ANOTHER NETGALLEY ARC…

Just when I finally read and reviewed my last NetGalley ARC, another one came to me via my email account.  I had just vowed to rest on my laurels for the year, but I couldn’t resist this one

Like Mother, Like Mother, by Susan Rieger: “A novel in the spirit of Meg Wolitzer, Jean Hanff Korelitz, and the great Nora Ephron. Who says comedy is dead? It’s all here—the joyful craziness, the wisecracking newswoman, the family secrets with a twist of lime.”—Allegra Goodman, bestselling author of Sam

Detroit, 1960. Lila Pereira is two years old when her angry, abusive father has her mother committed to an asylum. Lila never sees her mother again. Three decades later, having mustered everything she has—brains, charm, talent, blond hair—Lila rises to the pinnacle of American media as the powerful, brilliant executive editor of The Washington Globe. Lila unapologetically prioritizes her career, leaving the rearing of her daughters to her generous husband, Joe. He doesn’t mind—until he does.

But Grace, their youngest daughter, feels abandoned. She wishes her mother would attend PTA meetings, not White House correspondents’ dinners. As she grows up, she cannot shake her resentment. She wants out from under Lila’s shadow, yet the more she resists, the more Lila seems to shape her life. Grace becomes a successful reporter, even publishing a bestselling book about her mother. In the process of writing it, she realizes how little she knows about her own family. Did Lila’s mother, Grace’s grandmother, die in that asylum? Is refusal to look back the only way to create a future? How can you ever be yourself, Grace wonders, if you don’t know where you came from?

Spanning generations, and populated by complex, unforgettable characters, Like Mother, Like Mother is an exhilarating, portrait of family, marriage, ambition, power, the stories we inherit, and the lies we tell to become the people we believe we’re meant to be.usan Rieger, will be released on 10/29/24.

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I can’t wait to start reading my latest NetGalley ARC…and I am very pleased that I clicked on the link to this book.

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BOOKS, BOOKS, AND MORE BOOKS…

It is another week with new books to enjoy.

Today’s picks:

How the Light Gets In, by Joyce Maynard

how the light gets in

From New York Times bestselling author Joyce Maynard comes the eagerly anticipated follow-up to her beloved novel Count the Ways—a complex story of three generations of a family and its remarkable, resilient, indomitable matriarch, Eleanor.

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A Happier Life, by Kristy Woodson Harvey

happier life

New York Timesbestselling author and southern sensation Kristy Woodson Harvey” (Good Morning America) presents a touching novel about eternal love and the places we call home.

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I love adding new books to my shelves.  What are you enjoying this week?

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BOOKS, BOOKS, AND MORE BOOKS…

Welcome to another peek into the books I have added to my shelves.

First, let’s take a look at The Last Time She Saw Him, by Kate White.

A woman is left reeling when her former fiancé appears to take his own life, and she becomes desperate to prove it was actually murder—in the latest psychological thriller from New York Times bestselling author Kate White.

I also look forward to reading this book from Catherine Ryan Hyde:

Life, Loss, and Puffins.

An exhilarating and emotional novel about grief, hope, friendship, and taking life one beautiful and spontaneous day at a time by New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde.

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I am eager to search online for other books to add. What are you reading and/or adding to your bookshelves today?

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BOOKS…AND OTHER CONNECTIONS…

Welcome to another day of books and connections.  Earlier today, I downloaded two new books onto my new Kindle!  Yes, it arrived yesterday, and I spent time setting it up.

kindle, new

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Then these pre-ordered books showed up on my Kindles. Yes, all of them.

Summers at the Saint, by Mary Kay Andrews

summers at the saint

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The Stolen Child, by Ann Hood

stolen child

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I do enjoy a new Kindle, and so far, it is free of those annoying “glitches” that have plagued my older ones.

I got my very first Kindle on Christmas, in 2007.  It was a simple version, and it worked well for me until I started noticing the little details offered by the newer ones.  Currently I have three newer ones, but seldom read on the Oasis lately, the older of the ones I still have.  It leaps and tricks like crazy, lol.

But I still read on the Paperwhite I bought a couple of years ago:  I call that one Phoebe.

My new one has been dubbed Paisley.

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How many Kindles have you had (or have?).  Do you enjoy them?

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Above, note my new header featuring dolls and grandchildren. Special connections.

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IGNITE MY CONNECTIONS…

It has been a while since I visited this blog, and today I needed some sparks to fuel my day.  Connections are the centerpiece of this site, so today I’m going to go there.

For the past few months, I have been caught up in family outings and those connections, which are important, too.

Today I am focused on cooking something my granddaughter has set up for me in my new air fryer.  A salmon is poised in my refrigerator, waiting for me to bring it out and feature it for my lunch.

framed salmon

Today is rainy, so it will be a perfect one for cooking.

Then I plan to sit in my comfy chair and continue reading Clover Hendry’s Day Off, by Beth Morrey.

clover hendry's day off

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another bookish

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Here is my counter with the air fryer, where the cooking will happen.

frramed kitchen counter

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Now let’s head into the day and everything that will happen.  I am feeling connected to my kitchen, where more things will soon unfold.

What does your day look like?

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TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “HELLO STRANGER”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events: First Chapter/Intros, now hosted by Socrates Book Reviews; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is a NetGalley ARC that will be released on July 11, 2023:  Hello Stranger, by Katherine Center.

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Intro:

The first person I called after I found out I’d placed in the North American Portrait Society’s huge career-making yearly contest was my dad.

Which is weird.  Because I never called my dad.

Not voluntarily, anyway.

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Teaser:

“She sounds like a psychopath.”

I nodded.  “She basically stole my life.  By the end of high school, she was living in my room, wearing my clothes, hanging with my friends, and sleeping with the boyfriend who dumped me after the scandal.”

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Synopsis:

Sadie Montogmery has had good breaks and bad breaks in her life, but as a struggling artist, all she needs is one lucky break. Things seem to be going her way when she lands one of the coveted finalist spots in a portrait competition. It happens to coincide with a surgery she needs to have. Minor, they say. Less than a week in the hospital they say. Nothing about you will change, they say. Upon recovery, it begins to dawn on Sadie that she can see everything around her, but she can no longer see faces.

Temporary, they say. Lots of people deal with this, they say. As she struggles to cope—and hang onto her artistic dreams—she finds solace in her fourteen-year-old dog, Peanut. Thankfully, she can still see animal faces. When Peanut gets sick, she rushes him to the emergency vet nearby. That’s when she meets veterinarian Dr. Addison. And she’s pleasantly surprised when he asks her on a date. But she doesn’t want anyone to know about her face blindness. Least of all Joe, her obnoxious neighbor who always wears a bowling jacket and seems to know everyone in the building. He’s always there at the most embarrassing but convenient times, and soon, they develop a sort of friendship. But could it be something more?

As Sadie tries to save her career, confront her haunting past, and handle falling in love with two different guys she realizes that happiness can be found in the places—and people— you least expect.

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What do you think?  Would you keep reading?

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TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “THE DISINVITED GUEST”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events: First Chapter/Intros, now hosted by Socrates Book Reviews; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is one of my new books:  The Disinvited Guest, by Carol Goodman.

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Intro:

“We’re here.”

Reed’s voice wakes me from the fitful sleep I’d fallen into somewhere north of Portland, the slap of wipers and sluice of tires accomplishing what bourbon and sleeping pills had failed to do for the past two weeks.

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Teaser:

She had looked startled.  And then she said, I think you treat yourself like trash.

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Synopsis:

Lucy Harper still has traumatic memories and lingering health problems from the 2020 pandemic. So, when a new virus surfaces years later, she and her husband, Reed, seek refuge on his family’s private island off the coast of Maine. Ostensibly safely sequestered with their five closest friends and family, Lucy should feel at ease. So why does she feel the weight of the island’s dark history pushing down on the group?

As Lucy uncovers Reed’s family secrets and the island’s history as a quarantine hospital for typhus patients, she becomes obsessed with the past and feels her own grip on reality slipping. Tempers flare, strange signs appear in the woods, and accidents turn deadly. Is the island haunted by the dead? Or is someone amongst the living taking their revenge? 

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What do you think?  Keep reading?

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TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “SISTER DEAR”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events: First Chapter/Intros, now hosted by Socrates Book Reviews; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is a hardcover book that has been languishing on my shelves:  Sister Dear, by Hannah Mary McKinnon.

Intro:

The police didn’t believe me.

A jury wouldn’t have, either, if I’d gone on trial, and most definitely not the judge.  My attorney had more than a few reservations about my story.

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Teaser:

A succession of loud knocks woke me up with a start. Save for the faint streetlight glow sneaking in through the windows, darkness had engulfed the living room.

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Synopsis: When Eleanor Hardwicke’s beloved father dies, her world is further shattered by a gut-wrenching secret: the man she’s grieving isn’t really her dad. Eleanor was the product of an affair and her biological father is still out there, living blissfully with the family he chose. With her personal life spiraling, a desperate Eleanor seeks him out, leading her to uncover another branch on her family tree—an infuriatingly enviable half sister.

Perfectly perfect Victoria has everything Eleanor could ever dream of. Loving childhood, luxury home, devoted husband. All of it stolen from Eleanor, who plans to take it back. After all, good sisters are supposed to share. And quiet little Eleanor has been waiting far too long for her turn to play.

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Now I definitely want to start reading this one.  What do you think?

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TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events: First Chapter/Intros, now hosted by Socrates Book Reviews; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is “Where the Crawdads Sing,” by Delia Owens.

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Intro:

(Prologue)

1969

Marsh is not swamp.  Marsh is a space of light, where grass grows in water, and water flows into the sky.  Slow-moving creeks wander, carrying the orb of the sun with them to the sea, and long-legged birds lift with unexpected grace—as though not built to fly—against the roar of a thousand snow geese.

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Teaser:

They sat on opposite sides of the sheriff’s desk, scanning.  Joe, now and then, swatted at a single housefly. (p. 60).

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Synopsis:  For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life—until the unthinkable happens.

Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

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Would you keep reading?

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TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “ARE YOU AWAKE?”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events: First Chapter/Intros, now hosted by Socrates Book Reviews; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is one of my new books:  Are You Awake, by Claire McGowan.

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Intro:

Samantha

The room was small and dirty. Bare floorboards gritty with dust.  Walls that were maybe cream once, now spotted over with black mould and grease.  In places, splashes of something she knew was blood.

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Teaser:

Mariam was beside him, and he could hear the light tread of her sandals, the swish of her headscarf, some silky material.  She had laughed at something he’d said.  Then there was a second he would always remember, when his body knew it had happened before he did. (p. 57)

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Synopsis:

With two young children, Mary hasn’t slept in what feels like years. For his part, Tim never feels safe enough to sleep. And so one hot, exhausting night, the two strangers meet while seeking solace in a nearby park. There, they witness something horrific: a violent attack in the window of a neighbouring house.

Bonded by what they’ve seen, Tim and Mary are desperate to find answers. And when they see news reports of a missing woman who was last seen walking alone not far from them, the pair are convinced it’s her they saw being attacked—no matter what the police say.

But with her marriage under strain and the police on their tail, Mary begins to doubt her own mind…and Tim’s. And as the pair are drawn into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, the culprit appears to be even closer to home than they thought. Have they got it all wrong, or is something even more sinister going on?

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Would you keep reading?

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