In My Mailbox...

In My Mailbox... I've received some great books in my mailbox! And I decided I would join in on the fun sharing them with you and the other bloggers participating in Mailbox Monday!

Mailbox Monday is a weekly event for bloggers to share what books arrived in their mailboxes. Mailbox Monday was originally created by Marcia of To Be Continued and is now hosted by Vicki, Serena and Leslie at Mailbox Monday's own blog.

So, here are the books...


Mississippi Blood by Greg Iles... The endgame is at hand for Penn Cage, his family, and the enemies bent on destroying them in this revelatory volume in the epic trilogy set in modern-day Natchez, Mississippi—Greg Iles’s epic tale of love and honor, hatred and revenge that explores how the sins of the past continue to haunt the present... Mississippi Blood is the enthralling conclusion to a breathtaking trilogy seven years in the making--one that has kept readers on the edge of their seats. With piercing insight, narrative prowess, and a masterful ability to blend history and imagination, New York Times bestselling author Greg Iles illuminates the brutal history of the American South in a highly atmospheric and suspenseful novel that delivers the shocking resolution his fans have eagerly awaited. 

Wow! Was I a happy girl when I opened this package from Harper Collins! I have been anticipating the release of this book for a whole year! I LOVED the first two books in the trilogy, Natchez Burning and The Bone Tree, and couldn't wait for more! If you love fast paced thrillers, a Southern setting, mysteries, revenge novels, etc. this trilogy is for you! If you haven't read the first two, it isn't necessary to read them before, but it would be more fun because there are some surprises to come along in the first two novels that you'll want to be "surprised" about!

Thank you to Harper Collins! This has a publish date set for March 2017! You have time to read the other two Natchez Mississippi books first!

Depraved Heart by Patricia Cornwell... Dr. Kay Scarpetta is working a highly suspicious death scene in Cambridge, Massachusetts, when an emergency alert sounds on her phone. A video link seems to be from her niece Lucy. But how can it be? It’s clearly a surveillance film of Lucy taken almost twenty years ago... In the latest novel in her bestselling series featuring medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Cornwell captivates readers again with the jolting twists, high-wire tension, and cutting-edge forensic detail for which she is renowned, proving yet again why she is the world’s number one bestselling crime writer.

I use to be a huge fan of Patricia Cornwell, devouring each new Kay Scarpetta novel at a rapid pace, but then I got Kay Scarpetta overload and Patricia Cornwell started writing another series inbetween the Kay novels and I lost interest. But I was happy to see a new novel come into my mailbox, because I missed Kay. And I think it's about time to catch up with her! This has been in hardcover since 2015, it's the 23rd Kay Scarpetta novel and it is coming out in paperback this week! Thank you William Morrow!

The Original Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig... Meet Ginny Moon. She's mostly your average teenager—she plays flute in the school band, has weekly basketball practice and reads Robert Frost poems for English class. But Ginny is autistic. And so what's important to her might seem a bit…different: starting every day with exactly nine grapes for breakfast, Michael Jackson, taking care of her baby doll and crafting a Big Secret Plan of escape. Ginny has been in foster care for years, and for the first time in her life, she has found her "forever home"—a place where she'll be safe and protected, with a family who will love and nurture her. Though this is exactly the kind of home that all foster kids are hoping for, Ginny has other plans. She'll steal and lie and reach across her past to exploit the good intentions of those who love her—anything it takes to get back what's missing in her life. She'll even try to get herself kidnapped. 

Told in an extraordinary and wholly original voice, The Original Ginny Moon is at once quirky, charming, bighearted, poignant and yet also heartbreaking and a bit dark. It's a story of a journey, about being an outsider trying to find a place to belong and about making sense of a world that just doesn't seem to add up.

This sounds wonderful and the sample of the writing I read is equally good. I'm looking forward to cracking the spine on this one. Thank you Harlequin Books and Park Row Books. Publication date set for May 2017.

The Almost Sisters by Joshlyn Jackson... With empathy, grace, humor, and piercing insight, the author of gods in Alabama pens a powerful, emotionally resonant novel of the South that confronts the truth about privilege, family, and the distinctions between perception and reality---the stories we tell ourselves about our origins and who we really are.

Superheroes have always been Leia Birch Briggs’ weakness. One tequila-soaked night at a comics convention, the usually level-headed graphic novelist is swept off her barstool by a handsome and anonymous Batman. It turns out the caped crusader has left her with more than just a nice, fuzzy memory. She’s having a baby boy—an unexpected but not unhappy development in the thirty-eight year-old’s life. But before Leia can break the news of her impending single-motherhood (including the fact that her baby is biracial) to her conventional Southern family, her step-sister Rachel’s marriage implodes. Worse, she learns her beloved ninety-year-old grandmother, Birchie, is losing her mind, and she’s been hiding her dementia with the help of Wattie, her best friend since girlhood.
Leia returns to Alabama to put her grandmother’s affairs in order, clean out the big Victorian that has been in the Birch family for generations, and tell her family that she’s pregnant. Yet just when Leia thinks she’s got it all under control, she learns that illness is not the only thing Birchie’s been hiding. Tucked in the attic is a dangerous secret with roots that reach all the way back to the Civil War. Its exposure threatens the family’s freedom and future, and it will change everything about how Leia sees herself and her sister, her son and his missing father, and the world she thinks she knows.

What a description! Does this sound great or what!? Thank you to William Morrow for an advanced copy of The Almost Sisters! I can't wait to dive into this one!!! Publishing date is set for July 2017.

A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams... The Roaring Twenties brilliantly comes to life in this enchanting and compulsively readable tale of intrigue, romance, and scandal in New York Society, brimming with lush atmosphere, striking characters, and irresistible charm. As the freedom of the Jazz Age transforms New York City, the iridescent Mrs. Theresa Marshall of Fifth Avenue and Southampton, Long Island, has done the unthinkable: she’s fallen in love with her young paramour, Captain Octavian Rofrano, a handsome aviator and hero of the Great War. An intense and deeply honorable man, Octavian is devoted to the beautiful socialite of a certain age and wants to marry her. While times are changing and she does adore the Boy, divorce for a woman of Theresa’s wealth and social standing is out of the question, and there is no need; she has an understanding with Sylvo, her generous and well-respected philanderer husband. But their relationship subtly shifts when her bachelor brother, Ox, decides to tie the knot with the sweet younger daughter of a newly wealthy inventor. Engaging a longstanding family tradition, Theresa enlists the Boy to act as her brother’s cavalier, presenting the family’s diamond rose ring to Ox’s intended, Miss Sophie Fortescue—and to check into the background of the little-known Fortescue family. When Octavian meets Sophie, he falls under the spell of the pretty ingénue, even as he uncovers a shocking family secret. As the love triangle of Theresa, Octavian, and Sophie progresses, it transforms into a saga of divided loyalties, dangerous revelations, and surprising twists that will lead to a shocking transgression . . . and eventually force Theresa to make a bittersweet choice.

This sounds delicious! And what a gorgeous cover! Already available in hardcover, A Certain Age will be released in paperback this week! Another thank you to William Morrow for sending this to my mailbox!

I love receiving books in the mail! And these books make the beginning of 2017 sizzle! 

First Book of The Year... 2017!

For the past few years I've carefully chosen a book to start the new year with. Sheila over at Book Journey has hosted the First Book of The Year event for the past three years and is doing it again this year! Yay! It's a fun get together with other readers to share what book you're starting your reading year with! Some people submit a photo to show what they're reading, but this year I was a little late in deciding, so no photo this year, but I'm still reading and still sharing my First Book of The Year 2017 here...

I Remember You: A Ghost Story by Yrsa Sigurdardottir ... I Remember You won the Icelandic Crime Fiction Award and also was nominated for The Glass Key Award.

In this terrifying tale, three friends set to work renovating a rundown house in a remote, totally isolated location. But they soon realize they are not as alone as they thought. Something wants them to leave. Meanwhile, in a nearby town, a young doctor investigating the suicide of an elderly woman discovers that she was obsessed with his vanished son. When the two stories collide, the shocking truth becomes horribly clear.

In the vein of Stephen King and John Ajvide Lindqvist partly based on a true story, is the scariest novel yet from Yrsa Sigurdardóttir, who has captivated the attention of readers around the world with her mystery series featuring attorney Thora Gudmundsdottir. Now, Yrsa will stun readers once again with this out-of-this-world ghost story that will leave you shivering.

This book just struck a chord with me... Winter, isolation, a ghost story... I guess that's how Connecticut feels to me these days with winter settling in. I downloaded the Nook Book and started reading it and am glad the lights were on in the room... because it is scary! It's the setting that gives you the creeps. Yrsa Sigurdardottir creates a very eery atmosphere and totally believable. I am enjoying it!

What is the first book you're reading in 2017?

2017 Library Love Challenge

2017 Library Love Challenge

My first "official" reading challenge of the year! I love my library and this challenge encourages me to visit and share the love! In the "modern" age, we don't have to physically walk into the library to show our love, we can also check out books virtually and read them on our eReaders! (Audiobooks count too!)

The 2017 Library Love Challenge is hosted by Bea's Book Nook and Angel's Guilty Pleasures! Here are the Challenge Details and how YOU can join...

Runs: January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2017. You can join any time.

*Put a sign up post on your blog or (dedicate a Goodreads shelf or LibraryThing) and link it at the Challenge site.  Make sure it’s public.

*The goal is to read at least twelve (12) books from the library, but you can read more. While twelve is the minimum, there is no maximum limit. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you.

*Any format will work for this challenge (print, ebook, or audio); as long as you checked it out from the library, it counts.

*Books can be any genre (fiction, nonfiction, romance, fantasy, mystery, thriller, horror, etc.).
Crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed, including re-reads. The goal is to support your local library and save money.

*Write a review - 2 sentences or an essay, whatever works for you, but there is a minimum of 2 sentences. Not sure what to write? How about something like, "The plot was a delight, but the characters didn’t capture me."

Levels:
Dewey Decimal: read 12 books
Thrifty Reader: read 24 books
Overdrive Junkie: read 36 books

Library Card on Fire: read 50+ books

*There are also going to be Giveaways for participating! You can read more on that at...

2017 Library Love Challenge post!

My goal for this challenge is reading 12 books. I am tempted to go for Thrifty Reader, but I'm going to keep it simple with the Dewey Decimal level. Are YOU up for the challenge to Love Your Library?

New Year Old Year... A Look Back and a Peek Forward...

Happy New Year! It's a new year and of course that means new books! (new reading goals, new challenges) Yes, welcome to Chick with Books, The Sunday Salon and The Sunday Post, which is hosted by Kim at The Caffeinated Book Reviewer! After a very busy few months, things are finally getting back to normal and the books on my shelfs are getting the dust wiped off of them and put back on the nightstand! Yesterday, I ended the "old year", 2016, with a special surprise in the mail from Harper Collins! I am so excited that they sent me a book I've been waiting for, for over a year! That book is Mississippi Blood by Greg Iles! Yes, I am thrilled! But before we start the new year, lets take a look back on 2016...

Reading Goals... How did I do on my reading goals? 

   *2016 I Love Libraries Reading Challenge... my goal was to take out and read 6 books from my local library, I took out and read 12! I think I may have actually taken a few more out, but I am happy to say, I surpassed my library goal! And I enjoyed it too! I saved a bit of money, helped my library by showing that people do use it and encouraged others to visit their library too!

  *2016 Graphic Novel & Manga Challenge... my goal was to read and review 12 books. I did read more than 12, but only reviewed 11, so I missed that goal just a little. I'll be posting the reviews for the other books I read in the next coming weeks.

  *Chick with Books Book Bingo 2016 Challenge... my goal was to fill the entire Bingo card! I almost made it, reading 22 out of 25 books. This year I'm going to make it!

  *Goodreads Reading Challenge 2016... my goal was to read 50 books and I read 63!!! (Too bad all those books didn't fit all the categories on my Book Bingo card!

How did you do with your reading challenges?

 Do you set reading goals for the year?

I use to be "Challenge Obsessed"! I love reading and so many challenges sounded so interesting! Mysteries, Southern authors, Jane austen, Poetry, Historical fiction... but then I found myself choosing books soley on what I needed to fill my reading challenge obligations and not necessarily on something I saw that I wanted to read. So, I've calmed down quite a bit on signing up for challenges. But reading challenges are fun! I have not signed up for any reading challenges yet, but there are a few definite choices... 

Reading Challenges 2017... 

Goodreads Reading Challenge 2017... There is a glitch at the Goodreads site when I tried to sign up for this years reading challenge, but I'll go back and join in later. My goal is 50 books, which I was happy to accomplish last year, but is still a big goal. Interested in joining? Here's the LINK.

2017 Library Love Challenge... I love my library. Fortunately I have a great library and they get or can get almost any book I want to read. And I am running out of space at home for all the books that I bring home, so why not save a little money and room at home by BORROWING some of those books I want to read!? Love this challenge, which encourages you to love your library! This year the challenge is co hosted by Bea's Book Nook and Angel's Guilty Pleasures. I'll be signing up this week and I'll be posting about it too.

Book Bingo 2017... Last year I posted a Bingo card for all the Chick with Books readers to enjoy filling in. I'm going to do this again this year. I also made up Bingo cards for all my reading group members, but each member had a different arrangement of the book categories, so we all wouldn't have the same Bingo's. They all loved it! And I'll be doing it again for them this year, with some changes in the categories. Bingo cards are so much fun! I've seen other reading challenges do this too! Join in the fun! I'll be posting the Chick with Books Bingo card this coming week!

Favorite Books of 2016...

There were so many good books I read this year, it is hard to pick just one, or even three, but here are 3 great books that should not disappoint if you're looking for something to read...

Eternal on the Water by Joseph Monninger... I absolutely loved this book. It's like a walk in the woods, it's two people falling in love, it's wonderful! Here's my review, "Did you ever wish a book to never end?! That's how I felt about Eternal on the Water!"

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor... It's not too often that I read science fiction, but I was reading about the 2015 Nebula award winners and this struck me as interesting. It's a little under 100 pages and worth every word! It is wonderful! Read this! 

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi... A wonderful novel! Here's part of my review, "At the moment of finishing Homegoing, all I could think was "Wow"! What a breathtaking, sweeping novel. All of the characters were so incredibly alive off of the pages. The story, the landscapes, were all so incredibly rich with details and substance. I read this leisurely, enjoying every minute. I was captivated from the very start..."

                   What were your favorite books of 2016?

Looking Forward...

2017 will have new books! What will be the breakout novel of the year?! Well, here are a few books to look forward to...

Mississippi Blood by Greg Iles... If you are familiar with this series, Mississippi Blood is the third (and I think last) book of this trilogy. Penn Cage is the "hero" in these books, actually a lawyer and ex procecutor, and the series is a thriller filled with secrets, revenge, love and tragedy. The writing is great and from the first book through the second book, I was on the edge of my seat and fully immersed. Penn Cage is "the man" in Greg Iles books, so if you like this series, you can visit Penn in one of his other stories.

Depraved Heart by Patricia Cornwell... I haven't read anything by Patricia Cornwell in forever, but I use to LOVE her books. I discovered her one day and read every Kay Scarpetta book back to back until I was caught up, and then I just kind of got Kay Scarpetta overload. I just received a copy of Depraved Hearts from the publisher this week and thought, hey, wouldn't it be nice to visit Kay Scarpetta again. And so, if you enjoy Patricia Cornwell, it's time to crack open Depraved Hearts, which is coming in paperback this week! "Dr. Kay Scarpetta is working a highly suspicious death scene in Cambridge, Massachusetts, when an emergency alert sounds on her phone. A video link seems to be from her niece Lucy. But how can it be? It’s clearly a surveillance film of Lucy taken almost twenty years ago."

The Wicked City by Beatriz Williams... I just received Beatriz Williams' book A Certain Age in the mail, and here I see that Beatriz is back with more from that era!  "New York Times bestselling author Beatriz Williams recreates the New York City of A Certain Age in this deliciously spicy adventure that mixes past and present and centers on a Jazz Age love triangle involving a rugged Prohibition agent, a saucy redheaded flapper, and a debonair Princetonian from a wealthy family." This sounds fun and is coming out Jan. 17th! A Certain Age is out in hardcover and will be out in paperback this week!

There are many authors coming out with books this year! Next Sunday, we'll be back with more great books coming out in the next few months that you are not going to want to miss! For now, I'm going to grab another cup of Java and settle down with a good book! Which book?! I have my mind on a few, but I'll let you know what my FIRST BOOK OF THE YEAR turns out to be later this week!

Hope you found something interesting here today! Let me know what you're reading! And what books you're looking forward to in 2017!

Happy reading... Suzanne

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The Sunday Salon and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, but sometimes it isn't all fun and games...

Welcome to The Sunday Salon and The Sunday Post! It's that day of the week bloggers from all over the internet get together virtually in a large gathering place called The Sunday Salon and talk books!  And at The Sunday Post, which is a weekly meme hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, in which more bloggers share their bookish news!

It's a beautiful sunny day in Connecticut. It is November, so it's has cooled off a bit, but it's only in the 50's and that's okay with me this time of year. Lot's of things to start getting ready for... Thanksgiving! Christmas!?! and some interesting reads coming out for Fall. Today's roundup of reads highlights some literary girls that don't fit in your typical mold. Merry, who is like a black widow, charming and deadly (kinda), Skylark, who is trying to find herself among the teenagers she's friends with, and Penelope, who survives her hellish surroundings to eventually find love and acceptance. Here they are...

Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen... From Kirkus Reviews: When Lane Coolman's car is bashed from behind on the road to the Florida Keys, what appears to be an ordinary accident is anything but (this is Hiaasen!). Behind the wheel of the other car is Merry Mansfield--the eponymous Razor Girl--and the crash scam is only the beginning of events that spiral crazily out of control while unleashing some of the wildest characters Hiaasen has ever set loose on the page. There's Trebeaux, the owner of Sedimental Journeys--a company that steals sand from one beach to restore erosion on another . . . Dominick "Big Noogie" Aeola, a NYC mafia capo with a taste for tropic-wear . . . Buck Nance, a Wisconsin accordionist who has rebranded himself as the star of a redneck reality show called Bayou Brethren . . . a street psycho known as Blister who's more Buck Nance than Buck could ever be . . . Brock Richardson, a Miami product-liability lawyer who's getting dangerously--and deformingly--hooked on the very E.D. product he's litigating against . . . and Andrew Yancy--formerly Detective Yancy, busted down to the Key West roach patrol after accosting his then-lover's husband with a Dust Buster. Yancy believes that if he can singlehandedly solve a high-profile murder, he'll get his detective badge back. That the Razor Girl may be the key to Yancy's future will be as surprising as anything else he encounters along the way--including the giant Gambian rats that are livening up his restaurant inspections.

Carl Hiassen's books are rollicking adventures and Razor Girl should be no different. I picked this up and am looking forward to cracking the spine for a fun time. Lots of great praise for this book.

Girl Defective by Simmone Howell... Skylark Martin lives above her family’s vintage vinyl shop that—like its merchandise—is an endangered species in their re-gentrified, forward-looking Melbourne suburb. In the five years since Mum left to “follow her art” in Japan, Dad’s kept the shop going, drinking homebrew and mourning the past (musical and otherwise). Sky, 15, and Gully, 10, aka Agent Seagull Martin, who wears a pig-snout mask 24/7 and views the world as a crime scene waiting to be investigated, hold down the fort. Sky harbors no illusions about their dreary status quo—Dad’s drinking, Gully’s issues, her own social stasis—but she does have dreams, recently ignited by a new friend, the beautiful, wild and fearless Nancy. Other agents of change include Eve, Dad’s old flame, and Luke, the shop’s attractive, moody new hire. Drawn, mothlike, to Nancy’s flame, Sky’s dreams are haunted by Luke’s sister, whose similarly wild lifestyle led to tragedy. The family business grounds Sky. Its used records and cassettes, like time capsules, store music that evokes the past’s rich emotional complexity for the Martins and their quirky customers, while the eternal present and frantic quest for the next big thing hold no appeal.  Funny, observant, a relentless critic of the world’s (and her own) flaws, Sky is original, thoroughly authentic and great company, decorating her astute, irreverent commentary with vivid Aussie references; chasing these down should provide foreign readers with hours of online fun.

I happened to stumble upon this book this week and read a bit of it. Reminds me of a coming-of-age novel, I enjoyed the writing I sampled and have put this one on my wishlist! It's YA and originally published in 2014. 

Ulysses Dream by Tim White... Through Penelope’s eyes we understand the experience of thousands of girls who are kidnapped and become statistics of human trafficking. With the courageous intervention of a young girl, she escapes and ends up living with other children in the Teguciligapa city dump. Her hero is Ulysses, a Nez Perce boy raised in the rugged Wallowa mountains in Eastern Oregon. He and his six brothers and their Beauceron dog have many adventures and are hunted by a monstrous bear. Ulysses and Penelope fall into a sweet teenage romance. When Ulysees is sent to Southeast Asia in 1968, his quest to win back his true love takes him through the horror of Vietnam, as well as the struggles of professional football and the Olympics. Penelope and her son Telemachus are left alone to work towards the miracle of US citizenships, all the while avoiding the retribution of the international gang to whom she once was a slave.

This book seems to have so much stuffed into one story. How do you combine human trafficking, a love story and the NFL into one book? And the book is only 207 pages? I'm not sure, but the story of a girl escaping her sex traffickers,  surviving and falling in love, and almost losing the happiness she fought so hard for makes me want to read this. It's at a bargain Kindle price of $4.99 if you're interested too.

What Literary Girls have you read about lately?

Enjoy your week! I hope you've found something to pique your reading interests! 

Happy reading... Suzanne

There's A Bumbie Under My Bed!... Blog Tour

Oh Yes, we've all had a Bumbie or two lurking under the bed when the lights go out! Here's a cute  look at the Bumbie's under a certain little boy's bed in There's A Bumbie Under My Bed by Bethany Ramos...

There’s a Bumbie Under My Bed tells the story of a boy who can’t go to sleep because of all the monster bunnies keeping him up at night. Told in the first-person narrative, the little boy delays bedtime, using his flashlight and hand to create scary and silly bunny shadow puppets on the wall. According to the boy, friendly, spooky characters like the Bumbie (bunny zombie), Were-bunny (werewolf bunny), Bunny-stein (bunny Frankenstein), and Count Hop-ula come to visit him in the night. At the end of the book, his mother comforts him to sleep by telling him to let his imagination rest — and put the flashlight away.

What Did I Think?! I loved it! Creative, imaginative and wonderfully illustrated, author Bethany Ramos along with illustrator, Emiliano Billai, gives us a peek into what lurks under the bed late at night when the lights go out... but it's the little boy's mother in the story that helps us learn how to deal with such a vivid imagination. I really thought it was wonderful at the end of the story that the mother tells her little boy, to "put your flashlight away and let your imagination rest. You'll see your friends again tomorrow night." It shows us that the Bumbie's are really our friends and that we can bring them out to play another time. Although I didn't spy a flashlight bringing the Bumbie's to life, there seemed to be light streaming into the room that did give life to those shadows. I also liked that the last two pages of the book show how to make our own shadow puppets (or Bumbies) with our own flashlight. A great way to help children learn to deal with their own Bumbies! (or other cute named monsters!)

There's a Bumbie Under My Bed is 24 pages, Published by Saturn Moon Press and is a Children's picture book.

About the Author...
Bethany Ramos is a children’s book author, editor, and blogger. She is a regular contributor to SheKnows.com. Bethany’s first children’s book, Lions Can’t Eat Spaghetti, was published through 4RV Publishing in 2016. Her second children’s book, There’s a Bumbie Under My Bed, was published by Saturn’s Moon Press, also in 2016. Her first chick lit novel, 5 Stages of Grief, was published by Black Opal Books in 2011; her second chick lit novel, Adventure to Love, was published by Soul Mate Publishing in 2013. Bethany works as Editor in Chief for Naturally Healthy Publications.

Here's Bethany's... WEBSITE ! You can follow Bethany on... TWITTER ! Like Bethany on... FACEBOOK!

Chick with Books is participating in today's Blog Tour courtesy of Pump Up Your Books! Virtual Book Publicity Tours! As part of the tour, I was given a copy of There's A Bumbie Under My Bed! to read and share my unbiased review.

The Sunday Salon and What's Cooking?!... or 4 Cookbooks to Get You Back in the Mood to Cook!

Welcome to The Sunday Salon and The Sunday Post! It's that day of the week bloggers from all over the internet get together virtually in a large gathering place called The Sunday Salon and talk books!  And at The Sunday Post, which is a weekly meme hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, in which more bloggers share their bookish news!

Good morning everyone! Yes, we earned an extra hour of sleep this morning, the sun is shining brightly at 8am, but it's cold! Fall weather is settling quickly in Connecticut. We've gone from 80 degrees to 50 in a matter of a week or so. And with the change of seasons I think about getting the sweaters and gloves out, and think about stirring up some cold weather cooking in the form of hearty soups and homemade bread. Which then makes me think about cookbooks... and then about what new cookbooks have come out that may tempt my tastebuds and make me want to try something new. See all that logical progression?! There have been so many new cookbooks published recently, I thought we'd talk cookbooks...

First cookbook today is The Pollan Family Table by Corky, Lori, Dana and Traci Pollan. Yes, that Traci Pollan! And if that weren't enough, Michael Pollan, the guy who writes all those great books on food, is the brother (and son) to these women. Corky is the Mom to Lori, Dana and Traci and as evidence, this cookbook shows how they all grew up to appreciate good cooking. I met these ladies at a book signing and talk held at Bethel Library (one of the local libraries) and courtesy of the efforts of Byrd's Books of Bethel. It was a nice evening and you could tell how close these ladies were and how cooking was a big part of their family. The recipes in their cookbook are simple, well explained, and with ingredients we can find without any problems. I'll be reviewing this soon, but suffice it to say that it's a winner. Oh and the photographs in the book are gorgeous!

Cooking for Jeffrey by Ina Garten: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook... For America’s bestselling cookbook author Ina Garten there is no greater pleasure than cooking for the people she loves—and particularly for her husband, Jeffrey. She has been cooking for him ever since they were married forty-eight years ago, and the comforting, delicious meals they shared became the basis for her extraordinary career in food. Ina’s most personal cookbook yet, Cooking for Jeffrey is filled with the recipes Jeffrey and their friends request most often as well as charming stories from Ina and Jeffrey’s many years together. There are traditional dishes that she’s updated... and new favorites.

I just love Ina Garten. Her recipes have never failed me. They are always simple and delicious. I haven' looked through this cookbook, but it's been on my wishlist ever since I heard it was coming.

Appetites: A Cookbook by Anthony Bourdain... Appetites, his first cookbook in more than ten years, boils down forty-plus years of professional cooking and globe-trotting to a tight repertoire of personal favorites—dishes that everyone should (at least in Mr. Bourdain’s opinion) know how to cook. Once the supposed "bad boy" of cooking, Mr. Bourdain has, in recent years, become the father of a little girl—a role he has embraced with enthusiasm. After years of traveling more than 200 days a year, he now enjoys entertaining at home. Years of prep lists and the hyper-organization necessary for a restaurant kitchen, however, have caused him, in his words, to have "morphed into a psychotic, anally retentive, bad-tempered Ina Garten." The result is a home-cooking, home-entertaining cookbook like no other, with personal favorites from his own kitchen and from his travels, translated into an effective battle plan that will help you terrify your guests with your breathtaking efficiency.

Years ago I read Anthony Bourdain's, Kitchen Confidential and loved it. But I never really followed any of his other endeavors. Whenever I ran across his TV shows, I just thought he was too arrogant for my liking and turned him off. But, I ran across this cookbook recently and was fascinated. And after reading a few of the recipes shared in a sample I wanted to see more. He still has that same kind of arrogance (and he uses some expletives in some of his recipe anecdotes), but he really shares some great tips, techniques and good recipes. On my wishlist too!

Alton Brown: Everyday Cook by Alton Brown...  My name is Alton Brown, and I wrote this book. It’s my first in a few years because I’ve been a little busy with TV stuff and interwebs stuff and live stage show stuff. Sure, I’ve been cooking, but it’s been mostly to feed myself and people in my immediate vicinity—which is really what a cook is supposed to do, right? Well, one day I was sitting around trying to organize my recipes, and I realized that I should put them into a personal collection. One thing led to another, and here’s EveryDayCook. There’s still plenty of science and hopefully some humor in here (my agent says that’s my “wheelhouse”), but unlike in my other books, a lot of attention went into the photos, which were all taken on my iPhone (take that, Instagram) and are suitable for framing. As for the recipes, which are arranged by time of day, they’re pretty darned tasty.

It must be the year of the cookbook comebacks, because here we have another chef, Alton Brown, who hasn't written a cookbook in years, coming out with a new cookbook too. I'm happy though, because Alton Brown is another favorite chef of mine. He always teaches me something. In his very first cookbook he taught me the muffin method, and I haven't looked back since. His recipes never fail me either, although they tend to be more "complicated" sometimes because of the science you're learning behind it. This cookbook looks to be a winner too and it's on my wishlist!

Does the Change in Seasons mean a Change in Your Cooking?

I love cookbooks. I have way too many, but sometimes can't resist adding one to the shelves. With the internet now, so many recipes can be found online, but I still love opening one up and setting it on the counter with my measuring spoons and measuring cups.  Do you still use cookbooks? 

I hope today's post has inspired you to make something delicious! And I hope you've found something interesting too!

Happy reading... Suzanne

Back from a little quiet time...

Every once in a while, we need to step back and take a break... So, life got a little crazy and that's exactly what I did. I've still been reading, but wrapping up some things that needed my full attention. I unplugged, slowed down and took care of what needed to be done the last few weeks...

But, I'M BACK NOW! Yes! Next week it's business as usual with Books, Books and more books! It's getting to be "that time of year again"... dare I say Christmas is right around the corner! We should start thinking about some great gifts for that book lover you know! (Maybe even for yourself!) And I've already started seeing the "best books of the year" lists. We'll need to start thinking about the books we've really enjoyed this year! And of course there's always new books to fill our shelves and our conversations, so come back next week to get back to what we all love to talk about... reading! (There's also some great books to movies we should talk about too!)

Until next week... Happy reading! ...Suzanne

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty... A Review

A smart, addictive treat! It's not just "The Husband's Secret" we are pining for, it's all the secret's Liane Moriarty dangles in front of us that we want to discover! And it's the fabulous way Liane brings what seems to be three separate stories to a crashing halt together! 

One of my reading group members chose this book for us to read this month. I assumed that it was going to be a chick lit book, and that the premise of Cecelia Fitzpatrick finding a letter addressed to her, written by her husband and to be read upon his death sounded interesting... especially since her husband was "very much alive" when she found it. It seemed that the story would revolve around the question of whether Cecelia should "open the letter or not" now that she's found it and the results of that decision. Ah, yes, the letter... What deep dark secrets does that hold? But that "secret" is just the beginning! Yes, there is the letter and the "moral" decision, and that delicious dark secret, but the story takes such a turn from there that I absolutely could not put this book down. I was sucked into this story from say page 20 on... EVERYone has secrets! There is a murder, a mystery, jealousy, infidelity, and secrets, secrets, secrets!

I don't want to spoil all the fun, so let me just give you a little bit of the layout of the story... There are three "stories" here. First, Cecelia Fitzpatrick, the "perfect" wife, right down to her arrangement of Tupperware in the pantry, who married the wonderful John-Paul, from one of the wealthiest families in town and they have 3 wonderful children. Second, there is Tess, Will and Felicity. Tess and Will are married with a little boy and Felicity is Tess's cousin and closet friend. And lastly, there's Rachel, Grandmother of Jacob, and the mother of Rob who is married to Lauren. All three families have ties to the same town, all three families have an interesting story, and all three of these families are going to experience life altering changes because of one another. And just when you think that the story has reached its' climax, you'll be saying to yourself, "OMG!"

Liane Moriarty's writing is kind of light and airy, like you'd find in a good "Chick Lit" book. (I haven't really heard much about 'Chick lit' these days either, does it still exist?!). BUT, just when you think that the story will be a "light" read, the story teasing you along to a place you THINK it's going, Liane pulls the rug right from under you, and she doesn't stop there. This "light" read turns into such a great read with twists and turns that you wouldn't expect. A story much more complex then you'd think at its humble beginning. Definitely a book I would recommend to almost anyone who enjoys their fiction with a mystery and a bit of Tupperware mixed in! I will now be reading more of Liane Moriarty! This book was her debut novel, which became a #1 hit in the UK back in 2013. She now has 6 more books under her belt, one of which, Truly Madly Guilty, was published this year. Just make sure you put The Husband's Secret on your TBR list!!! 5 stars from this Chick!

*P.S. Something to keep in mind when reading The Husband's Secret... there are a lot of characters that Liane throws at you right from the start. With out any "formal" introductions, early chapters seem to jump right into the middle of a story that you don't know anything about, or the people that are involved. At first, I found it confusing and was trying to sort out who these people were. Eventually you'll see that there are three separate families and it will not seem confusing any longer. You'll be able to follow these "separate" stories seamlessly. Keep a list of characters if you need to at first, but don't let this "complication" deter you from the story. READ IT!

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