Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Arctic Fury by Greer Macallister, D: A Tale of Two Worlds by Michel Faber, and Pirate Stew by Neil Gaiman, Chris Riddell

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

October is yet another huge month for publishing releases, which means I'm going to once again be sharing three releases for my Can't-Wait Wednesday's this month!

This week's upcoming book spotlights are: 

The Arctic Fury by Greer Macallister
Publication: December 1st, 2020

Sourcebooks Landmark

Paperback. 300 pages.

Pre-order: Amazon |IndieBound

From Goodreads:

"In early 1853, experienced California Trail guide Virginia Reeve is summoned to Boston by a mysterious benefactor who offers her a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: lead a party of 12 women into the wild, hazardous Arctic to search for the lost Franklin Expedition. It’s an extraordinary request, but the party is made up of extraordinary women. Each brings her own strengths and skills to the expedition- and her own unsettling secrets. A year and a half later, back in Boston, Virginia is on trial when not all of the women return. Told in alternating timelines that follow both the sensational murder trial in Boston and the dangerous, deadly progress of the women’s expedition into the frozen North, this heart-pounding story will hold readers rapt as a chorus of voices answer the trial’s all-consuming question: what happened out there on the ice?"

As I've said countless times by now, I love all things Arctic/Antarctic/etc., plus I love exploring expedition and disasters, and I just recently read a book about Franklin's expedition, so this could not be more fitting right now. I genuinely can't wait to read this!

and...

D: A Tale of Two Worlds by Michel Faber
Publication: December 8th, 2020 (US)/ September 17, 2020 (UK)

Hanover Square Press (US)

Hardcover. 304 pages.

Pre-order: Amazon |IndieBound

From Goodreads:

"It all starts on the morning the letter D disappears from language. First, it vanishes from Dhikilo’s parents’ conversation at breakfast, then from the road signs outside and from her school dinners. Soon the local dentist and the neighbor’s dalmatian are missing, and even the Donkey Derby has been called off. 

Though she doesn’t know why, Dhikilo is summoned to the home of her old history teacher Professor Dodderfield and his faithful Labrador, Nelly Robinson. And this is where our story begins. 

Set between England and the wintry land of Liminus, a world enslaved by the monstrous Gamp and populated by fearsome, enchanting creatures, D (A Tale of Two Worlds) is told with simple beauty and warmth. Its celebration of moral courage and freethinking is a powerful reminder of our human capacity for strength, hope and justice."

As we all know (or if you don't, you will!), Michel Faber is one of my favorite authors! I was completely shocked to see he had a new book, because the last thing I heard about him was that he had essentially retired from writing after his wife died, as she was basically his muse. It's honestly pretty heartbreaking on all fronts, so it seemed really special to me to see a new book from. I can't wait to dive in and check it out.

and...

Pirate Stew by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Chris Riddell
Publication: December 1st, 2020

William Morrow

Hardcover. 400 pages.

Pre-order: Amazon | IndieBound

From Goodreads:

"Long John has a whole crew of wild pirates in tow, and—for one boy and his sister—he's about to transform a perfectly ordinary evening into a riotous adventure beneath a pirate moon. It's time to make some PIRATE STEW. 

Marvelously silly and gloriously entertaining, this tale of pirates, flying ships, doughnut feasts and some rather magical stew is perfect for all pirates, both young and old."

Okay, so this is just a fun bonus picture book! I love the Neil Gaiman/Chris Riddell duo for kids' books, so I'm excited to get this and read it to my niece sometime!

What do you think about these upcoming releases? What are your anticipated upcoming releases?

Book Traveling Thursday: A Book From A Favorite Author - Michel Faber!

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This week I'm once again participating in Book Traveling Thursday!

"Book Traveling Thursdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Catia from The Girl Who Read Too Much and Danielle's Book Blog. The idea of this group is check out the list of weekly themes for each month in this meme's Goodreads page and simply pick a book to match the theme! Once you've found a book, explore different covers of various editions for that book and make a post about it.  To find out more, you can check out our Goodreads group!

This week's theme is a book by one of your favorite authors, so I chose:
Under the Skin by Michel Faber
I've loved all of the books by Faber that I've red so far, and he is easily one of my favorite authors. I decided to pick Under the Skin because this book is so incredibly weird that I wanted to see what other covers looked like.

Original Cover Design:

 
2000, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Other editions:

Top Row: Paperback, Kindle, Italian
Second Row: Paperback, Italian, Modern Greek
Third Row: Turkish, Serbian, German

I'm pretty intrigued by these various covers. I opted not to include most of the movie tie-in ones because, well, I think they're pretty bad (personally, the movie looks completely off from the book anyway, but that's another story). I think the ones that have roads on them are best for this book in particular, and I'm really not sure what's up with the German. All in all, I think these are all a pretty interesting variety!

What do you think of these covers? Do you have a favorite? Have you read this book?

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The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber

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The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber. Harcourt, 2002. 835 pages. Hardcover/Hardback.

Coming in at a weighty 800+ pages, The Crimson Petal and the White is not for the faint of heart - or those who do not like holding heavy objects for long periods of time. It may be long, but the incredible thing about this book was how quickly it flew by. It took me a bit longer to finish The Crimson Petal and the White than the average book, but I never once felt like I was slogging through it. The characters and writing style were both so vivid and full of life that I had absolutely no problem zipping through this story. A quick obligated word of caution: if you do not like to read about sex or sexual-related activities, then you may want to set this book every so gently back on its shelf and move on, though personally I would recommend that you dive in anyway because of what a wonderfully told story this is.

The most prominent and creative aspect of The Crimson Petal and the White is the narration. It has an overall second person narration (which I am actually not normally a fan of), but much of it is told in a way that sounds third person. When Faber does dive into the second person, it's with sheer brilliance. It's written as if you are being taken on the most intense, detailed, and scandalous tour you'll ever be a part of; I almost felt like I was watching a movie with the camera zooming in and around various people and settings. It's fantastic, and I'm truly not sure if I've ever read anything quite like it.

The setting is a gritty, dirty, and shockingly authentic Victorian London. There's no sugar-coating, nothing to make the setting or characters appear more noble than they are (or aren't), and it's pure brilliance. There's was a constant sense that I was rooting around in the private affairs of others that Faber captured extremely well and truly brought the entire story to life.

One aspect of Faber's style that really stood out to me was his extensive use of detail, which I think is part of what made everything so lifelike and authentic. Everything is so clearly described or minutely detailed that it's hard not to find yourself sucked into the story.

What I loved was how Faber really played with his characters, but at the same time seemed to almost let them lead the story in whichever direction they desired. Sugar, one of our main characters, is strong and independent, but contains a small, sentimental hope for something more in her life. As a prostitute, she is always sharing her body, but what she truly seems to want to do is share her mind; she wants to write and be outspoken, to make a stand and allow others to understand the experiences of prostitutes and others like her. She wants men to realize that the women they so rudely and carelessly take advantage of are just as - if not more - capable and clever as them.

William Rackham, a second main character, is also a deeply layered man. While on the surface he appears and acts as if he has great disdain and a lack of patience for his ailing wife, his actions show something rather contrary, which is difficult to discern, but still noticeable: he loves her. No matter what, he can't seem to help but love her, no matter the frustrations she causes him to have. William seems to want nothing more than a normal, happy, sufficient marriage. But that is not what his circumstances give him, and so instead we see how he handles these issues, how he ends up meeting Sugar and how they interact and how their own uniquely personal relationship unfolds.

Along with Sugar and William are a variety of other extremely colorful and strong characters, and I strongly encourage you to give this book a chance in order to meet all of them in greater depth.

The ending is both excellent and frustrating at the same time - it's almost a non-ending, leaving you wondering what more could happen, but it's also an absolutely, perfectly satisfying wrap-up that almost seems to tease you with more, but at the same time leaves you content and satiated. It's as if it were all somehow meant to be.

I do feel as though I've been giving out quite a few five stars lately, but I can't help that I've just been immensely blessed to keep stumbling upon such fantastic books. As you can guess, I am giving The Crimson Petal and the White a well-earned five stars. I highly recommend it to anyone who feels mature enough to jump on for the ride!

Buy the book!

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The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
Whistling Women by Kelly Romo