I 100% do not have the space or the finances to have purchased books this weekend, but it happened, and we’re not going to be mad about it. I’ve had a rough go of it recently, and I needed a bit of retail therapy. That, and Erin & I haven’t gone book shopping in ages together, so it was nice to just spend an hour in a bookstore and pick up some new reads. Also helpful because I’ve been shuffling around today’s original post with no desire to write it, so I’ve finally sent it to the trash and am happy to talk about new books instead.

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron sounds exactly like something I’m going to love. The summary is giving me big A Treason of Thorns vibes in that it’s a strange house with lots of floral overgrowth, but it’s also got witches instead of just vague magic, and I feel like I’m going to five star this so hard. I would not be surprised if this showed up in my reading fairly soon because I’ve got a lot of witch books to read, and I’m kind of thinking about switching out my women’s history month TBR to just be entirely witch books. And now that I’ve gone and said it, might as well.

I hadn’t heard a single whisper about Spells Trouble by PC Cast & Kristin Cast, which is shocking to me because this is exactly the kind of book I’d want to read. Not only is it witches under the series title Sisters of Salem, it takes place in 1692, and it involves characters with the last name Goode, so I’m ready, let’s go, this is going to be fantastic.

There’s always a random contemporary that jumps out at me and won’t leave me alone while I’m looking at other books, and it was The Sea is Salt and So Am I by Cassandra Hartt this time. I even put it back on the shelf, but couldn’t stop thinking about it while I was browsing the fantasy section, and whether that was the pretty cover or the The Last True Poets of the Sea vibes, I’m here for it.

I’ve been meaning to pick up Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson for ages now, and I immediately dropped it onto my stack while I was shopping this weekend. I loved You Should See Me in a Crown so much that I’m sure I will undoubtedly love this one, too. I will say that, normally, the subject of this book wouldn’t interest me, but Johnson is fantastic, and I’m willing to read anything by her.

I’ve obviously heard a lot of wonderful things about TJ Klune from his more recent books, but I’ve had my eye on The Extraordinaries for a little while now, and the idea of queer superheroes has got me hollering every time I think of it, so I want to start here with Klune’s books. Hopefully, I’ll enjoy it so much that I’ll be buying others very shortly, though!

I absolutely adored Makiia Lucier’s previous duology, and I’m not sure why I didn’t preorder Year of the Reaper, but I’m here now! Also, lol @ me for fully thinking this was a woman on the cover and then a) being hella surprised by the summary & b) wildly more excited to read this. I talked somewhere ages ago about wanting more men MCs in YA fantasy, and–found it!–thus, this book makes me very happy.

Here I am, oohing and aahing over Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie because damn, what a cover AND title, only to go to add it to my Goodreads and realize I’ve already got it earmarked for purchase for this year’s Pride, ya dummy. So apparently I’ve been excited about this book for a few months now! (Yes, I did start planning my Pride ’22 TBR before the year even started.) It’s gonna take some real willpower not to read this in advance, given it’s about a Cuban girl who loves baking and gardening, and is starting to realize she might be bi because holy moly that checks off so many boxes for me.

I could have sworn that I’d already purchased The Witch Haven by Sarah Payton Smith, but B&N tells me I haven’t, and I wasn’t in front of my bookshelves, so I’m glad I wasn’t right and didn’t end up buying a second copy. But this book sounds like something I’m definitely going to love–I mean, a sanitorium where “hysterical” women are sent that turns out to be an university-type place for witches? YES AND PLEASE AND MORE–and I can’t wait to dig into it.

Have you read any of these?