sunny, seaside haven is nothing short of paradise, but the residents of this beachside hamlet know that it harbors its share of troubles. Everyone has an opinion about the most hotly contested local issue—how to manage the maritime forest that’s sprung up on accreted land—and civility is quickly running out at both town council meetings and in online forums.

When a neighborhood meet-and-greet devolves into violence, several pillars of the community are led away in handcuffs. By the next morning, a very real, very dead body is the newest addition to Sarabeth Boone’s spooky Halloween graveyard display. But who could possibly be responsible for such a heinous act?

Did someone finally snap over the mounting tension between conservationists and cutters? Or was this a premeditated act perpetrated by an opportunistic killer masquerading as a trustworthy friend and neighbor?

The Sullivan’s Island Supper Club weaves a tale of mystery, friendship, and love—new love, old love, and second-chance love. Discover the lengths these women will go to protect each other and uncover the truth, even when it shatters the delicate balance of their seemingly perfect lives.

Check it out!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #522: Wizard of Most Wicked Ways by Charlie N. Holmberg

 

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:

When dead enemies rise, grave matters of the heart, mind, and body clash in the fantastical fourth Whimbrel House novel by Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Charlie N. Holmberg.

Whimbrel House is changing. Merritt and Hulda are raising a family. Owein has signed a marriage contract with the magically compatible Lady Cora, a heavyweight of British nobility who’s an ocean away. And the lovely shape-shifting druid Fallon makes a distractingly fetching friend for Owein. But another change is in the air, and this time it’s something wicked.

The greatest wizard of the millennium, Silas Hogwood, is back—after five years dead. New body, same foul scent, and driven by madness and revenge. Owein, fearing he isn’t strong enough to fend off Silas, seeks Cora’s help and influence in England. Alarms ringing, Queen Victoria dispatches her League of Magicians, including her personal necromancer, to aid in Owein’s defense.

As magic, both good and evil, converges on Blaugdone Island, Owein realizes how harrowing the forces against them are. Combating them will require some digging—literally—for half-formed secrets of magic Hulda doesn’t want him to have. But no promise, lock, or government red tape will keep Owein from doing what’s necessary to protect those he loves. One way or another, Silas will only take Whimbrel House over Owein’s third dead body.

Wizard of Most Wcked Ways by Charlie N. Holmberg is expected out March 4, 2025 from 47North.

Why am I waiting on this book? I've read the other books in the series so far and have enjoyed them. The adventures begin in book one,  Keeper of Enchanted Rooms,  when Merritt inherits Whimbrel House and strange things happen. Things continue strange and unusual throughout the series with an added measure of danger. There is rarely a dull moment. I'd really like to see Silas Hogwood defeated once and for all. I am rooting for Merritt, Hulda, Owein and the rest.

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!

Book Review: Nightmare of a Trip by Maureen Kilmer

 

From the publisher:

This is one family getaway they’ll never forget . . .

Leigh Somerset wants to spend some quality time with her kids before they grow up, and her husband has always fancied himself sort of a Clark Griswold figure. So the Somersets will be spending their family vacation on the road, driving from suburban Milwaukee to Orlando, Florida. Already off to a rocky start, they stumble upon an abandoned, half-burned down farmhouse in Indiana, and the Somersets inadvertently unleash an eerie history that will follow them the rest of their trip.

From creepy indoor waterparks to paranormally plagued Cracker Barrels, it’s one thing after another in the pursuit of the great American summer road trip. Will the Somersets be able to shake these bad vibes and get on with the family bonding? Or will the road less traveled quite literally become the highway to hell?

Nightmare of a Trip by Maureen Kilmer was released September 10, 2024 from G.P. Putnam"s Sons.

My Thoughts: Any long trip with your family can be a nightmare in and of itself. Then you have the added fun of being haunted by a family. If one doesn't drive you crazy, the other might. I enjoyed the book overall. There were National Lampoon's Vacation references, humor, and creepiness.I like my horror with humor, so this was a good fit for me.

"Every time you are able to find humor in a difficult situation, you win." For the bulk of the book, Leigh, Nick and the kids are able to find the humor when things go wrong. It gets harder and harder as the trip goes on. I felt that telling the story from Leigh's point of view was the best choice. As a parent, I could relate to how a threat to the family would freak her out. My minor complaint is that her husband believes everything she tells him the first time. I really expected some denial there.

The humor and the horror are both low key for the most part. It seems like everything that can go wrong will. It's one of those things where if it happened to you, you would find it funny eventually, but maybe not so much at the time. Still there were a lot of good humorous moments for us as readers. I thought that there would be a little more escalation of the horror as the story progressed. It was still good and creepy though.

Overall, I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's a good story. It's well written. It kept my attention. And most importantly, there was humor to go with the horror. If you enjoyed her other books, you will enjoy this one as well. It's definitely worth a read.

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

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #521: Bearer of Bad News by Elisabeth Dini

 

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 sharply funny and moving debut in which a young woman accepts a job that takes her though the Italian Dolomites and into an international mystery far greater—and more personal—than she could have ever expected.

For someone who hates secrets, Las Vegas hairdresser Lucy Rey is about to be faced with a whole bunch of them. After discovering that her fiancé has been cheating on her with someone from his improv class, she finds herself short on funds and desperate for a change of scenery. Enter a most unusual job opportunity: a Bearer of Bad News.

Sure, it’s a little weird—the job description has few details, and the bad news is more like a vaguely worded threat—but Lucy can’t say no to the perks: an all-expenses-paid trip to the Italian Dolomites, plus a generous bonus if she proves she’s delivered the message. Then she learns that her task is just the tip of the iceberg.

Launched into a world of betrayal and greed involving eighty-year-old secrets, stolen jewels, and a World War II–era mystery, Lucy is in over her head. And she’s connected to her mission in ways she never saw coming.

For fans of Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Kirstin Chen’s Counterfeit, Bearer of Bad News is an exhilarating romp that deftly explores the weight of secrets, the power of friendship, and how, by healing the wounds of the past, we can build a brighter tomorrow.

Bearer of Bad News by Elisabeth Dini is expected out April 29, 2025 from Gallery Books.

Why am I waiting on this book? The job opportunity, Bearer of Bad News, is an interesting concept. And I'm wondering what her connection to the secrets is. It doesn't hurt that it's described as sharply funny. I enjoy books with a good sense of humor.

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!