The People We Meet on Vacation

 

Author: Emily Henry

Publisher: Berkeley Books

Year: 2021

There were two reasons why I bought this book:

🏖Bookstagram made me.

🏖 I wanted to update the books at our beach house  and realized there weren’t any romance books on the shelf. 

I’m not a romance reader, but I caved and read this one. It’s a friends to lovers story about two friends who take a trip somewhere every summer. The friends are complete opposites. Poppy is all bright colors, big city, and live out loud. Alex is khakis and button down shirts, small town living, and a bit shy. 

Poppy and Alex are fun and likable characters. Their vacation destinations sounded fabulous. I thought it took way to long for them to realize they were in love with each other and admit it. I got bored waiting for them to admit that they really loved each other. Maybe I’m just too impatient, but I thought the book could have been about 50 pages shorter without taking anything away from the overall narrative. Sweet characters, great vacation locations, a nice romance,  but just a tad too long and slow in places for me. I think I’m better off sticking with thrillers ans d mysteries.  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I hope a guest or two will pick it up off shelf at our rental sometime and enjoy it. I’m looking forward to discussing this with with the @thereadingteapot and @rjs.readingnook this weekend. Can’t wait to hear their thoughts! 

What’s last book you read or bought because bookstagram made you do it? 

#thepeoplewemeetonvacation #berkleybooks #beachread #romace #romacebooks #friendstolovers #bookworm #booknerd #bookstagram #vacation #travel #palmsprings #alwaysreading #booksbooksbooks 

Sleeping Bear

 

Author: Connor Sullivan

Narrator: Hillary Huber 

Publisher: Simon Audio

Year: 2021

🎧𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄🎧

Thank you @simon.audio for the #giftedbook. 

 

It’s been a minute since I read an espionage thriller, so I was excited to dive into Sleeping Bear, a debut novel by @connor_sullivan_author. The story follows Army veteran Cassie Gale. She’s grieving the death of her husband (also a veteran) and is about to start a new job in Alaska when she disappears from her campsite, leaving her wounded dog there alone. Alaska is a huge and deadly territory and authorities believe Cassie doesn’t want to be found. It wouldn’t be the first time someone disappeared in Alaska and there isn’t enough manpower to search for everyone who goes missing. But Cassie’s dad knows better and rounds up family and friends to begin a search. When Cassie’s sister is kidnapped, he soon discovers there’s more to the disappearances than anyone realizes and his past plays a big part of the mystery. He must now confront an old Cold War enemy to try to save his daughters. 

This is part survival story and part old school CIA vs KGB action-packed thriller. The pace is fast and there’s a huge nefarious Russian plot the quickly unfolds. The narration by @hillaryoutloud is on point and she easily tackles the Russian accents. This is perfect for fans of old school Tom Clancy or Vince Flynn and Brad Thor. Sleeping Bear is available now. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Do you like espionage thrillers? Back in the day, I read tons of Robert Ludlum. I think his books started me on the path to loving thrillers and mysteries. 

#sleepingbear #connorsullivan #simonaudio #hillaryhuber #debutauthor #espionagethriller #espionage #alaska #russia #thrillerfiction #cia #kgb #alaskawilderness #missingpersons #audiobook #audiobookstagram #audiobookreview #giftedbooks 

Shit, Actually

 

Author: Lindy West

Publisher: Hachette Books

Year: 2020

Happy Tuesday! 

Love movies and need a good laugh? Look no further than Lindy West’s Shit, Actually. West re-watched some beloved popular movies and pokes fun at the glaring plot holes and movie silliness. This is a quick read and it’s a hoot! I laughed out loud reading her takes on Love, Actually, The Lion King, Harry Potter, Forfest Gump, The Notebook, Face/Off, and Twilight among others. 

West looks at how these movies hold up. This was just a fun, light read for me. It was nice to reminisce about these movies. Perfect for any movie lover or anyone looking for some irrelevant humor. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎬 With all the different streaming services now, I feel like I’m probably missing lots of movies. What are your recent favorite movies? What do you recommend? 

#lindywest #hachette #movies #plotholes #cinema #humorousbooks #loveactually #thenotebook #twilight #forrestgump #thelionking #librarybook #funnybooks #needagoodlaugh #alwaysreading #bibliophile #bibliophilelife #bookrec #amazonkindle #booksta #bookstagram #bookstagrammademedoit 

Currently Reading

 

Happy Sunday! 

Here’s my #coffeeandcurrentlyreading except I my caffeine source isn’t coffee. I’m reading Dead-End Jobs: a Hitman Anthology. It’s a collection of short stories all featuring a hitman (or woman). I’m a few stories in and I’m enjoying it. I’m not familiar with most of the authors so it’s a good way to find some new to me authors to check out. 

We’re on the last leg of our trip home today. I think the dogs are looking forward to getting back to their own backyard. 

How are you spending today? 

#currentlyreading #shortstories #anthology #hitman #assassin #shortstorycollection #andyrausch #maxallancollins #kindle #amzaonkindle #alwaysreading #bookworm #booknerd #bibliophile #bibliophilelife #booksbooksbooks #allduerespectbooks 

The Guncle

 

Author: Steven Rowley

Publisher: Putnam Books

Year: 2021

Is there anyone on bookstagram who hasn’t read The Guncle yet? 

This book is about family, love, grief, letting go but not forgetting, and allowing yourself to be happy even when your heart is still breaking. 

Patrick, the main character, steps up to care for his young niece and nephew after their mother dies and their dad checks himself into rehab. Patrick knows grief after losing his partner in a car accident. He feels he can give the kids space to grieve for their mother. And of course while he’s helping the kids, they are helping him re-engage with the world Patrick has isolated himself from after losing the love of his life. 

🦩The characters are wonderful and real. A less talented author could have let the characters fall into easy cliches. Instead, author Steven Rowley loving crafts multi dimensional characters that you instantly love. 

🦩The story if full of heart and love. 

🦩There’s a lot of humor too. I laughed and I cried. 

🦩 I started reading it on my kindle and then switched over to the audiobook. Rowley narrates the audiobook and does a fantastic job! 

🦩This is a perfect summer read. And summer isn’t over yet, so you still have time to read this truly heartwarming book. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I read this a few weeks ago for our #SpontaneousGroupRead  hosted by the awesome @andrea.c.lowry.reads and I loved our discussion. 

It’s our last full day at the beach. Spending tonight packing, tidying up the house and deciding what audiobook to listen to when we hit the road tomorrow. What do you have going on this weekend? 

#theguncle #stevenrowley #penguinaudio #gpputnamssons #grief #family #lqbtq #niece #nephew #grieving #audiobook #ebook #kindlebooks #audible #bookreview #bookrecommendations #bookstagram #greatreads #booksworthreading #bibliophile 

The Other Passenger

 

Author: Louise Candlish

Narrator: Steven Mackintosh

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Year: 2021

🎧𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄🎧

Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted copy. 

Jamie and Clare live in a large, beautiful house in a posh section of London. Clare has a successful career in real estate. Jamie recently lost his white collar job, but he’s content with his current job in a coffee shop. Clare thinks Jamie needs a better job and it’s starting to put a strain on their relationship. 

Clare introduces Jamie to her young colleague Melia and her partner Kit. Jamie and Kit become fast friends when they start commuting to work together via the ferry. Melia and Kit are in debt up to their eyeballs and are jealous of the lavish home Clare and Jamie share- even though Clare’s parents actually own the house. 

When Kit disappears one night on the way home from work, Jamie becomes the number one suspect. A passenger witnessed Jamie and Kit having a scuffle of the ferry, but Jamie insists on his innocence. Soon Jamie’s secrets come to light and his life starts unraveling. He finds himself caught in a web that he might not escape. 

This is a twisty atmospheric novel full of lies and deception that pulled me and and kept me guessing. Jamie, the main character, is a flawed man. He seems like a regular guy, but scratch the surface and you’ll be surprised at what’s underneath. Louise Candlish keeps the tension crackling throughout this modern day noir story. Steven Mackintosh does a fantastic job narrating the book which is told all from Jamie’s point of view. The single POV works particularly well here. This is a layered story full of deception, schemes, and lies and following along with only Jamie’s POV as he puts the pieces together keeps the suspense ratcheted up. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The weather report for the rest of the week is rain, rain, and more rain. We could get 6 to 10 inches of rain in the next few days. ☹️ We haven’t decided if we’ll head home early or stay. What’s the weather doing in your corner of the world? 

#theotherpassenger #lousiecandlish #simonaudio #london🇬🇧 #londonlife #watertaxi #ferry #thrillerfiction #suspense #noir #missingperson #audiobook #audiobooksofinstagram #audiobookreview #bookrecommendations #bibliophile 

Shop Local

 

Happy August! 😎

We visited Island Bookstore  in Corolla, NC yesterday. We always stop in this lovely indie bookstore when we’re at the beach. I picked up Hard Cash Valley by Brian Panowich and this cute t-shirt. This book has been on my GoodReads want to read list ever since Crime Reads mentioned it as a best new paperback last April. Happy to finally get my hands on it. 

Synopsis: Dane Kirby is a broken man and no stranger to tragedy. As a life-long resident and ex-arson investigator for McFalls County, Dane has lived his life in one of the most chaotic and crime-ridden regions of the south. When he gets called in to consult on a brutal murder in a Jacksonville, Florida, motel room, he and his FBI counterpart, Special Agent Roselita Velasquez, begin an investigation that leads them back to the criminal circles of his own backyard.

Arnie Blackwell’s murder in Jacksonville is only the beginning – and Dane and Roselita seem to be one step behind. For someone is hacking a bloody trail throughout the Southeast looking for Arnie’s younger brother, a boy with Asperger’s Syndrome who possesses an unusual skill with numbers that could make a lot of money and that has already gotten a lot of people killed—and has even more of the deadliest people alive willing to do anything it takes to exploit him.

As Dane joins in the hunt to find the boy, it swiftly becomes a race against the clock that has Dane entangled in a web of secrets involving everyone from the Filipino Mafia to distrusting federal agents to some of hardest southern outlaws he’s ever known.

What are you reading to kick off the month? I’m still reading The People You Meet on Vacation. 

#hardcashvalley #brianpanowich #minotaurbooks #obx #islandbookstoreobx #indiebookstore #independentbookstore #shoplocal #beachread #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks #alwaysreading #bibliophile #bibliophilelife #readerlife #bookworm #booknerd