Library Update January 2025

So I had a fit. I was looking at all the new books coming out this year, and I accidentally ordered a bunch of them from the library. Then I had another fit, and looked at the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge for 2025. I started seeing what books I had on my shelves that would meet some of those prompts. Then I ordered some more books from the library to fulfill the ones I didn't have. Then I remembered my goal to read 40 books from my shelves. After that, I decided I don't really care that much. I'm going to read at Whim. What are we, 3 weeks into the year and I'm already tossing goals out the window? Hmm. I fully believe that at some future month, I will suddenly care a lot about reading my own books and I'll get back on that train. Maybe.

Let's look at my tumescent library account.

CHECKED OUT

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson - This is a mystery novella by the Australian guy who spends the whole book breaking the fourth wall and telling you how he's constructing the mystery.

UnOrdinary by Uru-Chan - This is a graphic novel about some kids with superpowers I think. I got it to fulfill one of the Read Harder prompts, but now I don't remember which one. Hang on...Nope. Can't find it. Maybe I just thought it sounded good. Anyway, it came in today.

ON HOLD

Floof by Heidi McKinnon - Is this a children's picture book? Yes. Yes it is. But isn't it adorable? One of our children's librarians posted it on her Goodreads feed and I decided I needed to look at it. I am first on the wait list.

Wicked Darlings by Jordyn Taylor - I read and loved a historical fiction YA books by this author years ago. I have a second book on my shelf waiting to be read. This one has a cover in the same style as one I just found out about that came out last year, but nobody seems to think they are in a series. They are just made to look like they are. This would fulfill the Read Harder prompt to Read a 2025 Release by a BIPOC author. Jordyn Taylor is black. This comes out February 11. I am number 2 on the list.

Don't Sleep With the Dead by Nghi Vo - The blurb said this is a companion to Vo's Great Gatsby retelling, The Chosen and the Beautiful. That was all I needed to hear. Sign me up. This comes out in April. I am third in line for this one.

Carving Shadows Into Gold by Brigid Kemmerer - Kemmerer wrote A Curse So Dark and Lonely which blew my socks off several years ago. I make it a point to try out everything she writes. Also, this is a gorgeous cover! This comes out next week. I am 4th on the list, but they are only buying 2 copies. Ugh.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi - Scalzi is hilarious. This book investigates humanity's reaction to the moon turning to actual cheese. It comes out in March. I am 12th on this list.

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett - This is the third in the Emily Wilde series about a researcher of Faeries. I read the first one. I own the second one, which I should probably read before this one comes out in... oh heck! Next month! But I'm thirteenth on the list and there are only 3 copies, so I'm probably good.

The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue - This is based on a true story of a "disaster" that happened in 1895 at the Montparnasse train station. I could do research and find out what happened, but I think I'd like to go in blind. This comes out in March and I am number 13 of 14 copies, so if the library gets their copies on time and get them rolled out, I should get it pretty quickly.

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst - This came out last year and made a splash. I've heard people talk about how cozy and wonderful it is long enough. I went ahead and ordered it. Apparently, I am not the only one who felt that way, as I am number 15 on the wait list.

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict - Ok. I already love Marie Benedict. So check this out. It's 1930 and a young woman was found strangled in a park in France. 4 mystery writers decide to band together to solve the crime. The writers? Sayer, Christie, Marsh, and Orczy. That's it. Take my money. Comes out next month but I'm 17th on the list.

Every Tom, Dick, and Harry by Elinor Lipman - Elinor Lipman is frequently likened to Jane Austen, but I feel like she's more like Barbara Pym. This one may be a departure. Our main character Emma takes over her family's estate sale business but isn't prepared for the "interesting" people she'll meet. It sounds hilarious. Sign me up. I'm 17th on this list also.

The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon - McKinnon was (is?) on Saturday Night Live for years. She's hysterical. And now she's written a children's book. Normally, I wouldn't bother, but I've heard it's amazing. This book came out last year, but the library only has 6 copies. I'm 18th on the list.

Lonely Planet: Hidden Libraries - This is still on my list. It came out last year, but the library either hasn't got theirs, or hasn't gotten them out the door. Maybe it's like Colton Gentry and as soon as I cancel my request it will show up. I'm 19th on this list.

The Amalfi Curse: A Bewitching Tale of Sunken Treasure, Ancient Magic, and Forbidden Love On the Amalfi Coast by Sarah Penner - You don't see a lot of fiction books with subtitles like this, but here we are. Pretty much everything you see in the subtitle is in the summary. I like the one Sarah Penner book I've read, so I'll give this one a sniff. It comes out in April, but I'm number 25. I'll probably see it this year.

Easy Weeknight Dinners by Emily Weinstein - I went through a friend's hold list and found this gem. I need easy weeknight dinners! I only cook a few days a week, but I am getting tired of the usual rotation. This is already out, but there are 14 copies and I'm number 27, so it'll be a hot minute before I get my hands on it.

Half-Baked Harvest Quick and Cozy by Tieghan Gerard - Same story, second verse. 14 copies and I'm number 29.

The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens - The titular librarian was a child in Bosnia during the Serbian invasion. She joined a band of militia fighters and gained a reputation as a deadly fighter. Eventually she fled to the U.S. and became a librarian in Minnesota, like you do. Now, someone has murdered her best friend and she knows it's a message for her. She's being hunted. The Bosnian angle intrigued me. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't bother. This comes out in February, but I won't see it for months. I'm 29th on the list.

Kills Well With Others by Deanna Raybourn - This is the second in a series. In the first one, 4 retired spies are celebrating their retirement on a cruise when someone from their own agency comes to kill them. Fortunately, these women have spent 20+ years in the game. They will not go down easily. I loved it. I can't wait for this to come out in March. Although I won't see it til next year because I am number 33 for the 3 copies the library purchased.

The JFK Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Kennedy and Why It Failed by Brad Meltzer - I know. You're thinking, "Failed? But it didn't fail." Right. You're thinking of the second assassination attempt. Apparently, there was one before that one. That's what this is about. This came out last week, but ours aren't circulating yet. I'm 33rd on the list, but there are 10 copies.

The Kennedy Girl by Julia Bryan Thomas - The author is a friend of mine, so of course I will be reading it. It is set in the 1960s. It's about a young woman who works in a bakery, but dreams of being a fashionista. A mysterious stranger offers her a job in Paris as a model for a major fashion house, and she goes for it. I'm number 37. At that point, it doesn't even matter how many copies we have.

2024 Annual Recipes by Southern Living - I am 90% certain I do not have the skills or budget to make anything in this cookbook, but I sure would like to look at the pictures. This is another one that is already out, but not in circulation. Rood. I'm 47 on the list, but we have like 24 copies coming.

The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis - As is Fiona Davis' way, this is told in two timelines: 1936 when a young woman is invited on a dig in Egypt where something tragic happens; and 1978 when a different young woman gets hired to work at Vogue with Diana Vreeland and runs into the first woman who is now a curator at the Met. I'm number 71 on this list. Le sigh.

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry - I love her books. Mostly. There was one I couldn't really get into, but I did finish it. I won't pay money for these books because the cost/minute of reading is too high. I will, however, be waiting for this one for a floppity-jillion years because I am number 97 on the list. It comes out in April.

Did I add 23 new books to my TBR? Yes. But I think they may be spread out enough that I don't get them all at once. I realize that goes against the law of libraries, but as an insider, I hope to be able to game the system. Hahahahaha!