Can’t-Wait Wednesday: The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt

It’s been a bit since I’ve participated in a Can’t-Wait Wednesday, but there honestly aren’t a ton of books coming out these last few weeks that I’m interested in. Part of it’s ’cause December is kinda weird about book release schedules because of the holidays, but also… There’s just not a lot I’m interested in. Anyway, back on topic…

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings (and was previously hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where it was known as Waiting on Wednesday) to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. They’re usually books that have not yet been released.

This week’s book is:

The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt by Chelsea Iverson!! 💐🪴

(So, like, this actually came out yesterday, but I was busy this week and most of the new book releases of December are coming out sometime this week, so please let me have this.)

The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt by Chelsea Iverson

LENGTH: 320 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Historical, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks

RELEASE DATE: 3 December 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

True magic is found among the bluebells and brambles.

Harriet Hunt is completely alone. Her father disappeared months ago, leaving her to wander the halls of Sunnyside house, dwelling on a past she’d rather keep buried. She doesn’t often venture beyond her front gate, instead relishing the feel of dirt under her fingernails and of soft moss beneath her feet. Consequently, she’s been deemed a little too peculiar for popular Victorian society. This solitary life suits her fine, though – because, outside, magic awaits.

Harriet’s garden is special. It’s a wild place full of twisting ivy, vibrant plums, and a quiet power that buzzes like bees. Caring for this place, and keeping it from running rampant through the streets of her London suburb, is Harriet’s purpose.

But a woman alone in the world is vulnerable. Soon, a sinister plot involving her father’s disappearance begins to take shape, with Harriet herself at its center. Everything she holds dear – from the thorny roses she tends to her very freedom itself – is at stake. To save herself, Harriet will have to unearth her past, discover the secrets of her garden, and finally embrace the wild magic inside of her.

Are you looking forward to the release of The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt? What other books are coming out in the next few weeks that you’re looking forward to?

As always, thank you all so much for reading and have a great day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Books I’m Thankful For: Warrior Cats

Ugh. Thanksgiving kicked my butt once again. What am I even doing with these posts being at least a day late?! It is what it is, I guess. Sorry about how lackluster the blog has been in general this past week, as well. Thanksgiving, why are you so busy?!

Anyway. It’s time for that certain annual post of mine – Books I’m Thankful For. It’s something I started the first year I started this blog (about the first month in, even), and I think that the name is pretty self explanatory. It’s just me talking about a book or series that I’m really appreciative of or felt was something life changing for me to read.

My post from 2022, the year I started this, was all about Mary Pope Osborne’s Magic Treehouse series. And in my post from last year, I focused on Obert Skye’s Leven Thumps series. This year, the book (or series) I’m gonna gush about is… 🥁🥁 The Warrior Cats books by Erin Hunter (who’s actually five people – or more is it more now?? – under a pseudonym but whatever)!!

Full Disclosure: I’m very aware that Warrior Cats does not really hold up as an adult. These books have got all kinds of issues and weirdness: reused plots, ridiculous written romance (it’s always forbidden love), and Omen of the Stars gets really weird at times. But if you were there in its hay day in the late ’00s you’d get it. There’s just something about these cat books that kept you coming back for more.

So, first off, we have to start with the honest truth. What originally attracted me to these books was the fact that beautiful and colorful cats were the main focus of these series and I wanted a cat very badly growing up but wasn’t allowed to have one. That’s it, that’s what primarily caught my eye about Warrior Cats. It let me live out my fantasy in an extremely overly fantastical way of experiencing cats. And that’s what I liked most about it. Maybe.

Another thing that I really enjoyed about these novels was how. Freaking. Many. There were. When I first got into these books the first two series – The Prophecies Begin and The New Prophecy – were already out completely and even in paperback. The first super edition, Firestar’s Quest, had also been released (and was in paperback as well). Warrior Cats was currently on its third saga, The Power of Three. The first three books of this series had come out (though not all in paperback yet) and the fourth book was poised to come out any time. So yeah, I had a lot of books to occupy my time.

And boy did I spend a lot of time with these books. I’d read them, then I’d reread them, and then I’d reread my favorite parts of them. I even acquired one of the official guide books, Cats of the Clans, and read and reread that. And admired all of the pretty cat artwork, of course. Not to mention, I spent a substantial amount of time on the (unofficial) wiki once I discovered it and these books got me into drawing as well. (They made me want to learn how to draw cats, okay?) And don’t get me started on the fanfiction. This was one of the first book series I read fanfiction for, and was the second thing ever I considered writing fanfiction for. I also owned all of the books and super editions that were out at the time and came out while I was following all of the series.

So yeah, basically, I was obsessed with the Warrior Cats books. For a good two years or so, at least. Then I kind of started losing interest sometime in Omen of the Stars (I told you, it gets weird), and dropped off. Also, I was beginning to suspect a certain cat I Ioved was gonna die and I wasn’t ready to read that. (I ended up being right, btw.) But I never forgot these novels and how they took over my life for a while. And how they filled the void inside myself that desperately wanted to have a cat.

About five years ago, a few Warrior Cats videos started popping up on my YouTube feed and I got back into it a little. I sort of caught up to where the books were currently at (only like how many series there were at the time and the vaguest notions of their plots), and even bought a couple books. Specifically, one of the other super editions, and the second half of Omen of the Stars. Because I’d never finished it, and I kind of wanted to.

I still want to. Because I never did end up reading them and it’s always been something I’ve regretted a little. Like, I’m definitely gonna stop after Omen of the Stars (I’m really not interested in the stuff that comes after), but it feels a little weird leaving it unfinished, you know? I mean, these books were my life (to some degree) for two years. That’s not insignificant. But who knows. Maybe I’ll read them, maybe I won’t.

I didn’t really get into it, but I did like a lot that the novels had to offer, despite the lower points and some of the odd decisions made. I really liked the characters (for the most part), and even adored some of them. Also, I loved the setting and aesthetic of the groups of cats living in the forest, and then later around a lake (but still actually in the woods – just with a body of water in the middle this time). And I really enjoyed the magical aspect of these books too; it added a mystical fantasy aspect to the novels that wouldn’t feel the same without it. (Well more fantastical than cats that fight over territory and have human-like interactions with one another already are.) Someday, I might even do a massive review of all the books I’ve read from this gigantic series. Who knows.

Anyway, even with all the weirdness, the Warrior Cats series was really impactful for me, and I’m really thankful for it for various reasons. I’ll never, ever regret the time I spent with all of these books. And I recommend giving them a shot to any middle grade readers who are interested, but in the same way that I recommended One Piece to people. Because they’re both so ridiculously long at this point. (With Warrior Cats you can stop off much easier, though. You can just read the individual series within the bigger series if you want to. It’s mostly a bunch of books that are simply set in the same universe at this point. You just gotta read them in order.)

So yeah, it’s a bit late (again), but Happy Thanksgiving 🦃🥧 to everyone and anyone who celebrates it! I hope you all enjoyed good food with the ones you love.

What books are you thankful for? What are your favorite novels?

Thank you for reading. I’m always so thankful that anyone reads or follows my little blog at all. I hope you have a wonderful day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Weekly Wrap-Up: 11/18 – 11/24

So with this post, I’ve officially been doing Weekly Wrap-Ups for four weeks now, which is a month of Mondays worth of posting! Yay! I feel like I’m really on track now.

Regarding my reading and posting from last week however… Yeah, it could’ve been better. I really only got through one book, unfortunately, and I posted a little less than I’d have liked as well. Oh well, let’s see what I can do this coming week. Honestly, seeing as this week is gonna be busier ’cause of the holiday, I’ll be happy if I can match my posting from this past week.

Anyway, without further ado, let’s get on with the wrap-up!

Wednesday 11/20: Birthstone Book Covers

Last Wednesday, I participated in my favorite monthly post, Birthstone Book Covers. Birthstone Book Covers is a fun little post created and hosted by Leslie @ Books Are the New Black.

Each month, for the post, you feature book covers that are either the same color of the month’s birthstone or include the color in the title. This month was November, and its birthstones are topaz and citrine. The colors are yellow and gold.

Birthstone Book Covers: November 2024

Friday 11/22: First Line Fridays

On Friday, I participated in the weekly post, First Line Fridays. Two weeks in a row! Oh yeah! First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words. It’s a fun little post that focuses on guessing books based on their first lines.

First Line Friday: 11/22

Sunday 11/24: Snow Drowned Review

Yesterday, I posted my review of Snow Drowned by Jennifer D. Lyle. It’s a pretty recently released horror-fantasy novel. I ultimately gave this book ★★★✯☆.

Snow Drowned Review

Books I Read Last Week

💖🎁 Wrapping It All Up 💖🎁

So yeah, I wasn’t super happy with the amount of posts I did last week. I would’ve liked to have done at least one more. I also kind of wish I’d at the very least started reading another book, but whatever I guess. It is what it is.

Because of Thanksgiving, I’m not sure how much blogging I’ll be able to do. I always get a little busier during weeks with holidays, and this sometimes affects the amount of blog posts I put out. I’m still hoping to do three or four additional posts this week besides this one though. Two that I’m definitely gonna do include: a book review, and my annual Books I’m Thankful For post that I do around Thanksgiving.

Regarding the things I did last week beyond blogging and reading books, there once again wasn’t a lot that I did. My schedule was completely messed up though, my time was managed terribly as a result, and I definitely didn’t get enough sleep as well. (I’m actually pretty sure that this might have affected my reading and posting last week. Whoops.) I’ve already rectified all this though, so hopefully this week will be a lot better.

This week, of course, is the week of Thanksgiving, as well as the start of the Holiday Season, so I’ll naturally be doing a lot with that. I’m also gonna be doing more cleaning.

Anyway, as always, thank you to everyone for reading, and I hope you all have a fantastic day/night!

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday: 11/22

Happy Friday everybody! Three weeks in a row!

First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words, but I saw it over at One Book More.

What if instead of judging a book by the cover, author or most everything else, we judged it by its content? Its first lines?

If you want to join in, all you gotta do is:

📚 Take a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open it to the first page
📝 Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
📙 Finally… reveal the book!

Here are the first lines:

Logen plunged through the trees, bare feet slipping and sliding on the wet earth, the slush, the wet pine needles, breath rasping in his chest, blood thumping in his head. He stumbled and sprawled onto his side, nearly cut his chest open with his own axe, lay there panting, peering through the shadowy forest.

Any ideas on the book yet? If not, here comes another hint or two.

Still don’t know? Hmm. Look at these awesome pictures of books while you think on it a bit more…

Annnd the book is… 🥁🥁 The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie!!

(Did you guess it?)

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

SERIES: The First Law Trilogy #1

LENGTH: 542 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Orbit

RELEASE DATE: 4 May 2006

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The first novel in the First Law Trilogy and debut fantasy novel from New York Times bestseller, Joe Abercrombie.

Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, he’s on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian — leaving nothing behind him but bad songs, dead friends, and a lot of happy enemies.

Nobleman, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, Captain Jezal dan Luthar has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules.

Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, would like nothing better than to see Jezal come home in a box. But then Glokta hates everyone: cutting treason out of the Union one confession at a time leaves little room for friendship. His latest trail of corpses may lead him right to the rotten heart of government, if he can stay alive long enough to follow it.

Enter the wizard, Bayaz. A bald old man with a terrible temper and a pathetic assistant, he could be the First of the Magi, he could be a spectacular fraud, but whatever he is, he’s about to make the lives of Logen, Jezal, and Glokta a whole lot more difficult.

Murderous conspiracies rise to the surface, old scores are ready to be settled, and the line between hero and villain is sharp enough to draw blood.

Unpredictable, compelling, wickedly funny, and packed with unforgettable characters, The Blade Itself is noir fantasy with a real cutting edge.

What books have you been reading lately? What’s on your TBR that you’re currently the most excited about?

As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you have an amazing day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Two Years of Blogging About Books

So. Here we are. It’s been a year, but October 18th has once again come and gone.

Bet you guys were expecting a different post today – perhaps a Friday themed one?! Haha, surprise! It’s my anniversary! (No – really!)

Happy Blogging Birthday to me!! 🎂🎈🎁🎉 (Or anniversary, if you prefer!) I can’t believe it’s already been two years!

Like last year, I want to thank everyone who’s ever liked or commented on my posts here, or followed The Blog That Nobody Knows. Heck, even if you’ve ever just clicked on (or tapped on mobile) one of my posts and didn’t even finish reading it, I’m eternally grateful. It means a lot. Even those of you who aren’t human, lol.

I started this blog for fun two years ago, and I’m hoping to continue that. Sure, I wouldn’t mind making money off of it eventually, but having fun with it is my main priority here. When I created this blog, I did so with the goal of talking about books. And I think I’ve definitely succeeded with that, haha. I hope to spend many more years doing so here!

I guess the only other thing I can think of to say is, here’s to another year of books and book reviews! 🍻🥂

As always, thank you again so much for reading, and I hope you all have an absolutely perfect day/night!

See ya ~Mar

52 Books in 43 Weeks

So, so many books. 📚😍 And not so little time. ⏳😁

I actually can’t believe it – I’ve never, ever, read this amount of books in a year. Within a year, seeing as 2023 isn’t quite over yet.

But somehow, whether it be interest or willpower or something else, I’ve managed to find time to read this many books. I’m so happy!

And seeing as there’s still like 9 weeks left, here’s hoping that I’ll read a bunch more! Maybe not 52 novels… but a sizable amount! 🥂🍻

I know this is a weird post, and that it’s entirely out of the blue, but I’m just so excited. And I’ve been this excited since I noticed the numbers a couple of days ago. Like I may have mentioned: This has never happened for me before.

So yeah, apologies for the short and weird blog post, but I just had to share the news! (And I wanted to do something a little different today/this Friday and I couldn’t really think of anything else, lol.)

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have an awesome day/night! 🌞🌜

See ya ~Mar

One Year of Book Blogging

So, the day has finally come. It’s finally been a year since my first post here on my little reading blog.

Happy 1st Birthday to the blog, I guess! 🎉🎁🎈🎂

It feels like so little time, yet so much time has passed simultaneously. I can’t believe it’s really already been an entire year. So many things have changed since the last October 18th, the least of which being it was on a Tuesday last year. So many things are different… yet so many are still the same.

I’m honestly struggling a bit on what to say here. I just can’t think of much, unfortunately. I don’t know why.

Well actually, there is definitely one thing that I know I want to say.

Thank you so much to everyone who has followed or read my blog posts. Even if it was just one book review – thank you from the bottom of my heart! It means more than you know. I don’t know how many of you are real or robot (or some kind of scam), but seeing any and all notifications always makes my days a tiny bit brighter.

I guess the only other thing I can think of to say is, here’s to another year of books and book reviews! The second of many, hopefully. 🍻🥂

As always, thank you again so much for reading, and I hope you all have an absolutely perfect day/night!

See ya ~Mar

My Favorite Books I Read in 2022

I wanted to end the year on a high note, and there’s no higher note to end on on a book blog than a post glorifying books.

So I’m going to be highlighting my 5 star reads from the past year. Let’s get started!

Note: Despite this being a numbered list, it is not ranked in terms of how much I enjoyed these books. It isn’t ranked at all, actually. It’s just organized in the order that I read them.

A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab: I loved this book sooo much. The magic system. The world building. The setting. It was just. Amazing. One of my favorite books I’ve ever read actually.
Gilded (Gilded #1) by Marissa Meyer: I absolutely loved this book. Just… so, so good. Marissa Meyer is truly the queen of fairytale retellings.
Mickey7 by Edward Ashton: This book got me out of a reading slump near the beginning of the year. Going into this book, I had a feeling that I would enjoy it a fair amount, but I was surprised just how much I enjoyed it.
Summer Knight (Dresden Files #4) by Jim Butcher: I started The Dresden Files very soon after finishing Mickey7 actually, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this series as a whole, as well. (Books 1 – 7 at least – I just... I haven’t gotten to reading the rest of the series yet, okay?!?) I only gave two of the books perfect 5 star ratings, however, and Summer Knight was one of them.
Death Masks (Dresden Files #5) by Jim Butcher: I almost enjoyed this more than Summer Knight if it were possible. Everything was absolutely perfect in this novel: the plot, the characters, the sass. I loved this book. (Note: I haven’t reviewed this series yet on the blog because I’m planning to do a massive review like with The Murderbot Diaries when I finish the entire series.)
The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells: Okay, so I’m cheating a bit here. I didn’t rate all of the novellas in this series perfectly. There were two that I gave 4.5 stars. But, as a whole, this series is definitely a 5 out of 5 for me. And the only reason those two even got that score was because they were just the slightest bit less than perfect. But I still consider this to be a perfect series.
The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding (Prosper Redding #1) by Alexandra Bracken: This was another unexpected surprise. I knew going into it that I would like this book, but once again, I was surprised by just how much. I just… I really loved everything about this one.

Shelf Control #6: The Lies of Locke Lamora

It’s that time of the week again, so it’s time for some more Shelf Control. Shelf Control is an original feature created and hosted by Lisa @ BookshelfFantasies.com.

It’s a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up! For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out this post at BookshelfFantasies.com.

This week I’m talking about – you guessed it! – yet another fantasy novel. This one’s The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.

About The Lies of Locke Lamora

Series: Gentleman Bastards [Book #1]

Length: 752 pages

Genre: Fantasy

Release Date: June 27, 2006

Book Description

An orphan’s life is harsh—and often short—in the mysterious island city of Camorr. But young Locke Lamora dodges death and slavery, becoming a thief under the tutelage of a gifted con artist. As leader of the band of light-fingered brothers known as the Gentleman Bastards, Locke is soon infamous, fooling even the underworld’s most feared ruler. But in the shadows lurks someone still more ambitious and deadly. Faced with a bloody coup that threatens to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the enemy at his own brutal game—or die trying.

Why It Languishes on My Bookshelf

When I Got It: January 2021

Why I Decided to Read It: I’d heard some glowing reviews about it, and I’ve heard that it’s considered to be one of the so-called GOATs of fantasy.

Why I Haven’t Read It Yet: I just got distracted by other life stuff, coupled with being busy. Then I kind of forgot about it for a while and I started reading other things.

Will I Ever Read It?: Yes! I absolutely still really want to read this! I’m hoping to sooner rather than later, as well (like in the next few weeks type of soon, actually, haha).

Books I’m Thankful For: Magic Treehouse

It’s a day late, technically, (unless you’re one of those individuals that does Thanksgiving on Black Friday) but I wanted to start a series where, every year on, or very close to, Thanksgiving, I do a post thanking a book from my past.

So today, I’m gonna talk about the one that started it all: the book that got me into reading. If I’m being perfectly honest, though, it’s actually a series. Anyway, I’m gonna sing the praises of the Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne.

The first four books in the *Magic Treehouse* series, in chronological order from left to right.

About the Magic Treehouse

First Book’s Title: Dinosaurs Before Dark

First Book’s Publication Date: July 28, 1992

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Myth, Children’s Fiction

Length of First Book: 80 pages

Book Description for Dinosaurs Before Dark

Read the #1 bestselling chapter book that started it all! Magic. Mystery. Time-travel. Get whisked back in time in the magic tree house with Jack and Annie!

Where did the tree house come from?

Before Jack and Annie can find out, the mysterious tree house whisks them to the prehistoric past. Now they have to figure out how to get home. Can they do it before dark…or will they become a dinosaur’s dinner?

The Magic Tree House series has been a beloved favorite for over 25 years and is sure to inspire a love of reading—and adventure—in every child who joins Jack and Annie!

Why I’m So Thankful for This Book (Series)

These books are very, very special to me. I hold them extremely close to my heart, despite the fact that I haven’t even spared any of them a passing glance in years. But I’ve never forgotten what this series has done for me as a writer, and most especially, as a reader.

The Magic Treehouse series not only ignited my passion for reading at a young age, but it also defined my favorite genre to read. Fantasy. I’m pretty sure these novels are considered “gateway” novels, as in, they are stories that get people into reading, and I completely agree.

I’m gonna tell you a little secret. Before I read Magic Treehouse, I actually hated reading. In like first grade, when my teacher made us do those reading exercises during free time after a test or something, or if we just had time allotted to it during that particular day, I would cheat. I would pretend to read the little booklets and then pretend to answer the questions that came with it (they were never collected or graded by the teacher). I would also frequently avoid reading most books if I could help it. They just weren’t engaging to me for some reason.

But then, everything changed when one day, on a whim, I picked up the first installment of the Magic Treehouse books, Dinosaurs Before Dark. And I’m not exaggerating at all when I say this book, and beyond it, this entire series, changed my life entirely. Mary Pope Osborne’s (very child friendly) prose enraptured my mind completely.

I was stunned. Before this, I had thought reading to be a chore; I didn’t find it fun in any sense of the word. But Magic Treehouse taught me that reading could be fun. It gave me hope that perhaps other books could invoke the same excitement and interest as this one. Books were no longer boring to me. Now, they were my favorite activity. I was soon reading every chance I had. And eventually, inspired by my newfound, lifelong love for books, I acquired the strong desire to craft things with my own words. And I owe all of this to this series.

So thank you, Mary Pope Osborne, for creating such fantastic stories. For encouraging me, and thousands of other young readers, to give reading a shot. For showing us how absolutely wonderful reading could be. Thank you, so very much. I would not be the person that I am today without your stories. And I hope they remain as accessible as they were for me, for a very long time. So that new generations of young children, who are uninterested in reading, to pick up a book and dive into an adventure.