BOOKISH FRIDAY: “SUCH KINDNESS”

Welcome to another Bookish Friday, in which we  share excerpts from books…and connect with other bloggers who do the same.

Let’s begin the celebration by sharing Book Beginnings, hosted by Rose City Reader; and let’s showcase The Friday 56 with Freda’s Voice.

To join in, just grab a book and share the opening lines…along with any thoughts you wish to give us; then turn to page 56 and excerpt anything on the page.

Today’s feature is Such Kindness, by Andre Dubus III.

Book Beginning: Our Good Samaritan drives us through softly falling snow under streetlamps that have come on early. The boy’s car is filled with cigarette and pot smoke, and over the rap Jamey plays he’s just asked Trina a question.

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Friday 56: “In the shade of the house, in the sunshine of the riverbank near the boats, in the shade of the Salwood forest, in the shade of the fig tree is where Siddhartha grew up.”

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Synopsis: Tom Lowe’s identity and his pride are invested in the work he does with his back and his hands. He designed and built his family’s dream home, working extra hours to pay off the adjustable rate mortgage he took on the property, convinced he is making every sacrifice for the happiness of his wife and son. Until, in a moment of fatigued inattention, shingling a roof in too-bright sunlight, he falls.

In constant pain, addicted to painkillers at the cost of his relationships with his wife and son, Tom slowly comes to realize that he can never work again. If he is not a working man, who is he? He is not, he believes, the kind of person who lives in subsidized housing, though that is where he has ended up. He is not the kind of person who hatches a scheme to commit convenience-check fraud, together with neighbors he considers lowlifes, until he finds himself stealing his banker’s trash.

Who is Tom Lowe, and who will he become? Can he find a way to reunite hands and heart, mind and spirit, to be once again a giver and not just a taker, to forge a self-acceptance deeper than pride?

Andre Dubus III’s soulful cast includes Trina, the struggling mom next door who sells her own plasma to get by; Dawn, the tough-talking owner of the local hairdressing salon; Jamie, a well-meaning pothead college student ready to stick it to “the man”; and a mix of strangers and neighbors who will never know the role they played in changing a life. To one man’s painful moral journey, Dubus brings compassion with an edge of dark absurdity, forging a novel as absorbing as it is profound.

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What do you think? Would you keep reading? I am glad to be back to this Friday event!

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SERENDIPITOUS TUESDAY: “FLIGHT PATTERNS”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by Books & a Beat.

Today’s feature is a book from one of my favorite authors, Karen White.  Flight Patterns tells the story of a woman coming home to the family she left behind—and to the woman she always wanted to be…

 

 

 

Intro:  (Prologue)

“The keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams.”  Henry David Thoreau.

Ned Bloodworth’s Beekeeper’s Journal

September 1943

Provence, France

Dead bees fell from the bruised dusk sky, their papery bodies somersaulting in the air, ricocheting like spent shells off the azure-painted roof of the hive.  Giles straightened, breathing in the heavy scents of lavender and honey, of summer grasses and his own sweat.  And something else, too.  Something chemical and out of place in his fields of purple and gold.  Something that made sense out of the bees lying like carrion for the swarming swallows above.

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Teaser:  Without a word, he headed toward the front door while I grabbed my purse.  As he closed the door behind us, he said, “I suggest we take the car.  Caroline isn’t used to the heat and would probably melt.” (p. 198).

***

Synopsis:  Georgia Chambers has spent her life sifting through other people’s pasts while trying to forget her own. But then her work as an expert of fine china—especially of Limoges—requires her to return to the one place she swore she’d never revisit…

It’s been ten years since Georgia left her family home on the coast of Florida, and nothing much has changed, except that there are fewer oysters and more tourists. She finds solace seeing her grandfather still toiling away in the apiary where she spent much of her childhood, but encountering her estranged mother and sister leaves her rattled. 

Seeing them after all this time makes Georgia realize that something has been missing—and unless she finds a way to heal these rifts, she will forever be living vicariously through other people’s remnants. To embrace her own life—mistakes and all—she will have to find the courage to confront the ghosts of her past and the secrets she was forced to keep…

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What do you think?  Would you keep reading?  Have you read this book?  I know that I’m very eager to add this one to my up-next reads.

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BOOKISH THURSDAYS #15: SERENDIPITOUS MOMENTS

Welcome to Thursday, a day that once seemed lost, with nothing exciting happening anywhere.  But then that changed, and today I am celebrating some of the bookish events around the blogosphere, like Lexxie’s Thirsty Thursday & Hungry Hearts; Kimberlyfaye’s TBR Thursday; and Christine’s Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts.

My featured book today is one I purchased on December 31, 2015, and even though it’s been hanging out on Pippa for a while, it is new enough to count for my Read the Books You Buy Challenge.  It is Better Off Without Him, by Dee Ernst.

 

 

 

Let’s take a look at the book, in terms of foodies excerpts:

 

 

Our MC, Mona Berman, has a twenty-year marriage and three teenage daughters.  Here she is enjoying a normal morning of breakfasts, etc.  Here comes one of the teens:

That particular morning, I could see a happy kitten face beneath her grey hoodie, and her hair was in a long braid.  She carefully measured oatmeal and water into a bowl and set it in the microwave, then smiled as she poured her orange juice and said, in her very sweet, little-girl voice, “I put our DNA in Johnson already.  Is that okay?”

I smiled.  Of course it was okay.  For those who need a translation, Johnson is our minivan.  I call it Johnson after the actor, Van Johnson.  I am a huge movie fan, and I watched a lot of old movies on television when I was a kid.  The DNA she was referring to was the science project she and her sister had been working on for the past six weeks.

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Okay, I am already suspicious of this overly sweet girl.  I’ll bet she’s trouble!  lol

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Now we’ll examine this TBR more closely for TBR Thursday:

 

Blurb:  Mona Berman has it all—a twenty-year marriage, a successful career as a romance novelist, and three teenage daughters. But when her husband, Brian, leaves her for someone younger, thinner, blonde, and French, she has to step back and take a good, long look at her life.

First, her career. She can’t continue to write about “Happily Ever After,” so she changes the heroine of her new book from a hot young thing to a forty-something woman who manages to find happiness without a man. Her agent isn’t too happy—the heroine is how old? She doesn’t get the guy in the end? How is that even possible?

But Mona is tough, and she’s got Anthony, her personal assistant, and a few good friends to cheer her on and keep the stiff martinis flowing. And Ben. Ben is her plumber, but not your average plumber. He’s smart enough to know that Brian was never good enough for her, and sexy enough to be cast as the romantic lead in quite a few of her books. The sound of his voice alone can send her imagination into full romantic overdrive.

Then she meets Mitch, who might be just the guy for her. And there’s still Ben, who’s managed to come to her rescue more than once. But—there’s a book to publish, a soon-to-be-ex-husband to deal with, and what has Aunt Lily done this time?

Can Mona work this all out? Can life imitate art, and can Mona write her own happy ending?

***

Why have I waited so long?  This one sounds like a fun story about the other side of romance.  What do you think?

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• Yesterday was a good day to get out of the house, so I met up with a friend at the neighborhood Barnes & Noble.  I love having coffee, chatting, and then browsing books.  Here’s a view of the coffee shop;

 

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• I found a couple of books on the bargain table….I’ll share more about those on Saturday’s Stacking the Shelves;
• Afterwards, I hopped on over to The Elephant Bar, in the same parking lot, and had a delightful lunch that included a free appetizer (rewards card), a Pomegranate martini, and a salad;

 

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• Back home, I read a little, watched some TV…and started a new series on Netflix:  Revenge.  (I finished The Killing on the weekend).  I never watched this show on TV…and the first two episodes were okay, but I still prefer the murder mysteries (lol).  But who knows?  When revenge is happening, anything is possible;

 

 

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• I don’t have much else to chat about…I guess I got it all out of my system when I visited with my friend yesterday…but on Monday, I did take my laptop and coffee out on my newly cleaned patio…which was long overdue;

 

 

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What are you sharing today?  Come on by and leave a comment and link.  Enjoy the day!

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SERENDIPITOUS TUESDAYS: “BREAKDOWN”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, from Tuesday/First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by Books & a Beat.

Today’s feature is Breakdown, by Jonathan Kellerman, another thriller spotlighting Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis.

 

 

 

Intro:  Noise was everywhere.  To avoid it, Tina figured you had to die.

When she and Harry lived in Manhattan, the nerve-scraping clangor of garbage trucks and delivery vans had served as early-morning alarm clocks.  Waking up to the din was jarring and souring for Tina but useful for Harry because he slept like a drunk and had to be on the subway by seven.

Here in L.A., nestled in the alleged luxe of upper Bel Air, mornings were quiet.  Until they weren’t:  the house groaning and creaking randomly, scolding reminders that they’d traded New York bedrock for the traitorous sand of earthquake country.

***

Teaser:  The hands dropped a bit.  The near-stuporous confusion behind them might’ve been mental illness but I bet the real cause was Kristin Doyle-Maslow’s manipulation.  Zelda had no conscious need to see me; The Hyphen’s project required an inaugural documented patient and I was the sucker who’d responded to a guilt trip. (p. 53).

***

Blurb:  Psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware meets beautiful and emotionally fragile TV actress Zelda Chase when called upon to evaluate her five-year-old son, Ovid. Years later, Alex is unexpectedly reunited with Zelda when she is involuntarily committed after a bizarre psychotic episode. Shortly after Zelda’s release, an already sad situation turns tragic when she is discovered dead on the grounds of a palatial Bel Air estate. Having experienced more than enough of L.A.’s dark side to recognize the scent of evil, Alex turns to his friend LAPD Lieutenant Milo Sturgis for help in finding out who ended Zelda’s broken life.

At the same time, Alex is caught up in another quest: the search for Zelda’s missing son. And when other victims vanish from the same upscale neighborhood, worry turns to terror.

As Alex struggles to piece together the brief rise and steep fall of a gorgeous, talented actress, he and Milo unveil shattered dreams, the corruption of a family, and a grotesque betrayal of innocence. With each devastating revelation and damning clue, Alex’s brilliant mind is challenged as never before—and his determination grows to see a killer caged and the truth set free.

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What is your verdict?  Keep reading, or not?  I always enjoy the author’s Alex Delaware stories, so I’m definitely in this one until the end.

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SERENDIPITOUS TUESDAY: EXCERPTING “FIND HER”

 

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, from Tuesday/First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by A Daily Rhythm.

Today’s featured book is from an author and a series I love.  Find Her, by Lisa Gardner, is a page-turning thriller with a captivating MC.

 

 

 

Intro:  These are the things I didn’t know:

When you first wake up in a dark wooden box, you’ll tell yourself this isn’t happening.  You’ll push against the lid, of course.  No surprise there.  You’ll beat at the sides with your fists, pummel your heels against the bottom.    You’ll bang your head, again and again, even though it hurts.  And you’ll scream.  You’ll scream and scream and scream.  Snot will run from your nose.  Tears will stream from your eyes.  Until your screams grow rough, hiccuppy.  Then, you’ll hear sounds that are strange and sad and pathetic, and you’ll understand the box, truly get, hey, I’m trapped in a dark wooden box, when you realize those sounds come from you.

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Teaser:  I don’t really remember, to tell you the truth.  It was like an out-of-body experience.  All this horror I had to get out of me, and the only way to do that was to talk and talk and talk. (p. 64).

***

Blurb:   Flora Dane is a victim. 

Seven years ago, carefree college student Flora was kidnapped while on spring break. For 472 days, Flora learned just how much one person can endure.

Flora Dane is a survivor.

Miraculously alive after her ordeal, Flora has spent the past five years reacquainting herself with the rhythms of normal life, working with her FBI victim advocate, Samuel Keynes. She has a mother who’s never stopped loving her, a brother who is scared of the person she’s become, and a bedroom wall covered with photos of other girls who’ve never made it home.

Flora Dane is reckless. 

. . . or is she? When Boston detective D. D. Warren is called to the scene of a crime—a dead man and the bound, naked woman who killed him—she learns that Flora has tangled with three other suspects since her return to society. Is Flora a victim or a vigilante? And with her firsthand knowledge of criminal behavior, could she hold the key to rescuing a missing college student whose abduction has rocked Boston? When Flora herself disappears, D.D. realizes a far more sinister predator is out there. One who’s determined that this time, Flora Dane will never escape. And now it is all up to D. D. Warren to find her.

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What do you think?  Would you keep reading?  I know I can’t wait to do just that.

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SERENDIPITOUS TUESDAY: “THE PASSENGER”

 

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, from Tuesday/First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by A Daily Rhythm.

Today’s featured book is an e-ARC from NetGalley, to be released on 3/1/16.  The Passenger, by Lisa Lutz, is about a woman who creates and sheds new identities as she crisscrosses the country to escape her past: you’ll want to buckle up for the ride!

 

 

 

Intro:  (Tanya Dubois)

When I found my husband at the bottom of the stairs, I tried to resuscitate him before I ever considered disposing of the body.  I pumped his barrel chest and blew into his purple lips.  It was the first time in years that our lips had touched and I didn’t recoil.

I gave up after ten minutes.  Frank Dubois was gone.  Lying there all peaceful and quiet, he almost looked in slumber, but Frank was noisier asleep than he was awake.  Honestly, if I had known what kind of snorer he was going to turn into, I never would have married him.  If I could do it all over again, I never would have married him even if he slept like an angel.  If I could do it all over again, there are so many things I would do differently.  But looking at Frank then, so still and not talking, I didn’t mind him so much.  It seemed like a good time to say good-bye.  I poured a shot of Frank’s special bourbon, sat down on Frank’s faux-suede La-Z-Boy, and had a drink to honor the dead.

***

Teaser:  My brain felt foggy from the cold, and I was running out of time before hypothermia would set in.  Rather than try to locate the oars and right the boat, I headed for shore. (52%).

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Synopsis:  In case you were wondering, I didn’t do it. I didn’t have anything to do with Frank’s death. I don’t have an alibi, so you’ll have to take my word for it…

Forty-eight hours after leaving her husband’s body at the base of the stairs, Tanya Dubois cashes in her credit cards, dyes her hair brown, demands a new name from a shadowy voice over the phone, and flees town. It’s not the first time.

She meets Blue, a female bartender who recognizes the hunted look in a fugitive’s eyes and offers her a place to stay. With dwindling choices, Tanya-now-Amelia accepts. An uneasy―and dangerous―alliance is born.

It’s almost impossible to live off the grid today, but Amelia-now-Debra and Blue have the courage, the ingenuity, and the desperation, to try. Hopscotching from city to city, Debra especially is chased by a very dark secret…can she outrun her past?

With heart-stopping escapes and devious deceptions, The Passenger is an amazing psychological thriller about defining yourself while you pursue your path to survival. One thing is certain: the ride will leave you breathless.

***

Does this one grab you and make you want to keep turning pages?  I know that’s how it makes me feel.  Come on by and share your thoughts.

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SERENDIPITOUS TUESDAYS: EXCERPTING “BEFORE WE MET”

 

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, from Tuesday/First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by A Daily Rhythm.

Today’s featured book is an e-book I downloaded last year; one that has been patiently waiting on Pippa, my Kindle.  Before We Met, by Lucie Whitehouse, is the story of a whirlwind romance.  A picture perfect marriage.  Hannah Reilly has seized her chance at happiness.

Until the day her husband doesn’t come home …

 

 

 

Intro:  The rain was beating down, and out here, where the carriageway was exposed, the wind buffeted Hannah’s old VW as if it were trying to push it off the road.  Usually on a Heathrow run she watched the planes dip down into the airport one after another, barely a minute between them, but tonight the rhythm was broken and it was two minutes, now three, before a new set of lights struggled through the rolling cloud.  She tightened her grip again, checked the mirror and pulled out into the fast lane.

The Holiday Inn loomed up on the left, an ugly concrete tooth in silhouette against the sky, the light from its green neon sign leaching into the wet air.  She took the exit for Terminal Three, the buzz in her stomach intensifying.  Though they were married now, the trip to the airport was still exciting.  She didn’t need to come and meet him; in fact, it would probably be quicker if Mark caught a cab into town, especially on a night like this, but the drive, arrivals, the crush at the barrier—it all reminded them of the time before they got married, when JFK and Heathrow were the poles around which so many of their weekends revolved.

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Teaser:  As she came down Quarrendon Street, the last of her hope disappeared.  If Mark was ever home before her, she arrived to find lights blazing from every window but tonight the house was as dark as she’d left it. (p. 6).

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Blurb:  Hannah, independent, headstrong and determined not to follow in the footsteps of her bitterly divorced mother, has always avoided commitment. But one hot New York summer she meets Mark Reilly, a fellow Brit, and is swept up in a love affair that changes all her ideas about what marriage might mean.

Now, living in their elegant, expensive London townhouse and adored by her fantastically successful husband, she knows she was right to let down her guard.

But when Mark does not return from a business trip to the States and when the hours of waiting for him stretch into days, the foundations of Hannah’s certainty begins to crack. Why do Mark’s colleagues believe he has gone to Paris not America? Why is there no record of him at his hotel? And who is the mysterious woman who has been telephoning him over the last few weeks?

Hannah begins to dig into her husband’s life uncovering revelations that throw into doubt everything she has ever believed about him. As her investigation leads her away from their fairytale romance into a place of violence and fear she must decide whether the secrets Mark has been keeping are designed to protect him, or protect her …

***

What do you think?  Would you keep reading?  As I read these excerpts, I had to wonder why I have waited so long to dig into this one.  The only answer I have is that I have too many books, too little time.

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SERENDIPITOUS TUESDAYS: INTROS/TEASERS – “WHAT YOU LEFT BEHIND”

 

 

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, from Tuesday/First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by Should Be Reading.

Today’s featured book is an ARC from Amazon Vine:  What You Left Behind, by Samantha Hayes.  I chose this book because of how much I enjoyed another book by this author:  Until You’re Mine.

 

 

 

 

 

Intro:  (Chapter One)

Detective Inspector Lorraine Fisher slowed as she pulled off the main road.  The journey from Birmingham was less than an hour but still long enough for her to make it only two or three times a year.

There was no space in her life for regrets and should-haves, therefore time spent with her younger sister in the country was usually limited to Christmas, birthdays, or the routine summer holiday visit as she was doing now.  An entire week away from work suddenly seemed like an awfully long time.  Or was it that an entire week in her sister’s company was daunting?

She loved Jo, had always protected her, watched out for her, picked her up and dusted her off, but there was usually a price.  Lorraine wondered what it would be this time.

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Teaser:  While Jo and Stella studied the menu, she couldn’t help another look at Sonia’s family, and more especially her husband.  Lorraine had spotted his good looks when they were at the bar, although he’d got his back to her now. (p. 70).

***

Blurb:  Two years after a terrifying spate of teenage suicides, the remote village of Radcote has just begun to heal. Then a young man is killed in a freak motorcycle accident and a suicide note is found among his belongings. When a second boy is found dead shortly thereafter, the nightmare of repeat suicides once again threatens the community.

Desperate for a vacation, Detective Inspector Lorraine Fisher has just come to Radcote for a stay with her sister, Jo, but the atmosphere of the country house is unusually tense. Freddie, Jo’s son, seems troubled and uncommunicative, and Jo is struggling to reach out to him. Meanwhile, Lorraine becomes determined to discover the truth behind these deaths. Are they suicides, or is there something more sinister at work? Finding answers might help Freddie, but they’ll also lead to a shocking truth: whatever it is–or whoever it is–that’s killing these young people is far more disturbing than she ever could have imagined, and unraveling the secret is just as dangerous as the secret itself.

Wicked, intense, and utterly compulsive, What You Left Behind confirms Samantha Hayes as a top thriller writer.

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What do you think?  Does it pique your interest?  I hope you’ll share your own excerpts.

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WEEKLY SUNDAY/MONDAY UPDATES: IS YOUR READING/BLOGGING LIFE PREDICTABLE?

 

Good morning!  Today’s post will link up to Sunday Salon, The Sunday Post,  and Book Journey, for  Weekly Updates.

**Mailbox Monday is now hosted at the home site:  Mailbox Monday.

Good morning, Bloggers!  Grab some coffee (or a mimosa), and let’s talk about our weeks.

 

 

Earlier today, I was out running errands and having lunch…and couldn’t wait to get back home.  It is still very hot out, with triple digits through the weekend.  Someone posted about snow on her blog…and I was green with envy!  Even though I don’t necessarily want snow here…

Next weekend, I am looking forward to Bloggiesta...and the movie This Is Where I Leave You.  Yes, I have posted about it before, but I can’t stop gushing.  I loved the book, and I adore the actors in the cast….so that’s how it goes.

Do you have anything you are gushing about?  While you are pondering, here’s what happened in my blog world this past week.

 

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOGS:

Under a Cloud of Suspicion:  An Excerpt from “Interior Designs”

A Guilty Pleasure:  I Am Obsessive About My TBR Stacks

Tuesday Sparks:  Intros/Teasers – “Then and Always”

Tuesday Potpourri:  Acceptance

Waiting for “The Girl Next Door”

My Bookish (and Not So Bookish Thoughts):  Subliminal Images

Friday Potpourri:  Book Beginnings/Friday 56 – “Midnight Betrayal”

Saturday Snapshots:  Taking Alec to College

Review:  Tears & Tequila, by Linda Schreyer and Jo-Ann Lautman (Publicist Request)

Review:  Gringa in a Strange Land (e-book), by Linda Dahl (Mt. TBR Stack)

Review:  The Devil’s Foothold (e-book), by Marilyn Meredith (Mt. TBR Stack)

Review:  Midnight Betrayal, by Melinda Leigh (Author Review Request)

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INCOMING BOOKS;  (Titles/Covers Linked to Amazon)

 

Three review books came in my mailbox from Amazon Vine!  Yay!  And then I downloaded three e-books to feed the ever-hungry Sparky.

 

Friendswood, by Rene Steiner (Amazon Vine)

 

 

 

Safe Keeping, by Barbara Taylor Sissel (Amazon Vine)

 

 

 

 

Crooked River, by Valerie Geary (Amazon Vine)

 

 

 

 

Downloads:

 

After I Do (e-book), by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

 

 

 

The Children Act (e-book), by Ian McEwan

 

 

 

 

Virgin River (e-book), by Robyn Carr

 

 

 

 

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WHAT’S UP NEXT? (Titles/Covers Linked to Amazon)

 

A Question of Guilt (e-book), by Frances Fyfield (for Mt. TBR Challenge)

 

 

 

Then and Always, by Dani Atkins (Vine Review)

 

 

 

A Wedding and a Killing, by Lauren Carr (Author Review Request)

 

 

 

 

And there we are…the cycle is complete!  Blog Posts Written, Books Read and Reviewed, New Books on the Stacks….and Upcoming Reads.  Do you ever feel as if your routines are so predictable you could complete them in your sleep?  Is it a good thing to change up the routines occasionally?

Something to ponder.  I spend time every week messing around with my blogs, from the themes to the backgrounds and headers.  Earlier today, I cleared out some of the files in my office…it was amazing the outdated things I found there!

My granddaughter Fiona (below) changes her hair color.

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WEEKLY SUNDAY/MONDAY UPDATES: SAVOR THE SUMMER!

 

Good morning!  Today’s post will link up to Sunday Salon, The Sunday Post,  and Book Journey, for  Weekly Updates.

**Mailbox Monday is now hosted at the home site:  Mailbox Monday.

Good morning, Bloggers!  Grab some coffee (or a mimosa), and let’s talk about our weeks.

 

I hope everyone has had a great week!  It’s been hot here, as usual, but the old temperature has descended a few degrees in the past couple of days.  Don’t forget to stop by and check out my ongoing Bookshelf Clearing Giveaway.

Meanwhile, here’s what last week looked like.

ON THE BLOGS:

Sunday Potpourri:  A Greedy Day of Books & Movies

A Wine Train Adventure:  An Excerpt from “Interior Designs”

Creative Tuesday:  Intros/Teasers – “The Furies”

Hump Day Serendipity:  Waiting for “Falling Into Place”

Hump Day Potpourri:  Falling Into Place, Etc.

My Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts:  Change, Etc.

Savor the Guilty Pleasures:  Book Beginnings/Friday 56 – “Save the Date”

Creative Saturday:  Summertime Moments at the Beach

Review:  The Wrong Girl (e-book), by Hank Phillippi Ryan

Review:  Belzhar, by Meg Wolitzer

Review:  The Furies, by Natalie Haynes

Review:  Dollbaby (e-book), by Laura L. McNeal

 

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INCOMING BOOKS:  (Titles/Covers Linked to Amazon)

 

My mailbox had four review books this week!  And I downloaded three books to feed Sparky, and then bought a book at Barnes & Noble.  The stack is tall again.

 

Tears and Tequila, by Linda Schreyer and Jo-Ann Lautman (Publicist Review Request)

 

 

Falling Into Place, by Amy Zhang (Vine)

 

 

 

 

The Silent Sister, by Diane Chamberlain (Vine)

 

 

 

 

An Italian Wife, by Ann Hood (Vine)

 

 

 

 

Victims, by Jonathan Kellerman (Purchase)

 

 

 

 

And now, here’s Sparky’s Food:

 

The House We Grew Up In (e-book), by Lisa Jewell

 

 

 

 

The Perfect Stranger (e-book), by Wendy Corsi Staub

 

 

 

 

Wife 22 (e-book), by Melanie Gideon

 

 

 

Whew!  Now I just have to find the time to read them all!

 

WHAT’S UP NEXT?  (Titles/Covers Linked to Amazon)

 

Save the Date, by Mary Kay Andrews (Vine Review)

 

 

 

If I Stay (e-book), by Gayle Forman

 

 

 

 

Whiskey Beach (e-book), by Nora Roberts

 

 

 

 

 

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Now I plan to relax, watch some movies, and enjoy the weekend!  What about you?  Come on by and let’s chat.

 

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