Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts

Saturday, June 24, 2023

Off the Shelf: The Phoenix Prince by William F. Burk

 

Good Morning, 

About a year ago, I was fortunate enough to discover a fantasy series by local author William Burk and get an autographed copy. I loved the first book in the Sword/Eye series (read that review here) and was not disappointed in the second!

This is a fun, fast-paced fantasy read from cover to cover. Following the stories of three sets of companions, this story sees the return of favorite characters from the first book and the introduction of some great new characters.  I really enjoy the magical system in these books, sometimes it gives me Shadow and Bone vibes (different forms of magic that are inherited, such as Projection, etc.). Fantasy is a genre where the pace sometimes slows for world-building, but Burk does a fantastic job of keeping the story fast-pasted and action-packed as we learn about the various races and their complicated relationships, plus the multiple gods and goddesses. Excellent continuation of the series and I cannot wait to find out how Lukas, Nox, and the others stave off The End of the World! 

I would like to extend a big thank you to Mr. William Burk for my autographed copy of his latest book! 



If you are looking for a fun fantasy series, grab your copy from Amazon here!

I'd also like to encourage you to check out William Burk's website to check out his other works and to keep an eye on any new releases. 

Thank Y'all for reading! Be sure to follow to get all the latest updates from Pines and Peaches. :)




Saturday, October 22, 2022

Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon: 10/22/22


Good Morning! I hope everyone is ready for a fun day of reading! 

I have an overly ambitious TBR stack, but what else is new? LOL I will start the day off by finishing a book I have been working on, Star Wars: Brotherhood by Mike Chen. It’s a great book, but I have been trying to juggle four or five books simultaneously (note to self: don’t do that again). One of my goals for this Readathon (other than having a blast) is to get my Works in Progress list under control again!  

Right now, I am at 31% of the ebook. :)


Throughout the day, I will read in sprints and check in at least every other hour! Here is a very tentative TBR for the day: 

I hope that having a mixture of short stories, fiction, nonfiction, and audiobooks will help break up the day. Also, I have plans to walk and read, and listen to audiobooks while doing crafts, puzzles, or playing video games to help when I start getting sleepy. I've never made it all the way to the 24-hour mark, so let's see how this goes! 😃


Happy Reading! 


10AM Update

Currently Reading: Star Wars: Brotherhood by Mike Chen

Percent: 58%

I'm loving this book, but I definitely need to watch the Star Wars cartoons, as this book has made several references to them. :)  This book is set between Episodes II and III. 


12PM

Currently Reading: Star Wars: Brotherhood by Mike Chen

Percent: 81%

Hoping I can finish this before my iPad battery dies. :D Then, onto the next book! 


2PM

Finished reading Star Wars: Brotherhood!

Next up, I will be finishing Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? by Caitlin Doughty. 

Pages: 162/222


3PM
I only had about 40 pages left in Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs (a fantastic read, btw), so I'm moving on to some local ghost stories! 

Currently Reading: Haunted Georgia: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Peach State by Alan Brown
Pages: 1/ 126


4PM
Currently Reading: Haunted Georgia by Alan Brown
Page: 81/126
Really enjoying this book. It's a perfect spooky season book, even if you don't live in Georgia. Also, I didn't realize we had so many piracy stories in Georgia...

6PM
Finished reading Haunted Georgia by Alan Brown. Fun Halloween read! 
Next, I'm about to put on an audiobook (The Asylum by John Harwood) and play some Disney Dreamlight Valley on Switch! :)


9PM 
Currently Reading: Haven by Emma Donoghue
Page: 98/257
Loving this book, even though it is quite different from Room. 
I'm about to go back to my audiobook and video game for a little while to break things up. :) I'm playing Disney Dreamlight Valley, working my way through the new Scar quest. 




12AM-MIDNIGHT! 

I listened to The Asylum for about two hours, then switched back to Haven. This book is interesting, but I have a bad feeling about one of the characters...
Page: 180/257
I am starting to get sleepy, so I will probably be switching from physical book to audiobook and games/ walking/ anything to stay awake soon lol. 



Saturday, May 28, 2022

Off the Shelf: The Heart of Hearts by William F. Burk


 Good Morning! 

My next Off the Shelf entry is a book I discovered by a fortunate accident. While visiting Barnes and Noble in Rome, GA, (in quest of another book) I happened to show up while local author, William F. Burk, was doing a book signing for The Hearts of Hearts. Once he told me it was a fantasy novel, I couldn't resist purchasing a copy. After getting the copy signed and picking up the book (and maybe a few other items *cough cough*), I made my way to the checkout counter. 


I started reading it that night, and sadly set it aside 100 pages later (at 1am). From the beginning, this book had me with its tribute to Arthurian legend (the hero must pull a sword from a stone). The two main characters, Nox and Lukas, are separated and must develop and hone their own magical abilities while trying to escape from vampires, evil mages, and other enemies. 

This book was a magical adventure, and I cannot wait for the rest of the series! 

If you are a fan of fantasy, you will love this book! Get a copy from Amazon, and please check out Mr. Burk's website here: https://www.williamfburk.com/

As always, thank y'all for reading! Be sure to enter your email address to get all the latest updates from Pines and Peaches. 




Friday, March 18, 2022

Off the Shelf: Mayhem & Murder series by Sarah Pinborough

 



Happy Friday! 

It's been a while since I did an Off the Shelf post, but I discovered a series that I have to share! The Mayhem and Murder series by Sarah Pinborough is a fantastic duology that presents a fictional account of the Thames Torso murders, a case I was not super familiar with before reading this series. 

This series of murders occurred around the same time that Jack the Ripper was terrorizing London, leading most of the Torso cases to be overshadowed by Jack's dramatic and gruesome tactics. While there are similarities, like the butchering of the victims, police ruled out any connection between the two. It's horrifying to think that there were at least two such brutal killers living in the same vicinity during the 1880s. 

The first book was fascinating and inspired me to do more research into the non-fiction side of these cases, but I was delighted to find there was a second book in the series. Here are links to the books, along with the summary of each.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which means a small portion of the proceeds go to support Pines and Peaches, at no additional cost to you. Read my disclosure policy here


From the Number One bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes. Delve into a gaslit London, where Jack the Ripper is making headlines, but another, much more dangerous, madman is on the loose.

When a rotting torso is discovered in the vault of New Scotland Yard, it doesn't take Dr Thomas Bond, Police Surgeon, long to realise that there is a second killer at work in the city where, only a few days before, Jack the Ripper brutally murdered two women in one night.

This is the hand of a colder killer, one who lacks Jack's emotion.

And, as more headless and limbless torsos find their way into the Thames, Dr Bond becomes obsessed with finding the killer. As his investigations lead him into an unholy alliance, he starts to wonder:

Is it a man who has brought mayhem to the streets of London, or a monster?


From the Number One bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes: Jack the Ripper is vanished, but Dr Thomas Bond is back - and this time the trial of murders leads straight to his front door.

Dr Thomas Bond, Police Surgeon, is still recovering from the events of the previous year when Jack the Ripper haunted the streets of London - and a more malign enemy hid in his shadow. Bond and the others who worked on the gruesome case are still stalked by its legacies, both psychological and tangible.

But now the bodies of children are being pulled from the Thames . . . and Bond is about to become inextricably linked with an uncanny, undying enemy.


If you know of any books about the Thames Torso Murders (either fiction or non-fiction), please drop some suggestions in the comments!

Happy Reading! 



Friday, June 25, 2021

Off the Shelf: The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex

 



Happy Friday! 

This week's book is probably my favorite book I've read so far this year. When I saw this book on the "Upcoming Releases" list, I was intrigued because it's loosely based on the case of the Eilean Mor Lighthouse Keepers (which both Buzzfeed Unsolved: True Crime and the podcase Lore have fantastic episodes about). 

While the actual case remains unsolved, The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex explores what could have happened. Told on two timelines, one in 1972 and one in 1992, this story weaves the last days of the men guarding the lighthouse with later interviews of their wives and girlfriends as they speculate on what really went down that fateful night. 

Fantastically written, such an atmospheric and eerie read! It kept me up well past my bedtime trying to figure out all the plot twists. :) 

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which means a small portion of the proceeds go to support Pines and Peaches, at no additional cost to you. Read my disclosure policy here

Thank Y'all for reading! Be sure to enter your email address to get all the latest updates from Pines and Peaches.  

Friday, February 12, 2021

Off the Shelf: The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone


The 10x Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure by Grant Cardone

Pages: 256

While this is more business-oriented than my normal self-help picks, this book can apply to life as well as work. Mr. Cardone presents the 10X rule, which basically states that in order to be a success, you must invest 10x more effort than the average person does. While this seems like a simple concept, as you read the book and realize how few of us really go that extra step (or ten) it changes the way you view all your goals, whether career or personal. 


The chapter on fear was an eye-opener for me. As a somewhat over-cautious person, I realized that more of my decisions are based on avoiding a negative outcome than on pursuing a positive one. The author brilliantly explains why this mindset will hinder and even prevent you from reaching your true potential. The world-changers don’t play it safe, they go all in! Even though it is marketed as a business book (it's particularly geared for people working in sales), the principles in this book can be applied in many areas of life.


Have you read this book? If so, did you apply to 10x Rule in your life or business? Feel free to leave a comment!


Thank Y'all for reading. Be sure to enter your email address to get all the latest updates from Pines and Peaches.



Friday, January 15, 2021

Off the Shelf: Atomic Habits by James Clear

Title: Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

Author: James Clear

Pages: 307

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

I thought I'd start this year of blogging off with a self-help book, and I hit the jackpot with this one. Using psychology hacks to explain why good habits are so hard to stick with and why bad habits are so hard to break, James Clear goes on to give numerous examples of ways we can outwit our nature and stick to our habits this time! I loved this book so much, I also bought the audiobook to listen to on my way back and forth to work. 

I can't wait to put the tactics discussed in this book to use, and have already got my habit tracker journal ready to go! Has anyone else read and tried the exercises? Leave a comment and let me know how it worked out for you. 

Thank Y'all for reading. Be sure to enter your email address for all the latest updates from Pines and Peaches! 

Friday, November 27, 2020

Off the Shelf: Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline


Title: Ready Player Two

Author: Ernest Cline

Series: Ready Player One, Book 2

Pages: 367

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which means a small portion of the proceeds go to support Pines and Peaches, at no additional cost to you. Read my disclosure policy here

Bought this on the day it came out because I loved the first one so much. The sequel did not disappoint! By the end of the first chapter, I was already hooked. Wade Watts is back and has another quest to complete. This time, he must find the Seven Shards of the Siren's Soul. Filled with all the musical, literary, and gamer references that we all loved in the first book, this book taps into the reader's sense of nostalgia while simultaneously immersing them back into the futuristic world of the OASIS. I sped through this book in two days. Loved the numerous Tolkien references! 💖


Thank Y'all for reading! Be sure to enter your email address to get all the latest updates from Pines and Peaches. 

Friday, November 06, 2020

Off the Shelf: The Haunted by Bentley Little

 Happy Friday! 

I haven't done an Off the Shelf article in a bit, so I thought I'd share one of my Halloween reads. The Haunted by Bentley Little is one of the most intense ghost stories I've read in a while! When Julian and Claire Perry and their family move to an older house in what they think is a sleepy little town, they are in for an unpleasant surprise. Odd treatment from the neighbors and strange sights and sounds in the house makes them realize that something is not quite right. Once a presence in their dream home makes itself known, Claire begins to research the history of their house and the land it was built on, with startling results...

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which means a small portion of the proceeds go to support Pines and Peaches, at no additional cost to you. Read my disclosure policy here

If you enjoy paranormal horror and are looking for a spooky read, get this book! Could not put it down. 💀


Thank Y'all for reading! Be sure to enter your email address to get all the latest updates from Pines and Peaches. 

Friday, October 23, 2020

10 Spooky Reads for Halloween

 


Good Afternoon and Happy Friday! 

It's almost time for Halloween, my favorite holiday! 👻🎃 To get ready, here is a list of ten of my favorite horror books. 


Note: This post contains affiliate links, which means a small portion of the proceeds go to support Pines and Peaches, at no additional cost to you. Read my disclosure policy here


Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia


An isolated mansion. A chillingly charismatic aristocrat. And a brave socialite drawn to expose their treacherous secrets. . . . From the author of Gods of Jade and Shadow comes “a terrifying twist on classic gothic horror” (Kirkus Reviews) set in glamorous 1950s Mexico.

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.   
 
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.
 
Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness. 
 
And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

Note: I read this one a few months ago, and I could not put it down! If you like atmospheric horror (think Haunting of Hill House), you have to read this one! 




The voordalak—a creature of legend, the tales of which have terrified Russian children for generations. But for Captain Aleksei Ivanovich Danilov—a child of more enlightened times—it is a legend that has long been forgotten. Besides, in the autumn of 1812, he faces a more tangible enemy: the Grande Armée of Napoleon Bonaparte. City after city has fallen to the advancing French, and it now seems that only a miracle will keep them from Moscow itself. 

In desperation, Aleksei and his comrades enlist the help of the Oprichniki—a group of twelve mercenaries from the furthest reaches of Christian Europe, who claim that they can turn the tide of the war. It seems an idle boast, but the Russians soon discover that the Oprichniki are indeed quite capable of fulfilling their promise … and much more. Unnerved by the fact that so few can accomplish so much, Aleksei remembers those childhood stories of the voordalak. And as he comes to understand the true, horrific nature of these twelve strangers, he wonders at the nightmare they’ve unleashed in their midst.... 

Full of historical detail, thrilling action, and heart-stopping supernatural moments, Twelve is storytelling at its most original and exciting.

Note: First in a series! I love love love these books about non-sparkly vampires. 



Years ago, when House of Leaves was first being passed around, it was nothing more than a badly bundled heap of paper, parts of which would occasionally surface on the Internet. No one could have anticipated the small but devoted following this terrifying story would soon command. Starting with an odd assortment of marginalized youth -- musicians, tattoo artists, programmers, strippers, environmentalists, and adrenaline junkies -- the book eventually made its way into the hands of older generations, who not only found themselves in those strangely arranged pages but also discovered a way back into the lives of their estranged children.

Now, for the first time, this astonishing novel is made available in book form, complete with the original colored words, vertical footnotes, and newly added second and third appendices.

The story remains unchanged, focusing on a young family that moves into a small home on Ash Tree Lane where they discover something is terribly wrong: their house is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.

Of course, neither Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Will Navidson nor his companion Karen Green was prepared to face the consequences of that impossibility, until the day their two little children wandered off and their voices eerily began to return another story -- of creature darkness, of an ever-growing abyss behind a closet door, and of that unholy growl which soon enough would tear through their walls and consume all their dreams.

Note: One of the strangest and most unforgettable books I've ever read. 



A chilling ghost story with a twist: the New York Times bestselling author of The Winter People returns to the woods of Vermont to tell the story of a husband and wife who don't simply move into a haunted house--they build one . . .

In a quest for a simpler life, Helen and Nate have abandoned the comforts of suburbia to take up residence on forty-four acres of rural land where they will begin the ultimate, aspirational do-it-yourself project: building the house of their dreams. When they discover that this beautiful property has a dark and violent past, Helen, a former history teacher, becomes consumed by the local legend of Hattie Breckenridge, a woman who lived and died there a century ago. With her passion for artifacts, Helen finds special materials to incorporate into the house--a beam from an old schoolroom, bricks from a mill, a mantel from a farmhouse--objects that draw her deeper into the story of Hattie and her descendants, three generations of Breckenridge women, each of whom died suspiciously. As the building project progresses, the house will become a place of menace and unfinished business: a new home, now haunted, that beckons its owners and their neighbors toward unimaginable danger.

Note: Gotta love a good ghost story! 👻



The notorious true crime story of a sex party that ended in double murder in the woods of Chattanooga County, Georgia.
 
On December 12th, 1982, Tony West and Avery Brock made a visit to Corpsewood Manor under the pretense of a celebration. Then they brutally murdered their hosts.
 
Dr. Charles Scudder had been a professor of pharmacology at Chicago’s Loyola University before he and his boyfriend Joey Odom moved to Georgia and built their own home in the Chattahoochee National Forest. Scudder had absconded with twelve thousand doses of LSD and had a very particular vision for their “castle in the woods.” It included a “pleasure chamber,” and rumors of Satanism swirled around the two men. Scudder even claimed to have summoned a demon to protect the estate.
 
But when Scudder and Odom welcomed West and Brock into their strange abode, they had no idea the men were armed and dangerous. When the evening of kinky fun turned to a scene of gruesome slaughter, the murders set the stage for a sensational trial that engulfed the sleepy Southern town of Trion in shocking revelations and lurid speculations.

Note: This one is really creepy to me because the location is a few miles up the road from me! I always heard about kids trying to find the "devil worshippers house" in the woods, but didn't know the history behind the story until I found this book.  




WINNER OF THE EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL
#1 New York Times bestseller! In a high-suspense race against time, three of the most unlikely heroes Stephen King has ever created try to stop a lone killer from blowing up thousands. “Mr. Mercedes is a rich, resonant, exceptionally readable accomplishment by a man who can write in whatever genre he chooses” (The Washington Post).

The stolen Mercedes emerges from the pre-dawn fog and plows through a crowd of men and women on line for a job fair in a distressed American city. Then the lone driver backs up, charges again, and speeds off, leaving eight dead and more wounded. The case goes unsolved and ex-cop Bill Hodges is out of hope when he gets a letter from a man who loved the feel of death under the Mercedes’s wheels…

Brady Hartsfield wants that rush again, but this time he’s going big, with an attack that would take down thousands—unless Hodges and two new unusual allies he picks up along the way can throw a wrench in Hartsfield’s diabolical plans. Stephen King takes off on a “nerve-shredding, pulse-pounding race against time” (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) with this acclaimed #1 bestselling thriller.

Note: What list of horror books would be complete without a reference to the King? This is the first in a spellbinding trilogy. 



A fascinating, beautifully illustrated guide to the monsters that are part of our collective psyche, featuring stories from the Lore podcast—now a streaming television series—including “They Made a Tonic,” “Passed Notes,” and “Unboxed,” as well as rare material.

They live in shadows—deep in the forest, late in the night, in the dark recesses of our minds. They’re spoken of in stories and superstitions, relics of an unenlightened age, old wives’ tales, passed down through generations. Yet no matter how wary and jaded we have become, as individuals or as a society, a part of us remains vulnerable to them: werewolves and wendigos, poltergeists and vampires, angry elves and vengeful spirits. 

In this beautifully illustrated volume, the host of the hit podcast Lore serves as a guide on a fascinating journey through the history of these terrifying creatures, exploring not only the legends but what they tell us about ourselves. Aaron Mahnke invites us to the desolate Pine Barrens of New Jersey, where the notorious winged, red-eyed Jersey Devil dwells. He delves into harrowing accounts of cannibalism—some officially documented, others the stuff of speculation . . . perhaps. He visits the dimly lit rooms where séances take place, the European villages where gremlins make mischief, even Key West, Florida, home of a haunted doll named Robert.

In a world of “emotional vampires” and “zombie malls,” the monsters of folklore have become both a part of our language and a part of our collective psyche. Whether these beasts and bogeymen are real or just a reflection of our primal fears, we know, on some level, that not every mystery has been explained and that the unknown still holds the power to strike fear deep in our hearts and souls. As Aaron Mahnke reminds us, sometimes the truth is even scarier than the lore.

Note: Love the books, the podcast, and the TV show. If you like to learn the stories behind the legends, get these books! 




“Ghosts are always hungry,” someone once said—and no one knows how ravenous they really are more than Ed & Lorraine Warren, the world’s most renowned paranormal investigators. For decades, Ed and Lorraine Warren hunted down the truth behind the most terrifying supernatural occurrences across the nation… and brought back astonishing evidence of their encounters with the unquiet dead. From the notorious house immortalized in The Amityville Horror to the bone-chilling events that inspired the hit film The Conjuring, the Warrens fearlessly probed the darkness of the world beyond our own, and documented the all-too-real experiences of the haunted and the possessed, the lingering deceased and the vengeful damned.
Graveyard chronicles a host of their most harrowing, fact-based cases of ghostly visitations, demonic stalking, heart-wrenching otherworldly encounters, and horrifying comeuppance from the spirit world. If you don’t believe, you will. And whether you read it alone in the dead of night or in the middle of a sunny day, you’ll be forever haunted by its gallery of specters eager to feed on your darkest dread.

Note: I became obsessed with the Warrens after watching The Conjuring movies. This is the first in a series of their case files. 



The men on board HMS Terror have every expectation of triumph. As part of the 1845 Franklin Expedition, the first steam-powered vessels ever to search for the legendary Northwest Passage, they are as scientifically supported an enterprise as has ever set forth. As they enter a second summer in the Arctic Circle without a thaw, though, they are stranded in a nightmarish landscape of encroaching ice and darkness. Endlessly cold, with diminishing rations, 126 men fight to survive with poisonous food, a dwindling supply of coal, and ships buckling in the grip of crushing ice. But their real enemy is far more terrifying. There is something out there in the frigid darkness: an unseen predator stalking their ship, a monstrous terror constantly clawing to get in.When the expedition's leader, Sir John Franklin, meets a terrible death, Captain Francis Crozier takes command and leads his surviving crewmen on a last, desperate attempt to flee south across the ice. With them travels an Inuit woman who cannot speak and who may be the key to survival, or the harbinger of their deaths. But as another winter approaches, as scurvy and starvation grow more terrible, and as the terror on the ice stalks them southward, Crozier and his men begin to fear that there is no escape.

The Terror swells with the heart-stopping suspense and heroic adventure that have won Dan Simmons praise as "a writer who not only makes big promises but keeps them" (Seattle Post-Intelligencer). With a haunting and constantly surprising story based on actual historical events, The Terror is a novel that will chill you to your core.

Note: Not for the squeamish. Fantastically gory monster story! 




There’s something wrong with Rose.

From the outside, the Cane family looks like they have it all. A successful military father, a loving mother and five beautiful teenage daughters. But on the inside, life isn’t quite so idyllic: the Cane sisters can barely stand each other, their father is always away and their neglectful mother struggles with addiction and depression.

When their youngest and most beloved sister, Rose, dies in a tragic accident, Mona Cane and her sisters are devastated. And when she is brought back from the dead, they are relieved. But soon they discover that Rose must eat human flesh to survive, and when their mother abandons them, the sisters will find out just how far they’ll go to keep their family together.

Note: This is one of those books that just keeps getting weirder and weirder...

Hope you find the perfect spooky read to kick off your holiday season! 

Thank Y'all for reading! Be sure to enter your email address to get all the latest updates from Pines and Peaches. 

Thursday, October 01, 2020

Books to Watch: October 2020

 


Good Morning!


It's the first day of the month, and you know what that means? It's time for a rundown of the month's upcoming releases. There are some AMAZING books coming out that I cannot wait to get my hands on. :) I usually do list of ten books, but there were so many fantastic books this month, here is a list of fifteen new and upcoming books. 

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which means a small portion of the proceeds go to support Pines and Peaches, at no additional cost to you. Read my disclosure policy here


Author: V. E. Schwab




In the vein of The Time Traveler’s Wife and Life After Life, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab’s genre-defying tour de force.

A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever—and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

Author: Alice Hoffman


In an unforgettable novel that traces a centuries-old curse to its source, beloved author Alice Hoffman unveils the story of Maria Owens, accused of witchcraft in Salem, and matriarch of a line of the amazing Owens women and men featured in Practical Magic and The Rules of Magic.

Where does the story of the Owens bloodline begin? With Maria Owens, in the 1600s, when she’s abandoned in a snowy field in rural England as a baby. Under the care of Hannah Owens, Maria learns about the “Unnamed Arts.” Hannah recognizes that Maria has a gift and she teaches the girl all she knows. It is here that she learns her first important lesson: Always love someone who will love you back.

When Maria is abandoned by the man who has declared his love for her, she follows him to Salem, Massachusetts. Here she invokes the curse that will haunt her family. And it’s here that she learns the rules of magic and the lesson that she will carry with her for the rest of her life. Love is the only thing that matters.

Magic Lessons is a celebration of life and love and a showcase of Alice Hoffman’s masterful storytelling.

Author: Leigh Bardugo
Series: Grishaverse


Enter the world of the Grishaverse and Shadow and Bone, soon to be a Netflix original series!

Dive into the epic world of international bestselling author Leigh Bardugo with this beautifully illustrated replica of The Lives of Saints, the Istorii Sankt’ya, featuring tales of saints drawn from the beloved novels and beyond. Out of the pages of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, from the hands of Alina Starkov to yours, the Istorii Sankt’ya is a magical keepsake from the Grishaverse.

These tales include miracles and martyrdoms from familiar saints like Sankta Lizabeta of the Roses and Sankt Ilya in Chains, to the strange and obscure stories of Sankta Ursula, Sankta Maradi, and the Starless Saint.

Author: Sherry Thomas
Series: The Lady Sherlock Series, Book 5


Charlotte Holmes, Lady Sherlock, investigates a puzzling new murder case that implicates Scotland Yard inspector Robert Treadles in the USA Today bestselling series set in Victorian England. 
 
Inspector Treadles, Charlotte Holmes’s friend and collaborator, has been found locked in a room with two dead men, both of whom worked with his wife at the great manufacturing enterprise she has recently inherited. 
 
Rumors fly. Had Inspector Treadles killed the men because they had opposed his wife’s initiatives at every turn? Had he killed in a fit of jealous rage, because he suspected Mrs. Treadles of harboring deeper feelings for one of the men? To make matters worse, he refuses to speak on his own behalf, despite the overwhelming evidence against him.
 
Charlotte finds herself in a case strewn with lies and secrets. But which lies are to cover up small sins, and which secrets would flay open a past better left forgotten? Not to mention, how can she concentrate on these murders, when Lord Ingram, her oldest friend and sometime lover, at last dangles before her the one thing she has always wanted?

Author: Eva Gates
Series: The Lighthouse Library, Book 7


When her former director is found dead in the water, librarian Lucy Richardson will have to get to the bottom of the mystery before the killer ends her tale.

It's summertime in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Bertie James's college class is having their 40th anniversary reunion. The opening night reception is held at the Lighthouse Library and Lucy and her colleagues have assembled an exhibit of library artifacts showing how libraries have changed over the years. After the reception, some of the women take a walk down the boardwalk to the pier, using flashlights to illuminate the dark path, but what's scarier than the dark is finding the former director of the Lighthouse Library floating lifeless in the water.

Helena Sanchez, the former director, wasn't much loved and spent the party being rude to almost everyone there. As a result, Lucy finds herself in deep water as she rocks the boat, questioning several suspects. But she'll have to batten down the hatches and fast before she's left high and dry...and right in the killer's crosshairs.

Author: Lisa Jewell


The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone returns with an intricate thriller about a young woman’s disappearance and a group of strangers whose lives intersect in its wake.

Owen Pick’s life is falling apart. In his thirties and living in his aunt’s spare bedroom, he has just been suspended from his job as a teacher after accusations of sexual misconduct—accusations he strongly denies. Searching for professional advice online, he is inadvertently sucked into the dark world of incel forums, where he meets a charismatic and mysterious figure.

Across the street from Owen lives the Fours family, headed by mom Cate, a physiotherapist, and dad Roan, a child psychologist. But the Fours family have a bad feeling about their neighbor Owen. He’s a bit creepy and their teenaged daughter swears he followed her home from the train station one night.

Meanwhile, young Saffyre Maddox spent three years as a patient of Roan Fours. Feeling abandoned when their therapy ends, she searches for other ways to maintain her connection with him, following him in the shadows and learning more than she wanted to know about Roan and his family. Then, on Valentine’s night, Saffyre disappears—and the last person to see her alive is Owen Pick.

With evocative, vivid, and unputdownable prose and plenty of disturbing twists and turns, Jewell’s latest thriller is another “haunting, atmospheric, stay-up-way-too-late read” (Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author).

Author: Michelle Sagara
Series: The Wolves of Elantra, Book 1


At the Emperor’s command

Multiple races carefully navigate the City of Elantra under the Dragon Emperor’s wing. His Imperial Wolves are executioners, the smallest group to serve in the Halls of Law. The populace calls them assassins.

Every wolf candidate must consent to a full examination by the Tha’alani, one of the most feared and distrusted races in Elantra for their ability to read minds. Most candidates don’t finish their job interviews.

Severn Handred, the newest potential recruit, is determined to face and pass this final test—even if by doing so he’s exposing secrets he has never shared.

When an interrogation uncovers the connections to a two-decade-old series of murders of the Tha’alani, the Wolves are commanded to hunt. Severn’s first job will be joining the chase. From the High Halls to the Tha’alani quarter, from the Oracles to the Emperor, secrets are uncovered, tensions are raised and justice just might be done…if Severn can survive.

Author: Claire Legrand
Series: The Empirium Trilogy, Book 3


The incredible conclusion to the Empirium Trilogy that started with the instant New York Times bestsellers Furyborn and Kingsbane! This series is perfect for those looking for books for teen girls and is also one of the best fantasy series for adults and teens!

Two queens, separated by a thousand years must face their ultimate destinies.

Queen Rielle, pushed away from everything she loves, turns to Corien and his promises of glory. Meanwhile, whispers from the empirium slowly drive her mad, urging her to open the Gate. Separated from Audric and Ludivine, she embraces the role of Blood Queen and her place by Corien's side, determined to become the monster the world believes her to be.

In the future, Eliana arrives in the Empire's capital as a broken shell of herself. Betrayed and abandoned, she fights to keep her power at bay—and away from Corien, who will stop at nothing to travel back in time to Rielle, even if that means destroying her daughter.

But when the mysterious Prophet reveals themselves at last, everything changes, giving Rielle and Eliana a second chance for salvation—or the destruction their world has been dreading.

An epic fantasy with female protagonist, the Empirium Trilogy has captured the hearts of many and Lightbringer concludes this beloved teen fantasy series.


Author: Alexandra Elle


In After the Rain, celebrated self-care storyteller Alexandra Elle delivers 15 lessons on how to overcome obstacles, build confidence, and cultivate abundance.

Part memoir and part guide, Elle shares stirring stories from her own remarkable journey from self-doubt to self-love.

This soulful collection is filled with illuminating reflections on loss, fear, bravery, healing, love, acceptance, and more.

• Readers follow along her journey as she transforms challenging experiences—a difficult childhood, painful romantic relationships, and single parenting as a young mom—into fuel for her career as a successful entrepreneur and author driven by purpose and pasion
• Filled with Elle's signature candor and warmth
• Includes empowering affirmations and meditations for readers to practice in their own lives

After the Rain is a soulful guide to help you embrace all the beauty, love, and opportunity life has to offer.

Author: Alix E. Harrow


In the late 1800s, three sisters use witchcraft to change the course of history in a Hugo award-winning author's powerful novel of magic amid the suffragette movement.

In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.

But when the Eastwood sisters -- James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna -- join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote -- and perhaps not even to live -- the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.

There's no such thing as witches. But there will be.

Author: W. Bruce Cameron


The perfect, feel-good holiday gift from W. Bruce Cameron, the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the A Dog’s Purpose series

The problems fracturing the Goss family as Christmas approaches are hardly unique, though perhaps they are handling them a little differently than most people might. But then a true emergency arises, one with the potential to not only ruin Christmas, but everything holding the family together.

Is the arrival of a lost puppy yet another in the string of calamities facing them, or could the little canine be just what they all need?

A Dog’s Perfect Christmas is a beautiful, poignant, delightful tale of what can happen when family members open their hearts to new possibilities. You’ll find love and tears and laughter—the ideal holiday read.

Author: Michiko Kakutani


Pulitzer Prize–winning literary critic Michiko Kakutani shares 100 personal, thought-provoking essays about books that have mattered to her and that help illuminate the world we live in today—with beautiful illustrations throughout.

In the introduction to her new collection of essays, Ex Libris: 100+ Books to Read and Reread, Michiko Kakutani writes: "In a world riven by political and social divisions, literature can connect people across time zones and zip codes, across cultures and religions, national boundaries and historical eras. It can give us an understanding of lives very different from our own, and a sense of the shared joys and losses of human experience."
 
Readers will discover novels and memoirs by some of the most gifted writers working today; favorite classics worth reading or rereading; and nonfiction works, both old and new, that illuminate our social and political landscape and some of today’s most pressing issues, from climate change to medicine to the consequences of digital innovation. There are essential works in American history (The Federalist Papers, The Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr.); books that address timely cultural dynamics (Elizabeth Kolbert’s The Sixth Extinction, Daniel J. Boorstin's The Image, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale); classics of children's literature (the Harry Potter novels, Where the Wild Things Are); and novels by acclaimed contemporary writers like Don DeLillo, William Gibson, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Ian McEwan.

Title: Poisoned
Author: Jennifer Donnelly


From Jennifer Donnelly, author of the acclaimed New York Times bestseller Stepsister, comes a fairytale retelling that'll forever change the way you think about strength, power, and the real meaning of "happily ever after."

Once upon a time, a girl named Sophie rode into the forest with the queen's huntsman. Her lips were the color of ripe cherries, her skin as soft as new-fallen snow, her hair as dark as midnight. When they stopped to rest, the huntsman took out his knife . . . and took Sophie's heart.

It shouldn't have come as a surprise. Sophie had heard the rumors, the whispers. They said she was too kind and foolish to rule -- a waste of a princess. A disaster of a future queen. And Sophie believed them. She believed everything she'd heard about herself, the poisonous words people use to keep girls like Sophie from becoming too powerful, too strong . . .

With the help of seven mysterious strangers, Sophie manages to survive. But when she realizes that the jealous queen might not be to blame, Sophie must find the courage to face an even more terrifying enemy, proving that even the darkest magic can't extinguish the fire burning inside every girl, and that kindness is the ultimate form of strength.

Author: Amy Bruni


Star of Kindred Spirits and paranormal investigator Amy Bruni shares stories from her years of experiences with ghosts, organized around thirteen truths that guide her approach to the supernatural.

Amy Bruni, co-star of Kindred Spirits and one of the world's leading paranormal investigators, has learned a lot about ghosts over her years of research and first-hand experience. Now, in Life with the Afterlife, she shares the insight she has gleaned and how it has shaped her unique approach to interacting with the spirits of the dead and those who encounter them.

From her earliest supernatural encounters as a child, through her years appearing on Ghost Hunters and the creation of her company Strange Escapes, which offers paranormal excursions to some of America's most notoriously haunted destinations, and into her current work on The Travel Channel's Kindred Spirits, this book is full of astonishing and deeply moving stories of Amy's efforts to better understand the dead but not yet departed. With Amy's bright humor and fierce compassion for both those who are haunted and those who are haunting, Life with the Afterlife is an eye-opening look at what connects us as people, in life and beyond.

Author: Kerri Maniscalco


From the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Stalking Jack the Ripper series comes a new blockbuster series...

Two sisters.One brutal murder. A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself... And an intoxicating romance. Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe - witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family's renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin...desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister's killer and to seek vengeance at any cost-even if it means using dark magic that's been long forbidden.

Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked-princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia's side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women's murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems...

I know I am super pumped about this month's lineup! Hope you find the perfect October release to curl up with and enjoy this cooler weather! 

Happy Reading! 

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