Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Temple of Fortuna by Elodie Harper & Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park

    

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 spotlights are:

The Temple of Fortuna by Elodie Harper
Publication: November 23rd, 2023
Union Square & Co.
Hardcover. 352 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"'Beautiful, moving, captivating.' - Jennifer Saint

'Vivid, unsentimental and compelling.' - The Times

Amara's journey has taken her far; from a slave in Pompeii's wolf den to a high-powered courtesan in Rome... though her story is not over yet.

While Amara plays for power in Rome's imperial palace, those dearest to her remain in Pompeii. But it is AD 79, and mighty Mount Vesuvius is about to make itself known..."

The Wolf Den Trilogy has been one of my favorite trilogies so far, and I am absolutely elated that the third book is almost here! This is truly one of the best historical fiction series I've read, so I'm also a little sad it'll be over. I have loved the cover design for all of these as well and how cohesive they all are. 

Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park
Publication: November 7th, 2023
Random House
Hardcover. 528 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"In 1919, far-flung Korean patriots establish the Korean Provisional Government to protest the Japanese occupation of their country. This government-in-exile proves mostly symbolic, though, and after Japan’s defeat in World War II, the KPG dissolves and civil war erupts, resulting in the North-South split that remains today.

But what if the KPG still existed now, today—working toward a unified Korea, secretly harnessing the might of a giant tech company to further its aims? That’s the outrageous premise of Same Bed Different Dreams, which weaves together three distinct narrative voices and an archive of mysterious images and twists reality like a kaleidoscope, spinning Korean history, American pop culture, and our tech-fraught lives into an extraordinary and unforgettable novel.

Early on we meet Soon Sheen, who works at the sprawling international technology company GLOAT, and comes into possession of an unfinished book authored by the KPG. The manuscript is a mysterious, revisionist history, tying famous names and obscure bit players to the KPG’s grand project. This strange manuscript links together figures from architect-poet Yi Sang to Jack London to Marilyn Monroe. M*A*S*H is in here, too, and the Moonies, and a history of violence extending from the assassination of President McKinley to the Soviet downing of Korean Air Lines Flight 007.

Just as foreign countries have imposed their desires on Korea, so too has Park tucked different dreamers into this sprawling bed of a novel. Among them: Parker Jotter, Korean War vet and appliance-store owner, who saw something--a UFO?--while flying over North Korea; Nora You, nail salon magnate; and Monk Zingapan, game designer turned writing guru. Their links are revealed over time, even as the dreamers remain in the dark as to their own interconnectedness. A thrilling feat of imagination and a step forward from an award-winning author, Same Bed Different Dreams begins as a comic novel and gradually pulls readers into another dimension—one in which utopia is possible."

That has got to be one of the biggest blurbs I've ever seen–and it sounds kinda crazy and also amazing, so I'm really looking forward to having a chance to check it out.