Book Haul: February 2021

 

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Welcome to Stacking the Shelves and Mailbox Monday, where I get to show off the books I’ve gotten recently. Here’s what I’m hoping to read in the next few months.

 

February 2021 Book Haul

 

 

 

 

The Diviners by Libba Bray

 

Young Adult Historical Fantasy

Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City—and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult. Evie worries her uncle will discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer. As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho is hiding a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened.

 

Why I’m excited to read it: I recently finished Libba Bray’s A Great And Terrible Beauty and enjoyed it. I liked the historical boarding school setting and the increasingly complicated “frenemies” relationships between the main characters. I’m interested to check out the author’s other historical fantasy series. If you’ve read both series, which one is better?

 

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Tunnel Of Bones by Victoria Schwab

 

Middlegrade Paranormal Fiction

Trouble is haunting Cassidy Blake . . . even more than usual.

She (plus her ghost best friend, Jacob, of course) are in Paris, where Cass's parents are filming their TV show about the world's most haunted cities. Sure, it's fun eating croissants and seeing the Eiffel Tower, but there's true ghostly danger lurking beneath Paris, in the creepy underground Catacombs.

When Cass accidentally awakens a frighteningly strong spirit, she must rely on her still-growing skills as a ghosthunter—and turn to friends both old and new to help her unravel a mystery. But time is running out, and the spirit is only growing stronger.

And if Cass fails, the force she's unleashed could haunt the city forever.

 

Why I’m excited to read it: I’ll read anything Victoria Schwab writes. Her middlegrade books are fun, spooky, and creative. I would have adored them as a kid. I liked the first book in this series and am excited to see what trouble Cass gets herself into next.

 

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The Good People by Hannah Kent

 

Adult Historical Fiction

County Kerry, Ireland, 1825.

Nóra Leahy has lost her daughter and her husband in the same year, and is now burdened with the care of her four-year-old grandson, Micheál. The boy cannot walk, or speak, and Nora, mistrustful of the tongues of gossips, has kept the child hidden from those who might see in his deformity evidence of otherworldly interference.

Unable to care for the child alone, Nóra hires a fourteen-year-old servant girl, Mary, who soon hears the whispers in the valley about the blasted creature causing grief to fall upon the widow's house.

Alone, hedged in by rumor, Mary and her mistress seek out the only person in the valley who might be able to help Micheál. For although her neighbors are wary of her, it is said that old Nance Roche has the knowledge. That she consorts with Them, the Good People. And that only she can return those whom they have taken.

 

Why I’m excited to read it: I don’t remember who it was, but one of the reviewers I follow on social media described this book as “fairies and murders.” I’m ready for that! Hannah Kent’s other book—Burial Rites—is one of my favorite historical novels. Her writing style is very . . . visceral. Lots of yucky stuff. Her descriptions really make you feel like you’re living alongside the characters.

 

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Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield

 

Adult Historical Fiction

On a dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the river Thames, an extraordinary event takes place. The regulars are telling stories to while away the dark hours, when the door bursts open on a grievously wounded stranger. In his arms is the lifeless body of a small child. Hours later, the girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Is it magic? Or can science provide an explanation? These questions have many answers, some of them quite dark indeed.

Those who dwell on the river bank apply all their ingenuity to solving the puzzle of the girl who died and lived again, yet as the days pass the mystery only deepens. The child herself is mute and unable to answer the essential questions: Who is she? Where did she come from? And to whom does she belong? But answers proliferate nonetheless.

Three families are keen to claim her. A wealthy young mother knows the girl is her kidnapped daughter, missing for two years. A farming family reeling from the discovery of their son’s secret liaison, stand ready to welcome their granddaughter. The parson’s housekeeper, humble and isolated, sees in the child the image of her younger sister. But the return of a lost child is not without complications and no matter how heartbreaking the past losses, no matter how precious the child herself, this girl cannot be everyone’s. Each family has mysteries of its own, and many secrets must be revealed before the girl’s identity can be known.

 

Why I’m excited to read it: It sounds like a compelling mystery! Goodreads says it “Combines folklore and science, magic and myth.” That’s my kind of book. Last year I read Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale and loved the atmosphere. It’s full of haunted buildings and people with secrets. I’m hoping for more of the same.

 

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Not So Pure And Simple by Lamar Giles

 

Young Adult Contemporary Fiction

Del has had a crush on Kiera Westing since kindergarten. And now, during their junior year, she’s finally available. So when Kiera volunteers for an opportunity at their church, Del’s right behind her. Though he quickly realizes he’s inadvertently signed up for a Purity Pledge.

His dad thinks his wires are crossed, and his best friend, Qwan, doesn’t believe any girl is worth the long game. But Del’s not about to lose his dream girl, and that’s where fellow pledger Jameer comes in. He can put in the good word. In exchange, Del just has to get answers to the Pledgers’ questions . . . about sex ed.

With other boys circling Kiera like sharks, Del needs to make his move fast. But as he plots and plans, he neglects to ask the most important question: What does Kiera want? He can’t think about that too much, though, because once he gets the girl, it’ll all sort itself out. Right?

 

Why I’m excited to read it: A million years ago, when I was in graduate school, I met Lamar Giles and read his book, Fake ID. He seems like a smart, nice person. Fake ID is a thriller, so it didn’t blow my mind or anything, but I enjoyed it enough to keep an eye on the author’s career. I like contemporary fiction more than thrillers, so I was thrilled (haha, see what I did there?) when this book was announced. It sounds like it will use humor to tackle difficult questions.

 

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Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

 

Young Adult Memoir / Graphic Novel

In kindergarten, Jarrett Krosoczka's teacher asks him to draw his family, with a mommy and a daddy. But Jarrett's family is much more complicated than that. His mom is an addict, in and out of rehab, and in and out of Jarrett's life. His father is a mystery—Jarrett doesn't know where to find him, or even what his name is. Jarrett lives with his grandparents—two very loud, very loving, very opinionated people who had thought they were through with raising children until Jarrett came along.

Jarrett goes through his childhood trying to make his non-normal life as normal as possible, finding a way to express himself through drawing even as so little is being said to him about what's going on. Only as a teenager can Jarrett begin to piece together the truth of his family, reckoning with his mother and tracking down his father.

 

Why I’m excited to read it: A book by an author I haven’t read before! I’ve read all the other authors in this post. I picked up this book because I like graphic novels, and I like memoirs. Those genres are even better when you smash them together. This book has been recommended to me a few times and gets excellent reviews on Goodreads. I’m interested to see what the hype is about.

 

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Have you read any of these? What did you think?