-
Tuesday’s Read: Seashell Season
What do you do when your one long-held hope is finally realized – and it’s nothing like you expected? What happens when you find out that most of your life has been a lie? Intrigued? Holly Chamberlain’s newest novel, Seashell Season, tackles this and more in a book that will tug on your heartstrings. When Verity Peterson’s baby was two months old, her estranged husband runs off with baby Gemma. For sixteen years, Verity has waited, and hoped, patiently, that she would be found and returned to her. And sixteen years after being abducted, she is. While Verity is overjoyed, Marni Armstrong – the name her father gave her –…
-
Two Middle Grade Books for Summer Reading
My 10-year old is an avid reader, and her reading pile is ALMOST as tall as mine. We both have a problem walking away from a tempting book (and what a good problem to have), particularly as we are both making sure we are set for summer reading. Of all the books we’ve both read lately, two stand out as superb choices for your kids: The Real Boy by Anna Ursu, and The Girl Who Could Not Dream by Sarah Beth Durst. Both are excellent options for your kiddo to pick up over the summer because they are fun and engaging. I picked up The Real Boy at the encouragement of our…
-
What I’m Reading Wednesday: Relativity
Generally, I judge the strength of a book by a combination of how difficult it is to put down and how much effort it takes to slow down and let myself sink into the story and the language. It’s a difficult balance, after all, setting a reading pace when you can’t wait to see what happens next but you don’t want the story to end. Antonia Hayes debut novel “Relativity” scores a ten on both specs. Beautiful language, a few twists and turns, it is an emotional, compassionate and carefully crafted look at familial relationships, the lengths we go to protect someone from hurt and disappointment, and forgiveness (the seeking and the…
-
Weekend Read: Girls’ Weekend
/ I picked up the e-galley of Cara Sue Achterberg’s “Girls’ Weekend” because the blurb intrigued me. Had I known I’d still be sitting in my favorite chair at 2am, racing to the finish, I probably would have put on my pajamas before I started. (Sometime before lunch…) Yeppers, it was that good. It was compelling, touching, and a bit soul-searching. Oh, and it was fun, too. Have you ever been on holiday and thought “what if I just don’t go home? I wish I could stay here and hide from the rest of the world…”? Well, Girls’ Weekend is the story of friends Charlotte, Dani and Meg. Frustrated and in need of a…
-
The Feathered Bone – What I’m Reading Wednesday
It’s Wednesday, and it’s BAAAAACCCKKK! Yes – it’s What I’m Reading Wednesday, and BOY do I have a doozy for you to kick off the year. (Never mind that January is almost over. There’s been too much reading and not enough writing, y’all). This week I want to tell you about Julie Cantrell’s latest book (just released yesterday), titled The Feathered Bone. This one had me glued to my comfy chair until the wee hours of the morning, and she done near ripped my heart out with this tale. Read in one marathon sitting, my first response was: damn, y’all. This was hard. HARD. And beautiful. Cantrell manages to wind the themes…
-
Christmas Novellas and Short Stories
For those of you who tell me “Oh, I’m too busy to read right now”, I say “Bah humbug!” Just for you I have three novellas and a book of six short stories, perfect for reading here and there in between Thanksgiving turkeys, Christmas shopping and office parties (or driving to team practices, tournaments over the holidays, and the like), all which will put you in the Christmas spirit! So much more fun than planning on how to avoid Aunt Mildred’s cheek-pinching fingers and critical relatives reviews of your holiday stuffing recipe! My first pick, Operation White Christmas (An Escape to the Country Novella) by Nicki Edwards, is a romantic and sweet little read, and…
-
Two Christmas Romances
I’ll be honest: I could have (and should have) titled this post “Two Christmas Romances featuring Overly Considerate and Infuriating Men” because the main male characters in each spend a lot of the book fighting against their feelings because they want to protect the main female characters from getting their hearts broken – by them. But that title is hell on SEO so I had to keep it short and simple. I enjoyed both of the books, and since I spent most of each wanting to throttle both characters for their thoughtful (and, yes, let’s call a spade a spade) somewhat self-absorbed justification (because really, they could have gotten their hearts broken just as…
-
Two Thrillers for Tuesday
I’m not getting much done lately – including blog posts – because I have had my nose deep in a book (or five), particularly thrillers. This week I have two heart-pounding novels for you! <div:”image:none;”> First up is a thriller by a true favorite of mine, Tess Gerritsen. I’m a huge fan of her medical and crime thrillers, and in particular her Rizzoli and Isles series. If you’re looking for something along the plotlines of these novels: this isn’t it. What it IS: Tess Gerritsen switches things up as she adds a generous helping of historical fiction in her mystery. With Playing With Fire, Gerritsen has crafted a wonderful historical novel of a composer in WWII Italy…
-
What I’m Reading Wednesday: House Trained
If you are looking for a sweet tale about love, acceptance and forgiveness, look no further than Jackie Bouchard’s novel House Trained. Alex Halstad is an interior designer who is struggling to keep her business afloat. Her husband, Barry has no idea of the dire straits they are in financially. They live in a beautiful home, impeccably decorated by Alex. Childless by choice, their sweet labradoodle Marie is the object of their love and affection, much to the dismay and thinly veiled criticism of Alex’s mother and sister. So when Barry comes home from the university library where he works with the startling news that he has a teenage daughter he didn’t know…
-
Read This: The Ripper Gene
Hey everybody, I’ve been waiting to share a GREAT thriller that I just finished. It’s titled The Ripper Gene, the debut novel for author Michael Ransom. And you know me – I’m not the most patient person – so of COURSE, there will be a good reason for holding off on the review. drumroll I had the opportunity to interview Michael Ransom, and I’m really excited to share the exchange because he has a fascinating background: Michael is also a molecular pharmacologist and an expert in toxicogenomics and pharmacogenetics (dumbed down, the study of the effects of environmental toxins on cells and tissues, and the study of genetic differences that…
