Seven Lies by Elizabeth Kay

Available Now

This is a gripping and chilling novel that was so engrossing I finished it one sitting. Elizabeth Kay weaves a story so tense you can’t put the down for fear of restarting the book in a dark place. Told through the eyes of Jane, we learn how she and her best friend Marnie become the very best of friends and grow to have a friendship found only in story books. From a childhood spent so close their own teachers mixed up their names to sharing their first apartment together, Jane and Marnie were inseparable. But all of that changed when Marnie married Charlie, a man that Jane instantly despised. You can’t tell your best friend that her husband is a boring, demeaning, jerk of a man. Instead, you lie and tell you her he’s fantastic. When those lies begin to add up, Jane finds herself in a position found only in her worst nightmares.

As Jane tells her story, whose identity we only learn at the very end, we learn how their friendship became so close. We learn how Jane’s childhood was far from idyllic, and how Marnie’s childhood was equally troubled. It’s through Jane’s memories that we see the incredibly slow build-up to obsession, one lie at a time. Throughout all of this, Jane remains a sympathetic character, and that is almost the more terrifying than the reasons behind her lies.

If you’re into dark, twisty thrillers, this is perfect for you. Jane tells her entire story to an unknown listener and I couldn’t wait to find out their identity. I nearly through it out the window at about 97% so be prepared-the ending is rough, but readable. I really enjoyed the London setting and the descriptions of the dinners that Marnie and Jane share. In many of these psychological thrillers, it’s pretty obvious from the beginning that our narrator is going to be unreliable and troubled. Jane truly gives off the vibe of devoted friend who only becomes more unstable after a series of extremely tragic events.

If you’d like a copy for yourself, you can grab one here:

This another amazing debut so unfortunately, we’ll have to wait for the next book from Elizabeth Kay.

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Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions are my own.

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New Releases for June 23, 2020

Happy Tuesday!

It’s new book day! This week is slightly slower than usual but have no fear! There are plenty of new choices to pick from. Click on each cover for more information.

For Kids:

For the Grown-ups:

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The Girl in the Witch's Garden by Erin Bowman

Available June 23, 2020

This book does have some discussions of parent illness and death, divorce, and the mother is magically spelled to be mean to children.

This book is absolutely delightful.

When her father becomes too ill to care for her, 12 year old Piper is sent to live with the mother who left her when she was only four. Hurt to find her absent mother has been fostering children, Piper is even more shocked when the children begin speaking of spells and magical gardens. Highly skeptical, Piper is convinced the children are playing a joke on her. But after meeting her mother for the first time in years, she learns her mother not only comes for a long line of witches, but is cold and dismissive of Piper when she learns Piper doesn’t have an affinity for magic.

Hurt, scared, and frustrated that she can’t communicate with her father, Piper spends her days bitter towards her new foster siblings and exhausted by their long list of chores. When Piper joins the children in their search for the secret, and magical, entrance to the dead gardens, she discovers that there is more to the story than she has been led to believe.

Full of mystery and action, The Girl and the Witch’s Garden is a beautiful story of family, friendship, and finding our inner strength.

I really enjoyed this middle grade fantasy novel. Piper is such a complex character that many children will relate to. She has grown up feeling abandoned by her mother and now has a dad with cancer and his treatments aren’t working. Her feelings of abandonment are intensified when she discovers her mother left not only for work, but begins fostering children. Not once has she tried to have a relationship with Piper but she wants one with other children? Piper has so much to deal with in this story and yet still remains strong and determined to make it to the end of the summer and see her father again. When she finds that she does have magical ability, Piper doesn’t use it just for herself, but to help out the children her mother has promised adoption to only if they can give her the secret to the gardens. Piper doesn’t want the other children chosen over her, but she also wants them to have a home.

The magic system is really well done with each child having their own affinity, or special ability. There is a creepy cat that always appears to be spying on the children-cats are creepy so I love that it was a cat. The children have to solve clues and find keys to unlock various parts of the secret garden mystery and it’s all very action packed and full of self discovery.

Sound like something you want to read? Want your own copy? You can get one here:

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

New Releases for June 9, 2020

Happy Tuesday!

The world is on fire. I’m sorry. I hope you and everyone you love is safe and healthy. It seems so silly to be excited about new books when so many are hurting but I have always found books to be the best way to expand my worldview and to broaden my understanding of other people’s life experiences and cultures. I believe books are powerful and necessary. Maybe this is the week to find a new author, a new genre, or a new bookstore to support.

Happy Reading

For the Kids:

For Grown-ups:

I tried to double check release dates, I apologize if I missed any. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The Madwoman and the Roomba by Sandra Tsing Loh

Available June 2, 2020

Adulting is hard. We all say it. We brag about doing laundry and putting it away the same day. Sometimes, the same week. But there is something to it. Not everyone is completely prepared for being an adult. The list of our responsibilities is endless and no matter how hard we try, we still screw up the things that seem so simple.

I was immediately drawn to this book for it's title. As a proud owner of a robotic vacuum, and well aware of it's pitfalls, think dog poo, I had to know what was going to happen when you paired said vacuum with a madwoman. Sandra Tsing Loh has turned 55 and is discovering that your age plays no part on your ability to adult. Parenting, careers, homeownership, friendships, and bills are still just as challenging at 55 as they are at 35. Raising an emotional teenager is always difficult, being 55 doesn't give you the magical ability to read their minds and figure out what they are truly trying to communicate. You can also be a little jealous of your friends who can magically plan flawless vacations, drive nicer cards, and get their kids into the best schools.

Loh holds nothing back in her essays on life, love, children and friendship in this hilarious and engaging collection. I was able to find something in each essay to connect to even though I couldn't be further away from a California living author and professor.

If you love glimpses into other's lives, this is a delightful collection covering everything from comic book conventions to finding your inner goddess.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

If you would like a copy for yourself, you can find one here:

More from Sandra Tsing Loh:

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New Releases for June 2, 2020

Happy Tuesday!

We’ve made it to June! For us, school is out and the weather is warming up. We’re still a bit restricted on what we can do but luckily for us, our local independent bookstores are opening up which is always good news. I’m sure you’ve all noticed by now that I only link to Amazon. There are reasons, but the most important one is that honestly, it gives you all the details you need to pass on to your indie if that’s how you want to buy. We didn’t have a bookstore within 45 miles for years around here and it was my only buying choice. But enough of that, let’s get to the books!

For the kids:

For Grown-ups:

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New Releases for May 26, 2020

Happy Tuesday!

I hope you all had a relaxing and refreshing long weekend…well, it’s been one loooong weekend around here since March. Anyways. It’s New Book Day! Here’s a round up of books releasing today. Click on the covers for more information about each title.

Happy Reading!

For the Kids:

For the Adults:

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Middlegame by Seanan McGuire

Available Now

Have you read a book so good that you feel empty once it’s done? That feeling of knowing the next book you read won’t measure up and you’ll be disappointed? That’s how I felt after reading Middlegame. It combines so many of my favorite elements that it was like it was written just for me.

Middlegame follows two siblings, separated at birth who eventually find each other in an extremely unexpected way. Roger and his twin sister Dodger aren’t normal children. They were created by the alchemist James Reed and his twisted assistant Leigh Barrow to bring about the physical manifestation of the Doctrine and have complete control over all things. But when Roger and Dodger first meet, they have no idea of their origins or their shared destiny. They believe they are just two seven year-old children who have the uncanny ability to communicate telepathically from across the country.

As the two grow older, they grow closer then have a complete falling out, only to randomly meet again in college. As they uncover more about their past and their future destiny, they find they are nothing more than pawns to a centuries old society dedicated to discovering the secrets of alchemy. With the help of an unlikely ally, the twins must use their combined powers to save themselves, and possibly, the entire world.

This book is so good! It’s so, so, so good. Characters with mysterious origins and powers, the extent of they don’t even know because they don’t know to try, and an arcane society of alchemists? How do you get better than that? McGuire has an ability to craft worlds that are so well developed and feel so real that they let you fall into them and lose yourself for hours at a time. The story keeps up a quick pace, even with the time jumps and focus on the twin’s childhood, without feeling rushed. One of my favorite parts about the story is the book within the book. The founder of this crazy scheme to harness the Doctrine wrote a series of children’s books describing the entire alchemical process. Aspects of the book are referenced frequently throughout the story and I was really hoping it would be a real series, and guess what? It’s a fictional series that is going to be published by McGuire this fall under the name A. Deborah Baker-the alchemist from Middlegame! I’m so excited to get my hands on it and find all the references to it that were found in Middlegame.

Middlegame focuses on the twin’s feeling and development just as much as the action. Roger and Dodger may be twins with great power, but that doesn’t change how lonely and difficult it can be when you grow up smarter than everyone around your. Dodger has an incredibly difficult childhood, even with loving parents, and her loneliness and feelings of not belonging cause her to turn to self-harm. Roger, while having more friends and grew up pretty popular, doesn’t have any deep relationships with anyone. He could weave together a reality with the power of his words but can’t find a meaningful relationship with a partner. Unlimited power doesn’t equal unlimited happiness. Absolutely fascinating.

If you would like a copy for yourself, you can find one here:

More from Seanan McGuire, and her other author name, Mira Grant:

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New Releases for May 19, 2020

Happy Tuesday!

Things are starting to go back, a little tiny bit, to normal around here. Online learning is done, a plan to reopen the Library is taking shape, and I have to follow a real schedule next week. Lots of changes going on, including release dates for new books. At the time of making this, this list was still set to release today but last minute changes still happen. Click on the covers for more information about each title.

Happy Reading!

New for Adults:

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A Few for the Kids:

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Hollywood Park by Mikel Jollett

Available May 26, 2020

If you are looking for a riveting and gut wrenching memoir, this book is it. Mikel Jollett recounts his childhood growing up as part of a cult, his family's escape, and the turbulent years leading to his adulthood. Told with unflinching honesty, it is both a gripping tale of survival and a heartbreaking story of abuse and neglect.

Mikel Jollett spent his early years a child of Synanon. When his mother became disenchanted at the group's dark turn, she took her two boys and hid with other escaped cult members. After a family friend was brutally assaulted in broad daylight, Mikel and his mother and brother escape again to a new location, out of reach of Synanon. But life was still incredibly difficult. Mikel grew up with an aggressive older brother and a narcissist of a mother. After his father comes back into his life, Mikel and his brother bounce back and forth between the two dramatically different homes. One, controlling and emotionally abusive, and the other, with more freedom and acceptance.

Jollett goes into detail about his family's struggles with substance abuse, emotional abuse, and the effect poverty had on shaping his life. The courage it takes to not only seek help for these struggles, but to share them with the world is extraordinary. Jollett's writing is powerful in it's simplicity. The straightforward way that he describes traumatic experiences from his childhood is almost jarring.

Incredibly powerful and emotional, Hollywood Park is a gripping tale of family, love, and acceptance. If you enjoyed Educated by Tara Westover, definitely give this one a look.

Interested in a copy of Hollywood Park for yourself, you can grab one here:

Mikel Jollett is a member of the indie band The Airborne Toxic Event. You can find their latest album here:

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Thank you to Celadon Books for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions and mistakes are my own. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.