Blog Tour + Review: The Witch's Apprentice and Other Stories by Ekta R. Garg

Today I'm partnering with WOW! Women on Writing to celebrate the release of The Witch's Apprentice and Other Stories by Ekta R. Garg!  I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Book Summary

Have you ever wondered why Jack and Jill needed that pail of water in the first place? Or how Sleeping Beauty managed to prick her finger despite a royal order to destroy every spindle in the kingdom?

Fairy tales and nursery rhymes have given us some of the most iconic characters and images in storytelling; think Cinderella’s glass slipper or Jack’s oversized beanstalk. But what about the in-between moments? The ones that never made it to the page?

In this enchanting micro-collection of short stories, award-winning author Ekta R. Garg explores the untold scenes between the lines of some of our most loved tales. Find out what the Wicked Witch of the East was doing in the road before Dorothy’s house fell on her. Learn where Goldilocks came from. Meet the conmen who convinced the emperor he had new clothes and more.

Rediscover the wit, heart, and magic of the classics, and see them as you’ve never seen them before in The Witch’s Apprentice and Other Stories.

Purchase a copy of The Witch’s Apprentice and Other Stories on Amazon. You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list.

In this micro-collection of stories, Ekta Garg has been inspired by some very famous fairy tales and other stories - The Wizard of Oz, Jack & Jill, Goldilocks, you name it! Instead of straightforward retellings, Garg takes those small overlooked or off-the-page details and creatively expands upon them, adding imagined context to these classic stories. For example, why were Jack and Jill going up the hill to fetch a pail of water in the nursery rhyme? Who was Goldilocks before she entered the bears' house? It was so fun to explore and think about these stories in a new way, and I especially enjoyed the way Garg wove some fairy tales together in unexpected but clever ways.

4 stars

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Circle of Days

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

Circle of Days

Ken Follett

Expected publication date: September 23, 2025

From a bestselling author of epic fiction comes the deeply human story of one of the world’s greatest mysteries: the building of Stonehenge.

A FLINT MINER WITH A GIFT
Seft, a talented flint miner, walks the Great Plain in the high summer heat, to witness the rituals that signal the start of a new year. He is there to trade his stone at the Midsummer Fair, and to find Neen, the girl he loves. Her family lives in prosperity and offer Seft an escape from his brutish father and brothers within their herder community.

A PRIESTESS WHO BELIEVES THE IMPOSSIBLE
Joia, Neen’s sister, is a priestess with a vision and an unmatched ability to lead. As a child, she watches the Midsummer ceremony, enthralled, and dreams of a miraculous new monument, raised from the biggest stones in the world. But trouble is brewing among the hills and woodlands of the Great Plain.

A MONUMENT THAT WILL DEFINE A CIVILIZATION
Joia’s vision of a great stone circle, assembled by the divided tribes of the Plain, will inspire Seft and become their life’s work. But as drought ravages the earth, mistrust grows between the herders, farmers and woodlanders—and an act of savage violence leads to open warfare . . .

Truly ambitious in scope, Circle of Days invites you to join master storyteller Ken Follett in exploring one of the greatest mysteries of our age: Stonehenge. - from Goodreads

Michele's Monday Picks #77

Angela is so generous to let me pop in with my series, Michele’s Monday Picks!  I’m not a blogger or bookstagrammer, but I love getting excited about new releases with the rest of you.  Here I’ll be sharing new books I’m really looking forward to!

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The Taylors

By Jen Calonita

Expected Publication: October 7, 2025

From Goodreads:

Four girls . . . all named Taylor. Read New York Times bestseller Jen Calonita's origin story of an unforgettable friendship! And don't miss the sister Love Stories (The Taylors Version #1) by Elizabeth Eulberg.

Taylor (aka Teffy to her family) is terrified to start middle school.

She wishes she could fade into the background, unnoticed. But on the first day of school, she finds herself in the spotlight when it's revealed that her homeroom class has four girls all named Taylor! There's a couple of things they can agree Taylor Swift is the greatest singer-songwriter of all time...and they are definitely going to need nicknames.

Soon, Teffy's outside her comfort zone, going out for cheerleading and starting a friendship bracelet making business. And when the Eras tour comes to town, the four friends will do whatever it takes to get tickets.

But then, a surprise betrayal changes everything. Teffy's learning to speak up for herself, but it's hard. Can she say what's on her mind and keep her new friends for good?

Love Stories (The Taylors Version)

By Elizabeth Eulberg

Expected Publication: October 7, 2025

From Goodreads:

Four girls, all named Taylor, make for one unforgettable friendship! New York Times bestseller Elizabeth Eulberg follows four stories of first love, friendship, and heartbreak. Don't miss the sister novel, Jen Calonita's The Taylors!

Not all friendships are forever and always . . .

Teffy, Tay, Taylor, and TS have been best friends since middle school. As they enter their high school freshmen era, relationships bring on the drama.

Teffy is crushing on the boy next door who belongs to someone else. Tay finds herself down bad for a tortured poet. Things get treacherous as an older boy starts flirting with Taylor. And TS is definitely focused only on soccer and doesn't fancy her new teammate, a cute London girl . . . right?

Suddenly, it feels like everything has changed. Pulled in different directions between navigating high school and new relationships, will their friendship be long lived or is it so long, Taylors?

Two for one today! This is such a great concept, where Jen Calonita introduces us to this friend group in her middle grade novel and Elizabeth Eulberg picks up their stories a few years later in her YA!  Do you think you’ll be picking these up?

Recent Reads

 The Tenant by Freida McFadden (2025)

After getting fired from his job, Blake and his fiancée Krista are forced to take in a tenant to make ends meet.  Whitney seems nice at first, but then weird things start happening, and Blake beings to wonder if something more sinister is going on.  This was a quick and captivating audiobook - the first part is from Blake's POV, and it's interesting to see him become more unhinged as the story goes on.  He's convinced Whitney is out to get him, but Krista doesn't believe him.  I will admit, McFadden definitely surprised me with the twist, but the reader has to majorly suspend disbelief, because, to me, the odds of this working out the way it did were basically zero.  Points for creativity, but even in the world of thrillers, this was out there.  3.5 stars

Love Story by Lindsey Kelk (2024)

Sophie has a big secret - she's a bestselling romance novelist.  She published her book under a different name to prevent backlash from her school community and family.  But when Joe finds out her secret, and the two are forced to spend the weekend together at her dad's birthday party, could this be the end of her anonymous publishing days?  This book was a mixed bag for me - it started off interesting, floundered a bit in the middle, but then came back strong at the end.  Sophie and Joe find themselves both attracted to and repulsed by each other when they first meet, and they fight these feelings over the course of a weekend in the country.  I thought Joe was a well-rounded character - at times smarmy and cocky, he could also be extremely vulnerable and I loved watching him try to prove himself to Sophie.  Sophie's family adds some fun (but also at times obnoxious) flair to the story, but overall, this is about Joe and Sophie, and Sophie finding the courage to be herself.  4 stars

* This post contains affiliate links; I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.

Month in Review: August 2025

 

Hey, everyone!  I'm back from my blog break with a recap of August.  Henry had his last music class of the summer. We went to a pool party at my sister's house.  We celebrated Tom's birthday and Henry had a playdate with our nephew at an indoor trampoline park.  Henry's daycare went on a field trip to Planet Playskool, an indoor activity space inspired by Hasbro toys.  The highlight of our month, though, was our big family trip to Cape Cod! My dad and stepmom, 4 of my 5 siblings, and all their families traveled to Falmouth, MA, and stayed in a big inn-turned-private rental house, right across the street from the beach (which was perfect for the early risers).  We played in the sand and water, went mini-golfing, visited a children's museum, checked out a bunch of lighthouses, and took the ferry to Martha's Vineyard.  It was tiring but a lot of fun spending so much time with everyone and exploring a new place!

The Books

Love Story // Ladykiller // Under the Black Flag // Under Loch and Key

Without a Hitch // Lucky Break // Do You Remember? // The Enemy

The Match

The Posts and Reviews

Michele's Monday Picks #75

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Too Old For This

Recent Reads

Little Free Library Sightings: The DE/PA Edition

Blog Tour + Review: Grandma Yogini by Raven Howell

Michele's Monday Picks #76

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Pitcher Perfect

How are you doing?

* This post contains affiliate links; I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.

Blog Break

 

The summer is winding down, so I'll be taking a brief break from the blog to soak up these last days!  Thanks for stopping by, and I look forward to talking books again in September!

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Pitcher Perfect

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

Pitcher Perfect (Big Shot #4)

Tessa Bailey

Expected publication date: September 9, 2025

#1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey is back with an all-new enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating sports romance about a playboy hockey rookie and the disciplined softball pitcher completely immune to his charms.

Boston Bearcats rookie Robbie Corrigan is living the dream. He’s made it to the NHL, his best friend/teammate and fellow “orgasm donor” is his roomie—and the women of Boston love them both. Life is sweet. That is, until he meets Skylar Paige, division 1 softball pitcher, girl least likely to take anyone’s bull…and the one member of the opposite sex immune to his charms. Robbie might be dazzled by the badass pitcher, but Skylar pegs him as a filthy player and wants nothing to do with him.

When he discovers she’s carrying a serious torch for her brother’s best friend, Robbie knows he should just go back to clubbing and whipped cream bikini parties, but he can’t seem to leave Skylar to flounder on her romantic quest to land another man. Nor can he miss out on the opportunity to spend time with her and hopefully redeem himself. Before Robbie knows it, he’s agreed to be Skylar’s fake boyfriend/love coach at an upcoming family wilderness competition where her crush will be in attendance. What could go wrong?

Through a series of contests that require them to trust each other, Robbie and Skylar grow closer and closer until their fake relationship starts to feel like the realest thing they’ve ever known and the sizzling lessons in sensuality burn out of control.

But it’s all just pretend…right? - from Goodreads