Tell Me Something Tuesday: Which Books Are You Looking Forward to Reading This Spring? (March-May)

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Heidi at Rainy Day Ramblings in order to discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging (and some slightly more personal matters throw in for good measure). After Heidi stopped blogging (apparently for good), five of us took over as hosts while providing new questions. The current team is composed of Berls at Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen at That's What I'm Talking About, Karen at For What It's Worth, Linda at Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell and Roberta at Offbeat YA. This week's question is...

WHICH BOOKS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO READING THIS SPRING? (MARCH-MAY)

I don't know if I'll ever get around to buying all these books or when, since 1) early reviews and excerpts might cause me to change my mind in the future, and 2) given my current situation (see: unemployment status), book money is scarce...(I got a few of these in eARC form though! See below). Anyhow, I wanted to give a bit of exposure to all the spring books that caught my eye, so here's my list (complete with pub dates)...and yikes, March is PACKED with awesome-sounding books...             

MARCH

5th. Seanan McGuire: Aftermarket Afterlife (Adult)

Mary Dunlavy didn't intend to become a professional babysitter. Of course, she didn't intend to die, either, or to become a crossroads ghost. As a babysitting ghost, she's been caring for the Price family for four generations, and she's planning to keep doing the job for the better part of forever.

With her first charge finally back from her decades-long cross-dimensional field trip, with a long-lost husband and adopted daughter in tow, it's time for Mary to oversee the world's most chaotic family reunion. And that's before the Covenant of St. George launches a full scale strike against the cryptids of Manhattan, followed quickly by an attack on the Campbell Family Carnival.

It's going to take every advantage and every ally they have for the Prices to survive what's coming—and for Mary, to avoid finding out the answer to a question she's never wanted to where does a babysitting ghost go when she runs out of people to take care of? 

Note: Book 13th (!!!!!) in the InCryptid series, which you HAVE to read if you're even remotely a fan of urban fantasy. I read an eARC of this one...in fact, you may remember that I reviewed it a few days ago, and I loved it...when one of my favourite series/book worlds and a ghost narrator come together, sparks ensue 😍. I'm going to buy a physical copy now of course...

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5th. Gwendolyn Kiste: The Haunting of Velkwood (Adult)

The Velkwood Vicinity was the topic of occult theorists, tabloid one-hour documentaries, and even some pseudo-scientific investigations as the block of homes disappeared behind a near-impenetrable veil that only three survivors could enter—and only one has in the past twenty years, until now.

Talitha Velkwood has avoided anything to do with the tragedy that took her mother and eight-year-old sister, drifting from one job to another, never settling anywhere or with anyone, feeling as trapped by her past as if she was still there in the small town she so desperately wanted to escape from. When a new researcher tracks her down and offers to pay her to come back to enter the vicinity, Talitha claims she’s just doing it for the money. Of all the crackpot theories over the years, no one has discovered what happened the night Talitha, her estranged, former best friend Brett, and Grace, escaped their homes twenty years ago. Will she finally get the answers she’s been looking for all these years, or is this just another dead end?

Note: A twenty-year-old supernatural mystery, plus sisterhood and female friendship...just my kind of stuff 😃. I read an eARC of this one, and I loved it! Review coming in a few days.

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5th. Samantha Mabry: Clever Creatures of the Night (YA)

When Case shows up at the isolated West Texas house where her best friend, Drea, lives with friends from school, Drea is nowhere to be found. Why would she ask Case to visit and then disappear? With twenty-four hours until her ride home, Case intends to find out.

But Drea’s roommates can’t—or won’t—answer any questions. They leave Case to search alone, to find bits and pieces of Drea's life hidden in and around the house, while they continue playing out a rural utopian fantasy. Their bizarre behavior puts Case on edge, and she’s not the only one. The animals nearby are lashing out, strangely aggressive.

Something bad happened in this house. Something that must be connected to Drea’s disappearance—and if she gets too close to the truth, Case might just be next.

Note: I love the premise, and I very much enjoyed Mabry's Tigers, Not Daughters, so I'm looking forward to this one (though the GR average rating isn't particularly high...). I requested it on NG (it's not on EW) to no avail...but that won't stop me of course 😂.

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21th. Gracie Curtis: Floating Hotel (Adult)

Welcome to the Grand Abeona home of the finest food, the sweetest service, and the very best views the galaxy has to offer. All year round it moves from planet to planet, system to system, pampering guests across the furthest reaches of the milky way. The last word in sub-orbital luxury—and an absolute magnet for intrigue. Intrigues such Why are there love poems in the lobby inbox? How many Imperial spies are currently on board? What is the true purpose of the Problem Solver’s conference? And perhaps most pertinently— who is driving the ship?

Each guest has a secret, every member of staff a universe unto themselves. At the center of these interweaving lives and interlocking mysteries stands Carl, one time stowaway, longtime manager, devoted caretaker to the hotel. It’s the love of his life and the only place he’s ever called home. But as forces beyond Carl’s comprehension converge on the Abeona, he has to face one final question: when is it time to let go?

Note: Another eARC I got. As far as sci-fi-in-space premises go, this one is awesome! It sounds mysterious and poetic at the same time...I'm planning to read it next, and I hope to post my review around pub date (I'M LATE I'M LATE I'M LATE).

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26th. Ryan Leslie: Colossus (Adult)

Economics professor Clay West has always explained the world through the lens of his profession. But after his girlfriend Karla takes Dying Wish—a drug that supposedly reveals the nature of reality moments before it claims your life—Clay is devastated. No amount of rationalization can explain Karla's actions.

Distraught, Clay joins a mission into the dark emptiness of space where answers are promised to reside. But when the ship begins to malfunction, Clay and the surviving crew members suspect there's more to the mission than they've been told. They've been lied to, and they're drifting into dead space.

Clay's memories of Karla haunt him even more than the ship's chaos, and there's something wrong with his memories: he has too many. The ship's Al tells Clay his false memories are a normal side-effect of the hibernation, but to Clay, the memories suggest something far more insidious.

He's been on this ship before...

Note: I enjoyed Ryan's first book The Between in 2021, and when I asked him if there was going to be a sequel, he said it would, but not right away. Anyhow, he mentioned having a book set in the same universe slated for publication, and when the time came, he graciously sent me an eARC of Colossus (I didn't even had to beg 😉 - seriously, he made a note of getting back to me, and he did!). Another exciting sci-fi-in-space premise...another book that I should have read MONTHS ago, but hey, things got out of hand. I'm planning to read it after Floating Hotel, and I hope to post my review on pub date...

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APRIL

9th. S.A. Barnes: Ghost Station (Adult)

Space exploration can be lonely and isolating.

Psychologist Dr. Ophelia Bray has dedicated her life to the study and prevention of ERS—a space-based condition most famous for a case that resulted in the brutal murders of twenty-nine people. When she's assigned to a small exploration crew, she's eager to make a difference. But as they begin to establish residency on an abandoned planet, it becomes clear that crew is hiding something.

While Ophelia focuses on her new role, her crewmates are far more interested in investigating the eerie, ancient planet and unraveling the mystery behind the previous colonizer's hasty departure than opening up to her.

That is, until their pilot is discovered gruesomely murdered. Is this Ophelia’s worst nightmare starting—a wave of violence and mental deterioration from ERS? Or is it something more sinister?

Terrified that history will repeat itself, Ophelia and the crew must work together to figure out what’s happening. But trust is hard to come by… and the crew isn’t the only one keeping secrets.

Note: I wished for this one on NG (which means I performed a totally useless act 😂) and requested it on EW but my plea got refused. I liked Barnes' previous horror-in-space novel Dead Silence (though with some reservations), so I'm curious...

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30th. Emet North: In Universes (Adult)

Raffi works in an observational cosmology lab, searching for dark matter and trying to hide how little they understand their own research. Every chance they get, they escape to see Britt, a queer sculptor who fascinates them for reasons they also can’t—or won’t—understand. As Raffi’s carefully constructed life begins to collapse, they dream of a universe where they mean as much to Britt as Britt does to them. And just like that, Raffi and Britt are thirteen years old, best friends and maybe something more.

In Universes is a mind-bending tour across parallel worlds, each an answer to the question of what Raffi’s life would be like had things happened just a little differently. Across lives, Raffi—alongside their sometimes-friends, sometimes-lovers Britt, Kay, and Graham—reaches for a life that feels authentically their own. The universes grow increasingly strange. Women fracture into hordes of animals, alien-possessed bears prowl apocalyptic landscapes. But Raffi’s divergent existences all lead back to the summer of the terrible thing Raffi did and the guilt that continues to chase them across realities. Blending realism with science fiction, In Universes explores the pull of desire, the power of connection, the nature of identity, and the desire to lead a meaningful life.

Note: Holy moly. I don't mind the romance angle if the premise delivers. Mind you, I might have to buy this one, because I wished for it on NG (see above) and my EW request is still in limbo...

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MAY

7th. Steven Dos Santos: Malicia (YA)

On a stormy Halloween weekend, Ray enlists his best friends Joaquin, Sofia, and Isabella to help him make a documentary of Malicia, the abandoned theme park off the coast of the Dominican Republic where his mother and brother died in a mass killing thirteen years ago.

But what should be an easy weekend trip quickly turns into something darker because all four friends have come to Malicia for their own

Ray has come to Malicia to find out the truth of the massacre that destroyed his family. Isabella has come to make art out of Ray’s tragedy for her own personal gain. Sofia has come to support her friends in one last adventure before she goes to med school. Joaquin already knows the truth of the Malicia Massacre and he has come to betray his crush Ray to the evil that made the park possible.

With an impending hurricane and horrors around every corner, they all struggle to face the deadly storm and their own inner demons. But the deadliest evil of all is the ancient malignant presence on the island.

Note: This one could go very well or very badly (see: characters' dynamics), but I'm intrigued...My EW request was promptly declined, but I submitted another request via NG, and I'm keeping the book on my radar.

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Well, that's it for now. Did you enjoy this post? Would you like to participate in the meme on a regular or semi-regular basis, and get emailed the prompt list? Just head over here and fill in Jen's form! (Of course, you can jump in anytime you like - you are under no obligation to actually do all the posts, or even most of them, just because you signed up, and you can remove yourself from the list at any time). And if you're interested in participating in a more casual manner, or only in commenting, here is the TMST prompt list for the month of March:

• March 5th: Describe yourself in three words (a question I submitted)
• March 12th: Which book genres do you tend to avoid?
• March 19th: Where would you like to travel? (a question I submitted)
• March 26th: Will you start a series if you know it probably won't be finished?

I don't know when I'll be back for the meme, since I have a ton of books to review next month (I guess you got the point? 😉 😓)...maybe I'll do a recap post later where I'll reply to all the March questions in brief, copying Karen's idea. We'll see if I manage...

Now tell me something...which spring books are on your TBR list?