Which as a reader and writer, is a very good thing, I hasten to add.

As regulars will know, I’ve made it through reading and posting on all five titles in my initial Book Booty post for 2024. (Awesome: high five.) And am making good progress on the ‘stretch’ titles from September — two out of three ain’t bad, to quote the song.

So what better time to feature some new additions to the TBR table. Starting with:

Pinch Perkins and the Midsummer Curse by Cathy Fitzgerald

I heard of this book through Nicolas Fitzgerald, of the Wall of Night series wiki fame (among much else, I hasten to add!) because Cathy is his cousin. So when I saw it in the bookshop, I’m sure you know what happened next. Not least because I love putting down my (very metaphorical) dime to support a new author.

As you’ve probably guessed from the title, Pinch Perkins is Junior fiction and according to the backcover ‘blurb’:

“…Pinch Perkins lives on Tricky Dragon Lane, deep in the heart of London’s magical quarter. But when her mum is struck by a curse, and nobody seems to have a clue what to do, Pinch knows it’s down to her to find a cure.

Racing the clock on Midsummer’s Eve, Pinch will face the terrifying boss of the Thames Mudlarks, dance with the devious fairy king and queen and share a burger with King Arthur’s knights – all the while trying to avoid the clutches of two most fearsome villains .”

All of which sounds like a lot of fun, so I aim to dive in and let you know more here, as soon as maybe.:)

Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton

I was in Australia earlier this year, and when I decided I absolutely must have a book to keep me company, I was equally adamant that it should be an Australian title — and I don’t think you can get much more Australian than Boy Swallows Universe.

It’s also a book I’ve been meaning to read for some time, so fate conspired and the book was acquired.  It’s a coming of age story, and I think the following will give you the flavour:

“Brisbane, 1983: A lost father, a mute brother, a mum in jail, a heroin dealer for a stepfather and a notorious crim for a babysitter. It’s not as if Eli’s life isn’t complicated enough already. … But Eli’s life is about to get a whole lot more serious. He’s about to fall in love. And, oh yeah, he has to break into Boggo Road Gaol on Christmas Day, to save his mum.”

It’s also won a truckload of awards, so although events conspired further and I didn’t get to it while in Australia, it’s very firmly in the TBR queue so ‘watch this space.’

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs

I was offered an ARC of this book by a friend in the industry, but had already spotted it ‘in the wild’ and thought it looked interesting, so was very happy to accept the offer. As the title hints, it’s Fantasy, with a thriller-style storyline and some romance thrown in. I really can’t say it better than the publisher’s synopsis:

“A spellbinding, edge-of your seat thriller, INK BLOOD SISTER SCRIBE follows a family tasked with guarding a trove of magical but deadly books, and the shadowy organisation that will do anything to get them back . . . even murder.

Not all books should be opened.”

Paint me intrigued — and ready to read. 😀

What You Are Looking For Is In The Library by Michiko Aoyama

Translated by Alison Watts, my copy is another ARC that came with Ink Blood Sister Scribe, but with a very plain cover so I had to look at the internet to find out a bit more.

I think it’s a contemporary story of real life and people, but with a little bit of magical realism thrown in. It sounds, too, like it’s a series of linked short stories.

What I know, though, is that it was a Times bestseller and one of Time magazine’s Top 100 books of 2023.

Definitely something to look forward to, including revealing more when I do my post.