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Short Stories By Texas Authors!
SHORT STORIES BY TEXAS AUTHORS Volume 2 Short Stories by Texas Authors, Volume 2 is comprised of winning stories submitted in an annual contest to highlight Texas Authors while raising money for literacy programs. Genre: Short Stories Publisher: Texas Authors, Inc. Date of Publication: October 3, 2016 # of pages: 110 Scroll down for Giveaway! Texas Authors have once again allowed their creative minds to open up and expand the universe in which they live with short stories that captures one’s emotions through the everlasting aspect of storytelling. In this, the second volume of award winning short stories, readers are taken on a personal ride of growth and understanding…
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Three Christmas Reads for Wednesday
It was 95º here in the Dallas area today, a continuation of the warm weather we’ve been experiencing….so of course, I’m reading Christmas fiction! This week, I have three Christmas stories for you – perfect for getting into the holiday spirit. (Especially when it’s warm outside.) Christmas is quite possibly my favorite holiday season, and these books are just the thing to get me ready and help me through the crazy that the season can be. This is the late-night “it’s still Wednesday somewhere” Christmas story edition of What I’m Reading Wednesday!!! First on my list is actually a novella. Merry Mary, by Ashley Farley, is a story about a…
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What Im Reading Wednesday: Little Girl Gone
I’m back with another truly gripping novel! This week’s pick is NOT a light read – it’s a tale of psychological suspense. And my lovely UK readers – this one you won’t have to wait for, as this is the UK version! (No fears, my lovely fellow Yanks – there’s a version for us, too.) I’m really anxious to talk about Little Girl Gone by Alexandra Burt! <“https://jenncaffeinated.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/LittleGirlGone-pinterest-photo-393×1024.jpg” alt=”LittleGirlGone pinterest photo” width=”393″ height=”1024″ /> This book has been compared to “Gone Girl” and “Girl on a Train”. I think the only similarity between these books (aside from the words “Girl” and “Gone” in the title) is the use of the unreliable narrator;…
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Middle School is Tough. (These Books Aren’t)
This summer, my soon-to-be middle schooler lodged a complaint: “Why is it that so many books talk about how awful middle school is?” I took a look at his bookshelf and have to admit, it’s true. I didn’t want to admit that since middle school can be pretty miserable in real life, it’s a relatable topic for kids and easier to laugh at than cry with – I want him to look forward to middle school, after all! So we talked about what is happening in the books he’s read, and how the real meat of the story is in how the main character conquers his fears, or overcomes a huge challenge, or…
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#WIRW: The Late Night Edition
With memories of summer vacation fading faster than my tan and the kids back to school and so organized that I’m hardly needed in the mornings, I had great plans of conquering my to-do list in record time, all while re-establishing a semblance of routine. Ah, the best laid plans, all felled by a single sentence, an opening chapter, a stack of to-be-read thrillers and crime fiction. You got it. Little has been ticked off of my to-do list except for going to the gym, and I’ve had to add “drink coffee” and “read 6 chapters” to that list just to be able to tick something off. It hasn’t helped that these books…
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What I’m Reading Wednesday – The Murderer’s Daughter
This one has had me on the edge of my seat as I raced to the finish; I’m sure it’s still Wednesday in the Pacific Northwest so I think I can legitimately put this one under “What I’m Reading Wednesday”. This week’s book choice is the standalone novel The Murderer’s Daughter by Jonathan Kellerman. I’ve long been a fan of Jonathan Kellerman and his Alex Delaware character; while Delaware makes a cameo in this book, trust me, this isn’t an Alex Delaware novel. This is a much darker, and much more twisted psychological thriller. Five year old Grace Blades was taking care of herself, living on leftovers her slacker, shoplifting,…
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Book Reviewer Fail (or, Coming Soon on #WIRW)
I spent last week at the Outer Banks of North Carolina with one eye deep in my Kindle (with many thanks to NetGalley) and the other on the ocean, scanning for shark fins. Thankfully, the only sightings were (erroneously) that of a porpoise (but you can’t be too safe), and “Bob”, served at Tortuga’s Lie full of blood-red Grenadine syrup to pour into my nine-year-olds glass of pink lemonade. (The drink is aptly named the “Near Miss”, by the way.) All in all, I worked my way through eight galleys in ten days, and I read some amazing novels that I can’t wait to share with you! Unfortunately, you’ll have to do just that: wait. Because in my…
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What I’m Reading Wednesday: The Nightstand Edition
It’s been cold, and I’ve just wanted to curl up with a book and a cup of tea. Because of this, and some overenthusiastic trips to both the library and the bookstore, I now have a stack of books on my nightstand (and on my coffee table, and on my end table). We won’t talk about what I’ve downloaded to my Kindle recently, or the NetGalley advanced reader copies I have waiting to be read… The weather has been miserable, which makes me race through my to-do list so that I can curl up with a cup of tea and a chocolate digestive biscuit for an hour or so in…
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That Time I Didn’t Climb the Statue of Liberty
When I was younger, my family – my parents, younger sister and brother and I – road tripped to New York on vacation. While some points are blurry (making me wonder if I really need to stress out so much about planning memorable trips when I can only remember the weird/scary/highlights myself), two things stand out: stopping to ask a Jersey cop how we could get to the hotel my mother booked in East Orange, New Jersey (answer: “just keep driving, you really don’t want to go there”) and (nearly) climbing the Statue of Liberty. Let me explain. I may be a bit claustrophobic and I’m not a fan of stairs. Oh, the…
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What I’m Reading Wednesday: Books for A Cold Day
Brrrr! Fall is slipping away quickly here in Chicagoland and winter is tiptoeing in! I don’t know about you, but when the weather starts to turn, all I REALLY want to do is curl up in my favorite chair under a cozy blanket with a hot cup of tea and a good book! Lucky for you, I’ve got three really great mysteries that are recent releases – no waiting! So let’s get started: it’s time for What I’m Reading Wednesday and the “Books for a Cold Day” edition. There is something about Tana French’s style of writing that is instantly identifiable. Her books have a very distinctive feel –…
