August Coming Attractions

 

I didn't do a Coming Attractions post for July, but I blame my vacation at the end of the month.  I did read a lot of good books during the month, and it was kind of a low-pressure month for me when related to what I wanted to read.  I had fun and that is what matters right?  Let's see what you might see on the blog in August.

First up are my buddy read/book club obligations.  Stormi and are continuing on with both the Dresden Files series as well as the Hope's Crossing one.  Side Jobs is a collection of short stories, and I don't know if I will read them on and off during the month, or all at once.

I feel behind last month in my series read of The Innkeeper Chronicles, but I am really enjoying the books and need to catch up.  I'm also hearing good things about The Compound and grabbed it from my library.

I have a long list of ARCs to get to this month and I'm not fooling myself that they will all get read, but I hope to knock out quite a few.

And finally, I am pretty sure We Are All Guilty Here will be the first book I pick up in August.  I am excited for a new Karin slaughter series. 

And of course I plan to continue on with Tammy over at Books, Bones & Buffy Summer of Horror 2025! Look for some more cover features.

Have you read any of these?  What are your August plans?

Oh and since August is the Dog Days of Summer, here are Apollo and Zekey in Zekey's favorite sleeping position - on top of his brother!

Thanks for stopping by Booker T's Farm!

 

Feed Your TBR - Japanese Gothic

 

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.

April 21, 2026

FROM GOODREADS: October, 2026: Lee Turner doesn’t remember how or why he killed his college roommate. The details are blurred and bloody. All he knows is he has to flee New York and go to the one place that might offer refuge—his father’s new home in Japan, a house hidden by sword ferns and wild ginger. But something is terribly wrong with the no animals will come near it, the bedroom window isn't always a window, and a woman with a sword appears in the yard when night falls.

October, 1877: Sen is a young samurai in exile, hiding from the imperial soldiers in a house behind the sword ferns. A monster came home from war wearing her father’s face, but Sen would do anything to please him, even turn her sword on her own mother. She knows the soldiers will soon slaughter her whole family when she sees a terrible a young foreign man who appears outside her window.

One of these people is a ghost, and one of these stories is a lie.

Something is hiding beneath the house of sword ferns, and Lee and Sen will soon wish they never unburied it.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  I love the sounds of this one and that cover is beautiful. I haven't read from this author yet and have heard good things.

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

Feed Me Seymour!

 

TITLE: Eat the Ones You Love

AUTHOR: Sarah Maria Griffin

PUBLISHER: Tor

PUBLISHING DATE: April 22, 2025

PAGES: 288   

SOURCE: Own library

FROM GOODREADS: A twisted, tangled story about workplace love-affairs, and plants with a taste for human flesh.  

During a grocery run to her local shopping center, Shell Pine sees a ‘HELP NEEDED’ sign in a flower shop window. She’s just left her fiancé, lost her job, and moved home to her parents’ house. She has to make a change and bring some good into her life, so she goes inside and takes a chance. Shell realizes right away that flowers are just the good thing she's been looking for, as is Neve, the beautiful florist who wrote the sign asking for help. The thing is, Neve needs help more than Shell could possibly imagine. 

An orchid growing out of sight in the heart of the mall is watching them closely. His name is Baby, and the beautiful florist belongs to him. He’s young, he’s hungry, and he’ll do just about anything to make sure he can keep growing big and strong. Nothing he eats – nobody he eats – can satisfy him, except the thing he most desires. Neve. He adores her and wants to consume her and will stop at nothing to eat the one he loves. 

This is a story about possession, and monstrosity, and working retail. It is about hunger and desire, and other terrible things that grow.

MY THOUGHTS: I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this book but since I preordered it and paid full price on Kindle, I was hoping to love it.  And I'm kind of shocked to say I really did.  This is supposedly inspired or a retelling of sorts of "Little Shop of Horrors" which I've never seen, but I didn't matter.  I kind of fell in love with Baby anyway - which is very, very twisted and has my bestie worried about me.

Shell's live has dismantled over the past few years.  At 33, she and her fiancé split, her job went under, and she moved back home with her parents and two siblings.  The day while visiting the local run-down mall, Shell is drawn to a "Help Wanted" sign in a local florist shop.  She goes in to apply and is taken by the shop owner, Neve.  Neve immediately hires Shell and over the next couple of weeks, they teeter on a work/flirtation tightrope.  However, Neve belongs to another.  Deep within the mall, in the locked terrarium, grows Baby.  Neve and Baby have known each other for years and Neve has helped Baby feed his hunger.  Baby has plans for Shell, but will she figure out the plans before it's too late?  The mall is set to close down soon, and Baby needs a way out.

This book is marketed as horror and while I would say it is to a point, it's also very weird fiction.  Baby is not only obsessed with Neve, but the both of them enter into a very problematic relationship.  I mean come on; Baby IS a plant after all.  As expected, there is quite a bit of body horror but there is also a sort of found family.  Shell meets Neve's mall friends and starts to come out of her shell (no pun intended) and sees a future where before it was nothing but darkness.  I really enjoyed this friend group with their very differing personalities and quirks.  I also liked Neve although I grew to question many of her choices.

Not to say this book wasn't without issues.  I had a hard problem with formatting.  There are no real chapter breaks but rather parts to the book and I felt that made the book seem much longer than its 288 pages.  Also, Baby narrates quite a bit of the book but there was no real indication of when Baby would take over the story which made for difficult transitions.  

The entire time I was reading this book there was a feeling of dread over me.  It is very atmospheric in that sense, and I wasn't sure where the story was headed and even now, a day after reading it, am not sure what I read.  There may be some deep meaning in this book, but I prefer to keep it at surface level.  I don't know who I would recommend this book to, and it doesn't have the best reviews, but I did enjoy it and will be looking for more from this author in the future.

MY RATING: 4 PAWS

Summer of Horror - Don't Go Into the Woods!

 

I am participating in an informal event created by my friend Tammy over at Books, Bones & Buffy and she is doing a book cover love feature.  This week I chose to participate and share some covers featuring spooky and scary trees.  Per usual, some of these I've read but many are just ones that have crossed my path, and I added to the ever-growing "maybe" pile.

I only saw the movie based off of The Ritual, but it was pretty decent.  I love Hunter Shea though and have read many of his books and he has even been a guest here on the blog.  I highly recommend all of his horror.

Speaking of Hunter Shea, Creature is probably my all-time favorite of his.  If you haven't met Buttons the beagle dog, you really have to.  And don't worry - he lives.

I remember not caring much for Slender Man when I read it, but it still qualifies as really creepy cover.  I read the Wendy Morgan duology years and years ago but seeing it again makes me want to try to get my hands on it again. 

So, there you have my spooky tree edition.  Have you read any of these?  Did I miss any of your faves?

Feed Your TBR - The Hitch

 

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 13, 2026

FROM GOODREADS: From the author of the cult classic Treasure Island!!!, a delightfully unhinged comedy following a woman as she attempts to exorcise the spirit of a dead corgi from her nephew and renegotiate the borders of her previously rational world 

Rose Cutler defines herself by her exacting standards. As an anti-racist, Jewish secular feminist eco-warrior, she is convinced she knows the right way to do everything, including parent her six-year-old nephew Nathan. When Rose offers to look after him while his parents visit Mexico for a week, her brother and sister-in-law reluctantly agree, provided she understands the rules—routine, bedtime, homework—and doesn’t overstep. But when Rose’s Newfoundland attacks and kills a corgi at the park, Nathan starts acting barking, overeating, talking to himself. Rose mistakes this behavior as repressed grief over the corgi’s death, but Nathan insists he isn’t grieving, and the dog isn’t dead. Her soul leaped into his body, and now she’s living inside him. Now Rose must banish the corgi from her nephew before the week ends and his parents return to collect their child.  

With the ferocious absurdity of Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch and the dark, brazen humor of Melissa Broder’s Death Valley, The Hitch is a tantalizingly bizarre novel about loneliness, bad boundaries, and the ill-fated strategy of micromanaging everything and everyone around you. 

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  This doesn't sound like your normal feel-good pup read but I stumbled across it yesterday and it spoke to me. I just had to share it today and hope I can get my hands on an arc soon!

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

Keep Your Enemies Close

 

TITLE: Kill Creatures

AUTHOR: Rory Power

PUBLISHER: Scholastic

PUBLISHING DATE: June 5, 2025

PAGES: 281   

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: Last summer, Nan's three best friends disappeared into Saltcedar Canyon. 

She's spent the year since grieving their loss and avoiding questions about what happened that night. Now, on the anniversary, she's ready to say goodbye, and so are the girls' families, who have reconvened to hold a memorial. But their vigil is interrupted by the shocking return of one of the missing girls alive. Everybody is overjoyed. Everybody, that is, except Nan, who was pretty sure they were dead. 

After all, she's the one who killed them.

MY THOUGHTS: I read this book right before my vacation and it was the perfect shorter read needed to kick off what turned out to be a great reading vacation.

When the book opens, the main character Nan, is attending a memorial in her small town of Saltcedar Canyon.  A year ago, she and her three best friends snuck out for a night of fun, but she is the only one who returned.  Obviously still reeling from her grief, Nan doesn't know how she will make it through the ceremony.  After all, the bodies were never found so the girls' parents are trying to keep hope arrive.  However, everyone is in for a shock because in the middle of the memorial one of the girls surfaces and surprising to everyone, she is still alive.  This is especially surprising to Nan, because only she knows she killed all three on that fateful night.

I originally wanted to read Kill Creatures because it was marketed as a horror story.  I didn't really find it as such, but it was full of horrific events and even more horrific people.  In fact, I'm pretty sure there wasn't one person in the book I liked, but boy, I loved every minute I spent disliking them. Since so much is revealed up front, this book basically works with a dual timeframe.  While Nan and the town is trying to put together what happened to Luce, the girl who has returned, the reader is also seeing what events led up to that fateful night. Even though this is a YA book, I have to admit there were a few shocks I didn't see coming.

If you like unreliable narrators and don't mind deep topics (although there is a huge list if trigger warnings I ignored at the very beginning), this might be the book for you.  It's the first one I've read by this author even though I've had some others on my TBR for some time.

MY RATING: 4 PAWS

Book Haul - July 2025

 

 

So, it's been a while since I've done any kind of updates.  Sorry for the delay in sharing some wonderful books I've recently acquired.  I don't know if I plan on doing these monthly, get back into my Weekend Farm News and add them there but I will try to make a point to showcase them somewhere.  I am linking the book titles to their Goodreads page so you can get more details on them, but I will try to at least include a release date here.  

How to Talk to Your Dog About Murder: Emily Soderberg/10-21-25
Love is a Four-Legged Word: Melinda Metz/10-28-25
Dog Person: Camille Pagan/04-07-26
Poison & Pooches: Sandra Balzo/10-07-25

The Last Vampire: Romina Garber/12-02-25

A Heart So Haunted: Hollie Nelson/10-21-25

Crazy, Spooky Love: Josie Silver/09-02-25

Undead and Unwed: Sam Tschida/10-28-25

Asylum Hotel: Juliet Blackwell/07-09-25

The Sister's Curse: Nicola Solvinic/10-21-25

We Are All Guilty Here: Karin Slaughter/08-12-25

Frankenstein's Monster: J.S. Barnes/09-02-25

Strange Animals: Jarod K. Anderson/02-10-26

The Whistler: Nick Medina/09-16-25

The Bleeding Woods: Brittany Amara/10-14-25

The House of Quiet: Kiersten White/09-09-25

All I can say is that October is shaping up to be a killer book release month.  Do you plan on grabbing any of these? 

Feed Your TBR - Dog Person

 

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.

April 7, 2026

FROM GOODREADS: Harold may be an aging mutt—but Amelia May, the romance novelist who adopted him, taught him a thing or two about the human heart before she died. And she also left Harold with a final to help her partner, Miguel, find love again.

Trouble is, the grief-ridden recluse rarely goes out, not even to the bookstore he and Amelia owned together. Now it’s in danger of going under, and when a renowned author doesn’t show up for his event, it pushes the store’s already precarious finances into the red. In a final attempt to save the bookstore, Miguel and Harold set out to find the no-show and insist he fulfill his obligation. But instead, they’re greeted by Fiona, his sunny yet secretive sister.

Fiona is intent on protecting her brother’s privacy—and to Harold’s horror, she doesn’t like dogs. But her precocious eleven-year-old daughter, who's also named Amelia, immediately befriends Harold . . . who can’t help but wonder if his Amelia was right when she said there are no coincidences in life.

Harold’s quickly running out of time to accomplish his mission, but if he can just convince his infuriatingly stubborn person to let Fiona in, he’s certain Miguel will find something far more important than a missing his own happy ending.

Uplifting, smartly observed, and hilariously insightful, Dog Person is as undeniably charming as its beloved narrator, Harold, and offers a much-needed reminder that while not all love is unconditional, it is still always worthwhile.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  I love books told from the canine's POV. This one sounds heartbreaking and uplifting all in one.  

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

Summer of Horror - What Big Teeth You Have!

 

I am participating in an informal event created by my friend Tammy over at Books, Bones & Buffy and she is doing a book cover love feature. This week I took the concept of monsters with teeth and altered it just to include scary teeth on the cover. This wasn't as easy as I anticipated, but I still think I found some good ones.

Hunter Shea is one of my favorite authors but I can't recall reading this one.  I have managed to read Meg though.

Do you have any favorite books with teeth to share?

Talk About Relationship Red Flags

 

TITLE: My Ex, the Antichrist

AUTHOR: Craig DiLouie

PUBLISHER: Run For It

PUBLISHING DATE: June 1, 2025

PAGES: 416   

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: 

1998: A punk band is formed by Lily Lawlor and Drake Morgan. Drake inspires faith in some. Fear in others. Lily is a believer. 

1999: A Battle of the Bands ends in a shocking death, and a riot that claims the lives of three teenagers. 

2009: At the height of her stardom, Lily walks into a police station and confesses to murder. 

Now: The band has refused to talk to the press about the night of the riot, Lily’s confession, or anything else. It's been over a decade, but Lily has finally agreed to an interview. And the band is following her lead. 

What follows is a story of prophecy, death, and apocalypse. A story about love and love lost. A story about the antichrist. Maybe it’s all true. Maybe none if it is. 

Either way, this is their story. And they’re sticking to it.

MY THOUGHTS: This is the third book I've read by this author and although the first one, Episode Thirteen, wasn't a fave, Suffer the Children and now this one both sucked me in and wouldn't let go!

First of all, I have to not the formatting of My Ex, the Antichrist.  It is told completely in interview format.  This worked so well for me, and it was hard to believe I wasn't reading an actual factional account of a punk band called The Shivers.  Lily meets Drake around the time she is trying to escape from her parents' thumbs and create her own path.  Lily wants to be a musician and Drake, a magnetic and hypnotic guitarist and singer, does everything he can to encourage her dreams.  There's just one thing, Drake may have TOO much of a presence.  

The two find additional musicians and form The Shivers.  However, when the play public forums, the crowds break out in violence, sexual gratification and sometimes murder.  Lily starts to learn new things about Drake and when he finally quits the band, her involvement with his continues and her fears continue to grow.  What is exactly going on with Drake and could he actually be the Antichrist.

I can't say enough glowing things about this book and have already recommended it to several people.  There is quite a bit of religious horror, but I figure whoever decides to pick it up can tell that from the title.  DiLouie is quickly solidifying himself as an auto-read author for me.

MY RATING: 5 PAWS

Feed Your TBR - Strange Animals

 

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.

February 10, 2026

FROM GOODREADS: After a series of inexplicable encounters upends his life, Green finds himself alone and terrified in the Appalachian mountains, full of questions about the transformation he’s undergoing and the impossible creatures he’s starting to see.

When he meets a hermit named Valentina, he realizes that something more than chance has brought him to her door. For she has devoted centuries to researching the hidden world of cryptids that Green is only now beginning to perceive.  

As Green begins his studies beneath her watchful eye, he comes face to face with time-stopping giant moths, cyclops squirrels, and doorways to elsewhere. Along the way come clues about his own nature and the powerful beings who led him here—and, most wondrous of all, a sense of fulfillment like nothing he’s felt before.

But Green’s new happiness promises to be short-lived, because alongside these marvels lurks a deadly threat to this place he’s already come to love.

Featuring incredible creatures and an unforgettable cast of characters, Strange Animals is a charming, addictive fantasy about the magic all around us.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  I can't wait to see what cryptids Green and Valentina find and let's admit it, that cover is gorgeous.

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

Jaws Is Everywhere (Except in This Book)

 

TITLE: Blood in the Water

AUTHOR: Tiffany D. Jackson

PUBLISHER: Scholastic Press

PUBLISHING DATE: July 1, 2025

PAGES: 272   

SOURCE: ARC

FROM GOODREADS: This summer, there's blood in the water...watch out for sharks! 

Kaylani is a born-and-bred Brooklyn girl. She expects to feel like a fish out of water spending the hot and sticky summer on Martha's Vineyard with family friends, the Watsons. But her mother insists, especially since Kaylani still spends long hours on the phone with her imprisoned father. 

The Watsons live in the town of Oak Bluffs, a place with a rich Black history that fascinates Kaylani. Though the Watsons' daughter, London, is snobby and unfriendly, Kaylani ends up connecting with some other kids in the town, who show her around. The beach IS really nice, and there's good ice cream to be had. Maybe there's something to Martha's Vineyard... 

But then a shocking murder--or was it a drowning? A shark attack?--rocks the community to its core. 

Kaylani is determined to solve the mystery but in order to do so, she will come face-to-face with sinister truths and shocking secrets that promise to forever change her life as she knows it.

MY THOUGHTS: I've enjoyed everything I've read by Tiffany D. Jackson so when I saw she was venturing into MG, AND saw the word "shark," I knew I wanted to give this one a go.  I'm really glad I did but will say do not expect many sharks to pop up on this reading journey.

Kaylani's father has been recently incarcerated for a white-collar crime she knows he didn't commit.  Family friends have offered to have Kaylani visit Martha's Vineyard for a few weeks while their grandchildren are visiting as they all used to be friends.  However, London, who is Kaylani's age, has clearly adopted the Vineyard lifestyle and attitude and doesn't want to entertain her old friend for the summer.  Soon after Kaylani's arrival, there is a mysterious death on the island. Chad used to date London's sister Cassie last summer.  Initially they believe Chad was a victim of a shark attack but soon everyone learns that isn't the case.  Kaylani and Chad's brother start investigating, but will they regret their actions and will one of them be the next victim?

I'm clearly not the target audience for this MG book but I have to admit, that didn't keep me from enjoying this thriller and experiencing a few "aha" moments while reading it.  I loved Kaylani and how committed she is to prove her dad's innocence and even though London was an extremely annoying character, managed to show some character-growth as the novel progressed.  For a MG book, the ending was kind of shocking, and my only real complaint is there wasn't enough sharks.  However, sharks are referenced quite a bit and there are several mentions of the movie Jaws being filmed there so it was fitting for release this July.  

If you enjoy MG thrillers or the author in general, I don't think you will go wrong by giving Blood in the Water a try. It's an extremely quick read and one I found quite enjoyable for my summer vacation.

MY RATING: 4 PAWS

Summer of Horror - Music Edition

 

I am participating in an informal event created by my friend Tammy over at Books, Bones & Buffy and she is doing a book cover love feature.  This week I am looking at music and horror and let's just say, I've read a couple, but I've uncovered a whole new TBR to tumble down on me in the near future! 

I was really looking forward to reading D7 until I read Tammy's review.  However, I preordered it and it's a novella so I will give it a go soon.  

It's amazing how well these covers coordinate.  I could easily have thrown Lucifer Sam in anywhere here as well and stayed on theme.

I read Heart-Shaped Box YEARS ago and really want to do a reread soon to see if I love it as much as I remember.  I'm not a big rereader though and am always distracted by new shiny books!

Do you have any favorite horror books featuring music?  If so, share in the comments so my TBR can grow even bigger!

2 Bloggers 1 Series - Cursed at Dawn (Blackbird Trilogy

 

This month Stormi and I finally up the Blackbird Trilogy although I think there are now three more so who knows what the official title is anymore.  This one was probably my least favorite, but I do have a sense of accomplishment knowing that we got the trilogy done.  So read on for my thoughts and then hop over to Storm Reads for Stormi's.

 

TITLE: Cursed at Dawn (Blackbird Trilogy #3)

AUTHOR: Heather Graham

PUBLISHER: MIRA

PUBLISHING DATE: August 22, 2023

PAGES: 352   

SOURCE: Library

FROM GOODREADS: Dracula lives—and he’s hunting for his bride. 

Vampires may not walk among us, but FBI agents Della Hamilton and Mason Carter know real monsters exist. They’ve witnessed firsthand the worst humankind has to offer. They’re still catching their breaths after the apprehension of two such monstrous killers when they’re met with horrific news. Stephan Dante, the self-proclaimed king of the vampires, has escaped from prison, followed only by a trail of blood. 

All too familiar with Dante’s cruelty, Della and Mason know the clock is ticking. But as Dante claims more victims, a chilling message arrives. The vampire killer seeks his eternal bride—Della herself. Playing into Dante’s desires might be the only way to stop the carnage once and for all, assuming they can outwit him. Della is confident the agents have the upper hand, but Mason knows every gamble runs the risk of not paying off, and this time, the consequences could be deadly.

MY THOUGHTS: As I mentioned, this was my least favorite of the trilogy and while I found it interesting enough, I also had a few issues with it.

When the book opens, Stephan Dante is escaping from prison and leaving plenty of carnage in his rearview mirror.  Della and Mason, part of the elite group of FBI known as Blackbird, as well as the rest of the group, end up following him to Scotland, where Dante is once again convincing people he can give them everlasting life.  This time around though Dante has a bigger vendetta.  He wants both Della and Mason dead and will not stop until his plans are finalized.  

This book felt too much like a history book for my liking.  While Graham is known for working historical elements into her books, this one had page after page of tales behind almost everything Della and Mason encountered.  At a certain point, it became too much for me, and I found myself skimming at times.  Also, I found the pacing to be a bit off.  It took forever for the book to pick up speed and when it finally did, it was quickly over.  Finally, as much as I like Della as a character, she makes some really stupid decisions, in part because she is over-confident that she knows Dante better than anyone else.

I really am glad to have this trilogy behind me and because I am a bit of a completist when it comes to series, I will probably continue at some point if Stormi wants to.  However, I am really in no hurry at the moment and wish I had enjoyed this installment better.

MY RATING: 3 PAWS