#paperback #fiction #arc #mystery #2023 #historicalfiction #advancedreadercopy #hardcover 

Paperback (1 to 2 lbs)

Pennsylvania

Set in the City of Light and starring Julia Child's (fictional) best friend, confidant, and fellow American, this magnifique new historical mystery series from the acclaimed author of Murder at Mallowan Hall combines a fresh perspective on the iconic chef's years in post-WWII Paris with a delicious mystery and a unique culinary twist. Perfect for fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Marie Benedict, Nita Prose, and of course, Julia Child alike!

As Paris rediscovers its joie de vivre, Tabitha Knight, recently arrived from Detroit for an extended stay with her French grandfather, is on her own journey of discovery. Paris isn't just the City of Light; it's the city of history, romance, stunning architecture . . . and food. Thanks to her neighbor and friend Julia Child, another ex-pat who's fallen head over heels for Paris, Tabitha is learning how to cook for her Grandpère and Oncle Rafe.

Between tutoring Americans in French, visiting the market, and eagerly sampling the results of Julia's studies at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school, Tabitha's sojourn is proving thoroughly delightful. That is, until the cold December day they return to Julia's building and learn that a body has been found in the cellar. Tabitha recognizes the victim as a woman she'd met only the night before, at a party given by Julia's sister, Dort. The murder weapon found nearby is recognizable too--a knife from Julia's kitchen.

Tabitha is eager to help the investigation, but is shocked when Inspector Merveille reveals that a note, in Tabitha's handwriting, was found in the dead woman's pocket. Is this murder a case of international intrigue, or something far more personal? From the shadows of the Tour Eiffel at midnight, to the tiny third-floor Child kitchen, to the grungy streets of Montmartre, Tabitha navigates through the city hoping to find the real killer before she or one of her friends ends up in prison . . . or worse.

"A first-rate traditional mystery with strong characterization that is certain to appeal to a broad readership, especially fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Rhys Bowen, and Cambridge's own Phyllida Bright series." -First Clue, STARRED REVIEW for Mastering the Art of French Murder

Mastering the Art of French Murder

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Mercy House

#advancedreadercopy #advancereaderedition #arc #paperback 

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

Florida

Eve ARC

Sally Thorne

Connecticut

A Novel

From the USA Today bestselling author of The Hating Game and 99 Percent Mine comes the clever, funny, and unforgettable story of a muscular, tattooed man hired as an assistant to two old women--under the watchful eye of a beautiful retirement home manager. Distraction (n): an extreme agitation of the mind or emotions. Ruthie Midona has worked the front desk at the Providence Luxury Retirement Villa for six years, dedicating her entire adult life to caring for the Villa's residents, maintaining the property (with an assist from DIY YouTube tutorials), and guarding the endangered tortoises that live in the Villa's gardens. Somewhere along the way, she's forgotten that she's young and beautiful, and that there's a world outside of work--until she meets the son of the property developer who just acquired the retirement center. Teddy Prescott has spent the last few years partying, sleeping in late, tattooing himself when bored, and generally not taking life too seriously--something his father, who dreams of grooming Teddy into his successor, can't understand. When Teddy needs a place to crash, his father seizes the chance to get him to grow up. He'll let Teddy stay in one of the on-site cottages at the retirement home, but only if he works to earn his keep. Teddy agrees--he can change a few lightbulbs and clip some hedges, no sweat. But Ruthie has plans for Teddy too. Her two wealthiest and most eccentric residents have just placed an ad (yet another!) seeking a new personal assistant to torment. The women are ninety-year-old, four-foot-tall menaces, and not one of their assistants has lasted a full week. Offering up Teddy seems like a surefire way to get rid of the tall, handsome, unnerving man who won't stop getting under her skin. Ruthie doesn't count on the fact that in Teddy Prescott, the Biddies may have finally met their match. He'll pick up Chanel gowns from the dry cleaner and cut Big Macs into bite-sized bits. He'll do repairs around the property, make the residents laugh, and charm the entire villa. He might even remind Ruthie what it's like to be young and fun again. But when she finds out Teddy's father's only fixing up the retirement home to sell it, putting everything she cares about in jeopardy, she's left wondering if Teddy's magic was all just a façade. Hilarious, warm, and romantic, Sally Thorne's novel delivers an irrepressibly joyous celebration of love and community for fans of 99% Mine and The Hating Game.

Second First Impressions

04dd9380-e746-4218-bfd5-06006ed7058f-1

Marcus Sedgwick

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

Illinois

Four linked stories of obsession and creation through the ages include the tales of a Paleolithic girl whose cave drawings become an earliest writing form and a 1920s asylum doctor whose own sanity is tested by a mad poet. By the award-winning author of Midwinterblood. Simultaneous eBook.

The Ghosts of Heaven

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Kathryn Purdie

Utah

The Forest Grimm

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Katherine Arden

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

California

During the Great War, a combat nurse searches for her brother, believed dead in the trenches despite eerie signs that suggest otherwise, in this hauntingly beautiful historical novel with a speculative twist from the New York Times bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale. January 1918. Laura Iven was a revered field nurse until she was wounded and discharged from the medical corps, leaving behind a brother still fighting in Flanders. Now home in Halifax, Canada, she receives word of Freddie’s death in combat, along with his personal effects—but something doesn’t make sense. Determined to uncover the truth, Laura returns to Belgium as a volunteer at a private hospital. Soon after arriving, she hears whispers about haunted trenches, and a strange hotelier whose wine gives soldiers the gift of oblivion. Could Freddie have escaped the battlefield, only to fall prey to something—or someone—else? November 1917. Freddie Iven awakens after an explosion to find himself trapped in an overturned pillbox with a wounded enemy soldier, a German by the name of Hans Winter. Against all odds, the two men form an alliance and succeed in clawing their way out. Unable to bear the thought of returning to the killing fields, especially on opposite sides, they take refuge with a mysterious man who seems to have the power to make the hellscape of the trenches disappear. As shells rain down on Flanders, and ghosts move among those yet living, Laura’s and Freddie’s deepest traumas are reawakened. Now they must decide whether their world is worth salvaging—or better left behind entirely.

WATERSTONES SIGNED SPECIAL EDITION The Warm Hands of Ghosts

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The Warm Hands of Ghosts WATERSTONES SIGNED SPECIAL EDITION

Lian Dolan

Texas

What if you could take a vacation from your marriage? A couple decides to give it a shot in this fun, adventurous novel by Lian Dolan, the popular author of The Sweeney Sisters and Lost and Found in Paris. After twenty-three years of building careers and raising kids together, Jason and Nicole Elswick are ready for a break from their daily lives. Jason has spent years planning his dream sabbatical--ditching work for a nine-month-long motorcycle trip through South America. Problem is, that's Jason's dream, not Nicole's. After years working retail and parenting in Portland, Nicole craves the sun of the Southwest and the artistic community in Santa Fe, where she wants to learn jewelry design. A chance encounter at a dinner party presents a surprising--and intriguing--way out of their dilemma. Over a little too much wine, Jason and Nicole's married neighbors sing the praises of the 500 Mile Rule: their policy of enjoying themselves however they wish--and with whomever they wish--when they're temporarily far apart. It seems like the perfect solution: nine months pursuing their own adventures--with a bit of don't-ask-don't-tell--and then a return to their shared lives. It'll be a sabbatical from their marriage as well as their day jobs. As Jason bikes his way across a continent and Nicole reclaims the art she's long neglected, they discover the pleasures and pitfalls of the 500 Mile Rule, confronting temptations of all kinds, uncomfortable truths about themselves, and gaining new perspective on their partnership. But all sabbaticals come to an end...then what?

The Marriage Sabbatical

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Emma Rosenblum

Emma Rosenblum's Bad Summer People is a whip-smart, propulsive debut about infidelity, backstabbing, and murderous intrigue, set against an exclusive summer haven on Fire Island.

"This roiling beach community satire serves up wicked, clever fun that is White Lotus sharp." --Kevin Kwan, New York Times bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians and Sex and Vanity

None of them would claim to be a particularly good person. But who among them is actually capable of murder?

Jen Weinstein and Lauren Parker rule the town of Salcombe, Fire Island every summer. They hold sway on the beach and the tennis court, and are adept at manipulating people to get what they want. Their husbands, Sam and Jason, have summered together on the island since childhood, despite lifelong grudges and numerous secrets. Their one single friend, Rachel Woolf, is looking to meet her match, whether he's the tennis pro--or someone else's husband. But even with plenty to gossip about, this season starts out as quietly as any other.

Until a body is discovered, face down, off the side of the boardwalk.

Stylish, subversive, and darkly comedic, this is a story of what's lurking under the surface of picture-perfect lives in a place where everyone has something to hide.

Bad Summer People

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Advanced reader copy

Joe Arachro pulled to a halt on a small hillock, looking across the expanse as it rose up into a sudden flat top butte. There was another jagged butte tilting at an angle next to the mesa, not as wide or long. It was like they just appeared from nowhere, dropped down here in the middle of the desert. And in the shimmering glare in the notch between these two buttes, a ten-year-old boy walked out of the sun, surrounded by the blazing rays. The boy doesn't speak, but he has startling powers: he heals a young girl's torn cuticle, and later erases all damage to a man's badly burnt hand, and it seems there's no limit to the miracles he can perform. After a dog gets run over by a car, the boy apparently brings the animal back to life, and a video of the event goes viral. Suddenly everybody has an idea of who the boy is, and what he might do for them -- and it's a race against time to see who can get to the boy first and gain control over him. In the wrong hands, the boy's powers could be c

The Notch

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Amanda Skenandore

From acclaimed author and registered nurse Amanda Skenandore, The Alienist meets The Light of Luna Park in a fascinating historical novel based on the little-known story of America's first nursing school, as a young female grifter in 1880s New York evades the police by conning her way into Bellevue Hospital's training school for nurses...

In the slums of 1880s New York, Una Kelly has grown up to be a rough-and-tumble grifter, able to filch a pocketbook in five seconds flat. But when another con-woman pins her for a murder she didn't commit, Una is forced to flee. Running from the police, Una lies her way into an unlikely refuge: the nursing school at Bellevue Hospital.
 
Based on Florence Nightingale's nursing principles, Bellevue is the first school of its kind in the country. Where once nurses were assumed to be ignorant and unskilled, Bellevue prizes discipline, intellect, and moral character, and only young women of good breeding need apply. At first, Una balks at her prim classmates and the doctors' endless commands. Yet life on the streets has prepared her for the horrors of injury and disease found on the wards, and she slowly gains friendship and self-respect. 
 
Just as she finds her footing, Una's suspicions about a patient's death put her at risk of exposure, and will force her to choose between her instinct for self-preservation, and exposing her identity in order to save others.
 
Amanda Skenandore brings her medical expertise to a page-turning story that explores the evolution of modern nursing--including the grisly realities of nineteenth-century medicine--as seen through the eyes of an intriguing and dynamic heroine.

The Nurse's Secret

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ARCS selections are always current.

You must message me the book you want. No message = No ARC

These are books that have not been given a final proofing, so they will contain grammatical errors.

Selling or reselling of an ARC is strictly prohibited.

Heavy Paperback (2 to 4 lbs)

Free ARC with $12+ Purchase!

North Carolina

The Warm Hands of Ghosts

Somaiya Daud

Advance Reader Copy of Mirage by Somaiya Daud in perfect condition.

I have a lot of bookish items available, and I'm always willing to bundle so you can save on shipping!

Minnesota

Advanced Raeder Copy

ARC - Mirage

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Emily A. Duncan

Advance Reader Copy of Ruthless Gods by Emily A. Duncan in perfect condition.

I have a lot of bookish items available, and I'm always willing to bundle so you can save on shipping!

Advanced Reader Copy

The stunning sequel to instant New York Times bestseller, Wicked Saints "Ruthless Gods opens the door to a world of fallen gods and eldritch horrors... Gruesome, grotesque, and so, so glorious." - Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows Nadya doesn’t trust her magic anymore. Serefin is fighting off a voice in his head that doesn’t belong to him. Malachiasz is at war with who--and what--he’s become. As their group is continually torn apart, the girl, the prince, and the monster find their fates irrevocably intertwined. Their paths are being orchestrated by someone...or something. The voices that Serefin hears in the darkness, the ones that Nadya believes are her gods, the ones that Malachiasz is desperate to meet—those voices want a stake in the world, and they refuse to stay quiet any longer. In her dramatic follow-up to Wicked Saints, the first book in her Something Dark and Holy trilogy, Emily A. Duncan paints a Gothic, icy world where shadows whisper, and no one is who they seem, with a shocking ending that will leave you breathless. "Ruthless Gods will leave fans demanding the final installment in the trilogy." - Christine Lynn Herman, author of The Devouring Gray This edition uses deckle edges; the uneven paper edge is intentional.

ARC - Ruthless Gods

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Victoria Shorr

Victoria Shorr’s remarkable gift for depicting the inner lives of complex characters shines in two powerful explorations or family, ambition, class, and status. In “Great Uncle Edward,” a family gathers for dinner. At 93, Great Uncle Edward commands the table in his three-piece suit; Cousin Russell attends both Harvard and Yale but is now reduced to selling off the family books; sisters Betty and Molly are caught between ghosts of stories past and creeping destitution. These lives are signposts along the downward spiral of an old aristocracy. “Cleveland Auto Wrecking” introduces Sam White, an immigrant from somewhere in Eastern Europe. He cannot read, but he has a gift for math and an instinct for the value of junk. We follow his clan through the Depression to the postwar boom in the West, where their fortunes soar, crating new tests of loyalty.

New Jersey

Two Novellas

Fate is explored in the fall and rise of two twentieth-century American families.


Victoria Shorr's remarkable gift for depicting the inner lives of complex characters shines in two powerful explorations of family, ambition, class, and status.

In "Great Uncle Edward," a family gathers for dinner. At ninety-three, Great Uncle Edward commands the table in his three-piece suit; Cousin Russell attended both Harvard and Yale but is now reduced to selling off the family books; sisters Betty and Molly are caught between ghosts of a storied past and creeping destitution. These lives are signposts along the downward spiral of an old aristocracy. "Cleveland Auto Wrecking" introduces Sam White, an immigrant from eastern Europe. He cannot read but has a gift for math and an instinct for the value of junk. We follow his clan through the Depression to the postwar boom in the West, where their fortunes soar, creating new tests of loyalty.

Taken together, these two novellas might be the reverse images of the American dream in the twentieth century. They ask to what degree, in the face of such powerful forces as love, death, and social constraints, do any of us have control over our own lives.

Mid-Air

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Joelle Charbonneau

Advance Reader Copy of Dividing Eden by Joelle Charbonneau in great condition.

I have a lot of bookish items available, and I'm always willing to bundle so you can save on shipping!

From the author of the New York Times bestselling Testing trilogy comes a sweeping new fantasy series, perfect for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Sarah J. Maas. Twins Carys and Andreus were never destined to rule Eden. With their older brother next in line to inherit the throne, the future of the kingdom was secure. But appearances—and rivals—can be deceiving. When Eden’s king and crown prince are killed by assassins, Eden desperately needs a monarch, but the line of succession is no longer clear. With a ruling council scheming to gain power, Carys and Andreus are faced with only one option—to take part in a Trial of Succession that will determine which one of them is worthy of ruling the kingdom. As sister and brother, Carys and Andreus have always kept each other safe—from their secrets, from the court, and from the monsters lurking in the mountains beyond the kingdom’s wall. But the Trial of Succession will test the bonds of trust and family. With their country and their hearts divided, Carys and Andreus will discover exactly what each will do to win the crown. How long before suspicion takes hold and the thirst for power leads to the ultimate betrayal?

ARC - Dividing Eden

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Owlcrate edition of The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

- Exclusive cover
- Illustrated reversible dust jacket
- Buttery soft foiled hardcover
- Foiled end papers
- SIGNED
- Sprayed edges
- Bound in author letter 
- Bonus content

Iowa

OWLCRATE The Warm Hands of Ghosts

James Patterson

Bill Clinton

All Presidents have nightmares. This one is about to come true.

Every detail is accurate—because one of the authors is President Bill Clinton. 

The drama and action never stop—because the other author is James Patterson.

Matthew Keating, a one-time Navy SEAL—and a past president—has always defended his family as staunchly as he has his country. Now those defenses are under attack.

A madman abducts Keating's teenage daughter, Melanie—turning every parent's deepest fear into a matter of national security. As the world watches in real time, Keating embarks on a one-man special-ops mission that tests his strengths: as a leader, a warrior, and a father.

NOTE: I received this ARC secondhand, not from the publisher.

A Thriller

A new thriller coming from #1 bestselling author James Patterson in Summer 2021.

ARC - The President's Daughter

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Advance Reader Copy of Wicked Saints by Emily Duncan in great condition.

I have a lot of bookish items available, and I'm always willing to bundle so you can save on shipping!

Advance Reader Copy

“Prepare for a snow-frosted, blood-drenched fairy tale where the monsters steal your heart and love ends up being the nightmare.” - Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself. A prince in danger must decide who to trust. A boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings. Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war. In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light. Wicked Saints is the thrilling start to Emily A. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy. “This book destroyed me and I adored it.”- Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of Caraval This edition uses deckle edges; the uneven paper edge is intentional.

ARC - Wicked Saints

eb898e43-9c0a-426c-80e6-b1813418e260-1

Erika Johansen

arc of invasion of the tearling and hardcover first edition of the fate of the tearling

Oversized Hardcover (4 to 6 lbs)

Michigan

Queen of the Tearling Series 

ARC Invasion of the Tearling AND The Fate of the Tearling

60aad88d-777e-4d5d-91ed-f714147f81a0-1

Three brand new Advanced Readers Copies:

Abeni's Song by P. Djeli Clark: Abeni's Song by award-winning author P. Djèlí Clark is the enchanting beginning of an epic West African and African Diaspora-inspired fantasy adventure for middle-grade readers about a reluctant apprentice to magic and the stolen villagers she sets out to save.

Ghosted by Amanda Quain: Never Have I Ever meets The X-Files in Amanda Quain's Ghosted, a gender-bent contemporary retelling of the Jane Austen classic, Northanger Abbey.

Straight Expectations by Calum McSwiggan: The brilliant debut novel from author, presenter and LGBTQ+ advocate Calum McSwiggan!

Abeni's Song, Ghosted, and Straight Expectations - ARCs

Advanced Reader’s Copy / Uncorrected Proof of Betting On You by Lynn Painter

Never been read, just been sitting on my shelf. 

There is some natural wear and tear from when the publisher shipped it to me. Everything is shown in the pictures. 

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Colleen Cambridge

Mastering the Art of French Murder

Alena Dillon

Mercy House

Anna Carey

Eve ARC

Sally Thorne

Second First Impressions

Marcus Sedgwick

The Ghosts of Heaven

Kathryn Purdie

The Forest Grimm

Katherine Arden

WATERSTONES SIGNED SPECIAL EDITION The Warm Hands of Ghosts

Katherine Arden

The Warm Hands of Ghosts WATERSTONES SIGNED SPECIAL EDITION

Lian Dolan

The Marriage Sabbatical

Emma Rosenblum

Bad Summer People

Tom Holland

The Notch

Amanda Skenandore

The Nurse's Secret

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Free ARC with $12+ Purchase!

Katherine Arden

The Warm Hands of Ghosts

Somaiya Daud

ARC - Mirage

Emily A. Duncan

ARC - Ruthless Gods

Victoria Shorr

Mid-Air

Joelle Charbonneau

ARC - Dividing Eden

Katherine Arden

OWLCRATE The Warm Hands of Ghosts

James Patterson; Bill Clinton

ARC - The President's Daughter

Emily A. Duncan

ARC - Wicked Saints

Erika Johansen

ARC Invasion of the Tearling AND The Fate of the Tearling

P. Djeli Clark

Abeni's Song, Ghosted, and Straight Expectations - ARCs

Lynn Painter

(ARC) Betting On You