📖 𝓜𝓪𝔂 𝓦𝓻𝓪𝓹-𝓤𝓹 📖

Despite many unexpected plot twists in my life, I managed to read 3️⃣ books in May that I enjoyed and recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐜 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 by 𝘔𝘪𝘭𝘰 𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘥
𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 by 𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘢𝘺𝘭𝘰𝘳
𝐀 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 by 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘔𝘤𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘯

Many thanks to the publishers, publicists, & authors who have sent me books for their patience & understanding!

📚 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓜𝓪𝓲𝓵 📬

The past 2 months have been challenging, but I've received some fabulous books that I will be featuring & reading soon, including 𝗪𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐔𝐬 by 𝐏𝐥𝐮𝐦 𝐒𝐲𝐤𝐞𝐬, courtesy of Bibliolifestyle & Harper Perennial. The paperback edition published 𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝟼, 2025. It sounds like hilariously escapist summer entertainment, perfect for reading on the patio in the evening!

📖 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝐖𝐫𝐚𝐩-𝐔𝐩 📖

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 by 𝘋𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘥 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘥𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪
📖 𝐓𝐨𝐨 𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 by 𝘚𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘢 𝘋𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 by 𝘚𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘩 𝘋𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘧𝘧
📖 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐬 by 𝘌𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘵
📖 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐭 by 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯
📖 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝 by 𝘈𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘎𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘦

📖 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥 📣

𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐊𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐢𝐤𝐨𝐚, author of 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐀𝐬𝐤, 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 & the PI Kelly Pruett series, has penned her 3rd 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲, 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬.The cover is revealed today! The latest installment will be published in September 2025 by Level Best Books, & promises to be a must-read for mystery fans. This is a great time to read the first 2 volumes if you haven't already.

📚 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐃𝐫𝐨𝐩 📚

𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 is the debut novel from 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐨𝐫, inspired in part by her undergraduate studies, peers, & lab work in the chemistry department at Harvard University. Courtesy of 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬, I delivered a copy to this adorable Little Free Library here in Lodi, CA, & received a copy that I will be reading in May with fellow booklovers!

𝐂𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫's next true crime thriller, 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐞, the story of the San Diego McStay family murders & search for justice will be published June 2𝟺, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟻. Preorder: https://tinyurl.com/3w2sx4uy. Caitlin is one of our finest investigative reporters & true crime authors, but her books are must-read for anyone who enjoys a captivating mystery! Thanks for Kensington Books / Citadel Press for an advance copy!

𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱 𝓦𝓻𝓪𝓹-𝓤𝓹

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐥'𝐬 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬
𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝗪𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝
𝐍𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲'𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐥
𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨, 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐄𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐞𝐧
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲
𝐀 𝐌𝐚𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞
𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲

Highly recommend these fabulous books!

📚 March was a very good month from a literary perspective! 📚

📘 𝑪𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒂𝒍 📕

𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐜𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐧 has delighted thriller lovers with 𝐒𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭, & the utterly diabolical 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞, among others. She never fails to deliver a twisty, suspenseful tale.

Her latest, 𝐀 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞, will be published 𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵. 𝟿, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟻. It's available to pre-order. It sounds intriguing! And the cover is stunning!

🕶 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 🎬

𝐀 𝐌𝐚𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞 by 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐫 is about 3 women seeking a home, a secure place to belong. During the 1950's Red Scare, a blacklisted actress, WWII survivor, & desperate neighbor bond to keep dark secrets. With everything at stake, they must be clever, resourceful, & trust each other. Riveting & entertaining. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸: https://tinyurl.com/35j2wfe3

📬 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕄𝕒𝕚𝕝 📚

I've long been a fan of 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐝 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢. I grew to love his writing 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 after reading 𝐀 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐬, a moving & illuminating historical fiction masterpiece set in tumultuous 1968.

So I may have squealed with delight when I found 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 in my mailbox courtesy of Grand Central Publishing. Love WWII-era stories! It's next up for my in-person book club!

📖 𝔽𝕖𝕓𝕣𝕦𝕒𝕣𝕪 𝕎𝕣𝕒𝕡-𝕌𝕡 💘

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 by 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯 𝘌𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘴
📖 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐈𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐞 by 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 𝐉𝐨𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 by 𝘌𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯 𝘔𝘦𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳
📖 𝐀 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐊𝐢𝐬𝐬 by 𝘕𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘴 𝘉𝘶𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘳
📖 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐞 by 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘥
📖 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐢𝐜𝐡 by 𝘑𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘰𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯

📚 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕄𝕒𝕚𝕝 📬

The synopsis of 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐩 by 𝐄𝐦𝐦𝐚 𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐧 is . . . well, 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘺! Also intriguing & horrifying.

Thanks to Bibliolifestyle & Harper Perennial, I will be reading this unique & “perfectly twisted debut“ soon.

It was published February 25, 2025, & is available now.

📖 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 ⚖️

𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 by 𝐂𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 is a haunting, difficult, but riveting, important story. Convicted killer Wayne Adam Ford will spend life in prison. Meticulous research, straightforward descriptions of his life/crimes, & clear explanations of the legal machinations make the updated edition a must-read for true crime fans.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸: https://tinyurl.com/4p28n3tc

📚 𝓖𝓾𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓐𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻

𝐂𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, author of 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬, writes about the updated edition releasing 2/25 -- new information & developments in the case that inspired her to revise the book, adding 32 pages. She also details why she writes true crime books & the ways in which -- particularly in the case the book is about -- it is a gratifying endeavor.

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘵: https://tinyurl.com/y7ftjpv4

📕 𝑪𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒂𝒍 💘

𝐊𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐞's novels have long been auto-reads for me, and I'm delighted to share the 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 cover of her new book, 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧.

It will be published on 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝟾, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟻.

Preorder your copy 𝘯𝘰𝘸! https://tinyurl.com/yc29uucr

📖 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘👩‍🍼

𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐢𝐜𝐡 by 𝐉𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧 is a fascinating, horrifying tale informed by extensive research & featuring actual historical figures/settings depicting the Nazi Lebensborn breeding program. It's another gripping depiction of World War II-era terror, & the bravery & heroism exhibited by women. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸: https://tinyurl.com/4e25nuyu

📚 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓜𝓪𝓲𝓵 📬

I've been blessed to receive many wonderful books recently, including a copy of Help Wanted by Adelle Waldman, courtesy of Bibliolifestyle & W.W.Norton. Among numerous accolades, it was one of Barack Obama's recommended books last summer. I'm anxious to read this contemporary & timely story, and, in fact, I am recommending it to my in-person book club. The paperback edition was published 𝘍𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝟻, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟻.

💘 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 👨‍🦳👩‍🦳

𝐀 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐊𝐢𝐬𝐬 is an entertaining & charming second chance love story. Author 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐬 𝐁𝐮𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐫 imbues it with insight, credibility, & appreciation of his flawed but completely credible, mature characters. Have they grown enough to forgive, respect each other's needs, & keep their union from imploding this time? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒆 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 💰

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐦 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐞 by 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐝 is underway! With other book lovers, I'm engrossed in the mysterious tale of how a young man from a working class family became one of America's most powerful billionaires. If, like me, you're a fan of Succession, you will definitely enjoy this story!

📖 𝓙𝓪𝓷𝓾𝓪𝓻𝔂 𝓦𝓻𝓪𝓹-𝓤𝓹 📖

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐢𝐞𝐬 by James L'Etoile

𝐀 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐧𝐞 by Joshua Moehling

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 by Kristin Koval

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐲 by Catherine Hokin

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡'𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 by Joseph Finder

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝𝐲 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥 by Julia Bryan Thomas

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧 by Fiona Davis

𝔾𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝔸𝕦𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕣

𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐋'𝐄𝐭𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐞 is again my guest at 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘂𝗺, introducing readers to the characters in 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐢𝐞𝐬, the 2nd volume in his Detective Emily Hunter series set in Sacramento, a town familiar with violent crime & a significant unhoused population. Camps along the rivers are being targeted. Why? Who is the perpetrator? Meet the investigators & a city power-broker who may have his own motives!

📙𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 📘

𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝗪𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝗪𝐨𝐫𝐝 by 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢 𝐑𝐲𝐚𝐧, inspired by an incident early in her professional life, is a clever mystery & timely meditation on the power of words--how rumors spread, what/why we believe, how power is used/abused to manipulate/proliferate info, & the need to fight back. In her “love letter to my 19-year-old self“ Ryan's relatable protagonist refuses to surrender her power. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟜

2024 was an oustanding year from a literary perspective. Happily, I read 95 excellent books & 4️⃣0️⃣ of them merited ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! Several were written by debut or new-to-me authors, but 2 of the standouts were 𝗢𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 & 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱 by 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺 𝗞𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗞𝗿𝘂𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗿.⁣

My goal for 2025: 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ books.

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʙᴏᴏᴋ(ꜱ) ᴅɪᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ɢɪᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪɢʜᴇꜱᴛ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ(ꜱ) ɪɴ 2024?

📖 𝕯𝖊𝖈𝖊𝖒𝖇𝖊𝖗 𝖂𝖗𝖆𝖕-𝖀𝖕 📖

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝘚𝘤𝘰𝘵𝘵 𝘛𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘸
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐚 𝘑𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘯 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳
𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐞 & 𝐃𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝗪𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘖𝘢𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘺

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐰𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝘊𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘕𝘦𝘸𝘮𝘢𝘯
𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘙𝘰𝘵𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘪𝘯
𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝗪𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝗪𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪 𝘙𝘺𝘢𝘯

📬 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞⁣ 📖
⁣
Thanks to Celadon Books for a copy of 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 by 𝐊𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧 𝐊𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐥, which will be published on 𝘑𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝟸𝟾, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟻. I'm looking forward to reading this literary thriller with a group of three other readers with Instagram accounts. ⁣
⁣
🎄 𝕸𝖊𝖗𝖗𝖞 𝕮𝖍𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖒𝖆𝖘 𝖙𝖔 𝖆𝖑𝖑 𝖜𝖍𝖔 𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖈𝖊𝖑𝖊𝖇𝖗𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌! 🎁

📬 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑴𝒂𝒊𝒍 🍷

I received 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝗪𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 by 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐚 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡, courtesy of Bibliolifestyle & Harper Perennial. Published 𝘋𝘦𝘤. 𝟷𝟶, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺, it promises to be a fascinating tale about a Jewish winemaker in Nazi occupied France & a 21st century female American pilot, connected by a rare bottle of wine hidden from the Nazis & bearing a handwritten message behind a fake label.

📖 𝓝𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓻 𝓦𝓻𝓪𝓹-𝓤𝓹 📖

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚 by 𝘓𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘢 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦-𝘈𝘴𝘩 (Thanks to her for a discussion with my in-person book club.)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 by 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘋𝘶𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘪
📖 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐭 by 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘋𝘶𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘪
📖 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 by 𝘈𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴
📖 𝐓𝐨 𝐃𝐢𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫 by 𝘋𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘥 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘥𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪

📬░B░o░o░k░ 📖 ░M░a░i░l░👭

Lookng for an engrossing story to immerse yourself over the upcoming holiday weekend? 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐞 by 𝐉𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝, publshed 𝘕𝘰𝘷. 𝟷𝟿, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺, might be perfect. The lovely folks at Bibliolifestyle & Bblackstone Publishing sent me a copy. I love tales about sisters, so I'm anxious to join the sisters in this story on a journey of discovery about their family, relationship, & themselves.

📙 𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 🌧

Finally . . . a day with 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 on the calendar! Summer seemed endless, but it finally feels like it's almost time to pop the turkey into the oven -- cold & rainy. It's a perfect day to stay home, light a fire, snuggle under a blanket, & finish reading 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 by 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬. The folks at BookBrowse gifted me a hardcover copy, & I'm completely engrossed. 📖

📬 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐥 🎬

Leading up to Thanksgiving, many Americans focus on their blessings. 🦃 I'm thankful for all the fictional worlds I can escape to through great books like 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐬 by 𝐋𝐞𝐞 𝐊𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐲 & 𝐉𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞. Received a copy of this intriguing & adventurous mystery courtesy of Bibliolifestyle & Harper Muse Books. Published on 𝘕𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝟷𝟸, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺, so grab a copy & start reading now!

📖 𝓞𝓬𝓽𝓸𝓫𝓮𝓻 𝓦𝓻𝓪𝓹-𝓤𝓹 📖

With much going on in October that demanded my time & energy, I still read 7️⃣ great books!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Life, Love, and Puffins by Catherine Ryan Hyde
The Best Lies by David Ellis
The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dead and Gone by Joanna Schaffhausen
The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Linda Cohen Loigman
The Maui Effect by Sara Ackerman
The Witching Tide by Margaret Meyer

ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋ-ɪɴ: ʜᴏᴡ ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏɪɴɢ?

🧙‍♀️𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀 📖

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝗪𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐢𝐝𝐞 by 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐌𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐫 is richly atmospheric & terrifyingly realistic. Inspired by 17th century witch hunts, this searing historical fiction eerily parallels contemporary issues -- paranoia, misogyny, feminine power, gossip, mob mentality, & revenge. A complexly ambiguous mute woman questions her beliefs, struggling to save herself & other wrongfully accused women. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📬 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐥 🏜

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐨𝐧𝐚 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 kicks off a new series from 𝘒𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘯 (writing as 𝐒𝐲𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬) described as desert noir reminiscent of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone. At the heart of the mystery are “complex characters trapped in an ugly, emotional past.“ Thanks to Bibliolifestyle & Harper Perennial for a copy. It was published on 𝘖𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝟸𝟸, 𝟸𝟶𝟸4.

📚 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓜𝓪𝓲𝓵 📬

𝐋𝐨𝐥𝐚 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 by 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐨𝐧 has been described as a “complicated & surprising“ coming of age story. Published 𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵. 𝟷𝟽, 2024, Bibliolifestyle & Harper Perennial sent me a copy of this unpredictable, gritty, magical, & emotionally moving tale about love & fate, life & death, & all the things we see when we look in the mirror: all our past, all our present, & all our possible futures.

📚🌴𝑺𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝑾𝒓𝒂𝒑-𝑼𝒑🌴📚

Read 8️⃣ books in Sept.!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Don't Let the Devil Ride by 𝘈𝘤𝘦 𝘈𝘵𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘴
Break Every Rule by 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯
The Spy Coast by 𝘛𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘎𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘯

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Listen for the Lie by 𝘈𝘮𝘺 𝘛𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢
The Night We Lost Him by 𝘓𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘢 𝘋𝘢𝘷𝘦
Upgrade by 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩
Here One Moment by 𝘓𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺
The Sequel by 𝘑𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘧𝘧 𝘒𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘻

📚Ｂｏｏｋ░Ｍａｉｌ📬

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 by 𝐊𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤, published October 1, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺, looks perfect to savor, courtesy of Bibliolifestyle & Harper Muse Books, on a crisp, cool morning with a cup of coffee . . . once our 100+ degree days finally subside & fall arrives! It's a tale of family lore & the power of finding your own voice, set against Southern mythology & personal reckonings colliding with a changing world.

◉✿ 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓜𝓪𝓲𝓵 ✿◉

Although I don't read many romance novels, I'm always up for an emotionally moving second chance story. 💘 Happily, 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 by 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝗪𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐫 landed in my mailbox while I was on Maui, courtesy of Bookouture. I'm looking forward to curling up with it. Who doesn't enjoy a heart-wrenching story from time to time? It promises to address the “beautiful pain of lost love.“

📬 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐥 📺

I'm back at home in Lodi, CA, after spending 4 glorious weeks on the beautiful island of Maui. 🌴🌺 I've jumped right back into normal life, but enjoyed perusing books that arrived during my absence, including 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 by 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐳𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐚. It's the Sept. selection of the 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐚 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛. I'm anxious to delve into this “cultural comedy“ that is a GMA Book Club pick.

📖 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑻𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒍 📖

Have you read 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭 by 𝐉𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐟𝐟 𝐊𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐳? I devoured that fast-paced, deftly-plotted, and very clever thriller wth a shocking conclusion! So I'm delighted to be reading and discussing the follow-up, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐥, with several fellow readers on Instagram, courtesy of Celadon Books. I'm anxious to see if the storyline is as unhinged as was 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭! 😮

📚Ｂｏｏｋ░Ｍａｉｌ📬

𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧's debut novel, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲, is getting excellent reviews, including from Fannie Flagg, the unrivaled queen of Southern fiction. Published 𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵. 𝟹, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺, the folks at Bibliolifestyle & Harper Muse Books sent me a copy. I love dishy stories about small-town drama populated with big-hearted people who have big dreams! Looking forward to reading it.

🌊 𝑽𝒂𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 🌺

Thanks to the generous folks at Bibliolifestyle & Blackstone Publishing for 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞 by 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧, published 𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵. 𝟷𝟶, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺. This fast-paced thriller opens with action, intriuging characters, & distinctive settings, immediately drawing readers into an engrossing mystery. I stayed up way too late because I just had to know how it was going to end!⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

📬 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐥 📚

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝗪𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐚 by 𝐉'𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐂𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐤𝐢 is a glamorous historical mystery featuring snappy dialogue, vivid backgrounds, romance, & twists & surprises, inspiring comparisons to The Philadelphia Story & To Catch A Thief. Published 𝘈𝘶𝘨. 𝟷𝟹, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺, the generous folks at Bibliolifestyle & TNZ Fiction gifted me with a copy 𝘢𝘯𝘥 opportunity to experience the work of another new-to-me author.

📚🌴𝓐𝓾𝓰𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓦𝓻𝓪𝓹-𝓤𝓹🌴📚

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝗪𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨 by 𝘛.𝘑. 𝘕𝘦𝘸𝘮𝘢𝘯
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 by 𝘒𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘘𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘯

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 by 𝘌𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘑𝘰𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢
𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐞𝐬 by 𝘋𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘥 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘥𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭 by 𝘑𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘧𝘧 𝘒𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘻
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐫 by 𝘙𝘩𝘺𝘴 𝘉𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘯
𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 by 𝘌𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯 𝘔𝘦𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳

📬 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐥 📚

𝐓𝐞𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 is a new-to-me author but boasts an impressive body of historical fiction volumes. The generous folks at Bibliolifestyle & Harper Muse Books sent me a copy of her latest, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭'𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫, published 𝘈𝘶𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝟸𝟶, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺. Mystery, intrigue, & family secrets surround a scientific milestone -- classification of the platypus! She even includes a gothic romance.

🌴𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 📖

The final featured selection in the 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 is the GMA Buzz Pick 𝐓𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐨 𝐔𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 by 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐡 𝐅𝐥𝐲𝐧𝐧. Set in a beautiful Napa, California winery, Flynn asks, “How well can you ever really know someone?“ and invites readers to “read between the 𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 to find out!“ 🍇🍷Published 08/13/24.

📬 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑴𝒂𝒊𝒍 🏞

𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧, a former U.S. Marshal, is the author of the bestselling Arliss Cutter series. The 8th installment, 𝐁𝐚𝐝 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫, published on July 23, 2024, can, like the other volumes, be enjoyed as a standalone novel. It's a high stakes, fast-paced thriller in which Cameron explores the beauty & brutality of man & nature. Many thanks to Bibliolifestyle & Kensington Books for a copy! I can't wait to read it.

📬 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕄𝕒𝕚𝕝 📚

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐲 by 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐦 𝐌𝐢𝐭𝐳𝐧𝐞𝐫, a litigator turned writer, was published on 08/13/24. 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐚𝐲 (also an attorney) calls it “a heartfelt & twisty tribute to the complexities of family.“ Thanks to Bbibliolifestyle & Blackstone Publishing, I plan to read it on the upcoming flight to my happy place. 🌊There's nothing better than an absorbing mystery to pass the time in the air!

📬 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕄𝕒𝕚𝕝 📚

𝗪𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐊𝐫𝐮𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐫, one of my all-time favorite authors, calls writer 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝗪𝐚𝐝𝐞 “a poet of the dark“ & says that 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 is “stunning in its language & so moving in its effect.“ Thanks to Bibliolifestyle & Bblackstone Ppublishing, I'll be reading it soon, probably during my upcoming vacation. Today is Publication Day, so you can grab a copy, too!

📬𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐥📚

Make room on your summer TBR pile for this book. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 is 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐞's retelling of Shakespeare's 𝐀 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭'𝐬 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦. Thanks to Bibliolifestyle & TNZ Fiction I‘m taking it to the beach. Published 08/06/24, it's a “heartwarming, funny, delightful…weaving together [of] the complexities of friendship & family“ with a “light, fun touch.“ I love a 2nd chance tale!