The Sunday Salon and Villains, Vengeance & Midnight Magic: Meet My Latest Book Obsessions

Welcome to The Sunday Salon! It's the place where Book Bloggers from around the world share their bookish finds with one another in a virtual place called The Sunday Salon. Thank you to for Deb at ReaderBuzz keeping us all together on Sundays and hosting The Sunday Salon now! I also visited with Kim at The Caffeinated Reader, another Sunday gathering place for us bookish people called The Sunday Post!

We are finally out of the cold in South Carolina! The last possible frost was suppose to be April 8th and my seed snails are officially enjoying the big bold outdoors. I put them in our little greenhouse Friday night and Saturday morning they still looked very happy. We are actually suppose to be in the high 80's during the day all this coming week. I've been enjoying the breeze on the front porch in the early evenings finishing The Beheading by Rebecca Lehmann. I'm in the last 40 pages now and am trying to read as fast as I can to see what happens! It's been a great read so far. I'll be posting my review next week, but let's just say it's bordering on 5 stars depending on if the ending lives up to the rest. If you like historical fiction, with a little bit of... I don't know... horror? fantasy? What would you call Anne Boylen getting her head chopped off and she wakes up to the horror of her head between her knees?

Also this past week I got a new spine bookcase. My favorite space saving bookcase and I needed one. Of course I've been finding so many great books lately, I filled it up immediately! Not only did I fill my new bookcase up, but I've been filling my Kindle up too! What, may you ask, did I fill up my Kindle and my bookcase with? Here are the top 4 this week...

The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke (aka V.E.Schwab & Cat Clarke)... Six authors. One private island. Seventy-two hours to write the ending that will change their lives...

Arthur Fletch, one of the world’s bestselling novelists, is a reclusive genius known for his iconic protagonists and fiendish twists. When six struggling authors are invited to spend a weekend on his private Scottish island, they arrive to discover a shocking secret: Arthur Fletch is dead . . . and his last book is unfinished.

Desperate to publish the novel, Fletch’s agent and editor have summoned these writers in the hope that one of them will imagine a worthy ending for this final book. To sweeten the deal, they are offering an irresistible prize: in addition to ghost-writing the last chapter––for a mind-boggling sum––they will also help the lucky writer successfully re-launch their own career, guaranteeing future bestsellers. The catch: the writers have just seventy-two hours to finish Fletch’s magnum opus.

It’s the perfect plot. All it needs is a killer ending.

This book got a lot of hype when it became known that 2 well known writers put their heads together and wrote this... and no one knew who the writers were. When it was revealed that it was none other than V.E. Schwab and Cat Clarke, it got even more hype, probably more so because of V.E. Schwab. In any case, this is suppose to be a fun romp and I am definitely looking forward to cracking the spine on this one. Published by Harper Collins and on released this past Tueday... 

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab...

This is a story about hunger.

1532. Santo Domingo de la Calzada.

A young girl grows up wild and wily—her beauty is only outmatched by her dreams of escape. But María knows she can only ever be a prize, or a pawn, in the games played by men. When an alluring stranger offers an alternate path, María makes a desperate choice. She vows to have no regrets.

This is a story about love.

1827. London.

A young woman lives an idyllic but cloistered life on her family’s estate, until a moment of forbidden intimacy sees her shipped off to London. Charlotte’s tender heart and seemingly impossible wishes are swept away by an invitation from a beautiful widow—but the price of freedom is higher than she could have imagined.

This is a story about rage.

2019. Boston.

College was supposed to be her chance to be someone new. That’s why Alice moved halfway across the world, leaving her old life behind. But after an out-of-character one-night stand leaves her questioning her past, her present, and her future, Alice throws herself into the hunt for answers . . . and revenge.

This is a story about life—

how it ends, and how it starts.

This book has gotten a lot of buzz since it was published last June by Tor. And it still is getting lots of praise. V.E. Schwab is a writer who creates these amazing worlds  & characters and is considered a historical fantasy writer. This book has been on my wishlist for a long time, and I finally bought it! I can't wait to read it!

A Stage Set for Villain by Shannon J. Spann... The gods are dead. All that’s left are the Players. The performers of the Playhouse are as worshipped as they are feared, their enchanting shows bending hearts, minds, and even reality itself. Vicious, godlike, lethal. Eighteen-year-old Riven Hesper knows the dangers better than anyone, after her own encounter with a Player resulted in a curse that is slowly killing her.

When the Playhouse announces the spectacle of a lifetime—a chance for one mortal to steal a Player’s immortality—Riven sees her last chance to live. Desperate for answers, she infiltrates the competition. There, she finds Jude, the Playhouse’s brilliant, merciless Lead Player, whose charm is as dangerous as his Craft, and strikes a deadly bargain to save her life.

But with time running out and the Playhouse’s secrets unraveling into a disturbing picture, Riven faces a grim possibility: she might not be the hero of her story after all. In fact, she may be the villain.

Because the Playhouse doesn’t just tell stories. It rewrites them.

And Riven’s might end in blood.

I had heard so many.

This was an immediate sensation on social media. Published this past February by Entangled Publishing, it was recently scooped up by Amazon MGM Studios for a major project down the road. I downloaded a copy for my Kindle, which is only $7.99 right now, and started reading it. OMG, I was immediately drawn into the story and the setting is so unique. Definitely pick this up if it sounds like your kind of read or if you want to try some romantasy and you have a Kindle, because who knows when that price will go to "normal" Kindle pricing, which is generally around $14.99! (remember when they were all priced at $9.99!?)

Starside by Alex Aster... Enter the world of Starside, where swords wield magic and power is not inherited...but claimed.

Hundreds of years ago, a brutal war split a land in two. Starside is the realm of magic and immortals—the descendants of the gods, living in a power-rich paradise. Stormside is where mortals fight for scraps of that magic.

Every fifty years, the gates between them open, and fifty challengers are allowed to journey across Starside on a deadly quest to access a pool of magic that can heal, grant wealth, or extend life. Everyone has their reasons for entering, but Aris has only one: vengeance. As a child, a goddess set fire to her village, killing her family. Aris isn’t after the gods’ magic—she’s going to kill them.

First, she must survive the Culling, the king’s deadly competition to choose his fifty challengers. An orphaned blacksmith’s apprentice, Aris doesn’t have the superior weapons of the heirs from the Great Houses. But the greatest swords—ones that contain power—are not inherited or bought, they are claimed, by both sides. And when Aris claims a great sword, it makes her not just a real competitor—but a target.

Getting past the gates is only the beginning. Starside is deadlier than it seems. If the ancient creatures, magic-wielding beasts, and bloodthirsty immortals weren’t dangerous enough, a new peril has even immortals fearing what rises from the ground at night. With a blade most would kill to claim, Aris can’t trust anyone. Especially not Harlan Raker, the merciless and mysterious king’s guard who betrayed her years ago—and who may now be the key to her survival.

But Aris is hiding a secret tied to her family’s death. And when it’s revealed, not even the gods will be able to stop what’s coming…

I first found Alex Aster when she was promoting her "enemies-to-lovers" rom-com, Summer in The City, which was published last March. Since then it seems, she's been on a writing spree with YA Fantasy, and that's where we find her today, but she's stepping out of the YA Fantasy genre and into the "adult" Romantasy genre with Starside. This book has been all over TikTok and Instagram with many MANY 5 star ratings. I have no idea what I'm getting myself into, but it sounds like a great read and I put it on my wishlist when it came out in March. Recently I've been obsessed with these Romantasy books and I'm looking forward to starting this one soon. Published by Avon, March 31st (and I did tell you about it then, but I couldn't resist it when I finally saw it in person 😁. Did I tell you how pretty it is?!)

THOSE were some of the books I picked up this week. What about you?! Did you bring home any new books this week?

Now that we've talked about the new books I picked up, let me share what happened on the blog the last two weeks in case you missed anything...

Memoir Monday 3/30... Let's Hear it For The Girls! Memoirs from the ladies of a certain age (my age! )

Memoir Monday 4/6... Get Your Scalpel ready for this one!

New Book Tuesday 3/31... Magic, Destiny & Rising Stars You Need Now!

New Book Tuesday 4/7... New Releases and It's Stacked!

First Lines Friday 4/3... You'll Lose Your Head Over These!

First Lines Friday 4/10... Get Ready to be Swept Away!

Indie Next Pick for April... No Surprise Here and You Don't Want to Miss it!

Comedian Gillian Cosgriff... Sings us a little song about stress relieve (book related!) You really need to listen to this 😄.

What am I Listening To?... OMG! Old Lady Curmudgeon and a Great Narrator!

Happy Easter!... And a reading of Peter Rabbit.

I hope you found something to dig your teeth into... or at least found a good book! Share your good books right here in the comments! I'm always looking for recommendations!

Have a great week and Happy Reading... Suzanne

It's New Book Release Day! And it is Stacked!

It's an exciting day! Why? Because it's "New Book Release Day"! Here are the books on my TBR list....

Rites Of The Starling by Devney Perry...
A princess journeys across a cursed realm to find the truth about her family, only to discover her quest intertwines with the fate of a lost warrior.

Calandra’s five kingdoms are on the verge of destruction. The crux migration is coming. And in the wake of a devastating attack, I’ve been separated from the man who owns my heart. I’m lost. Terrified. Homesick. Hunted by monsters, driven to exhaustion, and kidnapped by a powerful priest, the only thing keeping me going is the little girl counting on me to keep her safe. It’s my turn to become the Guardian. Our lives change one fateful night. A night of death. A night of monsters. A night of truths. That night, I learn the real meaning of fear—and the depth of my own strength. Everyone wants me to be something I’m not—a queen, a spy, a sacrifice. But what if I embrace my crown? What if the secrets I uncover save our realm? What if my sacrifice means salvation for the man I love? For too long, I’ve feared the monsters we make. It’s time to discover the monster within.

Sequel to the Shield of Sparrows. This is a HUGE anticipated release! I've got Shield of Sparrows in my TBR pile and this one on order. I pre-ordered this during that big buy2/get1 one day sale at Target, but was notified yesterday it's on BACKORDER!!! Published by Entangled Publishing.

American Fantasy by Emma Straub...
When the American Fantasy cruise ship sets sail for a four-day themed voyage, aboard are all five members of a famous 1990s boyband, and three thousand screaming women who have worshipped them for thirty years.

Newly divorced and with an empty nest, Annie is on board as a lark to appease her sister. Once a diehard fan of the band as a teen, her tastes have matured, and she feels out of place amid the sea of bedazzled, air-brushed t-shirts bearing the singers’ faces. Yet when the lights come up and the idols of her youth begin to sing before her, something is unlocked. “Maybe that was nostalgia after all, the music a direct vein to her childhood, the least complicated part of her life. A short cut to happiness.” Between the slushy alcoholic drinks, the music of her youth, and the thousands of middle-aged women acting like lovesick teenagers, Annie finally reconnects to a long-submerged part of herself. By the time she befriends one of the band members -- not just a celebrity but someone also in need of a friend -- she feels like anything is possible. But a lot can go wrong on a ship ruled by hormones and hope, frustration and fantasy.

Packed with wisdom, heart, and laugh-out-loud reflections on fame, youth, nostalgia, marriage, and middle age, Emma Straub delivers a richly textured, uplifting story about the magic of revisiting youthful feelings, and the even greater magic of starting anew.

This book has gotten so much positive buzz and sounds like a fun read for us "girls of a certain age". Sounds like a cruise I would want to go on! Definitely on my wishlist. Published by Riverhead Books.

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke... A traditional American woman, a beautiful wife and mother who sells her pioneer lifestyle of raw milk and farm-fresh eggs to her millions of social media followers, suddenly awakens cold, filthy, and terrified in the brutal reality of 1805—where she must unravel whether this living nightmare is an elaborate hoax, a twisted reality show, or something far more sinister in this sensational debut novel.

My name was Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive.

Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle. Her charming farmhouse is rustic, her husband a handsome cowboy, her six children each more delightful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers behind the scenes, her kitchen hiding industrial-grade fridges and ovens, her husband the Republican equivalent of a Kennedy? What Natalie’s followers—all 8 million of them—don’t know won’t hurt them. And The Angry Women? The privileged, Ivy League, coastal elite haters who call her an antifeminist iconoclast? They’re sick with jealousy. Because Natalie isn’t simply living the good life, she’s living the ideal—and just so happens to be building an empire from it.

Until one morning she wakes up in a life that isn’t hers. Her home, her husband, her children—they’re all familiar, but something’s off. Her kitchen is warmed by a sputtering fire rather than electricity, her children are dirty and strange, and her soft-handed husband is suddenly a competent farmer. Just yesterday Natalie was curating photos of homemade jam for her Instagram, and now she’s expected to haul firewood and handwash clothes until her fingers bleed. Has she become the unwitting star of a brutal reality show? Could it really be time travel? Is she being tested by God? By Satan? When Natalie suffers a brutal injury in the woods, she realizes two things: This is not her beautiful life, and she must escape by any means possible.

A gripping, electrifying novel that is as darkly funny as it is frightening, Yesteryear is a gimlet-eyed look at tradition, fame, faith, and the grand performance of womanhood.

There has been so much anticipation for the release date for Yesteryear! OMG, I read this back at the end of January and was totally enthralled! I just couldn't stop reading! Read my review and add this to your TBR list! Published by Knopf.

Just Announce this morning... Reese's Book Club pick for April is Into The Blue by Emma Brodie which was also released today. Here's the publisher's blurb: “The truth is there’s no such thing as a normal life. There’s just the time you get and how you spend it.”

In the summer of 2000, AJ Graves dreams of writing for Saturday Night Live; instead, she’s stuck working in a video rental store, with slim odds of escaping her small Massachusetts town. Then in walks Noah Drew, the enigmatic and intense scion of the Drew acting dynasty, and her life changes forever. Despite wildly different upbringings, the two forge a deep, cosmic bond, first as friends, then as acting partners—until one day, Noah disappears without a word.

Seven years later, in New York City, AJ is shocked to find herself cast in the same intergalactic TV production as Noah, by then a well-known Hollywood heartthrob. As their on-screen characters grow closer every day, the lines between reality and acting begin to blur. Unable to stay away from each other, AJ and Noah are forced to confront the truth of what happened years ago—and the devastating secret that will send their lives careening apart, even as fate continues to draw them together.

Blending unforgettable characters, explosive chemistry and yearning, and profound emotion, Into the Blue is a journey unlike any other—one that asks: What does it mean to diverge from the script to forge your own story?

I know nothing about this book, except that Reese announced it as her pick for April and that it was published today by Ballantine Books. I usually like her picks though and sounds like a good read. On my radar now and putting it on my wishlist.

What new books are you reading today?

 

First Lines Friday... Romantasy with an enemies to lovers twist

 

"What if I jumped?

Balance on the edge of a sheer cliff, I stood at the mercy of this realm, wiggling my bare toes in the dirt beneath my feet. A strong gust of wind could tip me forward or backward. The slightest tremor in the earth, and I'd either fall.

or fly.

What if I jumped? Would anyone care? No. Not for me. Not for the wrong princess of Quentin."

                        ...Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry

This book has received so much praise from the book industry and readers that I just had to finally check it out. Devney Perry's writing is addictive... and I just had to buy this and start reading! Romantasy with an enemies to lovers twist and a powerful female lead player, this book should also be a fun read. You can find this at your favorite bookstore. Published by Entangled Publishing in May of last year. It's sequel, Rites of the Starling will be published April 7th! Stay tuned for my review!

The Sunday Salon and There's a Buzz in the air, but not from the bees... it's from people talking about these 3 books...

Welcome to The Sunday Salon! What is the Sunday Salon? Imagine Some university library’s vast reading room. It’s filled with people — students and faculty and strangers who’ve wandered in. They’re seated at great oaken dests, books piled all around them, and they’re all feverishly reading and jotting notes in their leather-bound journals as they go. Later they’ll mill around the open dictionaries and compare their thoughts on the afternoon’s literary intake. That is the Sunday Salon, but all virtually. Book Bloggers from around the world sharing their bookish finds with one another in a virtual place called The Sunday Salon. Thank you to Deb at ReaderBuzz for keeping us all together on Sundays and hosting The Sunday Salon now! I also visited with Kim at The Caffeinated Reader, another Sunday gathering place for us bookish people called The Sunday Post.

It has been a HOT, and I mean in the high 90's all week hot, in South Carolina this week. And then of course we get the thunderstorms to go along with that. So I spent some time outside because even though it's been hotter than, well you know, because it hasn't really been humid. But I have been able to escape into Central Air, which is a godsend (remind me to tell you about the hottest week in history last year and how our Central Air died). But whether I was in or out this week, I have found some great books! What kind of bookish finds do I have this week? Well, if you haven't had the opportunity to be in a  library, bookstore or other bookish place, let's talk about Zadie Smith...

Zadie Smith's newest book, The Fraud, came out this week. There has been so much buzz about this book! The Author is known for her stories to shine a light on religion, race, and cultures in a way that keeps us entertained but aware. They have a bit of humor added. And her writing just pulls you into whatever story she has written. Her newest addition to her long list of published works is winning readers over. Published by Penguin Press, coming in at 464 pages, and released this past tuesday. Here is what the publisher shares about the story...

It is 1873. Mrs. Eliza Touchet is the Scottish housekeeper—and cousin by marriage—of a once-famous novelist, now in decline, William Ainsworth, with whom she has lived for thirty years.

Mrs. Touchet is a woman of many interests: literature, justice, abolitionism, class, her cousin, his wives, this life and the next. But she is also skeptical. She suspects her cousin of having no talent; his successful friend, Mr. Charles Dickens, of being a bully and a moralist; and England of being a land of facades, in which nothing is quite what it seems.

Andrew Bogle, meanwhile, grew up enslaved on the Hope Plantation, Jamaica. He knows every lump of sugar comes at a human cost. That the rich deceive the poor. And that people are more easily manipulated than they realize. When Bogle finds himself in London, star witness in a celebrated case of imposture, he knows his future depends on telling the right story.

The “Tichborne Trial”—wherein a lower-class butcher from Australia claimed he was in fact the rightful heir of a sizable estate and title—captivates Mrs. Touchet and all of England. Is Sir Roger Tichborne really who he says he is? Or is he a fraud? Mrs. Touchet is a woman of the world. Mr. Bogle is no fool. But in a world of hypocrisy and self-deception, deciding what is real proves a complicated task. . . .

Based on real historical events, The Fraud is a dazzling novel about truth and fiction, Jamaica and Britain, fraudulence and authenticity and the mystery of “other people.”

This is definitely on my wishlist! I can't wait to read it and see how all these characters come together to make another amazing story by Zadie Smith. You can read an excerpt on Penguin Press.

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Next on my list of "You HAVE" to put this on your TBR list, even if you are NOT a fantasy reader, is Rebecca Yarro's Fourth Wing. I am not usually a fantasy reader, but I think I need to rethink that. I picked this book up after hearing some buzz about it and opened the pages to find myself unable to tear myself away! OMG, I was enjoying this story so much and Rebecca's writing. Was it because the main character, Violet, is a girl with a lot of spunk, but quietly vulnerable trying to hide her weaknesses away so she can survive and I can empathize with her?  This book has gotten tons of love from Tiktok and just about everywhere. Here's the publisher's description...

Welcome to the brutal and elite world of Basgiath War College, where everyone has an agenda, and every night could be your last...

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general - also known as her tough-as-talons mother - has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you're smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away... because dragons don't bond to 'fragile' humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother's daughter - like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant. She'll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Alliances will be forged. Lives will be lost. Traitors will become allies... or even lovers. But sleep with one eye open because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.

There was a lot of nail biting when I got to the part where Violet was entering the school to start her training. And it's not all dragons and swords... there is also some romance. But I'm not finished yet and I shouldn't say anymore. I think if you enjoyed The Hunger Games, this would be a no brainer, but if you aren't into fantasy, dragon rider reads, I would say, you should give this a try I don't think you'd be disappointed. I haven't been... 

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarrow published by Entangled Publishing this past May, has a 514 page count. You'll want to read this soon because the sequel Iron Flame will be released November 7, 2023! 

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Finally this week, a book that has gotten an equal amount of buzz and has been called "A wrenching love story” by author Chris Bohjalian in his review in The Washington Post. It is based on the true love story of Anne Lister and Eliza Raines, two young girls who meet at their English boarding school. Here's what the publisher shares...

Adding to the already moving, richly told and gripping collection of historical fiction from Emma Donoghue, Learned By Heart is the breathtaking story of two young girls on the margins of life, forging a connection that will last forever.

Eliza and Lister have never been this wide-awake in their lives, and the Slope, with its curtains drawn wide, is bright with starlight. They talk in whispers, not to disturb the maids who lie sleeping on the other side of the box room. The question Eliza's been needing to ask swells like a great berry in her mouth, and all at once she's not scared to let it out, not scared at all, not scared of anything...

In 1805 fourteen-year-old Eliza Raine is a school girl at the Manor School for Young Ladies in York. The daughter of an Indian mother and a British father, Eliza was banished to this unfamiliar country as a little girl. When she first stepped off the King George in Kent, Eliza was accompanied by her older sister, Jane, but now she boards alone at the Manor, with no one left to claim her. She spends her days avoiding the attention of her fellow pupils until, one day, a fearless and charismatic new student arrives at the school. The two girls are immediately thrown together and soon Eliza's life is turned inside out by this strange and curious young woman.

Learned by Heart, Emma Donoghue's mesmerising new novel, tells the heartbreaking story of the tangled lives of two women whose intense, and unlikely, relationship will change them for ever.

I know author Emma Donoghue by her book (which was also a good movie adaptation), Room. But she has written many more books than that one. As I was diving more into the story behind Learned by Heart, I discovered many historical references to Anne Lister, books written solely about her and her diary, and that there is actually an HBO Max series based on the life of Anne Lister. She seems like a very interesting woman. If you'd like to hear just a small bit of Anne's diary, Here is a clip from the reading of her diary by Sarah Waters of the group Historic England.

Published by Little,Brown , running 336 pages, Learned By Heart by Emma Donoghue was released on August 29th and should be available at your favorite bookstore!

This Week in Review...

Thursday... Pick Me, Pick Me, September book club selections from 2 of my favorite online book clubs.

Friday... First Lines Friday, They say the first lines of a book can make it or break it, and here are the first lines of a little book called  Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood

Also Friday... NEW Look for Chick with Books! It's been almost 25 years (next Feb will be 25years) and I thought it was time to update the look and feel of the blog. Tell me what you think!

Do you read fantasy books?

I hope you found something here that piqued your interest! These are a few of the books on my nightstand, in my Kindle, on my wishlist... I'll be sharing some more exciting finds during the week, so stop by soon...

Happy Reading... Suzanne