Ebooks Recommended to Library, January-March 2022

I've learned that I basically WON'T read anything if I can't get it in either ebook or audiobook format (audiobooks preferred)... Physical books just don't Work for me, for a number of reasons. And I wouldn't call myself a MINIMALIST, but owning a lot of stuff Stresses Me Out. I'm a library gal; NOT a bookstore gal. (Unsurprising, as my parents MET at the library they both worked at; my sister is a librarian; I and multiple people in my family are authors...) What I'm saying is, if I want to read something, I turn to e-libraries.

My main e-library (I have cards to several) allows patrons to request the library purchase 5 books every 30 days. So you bet on the midnight before that special day, I'm up late with my list of books at the ready. I like to rec books that haven't been released yet, as 1. the library is more likely to acquiesce and buy them, and 2. that puts me at (or near) the front of the line if they DO buy it, so I get my hands on it all the sooner. Win-win scenario!

I'm doing something different this year and not talking much about the books I read... You'll just have to wait for my 'best of' list at the end of the year to see what I liked. (Or you can just look at my star ratings, I guess.) Those posts took too much effort to write, considering nobody even read them, so. (I'll put a '**' by the books I had particularly positive feelings for, just to help myself out when I'm choosing my best-of's.)

January 2022:

1. The Book of Living Secrets by Madeleine Roux. I... Actually haven't read a Roux novel yet (though she's been on my TBR for years...) But look how pretty that cover is! Expected release: March 7 of this year. (Sorry; I generally try not to spoil myself too much for new books. That sometimes includes reading summaries. I don't give a crap about movies, so I'll read spoilers all day every day for those, but not BOOKS!)

2. Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones (expected release: August 1). I'm beyond excited for this sequel to My Heart is a Chainsaw. I would gladly read this man's grocery lists. And I'm dead curious as to how he's gonna follow up on MHiaC, because that book felt very complete as-is. Update: Release has been rescheduled to Feb 6, 2023. Pro of putting a popular book on hold months before it's released? Puts you near the top of the list for when it finally comes out. Con? Rescheduling sometimes happens, and that sucks a little, but we'll live.

3. How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix (epected release: July 11). I've been sleeping on Hendrix for a while! I put My Best Friend's Exorcism on the DNF after a few tepid chapters, but then I LOVED The Final Girl Support Group SO much... It was easily my #1 fave of 2021, so now all his books are back on my TBR. Update: Release has been rescheduled to Jan 16, 2023.

4. The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James. I wasn't wild about St. James's The Sun Down Motel, but I adored her The Broken Girls. Looks like this is another generation-hopping tale of cold cases and spooky happenings... Hope it's a good one! Expected release: March 14. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

5. The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi. Apparently Scalzi is fairly well-known? I'd never heard of him before! From what I've glimpsed, this is about a wildlife rehabilitation group that specializes in non-earthly animals. I love animals and cryptozoology, so this should be a treat. I don't know if this will be serious or silly, but I'm here to give it a shot. Expected release: March 14.

Books I read in January 2022: Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily R. Austin, Toxic Parents: Overcoming Their Hurtful Legacy and Reclaiming Your Life** by Susan Forward, Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh, Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix, The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King, The Mist by Stephen King, Don't Tell a Soul** by Kirsten Miller, The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher, The Ancestor** by Danielle Trussoni, Escaping Peril by Tui T. Sutherland, and River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey. 11/90

February 2022:

1. Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher. New Kingfisher book! I love her. Some of her books hit better than other ones, and I definitely prefer her horror to her fantasy/romance, but this one looks plenty spooky. I'm excited! Expected release: April 25. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2. Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi. I wasn't wild about this author's "Pet," but I loved their "Freshwater." This, unfortunately, sounds a little like the former... Artistry; teen rebellion... But I have hope; at least the plot sounds more concrete and less out-there. (Expected release: February 14.) (Update: OMG how did I not notice this book is literally a prequel to Pet until I started reading it???)

3. Portrait of a Thief by Grace D Li. An author I've never read for (since this is her debut, lol); an entry on several 'most anticipated' lists. Art theft! Long cons! Chinese-American cultural identity! What's not to love??? (Space filler: I've been making a lot of soup and soup stock lately. My favorite is black bean tortellini.) April 4 release.

4. Tell Me an Ending by Jo Harkin (expected release: Feb 28). Spooky dystopian tale of an agency that implants false memories in people's heads? Sign me up! (And it's set in the Arizona desert! Call me biased, but I'm a sucker for anything set in my backyard.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

5. Not Good for Maidens by Tori Bovalino (expected release: May 2) has a pretty cover and a premise about the goblin market... You know how I love my fair folk tales (so long as they're dark and creepy). Plus, as an aunt myself, I'm hype for a story about an aunt and a niece. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Books I read in February 2022: Talons of Power by Tui T. Sutherland, The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan, The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris, The Winglets Quartet by Tui T. Sutherland, Darkness of Dragons by Tui T. Sutherland, My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness** by Kabi Nagata, Wishtree by Katherine Applegate, Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher, The Last House on Needless Street** by Catriona Ward, Taste of Marrow by Sarah Gailey, The Lost Continent by Tui T. Sutherland, Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay, and The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires** by Grady Hendrix. 24/90

March 2022:

1. And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin (expected release: April 11). I've never read this author before, but after being compared to my faves Mira Grant and Stephen Graham Jones, of course I was curious! And you know me; I love dystopias, I love monsters... Color me intrigued. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2. I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston (expected release: May 2). I'm a lesbian. I like books about lesbians. Sue me. I generally dislike romance, especially YA romance (I’m Old and Grumpy, what do you expect), but... This one has a pretty cover, so. I'm prepared to be underwhelmed, but at least I'm supporting queer lit.

3. What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher (expected release: July 11). Another Kingfisher rec! And LOOK at that gorgeous cover, that title. And is that a 'house of Usher' reference I see in the summary??? I love creepy mushrooms — they're are inherently spooky, with their death association; unable to classify as plant or animal...

4. They Drown Our Daughters by Katrina Monroe (expected release: July 11). Ghost stories! Human sacrifice! Lesbians! Tiny, haunted sea-side towns! You can't see my face, but I'm grinning like a fiend. (It's hard to say much about stuff I'm hyped for. It contains stuff I like, and so I want to read it. That's all.)

5. The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik (expected release: September 26, 2022). Novik is one of my all-time faves. I am so beyond hyped for the last Scholomance book... This series is just aces. Brilliant and detailed worldbuilding woven tight as a drum, fast-paced plot where everything is earned at such a high price, exceptionally high stakes, exceptionally competent, genre-savvy characters who are going to have so much PTSD when they get outta here... I have full faith in Novik to end things satisfactorily.

Books I read in March 2022: All of Us Villains by Christine Lynn Herman and Amanda Foody, The Last Graduate** by Naomi Novik, Salem's Lot by Stephen King, Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi, Certain Dark Things** by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones, Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy, The Hive Queen by Tui T. Sutherland, The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo, The Poison Jungle by Tui T. Sutherland, White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson. The Dangerous Gift by Tui T. Sutherland, and Sundial by Catriona Ward. 37/90.

(I DNF'd Heather Webber's "Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe," Madeleine Roux's "The Book of Living Secrets" and Jo Harkin's "Tell me an Ending." Blackbird was too twee and cutesy, Secrets was more YA than I was expecting, and Ending did that thing I dislike, spanning tons of characters over a long time. I prefer a more focused, character-driven narrative.)

In hindsight, I miss writing monthly book blog posts. I think I'll go back to doing those... See you at the end of April!