Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #349: Jolene by Mercedes Lackey

 

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 beloved Elemental Masters series moves to America for the first time in a rich retelling of The Queen of the Copper Mountain, set against the backdrop of Tennessee coal country.

Anna May Jones is the daughter of a coal miner, but a sickly constitution has kept her confined to the house for most of her life. Hoping to improve her daughter’s health—and lessen the burden on their family—Anna's mother sends her to live with her Aunt Jinny, a witchy-woman and an Elemental Master, in a holler outside of Ducktown.
 
As she settles into her new life, Anna learns new skills at Aunt Jinny’s side and discovers that she, too, has a gift for Elemental magic that Jinny calls “the Glory”. She also receives lessons from a mysterious and bewitching woman named Jolene, who assures her that, with time, Anna could become even more powerful than her aunt.
 
But with Anna’s increasing power comes increasing notice. Billie McDaran, the foreman of the Ducktown mine, begins to take an interest in Anna and her abilities—even though Anna has already fallen in love with a young man with a talent for stonecarving.
 
If she wants to preserve the life she has come to love, Anna must use her newfound powers to oppose the foreman and protect those around her.

Jolene by Mercedes Lackey is expected out December 1st, 2020 from DAW.

Why am I waiting on this book? I like the sound of it. Set in the South with witchy women sells it. And Mercedes Lackey is a talented writer.

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!

The beloved Elemental Masters series moves to America for the first time in a rich retelling of The Queen of the Copper Mountain, set against the backdrop of Tennessee coal country.

Anna May Jones is the daughter of a coal miner, but a sickly constitution has kept her confined to the house for most of her life. Hoping to improve her daughter’s health—and lessen the burden on their family—Anna’s mother sends her to live with her Aunt Jinny, a witchy-woman and an Elemental Master, in a holler outside of Ducktown.
 
As she settles into her new life, Anna learns new skills at Aunt Jinny’s side and discovers that she, too, has a gift for Elemental magic that Jinny calls “the Glory”. She also receives lessons from a mysterious and bewitching woman named Jolene, who assures her that, with time, Anna could become even more powerful than her aunt.
 
But with Anna’s increasing power comes increasing notice. Billie McDaran, the foreman of the Ducktown mine, begins to take an interest in Anna and her abilities—even though Anna has already fallen in love with a young man with a talent for stonecarving.
 
If she wants to preserve the life she has come to love, Anna must use her newfound powers to oppose the foreman and protect those around her.

Teaser Tuesday: Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero

 

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!

Andy averted her eyes just a second to confirm that Copperseed was now fully smiling, the red glow of burning collateral damage expectedly suiting his sharp, rugged features.

They remained on the knoll for a while, under the magical spell of things going kablooey in the night.

(P. 232 on my Kindle)

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero was published July 11th, 2017 by Doubleday Books.

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!

Review: Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman

 

Once there was a babe abandoned in the snowy woods not far from Hannah Owens home. Hannah took in Maria and raised her. Maria had a talent for the unnamed arts and Hannah taught her all she knew. Hannah admonishes her to always love someone who will love you back.

Disaster strikes. Hannah dies and young Maria is left on her own. Robbed of her childhood by what she witnessed, Maria seeks help from her biological parents. Her father sells her into indentured servitude in Curacao. 

It's in Curacao that Maria first falls in love. She is  subsequently abandoned again. She makes her way to Salem, Massachusetts where witch hysteria is brewing. Along the way Maria will learn more about love. And it is in Salem she will utter the famous Owens family curse.

I liked the characters of Maria, Samuel Dias, and Hannah the most. Faith, Maria's daughter, is an interesting character as well. It's not that Faith is unlikable, but some of her choices are. Generally speaking, the characters in the book are appropriately fleshed out. Those you should like, you will probably like. Those that are less likable, the reader is shown reasons why they are less likable.

The pace of the book is well done. I was only tempted to look ahead once and that was because of a plot point rather than a pacing issue. I was worried for Maria going to Salem at a time when one could be accused and put on trial for witchcraft. I didn't look ahead though. 

This book is worth reading whether you've read the other books yet or not. I give it 5 out of 5 stars. It's well-written. There are interesting characters and plot twists. And it is well paced. I would recommend this book if you've read the others or want to, like historical literature, or like witchy books.

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

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #348: Auntie Poldi and the Lost Madonna by Mario Giordano

 

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.

There’s only one Auntie Poldi: bewigged, cursing in Bavarian, and knocking back a wee shot of grappa as a pre-breakfast aperitif . . . or is there? No one is as they seem (and sound) in this hilarious new mystery featuring Sicily’s sultriest sleuth.

Strange dealings are afoot in the Apostolic Palace—a nun leapt to her death shortly after participating in a seemingly routine exorcism. But when a priest clad in Gammarelli and a Vatican commissario with an almost unholy level of sex appeal turn up at her door, Poldi is shocked to hear that she’s a suspect in their case.
 
Who is the woman being exorcised, and where has she disappeared to? And why in the world does she claim, in perfect Bavarian, to be Poldi, Isolde Oberreiter, of Torre Archirafi? 
 
Poldi will need all the help she can get to clear her name, but her nephew has been distracted by a love affair gone sour, someone in the town has been spraying graffiti death threats on her front door, and her local friends seem to be avoiding her. And even Vito Montana balks when Poldi discovers that the case hinges on a lost Madonna statue, stolen years ago from the pope himself.
 
Forza, Poldi! With a pair of mysterious twins dogging her every move and a mandate to maintain sobriety, will Poldi be able to find the lost statue in time, and survive her sixty-first birthday?

Auntie Poldi and the Lost Madonna by Mario Giordano  is expected to be published May 18th, 2021.

Why am I waiting on this book? I like humorous mysteries. This series sounds very funny. Auntie Poldi seems to be quite a character. I like that she isn't a spring chicken and has very human weaknesses. 

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: Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero

 

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!

 "No, I mean it, because... You know, it's not like I want to take command or anything; I think we should be a team, make all the decisions together, you know. Reach consent."

 " You mean consensus. "

Page 84 on my Kindle

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero was published July 11th, 2017 by Doubleday Books.

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 #347: Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson

 

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:

As Jenny Lawson’s hundreds of thousands of fans know, she suffers from depression. In Broken, she explores her experimental treatment of transcranial magnetic stimulation with brutal honesty. But also with brutal humor. Jenny discusses the frustration of dealing with her insurance company in “An Open Letter to My Insurance Company,” which should be an anthem for anyone who has ever had to call their insurance company to try and get a claim covered. She tackles such timelessly debated questions as “How do dogs know they have penises?” We see how her vacuum cleaner almost set her house on fire, how she was attacked by three bears, business ideas she wants to pitch to Shark Tank, and why she can never go back to the post office. Of course, Jenny’s long-suffering husband Victor—the Ricky to Jenny’s Lucille Ball—is present throughout.

A treat for Jenny Lawson’s already existing fans, and destined to convert new ones, Broken is a beacon of hope and a wellspring of laughter.

Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson is expected out April 6th, 2021 from Henry Holt and Company.

Why am I waiting on this book? I liked Jenny's other books Let's Pretend This Never Happened and Furiously Happy as well as her coloring book. I also regularly read her blog. She is more often than not funny even when tackling serious subject matter.That's not to say she doesn't have a serious side, because she does. But no matter how she's writing, it's worth reading.

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: Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman

 

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!

Everything was white, air and sea and sky, but the weather and the high seas didn't deter her. She had looked in the black mirror and had seen that it was her fate to go to Salem. 

(83% through on my Kindle)

Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman was published October 6th, 2020 by Simon and Schuster.

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!