The Sunday Salon Reading list for April...

Welcome to The Sunday Salon! It's been a few months since we've talked, but there were still books to be read and authors to be appreciated! What have I been reading? Not a heck of a lot. I feel like I've been hibernating along with the bears and the birds that find a cave to hide in or fly South. And since I already live in the South, these birds fly South "er". But with the warm weather comes the urge to crack the spine of a book and immerse myself in a different place and meet new people...

This week something special came in the mail from one of my favorite authors, Sheila Roberts! Sheila sent along a copy of her new book, Sunset on Moonlight Beach! Here's the publishers blurb...

"Jenna Jones has been standing on the shore of the Sea of Love for too long. Even with two good men interested in her, she's been afraid to wade in. According to her best friend, Courtney, she should. The water’s fine. Life is great! Practically perfect, if you don’t count Courtney’s problems with her cranky ex-boss. Maybe Courtney’s right. It’s time to dive in. When tragedy strikes, everything changes and Jenna's more confused than ever. But this fresh heartache might help her figure out at last who she can turn to when times get tough."

Sheila always writes wonderful romance novels that have great storylines behind them. This book is the 5th in her Moonlight Harbor Series and I am sure it will not disappoint us fans or first time readers! Mark your calendar for April 27th because that's when you can purchase the Kindle version or paperback!

This week I also have lined up our reading groups selection which is The Babbling Brook Naked Poker Club by Ann Warner...

"In Book One of this cozy mystery series, a morose parrot with a reputation for biting sums up Brookside Retirement Community for reluctant resident, Josephine Bartlett. But when Brookside turns out to be a setting for art theft, dodgy dealings, and naked poker it becomes vastly more interesting. Josephine investigates the unusual goings on with friend and handwriting expert, Lill Fitzel. And the two befriend a young woman Josephine tries to prevent from making the same mistakes she has made."

This is a cozy mystery that sounds like a nice fun light read. As it says in the blurb above, it is book 1 of the series and if you enjoy reading it, there are 4 more in the series. This first book is FREE on Kindle right now, so if you like cozy mysteries, you should definitely download it because you have nothing to lose!

And if those two books weren't enough to whet your interest, this one will definitely do it...

Are you ready?... Are you an Outlander fan?....

Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabalson, book 9 of the Outlander series, is coming this November! 

"The past may seem the safest place to be . . . but it is the most dangerous time to be alive. . .  Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall were torn apart by the Jacobite Rising in 1743, and it took them twenty years to find each other again. Now the American Revolution threatens to do the same... It is 1779 and Claire and Jamie are at last reunited with their daughter, Brianna, her husband, Roger, and their children on Fraser’s Ridge. Having the family together is a dream the Frasers had thought impossible... Yet even in the North Carolina backcountry, the effects of war are being felt. Tensions in the Colonies are great and local feelings run hot enough to boil Hell’s tea-kettle. Jamie knows loyalties among his tenants are split and it won’t be long until the war is on his doorstep... Brianna and Roger have their own worry: that the dangers that provoked their escape from the twentieth century might catch up to them. Sometimes they question whether risking the perils of the 1700s—among them disease, starvation, and an impending war—was indeed the safer choice for their family... Not so far away, young William Ransom is still coming to terms with the discovery of his true father’s identity—and thus his own—and Lord John Grey has reconciliations to make, and dangers to meet . . . on his son’s behalf, and his own... Meanwhile, the Revolutionary War creeps ever closer to Fraser’s Ridge. And with the family finally together, Jamie and Claire have more at stake than ever before."

I have almost read thru the Outlander series, and then watched the Starz series with much delight, but I am so excited to see a new book in the series! And actually the television series will continue eventually too. I just love this time traveling story and the history it lives in. What about you?

So, what new books have you been reading?  

Do you get the urge to read more in the warmer weather?

April is also National Poetry Month! Have you been reading any poetry? I have and we'll talk more about it in the week ahead. I've got some great new poetry books I think you might enjoy...

Until then... Happy Reading... Suzanne

Get Ready… Summer's Gonna Sizzle

Welcome to the The Sunday Salon and Summer! Yes, finally the weather matches the calendar and we can declare longer days with lazy nights, margarita's by the water, and SUMMER READING!

Summer is going to sizzle too! There is plenty summer reading to be had by our favorite authors! (And not to wish summer away, but there are some great books coming out this fall too!) What's your pleasure? Romance, thrillers, murder?  Let's take a peek at what you should be adding to your summer TBR list!

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart… from the publisher:

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. 

Read it.

And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

I'm intrigued! I love the smart description from the publisher too! Last time I found a cryptic book description like that was on Little Bee by Chris Cleave and that book was fantastic.  This book has gotten amazing reviews so far! It is suppose to be a YA novel , but from what I gather it's not exactly being sold as YA, because I guess that would "pigeon hole" it in a particular genre, and the story should be enjoyed by adults as well. It is on my TBR list! Sounds great and the small bit of a sample I read I enjoyed. Published by Delacorte Press (Random House) is was published in May of this year!

The Good Girl by Mary Kubica… "I've been following her for the past few days. I know where she buys her groceries, where she has her dry cleaning done, where she works. I don't know the color of her eyes or what they look like when she's scared. But I will." 

Born to a prominent Chicago judge and his stifled socialite wife, Mia Dennett moves against the grain as a young inner-city art teacher. One night, Mia enters a bar to meet her on-again, off-again boyfriend. But when he doesn't show, she unwisely leaves with an enigmatic stranger. With his smooth moves and modest wit, at first Colin Thatcher seems like a safe one-night stand. But following Colin home will turn out to be the worst mistake of Mia's life.  Colin's job was to abduct Mia as part of a wild extortion plot and deliver her to his employers. But the plan takes an unexpected turn when Colin suddenly decides to hide Mia in a secluded cabin in rural Minnesota, evading the police and his deadly superiors. Mia's mother, Eve, and detective Gabe Hoffman will stop at nothing to find them, but no one could have predicted the emotional entanglements that eventually cause this family's world to shatter. 

Can you say thriller?! Yes, this a suspense thriller from first time writer, Mary Kubica. The Good Girl has gotten a lot of great pre-release press, and sounds like it will make a perfect summer read! But this one we'll have to wait for until July 29, 2014, when Harlequin MIRA will publish it!

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King… In a mega-stakes, high-suspense race against time, three of the most unlikely and winning heroes Stephen King has ever created try to stop a lone killer from blowing up thousands. In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, hundreds of desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes. In another part of town, months later, a retired cop named Bill Hodges is still haunted by the unsolved crime. When he gets a crazed letter from someone who self-identifies as the “perk” and threatens an even more diabolical attack, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, hell-bent on preventing another tragedy. Brady Hartsfield lives with his alcoholic mother in the house where he was born. He loved the feel of death under the wheels of the Mercedes, and he wants that rush again. Only Bill Hodges, with a couple of highly unlikely allies, can apprehend the killer before he strikes again. And they have no time to lose, because Brady’s next mission, if it succeeds, will kill or maim thousands. Mr. Mercedes is a war between good and evil, from the master of suspense whose insight into the mind of this obsessed, insane killer is chilling and unforgettable.

Is Stephen King back?! I had kind of given up on him, until The Dome. I just didn't get that spark when I read any of his newer books. He had retired, then he came back with a new book, what is going on? Well, Mr. Mercedes sounds like old Stephen King to me. The sample I read I liked, but this is summer and let's have fun reading Stephen King without being wary. Does it have to be his best? Does it have to make me want to leave the lights on when I'm reading (Like The Shining did)? No, so I'm willing to give this a try for the fun of it. Lot's of people have given it great reviews. Published by Scribner (Simon & Schuster) it is available now!

Written in My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon… 1778: France declares war on Great Britain, the British army leaves Philadelphia, and George Washington’s troops leave Valley Forge in pursuit. At this moment, Jamie Fraser returns from a presumed watery grave to discover that his best friend has married his wife, his illegitimate son has discovered (to his horror) who his father really is, and his beloved nephew, Ian, wants to marry a Quaker. Meanwhile, Jamie’s wife, Claire, and his sister, Jenny, are busy picking up the pieces. The Frasers can only be thankful that their daughter Brianna and her family are safe in twentieth-century Scotland. Or not. In fact, Brianna is  searching for her own son, who was kidnapped by a man determined to learn her family’s secrets. Her husband, Roger, has ventured into the past in search of the missing boy . . . never suspecting that the object of his quest has not left the present. Now, with Roger out of the way, the kidnapper can focus on his true target: Brianna herself.

How can I talk about Summer Sizzler's without mentioning the newest book in the time traveling romance Outlander Series!?! After 7 books, Outlander fans still want more, and Diana Gabaldon has been gracious enough to give us more! If you are not familiar with the Outlander Series, it is the amazing time traveling romance between 20th century Claire and 18th century Scottish Highlander Jamie. It is HOT and at the writing is superb. The series starts with Outlander, and if you haven't read it, pick it up NOW. It's a big one, though, at almost 900 pages. Published by Delacorte Press (Random House) it is available now from your favorite book seller!

Do you have any plans for reading this summer? What's on your TBR list? I've had quite a few books on my plate so far, including a graphic novel This One Summer by  Mariko and Jillian Tamaki, that I loved and will be reviewing by the end of the week, and Garth Stein's newest offering called A Sudden Light, which was fabulous! You'll see the review for that this week too! Stop by the next few "Memoir Mondays" to find some great new memoirs you are going to want to read! And in the meantime…

Happy Reading… Suzanne

What's Up Valentine? It's The Sunday Salon

Welcome to The Sunday Salon! It's that time of the week again… The time to talk books! So grab yourself a cup of joe, find yourself a comfy chair and settle in…

It's been a cold and wintry week in Connecticut. There was a major snow storm that layered almost 12 inches of beautiful white snow that's here to stay for a while as the temperatures aren't going much above 20 degrees. Baby It's Cold Outside, but at the end of this week is Valentine's Day and that definitely can get HOT! What do you do for Valentine's Day? Romantic dinner, funny cards, HOT reads? Well, this week I thought I would share some romantic reads, plus a book to send your sweetheart, and share some links to some great Valentine's Day crafts!
First the romantic reads… 
A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux… Once upon a time...as a fair maiden lay weeping upon a cold tombstone, her heartfelt desire was suddenly made real before her: tall, broad of shoulder, attired in gleaming silver and gold, her knight in shining armor had come to rescue his damsel in distress… 

The thrillingly romantic tale of thoroughly modern Dougless Montgomer, left alone and brokenhearted in an English church, and the sixteenth-century hero who carries her heart away, A Knight in Shining Armor is a story for all time, and for anyone who believes in the power of love… Abandoned by her lover, thoroughly modern Dougless Montgomery finds herself alone and brokenhearted in an old English church. She never dreamed that a love more powerful than time awaited her there... until Nicholas Stafford, Earl of Thornwyck, a sixteenth-century knight, appeared. Drawn to him by a bond so sudden and compelling that it defied reason, Dougless knew that Nicholas was nothing less than a miracle: a man who would not seek to change her, who found her perfect just as she was. But she could not know how strong were the chains that tied them to the past -- or the grand adventure that lay before them.

This has been on my TBR list for a LONG long time. I have seen this novel on many many "must read" romance lists and so here it is on one of mine! I love time travel romances and this was one of the first I ever read about. I don't know why I haven't read it, except for the fact that romances aren't the norm for my reading pleasure. This is going to the top of my TBR list.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon… Claire Randall is leading a double life. She has a husband in one century, and a lover in another...

In 1945, Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon--when she innocently touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an "outlander"—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of our Lord…1743. Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire's destiny in soon inextricably intertwined with Clan MacKenzie and the forbidden Castle Leoch. She is catapulted without warning into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life ...and shatter her heart. For here, James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a passion so fierce and a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

This has to be my all time favorite romance. Claire and Jamie are just all that you ever want in star crossed lovers. This story is romantic, sexy, steamy and an adventure waiting for you. It is the first book in a series that follows the lovers as they cross time and space to be with each other. Don't feel obligated to read them all (but you'll want to) and don't feel intimidated by the amount of pages (it's over 800 pages), but read this book!

I Shall Be Near To You by Erin Lindsay McCabe… "An extraordinary novel about a strong-willed woman who disguises herself as a man in order to fight beside her husband in the Civil War, inspired by a real female soldier's letters home. Rosetta doesn't want her new husband Jeremiah to enlist, but he joins up, hoping to make enough money that they'll be able to afford their own farm someday. Though she's always worked by her father's side as the son he never had, now that Rosetta is a wife she's told her place is inside with the other women. But Rosetta decides her true place is with Jeremiah, no matter what that means, and to be with him she cuts off her hair, hems an old pair of his pants, and signs up as a Union soldier. Rosetta trains with the men, prepares herself for war, and deals with the tension between her and Jeremiah as he comes to grips with having a fighting wife. There are many dangers to face, from the constant threat of discovery to intense battles where they fight side by side. With him, she faces the difficult realities of the Civil War, marriage, and staying true to herself. Inspired by true accounts of the more than four hundred women who fought in the Civil War disguised as men, I Shall Be Near To You is a tender love story, an exploration of gender roles and marriage, and a hard examination of war".

Can you imagine living during the Civil War and having your sweetheart or husband go off to war. How frightening that must have been. How your heart would have ached. Little did I know that there were plenty of women who went with their men! They disguised themselves as men and joined the ranks to fight alongside the men they loved. I am curious as to how this is written. If the writing is good, then this might be a wonderful romantic look at one of those relationships. It's on my radar TBR.

The Shell Seekers by  Rosamunde Pilcher… The Shell Seekers is a novel of connection: of one family, and of the passions and heartbreak that have held them together for three generations. The Shell Seekers is filled with real people--mothers and daughters, husband and lovers--inspired with real values. The Shell Seekers centers on Penelope Keeling--a woman you'll always remember in world you'll never forget. The Shell Seekers is a magical novel, the kind of reading experience that comes along only once in a long while.

At the end of a long and useful life, Penelope Keeling's prized possession is The Shell Seekers, painted by her father, and symbolizing her unconventional life, from bohemian childhood to wartime romance. When her grown children learn their grandfather's work is now worth a fortune, each has an idea as to what Penelope should do. But as she recalls the passions, tragedies, and secrets of her life, she knows there is only one answer...and it lies in her heart.

People have constantly told me how wonderful this book is. So, here I am passing it along to you! It's an oldie but goodie. Has anyone read this?! What did you think?!

Here's a book to give to your Sweetheart…. 

An Awesome Book of Love by Dallas Clayton… This book, written for ages 3 and up, explores all the facets of love. It's written as a children's book, but this book says it all when it comes to telling that someone special just how much they mean to you! Your sweetheart, your son or daughter, your wife, a grandchild, a grandmother, or just someone you can very much about. Buy this book, get out a pen and inscribe it, the person who receives it will treasure it forever! ( Psst… I'm giving one to my special guy) You can read the whole book HERE, illustrations and all!

Valentine's Day Crafts…  Want to make something special for your Valentine? Here are some great ideas for some cards and gifts you can make yourself…                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        How about a Valentine's inspired votive holder from SkinnyScoop.com… Or a Heartfelt Bookmark for your someone special…Or another inspired bookmark idea from Evermine Blog… Scholastic has a fun take on making bookmarks using paint sample cards… And here are some ideas from Martha Stewarts Valentines crafts and gifts… Here are some crafty Valentine's Day ideas from Better Homes & Gardens. Have any ideas you'd like to share? 

Weekly Recap… I read the most wonderful ROMANTIC book. Maybe not so romantic as a wonderful romance, but it was Under The Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan and I LOVED it! This is the much anticipated 2nd novel by Nancy Horan who gave up Loving Frank. She seems to hit it right on the nose with these historical romances about famous men. Loving Frank was about Frank Lloyd Wright and his affair with Mamah Borthwick Cheney. Under The Wide And Starry Sky is about the romance between Robert Louis Stevenson and his wife Fanny. Read my REVIEW from Saturday. Hmm, this book also counts towards my Chunkster Reading Challenge 2014!  AND, I'm 11 books read out of 50 for my Goodreads 2014 reading goal. 50 books is a lot though, and even though I've been quite voracious, I'm not sure I could really read 50. How many books have you read in one year?! This is also my first year of keeping track of my reading, usually I just enjoy and not think twice about "how many".

Enjoy your Valentine's Day! If reading is your choice, I hope I've shared the perfect Valentine's read for you!

Happy reading… Suzanne