Witch Book Wednesday: How to Hang A Witch by Adriana Mather

Welcome to my last “Witch Book Wednesday” post. Every Wednesday, during the month of October, I suggested an atmospheric and witchy book you should definitely add to your October TBR. Today I am highlighting How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather.

Title: How to Hang a Witch
Author: Adriana Mather
Release Date: July 26, 2016
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy

Synopsis

The more things change in Salem, the more they stay the same.

Salem, Massachusetts is the site of the infamous Witch Trials and the new home of Samantha Mather. Recently transplanted from New York City, Sam is not exactly welcomed with open arms. She is a descendant of Cotton Mather, one of the men responsible for those Trials—and almost immediately, she becomes the enemy of a group of girls who call themselves The Descendants. And guess who their ancestors were?

If dealing with that wasn’t enough, Sam finds herself face to face with a real, live (well, technically dead) ghost. A handsome, angry ghost who wants Sam to stop touching his stuff.

Soon Sam discovers she is at the center of a centuries-old curse affecting everyone with ties to the Trials. Sam must come to terms with the ghost and work with The Descendants to stop a deadly cycle that has been going on since the first alleged witch was hanged. If any town should have learned its lesson, it’s Salem. But history may be about to repeat itself.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble |  The Book Depository 

If you are in the mood for the perfect Halloween or Autumn read, I highly recommend adding How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather to your TBR list. As I was reading, I kept picturing the meshing of my two favorite movies: Hocus Pocus and Mean Girls.  This witchy book is the perfect blend of Salem, Massachusetts’ history, modern-day teenage gossip, family curses, and creepy apparitions.

As a mood reader, I enjoyed the dark and spooky ambiance of How to Hang a Witch. Each chapter was like stepping onto the cobble-stoned roads of the 17th century, hearing the creaks of old houses, and collecting old musty books filled with family secrets and town history. I loved the historical atmosphere that Mather creates for her main character, Samantha, to discover and uncover. Even more, I liked Sam as a character, because she portrays a character that is feisty, determined, and caring.

Overall, I really enjoyed How to Hang a Witch and its “out of nowhere” surprising end. I think it’s a great book that connects the crazed witchhunts of the 17th century with the crazed persecutions that take place in our modern-day society. Additionally, I also loved the ghostly and witch figures sprinkled throughout the pages. Their supernatural and magical presence brought a very eerie feel to the pages and made the book a constant page-turner for me.

Witch Book Wednesday: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

Welcome to a new “Witch Book Wednesday” post. Every Wednesday, during the month of October, I am going suggest an atmospheric and witchy book you should definitely add to your October TBR.

Title: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
Author: Katherine Howe
Release Date: June 9, 2009
Genres: Fiction, Historical, Mystery, Fantasy

Synopsis

A spellbinding, beautifully written novel that moves between contemporary times and one of the most fascinating and disturbing periods in American history–the Salem witch trials.

Harvard graduate student Connie Goodwin needs to spend her summer doing research for her doctoral dissertation. But when her mother asks her to handle the sale of Connie’s grandmother’s abandoned home near Salem, she can’t refuse. As she is drawn deeper into the mysteries of the family house, Connie discovers an ancient key within a seventeenth-century Bible. The key contains a yellowing fragment of parchment with a name written upon it: Deliverance Dane. This discovery launches Connie on a quest–to find out who this woman was and to unearth a rare artifact of singular power: a physick book, its pages a secret repository for lost knowledge.

As the pieces of Deliverance’s harrowing story begin to fall into place, Connie is haunted by visions of the long-ago witch trials, and she begins to fear that she is more tied to Salem’s dark past then she could have ever imagined.

Written with astonishing conviction and grace, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane travels seamlessly between the witch trials of the 1690s and a modern woman’s story of mystery, intrigue, and revelation.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble |  The Book Depository 

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane is the perfect witchy book to read in the month of October. I am so glad that the booksellers at Joseph Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati are such great book-pushers. When someone tells you that a book is like the adult version of Hocus Pocus, how can you say no to purchasing it? YOU CAN’T!

One of my favorite elements of this book is the unraveling of mystery spread through the pages. The author, Katherine Howe, provides a great story plot that allows her characters, especially the main character Connie, to explore their own identities through their ancestors, which helps intertwine new and old friendships.

I also enjoyed the alternating time periods in this book, which explored the Salem Witch Trials and paralleled that time with Connie’s role in the 1990s, who went about collecting information/research from the 1690s for her PhD history degree. I was so enthralled by the idea of linking the past with the present, which helps Connie to discover old family secrets that affect her current situation.

Along with the mystery and historical background, Howe incorporates fantastical elements and a slow burn love story into the mix. I would highly recommend this book to readers who love history, growing friendships, the Salem Witch Trials, romance, and a thrilling mystery.

OctoBrew Thursday: Sleepy Hollow’s Pumpkin Chai Tea

Hi Everyone! Welcome to the newest edition of OctoBrew Thursday. Today we are making an autumnal drink that is sweet, spicy, and smooth.

Inspired by one of my favorite Gothic short stories, and of course Tim Burton’s film adaptation of Sleepy Hollow, this simple cup of pumpkin chai tea will warm you up on those perfect foggy autumn days. It will give you the perfect boost to escape the wrath of the headless horseman that fills the pages of Washington Irving’s story and Tim Burton’s richly altered and terrifying movie.

Ingredients

• Water
• Chai tea bags
• Your favorite pumpkin creamer or pumpkin syrup

Directions:

• Make a cup of your favorite chai tea by adding boiled water to a mug, pouring the hot water over the chai teabags, and then letting it steep for 4-5 minutes or to your desired strength. 
• Then add and stir a few splashes of pumpkin creamer.

Happy October!

Witch Book Wednesday: Mooncakes

Welcome to a new “Witch Book Wednesday” post. Every Wednesday, during the month of October, I am going suggest an atmospheric and witchy book you should definitely add to your October TBR.

Title: Mooncakes
Author: Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu
Release Date: October 15, 2019
Genres: Graphic Novel, Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBT

Synopsis

A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft.

Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers’ bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town.

One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any town home.

Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble |  The Book Depository 

Well, I hope you are ready for the most adorable, witchy graphic novel that has ever existed. Mooncakes wowed me from the beginning to the very end. I adored this fantasy story about friendship, family, love, and self-acceptance. The pages are filled with vibrant colors, which sketches a well-developed and mysterious plot, spooky and vivacious scenes, and most importantly, the artwork allows the characters to fully come to life throughout the pages.

In addition to a world of witches, werewolves, and demons, Mooncakes depicts a cozy little bookshop in a small New England town. Melded into this setting, the graphic novel provides intriguing (and tragic) backstories for both the two main characters, Nova and Tam. As the characters pursue a spell to battle dark forces, demons, and their very own internal struggles, Nova and Tam are also exploring their past friendship and new relationship. With the most adorable female/non-binary love story I have ever read, this fantasy graphic novel is swoony with a dash of eeriness. It is definitely the perfect graphic novel to pick up during the season of autumn.

Top Ten Tuesday: Extraordinary Book Titles

Formerly hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

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This week’s topic is…Extraordinary Book Titles

Top Ten Books 

(CLICK ON THE BOOK COVER TO BE LINKED TO ITS GOODREADS’ PAGE)

What are some of your favorite unique or extraordinary book titles?

Blog Tour: Top 5 Reasons to Treat Yo Shelf to Into the Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo

Welcome to my Blog Tour stop for Into the Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo. Today I am going to share with you the Top 5 Reasons you should TREAT YO SHELF to this amazing book.

Title: Into the Crooked Place 
Author: Alexandra Christo
Pub. Date: October 8, 2019
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy 
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon,  B&N,  TBD

 SYNOPSIS:

Into the Crooked Place begins a gritty two-book YA fantasy series from Alexandra Christo, the author of To Kill a Kingdom.

The streets of Creije are for the deadly and the dreamers, and four crooks in particular know just how much magic they need up their sleeve to survive.

Tavia, a busker ready to pack up her dark-magic wares and turn her back on Creije for good. She’ll do anything to put her crimes behind her.

Wesley, the closest thing Creije has to a gangster. After growing up on streets hungry enough to swallow the weak whole, he won’t stop until he has brought the entire realm to kneel before him.

Karam, a warrior who spends her days watching over the city’s worst criminals and her nights in the fighting rings, making a deadly name for herself.

And Saxony, a resistance fighter hiding from the very people who destroyed her family, and willing to do whatever it takes to get her revenge.

Everything in their lives is going to plan, until Tavia makes a crucial mistake: she delivers a vial of dark magic—a weapon she didn’t know she had—to someone she cares about, sparking the greatest conflict in decades. Now these four magical outsiders must come together to save their home and the world, before it’s too late. But with enemies at all sides, they can trust nobody. Least of all each other. 

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About the author:

Alexandra Christo decided to write books when she was four and her teacher told her she couldn’t be a fairy. When she’s not busy making up stories, she can be found organising food crawls over London and binge-watching Korean dramas.

Alexandra has a BA in Creative Writing and currently lives in England with an abundance of cacti (because they’re the only plants she can keep alive).

 

 

NOTE: Thank you so much to Fierce Reads for inviting me as a host on this blog tour and for providing me a free advance reader’s copy to review. 

 

OctoBrew Thursday: Hocus Pocus’s Green Tea Cider

Hi Everyone! Welcome to my newest edition of OctoBrew Thursday. Today I come to you with a spin on one of my favorite go-to drinks. All summer I was obsessed with iced green tea lattes. And, also, as a apple cider fanatic, I could wait to see if combining both drinks would taste amazing.

Inspired by one of my favorite movies, Hocus Pocus, today I brewed a cup of Green Tea Cider a.k.a. Cinnamon Cauldron Cider, which is a matcha green tea cider latte with a dash of cinnamon sugar.

One of my favorite scenes of Hocus Pocus is when Max and Dani go trick-or-treating and they end up at Allison’s house. Of course, we get the talk of yabos and the Sanderson Sisters, but among that conversation, they are sipping some yummy cider. Now I love me a good cup of apple cider, but adding matcha to the brew made my drink the yummiest.

 

Ingredients

• Trader Joe’s Matcha Green Tea Latte mix, or you can always use Green tea or your favorite Matcha mix
• Apple cider
• Cinnamon sugar

Directions:

• Warm up your apple cider in your favorite mug
• Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the Matcha Green Tea Latte mix and stir it into the hot apple cider
• Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar to the top of the brew and mix
• I added a splash of milk to make the brew a little creamier

Drink up, witches!

Happy October!

 

Witch Book Wednesday: The Witch of Black Bird Pond

Welcome to a new “Witch Book Wednesday” post. Every Wednesday, during the month of October, I am going suggest an atmospheric and witchy book you should definitely add to your October TBR.

Title: The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Author: Elizabeth George Speare
Genres: Young Adult, Historical

Synopsis

Sixteen-year-old Kit Tyler is marked by suspicion and disapproval from the moment she arrives on the unfamiliar shores of colonial Connecticut in 1687. Alone and desperate, she has been forced to leave her beloved home on the island of Barbados and join a family she has never met.

Torn between her quest for belonging and her desire to be true to herself, Kit struggles to survive in a hostile place. Just when it seems she must give up, she finds a kindred spirit. But Kit’s friendship with Hannah Tupper, believed by the colonists to be a witch, proves more taboo than she could have imagined and ultimately forces Kit to choose between her heart and her duty.

Elizabeth George Speare won the 1959 Newbery Medal for this portrayal of a heroine whom readers will admire for her unwavering sense of truth as well as her infinite capacity to love.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble |  The Book Depository 

I remember reading The Witch of Blackbird Pond in grade school and adoring it. During my recent reread, I was just as entranced as I was back then. Filled with American history truths and the hysteria of witchcraft, The Witch of Blackbird Pond provides a very realistic account of women’s placement in Puritan society. It was fascinating to see how men inculcated the ideas of how women should act, dress, think, worship, and behave. 

In regards to the “witchyness” of the book, Elizabeth George Speare positions her main character as an outsider. Kit, an adolescent teen, moves from the warm and beautiful Barbados into an American colony where politics and religion are fiercely stamped into everyday life.  Once in Connecticut, Kit’s world is turned upside down; she is even criticized for the being able to swim and read. But Kit never lets her “oddness” falter her ability to adapt to the new society, learning every chore she can to survive the harsh living conditions of the new world. 

My favorite part of this book is the ending. I don’t want to give too much away, but there is a slow burn romance that fills the pages of The Witch of Blackbird Pond, and when that flame ignites, I was so ready to watch that ship sail.

Book Blitz & Giveaway: The Book Witch by Desy Smith

Title: The Book Witch (Rosewood, #2)
Author: Desy Smith
Publication date: October 4th 2019
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Synopsis:

There are no bodies to bury, no graves with marked tombstones.

There are only three books, each one belonging to a member of the Rosewood family. There is only one reason for the books to be gathered all in one place—the witches who once owned them are dead.

Sage Rosewood is now the last of her line, a burden nearly as heavy as her grief.

Kayden, the charismatic werewolf who holds her heart, tries to console her, but there is only so much his warm arms and gentle words can do when her heart aches for vengeance. She wants nothing more than to find the people who killed her family, to dispatch justice, and to bring the bodies of her loved ones home.

Walk alongside Sage in this tale of magic, mystery, and vengeance. Every chapter will leave you spellbound.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

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EXCERPT:

“Who are you meeting?” Kayden questions from behind me, causing me to jump. How can someone so big, move around so quietly? “At the Mango Cafe, because it definitely isn’t your grandmother.” He tries to look at the laptop screen, but I shut it. “Who are you meeting?” He asks again, his voice more serious than before.

“Just a friend,” I respond with a lie, as I make my way back to the kitchen, and blow out the sage. I check the water on the stove, that’s now boiling, perfect. I turn the stove off and pour the water inside of my cauldron. When making spells, one should always start with fresh boiled water, from a pot, not the cauldron, I learned that the hard way.

I didn’t like lying to Kayden, honestly it felt strange, and I didn’t understand why. I would lie to my mom all the time and feel great, but with him, it makes me feel weird. I wonder if that had anything to do with me wanting to jump his bones. Anyway, if I told him the truth, he’d find some way to stop me or invite himself along, and I couldn’t have either of those. I had to do this myself. I would be the one to avenge them alone. I’m a Rosewood for freaking sake.

“You’re lying, who are you really meeting with Sage?” Kayden asks me again, as I reach for my dry ingredients, and begin cutting them into the cauldron. Due to the material the cauldron is made of, it’s the perfect vessel to combine and mix the ingredients in for any spell.

“I told you, a friend,” I lie again. “Don’t do whatever you think you’re going to do, we have laws here in the Woodlands, and The Guild would come down on you, or kill you,” Kayden warns. I would get my revenge and if I lost my life in the process, so be it.

“Good thing I’m just meeting a friend, huh,” I tell him as I lean in with the intention of kissing him again, to change this topic.

“I didn’t think I would be kissed twice, in the same night…” he trails off, as he leans in for the kiss, but pauses as his eyes glow. I know his wolf is present. Kayden moves his head backwards, making me extend my head forward.

Author Bio:

Desy Smith, MFA, is a paranormal romance author and English teacher who is on a mission to expand her readers’ minds and create unique worlds that they can escape to through the power of storytelling. Her poignant writing style features sassy heroines, urban drama, angels, wolves, demons, witches, and sensual scenes.

Born, raised and based in Dallas, Desy spent most of her childhood picking apart movies and books. Her mother and her affinity for all things supernatural also really drove Desy to dabble in life’s unknowns and use her imagination. Ultimately, this led her to writing stories of her own at just 10 years of age. After her release of “The Talented (The Messenger Series)” this February, she will be working on book number three, and plans on writing until her last breath.

Currently, Desy is the Founder of Floebe Publishing, where she publishes her own and other writers’ short stories (of 20,000 words max) with the busy reader in mind. She also provides complimentary creative writing advice to her fellow word weavers.

When she doesn’t have a pen or book in hand, Desy Smith is a movie buff and foodie with an unquenchable sweet tooth (having a gluten allergy makes things a bit tricky). She also isn’t much of a whistler and has a round face (people like pinching her cheeks any chance they get). With her “carpe diem” mindset towards life, she looks forward to exposing her readers to realms unseen.

Amazon / Goodreads

 

GIVEAWAY!

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OctoBrew Thursday: Practical Magic’s Morning Mimosa

Hi Everyone! It’s finally the month of all things Hallowe’en, which I personally love to fill with atmospheric reads, watching witchy movies, and drinking autumnal beverages. Today I come to you with a classic beverage that I shared in a past guest post for “Fortnight of Fright” two years ago. This drink is quick and simple to make. And it tastes amazing.

One of the most iconic movie scenes of Practical Magic is the Midnight Margaritas dance party shared between the Owens’ women. But instead of being a traditionalist and creating a Midnight Margarita, I went with an brunch beverage. This would go so well with the pancakes that Gary can flip in the air. I call it the Morning Mimosa.

How amazing would it be to put together the most two simple ingredients together, champagne and orange juice, and then sit back and watch the two Owen sisters mess around with magic and the fate of love on the big screen. 

Ingredients and directions:
Pour your favorite champagne in a glass with equal parts orange juice. YUM!

And if you don’t drink champagne, you can always create an non-alcoholic alternative with carbonated mineral water or seltzer, like Perrier L’Orange flavored drink.

Happy October!