Love Spells for the End of the World by Alys Murray

For a witch, Bel’s magical ability is limited. Sure, she can toss a mean hex at her sworn enemy Eli, the Witch Hunter next door. But major magic? That’s tricky. However, when a portal suddenly opens in her home, threatening her enchanted hometown along with everyone she loves, she’ll stop at at nothing to destroy it — even if it means making a deal with Elijah … Of course, saving the world would be a lot easier without falling in love.

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State of the Stacks: Book Sale Preparation Edition

The book sales are coming! The book sales are coming!

Throughout the year, libraries in my area hold regular book sales, purging their systems of materials they can’t use on their shelves. But October is the golden month, with their biggest sales coalescing within a few days of each other. The libraries raise money. The patrons get great deals. Everybody wins! Now, with only a few weeks to go, I just need to make room on my shelves…

Read on for more bookish updates on this week’s State of the Stacks.

A Misprinted First Line Friday

This week is quickly drifting into the weekend, which must mean it’s time for First Line Friday.

Each week, I grab a book from my shelf (or from wherever books might be resting) and share the first line or so. Featured quotes might be from my TBR pile or an old favorite or even a book I’m not particularly fond of.

To read this week’s first line, you have to hold the book just right.

Christmas by the Lighthouse by Rebecca Boxall

Summer has always put her husband first, so she’s completely unprepared when he asked for a six-month break from their marriage. Even so, she embraces the newfound time to herself by hopping off to Jersey for a relaxing vacation by the sea. However, after a luggage mix-up, she meets the utterly charming Jude, who’s also processing his own shocking news. Yet their chance meeting might be the best thing that’s ever happened to them, as soon they’re off creating memories to last a lifetime.

The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice by Donna Kauffman, Kate Angell, and Allyson Charles

Halloween is just around the corner, and the denizens of Moonbright, Maine know how to celebrate. Jack-o’-lanterns, haunted houses, and even a parade ring in the season— and for a lucky few, there just might be a hint of magic in the air. Three budding romances. Three novellas. One magical bakeshop.

Five Wordless Picture Books

Traditionally, picture books are simple: illustrations and light text build a complete story in only a few short pages. And though these two individual crafts work in tandem, any good picture is made up of elements that work just as perfectly on their own. That’s what’s so exciting about wordless picture books, which completely drop half of the equation— they allow readers to cook up stories to match the images they see before them.

Here are five wordless picture books to check out during your next trip to the library.

Is That You, Winter? by Stephen Gammell

Welcome back to Paperback Throwback, where I highlight a book from my ever-growing collection of older paperbacks, ‘90s and prior. Come check out everything from Zebra’s line of horror to Scholastic’s preteen Apple Paperbacks, and everything in-between— you’ll know them by their stylishly cheesy covers, flashy plots, and cheap prices.

Join me on this stroll down Literary Memory Lane. Stops include Sweet Valley High, Fear Street, and anywhere else mass market paperbacks may be lurking.

This week’s throwback comes a bit early in the season.