I think I might have been spending my feelings again. You see, whenever I hit a reading slump I tend to buy more books, it’s completely counterintuitive and always leads to more stress and feelings of being overwhelmed …. what can I say? Holding a new book in my hands is delicious.
Here are all the books I acquired in January – gifts, ARCs, and purchases!
The Witch’s Heart
Written by Genevieve Gornichec
Published by Ace Books
After refusing to divulge information to Odin regarding her visions of the future, Angrboda’s heart is removed from her chest and she is burned three times at the stake … this is where her story begins. Escaping Asgard to the farthest reaches of the Ironwood forest, she finds she is not alone. Loki has followed her and bears a great gift – her heart, which he recovered from her pyre. They begin a great courtship resulting in three unusual children, but this time of peace is not to last as Odin continually hunts her and her information. As her powers gradually return to her and new visions appear, Angrboda must decide if she will continue to hide or accept the fate she fears and fight for her family. Aided by unique friends – a great she-wolf and Skadi, a powerful Huntress God – her incredible powers will be tested to their limit as she risks it all to save those she loves most. A story of hope, betrayal, friendship and the power of a mother’s love, The Witch’s Heart is a modern day retelling of age-old mythology.
Full review HERE.
You can find it here: Bookshop.org
These Violent Delights
Written by Chloe Gong
Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books
Set in Shanghai, 1926 a blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.
You can find it here: Bookshop.org
Black Buck
Written by Mateo Askaripour
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Following a twenty-something black man, who after convincing a CEO of a NYC tech company to change his regular coffee order, is offered a job with his firm. This great, young salesman is thrust into the white dominated world of corporate America. As he climbs the ladder, he comes up with ideas to help other people of colour enter the institution.
You can find it here: Bookshop.org
Outlawed
Written by Anna North
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing
This is the story of a young 17-year old new bride on the American frontier in 1894. After one year passes and Ada is still unable to conceive a child, she knows her life is in jeopardy as barren women are often hung as witches. Escaping certain death, she joins the Hole in the Wall Gang lead by Kit – a preacher turned robber – determined to create a safe haven for outcast women. Women who dare to imagine a better world for themselves amidst historical obstacles are themes I’m always interested in reading!
You can find it here: Bookshop.org
The Wife Upstairs
Written by Rachel Hawkins
Published by St. Martin’s Press
A Jane Eyre reimagining. Jane, a dog-walker in Thornfield Estates, a wealthy gated community in Birmingham, Alabama, grabs the eye of Eddie Rochester, whose wife died under mysterious circumstances. After he invites Jane into his home she quickly gets access to a glitzy, glamorous world of her dreams. But … strange noises are coming from upstairs.
You can find it here: Bookshop.org
Whisper Network
Written by Chandler Baker
Published by Flatiron Books
(From Goodreads) Sloane, Ardie, Grace, and Rosalita have worked at Truviv, Inc. for years. The sudden death of Truviv’s CEO means their boss, Ames, will likely take over the entire company. Each of the women has a different relationship with Ames, who has always been surrounded by whispers about how he treats women. Those whispers have been ignored, swept under the rug, hidden away by those in charge. But the world has changed, and the women are watching this promotion differently. This time, when they find out Ames is making an inappropriate move on a colleague, they aren’t willing to let it go. This time, they’ve decided enough is enough. Sloane and her colleagues’ decision to take a stand sets in motion a catastrophic shift in the office. Lies will be uncovered. Secrets will be exposed. And not everyone will survive. All of their lives—as women, colleagues, mothers, wives, friends, even adversaries—will change dramatically as a result.
You can find it here: Bookshop.org
Marilla of Green Gables
Written by Sarah McCoy
Published by William Morrow
I’m always for anything and everything Anne of Green Gables retelling and this story centring around Marilla at Green Gables before Anne is one I’m super eager to read! Plucky and ambitious, Marilla Cuthbert is thirteen years old when her world is turned upside down. Her beloved mother has died in childbirth, and Marilla suddenly must bear the responsibilities of a farm wife: cooking, sewing, keeping house, and overseeing the day-to-day life of Green Gables with her brother, Matthew and father, Hugh. In Avonlea—a small, tight-knit farming town on a remote island—life holds few options for farm girls. Emboldened by her aunt, Marilla dares to venture beyond the safety of Green Gables and discovers new friends and new opportunities. Joining the Ladies Aid Society, she raises funds for an orphanage run by the Sisters of Charity in nearby Nova Scotia that secretly serves as a way station for runaway slaves from America. Her budding romance with John Blythe, the charming son of a neighbor, offers her a possibility of future happiness but Marilla is in no rush to trade one farm life for another. She soon finds herself caught up in the dangerous work of politics, and abolition—jeopardizing all she cherishes, including her bond with her John Blythe.
You can find it here: Bookshop.org
Mr. Flood’s Last Resort
Written by Jess Kidd
Published by Atria Books
I bought this solely because of my love for Jess Kidd and her debut “Himself” – one of my favourite reads of last year. I actually didn’t even read the synopsis before buying this! Here’s what Goodreads has to say: Maud Drennan is a dedicated caregiver whose sunny disposition masks a deep sadness. A tragic childhood event left her haunted, in the company of a cast of prattling saints who pop in and out of her life like tourists. Other than visiting her agoraphobic neighbor, Maud keeps to herself, finding solace in her work and in her humble existence–until she meets Mr. Flood. Cathal Flood is a menace by all accounts. The lone occupant of a Gothic mansion crawling with feral cats, he has been waging war against his son’s attempts to put him into an old-age home and sent his last caretaker running for the madhouse. But Maud is this impossible man’s last chance: if she can help him get the house in order, he just might be able to stay. So the unlikely pair begins to cooperate, bonding over their shared love of Irish folktales and mutual dislike of Mr. Flood’s overbearing son. Still, shadows are growing in the cluttered corners of the mansion, hinting at buried family secrets, and reminding Maud that she doesn’t really know this man at all. When the forgotten case of a missing schoolgirl comes to light, she starts poking around, and a full-steam search for answers begins.
You can find it here: Bookshop.org
The Last Romantics
Written by Tara Conklin
Published by HarperAvenue
I’ve hummed and hawed on this one for so long, so when I found a hardcover for $5, I snagged it up, even though I tend to shy away from familial dramas. This story follows four siblings of the Skinner family – an all American family living in middle-class Connecticut. Faced with betrayal and an uncertain future, the siblings emerge from one harrowing summer strongly united. Two decades later, they will be tested again when another family crisis tests the strength of these bonds and forces them to question the life choices they’ve made and to ask what, exactly, they are willing to do for love.
You can find it here: Bookshop.org
The Sweeney Sisters
Written by Lian Dolan
Published by William Morrow
The three Sweeney sisters – Maggie, Eliza, and Tricia Sweeney, grew up as a happy threesome in the idyllic seaside town of Southport, Connecticut. But their mother’s death from cancer fifteen years ago tarnished their golden-hued memories, and the sisters drifted apart. Reunited at their father’s (an internationally famous author) funeral some years later, their worlds are collectively rocked as one stranger in attendance – emboldened by whiskey – reveals that she too is a Sweeney sister. Not only that, but this “stranger” is actually their childhood neighbour Serena Tucker, whose mother apparently had an ongoing relationship with the Sweeney sisters’ father. Once the shock wears off, questions abound. What does this mean for William’s literary legacy? Where is the unfinished memoir he’s stashed away, and what will it reveal? And how will a fourth Sweeney sister—a blond among redheads—fit into their story?
You can find it here: Bookshop.org
Garden Spells
Written by Sarah Addison Allen
Published by Bantam Discovery
One of my absolute favourite cozy up and forget the world reads, I actually didn’t own a physical copy as I simply checked this book out of the library numerous times. If cozy towns, magic, and love stories are your jam — you need to pick up a Sarah Addison Allen novel!
You can find it here: Bookshop.org
Little Women
Written by Louisa May Alcott
You know this one. But I didn’t own a copy, and so now I do 🙂
You can find it here: Bookshop.org
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