Wednesday, June 30, 2021
June Reading Wrap-up
Tuesday, June 29, 2021
Library Books
I stopped at the library yesterday afternoon. It was my first time actually going in the library since the start of the pandemic. I did take advantage of their curbside pick up during shut down. And I’d be lost without their ebooks and audiobooks through the @libby.app. But it sure was nice to go in and browse the library shelves! These two books are on my TBR so it will be nice to knock them off the list. Have you read either of these yet?
I feel a little ahead of the game because I already have dinner planned for tonight. I am not a good meal planner! Throwing steaks and corn on the grill to go with some macaroni salad.
What’s on your dinner menu this week? I always need inspiration!
#findyoufirst #linwoodbarclay #williammorrowbooks #thesearcher #tanafrench #viking #penguinrandomhouse #thrillerbooks #mysterybooks #librarybooks #lovemylibrary #readingcommunity #readerlife #bookworm #bibliophile #libraryhaul #alwaysreading
Monday, June 28, 2021
City of Saviors
Saturday, June 26, 2021
Give Us a Kiss
Friday, June 25, 2021
The Vanishing Half
Thursday, June 24, 2021
Like Water for Chocolate
Author: Laura Esquivel
Publisher: Anchor Books/Doubleday
Year: 1995
Happy Friday Eve!
Like Water for Chocolate was such a huge hit back in the day. I remember reading it when it first published in the mid ‘90s. At the time I thought it was okay, but not for me. Fast forward 25 years or so. My book club read it last month. I thought maybe I’d feel differently about it now. Maybe reading it from a different point in life would change my opinion. I went into it with fresh eyes and a positive attitude, ready to finally appreciate this classic. Nope. I’m just not a fan of magical realism. It just isn’t my genre.
It was a quick read and each chapter represented a month of the year. Every month had a recipe that Tita makes and the recipes tied the story together.
The book club consensus: Mama Elena was the worst. Nacha and Dr. John were the best. Tita wasted her time on Pedro. She should have kicked him to the curb and never looked back. We wanted to hear more about Gertrudis’s life. How did she go from a brothel to leading an army? ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Have you ever revisited a book after a number of years? Did you feel the same about the book as the first time you read it?
#likewaterforchocolate #throwbackthursday #backlist #backlistbooks #lauraesquivel #anchorbooks #doubledaybooks #bookclub #bookclubbook #mexico #recipes #lovestory #magicalrealism #romancebooks #bestsellerbook #bestseller
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
Let It Go!
Tuesday, June 22, 2021
Dream Girl
Author: Laura Lippman
Publisher: William Morrow Books
Year: 2021
Happy publication day to Dream Girl! Let me tell you, this is a dream of a book!
I’ve been a Laura Lippman fan since the early days of her Tess Monaghan series. Since then, she’s gone on to write a number of outstanding stand-alones. Her latest offing, Dream Girl, is a dark, slow burning, and enthralling puzzle full of twists that you will never see coming.
Gerry Anderson is a successful novelist who recently returned to his hometown of Baltimore to care of his aging mother. After his mother’s death, Gerry has an accident and is confined to a hospital bed in his high-rise apartment. He is dependent on his assistant Victoria and the night nurse Aileen for everything. As Gerry slowly recovers from his injuries, he starts getting mysterious phone calls from a woman claiming to be the real life inspiration for Aubrey, the main character of his breakout novel. Gerry had always insisted Aubrey was purely a product of his imagination and not based on anyone. Gerry considers who could be behind the calls. He has three ex-wives and a girlfriend he just ditched so there are numerous suspects.
As his isolation from the outside world grows, Gerry begins to question his own sanity and reflects on his own life and relationships. As his story unfolds, we see another side of Gerry- one that he doesn’t want his fans and admirers to see. And it’s at this point when Lippman really starts playing mind games!
This is a totally character driven psychological horror story. Lippman does credit Stephen King’s Misery for the inspiration. Her writing is sharp and the whole book is masterfully plotted.
You all know I’ve gotten tired of the psychological thriller genre. But like Flynn’s Gone Girl and Hawkins’ Girl on the Train, Lippman elevates the genre to new heights with Dream Girl. Make this one of your reads this summer! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for the digital review copy!
What’s your most anticipated book this summer?
#dreamgirl #lauralippman #williammorrowbooks #netgalley #baltimore #author #horror #suspensebooks #mysteryfiction #publicationday #hospitalbed #bookreview #nightnurse #psychologicalthriller
Monday, June 21, 2021
The Other Black Girl
Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for gifting me the audiobook The Other Black Girl. The novel, by Zakiya Dalilia Harris, is one of the most anticipated books of this summer and is already on numerous best books of the year lists. Deservedly so!
Nella is the only Black person working at Wagner, a prestigious publishing house. She’s tired of the isolation and the everyday micro aggressions. She’s thrilled when Hazel, a young Black woman, is hired as another editorial assistant. Hazel is effortlessly stylish and cool and she quickly leapfrogs Nella in the office hierarchy. When Nella starts to get vaguely threatening anonymous notes, she begins to wonder if Hazel is behind them. As Hazel’s star quickly rises, Nella pieces together a nefarious plot and is given a choice. Is Nella willing to give up a part of herself for easy success?
This is an intense and thought provoking workplace suspense story. The book is advertised as a cross between The Devil Wears Prada and Get Out. The terror here is subtle, but no less horrific when it’s finally revealed.
The audio narration, lead by Aja Naomi King, is riveting and kept me listening. This is an impressive debut novel and I’m looking forward to see what Harris does next.
Hope y’all had a great weekend and are refreshed and recharged.
What’s been your favorite debut read so far this year?
#theotherblackgirl #zakiyadelilaharris #simonaudio #ajanaomiking #audiobook #audiobookreview #suspensethriller #workplacethriller #workplacesuspense #audiobooksofinstagram #readdiversebooks #readdiversely #bibliophile
Saturday, June 19, 2021
The Prophets
The Prophets
Tuesday, June 15, 2021
Shiver
Shiver
Sunday, June 13, 2021
Faithful Place
Faithful Place
Saturday, June 12, 2021
Currently Reading
Wednesday, June 9, 2021
The Glorious Guinness Girls
The Glorious Guinness Girls
Three sisters with wealth, glamour, and a name recognized around the world. A country struggling to throw off the shackles of its oppressor and find it’s independence and identity. A society of changing norms and expectations ushered in by the Jazz Age. It all comes together in Emily Hourican’s The Glorious Guinness Girls.
That’s is a lot, but the Guinness girls were a lot. Descendants of the the famous brewery family, Aileen, Maureen, and Oonagh came of age during Ireland’s fight for independence and civil war and the Jazz Age. In this fictional account, Fliss is sent to live with the Guinness family after her father dies in WWI and her family falls on hard times. She’s meant to be a companion for the girls. The story is told through her eyes as she grows up with the three sisters at their estate outside of Dublin and at their residence in London. Fliss is part of the family, but she is very aware she is never a member of the family.
Most of the book’s attention is focused on middle sister Maureen, the most outspoken and quick tempered of the sisters. All three sisters come off as very superficial characters. Of course, this was the time period when wealthy daughters were sheltered and raised to marry well and be good hostesses. But their characters seemed flat and not fully fleshed out. The chapters set in London where all they did was go to wild parties every night dragged for me after awhile.
The story unfolds over two different timelines- when the girls were growing up and then in the late 1970s. I think the story could have been told with out the later timeline. I don’t think it added much to the story.
Overall, this was an entertaining and enjoyable quick read. I liked the time period it was set in. The author provided enough historical and political details so the reader gets the gists of what was happening in Ireland at the time. This is a good choice for fans of Downton Abbey or The Great Gatsby.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tuesday, June 8, 2021
The Disappearing Act
The Disappearing Act
Mia Elliot is a British actress whose star is rising after a breakthrough performance in a television series about Jane Eyre. Blindsided with the breakup of her longtime boyfriend and in need of a change of scenery, Mia goes to Hollywood to try to land a starring role. While at an audition, Mia helps another actress out with a favor. That favor leaves Mia wondering who the other actress really is and puts her life and career in danger.
I enjoyed this behind the scenes look at Hollywood. Author Catherine Steadman is also an actress so she definitely knows the business. The auditions, the screen tests, the meetings with Hollywood power players, and the swag all add an air of authenticity to the story. It’s the mystery part of the book that is a little convoluted. Mia spends most of her time trying to track down a woman who she met for about 10 minutes. Is it mistaken identity or identity theft? Mia is like a dog with a bone and just won’t let it go even when the police tell her everything checks out.
I don’t want to give anything away but it wasn’t hard to figure out where the climax to the story takes place- and that Mia followed along so willingly. And the ending wraps up too neatly, not only for Mia but also for the character that put Mia in danger. I guess since it’s Hollywood, there has to be a happily ever after, right?
But none the less, this is an entertaining slow burning mystery perfect for readers who like the entertainment biz or who enjoy a good cat and mouse thriller.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and the author for the eARC! The Disappearing Act is available today.
Monday, June 7, 2021
The Cave Dwellers
The Cave Dwellers
Friday, June 4, 2021
The Last Place You Look
The Last Place You Look
Project Hail Mary
Project Hail Mary
When the Stars Go Dark
When the Stars Go Dark
A detective reeling from a family tragedy returns to her hometown & becomes involved in the investigation of a missing teenage girl.
I should have really liked this book. It’s a police procedural with a strong female main character. It had an interesting case- the adopted teenage daughter of a Hollywood star has gone missing. Did the girl run away or was she kidnapped? I liked the setting- a small coastal California town.
But for me, the tone of this book was suffocatingly dark. I think every character in this book suffered from some kind of trauma - from childhood abuse, to bad marriages, to poor relationships with parents. Anna, the main character, is obsessed with finding missing kids. An obsessed & driven detective is standard in the mystery/thriller genre. But usually, there’s a wisecracking colleague or some kind of absurd subplot or character to add a smidge of levity. But not in this book. It’s like a massive black cloud of trauma hung over all the characters and the entire story. It was too much. I thought the only positive light in the book was a dog. But the whole tone of the book was so dark and depressing that I worried the dog was going to be killed off.
I prefer my thrillers/mysteries with more action. This book reads more literary than thriller and maybe that’s another reason why it didn’t click with me. But I did enjoy the #betweenfriendsbookclub discussion for this book. I’m glad other people in our chat enjoyed the book more than I did, but this book just wasn’t for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Happy Friday y’all! I’m reading The Glorious Guinness Girls this weekend. What are you reading this weekend?
#whenthestarsgodark #ballantinebooks #literarythriller #missinggirl #kidnapping #thrillerbooks #mysteryfiction #bookstagram #betweenfriendsbookclub #readreadread #policeproceedural #detectivefiction
Thursday, June 3, 2021
Furiously Happy
I’m way late to the Jenny Lawson fan club. After finally listening to her best seller Furiously Happy count me in!
I listened to this a little while ago and just loved it. It takes a very special and extremely talented author to write about crippling depression and anxiety and make mental health funny. And Lawson does this flawlessly. She writes so honestly about her lifelong battle with mental illness and it affects and she does it with such humor and grace.
Lawson narrates the audiobook herself and I think that just adds a special layer to the book. If you haven’t read one of her books yet, make it a priority to do so. And this book cover is perfect! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tuesday, June 1, 2021
May Reading Wrap Up
May Reading Wrap Up
Happy June! Summer is here! 😎
Here’s my May reading wrap up. Thank you to Simon Schuster Audio for the gifted books The Cave Dwellers, Light Perpetual, and The Last Thing He Told Me. Thank you to Mulholland Books for the gifted copy of Heaven’s a Lie.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Heaven’s a Lie
The Cave Dweller’s 🎧
The Last Thing He Told Me 🎧
My Life as a Villainess
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Disappearing Act
They Went Left 🎧
The Vanishing Half 🎧
The Perfect Daughter
Light Perpetual 🎧
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hour of the Witch 🎧
The Prophets
When the Stars Go Dark
Like Water for Chocolate
The Sanatorium
The Distance from Me to You
The Perfect Daughter was a #spontaneousgroupread and we had a lively discussion about the book’s main character who had multiple personality disorder. The Prophets was May’s #buddyreadstodiefor and When the Stars Go Dark was for the #betweenfriendsbookclub We had great discussions with those books too. My irl book club read Like Water for Chocolate.
My favorite book for the month was Heaven’s a Lie. What was your favorite May read?
Safecracker
Author: Jesse DeRoy Publisher: Union Square & Co Year: 2024 Thank you @unionsqandco and @netgalley for the digital review copy! Apprec...
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Author: Kevin Goetz Narrator: Kevin Goetz Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio Year: 2021 🎧𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄🎧 Thank you @...
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Author: T. J. Newman Narrator: Steven Weber Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio Year: 2021 🎧𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰🎧 Thank you...
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The Cave Dwellers Author: Christina McDowell Narrator: Madeline Maby Publisher: Simon Audio Year: 2021 Happy Monday! Thank you to @simon.a...