Rose Sutherland

I enjoyed this one but not enough to keep it. 

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

California

A Novel

Once a young woman uncovers a dark secret about her neighbor and his mysterious new wife, she’ll have to fight to keep herself—and the woman she loves—safe in this stunning queer reimagining of the classic folktale “The Selkie Wife.” “Laced with a slow-building sense of Gothic dread, Sutherland’s captivating debut is an intensely beautiful experience you won’t soon forget.”—Paulette Kennedy, author of The Witch of Tin Mountain When a sharp cry wakes Jean in the middle of the night during a terrible tempest, she’s convinced it must have been a dream. But when the cry comes again, Jean ventures outside and is shocked by what she discovers—a young woman in labor, drenched to the bone in the bitter cold and able to speak barely a word of English. Although Jean is the only midwife for miles around, she’s at a loss for who this woman is or where she’s from; Jean can only assume that she must be the new wife of the neighbor up the road, Tobias. And when Tobias does indeed arrive at her cabin in search of his wife, Muirin, Jean’s questions continue to multiply. Why has he kept his wife’s pregnancy a secret? And why does Muirin’s open demeanor change completely the moment she’s in his presence? Though Jean learned long ago that she should stay out of other people’s business, her growing concern—and growing feelings—for Muirin mean that she can’t simply set her worries aside. But when the answers she finds are more harrowing than she ever could have imagined, she fears she may have endangered herself, Muirin, and the baby. Will she be able to put things right and save the woman she loves before it’s too late, or will someone have to pay for Jean’s actions with their life?

A Sweet Sting of Salt

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Zoraida Cordova

Natalie C. Parker

I’m just not a short story collection person. 

Tales with Fresh Bite

Eleven fresh vampire stories from young adult fiction’s leading voices! In this delicious new collection, you’ll find stories about lurking vampires of social media, rebellious vampires hungry for more than just blood, eager vampires coming out—and going out for their first kill—and other bold, breathtaking, dangerous, dreamy, eerie, iconic, powerful creatures of the night. Welcome to the evolution of the vampire—and a revolution on the page. Vampires Never Get Old includes stories by authors both bestselling and acclaimed, including Samira Ahmed, Dhonielle Clayton, Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker, Tessa Gratton, Heidi Heilig, Julie Murphy, Mark Oshiro, Rebecca Roanhorse, Laura Ruby, Victoria “V. E.” Schwab, and Kayla Whaley. An Imprint Book "Vampire fans, sink your teeth into this satisfying collection." —Kirkus Reviews

Vampires Never Get Old

996e9d1c-e8c5-4218-bd2a-9c7c3aa51c62

Olivie Blake

Paperback (1 to 2 lbs)

An instant New York Times bestseller!

The much-acclaimed viral sensation from Olivie Blake, The Atlas Six--now newly revised and edited with additional content.

* The tag #theatlassix has millions of views on TikTok
* A dark academic debut fantasy with an established cult following that reads like The Secret History meets The Umbrella Academy
* The first in an explosive trilogy
* Indigo's Top 10 Most Anticipated Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books of 2022
* Tor.com's Most Anticipated SFF of 2022

Each decade, only the six most uniquely talented magicians are selected to earn a place in the Alexandrian Society, the foremost secret society in the world. The chosen will secure a life of power and prestige beyond their wildest dreams.

But at what cost?

Each of the six newest recruits has their reasons for accepting the Society's elusive invitation. Even if it means growing closer than they could have imagined to their most dangerous enemies--or risking unforgivable betrayal from their most trusted allies--they will fight tooth and nail for the right to join the ranks of the Alexandrians.

Even if it means they won't all survive the year.

"With a cast of complicated hate-to-love-them characters and enough delicious philosophizing to satisfy even the pickiest dark academia heart, this book will drag you into its undertow and refuse to let you go til morning." -- Victoria Lee, author of A Lesson in Vengeance and The Fever King

"Compelling, entertaining, and addictive. The Atlas Six is academic Darwinism: survival of the smartest with a healthy dose of magic." -- T.L. Huchu, author of The Library of The Dead

"Lethally smart. Filled with a cast of brilliantly realized characters, each entangled with one another in torturously delicious ways, The Atlas Six will grip you by the throat and refuse to let go. Olivie Blake is a mind-blowing talent."--Chloe Gong, author of the New York Times bestseller These Violent Delights

The Atlas Six

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Uzma Jalaluddin

Marissa Stapley

Bought this for a reading challenge and never got to it. 

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

A multi-faith holiday rom com about the delightful havoc that occurs when Christmas, Eid, and Hanukkah all fall at the same time, and two strangers-turned-friends are snowbound in the small, charming town of Snow Falls along with the cast and crew of a holiday romance movie, nosy family members, and their lifelong crushes. Three times the holiday magic. Three times the chaos. As strangers and seatmates Maryam Aziz and Anna Gibson fly to Toronto over the holidays—Maryam to her sister’s impromptu wedding, and Anna to meet her boyfriend’s wealthy family for the first time—neither expect that severe turbulence will scare them into confessing their deepest hopes and fears to one another. At least they’ll never see each other again. And the love of Maryam’s life, Saif, wasn’t sitting two rows behind them hearing it all. Oops. When Anna, Maryam, Saif, and Maryam’s sister’s bridal party are snowbound at the quirky Snow Falls Inn—on the outskirts of a picture-perfect town where a holiday romance starring Anna’s actor-crush is being filmed—chaos ensues. But as Maryam and Anna start to feel the magic of Snow Falls—and find love beyond their deepest hopes—they just might realize there’s no place they’d rather be for the holidays.

Three Holidays and a Wedding

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Jane. Austen

Kate Riordan

Love Jane Austen, but I’ve had this for years and haven’t read it yet. 

In the vein of Downton Abbey, Jane Austen's beloved but unfinished masterpiece--often considered her most modern and exciting novel--gets a spectacular second act in this tie-in to a major new limited television series.

Written only months before Austen's death in 1817, Sanditon tells the story of the joyously impulsive, spirited and unconventional Charlotte Heywood and her spiky relationship with the humorous, charming (and slightly wild!) Sidney Parker. When a chance accident transports her from her rural hometown of Willingden to the would-be coastal resort of the eponymous title, it exposes Charlotte to the intrigues and dalliances of a seaside town on the make, and the characters whose fortunes depend on its commercial success. The twists and turns of the plot, which takes viewers from the West Indies to the rotting alleys of London, exposes the hidden agendas of each character and sees Charlotte discover herself... and ultimately find love.


Sanditon

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Lana Harper

Enjoyed the first book in the series, but I’ve had this one for years and haven’t gotten to it. Think it’s time to pass it on. 

Opposites attract in this wickedly charming rom-com by Lana Harper, New York Times bestselling author of Payback's a Witch.

Wild child Isidora Avramov is a thrill chaser, adept demon summoner, and--despite the whole sexy-evil-sorceress vibe--also a cuddly animal lover. When she's not designing costumes and new storylines for the Arcane Emporium's haunted house, Issa's nursing a secret, conflicted dream of ditching her family's witchy business to become an indie fashion designer in her own right. 

But when someone starts sabotaging the celebrations leading up to this year's Beltane festival with dark, dangerous magic, a member of the rival Thorn family gets badly hurt--throwing immediate suspicion on the Avramovs. To clear the Avramov name and step up for her family when they need her the most, Issa agrees to serve as a co-investigator, helping none other than Rowan Thorn get to the bottom of things.

Rowan is the very definition of lawful good, so tragically noble and by-the-book he makes Issa's teeth hurt. In accordance with their families' complicated history, he and Issa have been archenemies for years and have grown to heartily loathe each other. But as the unlikely duo follow a perplexing trail of clues to a stunning conclusion, Issa and Rowan discover how little they really know each other... and stumble upon a maddening attraction that becomes harder to ignore by the day.

From Bad to Cursed (Book 2)

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Genevieve Gornichec

Want to read eventually, just not interested at the moment. 

When a banished witch falls in love with the legendary trickster Loki, she risks the wrath of the gods in this moving, subversive national bestselling debut novel that reimagines Norse mythology. Angrboda's story begins where most witches' tales end: with a burning. A punishment from Odin for refusing to provide him with knowledge of the future, the fire leaves Angrboda injured and powerless, and she flees into the farthest reaches of a remote forest. There she is found by a man who reveals himself to be Loki, and her initial distrust of him transforms into a deep and abiding love. Their union produces three unusual children, each with a secret destiny, who Angrboda is keen to raise at the edge of the world, safely hidden from Odin's all-seeing eye. But as Angrboda slowly recovers her prophetic powers, she learns that her blissful life--and possibly all of existence--is in danger. With help from the fierce huntress Skadi, with whom she shares a growing bond, Angrboda must choose whether she'll accept the fate that she's foreseen for her beloved family...or rise to remake their future. From the most ancient of tales this novel forges a story of love, loss, and hope for the modern age.

The Witch's Heart

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Saleem Haddad

Got this as a blind date with a book and just haven’t gotten to it. 

A debut novel that tells the story of Rasa, a young gay man coming of age in the Middle East Set over the course of twenty-four hours, Guapa follows Rasa, a gay man living in an unnamed Arab country, as he tries to carve out a life for himself in the midst of political and social upheaval. Rasa spends his days translating for Western journalists and pining for the nights when he can sneak his lover, Taymour, into his room. One night Rasa's grandmother — the woman who raised him — catches them in bed together. The following day Rasa is consumed by the search for his best friend Maj, a fiery activist and drag queen star of the underground bar, Guapa, who has been arrested by the police. Ashamed to go home and face his grandmother, and reeling from the potential loss of the three most important people in his life, Rasa roams the city’s slums and prisons, the lavish weddings of the country’s elite, and the bars where outcasts and intellectuals drink to a long-lost revolution. Each new encounter leads him closer to confronting his own identity, as he revisits his childhood and probes the secrets that haunt his family. As Rasa confronts the simultaneous collapse of political hope and his closest personal relationships, he is forced to discover the roots of his alienation and try to re-emerge into a society that may never accept him.

Guapa

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Jean Rhys

Edwidge Danticat

Bought because it sounded interesting to read from the perspective of Mr. Rochester’s estranged wife, but just haven’t been interested in picking it up. 

Beautiful and wealthy Antoinette Cosway's passionate love for an English aristocrat threatens to destroy her idyllic West Indian island existence and her very life.

Wide Sargasso Sea

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Julie C. Dao

Didn’t realize this was part of a series and just haven’t continued with it to get to this book. 

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

Bao, a poor physician's apprentice, and Lan, the wealthy nobleman's daughter he loves, work together to break a curse and save the kingdom of Feng Lu.

Song of the Crimson Flower

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Bought this because it sounded fun, but it’s been sitting on my TBR cart for years now. 

The Time Traveling Fashionista (Book 1)

Lisa See

Not interested in reading at the moment. 

The latest historical novel from New York Times bestselling author Lisa See, inspired by the true story of a woman physician from 15th-century China--perfect for fans of See's classic Snowflower and the Secret Fan and The Island of Sea Women.

According to Confucius, "an educated woman is a worthless woman," but Tan Yunxian--born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and loneliness--is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the Four Examinations--looking, listening, touching, and asking--something a man can never do with a female patient.

From a young age, Yunxian learns about women's illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purpose--despite the prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with it--and they vow to be forever friends, sharing in each other's joys and struggles. No mud, no lotus, they tell themselves: from adversity beauty can bloom.

But when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling and from helping the women and girls in the household. Yunxian is to act like a proper wife--embroider bound-foot slippers, pluck instruments, recite poetry, give birth to sons, and stay forever within the walls of the family compound, the Garden of Fragrant Delights.

How might a woman like Yunxian break free of these traditions, go on to treat women and girls from every level of society, and lead a life of such importance that many of her remedies are still used five centuries later? How might the power of friendship support or complicate these efforts? Lady Tan's Circle of Women is a captivating story of women helping other women. It is also a triumphant reimagining of the life of a woman who was remarkable in the Ming dynasty and would be considered remarkable today.

Lady Tan's Circle of Women

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Got this item in an Owlcrate, but will never use it. 

Owlcrate item

Constanta’s Candle Holder 

Karen E. Olson

Once Upon a Book Club edition. Selling for a friend. 

A Modern Tudor Mystery

This astonishing crime novel—inspired by the Tudor era—takes the reader into the world of Kate Parker, who has just married billionaire Hank Tudor when a headless body is discovered near their summer home . . . Kate Parker knows what she’s getting into when she marries billionaire businessman Hank Tudor—she’s his sixth wife, after all, and was by his side (as his assistant) when his fifth marriage to actress Caitlyn Howard fell apart. But honeymoon plans go awry when a headless body is discovered near Hank’s summer home, forcing Kate to contend with two more of his exes: Catherine Alvarez—the first—who lives as a shut-in with her computers, carefully following Tudor Enterprises; and Anna Klein—the fourth—who runs a bed-and-breakfast where she and her wife keep a steady eye on things—particularly Hank’s children, Lizzie and Teddy. In this clever and suspenseful reimagining of Tudor era betrayals, these three women become entwined in a deadly game of cat and mouse—with each other, Hank, and Hank’s brilliant fixer, Tom Cromwell—as Kate seeks to solve the puzzle of who the murdered woman is, who killed her, and whether her death has any connection to the other headless body from eight years ago.

An Inconvenient Wife

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Jilly Gagnon

An ambitious screenwriter tries to solve her friend’s disappearance by re-creating their fateful final girls’ trip in this riveting locked-room mystery from the author of All Dressed Up. “Twisty and utterly bingeable . . . Each page will leave you gasping for more.”—Disha Bose, author of Dirty Laundry It should have been the perfect spring break: Five girlfriends. A remote winery on the Oregon coast. An infinite supply of delicious wine at their manicured fingertips. But then their center—beautiful, magnetic Vanessa Morales—vanished without a trace. Emily Fischer was perhaps the last person to see her alive. But now, years later, Emily spots Vanessa’s doppelganger at a local café. At the end of her rope working a lucrative yet mind-numbing gig on a network sitcom, Emily is inspired to finally tell the story that’s been percolating inside her for so long: Vanessa’s story. But first, she needs to know what really happened on that fateful night. So she puts a brilliant scheme into motion. She gets the girls together for a reunion weekend at the scene of the crime under the guise of reconnecting. There’s Brittany, Vanessa’s cousin and the inheritor of the winery; Paige, a former athlete, bullish yet easily manipulated; and Lydia, the wallflower of the group. One of them knows the truth. But what have they each been hiding? And how much can Emily trust anything she learns from them . . . or even her own memories of Vanessa’s last days? Suspenseful, propulsive, and interspersed with scenes from Emily’s blockbuster screenplay, Scenes of the Crime is an unforgettable mystery that examines culpability, the shiny rearview mirror of Hollywood storytelling, and the pitfalls of female friendship.

Catherine Bruno

@cat_reads_247

Books Listed

Following

Followers

Rose Sutherland

A Sweet Sting of Salt

Zoraida Cordova; Natalie C. Parker

Vampires Never Get Old

Olivie Blake

The Atlas Six

Uzma Jalaluddin; Marissa Stapley

Three Holidays and a Wedding

Jane. Austen; Kate Riordan

Sanditon

Lana Harper

From Bad to Cursed (Book 2)

Genevieve Gornichec

The Witch's Heart

Saleem Haddad

Guapa

Jean Rhys; Edwidge Danticat

Wide Sargasso Sea

Julie C. Dao

Song of the Crimson Flower

Bianca Turetsky

The Time Traveling Fashionista (Book 1)

Lisa See

Lady Tan's Circle of Women

Owlcrate

Constanta’s Candle Holder

Karen E. Olson

An Inconvenient Wife

Jilly Gagnon

Scenes of the Crime

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Rose Sutherland

A Sweet Sting of Salt

Zoraida Cordova; Natalie C. Parker

Vampires Never Get Old

Olivie Blake

The Atlas Six

Uzma Jalaluddin; Marissa Stapley

Three Holidays and a Wedding

Jane. Austen; Kate Riordan

Sanditon

Lana Harper

From Bad to Cursed (Book 2)

Genevieve Gornichec

The Witch's Heart

Saleem Haddad

Guapa

Jean Rhys; Edwidge Danticat

Wide Sargasso Sea

Julie C. Dao

Song of the Crimson Flower

Bianca Turetsky

The Time Traveling Fashionista (Book 1)

Lisa See

Lady Tan's Circle of Women

Owlcrate

Constanta’s Candle Holder

Karen E. Olson

An Inconvenient Wife

Jilly Gagnon

Scenes of the Crime

Get The App