In a post “glitch” world, humans live side by side with vampires, cyborgs and other variants of the human condition. They live in a “safe zone” that is tenuous at best. Threats are everywhere and can come in the form of Demons, mindless monsters, and simply environmental toxicity. Life expectancy is rather short.
​
In the midst of the dangers of everyday life, there is an elite team determined to protect the fragile zone. There is Bombshell, the human cyborg, Eric the vampire, and Vincent, of unknown origin. They discover and recruit Colton, an amnesiac human with super-human fighting skills. Together they face the rogue vampires, monsters and demons that threaten their community.

Survivor Song is about a super-rabies epidemic. The nut jobs in the book refer to the infected as “zombies”, and not without cause. The disease is fast moving and aggressive, causing victims to become incoherent and violent. The victims also have an undeniable need to aggressively spread the infection. Like zombies.

The story centers on Dr. Ramola and her pregnant best friend, Natalie. Natalie is brutally attacked by an infected man. She escapes to Ramola’s house and the two of them head out in search of treatment. This is ultimately a race against time story.
​

Happy Haunting Season Everyone!

For those of you who don’t know, Halloween is my favorite holiday!

Every year we chose a costume theme for our whole family. Last year we did a “Coco” Halloween and learned about the Dia De Los Muertos tradition. I can still get away with a family themed Halloween because my kids aren’t "too cool for that" yet!

This is the first year that we will not be hosting our annual Trick-or-Treat party. Mostly due to Covid concerns and wanting to be responsible citizens. But also, because we decided to take a year to travel and we’re not about to host a Halloween party in an AirBNB.

I will be adding an “Adventure” section to this blog, but for now, you can keep up with our travels on Instagram.

If you are looking for a great book to get you in the Halloween spirit, you have come to the right place! I read a disproportionately high amount of Supernatural Horror. It’s probably not normal. Anyways, good for you because I can help you find the best book for your spooky cravings.

I have read and been scared by all of the books on this list, except Plain Bad Heroines as it has not been released yet. It is getting fantastic reviews, so I am comfortable recommending it!
​

A canny young woman is struggling to survive by perpetrating various levels of mostly harmless fraud. On a rainy April morning, she is reading auras at Spiritual Palms when Susan Burke walks in. A keen observer of human behavior, our unnamed narrator immediately diagnoses beautiful, rich Susan as an unhappy woman eager to give her lovely life a drama injection. However, when the "psychic" visits the eerie Victorian home that has been the source of Susan's terror and grief, she realizes she may not have to pretend to believe in ghosts anymore. Miles, Susan's teenage stepson, doesn't help matters with his disturbing manner and grisly imagination. The three are soon locked in a chilling battle to discover where the evil truly lurks and what, if anything, can be done to escape it.

Follow this link for a No Spoiler Book Review of Grownup.
​

First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a "haunting"; Theodora, the lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.

Follow this link for a No Spoiler Book Review of Haunting of Hill House.
​

What was it like? Living in that house.

Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called House of Horrors. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity—and skepticism.

Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father’s book. But she also doesn’t believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father’s death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the past, chronicled in House of Horrors, lurk in the shadows. And locals aren’t thrilled that their small town has been made infamous thanks to Maggie’s father. Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself—a place filled with relics from another era that hint at a history of dark deeds. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences straight out of her father’s book, she starts to believe that what he wrote was more fact than fiction.
​

Our story begins in 1902, at The Brookhants School for Girls. Flo and Clara, two impressionable students, are obsessed with each other and with a daring young writer named Mary MacLane, the author of a scandalous bestselling memoir. To show their devotion to Mary, the girls establish their own private club and call it The Plain Bad Heroine Society. They meet in secret in a nearby apple orchard, the setting of their wildest happiness and, ultimately, of their macabre deaths. This is where their bodies are later discovered with a copy of Mary’s book splayed beside them, the victims of a swarm of stinging, angry yellow jackets. Less than five years later, The Brookhants School for Girls closes its doors forever—but not before three more people mysteriously die on the property, each in a most troubling way.

Over a century later, the now abandoned and crumbling Brookhants is back in the news when wunderkind writer, Merritt Emmons, publishes a breakout book celebrating the queer, feminist history surrounding the “haunted and cursed” Gilded-Age institution. Her bestselling book inspires a controversial horror film adaptation starring celebrity actor and lesbian it girl Harper Harper playing the ill-fated heroine Flo, opposite B-list actress and former child star Audrey Wells as Clara. But as Brookhants opens its gates once again, and our three modern heroines arrive on set to begin filming, past and present become grimly entangled—or perhaps just grimly exploited—and soon it’s impossible to tell where the curse leaves off and Hollywood begins.

Release Date: October 20, 2020
​

Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula in this Southern-flavored supernatural thriller set in the '90s about a women's book club that must protect its suburban community from a mysterious and handsome stranger who turns out to be a blood-sucking fiend.

Patricia Campbell had always planned for a big life, but after giving up her career as a nurse to marry an ambitious doctor and become a mother, Patricia's life has never felt smaller. The days are long, her kids are ungrateful, her husband is distant, and her to-do list is never really done. The one thing she has to look forward to is her book club, a group of Charleston mothers united only by their love for true-crime and suspenseful fiction. In these meetings, they're more likely to discuss the FBI's recent siege of Waco as much as the ups and downs of marriage and motherhood.

But when an artistic and sensitive stranger moves into the neighborhood, the book club's meetings turn into speculation about the newcomer. Patricia is initially attracted to him, but when some local children go missing, she starts to suspect the newcomer is involved. She begins her own investigation, assuming that he's a Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy. What she uncovers is far more terrifying, and soon she--and her book club--are the only people standing between the monster they've invited into their homes and their unsuspecting community.

Follow this link for a No Spoiler Book Review of Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires.
​

The secrets lurking in a rundown roadside motel ensnare a young woman, just as they did her aunt thirty-five years before, in this new atmospheric suspense novel from the national bestselling and award-winning author of The Broken Girls.

Upstate NY, 1982. Every small town like Fell, New York, has a place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their secrets. Viv Delaney works as the night clerk to pay for her move to New York City. But something isn't right at the Sun Down, and before long she's determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden… 

Follow this link for a No Spoiler Book Review of Sun Down Motel.
​

Summaries from Goodreads

With all of the uncertainty this year, it is nice that we can count on spooky books to give our Halloween a bit of normalcy.

How are you planning to celebrate Halloween this year? What is your favorite Halloween book? Comment below:
​
For more Can't Wait Book Lists, No Spoiler Book Reviews and Articles from the Library Life, subscribe below!
​

Welcome to October! The undisputed best month of all time!

The weather is good, the leaves are beautiful, and of course Halloween! What’s not to love?

This October offers tons of new books to read as you sneak pieces of delicious Halloween candy straight from the pail. Don’t worry, I won’t judge!
​
It’s always hard to narrow down the upcoming list to a manageable number of books. This month, I was able to get the list down to six titles, most have a spooky, paranormal vibe, or other Halloween element. Even my romance selection has cosplay! 

Autumn is such a fun time to host a book club. You can have so much fun with decorations, costumes and Pumpkin Spice everything. Even if you don’t get into Halloween or Pumpkin Spice specifically, fall is a gorgeous time to read with friends. The weather is nice and cool, perfect for sipping mulled wine by the fire pit while you discuss your latest read.

I am including six books on my Fall 2020 Book Club list. Two are pretty traditional book club choices, The Vanishing Half and The Midnight Library. Three are dark, spooky seasonal choices, The Haunting of Hill House, The Sun Down Motel and The Five. One to Watch is on the lighter side, but still has plenty to discuss.

All of these books (except Haunting of Hill House) have at least a four-star rating on Goodreads and thousands of reviews. I included the classic, Haunting of Hill House, as a personal recommendation.
​
I have included links to discussion questions for all suggested titles.

Cleo McDougal is running for President. She is a thirty-seven year old single mom and Senator and she is not stopping there. Before she officially begins her campaign for the presidency she embarks on a tour of no regrets. Making amends and correcting the wrongs of her past.

Some of the regrets tour is for show, and some of it is to get ahead of bad press, but Cleo is genuine in her quest to right wrongs. She truly wants to apologize for her mistakes and confront those that have harmed her. She is determined to make the most of her tour.
​
I found Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing to be a thoroughly enjoyable, quick Political Fiction. I have seen this book categorized as romance and it is not, the only thing romantic in this book is the portrayal of politicians. This book is Contemporary or Political Fiction, with feminist tendencies.

Moon Hunters is a difficult book to sum up in a tidy blurb. This is one of those unusual books that doesn’t follow a standard plot trajectory. Conflicts don’t resolve the way you think they will. It meanders. It doesn’t go where you think it’s going to go. It’s different.
​
The story centers on Leilani Ani. She is the descendent of an eccentric millionaire movie star who colonized a remote island during a global pandemic. They have always lived under the assumption that the “old world” was dead. After a catastrophe Leilani and her husband leave the island in search of resources. 

This will be an interesting September.

Most kids will be back to school in some capacity. Some kids will be business as usual with added safety precautions and mask requirements, and some kids will be learning from home.

I know parents have agonized over their options. I hope that whatever choice you made or situation you find yourself in, that you are healthy and safe. 

Luckily, there are some amazing books being released in September! A little something to look forward to and distract you from how crazy everything is right now!

One of the first phrases in Grownup is “hand job”. If this bothers you, please follow this link to my Haunting of Hill House review. You’ll find it to be much more enjoyable and still spooky.

Grownup is a short story by Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl. The print version is 64 pages, the audio is just over an hour. So if you are looking for something quick and twisted, this is your book!

The unnamed main character, we’ll call her “Hand Job”, because if you’re going to read this, you’ll need to get used to it!
​
Anyway, after giving something like 23,000 hand jobs in her professional career, our heroine moves to the front office to work as a “psychic” (it’s better for her carpal tunnel). After a few confidence boosting “psychic” transactions, she meets Susan. Susan is desperate for help dealing with her haunted house. She is convinced that her malevolent home is destroying her family and her life. 

I love Taylor Swift. I am not going to lie. I am a full on adult and I just love her.

I even liked her when there was that whole Kardashian “scandal”. Not sorry. I will never side with the Kardashians over Swift, I don’t care how many bitchy recordings they have of her! Not gonna happen!

I think most people would agree that Swift’s music is generally upbeat, catchy and fun. It might not be your absolute favorite music, but you probably won’t switch the station either. Unless you’re like a total metalhead or something, but even then…

I wasn’t lying when I included Beach Read in my May 2020 Can’t Wait Book List. I really couldn’t wait to read it. As soon as this book was available for download at my local library I checked it out!

January Andrews is having a bad year. It’s basically a country music song, her Dad died, her boyfriend broke up with her, she’s basically homeless… You’ve heard this song.
​
She has a book due to her publisher and the worst case of writer’s block. She has no idea how she can possibly go from zero words and zero ideas to having a book ready. In any amount of time. She is in a bad place. 

Happy August readers! We have officially begun our last full month of summer. For some of you that means more time inside curled up with a good book, avoiding the heat. For others it means getting a little bit more time reading outside in the nice weather. Wherever you are, I hope you read some great books this August!

Follow this link for new release books, August 2020 Can't Wait Book List.

I always encourage people to use their local library to access free books, ebooks and audiobooks. Unfortunately, that is not always an option. So it is nice to know that many online bookstores provide inexpensive access to thousands of ebooks. Sorting through their selections can be overwhelming, which is why I compiled this list of best e-books for $3 or less.   

Some of these books are by well-known popular authors, some of these books are by new and upcoming authors. Most have hundreds, if not thousands of four and five star reviews. All of these books are relatively new, having been published within the last two years.   

The Sun Down Motel is a “No-Tell-Motel” on a deserted stretch of highway on the way to nowhere. It’s a dark and dangerous place where people go to sell drugs, have affairs, and dump bodies. On a slow day, the ghosts outnumber the living.
​
The story follows Victoria, the night shift clerk of Sun Down Motel in 1982 and her niece Carly in 2017. Both are trying to solve the many mysteries surrounding the motel. Why do the lights flicker before the woman appears, who is the kid dressed for summer in the middle of winter, and who is the smoking man? Will they solve these mysteries or wind up becoming ghosts themselves?

When the world went on lockdown, book bloggers responded one of two ways. They either immediately published a list of doomsday books or a list of uplifting books. I was in the second category. I was beyond stressed about our situation and needed something to help me relax. So I published this list of Funny, Happy, Cozy Books to Help You Relax! If you are still really stressed, please check it out!

At this point, however, many of us have started to accept our “new normal”. We know that if we practice social distancing, wear masks, and wash our hands we can limit our chances of contracting the virus. For now, our food supply chain is operational. We don’t have the shortages we did when this started. Things are different and they will be for a long time, but I have less uncertainty, fear, and anxiety than I did in the beginning. I hope you feel the same.

My Dark Vanessa is a difficult, but important book. This is not a book you read for pleasure, this is a book you read to get a better understanding of sexual abuse and trauma.

Vanessa is fifteen when she goes to live at a prestigious boarding school. She is a misfit and a loner, she’s not interested in normal teenage activities. She’s not interested in spending time with other girls and she’s not interested in dating boys. She is interested in men, and particularly her forty-two year old English professor.

My Dark Vanessa explores the issue of consent. Specifically, consent between a physically and emotionally mature young woman and a much older authority figure. Can an intelligent and mindful minor girl give consent to an adult man? 

After wading through hundreds of upcoming titles, I have narrowed the list of August New Release Books to these seven exciting titles. I flipped through book review catalogs, book blogs and library chat forums to ensure that I found the most interesting and original new books.

There are so many good books coming out this month, it was hard to narrow down this list! I ended up including the best upcoming books from a variety of genres including, Political Fiction, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, and Romance. These are the seven stand-out titles for August! Hopefully there is something for everyone!

I exclude sequels and anything that will not have broad appeal. 

Testament to Murder is a 1920s murder mystery set in a coastal French mansion. Malcolm Is dying and has invited his closest friends and relatives to be with him in his final days. He intends to select an heir, but there is a catch…

Every day a new heir will be selected from the party. Whoever is heir the day Malcolm dies inherits everything.
​
Malcolm anticipates this scheme will put his life in danger and maybe even shorten his suffering. He expects that he will learn the true nature of his heirs. Like most experiments, the outcome is rather different than expected.

Reading can be an expensive hobby! Especially if you like to buy new hardback editions of popular books. If you read a new book every week, your hobby can add up quickly. You could easily spend $1300 per year on books!

I always encourage people to use their local library to access free books, ebooks and audiobooks. Unfortunately, that is not always an option. So it is nice to know that Amazon provides inexpensive access to thousands of ebooks. Sorting through their selection can be overwhelming, which is why I compiled this list of Best e-books for $2 or less.  
 
Some of these books are by well-known popular authors, some of these books are by new and upcoming authors. Most have hundreds, if not thousands of four and five star reviews. All of these books are relatively new, having been published within the last two years.   
​

Hope, or “Hopeless” as she is known by her enemies, is your average teenage girl. However, Hope is literally trying to survive high school. She is so sickly and allergic that it seems the entire world is slowly killing her. Will she even make it to graduation?

Nobody seems to expect anything of her. Teachers are constantly asking her if she needs to go home, and her parents are kind, but clueless. The only people who seem to notice her are the ones who try to make her life worse. The bullies.
​
Until the new boy starts school…

Summer is a great time to get in some quality time with a good book blogger! If you are looking to find that perfect read for vacation, the beach, or just staying in, find a book blogger and they will find you the perfect book! It’s what they do.

Book bloggers are basically professional readers. Most read at least 50 books per year, some read HUNDREDS. Not only do they rate and review all these books, they also collaborate with other bloggers, so they know ALL THE GOOD BOOKS!!! They can give an in depth analysis of all the books in their niche and they know the most popular books in every niche. Book bloggers are truly book experts.
​
There is a whole world wide web of book bloggers. Each has their own unique style and their own unique selection of books from their favorite genres. Finding the right book blogger for you, is all about finding a blogger in your favorite genre, with a writing style you enjoy. Reading a book review, should be like having a conversation with your best friend. Trust me, your book blogging best friend is out there!