November 2017 Wrap-up

November's TBR Pile (14/20):

1. MVPA Book Club Selection: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman ✓
2. MVPA Book Club Selection: Bonk by Mary Roach
3. Series Pick: In a Witch's Wardrobe by Juliet Blackwell (not pictured, library hold) ✓
4. Nonfiction Pick: 1776 by David McCullough
5. Read Your Book Shelf Pick: Star of the Sea by Joseph O' Connor
6. Classics Pick: The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton ✓
7. Currently Reading: Hexes and Hemlines by Juliet Blackwell ✓
8. Currently Reading: The Devil in the Shape of a Woman by Carol Karlsen ✓
9. Scary Pick: Omega Days by John Campbell ✓
10. Library random pick: Bad Girls Throughout History by Ann Shen ✓
11. Extra: Tarnished and Torn by Juliet Blackwell (not pictured, library hold) ✓
12. Extra: A Vision in Velvet by Juliet Blackwell
13. Extra: Spellcasting in Silk by Juliet Blackwell
14. Extra: A Toxic Trousseau by Juliet Blackwell
15. Added: A Bridge Across the Ocean by Susan Meissner ✓
16. Added: The Coldest City by Antony Johnston ✓
17. Added: How to Talk to Girls at Parties by Neil Gaiman ✓
18. Added: Saga Vol. 7 ✓
19. Added: East of West Vol. 7 ✓
20. Added: The Demon Lover by Juliet Dark ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 3643 pages
Pages Remaining: 702,643 pages

Current Read - Bonk by Mary Roach; A Vision in Velvet by Juliet Blackwell

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books bought/received (0)

December's TBR Pile:

1. MVPA Book Club Selection: The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman (January meeting)
2. Series Pick: The Water Witch by Juliet Dark
3. Nonfiction Pick: Goldilocks and the Water Bears by Louisa Preston
4. Read Your Book Shelf Pick: Star of the Sea by Joseph O'Connor
5. Classics Pick: ???
6. Carryover: Bonk by Mary Roach
7. Currently Reading: A Vision in Velvet by Juliet Blackwell
8. Carryover/Must Finish Read: Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
9. Cozy Mystery: Spellcasting in Silk by Juliet Blackwell
10. Paranormal Fiction: The Stone Angel by Juliet Dark

Movies watched

• Get Hard -- Somewhat entertaining. 
• Sky High -- J was surprised I had never seen this one. It was way better than I thought it would be based off the description. 
• Hotel Transylvania -- Arthur's pick. Decent animated movie.
• Hotel Transylvania 2 -- And then Arthur had to watch the sequel.
• The Hitman's Bodyguard -- J's pick and a highly entertaining one at that. Loved it! We laughed so hard.
• Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets -- I wanted some fun Luc Besson and this delivered. Plot holes, but it was entertaining.
• The House -- Definitely had entertaining parts. Love Raffi!
• Lost in La Mancha -- Wow! That film production was a train wreck!
• Hearts of Darkness -- Documentary kick last week... Pretty interesting
• Man of Steel -- J finally convinced me to watch this one (after an entire bottle of wine) and it was just as bad as I thought it was going to be. Ugh!
• Batman v Superman -- This movie was so boring! And 3 hours long! I'm amazed I made it through. Really the only parts I cared about where scenes featuring Alfred and Wonder Woman. Otherwise, didn't care. 
• Suicide Squad -- This one was just confusing. What was the tone? Did any character grow? What changed in the DC Universe after this movie? 

TV Shows watched

• Stranger Things S2 -- Holy cow! Still adore this show even though I felt like this season was a lot of set-up for season 3 instead of a contained storyline.
• Star Trek: Discovery -- Still sticking with this one even with the issues. We finished the first half of S1, but there were problems.
• Zapped -- Our current random British comedy. It has it's moments. 
• Stan vs. Evil S1 -- Oh my! This was way too funny!

Comments - November turned out to be a great reading month. I thought I was going to hit a slump after October's craziness, but I surprised myself. I read a ton of books and knocked out a few reading challenge slots. On the TV and movie front, we watched a fair amount. We even forced ourselves to watch the start of the DC Universe movies even though they were painful. We'll see what happens for December... 

Next up on the TBR pile:

Christmas Bucket List

1. Go see Santa!
2. Got to Fantasy of Lights at Franke Park
3. Watch Christmas Movies
   1. Elf
   2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
   3. Charlie Brown Christmas
   4. The Polar Express
   5. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
   6. Christmas Vacation
   7. Love Actually
   8. A Christmas Story
   9. Holiday Inn
   10. White Christmas
4. Make Christmas Cookies
5. Ride the Christmas train (New Haven)
6. Visit Oakland Zoo lights
7. Go ice skating
8. Make Christmas cocktails
9. Send Christmas cards
10. Make peppermint bark
11. Load computer/phone with Christmas music
12. Make a Christmas craft
13. Check out and read 25 Christmas books
14. Make Christmas ornaments
15. Make paper snowflakes
16. Write a letter to Santa
17. Decorate a gingerbread house
18. Host/attend Christmas cookie exchange
19. Read a Christmas-themed book (or two)
20. Participate in Secret Santa
21. Find a new Christmas album
22. Make Hot Chocolate
23. Drive around to see the Christmas lights
24. Make Christmas albums
25. Make a snowglobe
26. Have a Christmas dance party
27. Call Santa
28. Have a candy cane hunt

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Demon Lover by Juliet Dark

Title: The Demon Lover (Fairwick Trilogy #1)

Author: Juliet Dark

Publisher: Ballantine 2011

Genre: Paranormal Fiction

Pages: 416

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Popsugar - Based on Mythology; New to Me

Since accepting a teaching position at remote Fairwick College in upstate New York, Callie McFay has experienced the same disturbingly sensual dream every night: A mist enters her bedroom, then takes the shape of a virile, seductive stranger who proceeds to ravish her in the most toe-curling, wholly satisfying ways possible. Perhaps these dreams are the result of her having written the bestselling book The Sex Lives of Demon Lovers. Callie’s lifelong passion is the intersection of lurid fairy tales and Gothic literature—which is why she’s found herself at Fairwick’s renowned folklore department, living in a once-stately Victorian house that, at first sight, seemed to call her name.
 
But Callie soon realizes that her dreams are alarmingly real. She has a demon lover—an incubus—and he will seduce her, pleasure her, and eventually suck the very life from her. Then Callie makes another startling discovery: Her incubus is not the only mythical creature in Fairwick. As the tenured witches of the college and the resident fairies in the surrounding woods prepare to cast out the demon, Callie must accomplish something infinitely more difficult—banishing this supernatural lover from her heart.

Random read off my shelf. Don't know why I haven't read it before as I really really enjoyed this volume. I fell right into this collection of odd characters and beings. I immediately connected with Callie and her search for self. I loved the fact that Honeysuckle House became a character in its own right. I loved the slow unraveling of the world into a full-fledged reality. I especially loved the short but fascinating scenes featuring Adelaide. I can't wait to read the next book in the series. 

Fairwick Trilogy:

• #1 The Demon Lover
• #2 The Water Witch
• #3 The Angel Stone

Next up on the TBR pile:

Top Ten Tuesday: Winter TBR Pile

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. 

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join.  If you can’t come up with ten, don’t worry about it—post as many as you can!

Let's see how I did with my Fall TBR pile: 4 out of 10 is not very good... 

1. An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin
2. Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine ✓
3. Hidden Figures by Margot Shetterly ✓
4. The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
5. Logan's Run by William F. Nolan
6. The Mummy by Anne Rice ✓
7. Star of the Sea by Joseph O'Connor
8. A Summer to Remember by Mary Balogh  
9. The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton ✓
10. Voyager by Diana Gabaldon

Winter TBR:

1. Voyager by Diana Gabaldon -- I must finish this before the new year.
2. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman -- Our book club selection for January. Excited to read this one.
3. Nefertiti by Michelle Moran -- Been on my shelf for way too long. 
4. No Time Like the Past by Jodi Taylor -- Really want to continue this series...
5. Tales from the 1001 Nights by Richard Burton -- Another classic I haven't read before.
6. A Summer to Remember by Mary Balogh -- Another series I want to continue reading.
7. Birthmarked by Caragh O’Brien -- Random pick off my shelves
8. A History of the Wife by Marilyn Yalom -- A nonfiction pick that's been gathering dust on the shelf.
9. NOS4A2 by Joe Hill -- Random Kindle read
10. Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery -- A classic I haven't read in years and years. Would like to do a reread.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Tarnished and Torn by Juliet Blackwell

Title: Tarnished and Torn (Witchcraft Mystery #5)

Author: Juliet Blackwell

Publisher: Berkley 2013

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Audiobook

When Lily arrives at an antique jewelry fair, her bargain sensors go off left and right—but she also picks up a faint vibration of magic. Could the hard-bargaining merchant Griselda be a fellow practitioner? It certainly seems that way when a sudden fire sends panic through the crowd, and Lily discovers Griselda murdered in a way that nods to an old-fashioned witch hunt…
 
A crime that hits close to home turns into an unwelcome flash from the past when the police bring in their lead suspect—Lily’s estranged father. Though he may not deserve her help, Lily is determined to clear her father’s name and solve a murder that’s anything but crystal clear. 

Grabbed this one in audiobook form as I thought it would be easy to listen while driving everywhere and I needed an audiobook for the Popsugar challenge. Unfortunately the audio version wasn't super enjoyable to me. Overall, I really enjoy these books. They are fun little supernatural mysteries that can speed through in between heavier books. While reading then, I often skim through the sections where Lily talks about her background (stuff I've already learned by reading the previous books in the series). With the audio version, I had to listen to all those passages (can't fast forward while driving) and there are many of those passages. It really got annoying after awhile. However, I really did enjoy the characters and the storyline in this one. The opening at the gem fair was especially fun. Definitely a good read. I'll just stick to the print versions for the rest of the series.

Witchcraft Mystery

• #1 Secondhand Spirits
• #2 A Cast Off Coven
• #3 Hexes and Hemlines
• #4 In a Witch's Wardrobe
• #5 Tarnished and Torn
• #6 A Vision in Velvet
• #6.5 A Haunting is Brewing
• #7 Spellcasting in Silk
• #8 A Toxic Trousseau
• #9 A Magical Match

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday -- Camila Cabello feat. Young Thug "Havana"

This song has been on repeat on Apple's Latin Pop channel and I find myself dancing along to it every time it's played.

Quentin: 13-14 Months

Modeling his new towel

Loves his new animals

Silly boy

Likes: Animals of every kind, cars, playing with Arthur, snuggles and tickles, playing catch and chase

"Reading" his new book

Selfie at a fun party

Someone's tired

Finally loving the play place

Dislikes: Getting his hair washed, nap time, being kept out of the bathroom

Lounging

Birthday party time!

First time on the carousel

Wearing all the beads

Sleeping: Finally on a decent sleeping schedule. He goes to bed at around 8pm and wakes up at around 7am. Every once in a while he wakes before midnight, but goes back down easily. And he's been napping almost daily. Goes down around 1pm and wakes up anywhere from 2:30 to 5pm.

Riding the train

Costume party!

New way to "read"

At the park!

Eating: Starting to see some picky eating, but overall still a great eater. He especially loves pretzels and fruit right now.

Posing in the pumpkin patch

Playing at the park

Someone loves sand!

Halloween Night

Playing: So much playing in this house! Quentin loves getting into all the toys and hard playing with Arthur. His favorites right now are the musical instruments and cars. 

Someone lost a sock...

Exploring at CDM

Such pretty lights

Someone's a little tired

Milestones: About a month ago, he started walking. Right on time if comparing him to Arthur. He also mastered the level door handles this week. Not great news for me, but yeah for his development. He also learned how to clap right around his birthday and has started pointing at things he wants. 

Snack time

Shopping day!

Loves the swings

Such a handsome boy!

Out and About: So many outings! I'm so glad that Quentin is a great traveler as we go anywhere and everywhere. His favorite places right now are the library and the park (specifically Seven Seas). He has also enjoyed going to CDM for the first time.

Exploring the play place

Stealing Arthur's water

Playground time!

Loves carrying around his chair. Weird, I know.

Next up on the TBR Pile:

The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton

Title: The Custom of the Country

Author: Edith Wharton

Publisher: 1913

Genre: Classics

Pages: 224

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Classics - Romance; Popsugar - Takes Place Over a Character's Lifetime

Undine Spragg is an exquisitely beautiful but ferociously acquisitive young woman from the Midwest who comes to New York to seek her fortune. She achieves her social ambitions—but only at the highest cost to her family, her admirers, and her several husbands. Wharton lavished on Undine an imaginative energy that suggests she was as fascinated as she was appalled by the alluring monster she had created. It is the complexity of her attitude that makes The Custom of the Country—with its rich social and emotional detail and its headlong narrative power—one of the most fully realized and resonant of her works.

I must say that I was a bit disappointed in this one. I really enjoyed Wharton's The Age of Innocence, but this one felt flat in comparison. Undine is one of the most unlikable characters in literature. No one is rooting for this spoiled brat of a teen in the beginning and no one is rooting for her at the end. I could see Wharton's social commentary, but I just couldn't really get into the characters and storyline to really care. 

Next up on the TBR pile:

East of West Volume 7

Title: East of West Volume 7

Author: Jonathan Hickman, Nick Dragotta

Publisher: Image 2017

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 128

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

The final year of the apocalypse begins! Armies rage! Nations at War! A family fights to be reunited. Collects EAST OF WEST #30-34.

I got the next volume of one of my favorite comic series. Things are really coming to a head in this series. I'm guessing that there will be 10 volumes of the comics and things are getting super intense. Loving where this volume took us. So incredibly crazy!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Saga Volume 7

Title: Saga Volume 7

Author: Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples

Publisher: Image 2017

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 152

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

From the worldwide bestselling team of FIONA STAPLES and BRIAN K. VAUGHAN, “The War for Phang” is an epic, self-contained SAGA event! Finally reunited with her ever-expanding family, Hazel travels to a war-torn comet that Wreath and Landfall have been battling over for ages. New friendships are forged and others are lost forever in this action-packed volume about families, combat and the refugee experience. 

What can I say? I love this comic series so much. Every volume, we are treated to more adventures, more characters, and more crazy. Love it so much! It was nice to focus most of the story on the reunited core family adding in their fellow travelers. I can't wait to see where this story goes next. 

Next up on the TBR pile:

How to Talk to Girls at Parties by Neil Gaiman

Title: How to Talk to Girls at Parties

Author: Neil Gaiman, Gabriel Ba, Fabio Moon

Publisher: Dark Horse 2016

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 64

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

Two teenage boys are in for a tremendous shock when they crash a party where the girls are far more than they appear!
From Neil Gaiman—one of the most celebrated authors of our time—and award-winning artists Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá, this sumptuous graphic novel is not to be missed!

Love Gaiman's super weird stories and this one is just fabulous. As with most of his works, this story start out very normal and of-our-world, but then little things start to catch you attention. Suddenly things are not quite normal. And that's where the fun really starts. This one is so much fun and the art just reinforces all great weirdness. Loved it!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Happy Turkey Day!

We're spending the day with friends eating some good food...

The Devil in the Shape of a Woman by Carol Karlsen

Title: The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial New England

Author: Carol Karlsen

Publisher: Norton and Company 1987

Genre: Nonfiction U.S. History

Pages: 370

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual (NonAd); Mount TBR

Confessing to "familiarity with the devils," Mary Johnson, a servant, was executed by Connecticut officials in 1648. A wealthy Boston widow, Ann Hibbens was hanged in 1656 for casting spells on her neighbors. The case of Ann Cole, who was "taken with very strange Fits," fueled an outbreak of witchcraft accusations in Hartford a generation before the notorious events at Salem.

More than three hundred years later, the question "Why?" still haunts us. Why were these and other women likely witches―vulnerable to accusations of witchcraft and possession? Carol F. Karlsen reveals the social construction of witchcraft in seventeenth-century New England and illuminates the larger contours of gender relations in that society.

I'm always up for a good history book. And this one doesn't disappoint. I was fully into Karlsen's examinations of the events that led to and resulted from the Salem Witch Trails. More than merely a recounting, Karlsen dives into the motivations of the colonists in New England and focuses on gender dynamics of the time. This volume is very dense, but a great examination of the time. Diehard history fans will love this volume.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Coldest City by Antony Johnston

Title: The Coldest City

Author: Antony Johnston

Publisher: Oni Press 2012

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 176

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel; New to Me

November 1989. Communism is collapsing, and soon the Berlin Wall will come down with it. But before that happens there is one last bit of cloak & dagger to attend to. Two weeks ago, an undercover MI6 officer was killed in Berlin. He was carrying information from a source in the East - a list that allegedly contains the name of every espionage agent working in Berlin, on all sides. No list was found on his body. Now Lorraine Broughton, an experienced spy with no pre-existing ties to Berlin, has been sent into this powderkeg of social unrest, counter-espionage, defections gone bad and secret assassinations to bring back the list and save the lives of the British agents whose identities reside on it.

J and I were intrigued by the trail for Atomic Blonde and picked it up to watch. But before we did, I wanted to read the graphic novel that the movie was based on. This is a slim volume full of black and white stark images. The reader is treated to a great spy thriller full of twists and turns and who-dun-its. We get to see our main character venture into a Berlin ready to be reunited. I loved following the twisty storyline, eager to find out the real story behind the events. Very much an enjoyable read. Now we get to watch the movie!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday -- The Killers "Run for Cover"

Love this song! It reminds me the entire Hot Fuss album.

Bad Girls Throughout History by Ann Shen

Title: Bad Girls Throughout History: 100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World

Author: Ann Shen

Publisher: Chronicle Books 2016

Genre: Biography

Pages: 222

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual (NonAd)

Aphra Behn, first female professional writer. Sojourner Truth, activist and abolitionist. Ada Lovelace, first computer programmer. Marie Curie, first woman to win the Nobel Prize. Joan Jett, godmother of punk. The 100 revolutionary women highlighted in this gorgeously illustrated book were bad in the best sense of the word: they challenged the status quo and changed the rules for all who followed. From pirates to artists, warriors, daredevils, scientists, activists, and spies, the accomplishments of these incredible women vary as much as the eras and places in which they effected change. Featuring bold watercolor portraits and illuminating essays by Ann Shen, Bad Girls Throughout History is a distinctive, worthy tribute.

An awesome collection of short biographies of extraordinary women throughout history. I knew the stories of most of the women featured, but it was still a joy to read about their lives. And I even learned about some women I hadn't known before. On top of the great biographies, the beautiful watercolor portraits are a joy to behold. 

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #33

As I look outside my window: Super dark. This getting dark at 5pm is really wearing on me... 

Right now I am: Catching up with Full Frontal. We were way behind. 

On my bedside table: Star of the Sea by Joseph O'Connor; A Vision in Velvet by Juliet Blackwell

On my tv this week: Full Frontal; Supernatural S3; Zapped; Grand Design S17

Listening to: Apple Radio's Latin Pop Channel -- Arthur and Q love to dance to it!

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Ham and Potato Soup
• Tuesday - Apple Cheddar Chicken
• Wednesday - Tilapia
• Thursday - Thanksgiving!!!
• Friday - Leftovers
• Saturday - Chicken Parmesan
• Sunday - Hawaiian Pulled Pork Nachoes

On my to do list: One big task to focus on this week... finish planning and executing Thanksgiving dinner! We're hosting a few friends on Thursday. Everyone is bringing something, but I still need to figure out what holes we have in the menu, buy groceries, and cook. 

Happening this week:

• Monday - Playdate at a friend's house
• Tuesday - Errand day
• Wednesday - Home day, Thanksgiving prep
• Thursday - Thanksgiving!
• Friday - Home day, virtual happy hour with my awesome OBMs
• Saturday - Christmas card class
• Sunday - ???

What I am creating: I'm putting the finishing touches on our advent calendar, our Thanksgiving place settings, and December stamp club projects. 

My simple pleasures: Being able to breathe. I have a cold right now and my nose is completely stuffed. I miss being able to breathe clearly again.

Looking around the house: Need to list out the areas that need to be cleaned before Thanksgiving. 

From the camera: Hello piggy!

A Bridge Across the Ocean by Susan Meissner

Title: A Bride Across the Ocean

Author: Susan Meissner

Publisher: Berkley 2017

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 363

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Set in a Hotel; New to Me

February, 1946. World War Two is over, but the recovery from the most intimate of its horrors has only just begun for Annaliese Lange, a German ballerina desperate to escape her past, and Simone Deveraux, the wronged daughter of a French Résistance spy.
 
Now the two women are joining hundreds of other European war brides aboard the renowned RMS Queen Mary to cross the Atlantic and be reunited with their American husbands. Their new lives in the United States brightly beckon until their tightly-held secrets are laid bare in their shared stateroom. When the voyage ends at New York Harbor, only one of them will disembark...
 
Present day. Facing a crossroads in her own life, Brette Caslake visits the famously haunted Queen Mary at the request of an old friend. What she finds will set her on a course to solve a seventy-year-old tragedy that will draw her into the heartaches and triumphs of the courageous war brides—and will ultimately lead her to reconsider what she has to sacrifice to achieve her own deepest longings. 

I randomly picked this up at the library after hearing about it on What Should I Read Next?, Anne Bogel's podcast. And I'm so glad I did. The premise sounded intriguing and it's a different kind of WW2 novel than I have read. I immediately fell in love with all of the historical character. Annaliese, Phoebe, and Simone were great. I loved learning more and more about their stories and speculating on where they ended up. I loved the mystery of "she" aboard the Queen Mary. The transitions between time periods and characters were well done. I never felt ripped out of the storylines. I ended up speeding through this one because it was so good. Definitely a fan. Must check out more of Meissner's works.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• J found me a new macbook for a really good price. Excited, but now I have transfer everything over from my old macbook. So much to do...
• I thought I escaped getting the cold everyone else in the house did, but i was wrong. I feel crappy.
• Tea is my best friend right now.
• We've officially lost a library book. Our system allows you to replace the item yourself or pay them to do it. I opted for replacing as the price on Amazon was $5 less than what the library would have charged me. Making a bad situation just a bit better.
• The server has been very very slow for the past two days. Making watching anything difficult with all the pausing.
• I really want to make pot roast for tonight, but that means I need to get off the couch and cut up the veggies and sear the meat. Must get moving...

Next up on the TBR pile:

In a Witch's Wardrobe by Juliet Blackwell

Title: In a Witch's Wardrobe (Witchcraft Mystery #4)

Author: Juliet Blackwell

Publisher: Berkley 2012

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Pages: 337

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR

Taking a night off from running her successful San Francisco clothing store, Lily attends a local art deco ball where vintage fashions steal the show. But when a young woman at the event falls under a mysterious sleeping sickness, Lily senses that a curse was placed on the woman’s corsage. 

Before Lily can solve the woman’s magical ailment, she’s asked to assist in investigating a string of poisonings in the Bay Area witchcraft community. She’s gained the trust of the local covens by supporting women’s charities through her clothing store. But soon, Lily suspects that one of her new acquaintances might not be so well intentioned and could be dabbling in dark magic and deadly botany…

I feel like this series is finally hitting it's stride. I love the storyline revolving around the Art Deco Ball, the Paramount Theater, and other great places around the Bay. I loved meeting some new and interesting characters, especially Calypso. I loved the development of Lily and Sailor's relationship. I loved seeing more from all the great side characters like Bronwyn and Maya. And Oscar is just a treat. I really really love where the series is taking Lily's story. I can't wait to start the next one in the series.

Witchcraft Mystery

• #1 Secondhand Spirits
• #2 A Cast Off Coven
• #3 Hexes and Hemlines
• #4 In a Witch's Wardrobe
• #5 Tarnished and Torn
• #6 A Vision in Velvet
• #6.5 A Haunting is Brewing
• #7 Spellcasting in Silk
• #8 A Toxic Trousseau
• #9 A Magical Match

Next up on the TBR pile: