Notes from the Shelf

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Hello everyone! We’re halfway through the month, which means it’s time for my BOTM predictions!

For those who don’t know, Book of the Month (BOTM) is a monthly subscription service offering brand-new hardback books, often including early releases. You can pick a book each month or skip, with a base price of $15.99 plus taxes. (Mine ends up being $18.39 with Illinois taxes. I pay for my Book of the Month subscription out of pocket and this is not a sponsored post.) You can also add up to two books for $11.99 each. Add-ons can be new releases or past selections, if available.

After a year, you achieve BFF status, which allows up to four add-ons each month, a free tote bag, a free birthday book credit, and the annual Book of the Year for free. Book of the Year is where all users can vote for the top book out of the Book of the Month selections. There are finalists as well as one crowned Book of the Year. If you’ve already received the Book of the Year, you can opt for a finalist instead.

Book of the Month typically offers 5-7 main picks, including thrillers, romance, contemporary fiction and more. Also, they tend to have repeat authors.

If you’re interested in a BOTM subscription, consider trying it out through my referral link: https://www.mybotm.com/ro55ozuuzw. Your first box should be discounted with the link, but be aware that you can’t cancel until your second book has been billed at the full rate. Pricing is dependent on your state taxes and is subject to change, so be sure to read the fine print of their site for your actual box pricing.

Predictions

There are a few books coming out by authors BOTM has featured in the past, so I would like to discuss those options first.

Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibanez is a YA fantasy novel that comes out on November 5. This is the sequel to What the River Knows, which BOTM offered, so I would be surprised if they didn’t offer this one. See the publisher’s blurb below:

Where the Library Hides is Isabel Ibañez’s stunning conclusion to the story that started in What the River Knows. A lush immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, and a rivals-to-lovers romance like no other!

Inez Olivera traveled across the world to Egypt, seeking answers into her parents’ recent and mysterious deaths. But all her searching led her down a perilous road, filled with heartache, betrayal, and a dangerous magic that pulled her deep into the past.

When Tío Ricardo issues an ultimatum about her inheritance, she’s left with only one option to consider.

Marriage to Whitford Hayes.

Former British soldier, her uncle’s aide de camp, and one time nemesis, Whit has his own mysterious reasons for staying in Egypt. With her heart on the line, Inez might have to bind her fate to the one person whose secret plans could ruin her.

The Author’s Guide to Murder by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White is a detective novel coming out November 5. BOTM has had The Summer Wives and The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams and they have also offered The English Wife by Lauren Willig, so perhaps they will have this one, but with there being three authors for this one, maybe they won’t. See the publisher’s blurb below:

Agatha Christie meets Murder, She Wrote in this witty locked room mystery and literary satire by New York Times bestselling team of novelists: Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White.

There’s been a sensational murder at historic Castle Kinloch, a gothic fantasy of grey granite on a remote island in the Highlands of Scotland. Literary superstar Brett Saffron Presley has been found dead—under bizarre circumstances—in the castle tower’s book-lined study. Years ago, Presley purchased the castle as a showpiece for his brand and to lure paying guests with a taste for writerly glamour. Now it seems, the castle has done him in…or, possibly, one of the castle’s guests has. Detective Chief Inspector Euan McIntosh, a local with no love for literary Americans, finds himself with the unenviable task of extracting statements from three American lady novelists. 

The prime suspects are Kat de Noir, a slinky erotica writer; Cassie Pringle, a Southern mom of six juggling multiple cozy mystery series; and Emma Endicott, a New England blue blood and author of critically acclaimed historical fiction. The women claim to be best friends writing a book together, but the authors’ stories about how they know Brett Saffron Presley don’t quite line up, and the detective is getting increasingly suspicious. 

Why did the authors really come to Castle Kinloch? And what really happened the night of the great Kinloch ceilidh, when Brett Saffron Presley skipped the folk dancing for a rendezvous with death? 

A crafty locked-room mystery, a pointed satire about the literary world, and a tale of unexpected friendship and romance—this novel has it all, as only three bestselling authors can tell it! 

Is She Really Going Out With Him? by Sophie Cousens is a romance novel coming out November 19. That may be a little late for November’s options, but BOTM offered This Time Next Year by Cousens, so it’s possible they will have this. If not in November, perhaps in December. See the publisher’s blurb below:

A hilarious love story about a disillusioned divorcée who agrees to let her children play matchmaker.

Columnist Anna Appleby has left her love life behind after a painful divorce. Who needs a man when she has two kids, a cat, and uncontested control of the TV remote? Besides, she’d rather be single than subject herself to the hell of online dating. But her office rival is vying for her column, and no column means no stable source of income. In a desperate attempt to keep her job, Anna finds herself pitching a unique angle: seven dates, all found offline, chosen by her children.

From awkward encounters to unexpected connections, Anna gamely begins to put herself out there, asking out waiters, the mailman, and even her celebrity crush. But when a romantic connection appears where she least expected it, will she be brave enough to take another chance on love?

Next, there are quite a few fantasy novels coming out. The three below I found to be the most promising that BOTM would offer. I don’t think they will offer all three, but maybe one of the three will show up as a main pick or an add-on.

The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson is a YA fantasy novel coming out November 12. This book sounds really interesting and the cover is gorgeous, so if it is an option, I will probably get it! See the publisher’s blurb below:

From New York Times bestselling author Mary E. Pearson comes a thrilling romantic fantasy full of dangerous fae, dark secrets, and addictive romance.

After losing both their parents, Bristol Keats and her sisters struggle to stay afloat in their small, quiet town of Bowskeep. When Bristol begins to receive letters from an “aunt” she’s never heard of who promises she can help, she reluctantly agrees to meet—and discovers that everything she thought she knew about her family is a lie. Even her father might still be alive, not killed but kidnapped by terrifying creatures to a whole other realm—the one he is from.

Desperate to save her father and find the truth, Bristol journeys to a land of gods and fae and monsters. Pulled into a dangerous world of magic and intrigue, she makes a deadly bargain with the fae leader, Tyghan. But what she doesn’t know is that he’s the one who drove her parents to live a life on the run. And he is just as determined as she is to find her father—dead or alive.

We Shall Be Monsters by Alyssa Wees is a fantasy novel coming out November 12. This cover is also gorgeous, and I think I would read it eventually, but I’m less interested in owning a copy than The Courting of Bristol Keats. See the publisher’s blurb below:

A girl marked for death ventures into the wooded realm of the fairies to rescue her mother in this dark, lyrical fantasy about vengeful witches, beastly fathers, and the stories mothers tell to keep their daughters safe—from the author of Nocturne.

Gemma Cassata lives with her mother in an isolated antiques shop in Michigan, near a seductive patch of woods concealing an enchanted gateway to fairyland. Gemma knows she’s not supposed to go into the woods—her mother, Virginia, has warned her multiple times about the monsters that lurk there—and yet she can’t resist.

Virginia understands her daughter’s defiance. She knows the allure of the woods all too well. Her own mother warned her about the monsters, and Virginia also did not listen—until a witch cursed her true love just days before their child’s birth. So Virginia will do whatever she can to protect her daughter—even if it means stealing Gemma’s memories.

But everything changes when Gemma gets too close to the truth, and the witch takes Virginia. Now it is up to Gemma to venture deep into the mysterious woods to rescue her mother and break the curse.

Told in the alternating viewpoints of Gemma and Virginia, this novel is not only a tale of a girl’s fantastical quest through a darkly magical fairyland but also an exploration of the complex bonds between children and their parents.

The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso is a fantasy novel coming out November 12. This sounds like a book I would enjoy immensely, and if it is a BOTM option, I might get it. See the publisher’s blurb below:

In the Deep Echoes, no one can save you.

Star investigator Kembral Thorne has a few hours away from her newborn, and she just wants to relax and enjoy the year-turning party. But when people start dropping dead, she’s got to get to work. Especially when she finds that mysterious forces are plunging the whole party down through layers of reality and into nightmare.

One layer down: It’s no big deal. Stay alert, and you’ll be fine.

Two, three layers down: Natural laws are negotiable, and things get very strange.

Four layers down: There are creatures with eyes in their teeth and walls that drip blood. Most people who fall this far never return.

Luckily, Kem isn’t most people. But as cosmic powers align and the hour grows late, she’ll have to work with her awfully compelling nemesis, notorious cat burglar Rika Nonesuch, for a chance to save her city—though not her night off.

Last, there were four books of various genres that I found to round out my prediction.

Snow Drowned by Jennifer D. Lyle is a YA horror novel coming out November 5. I don’t often read YA horror, but love the horror genre, so I would be interesting in picking this one up. See the publisher’s blurb below:

There’s a saying on Fall Island: the snow will get you.

Gracie Hutchinson has lived here her whole life and knows there’s some truth to those words. Every few years someone dies in a snowstorm, or loses their mind, or disappears without a trace. Sometimes it seems like more than just New England weather. Now, a hundred-year-storm is approaching, and while most of the locals have taken the ferry to the mainland, Gracie must stay behind.

But she’s intrigued to find someone else her age has stayed too—Joseph Wescott, whose mysterious family lives in Wescott Manor, descendants of the legendary first settlers of Fall Island. Together, they stumble across something even more unsettling than the coming storm: the body of a stranger, murdered in a grim ritual. Someone on the island believes the old Fall superstitions have a dark power—and now, they have Gracie in their sights.

As the hours count down to the blizzard’s landfall, it seems the only safe place to go is Westcott Manor. But Gracie wonders if there’s another reason why she’s been brought there, one that has to do with Joseph. She’ll discover secrets that have been kept for generations, a hidden history, and the terrifying truth about Fall Island. Because even when the storm ends, there’s no escape from the horror beneath the snow.

The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri is a historical fiction coming out November 12. I love reading WW2 historical fictions, so will definitely be adding this to my TBR for the year, although I’m not sure I will want it through BOTM if they were to offer it. See the publisher’s blurb below:

Family secrets come to light as a young woman fights to save herself, and others, in a Nazi-run baby factory—a real-life Handmaid’s Tale—during World War II.

In a sleepy German village, Allina Strauss’s life seems idyllic: she works at her uncle’s bookshop, makes strudel with her aunt, and spends weekends with her friends and fiancé. But it’s 1939, Adolf Hitler is Chancellor, and Allina’s family hides a terrifying secret—her birth mother was Jewish, making her a Mischling.

One fateful night after losing everyone she loves, Allina is forced into service as a nurse at a state-run baby factory called Hochland Home. There, she becomes both witness and participant to the horrors of Heinrich Himmler’s ruthless eugenics program.

The Sunflower House is a meticulously-researched debut historical novel from Adriana Allegri that uncovers the notorious Lebensborn Program of Nazi Germany. Women of “pure” blood stayed in Lebensborn homes for the sole purpose of perpetuating the Aryan population, giving birth to thousands of babies who were adopted out to “good” Nazi families. Allina must keep her Jewish identity a secret in order to survive, but when she discovers the neglect occurring within the home, she’s determined not only to save herself, but also the children in her care.

A tale of one woman’s determination to resist and survive, The Sunflower House is also a love story. When Allina meets Karl, a high-ranking SS officer with secrets of his own, the two must decide how much they are willing to share with each other—and how much they can stand to risk as they join forces to save as many children as they can. The threads of this poignant and heartrending novel weave a tale of loss and love, friendship and betrayal, and the secrets we bury in order to save ourselves.

The Days Between by Robin Morris is a contemporary fiction novel coming out November 19. Again, I’m not too sure if that’s too late for November’s BOTM, but they might have it for December instead. See the publisher’s blurb below:

In a South Florida beach town, a chance meeting unravels a web of secrets in this gripping novel about the consequences of lying to protect the ones we love.

Andrew Williams’s perfect Delray Beach house has become a pressure cooker. He and his wife, Amy, are struggling to conceive, and it’s fracturing their marriage. When a chance encounter reunites him with Kathryn Moretti, the former love of his life, Kathryn confesses that Andrew is already a father—of a son he didn’t know existed. Though Kathryn’s deception sends him reeling, their secret meetings quickly rekindle old obsessions.

Behind Kathryn’s manicured facade is a life of constant damage control. She tries desperately to protect her son, Max, from her past mistakes—and his own dangerous impulses. She can’t let anyone get too close, especially a local cop to whom she owes a favor. And her home has become a refuge for Emmy, the troubled daughter of an old friend who has her own reasons to distrust Kathryn. With Andrew back in the picture, Kathryn can no longer contain all her lies.

As their reunion sends ripples through their lives, Andrew and Kathryn must face their destructive past and figure out if it’s worth risking the futures of everyone they love to hold on to what might have been.

All the Truth I Can Stand by Mason Stokes is a YA historical fiction novel with LGBTQ+ themes coming out November 5. I definitely want to read this, but I’m not sure I will own a copy. See the publisher’s blurb below:

A gay teenager in 1990s Wyoming must contend with the violent loss of a loved one in this historical YA novel that draws from the tragic murder of Matthew Shepard in 1998.

Juniper, Wyoming, high school student Ash is still reeling from his mother’s death and ostracization by his friends when his father signs him up to join the crew for a college production of Oklahoma! Ash is slowly drawn out of his shell by student reporter Jenna and the star of the show, Shane, with whom a romance slowly blooms. Shane is talented, sensitive, and magnetic, but also deeply troubled. When Shane is found brutally beaten and unconscious, Jenna and Ash are shattered. And after Shane dies, they watch his death become a rallying point for gay rights advocates, and they wonder what the full story is and if they truly knew Shane at all. 

All The Truth I Can Stand is a heartbreaking exploration of grief and legacy, and details the good and the bad that can come to pass when an imperfect person is made into a symbol.

What books do you think BOTM will have, did you add any of these books mentioned to your TBR, and what books are you excited to read in November?