I failed miserably by not uploading a blog post last week, but I resolve to make up for it with a small one until I’m able to crank out this monster I’ve been meditating on all weekend.
Summary:
Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.
Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.
Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see. It’s a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.
After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.
Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they’ll first need to stay alive.
Unfortunately, the general public is likely going to hit burn-out on the concept of multiple universes soon, nevertheless, I want to enjoy this trend while it lasts. I’ve never read V.E. Schwab, but if the first few pages are any indication of what we’re in for, I’m hyped.
I haven’t given non-Medieval fantasies enough of a looking-into recently and I hope this book will be as great as it looks.
Summary:
Lowen Ashleigh is a writer who’s offered the opportunity to complete the last three novels of a bestselling book series because the author, Verity Crawford, is unable to do so for medical reasons.
When Lowen moves into the Crawford house to go over Verity’s notes, Lowen sees that Verity has been left largely unresponsive after a car accident. She also learns that Verity’s two twin daughters died in the months preceding Verity’s accident.
Lowen soon finds her self attracted to Jeremy, Verity’s husband, and she also discovers an autobiographical manuscript by Verity, which contains dark secrets about Verity’s life.
While the premise intrigues me, my true reason for picking this up is some guy standing in line at the local bookstore told me to get it. No really. Peer-pressure wins.
I have never read this author before, but I’ve heard she’s controversial. I’m hoping that means this book will be interesting if nothing else.
Summary:
Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there.
The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother’s situation, and the more questions she has. Ben’s neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it’s starting to look like it’s Ben’s future that’s in question.
The socialite – The nice guy – The alcoholic – The girl on the verge – The concierge
Everyone’s a neighbor. Everyone’s a suspect. And everyone knows something they’re not telling.
Yet another author I’ve never read before, but have seen everywhere.
I love stories about characters thrown into unfamiliar environments, especially claustrophobic ones.
Who can they trust? What will they discover?
Are they going to be yet another obnoxious know-it-all that thinks they are better than everyone else in spite of the fact that their life is a dumpster fire of failure?
I’m eager to learn.
Summary:
In 1977, Claire Lake, Oregon, was shaken by the Lady Killer Murders: Two men, seemingly randomly, were murdered with the same gun, with strange notes left behind. Beth Greer was the perfect suspect—a rich, eccentric twenty-three-year-old woman, seen fleeing one of the crimes. But she was acquitted, and she retreated to the isolation of her mansion.
Oregon, 2017. Shea Collins is a receptionist, but by night, she runs a true crime website, the Book of Cold Cases—a passion fueled by the attempted abduction she escaped as a child. When she meets Beth by chance, Shea asks her for an interview. To Shea’s surprise, Beth says yes.
They meet regularly at Beth’s mansion, though Shea is never comfortable there. Items move when she’s not looking, and she could swear she’s seen a girl outside the window. The allure of learning the truth about the case from the smart, charming Beth is too much to resist, but even as they grow closer, Shea senses something isn’t right. Is she making friends with a manipulative murderer, or are there other dangers lurking in the darkness of the Greer house?
I read The Sundown Motel and ended up DNFing it, but I’m willing to give this writer another chance. It took a while for me to put down Sundown so I know she has skill, she just wounded up focusing on aspects of the story that held little appeal to me so I wound up shelving it.
But this book looks too interesting to resist and not just because I was a receptionist for a long time who happened to have a blog.
Summary:
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
As much as I bitterly despise Hollywood now, stories about Tinseltown in the old days have always held appeal to me. I’m getting Sunset Boulevard vibes from this book just from reading the dust-jacket so I’m pretty enthusiastic about reading it.
This probably won’t be as intense as I’m hoping it will be, but hopefully it will be just a little bit mysterious and sexy.
Summary:
So begins Kaikeyi’s story. The only daughter of the kingdom of Kekaya, she is raised on tales of the gods: how they churned the vast ocean to obtain the nectar of immortality, how they vanquish evil and ensure the land of Bharat prospers, and how they offer powerful boons to the devout and the wise. Yet she watches as her father unceremoniously banishes her mother, listens as her own worth is reduced to how great a marriage alliance she can secure. And when she calls upon the gods for help, they never seem to hear.
Desperate for some measure of independence, she turns to the texts she once read with her mother and discovers a magic that is hers alone. With this power, Kaikeyi transforms herself from an overlooked princess into a warrior, diplomat, and most favoured queen, determined to carve a better world for herself and the women around her.
But as the evil from her childhood stories threatens the cosmic order, the path she has forged clashes with the destiny the gods have chosen for her family. And Kaikeyi must decide if resistance is worth the destruction it will wreak – and what legacy she intends to leave behind.
I was pretty excited about this one when I came across it on my Book of The Month app. I haven’t read that many Indian-inspired fantasy novels before so I am eager to give this one a try.
The hardback is a little on the big side, so I might reserve this one for last, but I’m hoping it will be worth the wait.
So those are a few of the books from my TBR.
Oh, you thought that was it?
No….no, child.
My list of TBR is infinite.
It is eternal.
My TBR stretches far beyonds the boundaries of time and space, yin and yang, life and death.
My TBR is beyond your mortal comprehension and if you saw more than just a peek, your sanity would slip from you like sand through slender fingers.
Quick! Look away!
I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have exposed you to so much. Please, have some tea and go to bed. If you hear a knocking upon your door, do not go to it.
Do not go.
Sleep well.
The Crooked Pen 