The Holdout

 The Holdout 

Author: Graham Moore

Narrator: Abby Craden

Publisher: Random House Audio

Year: 2020

Happy Big Game Day! Are you cheering for KC or TB?

The Holdout Out is about a trial that rocks a city. Bobby Nock, a young Black teacher, is accused of murdering one of his students. Jessica Silver was the teenage daughter of a wealthy real estate developer and her body was never found. The prosecution thinks it has enough evidence to easily convict. The jury is picked and soon sequestered as Booby Nock’s trial begins. 

Maya Seale is one of the jurors and she’s convinced Bobby is innocent. She seems to be the only one who does. But as the jury deliberates, Maya convinces her fellow jurors of Bobby’s innocence. They find him not guilty. It’s a decision that will haunt the jurors and change their lives. 

Ten years after the trial, a true crime docuseries brings the jury together again. When one of her fellow jurors is murdered, Maya must prove her own innocence in that killing as she questions Bobby Nock’s true involvement in Jessica’s murder all those years ago. 

This part legal thriller and part whodunnit is a compelling and entertaining story. The story pulls you right in as it flows back and forth between past and present. It was interesting to see how the trial changed the jurors and set them on different paths. The ending has a twist I did not anticipate at all. The audiobook narration by Abby Craden is spot on and engaging. This is perfect for fans of John Grisham and Michael Connelly’s Lincoln Lawyer books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#theholdout #grahammoore #abbycraden #randomhouseaudio #trail #jury #notgulity #sequesteredjurors #leagalsystem #legalthriller #mystery #bookreview #audiobookreview #audiobookstagram #audiobooks #audible #audiblebooks #readwithmyears #audiobook 

Meet the Blogger

 Meet the Blogger 

Happy Saturday!

I guess it’s about time I properly introduce myself to the bookstagram community. My name is Kris. I’m a retired high school librarian. I worked at a small rural school serving grades 7 through 12. Best job ever! 

I’ve always been a reader since I was a little. My favorite genre is mystery and thrillers. Sue Grafton, Laura Lippman, and Michael Connelly are three of my favorite authors. And even though I’m retired, I still enjoy reading young adult books. 

My husband and I have been married for 32 years. He’s a retired social studies teacher. We taught at the same school. We have two kids and they’re both teachers now. We have two dogs- Rory and Gracie. We spend part of the year at the Outer Banks, NC. I love the beach! 

I don’t like coffee or tea. Am I even allowed to be a bookstagrammer if I don’t drink coffee or tea? 😀Whenever there’s a mug in one of my pics it’s filled with either chocolate milk or Coca Cola. I love chocolate, pizza, and Bruce Springsteen. 

Once in Barnes & Noble, I noticed a grandmother and grandfather shopping for books to give to their teenage daughter. I asked them if they knew what their granddaughter had read recently. The grandmother mentioned a few titles. I then spent the next 5 minutes giving them an impromptu book talk of some of the books that were on display. The grandmother asked if I worked there. “No. I’m a high school librarian and my talent is matching kids with the right books,” I replied. She ended up buying two books I recommended. 

That’s me in a nutshell. The photo me meeting Diary of a Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney at a book signing a few years ago. 

Have a great weekend! 

The Rose Code

 The Rose Code 

Author: Kate Quinn

Publisher: William Morrow Books

Year: 2021

The Rose Code follows the story of three very different women who work to crack the Enigma codes during World War II. Osla is vivacious debutant out to prove she is more than just a “silly deb” with a pretty face. She has a brain and wants to be taken seriously for a change. Mab is a poor girl with family secrets who wants a stable life with a respectable husband. She’s not a social climber. She just wants a better life than the one she grew up with. Beth is brilliant, quiet, and shy. She’s held under her abusive and domineering mother’s thumb. Beth soon becomes one of the best code breakers at Betchley Park, the secret facility dedicated to decoding and translating German radio transmissions. The three women form an unlikely friendship as Osla and Mab help Beth come out of her shell and stand up to her mother. 

As the war progresses and the women become more immersed in their work at BP, they all experience romance and heartache. Their friendship fractures when Mab suffers a devastating loss and blames Osla and Beth. Just as the Allies begin to launch the D-Day invasion of France, Beth discovers there’s a traitor inside the Bletchley Park. Before she has the chance to crack more code to learn the traitor’s identity, she’s accused of having a breakdown and whisked off to a mental hospital. She spends three and a half years there trying to maintain her sanity and figure out who the traitor was. When the medical staff start discussing a lobotomy for her, Beth is desperate. She reaches out to her old friends Osla and Mad to help get her out, find the traitor, and bring them to justice. 

Quinn crafts a well researched and thrilling story of the women who worked so behind the scenes for their country during the war. The characters are witty, determined, and so very real - especially in their grief and heartache. Osla, Mab, and Beth will stay with you long after you finish reading the book. She does a wonderful job capturing the chaotic energy of Bletchley Park and the brilliant people who worked there. There’s something here for every reader to enjoy from historical fiction, to romance to espionage. This is sure to be another best seller. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley, Kate Quinn, and William Morrow Books for the eARC. Publishes March 9, 2021. 

#therosecode #katequinn #williammorrowbooks #historicalfiction #espionage #codebreaker #enigma #bletchleypark #bookreview #ebookreview #netgalley #netgalleyreview #advancedreaderscopy #wwiii #england #kindle 

Book Mail!

 Book Mail! 

Happy Friday eve! 

I finally got to the post office to pick up our mail the was being held while we were at the beach. And this beauty was in the pile! I will read anything Angie Thomas writes- even her grocery list. 😀 This is my most anticipated read for 2021 and I can’t wait to read it. I have to finish reading Layla for a group read and then I can dive into the world of Garden Heights and meet young Maverick. 

What book are you excited to read? 

#concreterose🌹 #angiethomas #maverick #gardenheights #nextread #alwaysreading #ireadya #mostanticipatedread #bookstagram #bookworm #booklover  #balzerbray 

Leave the World Behind

 Leave the World Behind 

Author: Rumaan Alam

Publisher: Ecco

Year: 2020

Happy Wednesday! There’s still snow falling in my little corner of the world. 

Amanda, Clay, and their two kids head out on vacation to a remote part of Long Island. It should be an idyllic week in a luxurious rental house. Not long after their vacation is under way, an older Black couple knocks on the door late one night. Ruth and G.H. were heading home from a concert in NYC when a blackout suddenly occurred. They decided the safest thing to do would be to wait out the back out at their vacation house even though it was rented. Amanda and Clay have now way to check the other couple’s story. The vacation house still has electricity but the internet and television is out and there’s no cell signal in the area. Seemingly cut off from the rest of the world, Amanda and Clay wrestle with how to keep their family safe and the rising panic of the unknown. 

I almost abandoned this book at the very beginning, but little by little it kept pulling me in. What caused the blackout? Why is the internet and television out? What’s happening? The discomfort, fear, and panic rises as information is cut off and some inexplicable things happen. 

Like the characters, the reader is pretty much kept in the dark too. The author gives the reader some hints at what’s happening in the world, but never the full picture. We’re left to our imaginations to fill in the blanks.  And that might be the scariest thing of all. 

This is a thought provoking look at fear, trust, and panic at the unknown. With information at our fingertips, how do we react when we’re cut off from everything we know? 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#bookreview #librarybook #ebook #ebookreview #leaverheworldbehind #rumaanalam #ecco #fear #longisland #vacation #kindle #libbyapp #bookstagram #vacationrental #vacationnightmare #booklover #bookworm #blackout #nointernet #readmorebooks 

Beach Read

 Beach Read 

Author: Emily Henry

Publisher: Berkeley 

Year: 2020

Opposites attract in this sweet and smart lstory about two authors who end up as neighbors for the summer.

January, a romance writer who lost her mojo, is grieving the death of her father and the breakup of her relationship with her long time boyfriend. She decides to move into her father’s cottage on the shore of Lake Michigan for the summer. January is heartbroken after learning her parents’ fairy tale love story wasn’t perfect. Her father had shared the cottage with his mistress. January plans empty the cottage out and sell it. She’s also under pressure to deliver a new manuscript but she too depressed and heartsick to write about love. 

She quickly discovers her new next door neighbor is Gus Everett, author of literary fiction and her old college nemesis and crush. Gus is dealing with his own trauma and grief. January and Gus make a bet to jumpstart their writing. She’ll try her hand at writing the great American novel and he will write a romance. 

They decide to give each other tutorials to help their writing processes. January takes Gus on “romantic dates” to a country fair and a night of line dancing. Gus takes January to interview survivors of a local cult. The more time they spend together, the more their friendship and then romance grows. 

This is a fun, but not overly saccharine, read! The characters are interesting and likable. They pull you right in. The dialogue is snappy and smart. The story is not just a cute romance. There’s some very poignant scenes packed inside. It all adds up to a delightful and tender love story. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#beachread #emilyhenry #romaneread #lovestory #bookreview  #oppositesattract #authors #printbook #paperbacks #booklover #bibliophile #booksandromance #readreadread #neighborstolovers 

Currently Reading

 Currently Reading 

Happy snowy Monday from my little corner of the world! 

I’m doing some NetGalley reading today as the snow falls. This book publishes on March 9th and I’m sure it’s going to be a huge hit just like The Alice Network. Is it possible that @andrea.c.lowry.reads is influencing my reading choices and I’m adding more historical fiction into the mix? 😀

And I’ve been tasked with choosing my book club’s read for March. So I’m looking for recommendations- just no new publications. It’s easier to get books from the library if they’ve been out for a little while. Have a great day! 

#katequinn #therosecode #netgalley #historicalfiction #advancedreaderscopy  #ebook #arc #kindle #currentlyreading #readreadread #bookworm #readinglife #readingislife #williammorrow