Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Last Astronaut by David Wellington & Professor Renoir's Collection of Oddities, Curiosities, and Delights by Randall Platt

 
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.

This week's upcoming book spotlight is: 

The Last Astronaut
The Last Astronaut by David Wellington
Publication: July 23rd, 2019
Orbit
Paperback. 400 pages.


"Sally Jensen--once a famous astronaut--thought her days in space were over. She was wrong. 

The object entered our solar system, slowed down off the rings of Saturn, and began a steady approach towards Earth. No one knows what its purpose is. It has made no attempt at communication and has ignored all of NASA's transmissions. 

Having forsaken manned flight, the space programs of the world scramble to enlist forcefully-retired NASA legend Sally Jensen--the only person with the first-hand operational knowledge needed to execute a mission to make contact. 

With no time to spare she must lead a crew with no experience farther than mankind has ever traveled, to a visitor whose intentions are far from clear...and who, with each passing day, gets closer to home."
I'm a sucker for any space-related sci-fi thriller, so this sounds pretty much right up my alley. This is a slightly different concept from other recent space-related books I've read, so I'm particularly intrigued for that.

and...
Professor Renoir's Collection of Oddities, Curiosities, and Delights
Professor Renoir's Collection of Oddities, Curiosities, and Delights by Randall Platt
Publication: July 23rd, 2019
HarperCollins
Hardcover. 416 pages.


"In this vivid, entertaining, and authentic historical novel set in the world of a traveling carnival in 1896, two fourteen-year-old girls—one a giant and the other a dwarf—start out as enemies but soon come to depend on one another to escape the clutches of an evil carnie owner who wants to kill and stuff their beloved animals. For fans of The One and Only Ivan and Water for Elephants. 

The year is 1896, and Fern “Babe” Killingsworth is fourteen years old, six-foot-nine inches, and weighs 342 lbs. When her father sells her for a hundred dollars to Professor Phillipe Renoir, Babe has nothing to lose. She’s hoping she’ll find something worthwhile working alongside the other “freaks” in Professor Renoir’s Collection of Oddities, Curiosities, and Delights. 

When Babe meets Carlotta, the tiny performer seems like nothing more than a spoiled diva. “I’m a dwarf, not a midget!” says the diminutive dancer—but soon the two are partners in crime, eventually disgusted by the conditions and treatment they experience in carnie life, and especially afraid of Renoir’s threats to kill and stuff their beloved animal companions, an elephant, a chimp, and a bear. When the two girls get good news in a letter, they run away from Renoir and find themselves in a much better situation at the home of Carlotta’s aunt—but will it be the last stop for Babe?"
This sounds so quirky and fun! I love the historical setting and anything with carnivals are pretty much an automatic yes from me. Can't wait to check this one out!

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

7 comments:

  1. The Last Astronaut is a book I'm really looking forward to as well. Wellington is known for his horror books so I'm curious to see what he does with SF.

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    1. Ooh, I didn't know that about Wellington, that makes me even more excited. And interested in checking out his other books!

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  2. So you've sunk me - I think I want both of them. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. The Carnival one sounds super fun! I can't wait to read it! Here is my post https://paigesofbook.blogspot.com/2019/06/cant-wait-wednesday-fountains-of-silence.html

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  4. Oooh! Both books sounds awesome! Great picks!

    Here’s my WoW!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog

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  5. I love space-related books, too! The Last Astronaut sounds pretty awesome.

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  6. Both sound good, I think the first one I've seen somewhere else. Great picks!
    Check out my Wednesday Post

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