What time is it? New book time! Despite the fact that I usually blog about books that are not new and often not even hot, I am making up for lost time this fall. Each week I’m bringing you my totally subjective list of books to squee about. And of all the weeks thus far in the fall publishing season, I am most looking forward to this one.
Beastly Bones by William Ritter
Summary: In 1892 in New Fiddleham, New England, things are never quite what they seem, especially when Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer R. F. Jackaby are called upon to investigate the supernatural. First, a vicious species of shape-shifters disguise themselves as a litter of kittens, and a day later, their owner is found murdered with a single mysterious puncture wound. Then in nearby Gad’s Valley, now home to the exiled New Fiddleham police detective Charlie Cane, dinosaur bones from a recent dig mysteriously go missing, and an unidentifiable beast starts attacking animals and people, leaving their mangled bodies behind. Charlie calls on Abigail for help, and soon Abigail and Jackaby are on the hunt for a thief, a monster, and a murderer
Why I’m stoked: One of the best books I read this past winter, Jackaby helped get me through the long wait for Libba Bray’s Lair of Dreams, the sequel to the stunning book The Diviners. How’s this for irony? I am definitely going to read Beastly Bones before Lair of Dreams. I mean, I’ve waited this long. What’s another week? Or day. I’ll probably read Beastly Bones in a day. A day with no sleep. And lots of excited exclamations punctuating the pure silence with which I like to read.
Dreamland by Robert L. Anderson
Summary: Odea Donahue has been able to travel through people’s dreams since she was six years old. Her mother taught her the three rules of walking: Never interfere. Never be seen. Never walk the same person’s dream more than once. Dea has never questioned her mother, not about the rules, not about the clocks or the mirrors, not about moving from place to place to be one step ahead of the unseen monsters that Dea’s mother is certain are right behind them. Then a mysterious new boy, Connor, comes to town and Dea finally starts to feel normal. As Connor breaks down the walls that she’s had up for so long, he gets closer to learning her secret. For the first time she wonders if that’s so bad. But when Dea breaks the rules, the boundary between worlds begins to deteriorate. How can she know what’s real and what’s not?
Why I’m stoked: I just finished reading the totally awesome and completely engrossing Arkwell Academy series by Mindee Arnett. The protagonist is a Nightmare, which means she feeds off people’s dreams by entering them. Since I’m still so reluctant to let that world go, I am beyond thrilled to get my hands on Dreamland. Don’t get me wrong: if I knew you were dipping in and out of my dreams I would freak out. But since it’s fiction I’m on board for the thrills.
The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman
Summary: On the eve of her wedding, a young queen sets out to rescue a princess from an enchantment. She casts aside her fine wedding clothes, takes her chain mail and her sword and follows her brave dwarf retainers into the tunnels under the mountain towards the sleeping kingdom. This queen will decide her own future – and the princess who needs rescuing is not quite what she seems. Twisting together the familiar and the new, this perfectly delicious, captivating and darkly funny tale shows its creators at the peak of their talents.
Why I’m stoked: Despite following him all over social media and loving every quote of his I’ve ever read out of context, I’ve never actually read a Neil Gaiman book. I know, I know. I’m in line now to return my nerd card. Hopefully the line moves slowly enough that I can check out this book and actually read it before the revocation. I love it when fairy tales get turned on their sides, and a battle-ready female character speaks to my Dungeons &Dragons self. That’s right. I think my fighter Aida will be smitten with this book.
The Unquiet by Mikaela Everett
Summary: For most of her life, Lirael has been training to kill—and replace—a duplicate version of herself on a parallel Earth. She is the perfect sleeper-soldier. But she’s beginning to suspect she is not a good person. The two Earths are identical in almost every way. Two copies of every city, every building, even every person. But the people from the second Earth know something their duplicates do not—two versions of the same thing cannot exist. They—and their whole planet—are slowly disappearing. Lira has been trained mercilessly since childhood to learn everything she can about her duplicate, to be a ruthless sleeper-assassin who kills that other Lirael and steps seamlessly into her life.
Why I’m stoked: I think every time I confess to not finishing a series, be it book or TV, a gremlin gets fed after midnight. Wait. Angel and wings? Nope, most definitely gremlin. This is a poor segue into me confessing to loving TV series Fringe but never actually finishing it. This book screams Fringe at me so much I’m waiting for bangs to sprout on my forehead (the Anglophile in me thought that joke was hilarious). Maybe after I read this I’ll pop those DVDs back in and see what’s going on with Walter. The good Walter. Not the bad Walter. The bad Walter is just too scary to handle sometimes.
Sleep is for the weak. And this week I’m all out of sleep. Wait…what was I saying? That’s right: tell me what books you’re most looking forward to reading. If I get enough replies I can “write it up” as a blog post and give myself more time for reading. Or sleeping. Man, I need to put the book down and get some— zzzzzzzzzzzz
Be sure to visit A Reading Life for more reviews and news of all things happening at the Everett Public Library.
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