Ivory Owl Reviews

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

6 Witchy August & September Releases to Add to Your TBR

––––––––––––––––~✫✧✫~🔮🕯️~✫✧✫––––––––––––––––

Literary...romance...horror, this witchy list has a bit of something for everyone. So hop on your broomstick, head over to Edelweiss and Netgalley, and request your faves. I've added each of the direct request links below!

––––––––––––––––~✫✧✫~🔮🕯️~✫✧✫––––––––––––––––

The Book of Witches: An Anthology by Jonathan Strahan

August 1, 2023 / Collections & Anthologies

Request here: Edelweiss and Netgalley

Dirty Lying Dragons by Sabrina Blackburry

August 8, 2023 / Romance

Request here: Edelweiss and Netgalley

Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz: Stories of the Witch Knight and the Puppet Sorcerer by Garth Nix

August 22, 2023 Fantasy / Epic

Request here: Edelweiss and Netgalley

The Witching Tide: A Novel by Margaret Meyer

September 5, 2023 / Literary

Request here: Edelweiss and Netgalley

Enchanted to Meet You: A Witches of West Harbor Novel by Meg Cabot

September 5, 2023 Romance / Paranormal

Request here: Edelweiss and Netgalley

Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian

September 19, 2023 / Horror

Request here: Edelweiss and Netgalley

Time's Mouth

*free review copy*

Title: Time's Mouth

Author: Edan Lepucki

Publisher: Counterpoint

Release Date: 8.1.23

Publisher’s Summary

From New York Times bestselling author Edan Lepucki comes an enthralling saga about family secrets that grow more powerful with time, set against the magical, dangerous landscape of California

Ursa possesses a very special gift. She can travel through memory and revisit her past. After she flees her hometown for the counterculture glory of 1950’s California, the intoxicating potential of her unique ability eventually draws a group of women into her orbit and into a ramshackle Victorian mansion in the woods outside Santa Cruz. Yet Ursa’s powers come with a cost. Soon this cultish community of sisterhood takes an ominous turn, prompting her son, Ray, and his pregnant lover, Cherry, to flee their home for Los Angeles and reinvent themselves far from Ursa’s insidious influence. But escaping their past won’t be so easy. A series of mysterious events forces Cherry to abandon their baby, leaving Ray to raise Opal alone.

Now a teenager and still heartbroken over the abandonment of the mother she never knew, Opal must journey into her own past to reveal the generations of secrets that gave rise to the shimmering source of her family's painful legacy.

From the forests of Santa Cruz, to the 1980s glam of Melrose Avenue to a solitary mansion among the oil derricks off La Cienega Boulevard, and brimming with the double-edged capacity of memory to both heal and harm, Time’s Mouth is a poignant and evocative excavation of the bonds that bind families together.

My Review

This book covers the complex and detailed generational trauma of Sharon/Ursa, her son Ray, his daughter Opal, and multiple people pulled into their orbit. The luscious, atmospheric magical realism had me constantly thinking about the Practical Magic book series (NOT to be confused with the movie.) Hopping between Sharon/Ursa fleeing her hometown in the '50s, Ray figuring out college and living in the city in the '80s, and Opal navigating high school in LA in the late '90s, readers are given lots of cultural references--making them feel a bit like a time traveler themselves. This novel is not a traditional "3-point" novel but more like a "20-point" novel. There are emotional rollercoasters for every character and somehow each one was absolutely perfect. At 400+ pages, this is not a book to be rushed. You'll want to read this if you have time to truly savor each page and storyline.

Currently Reading: The Measure of Our Age

*free review copy*

Title: The Measure of Our Age: Navigating Care, Safety, Money & Meaning Later in Life

Author: M.T.Conolly

Publisher: PublicAffairs

Release Date: 7.18.23

Publisher’s Summary

An expert on elder justice maps the challenges of aging, how things go wrong, and presents powerful tools we can use to forge better long lives for ourselves, our families, and our communities.

As tens of millions of Americans are living longer lives, longevity is creating challenges that cut across race, class, and gender. Caregivers help older relatives for “free,” but with high costs to themselves in time, money, jobs, and health. Scammers target countless seniors. The institutions built to protect older people—like nursing homes and guardianship—too often harm them instead. And epidemics of isolation and loneliness make older people vulnerable to all sorts of harm.

In The Measure of Our Age, elder justice expert and MacArthur “genius” grant recipient, M.T. Connolly investigates the systems we count on to protect us as we age. Weaving first-person accounts, her own experience, and shocking investigative reporting, she exposes a reality that has long been hidden and sometimes actively covered up. But her investigation also reveals reasons for hope within everyone’s grasp.

Connolly’s strategies and action plans for navigating the many challenges of aging will appeal to a wide range of readers—adult children caring for aging parents; policymakers trying to do the right thing; and, should we be so lucky as to live to old age, all of us. This book transforms how we think about aging.

DNF Roundup

The Glow by Jessie Gaynor

I was originally interested in this because I thought it would have creepy wellness retreat vibes like Caite Dolan-Leach's "Dark Circles" or Stephanie Wrobel's "This Might Hurt" but instead it was just a parade of awkward and embarrassing situations. I believe that Gen Z or millennial readers may identify with this protagonist.

The Exhibitionist by Charlotte Mendelson

The summary for this novel had absolutely everything I usually love in a great generational saga but I barely made it past the first few pages. The writing was so difficult and clunky. I popped over to Goodreads to check the rating and saw it was only a 3.09 and that one of my fellow bookstagram buddies/reviewers who I usually am on par with for opinions only gave it a one star, so I decided not to continue with it.

Let Us Sleep Now by Jesse Muchmore

I recently read and liked The Rule of One, and my only "complaint" was that it was YA. I thought this would be a perfect follow-up since it has almost the same storyline and is adult fiction, but there were way too many characters being introduced and not enough of the "one child policy" and "alternate future" to keep me invested.

Self Made: Creating Our Identities from Da Vinci to the Kardashians by Tara Isabella Burton

It was the subtitle that did it. I thought this would be more about the creation of digital identities and influencers but it is much more about the philosophy of self. This looked to contain a lot of research and read like a dissertation or college essay, but I was looking for something more like "Swipe Up for More!"

Birding for a Better World

*free review copy*

Title: The Feminist Bird Club's Birding for a Better World: A Guide to Finding Joy and Community in Nature

Author: Sydney Anderson and Molly Adams

Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press

Release Date: 9.5.23

Publisher’s Summary

A celebration of birding as an inclusive activity for everyone, from organizing members of the Feminist Bird Club.

Birding is for everyone. That is the sentiment on which the Feminist Bird Club (FBC) was founded in 2016 and the spirit that is celebrated in this original and timely book. In these pages, Molly Adams, FBC founder, and Sydney Golden Anderson offer readers:

A celebration of birding and the outdoors
Examples of how inclusive, affirming, and joyful an activity birding can be
Awareness of the crucial inclusivity issues facing birding communities today
Related ideas for radical inclusivity and how to break down barriers around birding for marginalized communities
Information on the ecological challenges facing birds and all life on earth including habitat loss and warming temperatures
Actionable steps everyone can take toward environmental justice
Journaling prompts throughout to offer moments of self-reflection
Ninety original illustrations from the FBC community

The Feminist Bird Club's Birding for a Better World illustrates how anyone can engage in the universally available activity of birding, and support equity and environmental justice at the same time, making an excellent gift or self-purchase for seasoned birders and beginners alike, as well as for nature lovers, social justice activists, and anyone seeking actionable information about accessibility and inclusivity in the birding community.

My Review

I love watching my hummingbirds at their feeder and trying to identify different birds in my backyard and I subscribe to a bird magazine, but I don't think I'm a "birder." Ok, after reading that sentence I realize that maybe I'm in denial. However, when I saw this as an instant download in Edelweiss, I had to check it out. Full of cute illustrations, this was the most fun and relatable book about birds I have ever read. It also opened my mind to the overlaps and disconnects between social justice and birding. I definitely recommend this book to any birders or people like me who like birds but aren't quite ready to claim the title of "birder" just yet.

The Cook

Title: The Cook

Author: Maylis de Kerangal

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Release Date: 3.10.16

Publisher’s Summary

Maylis de Kerangal follows up her acclaimed novel The Heart with a dissection of the world of a young Parisian chef

More like a poetic biographical essay on a fictional person than a novel, The Cook is a coming-of-age journey centered on Mauro, a young self-taught cook. The story is told by an unnamed female narrator, Mauro's friend and disciple who we also suspect might be in love with him. Set not only in Paris but in Berlin, Thailand, Burma, and other far-flung places over the course of fifteen years, the book is hyperrealistic--to the point of feeling, at times, like a documentary. It transcends this simplistic form, however, through the lyricism and intensely vivid evocative nature of Maylis de Kerangal's prose, which conjures moods, sensations, and flavors, as well as the exhausting rigor and sometimes violent abuses of kitchen work.

In The Cook, we follow Mauro as he finds his path in life: baking cakes as a child; cooking for his friends as a teenager; a series of studies, jobs, and travels; a failed love affair; a successful business; a virtual nervous breakdown; and--at the end--a rediscovery of his hunger for cooking, his appetite for life.

My Review

I'm still in a reading slump so I picked up this slim little book from my shelves. Perfect for a foodie, chef, and/or traveler. This was a nice, little, one-sitting read. Not groundbreaking or super memorable. Just comforting and enjoyable.

Hex Education

*free review copy*

Title: Hex Education

Author: Maureen Kilmer

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons

Release Date: 9.19.23

Publisher’s Summary

Beauty, grace, and a resting witch face…

Bewitched meets Yellowjackets in Maureen Kilmer’s Hex Education when a former coven reunites to stop their lives from going up in flames.

On the outside, luxury realtor Sarah Nelson looks like every other mom in the neighborhood—running errands, navigating the school pickup line, and begrudgingly volunteering at the high school concession stand. Yet she has an edge that others don’t: She’s a witch! She uses light magic in secret, small ways, almost like an enchanted personal assistant. And absolutely no one knows about it.

Except her estranged ex-coven. In college, when she and two friends, Katrina and Alicia, first uncovered the magic, it didn’t take long before they used it to improve their lives. Yet, they made a mistake one night, and their dorm went up in flames and burned to the ground. After that terrible night, the coven scattered. And no one ever found out that the fire was their fault. Their secret was safe, until the three reunite at a ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the fire. Suddenly, the magic doesn’t seem to want to stay small any longer. Her familiar—an overweight orange tabby cat named Katy Furry—begins to argue with her. Her self-brooming broom goes full Martha Stewart. Her fridge overdoes it and stocks thirty pounds of sliced turkey for school lunches.

As it grows more and more difficult to hide the magic and the past, Sarah, Katrina, and Alicia once again gather to harness their power, and keep their secrets safe…before they find out if polite society still burns witches.

My Review

Some people look forward to their vacations and travel times as reading opportunities but I just cannot concentrate. I was traveling this last weekend and couldn't figure out how to use the television in my hotel room so I picked an "easy" read to fill my time while I relaxed. I read this author's previous release, Suburban Hell, last summer and thought it was fun and funny, so when I saw she had a new release about witches I was all about it. It had some laugh-out-loud lines and scenes but I thought it fell a little short of Suburban Hell. This was a great palate cleanser and suited my weekend travel reading needs.

*1 clarification that needs to be made here is that the Yellowjackets reference in the publisher's summary is way off and I can only guess it was used to capitalize on the show's success.

*free review copy*

Title: Ripe

Author: Sarah Rose Etter

Publisher: Scribner

Release Date: 7.11.23

Publisher’s Summary

A year into her dream job at a cutthroat Silicon Valley startup, Cassie finds herself trapped in a corporate nightmare. In addition to the long hours, toxic bosses, and unethical projects, she struggles to reconcile the glittering promise of a city where obscene wealth lives alongside abject poverty. Ivy League grads complain about the snack selection from a conference room with a view of unhoused people bathing in the bay. Startup burnouts leap into the paths of commuter trains, and men set themselves on fire in the streets.

Though isolated, Cassie is never alone. From her earliest memory, a miniature black hole has been her constant companion. It feeds on her depression and anxiety, its size changing in relation to her distress. The black hole watches, but it also waits. Its relentless pull draws Cassie ever-closer as the world around her unravels.

When her CEO’s demands cross an illegal threshold and she ends up unexpectedly pregnant, Cassie must decide whether the tempting fruits of Silicon Valley are really worth it. Sharp but vulnerable, funny yet unsettling, Ripe portrays one millennial woman’s journey through a late-capitalist hellscape and offers an incisive look at the absurdities of modern life.

My Review

I'm a little all over the place with my thoughts on this book. It was not an "enjoyable" read but I think it is an artistic masterpiece. I found it on par with The Goldfinch (another book I am ambivalent about,) The Guest (which I hated,) and Severance (which I loved.) The story is bleak and depressing (gentrification, impossible bosses, and an unplanned pregnancy) but also perfectly encapsulates the burnout of the millennial generation. I felt that the definitions and graphics every few pages were unnecessary, but an interesting stylistic choice to break up the story. Also, the psychological manifestation of a personal black hole as a metaphor for depression was both obvious and uniquely written. Most importantly, I applaud Etter for writing about abortion in a way that is not judgemental while also making a huge statement about a certain demographic of women making this choice. A certain subset of readers (Sally Rooney and Ottessa Moshfegh fans) will likely love this.

Pub Day Roundup

These 4 books release today and I recommend them all!

The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn and Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa are two slim, feel-good novels sure to be loved by book lovers.

A Good House for Children by Kate Collins is my current read and even though I haven't finished it, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be recommending it to anyone looking for a modern gothic, feminist horror, slow-burn page-turner.

The Housekeepers by Alex Hay is a super smart, five star, heist thriller. Think: Ocean's 8 meets Downton Abbey.

*free review copy*

Title: My Husband

Author: Maud Ventura

Publisher: HarperVia

Release Date: Originally released 8.19.23, U.S. release 7.11.23

Publisher’s Summary

In this suspenseful and darkly funny debut novel, a sophisticated French woman spends her life obsessing over her perfect husband--but can their marriage survive her passionate love?

At forty years old, she has an enviable life: a successful career, stunning looks, a beautiful house in the suburbs, two healthy children, and most importantly, an ideal husband. After fifteen years together, she is still besotted with him. But she's never quite sure that her passion is reciprocated. After all, would a truly infatuated man ever let go of his wife's hand when they're sitting on the couch together?

Determined to keep their relationship perfect, she meticulously prepares for every encounter they have, always taking care to make her actions seem effortless. She watches him attentively, charting every mistake and punishing him accordingly to help him improve. And she tests him--setting traps to make sure that he still loves her just as much as he did when they first met.

Until one day she realizes she may have gone too far . . .

The winner of France's First Novel Prize in 2021, My Husband builds on the premise of hits like Gone Girl and Fates and Furies--how well can you really know your spouse?--and adds the tension and creepy obsession of You. The result is an irresistible read--compelling, tense, and engaging, infused with sly subversive humor, and told in an utterly original voice that makes it unforgettable.

Translated from the French by Emma Ramadan

My Review

This short novel utilizes a certain technique in its story structure to deliver jaw-dropping results. The comparisons to Gone Girl and Fates and Furies are not at all off the mark, but if you've read those books then you know how easily a reviewer could give away important tidbits and twists that would take away from a reader's enjoyment. I will simply say, I really liked it and please let me know if/when you read it because I want to discuss it!

Carmilla

Title: Carmilla

Author: Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Publisher: my copy: Kessinger Publishing's Rare Reprints

Release Date: 1.1.1872

Publisher’s Summary

In an isolated castle deep in the Austrian forest, Laura leads a solitary life with only her ailing father for company. Until one moonlit night, a horse-drawn carriage crashes into view, carrying an unexpected guest – the beautiful Carmilla. So begins a feverish friendship between Laura and her mysterious, entrancing companion.

But as Carmilla becomes increasingly strange and volatile, prone to eerie nocturnal wanderings, Laura finds herself tormented by nightmares and growing weaker by the day.

My Review

I first heard of Carmilla a few years ago when I was studying Bram Stoker's Dracula. I did a bit of research and thought the story sounded fascinating. Especially after learning that Anne Rice credits Carmilla for inspiring her The Vampire Chronicles series in a 1989 interview and that the story predates Dracula (1897) by 26 years! I finally tracked down a copy of this horror novella and absolutely devoured it. The settings were absolute Gothic perfection and the mounting tension is sublime. I was spellbound for its entirety. A "must read" for any gothic and/or vampire fiction lover.

Best Books of 2023 (So Far!)

July 1st means half the year is over, making it the perfect time for a check-in on the best books I've read so far this year. Here are my top 15 with direct links to each of my reviews.