Feed Your TBR - The House that Eats the Dead

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

August 18, 2026

FROM GOODREADS: The new house is a fresh start for Claire and her family. It's a move away from the cityscape of a declining San Francisco and towards the quiet suburban life she has craved since her turbulent childhood; a step up the corporate ladder for her husband, Tom; and a safe haven for their two children.

Yet as they unpack their boxes, she senses something is wrong. Fresh flowers dry up, store-bought eggs are inexplicably hollow, and her daughter's favorite toy disappears. Claire soon confronts a series of impossible the house is hungry. It's devouring anything that was once alive. And only Claire and Tom, the owners of the house, will remember that this "food" ever existed.

When Claire exploits the house's power in a moment of weakness, she and the house forge a fragile bond. But as its hunger intensifies and Claire loses control, she fears who else might be drawn to her home—and what sinister appetites they’ll bring.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  I have always enjoyed haunted house stories and this one sounds great.  Plus the cover is really working for me.

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK???

Feed Your TBR - Only Spell Deep

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

March 17, 2025

FROM GOODREADS: Judeth Cole has always had certain uncanny abilities. But when she arrived at Solidago - her grandfather’s estate by the sea - she was forced to keep them secret. There she lived a harsh life under his rule and the haunting legacy of her late grandmother, Aurelia. Until the fateful day she ignited a fire with her magic. It was the last time she saw her family alive.

Seventeen years later, she’s living in Seattle as Jude Clark, and failing at life, when she makes a last detour through her favorite bookstore, selecting a book to read as she waits to die. But when she pulls it from the shelf, an invitation to her for a clandestine midnight meeting slips out.

Jude is quickly swept up into a world of secrets and magic, discovering a circle of powerful new companions led by the mysterious, enigmatic Arla. The source of their magic, Arla tells her, is a goddess, trapped and bound, that they call The Fathom. But Jude swiftly realizes Arla wants this power all to herself, and that she’s willing to kill for it.

Terrified, Jude turns to Levi Orman, the handsome bookseller who’s seen her at her worst. With his help, she begins a research journey that leads her from the crystal waters of the Mediterranean to the icy waves of the Greenland Sea and back to Solidago, the house she swore to never return to. With the Fathom threatening to break free and Arla on the hunt, Jude must finally face her past to save her future.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  While the synopsis does sound good and this book has been compared to Rebecca meets The Craft, I won't lie.  It is the tentacles on the cover which landed this one on my wish list.

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK???

Another Reason People Should Elope!

 

TITLE: The Body

AUTHOR: Bethany C. Morrow

PUBLISHER: Tor Nightfire

PUBLISHING DATE: February 10, 2026

PAGES: 288   

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: Mavis broke from her parents’ congregation years ago, but she still hasn’t recovered. Their impossible expectations and soul-shredding critiques have dug deep into her mind, and she’s taunted by the knowledge that even when she’s done nothing wrong, she’ll never be right. 

Now Mavis is afraid she’s about to lose the only thing she has: her husband, Jerrod. The man she’s always known was too good to be true. No one thinks she deserves him—not even after surviving the serial cheater they wanted her to stick by—and soon they’ll all find out they were right. 

Mavis is already unraveling when a brush with death shows her what real fear looks like. Soon, she’s under constant attack from all directions. As the assaults turn increasingly vicious and bizarre, Mavis realizes that Hell isn’t reserved for the afterlife. 

And sinner or not, no one is coming to save her.

MY THOUGHTS: This is one of those books that I would normally say go into it blind and don't really look at reviews. However, this book didn't work for me and I'm not sure who to recommend it to so perhaps you might want to do some research before picking it up. Also, be warned, I almost DNF'ed this one and it honestly felt like it was 500 pages long instead of a rather brief 288 pages.

Mavis and her husband have been married for seven years. Prior to that, Mavis was part of her parents' congregation where they do some weird vow from all members during the marriage ceremony that the church is committed to helping individuals have successful marriages. In fact, they insist on it.

One day Mavis does something which sets this vow in motion.  Stating it would be a big spoiler but let's just say it's a trope I normally don't like.  All of a sudden, something tragic is happening to Marvis and Jerrod and together, they try to figure out how to stop what Marvis knows she has put into motion, and what Jerrod feels he did to put the chaos in motion. Things happen, the whole book feels like a fever dream and yay! it's over. 

You know how some books have characters you love to hate?  Well, not this one. I basically despised them all. I did feel some sympathy toward Jerrod because what he did to deserve Mavis must have been pretty bad. Mavis had absolutely no redeeming qualities and while I believe the book tries to garner some sympathy for her by shedding light on her controlling and overbearing parents, it was too little too late for me.

I read Cherish Farah by this author some time ago and really enjoyed it.  That was a big reason I wanted to grab this one. Plus, I thought it was a good way to read Black authors during Black History Month and combine it with my love of horror.  However, this one clearly didn't work for me. I am sure I will give Morrow another try and am a bit sad I didn't like this one more. I managed not to DNF in the end because there was a part of me that really wanted to know what was going on - a very tiny, small part.

MY RATING: 2 PAWS

2 Bloggers 1 Series - Christmas in Snowflake Canyon

 

Stormi and I had so much fun last month continuing on with the Hope's Crossing series, that we decided to do the same this month. Actually, I was able to fit this installment in as my last read of January and since it was Christmas themed, I'm glad I did.  It also helped that I was housebound due to a snow/ice storm. Nothing like setting the scene.  So read on for my thoughts and then hop over to Stormi's to see what she thought.

 

TITLE: Christmas in Snowflake Canyon (Hope's Crossing # 6)

AUTHOR: RaeAnne Thayne

PUBLISHER: HQN Books

PUBLISHING DATE: September 01, 2013

PAGES: 368   

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: No one has ever felt sorry for Genevieve Beaumont. After all, she has everything money can buy. That is, until two years ago, she discovered her fiancé had been two-timing her and she fled to Paris. Now, after receiving an ultimatum from her father, she's back in Hope's Crossing and finds herself in a bit of a pickle... 

Genevieve's salvation appears in the most unlikely of prospects: Dylan Caine, a sexy, wounded war vet whose life is as messy as hers. Dylan's struggling to adjust after his time in Afghanistan, and the last thing he needs is a spoiled socialite learning about the real world for the first time. True, she may have unexpected depths and beauty to match. But he knows he could never be the man she needs…and she knows he could never be the man she thinks she wants. So why are they each hoping that a Christmas miracle will prove them both wrong?

MY THOUGHTS: This series has turned into a real comfort read.  I know when I pick one up, I'll end up flying through it which is probably one main reason I decided to quickly work it into my January reads. 

Genevieve Beaumont definitely has a rep in Hope's Crossing.  Not only is her family pretentious and full of themselves, in one of the earlier books Genevieve was the bridezilla from hell. After her engagement fell apart, she ran off to Paris to live the highlife.  However, her parents think she needs to grow up and stop living off her trust fund, so she is summoned back to Hope's Crossing.  After being given yet another ultimatum by her father, she goes to the local bar to let off some stream.  She ends up punching an assistant prosecutor in the face for playing too many Christmas songs.  

It's a rare night out for Dylan Caine.  He prefers to stay holed up in his cabin with his dog ever since getting injured in the Army and coming home.  He is still learning to function well with the loss of an eye and an arm, and he carries the weight of what happened on his shoulders. He intervenes in the barfight and both he and Gen get arrested.  They both manage to get off on community service and are sentenced 100 hours at Warrior's Hope, a new rehab venture run by Dylan's sister and her fiancé.  Exactly where Dylan doesn't want to be.

Although Dylan and Gen are the unlikeliest of couples, I loved seeing their friendship and subsequent feelings for each other develop.  Gen really learns she wants to be different than everyone else sees her and realizes the negative influence her parents have had on her.  In addition, she starts to actually make friends with some individuals in town which I enjoyed seeing because hiding behind her snotty attitude is a lot of self-doubt. Of course, Dylan and his chip are not easy to get close to either so of course, them getting together was inevitable right?

This installment allows some characters from some of the previous books to show up and play small roles which is one of the things I love most about series like this and my favorite small-town romance, Virgin River. And of course, Tucker, Dylan's dog, is the added icing on the cake.  If you love smalltown romances which also have some heavy-hitting plotlines as well, this might be a series you want to consider.

MY RATING: 5 PAWS

    

February Coming Attractions

 

Another new month!  I know I didn't do a Coming Attractions post for January, but I blame holiday recovery mode. I did want to get one out as soon as possible this month though so you can see what I'm reading this month as well as some of the reviews you might find here. Remember, I know I won't possibly get to all of these but want to showcase them either way. Plus, I have found these are good posts for me to look back on to jog my memory of what I am supposed to be focusing on. Oh, the daily perils of a mood reader.

First up are my buddy reads with Stormi for this month. We decided to read Realm of Shadows at the last minute because I was craving some romance for February and it would count for a Retro Romance challenge she is doing.  We are almost at the end of Dresden Files and finally, Shadow of the Mothman is Shea's latest, and she and I always seem to buddy read Shea's books.

Next up I have some ARCs I would love to get to.  I am currently reading The Body and hate to say it isn't going too well.  I'm 25% in and I really hope it picks up for me. This will be my first Matt Dinniman read even though I plan on starting Dungeon Crawler Carl sometime this year.  Temple Fall looks to be an interesting Gothic read.

Here are a few more ARCs mostly in the thriller/horror/fantasy genres.  I LOVE Lindy Ryan and am so excited for Dollface.

And finally, a few odds and ends that are sitting by my couch waiting to be finished and/or picked up.

So what are you plans for February? Have you read any of these?

2 Bloggers 1 Series - Peace Talks (Dresden Files #16)

 

Stormi and I keep moving along on our buddy read of the Dresden Files series and the end is almost in sight!  The newest installment, number 18, recently released so that means two more book and we are current and up to date.  So read on for my thoughts and then hop over to Stormi's to see hers. 

 

TITLE: Peace Talks (Dresden Files #16)

AUTHOR: Jim Butcher

PUBLISHER: Ace

PUBLISHING DATE: July 14, 2020

PAGES: 340   

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: When the Supernatural nations of the world meet up to negotiate an end to ongoing hostilities, Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, joins the White Council's security team to make sure the talks stay civil. But can he succeed, when dark political manipulations threaten the very existence of Chicago—and all he holds dear?

MY THOUGHTS: I am still enjoying Harry's world, but sometimes Harry's world is a really wordy one, so I was thrilled this installment clocked in under 350 pages. 

A Supernatural summit is taking place in order to try to garner some kind of peace among all the entities and once again, Harry finds himself in the thick of things.  Because of his role as Mab's right-hand man, the White Council is becoming more distrustful of him.  Since this is book 16 and everything is considered a spoiler, I'll just say we get to see quite a few familiar faces including Molly, Thomas, Maggie, Mouse, Ebenezer and Butters.

There were quite a few things that made me unhappy in this book, especially pertaining to Thomas, but it didn't mean I didn't enjoy it.  I just question a few directions the author is headed toward but hey, he's the boss, right?  

Overall, I'm glad to have gotten this far and Stormi has warned me the next book is really going to tick me off.  I am struggling between a 4/5 or a 5/5 but my rating is reflective of my appreciativeness for a short installment this time around.

MY RATING: 5 Paws 

Feed Your TBR - The Stars Look Like Home

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

January 12, 2027

FROM GOODREADS: From beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune comes a heartwarming story about a good boy in search of a great life. The Stars Look Like Home is a funny and moving adventure about finding one’s place in the universe from the perspective of a dog.

Also, the dog does not die in this.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  I just saw this a few days ago and there is no way I can wait a whole year!  I love The House in the Cerulean Sea and its sequel, Somewhere Beyond the Sea. I vow to read more from Klune this year but man, I wish I had this in my little greedy hands!

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK???