Recent Updates and Currently Reading | August 18

My kids went back to school this week. This was definitely the quickest summer ever. At least I read some amazing books this summer! My reading really dies off when summer hits, and I have been picking up one amazing book after another.

We are celebrating our one year anniversary over at Ladies of Horror Fiction next month! We are going to be hosting an #lohfreadathon (wherever and however you'd like to join in!)

You can scroll through our recommendations on Instagram if you need book ideas.

Posted Last Week

I posted my ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review of Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly. I hope you take a look at this book.

Finished Reading

Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Yet another amazing book. Hollow Kingdom is so good!

Poetry Magazine July/August 2019 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I also loved the July/August Poetry Magazine collection.

The Man Who Knew The Way to the Moon by Todd Zwillich ⭐⭐⭐★★ - This was an interesting audiobook.

Currently Reading

Doorways to the Deadeye by Eric J. Guignard - I'm a little ways into Doorways to the Deadeye and enjoying it so far!

Recent Acquisitions

The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) by R.F. Kuang - You guys! I am doing this reading thing all wrong! My preorder for The Dragon Republic arrived, and I haven't even read my copy of The Poppy War yet. I clearly have no idea what I'm doing.

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon - I've been longing for the audio version of this beast of a book. I was excited to see it pop up as a daily deal on Audible.

So what about you? Let me know what you're reading this week or leave me some links!

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This post is being shared as part of Book Date's It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Caffeinated Book Reviewer's The Sunday Post.

Book Review | Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly

Theme Music is a debut thriller from T. Marie Vandelly.

An utterly propulsive and unpredictable psychological thriller from stunning new talent T. Marie Vandelly

For the lucky among us, life is what you make of it, but for Dixie Wheeler, the theme music for her story was chosen by another long ago, on the day her father butchered her mother and brothers and then slashed a knife across his own throat. Only one-year-old Dixie was left alive, infamously known as Baby Blue for the song left playing in the aftermath of the slaughter.

Twenty-five years later, Dixie is still desperate for a connection to the family she can’t remember, so when her childhood home goes up for sale, Dixie sets aside all reason and moves in, re-creating a macabre decor with her family’s salvaged furniture. But as the ghosts of her family seemingly begin to take up residence in the home that was once theirs, Dixie starts to question her own sanity and wonders if the evil force menacing her is that of her father, or a demon of her own making.

In order to make sense of her present, Dixie becomes determined to unravel the truth of her past and seeks out the detective who originally investigated the murders. But the more she learns, the more she opens up the uncomfortable possibility that the sins of her father may belong to another, and, perhaps most tragically, to Dixie herself. As bodies begin to pile up around her, Dixie must find a way to expose the lunacy behind her family’s massacre and redeem what little remains of her soul.

Fans of thrillers and horror pay attention! Theme Music is awesome. It's brutal and it's unreliable, and it's so much fun.

Theme Music is a perfect example of the power of the bookish community. I never would have picked it up on my own, but it was highly recommended by Emily (book.happy). Now I'm highly recommending it to you!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Review copy provided by publisher

Book Review | Recursion by Blake Crouch

Recursion is the latest thriller from Blake Crouch.

Memory makes reality.

That’s what New York City cop Barry Sutton is learning as he investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived.

That's what neuroscientist Helena Smith believes. It’s why she’s dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious memories. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.

As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face-to-face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease—a force that attacks not just our minds but the very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating it.

But how can they make a stand when reality itself is shifting and crumbling all around them?

I wasn't sure what I would get with Recursion, but I hoped I would get something similar to Dark Matter. Thankfully my wish was granted! I hope Blake Crouch is able to give us a few more releases in this realm of Quantum Physics. I love it!

I'll be honest - Recursion broke my brain a little, but it sure was fun. If you loved Dark Matter, Recursion is a must read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Review copy provided by publisher

Kathe Koja Cover Reveal: Velocities

I don't normally participate in cover reveals (I'm pretty sure this is the first one I've ever said yes to!), but I'm making an exception for the new Kathe Koja collection. Get your 2020 wishlists ready! Velocities promises to be "flying at the speed of strange".

Velocities by Kathe Koja

Release Date: April 2020

About Velocities

Kathe Koja’s second short fiction collection, Velocities, is dark, disturbing, and heartfelt. It includes thirteen stories, including two never before published, all flying at the speed of strange.

About Kathe Koja

Kathe Koja is a writer, director and independent producer. Her work combines and plays with genres, from YA to contemporary to historical to horror. Her novels–including THE CIPHER, SKIN, BUDDHA BOY, TALK, and the UNDER THE POPPY trilogy–have won awards, been multiply translated, and optioned for film and performance. She creates immersive fiction with a rotating ensemble of video artists, dancers, musicians and performers.

Her latest novel is CHRISTOPHER WILD. VELOCITIES, her second short fiction collection, is upcoming in 2020 from Meerkat Press, along with a reprint of her classic novel THE CIPHER.

She's globally minded, and based in Detroit USA.

Recent Updates and Currently Reading | August 4

I cannot believe we are gearing up to go back to school already. I'm dreading the madness of having three kids in three different schools again and all of the homework our school district piles on each of them. We are just about finished with all of our clothes and supply shopping. Life is just so fast.

On a much brighter note, this week's reading update is filled with all of the stars.

Posted Last Week

I posted my ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review of Wilder Girls by Rory Power.

Finished Reading

Recursion by Blake Crouch ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Definitely for fans of Dark Matter.

Harry Potter y el Prisionero de Azkaban (Harry Potter #3) by J.K. Rowling, Adolfo Muñoz García (Translator), Nieves Martín Azofra (Translator) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I'm still loving reading the Spanish editions of Harry Potter. It is taking me a while to make my way through them, but I feel closer than ever to these stories.

Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Wow, was this book a surprise!

What is this madness? All the stars for all the books?! I will have reviews of Recursion and Theme Music up soon.

Currently Reading

The Last Astronaut by David Wellington - I'm starting The Last Astronaut today. I've heard such good things!

Harry Potter y el càliz de fuego (Harry Potter #4) by J.K. Rowling, Adolfo Muñoz García (Translator), Nieves Martín Azofra (Translator) - I also started reading Goblet of Fire. These books just get bigger and bigger, don't they?

Recent Acquisitions

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand - We are starting to put a bigger focus on YA and MG horror over at Ladies of Horror Fiction so you will be seeing them more here as well. If you have any favorite LOHF YA or MG books, I'd love your recommendations!

Cardinal Black (Matthew Corbett #7) by Robert R. McCammon - Someday I'm going to make time to catch up on the Matthew Corbett series.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, Rob Inglis (Narrator) - The Hobbit is in my TBR jar this year. I loved the Rob Inglis audios of LOTR so I decided it would be a good idea to grab the Rob Inglis narration of The Hobbit.

So what about you? Let me know what you're reading this week or leave me some links!

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This post is being shared as part of Book Date's It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Caffeinated Book Reviewer's The Sunday Post.