Title: The Ranger of Marzanna (The Goddess War #1) Author: Jon Skovon Publisher: Orbit Publication Date: April 21, 2020 Genre: Fantasy When their father is murdered by imperial soldiers, two siblings set out on opposite paths–one will destroy the Empire forever and the other will save it–in this thrilling new epic fantasy. Sonya is training to be a Ranger of Marzanna, an ancient sect of warriors who have protected the land for generations. But the old ways are dying, and the rangers have all been forced into hiding or killed off by the invading Empire. When her father is murdered by imperial ..read more

Title: The Mad Girls of New York (A Nellie Bly Novel #1) Author: Maya Rodale Publisher: Berkley Publication Date: April 26, 2022 Genre: Historical Fiction A gripping and compelling novel based on the true story of fearless reporter Nellie Bly, who will stop at nothing to prove that a woman’s place is on the front page.    In 1887 New York City, Nellie Bly has ambitions beyond writing for the ladies pages, but all the editors on Newspaper Row think women are too emotional, respectable and delicate to do the job. But then the New York World challenges her to an assignment she’d be mad ..read more

Title: The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks Author: Shauna Robinson Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark Publication Date: November 1, 2022 Genre: Women’s Fiction, Romance I, Maggie Banks, solemnly swear to uphold the rules of Cobblestone Books. If only, I, Maggie Banks, believed in following the rules. When Maggie Banks arrives in Bell River to run her best friend’s struggling bookstore, she expects to sell bestsellers to her small-town clientele. But running a bookstore in a town with a famously bookish history isn’t easy. Bell River’s literary society insists on keeping the bookstore stuck in th ..read more

Title: The Book of Gothel Author: Mary McMyne Publisher: Redhook Publication Date: July 26, 2022 Genre: Historical Fiction Germany, 1156. With her strange black eyes and even stranger fainting spells, young Haelewise has never quite fit in. Shunned by her village, her only solace lies in the stories her mother tells of child-stealing witches, of princes in wolf-skins, and of an ancient tower cloaked in mist, where women will find shelter if they are brave enough to seek it. When her mother dies, Haelewise is left unmoored. With nothing left for her in her village, she sets out to find t ..read more

Title: The Space Between World Author: Micaiah Johnson Publisher: Del Rey Publication Date: August 4, 2020 Genre: Science Fiction, Mystery and Thriller Multiverse travel is finally possible, but there’s just one catch: No one can visit a world where their counterpart is still alive. Enter Cara, whose parallel selves happen to be exceptionally good at dying—from disease, turf wars, or vendettas they couldn’t outrun. Cara’s life has been cut short on 372 worlds in total. On this dystopian Earth, however, Cara has survived. Identified as an outlier and therefore a perfect candidate for ..read more

Exactly 3 years ago, our school district shut down because of COVID. What started with 2 weeks extended well, well, well past that. For health reasons, my kids didn’t return to a district classroom until this past August even though they reopened, to some extent, about a year after the shut down. Now we’re on the verge of another shut down, albeit shorter and not due to a health emergency. Next week, our district could close every school for strikes for 3 days, which is a heck of a lot shorter than before, but, still. I had hoped my daughter’s Kindergarten year would be beautiful and flawless ..read more

I love taking a look at a book cover and description and then coming up with my own idea of what the book will be about. Sometimes I’m right, sometimes I’m so wrong it’s almost funny. So I’ve decided to write about my first, middle, and last impressions of each book I read, as well as a little bit on why I wanted to read it because sometimes, when I’ve finished, I really can’t remember. The first impression is based solely on the cover and description. What do I think it will be about? The middle impression is kind of a check-in on how the story is going about halfway through. The last impress ..read more

Title: The Ballad of Perilous Graves Author: Alex Jennings Publisher: Redhook Publication Date: June 21, 2022 Genre: Fantasy A fun and fantastical love letter to New Orleans unfolds when a battle for the city’s soul brews between two young mages, a vengeful wraith, and one powerful song in this wildly imaginative debut.  Nola is a city full of wonders. A place of sky trolleys and dead cabs, where haints dance the night away and Wise Women help keep the order. To those from Away, Nola might seem strange. To Perilous Graves, it’s simply home. Perry knows Nola’s rhythm as intimate ..read more

Title: Red Thread of Fate Author: Lyn Liao Butler Publisher: Berkley Publication Date: February 8, 2022 Genre: Women’s Fiction In the wake of a tragedy and fueled by guilt from a secret she’s kept for years, a woman discovers how delicate the thread that binds family is in this powerful novel by Lyn Liao Butler. Two days before Tam and Tony Kwan receive their letter of acceptance for the son they are adopting from China, Tony and his estranged cousin Mia are killed unexpectedly in an accident. A shell-shocked Tam learns she is named the guardian to Mia’s five-year-old daughter, Angela. With ..read more

Title: Quaking Soul (Hidden Mythics #1) Author: Jennifer M. Zeiger Publisher: Jennifer M Zeiger Publication Date: November 30, 2020 Genre: YA, Fantasy This was it. This was Na’rina’s chance to prove to her mother and the dryad Council she could navigate the mythic and human worlds. With night hanging over the city, all she needs to do is sneak in unseen, attend a mythic meeting, and report back. If only she knew who had called the meeting in the first place. Na’rina’s a young Drydanda, destined to be Queen of the Dryads, or tree nymphs. Her world-fauns, nymphs, dwarves-hides in plain sight fr ..read more