tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49863931998203098022024-02-19T02:17:20.253-06:00Reading In White Bear Lake.......Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.comBlogger190125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-18505584836516733122019-01-18T16:21:00.001-06:002019-01-18T16:21:22.549-06:00I Have Moved……<p>Hello Friends - </p> <p>I am not regularly posting on the Reading in White Bear Lake blog due to time constraints.   I am active on Instagram and Facebook.  Please feel free to follow me there!!</p> <p>Visit Reading in White Bear Lake on these site…</p> <p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ReadinginWBL/">ReadinginWBL on Facebook</a></p> <p>and </p> <p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/readinginwbl/">ReadinginWBL on Instagram</a></p> <p>Thanks for stopping by, I hope you will visit me on Instagram or Facebook.  </p> <p>All my Best,</p> <p>Jen</p>Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-53567946674112851382018-10-06T16:49:00.002-05:002022-06-30T13:59:39.824-05:00BOOK GIVEAWAY: Win a Print Copy of The Forgotten Garden by Kate MortonAs I wait for the release of Kate Morton’s “The Clockmaker’s Daughter”. My pre-ordered copy should arrive on October 15h or 16th! To celebrate, I thought I would giveaway of a copy of her book, “The Forgotten Garden”. <br /> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OjnVf0A0-cM/W7kt_nCG9FI/AAAAAAAADHc/mstYHYozOd04vatH39WS5ERXszDkd9zrwCHMYCw/s1600-h/6723017%255B5%255D"><img align="left" alt="6723017" border="0" height="244" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EDEBVVrTW-4/W7kt_5mKaOI/AAAAAAAADHg/Z47Wh9kcwq0vehAI65qMIjalf0gkGM5dgCHMYCw/6723017_thumb%255B1%255D?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; display: inline; float: left;" title="6723017" width="163" /></a></p> <p>A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single book; a beautiful volume of fairy tales. She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife and raised as their own. On her twenty-first birthday, they tell her the truth, and with her sense of self shattered and very little to go on, "Nell" sets out to trace her real identity. Her quest leads her to Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast and the secrets of the doomed Mountrachet family. But it is not until her granddaughter, Cassandra, takes up the search after Nell's death that all the pieces of the puzzle are assembled. A spellbinding tale of mystery and self-discovery, <i>The Forgotten Garden </i>will take hold of your imagination and never let go. </p> <p>T<strong>itle:</strong> Forgotten Garden <br /><strong>Author:</strong> Kate Morton <br /><strong>Genre</strong>: Fiction <br /><strong>Publisher</strong>: Pan; Unabridged edition (2008) <br /><strong>Length:</strong> 648 pages <br /></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rBlqJ1vWHoo/W7kuAJsED6I/AAAAAAAADHk/oia3rcaQSBYbTfkczhZmi3BvbB17gdcKwCHMYCw/s1600-h/20181006_162759%255B2%255D"><img alt="20181006_162759" border="0" height="244" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BYcGLPvmW5w/W7kuAbDAUrI/AAAAAAAADHo/dtC8dMVBI5ghcVqe8vZ479VGgW0QcFfaQCHMYCw/20181006_162759_thumb?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto 5px;" title="20181006_162759" width="224" /></a></p> <p><strong>GIVEAWAY:</strong> I have one “previously read” copy of The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton to giveaway. To enter, please head over to Our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ReadingWBL/">Reading in WBL facebook</a> page. Please comment on the giveaway post with your favorite thriller/suspense book to be entered into the giveaway! We’ll announce a winner on October 16th. </p> <p>Good luck.</p> <p>GIVEAWAY: USA only, please. - Please note this is a previously read edition!!</p> <p><strong>Happy Reading!</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=s0-d" /></a> <br />*Note – if you would like to keep up with book reviews on Reading in White Bear Lake, please take a moment to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Reading-in-White-Bear-Lake/183181371732520?fref=ts">like us on facebook</a>!</p>Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-6270549241884647062018-08-22T20:57:00.001-05:002018-08-22T20:57:01.238-05:00Coming Soon to a Bookshelf Near You: Summer Edition<p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-F-Zr2SXgc4g/Wu4akvBpGZI/AAAAAAAAC-w/WjskGyczyWwcp4QjAKfC04QAYD7cdruAgCHMYCw/s1600-h/Book%2BShelf%255B2%255D"><img title="Book Shelf" border="0" alt="Book Shelf" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1ZaIO_NyinY/Wu4alKLupII/AAAAAAAAC-0/ZSLWwgBwE1QUpyjJZH_JNGgzMAld2jBIwCHMYCw/Book%2BShelf_thumb?imgmax=800" width="244" height="88" /></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Hello Friends - </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Beautiful weather in Minnesota and tomorrow the MN State Fair starts.  It is always bitter sweet as that means school is starting very soon.   Soccer Season has already started, and Tommy made the varsity team.  Life is good….my family is good!   I am meeting my reading goals, but slacking on writing reviews!</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>Currently Reading:</strong></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4cgfjdrxg_Y/W34UTmDK6YI/AAAAAAAADEM/Xzoir9c5vakZyalP_OkRjeZ7UUuoPwC2QCHMYCw/s1600-h/33413128%255B2%255D"><img title="33413128" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="33413128" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ib_6IbPB4JY/W34UT-Yrm1I/AAAAAAAADEQ/Q74Xbt5NpQAzvrP0J18Bpan0SRIXmdEVQCHMYCw/33413128_thumb?imgmax=800" width="163" height="244" /></a>  <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ijNsEJJ0I6U/W34UUP4RwTI/AAAAAAAADEU/aTeK_fxCSdcmKnkwdOnlEt3_mIcAbpn5ACHMYCw/s1600-h/25852784%255B2%255D"><img title="25852784" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="25852784" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zjCNvsaKLaY/W34UUUevLtI/AAAAAAAADEY/ydHptlCToyk1xeeGtyKy7F2XTwTrpYnhgCHMYCw/25852784_thumb?imgmax=800" width="167" height="244" /></a>  <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-P6B0oejcdUs/W34UUqcmliI/AAAAAAAADEc/6eOD2dl-TYwiFQbWzMGzY2SrGFsWAlLAgCHMYCw/s1600-h/36341202%255B2%255D"><img title="36341202" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="36341202" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uCPUyW29siU/W34UU2tdfwI/AAAAAAAADEg/RXSqM0gWPSwca6zmsDxDJO5rxrfMDFpKgCHMYCw/36341202_thumb?imgmax=800" width="164" height="244" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">What are you reading???  What is your best summer read???</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">How to do you keep track of new books coming out??  I thought I would share some books that caught my eye so far this summer.   I know I have already gotten on the waitlist for a few at the library.   The books are still on order and I am not even the first person to request the book.  </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">I always have a TBR list that is ever growing, but I hate to forget about a book I heard of.  Maybe I will have a better chance with my TBR list when I retire - 15+ years from now!</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Here are some new releases or upcoming release that have caught my eye.   I hope you find something that interests you as well!</font></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-M4hxMl5jDp4/W34UVB4ma2I/AAAAAAAADEk/l62sxWxpoGwd8HacrpGZYwzwCmgMsXxcgCHMYCw/s1600-h/34503571%255B2%255D"><img title="34503571" style="margin: 0px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="34503571" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vXgVJHhGQ6U/W34UVXKF52I/AAAAAAAADEo/VGCJeTJlXPoDmEo47In_37m0QM83vdI5gCHMYCw/34503571_thumb?imgmax=800" width="165" height="244" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KhAr2c10BCk/W34UVoU84eI/AAAAAAAADEs/fWolUPj_PiY8Fnd8TJTWm5h66LLr9xCkQCHMYCw/s1600-h/35673517%255B2%255D"><img title="35673517" style="margin: 0px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="35673517" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HhGSzfOs4jo/W34UV-VyUSI/AAAAAAAADEw/vjCBxFlXv9sUtiQ6BlAAhcgdkF6i21odgCHMYCw/35673517_thumb?imgmax=800" width="164" height="244" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-U9yaKVnKAu8/W34UWCk_daI/AAAAAAAADE0/35I7RYXMFggurB7BfzK8d5Ne39pTZW-GACHMYCw/s1600-h/36212848%255B2%255D"><img title="36212848" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="36212848" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BGDwOYN0XAg/W34UWQ9YvXI/AAAAAAAADE4/UGBrPGwvYz8ax-zqv276bNUyQwlYxAsegCHMYCw/36212848_thumb?imgmax=800" width="162" height="244" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0GMgvMZ5Kd0/W34UWqGXCQI/AAAAAAAADE8/LZmQZ4fVdU4dm-UN-cebQWjBhT32yiNGQCHMYCw/s1600-h/36373379%255B2%255D"><img title="36373379" style="margin: 0px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="36373379" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-L6gRw40uqVY/W34UW_KLXVI/AAAAAAAADFA/RYBPuXkz2nYNfS2o9m3b7RzcikxX10dZwCHMYCw/36373379_thumb?imgmax=800" width="164" height="244" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-818XFTzmru4/W34UXc8rNDI/AAAAAAAADFE/Lq6vLZtx-n8vMNrfgmgF0OPr39XCHBOfgCHMYCw/s1600-h/36388243%255B2%255D"><img title="36388243" style="margin: 0px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="36388243" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-33R4gJRUUNo/W34UXquwEVI/AAAAAAAADFI/A6A6SFN9wbAPd0Wj2y_DJSR8yXyKJyPWgCHMYCw/36388243_thumb?imgmax=800" width="162" height="244" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_TwmS5sX4fg/W34UXwBzfaI/AAAAAAAADFM/3xXyfUezE3Q-nnjWTozdT-74tesgdSgMgCHMYCw/s1600-h/36399240%255B2%255D"><img title="36399240" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="36399240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1zp4jIWm7Qg/W34UYZHJboI/AAAAAAAADFQ/ESELAnICrCE4CJApS3tgecS7LDn0xlzBACHMYCw/36399240_thumb?imgmax=800" width="162" height="244" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FsZ-BPdI0VU/W34UYal1MkI/AAAAAAAADFU/PhBrqEGhDOURlQ3tJk2V6F6PL8nq39T2ACHMYCw/s1600-h/36637243%255B2%255D"><img title="9780451491794_BoyattheDoor_FC.indd" style="margin: 0px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="9780451491794_BoyattheDoor_FC.indd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wbasJs86zz4/W34UY-vInJI/AAAAAAAADFY/FOy3LSwgucEwg32jlGp7U7vd55Yst_LYQCHMYCw/36637243_thumb?imgmax=800" width="164" height="244" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tourY2OGCp0/W34UZMQDhAI/AAAAAAAADFc/2C0FH0UDPrYMoS6yaJZs6WNhFywwHkXGwCHMYCw/s1600-h/36849369%255B2%255D"><img title="36849369" style="margin: 0px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="36849369" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xMkDOorR2hU/W34UZSm_yXI/AAAAAAAADFg/1eNsy5wE1psE3O9wUzBHz1AlD5-wio2zQCHMYCw/36849369_thumb?imgmax=800" width="164" height="244" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tM5c9iEQUO0/W34UZhJ_ekI/AAAAAAAADFk/oBNu_8b-RM4surZ0JgBZwr8iiTbCt0KdwCHMYCw/s1600-h/37759098%255B2%255D"><img title="37759098" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="37759098" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rAl55rHy9Ag/W34UZycfpWI/AAAAAAAADFo/itdx9NH4IdMUSsHLoTyPa5hLQctsGpbdwCHMYCw/37759098_thumb?imgmax=800" width="164" height="244" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rA3O2Elr6ic/W34UaTmAWKI/AAAAAAAADFs/7Rp4v9RQJDIDs3is357EExxuzbS_qPuvACHMYCw/s1600-h/38502471%255B2%255D"><img title="38502471" style="margin: 0px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="38502471" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cGShjdacUqQ/W34UahciVOI/AAAAAAAADFw/ReDR2X19_EoXpULu_vY7-JdBymm45Y0VQCHMYCw/38502471_thumb?imgmax=800" width="176" height="244" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VoRdHFYp6oU/W34Ua6ZvUMI/AAAAAAAADF0/7QzLlSvc0-YVcVSXD_WgWQ9P_MgtBIROgCHMYCw/s1600-h/Kubica%255B2%255D"><img title="Kubica" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Kubica" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fuaeFozXN24/W34UbGNFMkI/AAAAAAAADF4/VTzDPCul0GEvHCB8qWsudORyrekGCrWvwCHMYCw/Kubica_thumb?imgmax=800" width="164" height="244" /></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>GIVEAWAY:</strong>  I will be holding a give away of 1 previously read copy of Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris on Reading in White Bear Lake in September!!  Sign up to receive updates so you don’t miss your chance!</font></font></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">Happy Reading!</font></strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" /></a> <br />*Note – if you would like to keep up with book reviews on Reading in White Bear Lake, please take a moment to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Reading-in-White-Bear-Lake/183181371732520?fref=ts">like us on facebook</a>!</p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></p>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsignatures.mylivesignature.com%2F54487%2F178%2F42B71FE4715D1E47163E617FD0B36818.png&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" -->Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-55123740329716384062018-06-17T18:26:00.000-05:002018-06-17T19:08:45.539-05:00GIVEAWAY: Win a Print Copy of Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage<p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RmYI0KN1Dx4/Wyb3FPQ5DJI/AAAAAAAADCA/UB_Cn9JbZxIJGq2BaVIbbWUtl8yPTliLgCHMYCw/s1600-h/babyteeth_blogbanner-1%255B7%255D"><img title="babyteeth_blogbanner-1" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="babyteeth_blogbanner-1" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EZjc8EnpGQI/Wyb3FctMJ_I/AAAAAAAADCE/oxFM0Mq_Qp0ZjqXCxZNVjCb44GYEbjU0QCHMYCw/babyteeth_blogbanner-1_thumb%255B2%255D?imgmax=800" width="731" height="277" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j7QlJAYyA74/WybuETnJL9I/AAAAAAAADBw/5TWezbRgJ-AQVx5G7hjlqAETGcLw047fACHMYCw/s1600-h/teeth2"><strong> <br /></strong></a></p> <p><font face="Arial"><strong>Title:  </strong>Baby Teeth <br /><strong>Author:</strong> Zoje Stage  </font><a href="https://zojestage.blogspot.com/"><font face="Arial">(Website)</font></a><font face="Arial"> </font><a href="https://twitter.com/zooshka?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor"><font face="Arial">(Twitter)</font></a><font face="Arial"> </font><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16943823.Zoje_Stage"><font face="Arial">(GoodReads)</font></a><font face="Arial"> <br /><strong>Genre:</strong> Suspense, Thriller <br /><strong>Publisher:</strong> St. Martin’s Press (July 17, 2018) <br /><strong>Length:</strong> 320 <br /><strong>Source:</strong> Author/Publisher</font></p> <p><font face="Arial"></font></p> <iframe height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MH1JatrjifU" frameborder="0" width="560" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media"></iframe> <p><font face="Arial"><strong>About the Book: </strong>(Goodreads.com)</font></p> <p><b><i><font face="Arial">Sweetness can be deceptive. </font></i></b></p> <p><font face="Arial">Meet Hanna.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">She’s the sweet-but-silent angel in the adoring eyes of her Daddy. He’s the only person who understands her, and all Hanna wants is to live happily ever after with him. But Mommy stands in her way, and she’ll try any trick she can think of to get rid of her. Ideally for good.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Meet Suzette.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">She loves her daughter, really, but after years of expulsions and strained home schooling, her precarious health and sanity are weakening day by day. As Hanna’s tricks become increasingly sophisticated, and Suzette's husband remains blind to the failing family dynamics, Suzette starts to fear that there’s something seriously wrong, and that maybe home isn’t the best place for their baby girl after all.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2z5SXRPP6Gg/Wyb3F4tCFmI/AAAAAAAADCI/fFSAA27hNWIxkI_1EBQNCI7lJHZQ4jeWgCHMYCw/s1600-h/30739248_1829556923761615_5153027007835013120_o%255B3%255D"><img title="30739248_1829556923761615_5153027007835013120_o" style="margin: 0px auto 5px; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="30739248_1829556923761615_5153027007835013120_o" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Z6OmWCHM47o/Wyb3GAXY4qI/AAAAAAAADCM/HVKtAHp9IdAhwxsa1bbmPYEis1c6WWyOwCHMYCw/30739248_1829556923761615_5153027007835013120_o_thumb%255B1%255D?imgmax=800" width="403" height="303" /></a> </font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><strong>GIVEAWAY:</strong> I have three copies of Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage to giveaway. To enter, please head over to Our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ReadingWBL/">Reading in WBL facebook</a> page.  Please comment on the giveaway post with the latest book you read that you enjoyed and why to be entered into the giveaway! We’ll announce a winner on June 30th . Good luck.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">GIVEAWAY: USA only, please.</font></p> <p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ReadingWBL/photos/a.189784894405501.58774.183181371732520/1829556917094949/?type=3"><font face="Arial"></font></a></p> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ReadingWBL/photos/a.189784894405501.58774.183181371732520/1829556917094949/?type=3"> <p><font face="Arial"></font></p> </a> <p><font face="Arial"></font></p> <p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ReadingWBL/">Click TO ENTER</a> on facebook page!</p> <p><strong>Happy Reading!</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/178/42B71FE4715D1E47163E617FD0B36818.png" /></a> <br />*Note – if you would like to keep up with book reviews on Reading in White Bear Lake, please take a moment to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Reading-in-White-Bear-Lake/183181371732520?fref=ts">like us on facebook</a>!</p>Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-76472814591968821342018-05-05T15:57:00.000-05:002018-05-06T21:25:01.086-05:00Coming Soon to a Bookshelf Near You: May 2018<p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-F-Zr2SXgc4g/Wu4akvBpGZI/AAAAAAAAC-w/WjskGyczyWwcp4QjAKfC04QAYD7cdruAgCHMYCw/s1600-h/Book%2BShelf%255B2%255D"><img title="Book Shelf" style="margin: 0px auto 5px; float: none; display: block; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Book Shelf" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1ZaIO_NyinY/Wu4alKLupII/AAAAAAAAC-0/ZSLWwgBwE1QUpyjJZH_JNGgzMAld2jBIwCHMYCw/Book%2BShelf_thumb?imgmax=800" width="244" height="88" /></a></p> <p>Hello Friends - </p> <p>Finally, it is warming up in Minnesota, which has me wanting to make more time to read.   I love walking and listening to audio books.   I have joined a book club again.  This one meets every other month, which works well for me.   Most of the books selected for this year, I already had on shelf waiting to be read.  I decided to cancel my audible subscription and have been having good luck with downloading audiobooks from the library.  </p> <p>I recently started the Cork O’Connor Mystery Series audiobooks.   Cork is a former cop living in the Minnesota's northern lake country.  I have listened to the first two books in the series.   As many know, my family loves the Duluth and North Shore area of MN.  So of course I will enjoy books set in that area as well.  William Kent Krueger does a very nice job weaving in the Anishinaabe culture into the stories.  </p> <p><strong>Currently Reading:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-s-xMwq2k0w4/Wu4alMwwvWI/AAAAAAAAC-4/ZnE4RfADnM4vHODieCVqG1GHIL96XD9fgCHMYCw/s1600-h/35924499%255B2%255D"><img title="35924499" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="35924499" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZNgNFz3SeKk/Wu4alW3_GDI/AAAAAAAAC-8/HEYDNpRYcjklqmyvFVEMDmNaU7RbEIVRQCHMYCw/35924499_thumb?imgmax=800" width="163" height="244" /></a>     <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JwA8jvN1P7o/Wu4alpsS0cI/AAAAAAAAC_A/oMylZCDKwUco4PZbMxE6iECICm9HQMkRgCHMYCw/s1600-h/21853621%255B3%255D"><img title="21853621" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="21853621" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-33PkOZmjxdM/Wu4al_UEI7I/AAAAAAAAC_E/Bs9ka7amOoo_04RjsENuEIf7RLxhfkuUACHMYCw/21853621_thumb?imgmax=800" width="160" height="244" /></a>     <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Z6prpvyDx9Q/Wu4amJAN4GI/AAAAAAAAC_I/1Y09zx1UZ6oYPLdOsD531dlyCWHJfzF9ACHMYCw/s1600-h/28214365%255B3%255D"><img title="28214365" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="28214365" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yV3FDww7WhE/Wu4ame68lKI/AAAAAAAAC_M/2U2EoVLmXnE0cncQcX8Kgz3PX0aZxWtggCHMYCw/28214365_thumb?imgmax=800" width="162" height="244" /></a></p> <p>What are you reading???</p> <p>To help with you with your May reading,  I thought I would share some books that have caught my eye.   These books will be available in May.  If you like, maybe even get on the waitlist at the library for these upcoming titles.  As a book blogger, I am able to request, read and provide feedback on upcoming titles.   I love being able to do this, but some months my ambitions are larger than what time allows.  I still have a full time job which interferes regularly with my reading/blogging schedule.  So I decided to share with you some upcoming releases that have caught my eye.    I would hate for you to miss an upcoming title due to my lack of time!!</p> <p align="center"></p> <p>Here are some books which will be <strong>available in bookstores in May 2018</strong>, that caught my eye!</p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X0PPW5_oJFY/Wu4amvefnaI/AAAAAAAAC_Q/NbL8pCBagZk6WoEBwgYFEno2lnb8VqcwQCHMYCw/s1600-h/35410511%255B2%255D"><img title="35410511" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="35410511" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5KeDGw17KuE/Wu4am__c0-I/AAAAAAAAC_U/2rK2GKuQI88bSayzDrh5chG7knQbF1iWACHMYCw/35410511_thumb?imgmax=800" width="161" height="244" /></a>     <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-t6z6QyESV7k/Wu4anNKBORI/AAAAAAAAC_Y/kZDOV48ooCUDR4zacVr4DyQRULKkKNRpACHMYCw/s1600-h/36481284%255B2%255D"><img title="36481284" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="36481284" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Swir8ZiZgig/Wu4ant6v48I/AAAAAAAAC_c/HMxfZc3Y9yILyMd3kUz9cdDYeNPxrNpgACHMYCw/36481284_thumb?imgmax=800" width="162" height="244" /></a>     <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mn6td5oECe8/Wu4anjwrbHI/AAAAAAAAC_g/rCLls4ZjzzMtK1wSULTwWfVLf5Ff_9JEACHMYCw/s1600-h/36529552%255B2%255D"><img title="36529552" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="36529552" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8Zwiiqq5xSs/Wu4aoJFrqII/AAAAAAAAC_k/30n_iS5I9RAGY0VbOB5B8VYcnbR2TnONwCHMYCw/36529552_thumb?imgmax=800" width="162" height="244" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NkLUB8_7pwM/Wu4aoVdCqmI/AAAAAAAAC_o/FB98SudFeYAeuY6617K9XkD1nJRzqvEmwCHMYCw/s1600-h/37905720%255B2%255D"><img title="37905720" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="37905720" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-35gUFCz7S6Q/Wu4aoVUZjEI/AAAAAAAAC_s/RoezzBKOqEw0bUd0SNqLaBUo7yboXm72gCHMYCw/37905720_thumb?imgmax=800" width="159" height="244" /></a>     <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1I56Z9-rB9I/Wu4ao0iZb4I/AAAAAAAAC_w/QgYV23iOPQQ3DO5M2Pj6Rr38b-Bxq7CZgCHMYCw/s1600-h/36686423%255B2%255D"><img title="36686423" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="36686423" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-h4N87ExOU_8/Wu4apGUNT4I/AAAAAAAAC_0/vcAtGVY9RBok5hAFwq-CUOFkSzvgbmZzQCHMYCw/36686423_thumb?imgmax=800" width="163" height="244" /></a></p> <p><strong>GIVEAWAY:</strong>  We will be holding a give away of 3 copies of Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage on Reading in White Bear Lake in May!!  Sign up to receive updates so you don’t miss your chance!</p> <p><strong>Happy Reading!</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/178/42B71FE4715D1E47163E617FD0B36818.png" /></a> <br />*Note – if you would like to keep up with book reviews on Reading in White Bear Lake, please take a moment to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Reading-in-White-Bear-Lake/183181371732520?fref=ts">like us on facebook</a>!</p>Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-83874165978086336042017-08-05T20:10:00.002-05:002017-08-05T20:11:35.185-05:00Review: The Nearness to You by Amanda Eyre Ward<p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial"> <br /></font></strong></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z7Cocwwgimc/WV44I0tPtaI/AAAAAAAACvw/i_WxNRw4SqIlyBAmLxaHgnPe88F2nzYLQCHMYCw/s1600-h/nearness%255B2%255D"><img title="nearness" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; float: left; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="nearness" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BB0WXagMn2A/WV44JHP3ZvI/AAAAAAAACv0/fvNe5NVfB3YqMkDyUvbKBS3UMgq2yky2QCHMYCw/nearness_thumb?imgmax=800" width="244" align="left" height="244" /></a></font></strong></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></strong></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font></strong></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">Title</font></strong><font size="3" face="Arial">:The Nearness to You <br /><strong>Author:</strong> Amanda Eyre Ward <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Amanda-Eyre-Ward-69247505328/">(Facebook)</a></font><font size="3" face="Arial"></font><font size="3" face="Arial"> <a href="http://www.amandaward.com/">(Website)</a></font><font size="3" face="Arial"></font><font size="3" face="Arial"> <a href="https://twitter.com/amandaeyreward">(Twitter)</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/amandaeyreward/">(Instagram)</a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/24409.Amanda_Eyre_Ward">(Goodreads)</a></font> <br /><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>Genre:</strong> Literary <br /><strong>Publisher:</strong> HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books (January 31, 2017) <br /><strong>Length:</strong> 7 hours and 45 minutes <br /><strong>Source: </strong></font></font><a href="http://www.audiobookjukebox.com/"><font size="3" face="Arial">Audiobook Jukebox</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial">‘s reviewer program</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">About the Book: (From Goodreads)</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>In this profound and lyrical novel, acclaimed author Amanda Eyre Ward explores the deeper meanings of motherhood—from the first blissful hello to the heart-wrenching prospect of saying goodbye.</strong></font></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3">Brilliant heart surgeon Suzette Kendall is stunned when Hyland, her husband of fifteen years, admits his yearning for a child. From the beginning, they’d decided that having children was not an option, as Suzette feared passing along the genes that landed her mother in a mental institution. But Hyland proposes a different idea: a baby via surrogate.</font></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3">Suzette agrees, and what follows is a whirlwind of candidate selections, hospital visits, and Suzette’s doubts over whether she’s made the right decision. A young woman named Dorothy Muscarello is chosen as the one who will help make this family complete. For Dorrie, surrogacy (and the money that comes with it) are her opportunity to leave behind a troubled past and create a future for herself—one full of possibility. But this situation also forces all three of them—Dorrie, Suzette, and Hyland—to face a devastating uncertainty that will reverberate in the years to come.</font></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3">Beautifully shifting between perspectives, <i>The Nearness of You</i> deftly explores the connections we form, the families we create, and the love we hold most dear.</font></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>My Review:  </strong>3/ liked it – The initial story line of The Nearness of You starts with Suzette a heart surgeon.  She is very career orientated and does not want to have any children.  She is afraid her upbringing has not prepared her to be a good mother.   Suzette is also concerned that her mother’s mental health problems will be passed on.  Hyland is an architect and changes his mind.  He now wants to have a baby, even though he agreed to this arrangement previously.  </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Suzette and Hyland do decide to start a family through surrogacy.   This is where 21 year old  Dorrie, looking to escape her current life, comes into the story.  Dorrie agrees to be Suzette and Hyland’s surrogate.  She plans to use the money from being a surrogate to escape her life with her mother and attend college.  Nearness to You by Amanda Eyre Ward is told in alternating view points.  The view points of Dorrie, Suzette and Hyland are very well conveyed in regards to their feelings about having a baby, their fears and concerns about surrogacy.  </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Dorrie decides to keep the baby.   She has to live a life of fear and makes many poor decisions to keep her baby.   Later, the baby, is raised by Suzette and Hyland.   She is named Eloise, after Hylands sister.   Eloise struggles with feelings  of not belonging as a teen and seeks answers.  She goes down a scary path, which leads her to some surprising information.  The pace of the story is good and keeps you engage.  There are twists and turns to keep you interested.   The ending leaves far too many loose ends, felt rushed and did not give me closure with the characters and their stories.   It felt like the author just stop writing before the end.  The journey to the end was wonderful, the ending just fell flat for me. </font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><em>Nearness to You</em> is a emotional read dealing with surrogacy, the bond of motherhood and difficult childhood experiences  and how those experiences affect us.  </font></font></p> <p align="center">My Rating Scale: 1 – didn’t like it; 2 – it was ok; 3 – liked it; 4 – really liked it; 5 – it was amazing</p> <p align="left"><font size="3" face="Arial">Happy Reading!</font> <br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" /></a> <br />**Disclosure – <strong>The Nearness to You </strong>by Amanda Eyre Ward was received from The Audiobook Jukebox reviewer program in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own.  This post contains affiliate links. </p>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsignatures.mylivesignature.com%2F54487%2F178%2F42B71FE4715D1E47163E617FD0B36818.png&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" -->Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-38924575060190914592017-08-02T08:28:00.001-05:002017-08-02T08:28:32.503-05:00Coming Soon to a Bookshelf Near You: August 2017<p><img style="margin: 0px auto 5px; float: none; display: block;" alt="Book Shelf" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Jmp7zAmH7Yw/WKRek5CFfeI/AAAAAAAACZk/OtDZmhV7GCk/Book%252520Shelf_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" /></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Loving this warm weather!   I can’t believe it is August already.   Summers in Minnesota go by so quickly.   We have been pretty busy in July.  Hubby and boys have been going to all the MN United Games (soccer).   They certainly are getting good use of their season tickets.  The remodel of the basement room is done.   Just waiting for the carpet to arrive and be installed.   Than we will be working on moving our youngest son to that room.  Next week they will be here to install new kitchen flooring.   I read a few books in June, but as you can see, I haven’t been writing many reviews.  </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">This week, I am sort of on vacation.   I am only working a few hours a day from home, while I am home caring for my father in law.  I hope to get some reading and reviewing done as well as just organizing in the house.   I also need to start walking again each evening,  which will have me listening to more audiobooks.   Never enough hours in the day!   </font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>Currently Reading:</strong>  </font></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong><em>Home Sweet Home by April Smith</em></strong> (set in South Dakota)</font></font></p> <p><a href="<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/110187421X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=110187421X&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=b3a806538876ce816af91575355f058d">Home Sweet Home: A novel</a><img src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=110187421X" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />"><img title="Homesweet" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Homesweet" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xkLo0j4PWiw/WYHTe5ZAdcI/AAAAAAAACxU/67NXWmL0Kcst_ArgKArnkw15g8BjzaHhgCHMYCw/Homesweet%255B3%255D?imgmax=800" width="166" height="244" /></a> </p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong><em>In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero</em></strong> (very timely, deals with immigration)</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><a href="<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1627795278/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1627795278&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=2deb20f1c7c1a2e70195ee2d59862562">In the Country We Love: My Family Divided</a><img src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1627795278" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />"><img title="25666051" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="25666051" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Rt2-UIzXKs4/WYHTfFDMGdI/AAAAAAAACxY/dWi_EZGWkAsoWo5Cl7VToS2tkRr7L5RVACHMYCw/25666051%255B3%255D?imgmax=800" width="163" height="244" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">To help with your August reading,  I thought I would share some books that have caught my eye.   These books will be available in August.  If you like, maybe even get on the waitlist at the library for these upcoming titles.  As a book blogger, I am able to request, read and provide feedback on upcoming titles.   I love being able to do this, but some months my ambitions are larger than what time allows.  I still have a full time job which interferes regularly with my reading/blogging schedule.  So I decided to share with you some upcoming releases that have caught my eye.    I would hate for you to miss an upcoming title due to my lack of time!!</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Here are some books which will be available in bookstores in August 2017, that caught my eye!</font></p> <p><a href="http://amzn.to/2w6o6i2"><img title="32508637" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="32508637" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aGJnjX94z-k/WYHTffJchdI/AAAAAAAACxc/yHnV0kG8j7cAPGBLvEk20ltwcAimEt03wCHMYCw/32508637%255B3%255D?imgmax=800" width="161" height="244" /></a> <a href="<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1501144375/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1501144375&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=c046a9e0496d538fdbe1f2e8e97cdb28">Girl in Snow: A Novel</a><img src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1501144375" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />"><img title="32920254" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="32920254" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2WNI5xm9yTI/WYHTfnpkOCI/AAAAAAAACxg/8bOSnDJ_UAU9-wuV3lLAnCGN0m9-IAiOQCHMYCw/32920254%255B3%255D?imgmax=800" width="165" height="244" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://amzn.to/2viQCiC"><img title="33574211" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="33574211" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3o5-OlCsDWg/WYHTf7DgUEI/AAAAAAAACxk/4SfQd7DqtLMza6urH9HL1R0t0StbqxX6gCHMYCw/33574211%255B3%255D?imgmax=800" width="161" height="244" /></a> <a href="<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1611099552/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1611099552&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=10030503533ab392ead52edc75472011">The Art of Hiding</a><img src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1611099552" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />"><img title="34111673" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="34111673" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bjJyATIx2Xk/WYHTf2mo5nI/AAAAAAAACxo/L9jNAHxd7X00ViJsHuBtIrrW43Gz1WWwQCHMYCw/34111673%255B3%255D?imgmax=800" width="164" height="244" /></a></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">Happy Reading!</font></strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/178/42B71FE4715D1E47163E617FD0B36818.png" /></a> <br />*Note – if you would like to keep up with book reviews on Reading in White Bear Lake, please take a moment to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Reading-in-White-Bear-Lake/183181371732520?fref=ts">like us on facebook</a>!</p>Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-52561728807015280222017-07-26T09:05:00.001-05:002017-07-26T09:29:06.052-05:00Review: Practicing Normal by Cara Sue Achterberg<p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HAeZVSvGDaY/WXihwRD3x-I/AAAAAAAACwk/0vUwgDBd10EMF9QpSZSrVcX5ruSC2w3lQCHMYCw/s1600-h/32565146%255B2%255D"><strong><img title="32565146" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; float: left; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="32565146" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-77QY4DrBcbs/WXihwt1IuOI/AAAAAAAACwo/fbWygrcEKqI-Zm9ikah41d6MbsejpNjrACHMYCw/32565146_thumb?imgmax=800" width="159" align="left" height="244" /></strong></a><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong></strong></font></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>Title:  </strong>Practicing Normal <br /><strong>Author:</strong> Cara Sue Achterberg </font></font><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CaraSueAchterberg/"><font size="3" face="Arial">(Facebook)</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font><a href="http://www.carawrites.com/"><font size="3" face="Arial">(Website)</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font><a href="https://twitter.com/caraachterberg"><font size="3" face="Arial">(Twitter)</font></a> <br /><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>Genre:</strong> Woman’s Fiction <br /><strong>Publisher:</strong> Story Plant (June 6, 2017) <br /><strong>Length:</strong> 336 <br /><strong>Source:</strong> Providence Book Promotions</font></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">   </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">About the Book: </font></strong></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">The houses in Pine Estates are beautiful McMansions filled with high-achieving parents, children on the fast track to top colleges, all of the comforts of modern living, and the best security systems money can buy. Welcome to normal upper-middle-class suburbia.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">The Turners know in their hearts that they're anything but normal. Jenna is a high-schooler dressed in black who is fascinated with breaking into her neighbors' homes, security systems be damned. Everett genuinely believes he loves his wife . . . he just loves having a continuing stream of mistresses more. JT is a genius kid with Asperger's who moves from one obsession to the next. And Kate tries to manage her family, manage her mother (who lives down the street), and avoid wondering why her life is passing her by.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">And now everything is changing for them. Jenna suddenly finds herself in a boy-next-door romance she never could have predicted. Everett's secrets are beginning to unravel on him. JT is getting his first taste of success at navigating the world. And Kate is facing truths about her husband, her mother, and her father that she might have preferred not to face.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Life on Pine Road has never been more challenging for the Turners. That's what happens when you're practicing normal.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Combining her trademark combination of wit, insight, and tremendous empathy for her characters, Cara Sue Achterberg has written a novel that is at once familiar and startlingly fresh.</font></p> <h5><font size="3" face="Arial"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9DaHV2kVh9k/WXihxNYXeaI/AAAAAAAACws/ADelmArqbb4-_O5CmxMKXd3Cxz9MAb3iACHMYCw/s1600-h/untitled%255B2%255D"><img title="untitled" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; float: left; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="untitled" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3hVLaF3rx7U/WXihxCoLRfI/AAAAAAAACww/IZK_-bl7ttcJJJdVEIvLYyMgfEOk9CiDgCHMYCw/untitled_thumb?imgmax=800" width="164" align="left" height="244" /></a> </font><font size="3" face="Arial">Author Bio:</font></h5> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Cara Sue Achterberg is a writer and blogger who lives in New Freedom, PA with her family and an embarrassing number of animals. Her first novel, I’m Not Her, was a national bestseller, as was her second, Girls’ Weekend. Cara’s nonfiction book, Live Intentionally, is a guide to the organic life filled with ideas, recipes, and inspiration for liv- ing a more intentional life. Cara is a prolific blogger, occasional cowgirl, and busy mom whose essays and articles have been published in numerous anthologies, magazines, and websites. Links to her blogs, news about upcoming publications, and pictures of her foster dogs can be found at CaraWrites.com.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>My Review:  4/5 Rating – </strong>Practicing Normal, don’t we all do that?  Going through life doing the best we can and telling ourselves it is alright.  Kate wants to believe her marriage to Everett is good, though in the back of her mind are those thoughts that contradict that belief.  Teenage years are hard, Jenna is only going through “typical” teenage stage of life.   As with many families, mine included, add the caring for an aging parent while raising your own children and you are just trying to make it through the day.   Kate’s life is busy from morning to night caring for her family.  As we all know, life isn’t always what it seems or what we want to believe it is.   Kate gets a wake up call that is hard to deny, which changes the course of her family and life.   </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Cara Sue Achterberg skillfully intertwines into <strong>Practicing Normal</strong>, the story of a father who abandoned his family and all the emotions associated with the discovery of that story.  In addition the author addresses, very well I might add, the struggles of raising a child on the spectrum in combination with caring for an aging parent.  This really resonated with me as this is an actual struggle in my own life. Cara Sue Achterberg captures the emotions is such a real way, that really touched me.  </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Cara Sue Achterberg does a remarkable job with character development.  Each character is well defined and you feel a real connection with them. I felt a real connect with Kate as well as her mother.  The secondary characters such as Cassie (hospice nurse) and the retired Doctor are also so well developed and play an important part in the story.   <strong>Practicing Normal by Cara Sue Achterberg</strong> is told from three perspectives, Kate (mom and wife of Everett), Jenna (daughter) and Everett.   I liked this as each perspective was different and helped you to understand that character better, as well as the dynamics between the main characters.   </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">I found myself sitting down on Sunday morning meaning to read for an hour, only to get up 4 hours later having finished the book.  I found myself immersed in the lives of Kate and her family and just lost track of time.  I have never really had an opinion on a title of a book, but Practicing Normal is the perfect title!!  </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Practicing Normal is a authentic portrayal of the complex lives many of us lead and the desire to hold it all together and be perceived as normal.   If you enjoy stories of family dynamics, Practicing Normal will not disappoint.  I think you will enjoy spending a Sunday afternoon with the Turner family as I didl! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong><u>Practicing Normal by Cara Sue Achterberg</u></strong> is currently only </font></font><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Practicing-Normal-Cara-Sue-Achterberg/dp/1611882443/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1499003967&sr=1-1&keywords=practicing+normal"><font size="3" face="Arial">$1.99 in the kindle format</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial"> and free with kindle unlimited – don’t miss out on this great read!  </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></p> <!-- start LinkyTools script --><a href="http://www.linkytools.com/wordpress_list.aspx?id=277480&type=basic">Click here</a> to view the Practicing Normal by Cara Sue Achterberg Book Tour Participants <br /><!-- end LinkyTools script --><a id="rcwidget_6r5fwflr" class="rcptr" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/f24bf84b470/" rel="nofollow" data-template="data-template" data-theme="classic" data-raflid="f24bf84b470">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a> <script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Happy Reading!</font> <br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" /></a> <br />**Disclosure – <strong>Practicing Normal by Cara Sue Achterberg</strong> was received from  Providence Book Promotions in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own.  </p>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsignatures.mylivesignature.com%2F54487%2F178%2F42B71FE4715D1E47163E617FD0B36818.png&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" -->Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-43424292494827904582017-07-06T07:29:00.001-05:002017-07-06T07:53:01.578-05:00Coming Soon to a Bookshelf Near You: July 2017<p><img style="margin: 0px auto 5px; float: none; display: block;" alt="Book Shelf" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Jmp7zAmH7Yw/WKRek5CFfeI/AAAAAAAACZk/OtDZmhV7GCk/Book%252520Shelf_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" /></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3">Loving this warm weather!   I can’t believe it is July already.   Summers in Minnesota go by so quickly.   We were pretty busy in June with starting a remodel project and work projects.  I read only a couple of books in June.  I am walking again each evening, which has me listening to more audiobooks.  </font></font></p> <font size="3" face="Arial"><strong></strong></font> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>Currently Reading:</strong>  To Siri with Love: A Mother, Her Autistic Son and the Kindness of Machines by Judith Newman (available in stores, August 2017)</font></font></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qbHpcbmr1HY/WV4tOPR4TJI/AAAAAAAACuk/uFxAqU6jahA7P70wd-VHzRbYJDG43GpTgCHMYCw/s1600-h/41yXSwmrk1L__SX329_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_%255B2%255D"><font size="3" face="Arial"><img title="41yXSwmrk1L__SX329_BO1,204,203,200_" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="41yXSwmrk1L__SX329_BO1,204,203,200_" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KS5gSBszQCI/WV4tOXWaw8I/AAAAAAAACuo/P1muQRVN_64qKDRheOOijbhiASgxwuTnwCHMYCw/41yXSwmrk1L__SX329_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200__thumb?imgmax=800" width="163" height="244" /></font></a></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>Currently Listening</strong>:  The Second Mrs. Hockaday by Susan Rivers</font></font></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QYNXBfYTIV8/WV4tOoH0lGI/AAAAAAAACus/GZvzHn-O9zk4bPwBW1A3J24E2p_wEGqfQCHMYCw/s1600-h/51dMDf4zC4L__SX331_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_%255B2%255D"><font size="3" face="Arial"><img title="51dMDf4zC4L__SX331_BO1,204,203,200_" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="51dMDf4zC4L__SX331_BO1,204,203,200_" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2BruVrq4KHg/WV4tOhWFo9I/AAAAAAAACuw/huVh2_fqiJEDPhryN4wx68SwB0ho2XGHgCHMYCw/51dMDf4zC4L__SX331_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200__thumb?imgmax=800" width="164" height="244" /></font></a></p> <font size="3" face="Arial"></font> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">To help with your July reading,  I thought I would share some books that have caught my eye.   These books will be available in July.  If you like, maybe even get on the waitlist at the library for these upcoming titles.  As a book blogger, I am able to request, read and provide feedback on upcoming titles.   I love being able to do this, but some months my ambitions are larger than what time allows.  I still have a full time job which interferes regularly with my reading/blogging schedule.  So I decided to share with you some upcoming releases that have caught my eye.    I would hate for you to miss an upcoming title due to my lack of time!!</font></p> <font size="3" face="Arial"></font> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Here are some books which will be available in bookstores in July 2017, that caught my eye!</font></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yjXIHLJ0jWE/WV4tO7QRMuI/AAAAAAAACu0/Zypueg6uy2cw-RWPZtVgHAeyo0DHbVg_QCHMYCw/s1600-h/home%255B2%255D"><font size="3" face="Arial"><img title="home" style="margin: 0px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="home" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZEXez7vYD-0/WV4tPIqTduI/AAAAAAAACu4/IVc9QleR5xct3BmiWCp2WBJtF2mx4PcFwCHMYCw/home_thumb?imgmax=800" width="164" height="244" /></font></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-J-DOSKn5bJ0/WV4tPTQ14tI/AAAAAAAACu8/kqvWclBT2f4fA1BG4IlE71hMv4qyYNfGgCHMYCw/s1600-h/pact%255B2%255D"><font size="3" face="Arial"><img title="pact" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="pact" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2qVyoQlrvdA/WV4tPmtt_oI/AAAAAAAACvA/mC5FYFEetOIKId_EBddiy07V6aYmUkluACHMYCw/pact_thumb?imgmax=800" width="162" height="244" /></font></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uDtdmUynKh4/WV4tPqXmrYI/AAAAAAAACvE/qgwe3d25a7ERuz1KlNiDbXVnCfz9ea9XgCHMYCw/s1600-h/Unknown%255B2%255D"><font size="3" face="Arial"><img title="Unknown" style="margin: 0px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="Unknown" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-p6tlnynRvfc/WV4tP6xTSRI/AAAAAAAACvI/0QpmNMFePAQm6ULakhMxGuW-4UkyU1p5wCHMYCw/Unknown_thumb?imgmax=800" width="168" height="244" /></font></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7aqGGBG4aWM/WV4tQFl-dbI/AAAAAAAACvM/N2_0wuC4aNwjCJSvqklKrGmUwaQHC_IFwCHMYCw/s1600-h/watch%2Bme%255B2%255D"><font size="3" face="Arial"><img title="watch me" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="watch me" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4ja8nLCd3pA/WV4tQbPlHNI/AAAAAAAACvQ/dSfkKerj7X4VLU35rBNah2Gnx1Rcu_HRQCHMYCw/watch%2Bme_thumb?imgmax=800" width="162" height="244" /></font></a></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">Happy Reading!</font></strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/178/42B71FE4715D1E47163E617FD0B36818.png" /></a> <br /><font size="3" face="Arial">*Note – if you would like to keep up with book reviews on Reading in White Bear Lake, please take a moment to </font><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Reading-in-White-Bear-Lake/183181371732520?fref=ts"><font size="3" face="Arial">like us on facebook</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial">!</font></p>Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-49502779645772070202017-06-27T06:26:00.000-05:002017-07-05T06:28:07.338-05:00Review: The Child by Fiona Barton<p><strong><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7ovQeFQKQIk/WN8MzSDaw1I/AAAAAAAACnc/xgw0H3kSWuM/s1600-h/The%252520CHild%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><font size="3" face="Arial"><img title="The CHild" style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-left: 0px; float: left; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="The CHild" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fLu7eVW1mlU/WN8MzgK4zdI/AAAAAAAACng/lyYVQo2eNag/The%252520CHild_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="164" align="left" height="244" /></font></a><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></strong></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></strong></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font></strong></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">Title</font></strong><font size="3"><font face="Arial">:</font><font face="Arial">The Child</font> <br /><font face="Arial"><strong>Author:</strong> Fiona Barton </font></font><a href="https://www.facebook.com/fionabartonauthor/"><font size="3" face="Arial">(Facebook)</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font><a href="http://www.fionabartonauthor.com/"><font size="3" face="Arial">(Website)</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font><a href="https://twitter.com/figbarton"><font size="3" face="Arial">(Twitter)</font></a> <br /><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>Genre:</strong> Mystery/Thriller <br /><strong>Publisher:</strong> Berkley (June 27, 2017) <br /><strong>Length:</strong> 384 <br /><strong>Source:</strong> First To Read Reviewer Program/Netgalley</font></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">About the Book: (From Goodreads)</font></strong></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">As an old house is demolished in a gentrifying section of London, a workman discovers a tiny skeleton, buried for years. For journalist Kate Waters, it’s a story that deserves attention. She cobbles together a piece for her newspaper, but at a loss for answers, she can only pose a question: Who is the Building Site Baby?</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">As Kate investigates, she unearths connections to a crime that rocked the city decades earlier: A newborn baby was stolen from the maternity ward in a local hospital and was never found. Her heartbroken parents were left devastated by the loss.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">But there is more to the story, and Kate is drawn—house by house—into the pasts of the people who once lived in this neighborhood that has given up its greatest mystery. And she soon finds herself the keeper of unexpected secrets that erupt in the lives of three women—and torn between what she can and cannot tell</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>About the Author: (From Author Website)</strong></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-917yrDCd8C0/WN8MzydEAvI/AAAAAAAACnk/1opILeB1JRU/s1600-h/fiona%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="fiona" style="border-width: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-left: 0px; float: left; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="fiona" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dA9Ux0uFt9o/WN8M0O7Wz8I/AAAAAAAACno/2Xn2bR4gZsw/fiona_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="223" align="left" height="244" /></a>Fiona’s career has taken some surprising twists and turns over the years. She has been a journalist - senior writer at the Daily Mail, news editor at the Daily Telegraph, and chief reporter at The Mail on Sunday, where she won Reporter of the Year at the National Press Awards, gave up her job to volunteer in Sri Lanka and since 2008, have trained and worked with exiled and threatened journalists all over the world.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Fiona and her husband are still living the good life in south-west France, where Fiona writes in bed, early in the morning when the only distraction is their cockerel, Titch, crowing.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>My Review: </strong>I was very excited to have the opportunity to read, <strong><em>The Child by Fiona Barton</em></strong>.  I had read Fiona Barton’s debut novel, The Widow and love it!  In the beginning of <em><strong>The Child</strong></em>, there are a lot of characters and the narrative switches between them frequently.  It took me a little bit to get all the characters straight and feel a connection to them.   Three women are the main characters.   Katie is a journalist wanting to dig deeper into the story of a infant’s body found at a building site.  Emma is an Editor, she has some difficulty/anxiety.  She become very interested/obsessed in the infant.  Angela and Nick are parents of baby Alice who was abducted from the hospital shortly after birth.  </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">The character develop is great.  You have a good sense of each character and their inner thoughts while the story switches between past and present.  <em><strong>The Child by Fiona Barton</strong></em> starts off slow with giving you a glimpse into each woman’s life and you are also introduced to people in their lives as well.  Just as I began to feel like this story wasn’t going anywhere, my interest was peaked.   The small connections between the women’s life start to be skillfully revealed.  Ok, Ok…Fiona Barton you got me!  I am hooked.   Each connection brings you closer and closer to understanding the memories that haunt the women, with a few twist to keep you on your toes.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">The suspense builds and builds.   I am reading the last few chapters in the morning before going to work.  Ok….I will have a second cup of coffee and read one more chapter.  Ok…. I will read one more chapter and work late tonight.  Ok…I am sitting on the edge of seat and on a total emotional roller coaster – tears and all!  I will finish this book before going to work.  Yes, I was late for work, but <strong><em>The Child by Fiona Barton</em></strong> was totally worth it.    Fiona Barton sure knows how to build the suspense and deliver a memorable ending! I give The Child by Fiona Barton 4 star – could I have a note for being late for work??</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong><u>The Child by Fiona Barton</u></strong> is being released today,  June 27, 2017.</font></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></strong></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Happy Reading!</font> <br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><img style="margin: 0px 0px 5px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" /></a> <br />**Disclosure – <strong>The Child </strong>by Fiona Barton was received from The First To Read Program at Penguin Random House and Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own.  This post contains affiliate links. </p> <iframe style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginheight="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=rea08e-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1101990481&asins=1101990481&linkId=822386df09ee8165f491e5af22b2dad7&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffcc" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsignatures.mylivesignature.com%2F54487%2F178%2F42B71FE4715D1E47163E617FD0B36818.png&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" -->Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-29751642925645558742017-06-08T21:58:00.001-05:002017-06-08T22:15:15.305-05:00Review: Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate<p><strong></strong></p> <p><strong>  <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OIgS_B_aJns/WToOtbxb2vI/AAAAAAAACtc/DWn4Nk7dGdQZYGB6nUj_h6P7pFSkr48EwCHM/s1600-h/32148570._SY180_%255B2%255D"><img title="32148570._SY180_" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; float: left; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="32148570._SY180_" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hctkAGKpv6U/WToOtjLAeEI/AAAAAAAACtg/PgJASNuLILU2zqNodFzxeBCF4ISpH0IZACHM/32148570._SY180__thumb?imgmax=800" width="124" align="left" height="184" /></a><font size="3" face="Arial">Title:  </font></strong><font size="3" face="Arial">Before We Were Yours <br /><strong>  Author:</strong> Lisa Wingate <a href="http://lisawingate.com/">(Website)</a></font><font size="3" face="Arial"></font> <br /><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>  Genre:</strong> Literature/Fiction <br /><strong>  Publisher:</strong> Ballantine Books (June 6, 2017) <br /><strong>  Length:</strong> 352 pages <br /><strong>  Source:</strong> First To Read Reviewer Program</font></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">About the Book: (From Goodreads)</font></strong></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Two families, generations apart, are forever changed by a heartbreaking injustice in this poignant novel, inspired by a true story.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family’s Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge—until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents—but they quickly realize that the truth is much darker. At the mercy of the facility’s cruel director, Rill fights to keep her sisters and brother together—in a world of danger and uncertainty.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Aiken, South Carolina, present day. Born into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career as a federal prosecutor, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions—and compels her to take a journey through her family's long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation . . . or redemption.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals—in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country—Wingate’s riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.</font></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">About the Author:</font></strong></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-c1VzjHVLjPo/WToOt8BZ7uI/AAAAAAAACtk/yEUuvPVwvbw2LW0KjHOamKIQbcKjiehdgCHM/s1600-h/WingateHeadshot1-WebRes%255B2%255D"><img title="WingateHeadshot1-WebRes" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; float: left; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="WingateHeadshot1-WebRes" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yBxFli3atTs/WToOuBql-BI/AAAAAAAACto/CWqXdsRIAYcmh-7tenKAyjpSZ6KCPa2JwCHM/WingateHeadshot1-WebRes_thumb?imgmax=800" width="164" align="left" height="244" /></a>Lisa Wingate</strong> is a former journalist, inspirational speaker, and bestselling author of more than twenty novels. Her work has won or been nominated for many awards, including the Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize, the Oklahoma Book Award, the Utah Library Award, The Carol Award, the Christy Award, and the RT Booklovers Reviewer’s Choice Award.</font></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">The group Americans for More Civility, a kindness watchdog organization, selected Lisa along with six others as recipients of the National Civics Award, which celebrates public figures who work to promote greater kindness and civility in American life. <em>Booklist</em> summed up her work by saying, “Lisa Wingate is, quite simply, a master storyteller.” More information about her novels can be found at <a href="http://www.lisawingate.com">www.lisawingate.com</a>.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>My Review: </strong>I love books that are based on actual real-life events.  I had never heard of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society and <a href="http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/The_Children_of_Georgia_Tann">Georgia Tann</a>.   Ms Tann ran an adoption organization that kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families.  From 1924 to 1950 Georgia Tann used deception, manipulation, threats and force to obtain children from poor families and single moms.   The children were than sold to families of means.  Notable celebrity, Joan Crawford used Georgia Tann’s services to obtain her twins.   The treatment of children at the Tennessee Children’s Home Society resulted in many children dying during their time there.  It is hard for me to believe that this continued for 30 years without detection or intervention. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Knowing this historical context, makes <strong>Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate</strong> all the more powerful.  Lisa Wingate provides amazing character development.  Many of the characters have stayed with me long after finishing <strong>Before We Were Yours.  </strong>The story takes place in two time periods.   In present day we meet Avery Stafford, the senator’s daughter and successful lawyer.  Avery as a character grows throughout the story and begins to understand what is really important in life.  She takes a journey through her families history and brings the truth forward, even though she is unsure if her Grandmother, Judy wants the truth known.  I love how Avery kept after the truth even though it could change her family.   As she grew, her life priorities changed and she found happiness. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">In 1939 the Foss children lived on a shantyboat in Memphis with their parents.  They are a very happy family of limited means.  A medical emergency takes the parents away from the shantyboat.  During their absence, their 5 children (Rill, Lark, Fern, Camilla and Gabion) are kidnapped and taken to the Tennessee Children’s Home Society.  The children are slowly separated as some are adopted. Georgia Tann changed all the children’s names when they came to the orphanage and tricked families into signing papers to legal surrender their children.  Some of the legal paperwork were completely fabricated.  </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">The oldest daughter Rill, feels she is to blame for not keeping her siblings safe.  Rill is an amazingly strong young girl in a no win situation.  She does the best she can to take care of her siblings.  I have so much respect for all she did for her siblings.  Rill gave up a great deal to stay with her sister, Fern and build a life with her.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">I don’t want to give too much away, but <strong>Before We Were Yours</strong> is an very emotional journey.  Lisa Wingate skillfully weaves together the past and present to drive the plot.   I absolutely loved the ending.  There is freedom in the truth for the eldest of the characters.   I think the ending perfectly brought both story lines together, allowing a lost family to be found.   <strong>Before We Were Yours</strong> is about deep love and family secrets.   I have had a hard time starting another book since I finished <strong>Before We Were Yours</strong>, as I keep thinking about these characters and their lives.   </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">I rate <strong>Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate</strong> a 5 (it was amazing) due to the depth and development of the characters as well as my love for books based on real-life events.  I know this story and its’ characters will stay with me for a long time.   The images of the Tennessee Children Home Society and the events that happened there are forever with me. </font></p> <p align="center"><font size="2" face="Arial">My Rating Scale: 1 – didn’t like it; 2 – it was ok; 3 – liked it; 4 – really liked it; 5 – it was amazing</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Happy Reading!</font> <br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" /></a> <br />**Disclosure – <strong>Before We Were Yours </strong>by Lisa Wingate was received from The First To Read Program at Penguin Random House in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own.  This post contains affiliate links. </p>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsignatures.mylivesignature.com%2F54487%2F178%2F42B71FE4715D1E47163E617FD0B36818.png&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" -->Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-8305037832996899542017-05-31T12:34:00.000-05:002017-05-31T14:49:15.391-05:00Review: June by Miranda Beverly–Whittemore<p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-waur8EyhwNo/WS7-o-4YUDI/AAAAAAAACss/Ezeii-SYfL0Tgk4APwFCaQIl6yPOh3qsQCHM/s1600-h/26236800%255B2%255D"><strong><img title="26236800" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; float: left; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="26236800" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2tKHWG6HHF4/WS7-pM-GCpI/AAAAAAAACsw/x34w12reYJwyC2qy-BbwCgQlzO02xQcvACHM/26236800_thumb?imgmax=800" width="166" align="left" height="244" /></strong></a><strong>  </strong></p> <font size="3" face="Arial"></font> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>  Title:  </strong>June <br /><strong>  Author:</strong> Miranda Beverly-Whittemore </font></font><a href="http://mirandabw.com/"><font size="3" face="Arial">(Website)</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial"> <br /><strong>  Genre:</strong> Mystery/Thriller <br /><strong>  Publisher:</strong> Broadway Books; Reprint edition (February 14, 2017) <br /><strong>  Length:</strong> 432 pages <br /><strong>  Source:</strong> Broadway Books and Blogging for Books</font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3">  </font></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"> </font></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>About the Book: (From Goodreads)</strong></font></font><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Twenty-five-year-old Cassie Danvers is holed up in her family’s crumbling mansion in rural St. Jude, Ohio, mourning the loss of the woman who raised her—her grandmother, June. But a knock on the door forces her out of isolation. Cassie has been named the sole heir to legendary matinee idol Jack Montgomery's vast fortune. How did Jack Montgomery know her name? Could he have crossed paths with her grandmother all those years ago? What other shocking secrets could June’s once-stately mansion hold? </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Soon Jack’s famous daughters come knocking, determined to wrestle Cassie away from the inheritance they feel is their due. Together, they all come to discover the true reasons for June’s silence about that long-ago summer, when Hollywood came to town, and June and Jack’s lives were forever altered by murder, blackmail, and betrayal. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"> As this page-turner shifts deftly between the past and present, Cassie and her guests will be forced to reexamine their legacies, their definition of family, and what it truly means to love someone, steadfastly, across the ages.</font></p> <font size="3" face="Arial"></font> <p><strong></strong></p> <font size="3" face="Arial"></font> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">My Review:</font> </strong><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore</strong> takes place in St. Jude, Ohio.  The story weaves between present time and 1955, when a Hollywood file crew came to town to film Erie Canal.  The star of Erie Canal is Jack Montgomery, a Hollywood heartthrob. The crew takes quaint little St, Jude by storm.  There are parties and community members working for the film.  </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">June and Lindie are best friends.  June is engaged to marry Arthur, who is schedule to be coming to town soon.  Lindie is a young lady, who secretly is in love with June.   June lives in an elegant mansion called Two Oakes.  Lindie and June have grown up together.  June’s mother Cheryl Anne has great ambition for her daughter to marry well.  There are a lot of twists and turns following the story line that takes place in 1955.  There is murder, secrets and the cover up.  June is a very strong woman who is able to make some difficult decisions.  </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">In the present day,  Cassie the grand daughter of June comes to Two Oakes after her grandmother’s death.  Cassie is struggling with functioning day to day.  She has inherited Two Oakes, which is in great despair.   Two Oakes is a living breathing character in the story.  This works sometimes and other times seems out of place.  One day, Nick arrives at her door.  Nick is the assistant to Tate, who is the daughter to the Hollywood star, Jack Montgomery.   Nick informs her that she has been left a large amount of money from Jack Montgomery, who she does not know.     The mystery begins to unfold as the truth is slowly revealed between the dual narratives from 1955 and present day.  </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Initially <strong>June</strong> <strong>by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore</strong> did not grab me.  Towards the middle I was invested in the story and the story continues to gain momentum to the ending.   I really enjoyed a number of the characters, especially the relationship between June and Lindie as well as Two Oakes.  I found it interesting that the house was an actual character in the story.  </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">I rate June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore as 3/5.  I didn’t lose any sleep to read June, but the ending had me and I had to finish before my day could continue.  </font></p> <p align="center">My Rating Scale: 1 – didn’t like it; 2 – it was ok; 3 – liked it; 4 – really liked it; 5 – it was amazing</p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore was also reviewed by <a href="http://mockingbirdhillcottage.com/2016/05/book-review-june-by-miranda-beverly-whittemore/">Mockingbird Hill Cottage</a>, <a href="https://cover2covermom.wordpress.com/2016/07/10/book-review-june-by-miranda-beverly-whittemore/">Cover2Cover Mom</a>, <a href="https://thesmugcloud.wordpress.com/2016/06/16/june-a-novel-by-miranda-beverly-whittemore-a-book-review/">the Smug Cloud</a>, <a href="http://www.perfectlyambitious.com/2016/12/book-review-june.html">Perfectly Ambitious</a> and <a href="https://beckyrenner.com/2016/07/30/review-of-june-by-miranda-beverly-whittemore/">Becky Renner.</a></font></p> <strong></strong> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Happy Reading!</font> <br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" /></a> <br /><font size="3" face="Arial">**Disclosure – <strong>June </strong>by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore was received from the Blogging for Books Program in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own.  This post contains affiliate links.</font></p>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsignatures.mylivesignature.com%2F54487%2F178%2F42B71FE4715D1E47163E617FD0B36818.png&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" -->Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-73283033274894178182017-05-31T11:52:00.001-05:002017-05-31T12:17:00.585-05:00Coming Soon to a Bookshelf Near You: June 2017<p><img style="margin: 0px auto 5px; float: none; display: block;" alt="Book Shelf" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Jmp7zAmH7Yw/WKRek5CFfeI/AAAAAAAACZk/OtDZmhV7GCk/Book%252520Shelf_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" /></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Loving this beautiful weather!   Today is my last day of vacation before heading back to work.  We just returned from South Dakota, where we celebrated my parents 60th wedding anniversary and my mom’s 80th birthday! I thought I would have time to review and read while in SD, but we stayed very busy visiting with family.    Before heading back to work, I thought I would share some books that have caught my eye.   These books will be available in June.  If you like, maybe even get on the waitlist at the library for these upcoming titles.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">As a book blogger, I am able to request, read and provide feedback on upcoming titles.   I love being able to do this, but some months my ambitions are larger than what time allows.  I still have a full time job which interferes regularly with my reading/blogging schedule.  So I decided to share with you some upcoming releases that have caught my eye.    I would hate for you to miss an upcoming title due to my lack of time!!</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Here are some books which were be available in bookstores in June 2017, that caught my eye!</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QM7nJOqMDyo/WS70yhGAmpI/AAAAAAAACrU/ohsm7zbV9ZIWBilgE9FYcHU9MK_3-QOPwCHM/s1600-h/30753995%255B2%255D"><img title="30753995" style="margin: 0px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="30753995" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1xUjUww4v6g/WS70ywgVDFI/AAAAAAAACrY/ImnAJHA03I05JVcwm2J3snzSS8_I____gCHM/30753995_thumb?imgmax=800" width="164" height="244" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-F2dpQ6dpLfM/WS70zJZF6lI/AAAAAAAACrc/0s1P9IwEV8c9tWiEMhXyFzBpADCpI173wCHM/s1600-h/32054095%255B2%255D"><img title="32054095" style="margin: 0px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="32054095" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XjKGYTKSOE8/WS70zbPgCXI/AAAAAAAACrg/91Pu57lENsIe3RIllNGp_6t0UNyrFj3AgCHM/32054095_thumb?imgmax=800" width="164" height="244" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IyzkB4s9jD0/WS70zpnyGpI/AAAAAAAACrk/vVBwQv6dVHcgZyPlH0vrhzPAo3mpL1B6QCHM/s1600-h/32498474%255B2%255D"><img title="32498474" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="32498474" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6knxR69tooA/WS70z6AdavI/AAAAAAAACro/EkiUe-J9pV0HvNfhuIyoeDkiqf4PZP-iwCHM/32498474_thumb?imgmax=800" width="161" height="244" /></a></font></p> <blockquote> <p align="left">                                 <a href="http://readinginwbl.blogspot.com/2017/03/review-child-by-fiona-barton.html">Review of The Child</a><font size="3" face="Arial">                              </font></p> </blockquote> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oYnkT1s-zuU/WS700Bnyr_I/AAAAAAAACrs/I4rQ3ECz99sb57Qpm0BADwhEGty7Yg8zQCHM/s1600-h/32570473%255B2%255D"><img title="32570473" style="margin: 0px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="32570473" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1jj-GHV8VOI/WS700UCjmiI/AAAAAAAACrw/KGoegobRfacFPdnR19gDRkcmEYGInMm_wCHM/32570473_thumb?imgmax=800" width="163" height="244" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YemEJczjXj0/WS700UwduVI/AAAAAAAACr0/1gfPtPzWOZUJb55CzfttiDerFiL3Mn2ggCHM/s1600-h/32735394%255B2%255D"><img title="32735394" style="margin: 0px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="32735394" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ugc8DpvNgP0/WS700uSY4WI/AAAAAAAACr4/TsoFyraBmW8lzIhe-vHBIxprKrwaatrbgCHM/32735394_thumb?imgmax=800" width="169" height="244" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CNbMpjMOa9g/WS700w8isPI/AAAAAAAACr8/y-poN_cviNYMRIW1wp7O46xp2dJdANgUgCHM/s1600-h/34947373%255B2%255D"><img title="34947373" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="34947373" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-57UoGSq3FY0/WS701HgKnFI/AAAAAAAACsA/xtpQT9gzKIQ9nYZrjVvuqJhYXX9b1vEPwCHM/34947373_thumb?imgmax=800" width="163" height="244" /></a></font><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zxo-f-NCtOA/WS76i8PQ17I/AAAAAAAACsc/2mfn7px0ktgcj5lgioYtVfWS_rbLHA9IACHM/s1600-h/32148570%255B6%255D"><img title="32148570" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; background-image: none;" border="0" alt="32148570" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6XGpJJDmlhY/WS76jIKy8iI/AAAAAAAACsg/Jy8sIgQR49kJB5J9BlQmn2reWFfEt3ehACHM/32148570_thumb%255B1%255D?imgmax=800" width="164" height="244" /></a></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">Happy Reading!</font></strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/178/42B71FE4715D1E47163E617FD0B36818.png" /></a> <br /><font size="3" face="Arial">*Note – if you would like to keep up with book reviews on Reading in White Bear Lake, please take a moment to </font><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Reading-in-White-Bear-Lake/183181371732520?fref=ts"><font size="3" face="Arial">like us on facebook</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial">!   If you are interested in my other loves: cooking, menu planning, organizing and my family check out our other blog, </font><a href="http://livinginwbl.com/"><font size="3" face="Arial">Living in White Bear Lake.</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial">   Living in White Bear Lake can also be found on </font><a href="https://www.facebook.com/LivinginWBL?ref=hl"><font size="3" face="Arial">facebook.</font></a></p>Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-84564975796655112172017-05-14T11:11:00.001-05:002017-05-14T11:11:21.397-05:00Coming Soon to a Bookshelf Near You: May 2017<p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6gp7vsQ1t-0/WKRekpo0_ZI/AAAAAAAACZg/-4-cpWCexbE/s1600-h/Book%252520Shelf%25255B3%25255D.png"><img title="Book Shelf" style="float: none; margin: 0px auto 5px; display: block" border="0" alt="Book Shelf" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Jmp7zAmH7Yw/WKRek5CFfeI/AAAAAAAACZk/OtDZmhV7GCk/Book%252520Shelf_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="342" height="128" /></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Loving this beautiful weather!   Time for lunches in the park with my favorite book.    What better time to share some books that have caught my eye.   These books will be available in May.  If you like, maybe even get on the waitlist at the library for these upcoming titles.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">As a book blogger, I am able to request, read and provide feedback on upcoming titles.   I love being able to do this, but some months my ambitions are larger than what time allows.  I still have a full time job which interferes regularly with my reading/blogging schedule.  So I decided to share with you some upcoming releases that have caught my eye.    I would hate for you to miss an upcoming title due to my lack of time!!</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Here are some books which were be available in bookstores in May 2017, that caught my eye!</font></p> <p></td></tr></p> <p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0778330168/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0778330168&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=4748bfe190114c0c874b2190d449a2c1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0778330168&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" /></a><img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0778330168" width="1" height="1" /><img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1476738025" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1459737431/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1459737431&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=67a5cb7e45492da71204de87163d05f3" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1459737431&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" /></a><img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1459737431" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0778319997/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0778319997&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=1fa75b47c1cba9fdb20761f9c6dabb04" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0778319997&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" /></a><img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0778319997" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812989236/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0812989236&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=d5997b6ed664672084a570a44604bcf8" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0812989236&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" /></a><img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0812989236" width="1" height="1" /> <img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0802126391" width="1" height="1" /> </p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">And finally...the book I have pre-ordered as I can't wait to read it.............</font></p> <p> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0778319954/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0778319954&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=be7109dba4fb2803ce639bf820bd259e" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0778319954&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" /></a><img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0778319954" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">Happy Reading!</font></strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/178/42B71FE4715D1E47163E617FD0B36818.png" /></a> <br /><font size="3" face="Arial">*Note – if you would like to keep up with book reviews on Reading in White Bear Lake, please take a moment to </font><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Reading-in-White-Bear-Lake/183181371732520?fref=ts"><font size="3" face="Arial">like us on facebook</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial">!   If you are interested in my other loves: cooking, menu planning, organizing and my family check out our other blog, </font><a href="http://livinginwbl.com/"><font size="3" face="Arial">Living in White Bear Lake.</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial">   Living in White Bear Lake can also be found on </font><a href="https://www.facebook.com/LivinginWBL?ref=hl"><font size="3" face="Arial">facebook.</font></a></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">* This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links</font></strong></p>Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-37792026788970426072017-05-06T21:22:00.000-05:002017-05-06T21:55:02.371-05:00Review: The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova<p><strong></strong></p> <p><strong><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-V_EyIFD9bso/WQ6E83cCRfI/AAAAAAAACqc/5UQIrJ5S1hkU1UNbP8BLBqCraA-KSuD0wCHM/s1600-h/31394293%255B2%255D"><img title="31394293" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="31394293" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uQY367JCw-E/WQ6E9JqDUmI/AAAAAAAACqg/G2lv-YvavokVBralv15O-n24fjEmio8wgCHM/31394293_thumb?imgmax=800" width="166" align="left" height="244" /></a>  </strong></p> <p><strong>  <font size="3" face="Arial">Title:  </font></strong><font size="3" face="Arial">The Shadow Land  <br /><strong>  Author:</strong> Elizabeth Kostova <a href="http://www.elizabethkostova.com/">(Website)</a></font><font size="3" face="Arial"></font><font size="3" face="Arial">  <br /></font><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>  Genre:</strong> Mystery/Thriller <br /><strong>  Publisher:</strong> Ballantine Books (April 11, 2017) <br /><strong>  Length:</strong> 496 pages <br /><strong>  Source:</strong> Good Reads and Random House</font></font></p> <p> </p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">About the Book: (From Goodreads):</font> <br /></strong><font size="3" face="Arial">From the #1 bestselling author of <i>The Historian</i> comes an engrossing novel that spans the past and the present and unearths the dark secrets of Bulgaria, a beautiful and haunted country. <br /></font><font size="3" face="Arial"> <br />A young American woman, Alexandra Boyd, has traveled to Sofia, Bulgaria, hoping that life abroad will salve the wounds left by the loss of her beloved brother. Soon after arriving in this elegant East European city, however, she helps an elderly couple into a taxi and realizes too late that she has accidentally kept one of their bags. Inside she finds an ornately carved wooden box engraved with a name: Stoyan Lazarov. Raising the hinged lid, she discovers that she is holding an urn filled with human ashes. <br /> <br />As Alexandra sets out to locate the family and return this precious item, she will first have to uncover the secrets of a talented musician who was shattered by oppression and she will find out all too quickly that this knowledge is fraught with its own danger. <br /> <br />Kostova's new novel is a tale of immense scope that delves into the horrors of a century and traverses the culture and landscape of this mysterious country. Suspenseful and beautifully written, it explores the power of stories, the pull of the past, and the hope and meaning that can sometimes be found in the aftermath of loss.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>My Review: The Shadow Land </strong>by Elizabeth is told from two points of view.  The view of Alexandra, an American that came to Sophia, Bulgaria to teach English.   <strong>The Shadow Land</strong> starts with Alexandra accidently becoming into possession of the ashes of Stroyan Lazarov.  She begins a wild goose chase of a trip to find the family of Stroyan Lazarov to return the ashes.  She starts this trip with a taxi driver, Bobby.  During their trip they escape danger, become close and meet many interesting individuals connected to Stroyan Lazarov.  Through their travels, we find out more and more about Stroyan.  Will they ever get Stroyan’s ashes back to his family???</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Stroyan Lazarov also told the story of his life in Bulgaria during the communist regime.  Stroyan was very in loved with and married to Vera.  Stroyan was a very talented musician with his career derailed due to the communist regime.  Stroyan answers the door of his apartment one night and was met by the police and taken into custody.  The abuse and mistreatment that began is disturbing.  It is made even more disturbing by Elizabeth Kostova’s skillful, vivid descriptions.  Stroyan is a strong man with the ability to get lost in this thoughts.  Secrets are revealed and the connect between the past and present come to the forefront.  </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Elizabeth Kostova’s writing and descriptions of Bulgaria are beautiful.  Kostova provides a very vivid snapshot of Bulgaria during two distinctly different times in history.  I found myself re-reading a sentence here and there due to skill of the writing.  I found <strong>The Shadow Land</strong> by Elizabeth Kostova to be character driven.  The character, Stroyan Lazarov entered the story in an Urn and became my favorite and the most developed character.   Kostova provided such a detailed description of Stroyan’s life in the prison camp that you could even smell the scents of the camp.  Stroyan’s story was very compelling and moving as he struggled throughout life with the effect of the communist regime.  </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>The Shadow Land</strong> by Elizabeth Kostova is slow to build. Once Stroyan begins to tell his story,the pace increases and the pages fly by.  I decided to read a bit of The Shadowland this morning with my coffee at 6:30am….soon I find myself riveted to my seat until I finished the book around noon.  What a delightful way to spend a Saturday morning!!    The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova receives a 4 star rating from me.   I so enjoyed my travels around Bulgaria. </font></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></strong></p> <p align="center"><font size="2" face="Arial">My Rating Scale: 1 – didn’t like it; 2 – it was ok; 3 – liked it; 4 – really liked it; 5 – it was amazing</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Happy Reading!</font> <br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" /></a> <br />**Disclosure – <strong>The Shadow Land </strong>by Elizabeth Kostova was received from Ballantine Books through Goodreads.com giveaway in exchange for a fair review.  All opinions are my own.  This post contains affiliate links.</p> <iframe style="height: 240px; width: 120px" marginheight="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=rea08e-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0345527860&asins=0345527860&linkId=f6b68e2a6f03e9c38d81cc804f835278&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffcc" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"> </iframe>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsignatures.mylivesignature.com%2F54487%2F178%2F42B71FE4715D1E47163E617FD0B36818.png&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" -->Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-62261768386507945962017-04-23T21:28:00.001-05:002017-04-23T21:33:16.638-05:00Review: The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware<p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Kn1qQ9W3o0o/WP1iveML2FI/AAAAAAAACpE/UTai_BBWtqcfmC7KKO_nRWwp8edqV1DyACHM/s1600-h/28187230%255B2%255D"><img title="28187230" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="28187230" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hVUe64473lM/WP1ivvFq1HI/AAAAAAAACpI/JgkWXJlE_9I-2QPNWYokKwF-0KbWfu0mQCHM/28187230_thumb?imgmax=800" width="164" align="left" height="244" /></a></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong> </strong></font></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>Title:  </strong>The Woman in Cabin 10   <br /><strong>Author:</strong> Ruth Ware </font></font><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ruthwarewriter/"><font size="3" face="Arial">(Facebook)</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font><a href="http://www.ruthware.com/"><font size="3" face="Arial">(Website)</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font><a href="https://twitter.com/RuthWareWriter"><font size="3" face="Arial">(Twitter)</font></a> <br /><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>Genre:</strong> Mystery/Thriller <br /><strong>Publisher:</strong> Simon & Schuster Audio; Unabridged edition (April 11, 2017) <br /><strong>Length:</strong> Audio CD Version <br /><strong>Source:</strong> White Bear Lake Library</font></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">About the Book: (From Goodreads): <br /></font></strong><font size="3" face="Arial">In this tightly wound story, Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. At first, Lo’s stay is nothing but pleasant: the cabins are plush, the dinner parties are sparkling, and the guests are elegant. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for—and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo’s desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong…</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">With surprising twists and a setting that proves as uncomfortably claustrophobic as it is eerily beautiful, Ruth Ware offers up another intense read.</font></p> <p><iframe style="border-top-style: none; overflow: hidden; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none" height="315" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FGalleryBooks%2Fvideos%2F10155029455453449%2F&show_text=0&width=560" frameborder="0" width="560" allowtransparency="allowtransparency" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>My Review:  </strong>I am a little late to the party as <strong><em>The Woman in Cabin 10</em></strong> by Ruth Ware came out in hard cover in the summer of 2016.  For whatever reason, I heard a lot about <strong><em>The Woman in Cabin 10</em></strong>, but didn’t pick it up.  This could be due to the fact that during that time, everything was compared to Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train.   Ruth Ware is a new to me author, with <strong><em>The Woman in Cabin 10</em></strong> being her sophomore book.  </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">The <strong><em>Woman in Cabin 10</em></strong> by Ruth Ware comes out of the gate strong with the main character, Laura “Lo” Blacklock, being a victim of a break in, which understandably leaves her distressed.   Lo is a travel journalist and needs to leave for a cruise on a new luxury boat called the Aurora, despite the recent break in.   Lo struggles on the boat with feeling safe, which leads to her drinking too much. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">One night she is awoken by a noise, she believes she sees a body being thrown overboard.  In typical mystery fashion, a murder happens with a witness, but everyone else denies it.   So did Lo really see this or was it a dream as a result of her drinking?   All the passengers are accounted for and the cruise staff begin to think Lo is making things up.  Lo is unreliable narrator with her drinking and history of mental health issues which adds to the confusion as to what is real.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">The creep factor for me in <strong><em>The Woman in Cabin 10</em></strong> was the setting!  A cruise ship in the middle of the sea and the sense of claustrophobia was very real for me.  ARGH!  Lo is certain a murder has happened, but she is trapped on a cruise ship with no way to contact the authorities.  She is unable to get ahold of her family or boyfriend due to not having internet access while out at sea.  I hate the feeling of being TRAPPED!</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">I listened to the audio of <strong><em>The Woman in Cabin 10</em></strong>, I loved the pace of the book and Lo seems even more unreliable when you listen to her.  There are many characters in <strong><em>The Woman in Cabin 10</em></strong> and they are all pretty well developed.  I loved all the accents in the audio book!  You are never sure if you can believe Lo.  The suspense builds, twists happen and things start to fall into place.  The end had me on the edge of my seat.   The very last sentence or so of the book, made for the perfect ending!   I was very satisfied with the ending.   I finished <strong><em>The Woman in the Cabin 10</em></strong> on my road trip to Duluth and give it 4 stars.  </font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>The Woman in Cabin 10 </strong>by Ruth Ware was also reviewed by </font></font><font size="3" face="Arial"><a href="http://crimebythebook.com/blog/2016/5/7/review-the-woman-in-cabin-10-by-ruth-ware">Crime By The Book</a>, <a href="http://rebelmommybookblog.com/review-the-woman-in-cabin-10/">Rebel Mommy</a>, <a href="https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com/2017/03/15/book-review-the-woman-in-cabin-10-by-ruth-ware/">Mrs. B Book Reviews,</a>  and <a href="http://www.curledup.com/woman_in_cabin_10.htm">Curled Up</a></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="2" face="Arial">My Rating Scale: 1 – didn’t like it; 2 – it was ok; 3 – liked it; 4 – really liked it; 5 – it was amazing</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Happy Reading! <br /></font><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><font size="3" face="Arial"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" /></font></a> <br /><font size="2" face="Arial">**Disclosure – <strong>The Woman in Cabin 10 </strong>by Ruth Ware was checked out from the public library.  All opinions are my own.  This post contains affiliate links.</font></p> <iframe style="height: 240px; width: 120px" marginheight="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=rea08e-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1501132954&asins=1501132954&linkId=60362a4a8b46064821ca690e024515df&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffcc" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"> </iframe>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsignatures.mylivesignature.com%2F54487%2F178%2F42B71FE4715D1E47163E617FD0B36818.png&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" -->Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-29035357528348658122017-04-23T15:07:00.001-05:002017-04-23T15:10:38.685-05:00Review: One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250099560/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250099560&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=b0f86262e36a970bec98f6566b9ab7c9" target="_blank"><img style="float: left; margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline" border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1250099560&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" width="192" align="left" height="286" /></a><img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1250099560" width="1" height="1" /> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>Title:  </strong>One Perfect Lie <br /><strong>Author:</strong> Lisa Scottoline <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LisaScottoline/">(Facebook)</a></font></font><font size="3" face="Arial"></font><font size="3" face="Arial"> <a href="https://scottoline.com/">(Website)</a></font><font size="3" face="Arial"></font><font size="3" face="Arial"> <a href="https://twitter.com/LisaScottoline">(Twitter)</a></font><font size="3" face="Arial"></font> <br /><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>Genre:</strong> Mystery/Thriller <br /><strong>Publisher:</strong> St. Martin's Press (April 11, 2017) <br /><strong>Length:</strong> 368 pages <br /><strong>Source:</strong> Netgalley.com </font></font></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial"></font></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font></strong></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">About the Book: (From Goodreads): </font></strong><font size="3" face="Arial">On paper, Chris Brennan looks perfect. He's applying for a job as a high school government teacher, he's ready to step in as an assistant baseball coach, and his references are impeccable. <br />But everything about Chris Brennan is a lie. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Susan Sematov is proud of her son Raz, a high school pitcher so athletically talented that he's being recruited for a full-ride scholarship to a Division I college, with a future in major-league baseball. But Raz’s father died only a few months ago, leaving her son in a vulnerable place where any new father figure might influence him for good, or evil. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Heather Larkin is a struggling single mother who lives for her son Justin's baseball games. But Justin is shy, and Heather fears he is being lured down a dark path by one of his teammates, a young man from an affluent family whose fun-loving manner might possibly conceal his violent plans. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Mindy Kostis succumbs to the pressure of being a surgeon's wife by filling her days with social events and too many gin and tonics. But she doesn’t know that her husband and her son, Evan, are keeping secrets from her – secrets that might destroy all of them. <br />At the center of all of them is Chris Brennan. Why is he there? What does he want? And what is he willing to do to get it? </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Enthralling and suspenseful, <i>One Perfect Lie</i> is an emotional thriller and a suburban crime story that will have readers riveted up to the shocking end, with killer twists and characters you won’t soon forget.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>My Review:  </strong>Right from the beginning of <strong><em>One Perfect Lie</em></strong> by Lisa Scottoline, I had an uneasy feeling about new school teacher Chris Brennan.  I had so many questions at the beginning, Who is this Chris Brennan?  Why is he is interested in these boys?  Why is he trying to turn the boys against themselves and gain their trust?  I didn’t like the way the story was going.  He was stalking a couple of students and now tries to befriend them.  The three boys from the base ball team, Raz, Justin and Evan are his main focus.  Chris Brennan is definitely not who the other teachers think he is.  Will he be able to keep up his charade to complete the steps of his plan??</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Raz, Evan and Justin are friends on the high school baseball team.  Raz is impulsive and a bit of a live wire.  His father died within the last year.  His mother, Susan is struggling to keep her family together and understand her sons.  </font><font size="3" face="Arial">Then you have Heather, single mom and her son, Justin.  Justin is a sweet young man.  Heather tires so hard to keep her son in his school and maintain a home life for Justin.  She works very hard to provide what little she can for her little family. Finally, we have </font><font size="3" face="Arial">Mindy, everyone thinks she has it all. The wife of a surgeon with a very popular son, Evan.   Life isn’t always what is seems.  What possibly could be going on in this nice little suburban town?  </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">My uneasy feelings about Chris Brennan change about 1/2 through the book as the twists in the story start to be revealed. Secrets are revealed, crimes are realized, and everything comes together with a sense of urgency.  Once it starts to unravel you will not be able to put down, <strong><em>One Perfect Lie</em></strong> by Lisa Scottoline.   I found myself actually holding my breathe.   For me, <em><strong>One Perfect Lie</strong></em> was slow to grab my attention, but had me as the action began.   As always, I think I will just read a few chapters with my morning coffee before going to work.  ARGH!!  Lisa Scottoline, you got me, I couldn’t put <em><strong>One Perfect Lie</strong></em> down and arrived at work later than planned!</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">This is my first time reading a book by Lisa Scottoline.  I have already loaded Most Wanted onto my kindle!   I give <strong><em>One Perfect Lie</em></strong> by Lisa Scottoline 4 stars.  Any book that makes me late for work gets a 4 out of 5 rating from me!  If you are a fan of Jodi Picoult, I think you will really enjoy <strong><em>One Prefect Lie</em></strong> by Lisa Scottoline.  </font></p> <p> </p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>One Perfect Lie </strong>by Lisa Scottoline was also reviewed by </font></font><a href="http://www.chicklitcentral.com/2017/04/book-review-one-perfect-lie.html"><font size="3" face="Arial">Chick Lit Central</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial">, </font><a href="http://redcarpetcrash.com/book-review-one-perfect-lie-one-perfect-book/"><font size="3" face="Arial">Red Carpet Crash</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial">, </font><a href="https://librarianlaura.com/2017/04/02/one-perfect-lie-by-lisa-scottoline/"><font size="3" face="Arial">Librarian Laura,</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial"> and </font><a href="https://bookfanmary.wordpress.com/2017/04/21/one-perfect-lie-by-lisa-scottoline/"><font size="3" face="Arial">BookFan.</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font></p> <p align="center">My Rating Scale: 1 – didn’t like it; 2 – it was ok; 3 – liked it; 4 – really liked it; 5 – it was amazing</p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Happy Reading! <br /></font><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><font size="3" face="Arial"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" /></font></a> <br /><font size="2" face="Arial">**Disclosure – <strong>One Perfect Lie </strong>by Lisa Scottoline was received from St Martins Publishing through Netgalley.com in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own.  This post contains affiliate links</font></p> <iframe style="height: 240px; width: 120px" marginheight="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=rea08e-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1250099560&asins=1250099560&linkId=e8c0c44f3e14dc7528d19a121e413065&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffcc" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"> </iframe>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsignatures.mylivesignature.com%2F54487%2F178%2F42B71FE4715D1E47163E617FD0B36818.png&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" -->Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-13623736283026519292017-03-28T13:38:00.000-05:002017-03-31T19:48:26.741-05:00Review: Orphan’s Tale by Pam Jenoff<p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DH-SfJVgK-A/WNLBXZ8-csI/AAAAAAAACm0/GmYTaVxyLuA/s1600-h/orphan%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="orphan" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="orphan" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_KTEE0Amm84/WNLBXiBEvLI/AAAAAAAACm4/v7aGGUsyMiY/orphan_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="166" align="left" height="244" /></a> <br /> <br /><span style="font-size: small; font-family: arial"><font size="3"><strong>Title</strong>:</font><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0778319814/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0778319814&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=8e1b4c8e33b0cab655d0b2f07c10453c" target="_blank"><font size="3">The Orphan's Tale: A Novel</font></a><font size="3"><img style="margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0778319814" width="1" height="1" /> <br /><strong>Author:</strong> Pam Jenoff </font><a href="https://www.facebook.com/PamJenoffauthor/" target="_blank"><font size="3">(Facebook)</font></a><font size="3"> </font><a href="http://www.pamjenoff.com/" target="_blank"><font size="3">(Website)</font></a><font size="3"> </font><a href="https://twitter.com/PamJenoff" target="_blank"><font size="3">(Twitter)</font></a></span> <br /></span><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>Genre:</strong> Historical Fiction <br /><strong>Publisher:</strong> MIRA (February 21, 2017) <br /><strong>Length:</strong> 368 <br /><strong>Source:</strong> Netgalley</font></font></span> </p> <p> <br /></span><font size="3"><strong><font face="Arial">About the Book: (From Goodreads)</font></strong></font></span><font face="Arial"> <br /><font size="3">Sixteen-year-old Noa has been cast out in disgrace after becoming pregnant by a Nazi soldier and being forced to give up her baby. She lives above a small rail station, which she cleans in order to earn her keep… When Noa discovers a boxcar containing dozens of Jewish infants bound for a concentration camp, she is reminded of the child that was taken from her. And in a moment that will change the course of her life, she snatches one of the babies and flees into the snowy night.</span></font></font></font> <br /></font> <br /></span><font face="Arial"><font size="3">Noa finds refuge with a German circus, but she must learn the flying trapeze act so she can blend in undetected, spurning the resentment of the lead aerialist, Astrid. At first rivals, Noa and Astrid soon forge a powerful bond. But as the façade that protects them proves increasingly tenuous, Noa and Astrid must decide whether their friendship is enough to save one another—or if the secrets that burn between them will destroy everything.</font></span></font></font> <br /></font></font></font><span style="font-family: arial"> <br /></span><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>My Review:</strong> <strong><em>The Orphan's Tale</em></strong> by Pam Jenoff captured me from the very beginning.  <strong><em>The Orphan's Tale</em></strong> follows the life of 2 women, Noa and Astrid.  You first meet Noa, a sixteen year old who recently had a child. The child was taken from her and now she finds herself abandoned.  She works in a train station for food and a room.  One night she saves a Jewish baby for a very difficult situation.  Now she is on the run to save the child.</font>  </span> <br /></font></font></font> <br /><font size="3" face="Arial">Noa finds her way to the circus owned by a German, Herr Neuhoff. Herr is one of those unsung heroes as he attempts to protect various Jewish individuals within his circus.  The circus, though in Hitler's Germany, continued to travel and bring entertainment around the country.  The circus brought a sense of escape to the attendees.  It is definitely a time in need of entertainment/escape to boost morale of those suffering the effects of war: hunger and poverty. </span> <br /><span style="font-family: arial">  </span> <br /><span style="font-family: arial">I found the circus life very interesting. Astrid had been with the circus all her life.  She started as a small child as an aerialist. Herr Neuhoff takes her into his circus, knowing she is Jewish.  She left her family circus after falling in love and marrying a German SS Officer.  The marriage is ended abruptly and Astrid is unable to find her family.  Astrid and Noa are never really sure who they can trust in Hitler's Germany, but have a strong bond that is tested numerous times.</span> <br /></font></font><span style="font-family: arial"> <br /></span><font size="3"><span style="font-family: arial">I really liked Herr Neuhoff for his attempt to protect the Jewish performers in a very dangerous time.  The circus life was very close knit and interesting to read about.  I felt the characters were very well developed and I cared a great deal about a number of them.  </span><font face="Arial"> <em><strong>The Orphan's Tale </strong></em>continues at a nice pace and the ending was very satisfying.  This is my first time reading a book by Pam Jenoff, but won't be my last.</font></font>   </span> <br /><span style="font-size: small; font-family: arial"></span> <br /></font><span style="font-family: arial"><font size="3"><strong>The Orphan’s Tale </strong>by Pam Jenoff was also reviewed by </font></span></span></font><a href="http://crimebythebook.com/blog/2017/1/30/book-review-never-let-you-go-by-chevy-stevens"><span style="font-size: small; font-family: arial"><font size="3">Crime By the Book, </font></font></span></a><a href="http://vilmasbookblog.com/neverletyougo/"><font size="3" face="Arial">Vilma’s Book Blog,</font></span></a><font face="Arial"><font size="3"> and </font></span></font></font><a href="https://cluesandreviews.wordpress.com/2017/03/14/book-review-never-let-you-go-chevy-stevens-chevystevens-raincoastbooks-stmartinspress/"><font face="Arial"><font size="3">Clues and Reviews.</font></span></font></font></a><font size="3" face="Arial"> <br /></font></p> <div align="center"><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: arial"><font size="2">My Rating Scale: 1 – didn’t like it; 2 – it was ok; 3 – liked it; 4 – really liked it; 5 – it was amazing</font></span></div> <font face="Arial"><font size="3">Happy Reading!</span> <br /></font></font></font><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" /></a> <br />**Disclosure – <strong>The Orphan’s </strong>by Pam Jenoff was received from NetGalley.com reviewer program and MIRA in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own.  This post contains affiliate links. <br /><iframe style="height: 240px; width: 120px" marginheight="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=rea08e-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0778319814&asins=0778319814&linkId=15340354ff38dda938a216a280f33b0e&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffcc" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"> </iframe>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsignatures.mylivesignature.com%2F54487%2F178%2F42B71FE4715D1E47163E617FD0B36818.png&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjDMoZrByir_hc3AYRSer3znK8wgsZrWSKtPkkPlJKekoZE27MepbOFtfhsMIxDW6qo96mxYO4uckwI2hkyuD2MLpTjxhvEejRccFJh9_kBxtrGfYAdxeOT2I0OnEdrOISjxQI1n4xwx6Wpd7MTGTfB6jhHQm5uAmbI7x2qQ7EQ9yhnNTu6btx7zmbsRmM0u0DV2ggW=" -->Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-66435413371100251162017-03-22T07:30:00.000-05:002017-03-22T07:30:36.628-05:00Review: Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens<p><strong><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-q2PCHyiLvas/WNHatqIPqvI/AAAAAAAACmU/s5rIHkQcnXM/s1600-h/untitled%25255B2%25255D.png"><img title="untitled" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="untitled" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_PkerlqTzzg/WNHau0IDpsI/AAAAAAAACmY/Nhn0ljgZGpo/untitled_thumb.png?imgmax=800" width="162" align="left" height="244" /></a></strong></p> <p><strong></strong></p> <p><strong><font size="3"> </font></strong></p> <p><strong><font size="3">Title:  <font face="Arial"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250034566/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250034566&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=83c55aafcbf446fe54e778c91ab28482" target="_blank">Never Let You Go: A Novel</a></font></font></strong><font face="Arial"> <br /><font size="3"><strong>Author:</strong>   Chevy Stevens   (Facebook) (Website) (Twitter) <br /><strong>Genre:</strong>   Mystery, Thriller and Suspense <br /><strong>Publisher</strong>: St. Martin's Press (March 14, 2017) <br /><strong>Length:</strong>  416 pages <br /><strong>Source:</strong> Netgalley.com</font></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">  </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">  </font></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">About Book: (From Good Reads)  </font></strong></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Eleven years ago, Lindsey Nash escaped into the night with her young daughter and left an abusive relationship. Her ex-husband was sent to jail and she started over with a new life. Now, Lindsey is older and wiser, with a teenage daughter who needs her more than ever. When her ex-husband is finally released, Lindsey believes she’s cut all ties. But she gets the sense that someone is watching her. Her new boyfriend is threatened. Her home is invaded, and her daughter is shadowed. Lindsey is convinced it’s her ex-husband, even though he claims he’s a different person. But can he really change? Is the one who wants her dead closer to home than she thought?</font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>My Review/Rating:  </strong>Young Lindsay meets the handsome, Andrew Nash.  They are young and in love.  They get married quickly and things start to change.   Andrew become possessive and psychologically abusive.  Chevy Stevens skillfully shows the progression of abuse in their relationship.  They have a baby, Sophie but the abuse does not stop.   Finally, Lindsay flees with Sophie in fear for her life.   Andrew is arrested and sent to prison.  Author, Chevy Stevens gives the reader a up close and personal look at domestic abuse.  Some of the scenes, may be difficult for some to read as they are very charged and powerful.  </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">With Andrew in prison, Lindsay is able to start a new life with Sophie.  Lindsay is a very resilient and strong character.  Even though she is fearful, she bravely continues on with her life.  She makes a nice little life for herself and her daughter.  Lindsay then hears that Andrew has been released from prison.   She knows he will come to find her and Sophie.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Andrew is released and does attempt to contact Lindsay and Sophie.  Strange things start to help and Lindsay believes that Andrew is stalking her and Sophie.   Things unravel and Lindsay seeks assistance from others in her inner circle that she trusts.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>Never Let You Go by Chevy Steven</strong> is told in the voice of Lindsay and Sophie.  The story shifts between the past and present giving more clues of the past through out the story.   I love that <strong>Never Let You Go</strong> moves quickly and keeps you on the edge of your seat from the very beginning.  Warning – if you get to the end of the book, plan on staying up until you finish the book!!   A very suspenseful, quick moving story with a bit of a twist.   </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">I have been a fan of Chevy Stevens for years and once again she does not disappoint.  </font><font size="3" face="Arial">  Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens is a 4 star read for me!  You know a book is good, if  I am even reading it on my phone app!   The ending is intense…..you can’t stop reading and you have to finish the book!</font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>Never Let You Go </strong>by Chevy Stevens was also reviewed by </font></font><a href="http://crimebythebook.com/blog/2017/1/30/book-review-never-let-you-go-by-chevy-stevens"><font size="3" face="Arial">Crime By the Book</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial">, <a href="http://vilmasbookblog.com/neverletyougo/">Vilma’s Book Blog,</a></font><font size="3" face="Arial"> and <a href="https://cluesandreviews.wordpress.com/2017/03/14/book-review-never-let-you-go-chevy-stevens-chevystevens-raincoastbooks-stmartinspress/">Clues and Reviews.</a></font><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font></p> <p align="center"><font size="2" face="Arial">My Rating Scale: 1 – didn’t like it; 2 – it was ok; 3 – liked it; 4 – really liked it; 5 – it was amazing</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Happy Reading!</font></p> <p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><img alt="" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/178/42B71FE4715D1E47163E617FD0B36818.png" /></a></p> <p>**Disclosure – <strong>Never Let You Go </strong>by Chevy Stevens was received from NetGalley.com reviewer program and St Martin’s Press in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own.  This post contains affiliate links.</p> <iframe style="height: 240px; width: 120px" marginheight="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=rea08e-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1250034566&asins=1250034566&linkId=a60c91ee422b2ee38790d9c99e7ba224&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffcc" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"> </iframe>Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-45851980642781448522017-03-21T21:14:00.001-05:002017-03-21T21:28:13.724-05:00It’s Monday! What Are You Reading??<p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e22aUUZafUs/WKPNIEr8P4I/AAAAAAAACYA/MhahR9r4w6c/s1600-h/It%252527s%252520Monday%252521%252520What%252520Are%252520You%252520Reading%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="It's Monday! What Are You Reading" style="float: left; margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline" border="0" alt="It's Monday! What Are You Reading" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-k7nprrTSZHA/WKPNIRsF4LI/AAAAAAAACYE/-w6aFB-x23g/It%252527s%252520Monday%252521%252520What%252520Are%252520You%252520Reading_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="275" align="left" height="250" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">It’s Monday! What Are you Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at </font><a href="http://bookdate.blogspot.com/"><font size="3" face="Arial">Reading Date</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial">. It is a chance to share what you have read and what you plan on reading in the upcoming week. I enjoy seeing what everyone’s reading plans for the week. I always find some titles that I just *have to add to my TBR list.  What a great way to discover new books and bloggers!  (click on covers for book details)</font></p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>  </strong></p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>Reviews Posted:</strong> Review: </font></font><a href="http://readinginwbl.blogspot.com/2017/03/review-ashes-by-steven-manchester.html"><font size="3" face="Arial">Ashes by Steven Manchester</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">Read Last Week:</font></strong></p> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0778319814/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0778319814&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=1fe8480960a6fd468ce608d8882110aa" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0px 0px 5px" border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0778319814&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" /></a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250034566/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250034566&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=af2a26e946a62f645141483b7aedd306" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1250034566&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" /></a><img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1250034566" width="1" height="1" /> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">Reading This Week:</font></strong></p> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1101990481/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1101990481&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=c825f81d76ceec138bacdaad1dcae2fc" target="_blank"><img style="float: left; margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline" border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1101990481&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" align="left" /></a><img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1101990481" width="1" height="1" /> <p> <font size="3" face="Arial">The Child – I am very excited to start reading the Child by Fiona Barton.  I read The Widow last year and found it to be very good.  I have high expectations for The Child!</font></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">In the Car:</font></strong></p> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1508231281/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1508231281&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=6cae7f07b081cb12e9a4fad8145a4aed" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1508231281&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" /></a><img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1508231281" width="1" height="1" /> <p> </p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Happy Reading!!</font></p> <p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/178/42B71FE4715D1E47163E617FD0B36818.png" /></a></p> <p>* This post contains affiliate links.</p>Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-14065789584063563322017-03-20T06:00:00.002-05:002017-03-20T06:00:06.601-05:00Review: Ashes by Steven Manchester<h2 align="center"><em>Ashes</em> by Steven Manchester </h2> <h2 align="center">on Tour February 19 - April 21, 2017</h2>      <img title="Ashes by Steven Manchester" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px" alt="Ashes by Steven Manchester" src="http://www.providencebookpromotions.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/51F4qx2BcRwL.jpg" width="200" align="left" height="300" /> <div class="note"><strong></strong></div> <div class="note"><strong></strong></div> <div class="note"><strong>Book Details</strong> Genre: Fiction <br />Published by: The Story Plant <br />Publication Date: February 21st 2017 <br />Number of Pages: 260 <br />Purchase Links: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ashes-Steven-Manchester/dp/1611882427/ref=as_li_ss_tl?&linkCode=ll1&tag=partnerscrime-20&linkId=2b7a7d7615012249275dfb335e4436ce"><img title="amazon" alt="" src="http://www.providencebookpromotions.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/amazon.jpg" width="38" height="38" /></a> <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ashes-steven-manchester/1124072813?ean=9781611882421"><img title="bn" class="class" alt="" src="http://www.providencebookpromotions.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bn.jpg" width="35" height="35" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30775537-ashes"><img title="gr" class="class" alt="" src="http://www.providencebookpromotions.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/gr.png" width="33" height="33" /></a></div> <div class="note"> </div> <div class="note"> </div> <div class="note"> </div> <div class="note"> </div> <div class="note"> </div> <div class="note"> </div> <h3>Synopsis:</h3> <p>Middle-aged brothers Jason and Tom Prendergast thought they were completely done with each other. Perceived betrayal had burned the bridge between them, tossing them into the icy river of estrangement. But life – and death – has a robust sense of irony, and when they learn that their cruel father has died and made his final request that they travel together across the country to spread his ashes, they have no choice but to spend a long, long car trip in each other's company. It's either that or lose out on the contents of the envelope he's left with his lawyer. The trip will be as gut-wrenching as each expects it to be . . . and revealing in ways neither of them is prepared for. </p> <p>At turns humorous, biting, poignant, and surprisingly tender, Ashes puts a new spin on family and dysfunction with a story that is at once fresh and timelessly universal.</p> <p><font size="3"><strong>My Review:</strong></font>  I discovered Steven Manchester a few years ago when he emailed me to review his book, Gooseberry Island.  As I said in my very first review, Steven Manchester has a way of capturing emotions that is realistic and heartfelt.  <strong><em>Ashes by Steven Manchester</em></strong> is no different.  The difficult relationship between the brothers, Jason and Tom is very well developed.  More depth is given to the characters by using flashbacks to memories from their very difficult childhood with an abusive father.  </p> <p>Jason and Tom’s father dies and his last request is for his sons to take his ashes across the country to Seattle.   Neither Tom or Jason are very excited to spend the time together driving across the county after being estranged for years.  Despite their falling out, the brothers head on the road with the feeling of just needing to make it through this trip.   They have a shared history that is skillfully peppered throughout the story which gives the reader a better understanding of Jason and Tom.  Jason and Tom are at points in their lives where they are re-examining their lives.  Their journey will touch your heart, make you laugh out loud and if you are like me, shed a tear!   </p> <p>Through this trip Jason and Tom learn a lot about themselves and each other.   Another well crafted, emotional story with truly authentic characters from Steven Manchester.   This read is a 4 for me as I ended up staying up late to finish this book.  And the ending……perfect.</p> <p align="center">My Rating Scale: 1 – didn’t like it; 2 – it was ok; 3 – liked it; 4 – really liked it; 5 – it was amazing</p> <h3>Read an excerpt:</h3> <div style="overflow: auto; border-top: 2px solid; height: 350px; border-right: 2px solid; border-bottom: 2px solid; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-top: 10px; padding-left: 10px; border-left: 2px solid; padding-right: 10px"> <p>Tom wheeled his late-model, platinum-colored BMW into Attorney Russell Norman’s freshly paved lot and parked between a brand new Lexus—sporting the license plate JUSTIS4U—and a custom pickup truck. Looks like I’m going after the hillbilly, he thought when he spotted the faded Massachusetts Department of Correction sticker in the rear window. His blood turned cold. “It must be Jason,” he thought aloud. I didn’t think he’d come.</p> <p>Tom took a few deep breaths, not because he was nervous about his father’s death or talking to any lawyer but because he hadn’t seen his Neanderthal brother—for fifteen years, I think. He paused for a moment to give it more thought. Although their relationship had essentially vaporized in their late teens—the result of a fall out that still haunted his dreams—they’d occasionally wound up in each other’s orbits; weddings, funerals, and the like, enough to remain familiar with each other’s career choices, wives, and children. But even that came to an end fifteen years ago, he confirmed in his aching head before opening the door. While his toothache-induced migraine threatened to blind him, he took one step into the oak-paneled waiting room. His and Jason’s eyes met for the briefest moment. As though they were complete strangers, they both looked away. And here he is, Tom thought, disappointed. This is just great.</p> <p>Through peripheral vision, Tom noticed that his older brother now wore a scar over his right eye, just above a bushy eyebrow that could have easily belonged to a homeless Scotsman. A jagged ear lobe, a piece clearly torn away, pointed to a crooked nose that sat sideways on his face—all of it rearranged since birth. What a big tub of shit he’s turned into, Tom thought, struggling to ignore his throbbing face and head. He’s as fat as a wood tick now, he thought, grinning, and he looks like he’s ready to pop. Jason looked straight at him, as if reading his mind. Tom immediately looked away, his rapid heartbeat starting to pound in his ears, intensifying his physical pain. Unbelievable, he thought. After all the years and all the distance, his elder brother—by only two years—still scared the hell out of him. He’s just a big asshole, that’s all, he told himself, but he still couldn’t bring himself to rejoin his brother’s penetrating gaze.</p> <p>The secretary answered her phone before calling out, “Mr. Prendergast . . .”</p> <p>Both brothers stood.</p> <p>“Attorney Norman will see you now.”</p> <p>Tom walked in first, letting the door close behind him—right in Jason’s face.</p> <p>“Still a weasel,” Jason muttered, loud enough for all to hear.</p> <p>“What was that?” Tom asked just inside the door.</p> <p>“Don’t even think about playing with me,” Jason warned as he reopened the door and entered the room, “’cause I have no problem throwing you over my knee and spanking you right in front of this guy.”</p> <p>I’m fifty years old, for God’s sake, Tom thought, and he thinks he’s going to spank me? I’m surprised the prison even let him out.</p> <p>The attorney—his hand extended for anyone willing to give it a shake—looked mortified by the childish exchange.</p> <p>Tom shook the man’s hand before settling into a soft leather wing chair. Jason followed suit.</p> <p>The room was framed in rich mahogany paneling. The desk could have belonged in the oval office. Beneath a green-glassed banker’s lamp, stacks of file folders took up most of the vast desktop. An American flag stood in one corner, while framed diplomas and certificates, bearing witness to the man’s intelligence and vast education, covered the brown walls.</p> <p>Attorney Norman wore a pinstriped shirt and pleated, charcoal-colored slacks held up by a pair of black suspenders. He had a bow tie, a receding hairline that begged to be shaved bald, and a pair of eyeglasses that John Lennon would have been proud to call his own. There’s no denying it, Tom thought, trying to ignore his brother’s wheezing beside him, he’s either a lawyer or a banker. He couldn’t be anything else.</p> <p>While Jason squirmed in his seat, visibly uncomfortable to be sitting in a lawyer’s office, his hands squeezed the arms of the chair. What a chicken shit, Tom thought, trying to make himself feel better. Peering sideways, he noticed that his brother’s knuckles were so swollen with scar tissue they could have belonged to a man who made his living as a bare-knuckle brawler. He’s still an animal too, he decided.</p> <p>Attorney Norman took a seat, grabbed a manila file from atop the deep stack and cleared his throat. “The reason you’re both here . . .”</p> <p>“. . . is to make sure the old man’s really dead,” Jason interrupted.</p> <p>In spite of himself and his harsh feelings for his brother, Tom chuckled—drawing looks from both men.</p> <p>“The reason we’re all here,” Attorney Norman repeated, “is to read Stuart Prendergast’s last will and testament.” He flipped open the folder.</p> <p>This ought to be good, Tom thought, while Jason took a deep breath and sighed heavily. Both brothers sat erect in their plush chairs, waiting to hear more.</p> <p>As if he were Stuart Prendergast sitting there in the flesh, the mouthpiece read, “My final wish is that my two sons, Jason and Thomas, bring my final remains to 1165 Milford Road in Seattle, Washington, where they will spread my ashes.” “Seattle?” Tom blurted, his wagging tongue catching his tooth, making him wince in pain. Quickly concealing his weakness, he slid to the edge of his seat. “Oh, I don’t think so,” he mumbled, careful not to touch the tooth again.</p> <p>Jason was shaking his head. “Hell no,” he said.</p> <p>The attorney read on. “I’ve always been afraid to fly, so I’m asking that I not be transported by airplane but driven by car.”</p> <p>“No way,” Tom instinctively sputtered.</p> <p>Jason laughed aloud. “This is just great. The old bastard’s dead and he’s still screwing with us.”</p> <p>The less-than-amused attorney revealed a sealed envelope and continued on. “As my final gift to my sons . . .”</p> <p>“Only gift,” Tom muttered, feeling a cauldron of bad feelings bubbling in his gut.</p> <p>“I’m leaving this sealed envelope for them to share, once and only once they’ve taken me to my final resting place.”</p> <p>“What the fuck!” Jason blurted.</p> <p>Every cell in Tom’s overloaded brain flashed red. Don’t do it, he thought. You don’t owe that old man a damned thing. But every cell in his body was flooded with curiosity. He looked at Jason, who was no longer shaking his fat head.</p> <p>“Maybe the bastard finally hit it big at the dog track?” Jason suggested.</p> <p>Tom nodded in agreement but secretly wondered, Could it be the deed to the land Pop bragged about owning in Maine? He stared at the envelope. For as long as I can remember, he claimed to own forty-plus acres with a brook running straight through it. He stared harder. Could it be? he wondered, wishing he had X-ray vision. A parcel of land in Maine sure would make a nice retirement . . .</p> <p>“How ’bout we travel separately and meet in Seattle to spread the ashes?” Jason said, interrupting his thoughts.</p> <p>“Great idea,” Tom said, hoping against all hope that the idea would fly with their father’s lawyer.</p> <p>Attorney Norman shook his head. “I’m sorry, gentlemen, but your father specifically requested that you travel together with his remains to Seattle. Any deviation from this can and will prohibit you from attaining the sealed envelope.”</p> <p>There was a long pause, the room blanketed in a heavy silence. Son of a bitch, Tom thought, this couldn’t have come at a worse time. He turned to Jason, who was already looking at him. “What do you say?” he asked, already cursing his inability to curb his curiosity.</p> <p>Jason shook his head in disgust. “The last thing I want to do is to go on some stupid road trip with you.”</p> <p>“Trust me, that’s a mutual feeling,” Tom shot back.</p> <p>“But I don’t think we have a choice,” Jason added. “Our fucked-up father wants to play one last game with us, so to hell with it—let’s play.”</p> <p>This is insane, but he’s right, Tom thought. With a single nod, Tom stood. “Okay, let’s have the ashes then,” he told the lawyer.</p> <p>The attorney shook his head. “I don’t have them. They’re currently at a funeral home in Salem.”</p> <p>“Salem?” Tom squeaked, unhappy that his tone betrayed his distress.</p> <p>“That’s right. You have to take custody of your father’s remains from the Buffington Funeral Home in Salem, Massachusetts.”</p> <p>“You must be shitting me.” Jason said.</p> <p>The attorney smirked. “I shit you not,” he said, throwing the letter onto his desk.</p> <p>Salem? Tom repeated in his head. Just when I thought Pop couldn’t be a bigger prick . . . The migraine knocked even harder from the inside of his skull, making him feel nauseous. Amid the pain, his synapses fired wildly, considering all this would mean: I’ll have to take bereavement leave from school and find someone to cover my classes. I should probably double my treatment with Dr. Baxter tomorrow. And what about Caleb and Caroline? he asked himself, quickly deciding, They’ll be fine without me for a few days. Then he pictured his wife’s face. And Carmen, she’ll be fine without me for a lot longer than that. The nausea increased. Screw her.</p> <p>“Are we done here?” Jason asked, obviously itching to leave.</p> <p>The lawyer nodded. “I’ll need proof in the form of a video or a series of photos that you’ve deposited your father’s remains where he wished. Once I have that, the letter’s all yours.”</p> <p>“How wonderful,” Jason said sarcastically. He stood, turned on his heels, and headed for the door.</p> <p>Tom also got to his feet. He looked at the lawyer and, trying to ignore his physical discomfort, he smiled. “Don’t mind him,” he said, shrugging. “That imbecile is exactly what our father trained him to be.”</p> </div>      <h3>Author Bio:</h3> <div class="download"> <p><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-396" style="float: left; margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline" alt="Steven Manchester" src="http://www.providencebookpromotions.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Manchester-Author-Photo-300x198.png" width="300" align="left" height="198" />Steven Manchester is the author of the #1 bestsellers Twelve Months, The Rockin’ Chair, Pressed Pennies, and Gooseberry Island as well as the novels Goodnight, Brian and The Changing Season. His work has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, CBS’s The Early Show, CNN’s American Morning, and BET’s Nightly News. Recently, three of Manchester’s short stories were selected “101 Best” for the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.</p> <h4>Find Steven on his <a href="http://www.stevenmanchester.com/" target="_blank">Website</a>, on <a href="https://twitter.com/authorSteveM" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, & on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorStevenManchester" target="_blank">Facebook</a>!</h4> </div>      <h4> </h4> <h4>Tour Host Participants:</h4> Don't miss your chance to learn more about Steven Manchester & his book, Ashes! Visit the tour stops for interviews, guest posts, and lots of reviews! <!-- start LinkyTools script --><script src="http://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=273153" type="text/javascript"></script><!-- end LinkyTools script --> <h1>Don't Miss Your Chance to WIN Ashes!</h1> <h3>This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Providence Book Promotions for Steven Manchester and The Story Plant. There will be 5 US winners of one (1) PRINT copy of Ashes by Steven Manchester. The giveaway begins on February 18th and runs through April 23rd, 2017.</h3> <a id="rcwidget_5fnkui31" class="rcptr" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/f24bf84b405/" rel="nofollow" data-raflid="f24bf84b405" data-theme="classic" data-template="data-template">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a> <script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>  <h4><a href="http://www.providencebookpromotions.com/ashes-steven-manchester/">Visit Providence Book Promotions for more great reads!</a></h4> <p>Happy Reading!</p> <p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><img alt="" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/178/42B71FE4715D1E47163E617FD0B36818.png" /></a></p> <p>**Disclosure – <strong>Ashes </strong>by Steven Manchester was received from the author and Providence Books in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own.</p>Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-42392150336432137692017-03-15T05:00:00.000-05:002017-03-15T05:00:17.330-05:00Library Loot: 3/15/17<p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Oqbi7S5y7EI/WMaU6-ujlTI/AAAAAAAAClk/R6Sc1LnzvcM/s1600-h/badge-4%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="badge-4" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: left; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="badge-4" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UUMW9r3RC6A/WMaU7Gc-TZI/AAAAAAAAClo/3mhI2KKD5bo/badge-4_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="152" align="left" height="161" /></a></p> <p><i></i></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><i>Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from</i> </font></font><a href="http://thecaptivereader.wordpress.com/"><i><font size="3" face="Arial">The Captive Reader</font></i></a><i><font size="3" face="Arial"> and Linda from </font><a href="http://sillylittlemischief.blogspot.ca/"><font size="3" face="Arial">Silly Little Mischief</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial"> </font></i><i><font size="3" face="Arial">that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.</font></i></p> <p><em><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></em></p> <p><em><font size="3" face="Arial">We have been spoiled in Minnesota with warm temperatures. Made me think that warmer weather is right around the corner.  NOT!  We had fair amount of snow earlier this week.  The warm weather had me at the library loading up on audiobooks.   I love to walk each evening and listen to audiobooks.  I also listen to a book on my commute to and from work each day.   It makes for an enjoyable drive.  Stuck in traffic…..time to listen to an extra chapter!</font>  </em></p> <p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1101888571/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1101888571&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=c115857ac17d605b43782714292bb5f6"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1101888571&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" /></a><img border="0" alt="" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1101888571" width="1" height="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0147523990/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0147523990&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=d60484c43b93ec963d538750e31eec5e"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0147523990&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" /></a><img border="0" alt="" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0147523990" width="1" height="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GF36EF0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01GF36EF0&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=c8d1ce5508f57b0ae555385ffc586f39"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B01GF36EF0&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" /></a><img border="0" alt="" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B01GF36EF0" width="1" height="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N2ODLG0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01N2ODLG0&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=b760cbcf4351f9d1ef5d6464584e9dca"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B01N2ODLG0&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" /></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Stop by to check out what treasures others have found at their local libraries!</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Happy Reading!!</font></p> <p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/178/42B71FE4715D1E47163E617FD0B36818.png" /></a></p>Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-60470627844780565912017-03-13T07:00:00.000-05:002017-03-13T07:00:11.477-05:00It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?–3/13/17<p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e22aUUZafUs/WKPNIEr8P4I/AAAAAAAACYA/MhahR9r4w6c/s1600-h/It%252527s%252520Monday%252521%252520What%252520Are%252520You%252520Reading%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="It's Monday! What Are You Reading" style="float: none; margin: 0px auto 5px; display: block" border="0" alt="It's Monday! What Are You Reading" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-k7nprrTSZHA/WKPNIRsF4LI/AAAAAAAACYE/-w6aFB-x23g/It%252527s%252520Monday%252521%252520What%252520Are%252520You%252520Reading_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="275" height="250" /></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">It’s Monday! What Are you Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at </font><a href="http://bookdate.blogspot.com/"><font size="3" face="Arial">Reading Date</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial">. It is a chance to share what you have read and what you plan on reading in the upcoming week. I enjoy seeing what everyone’s reading plans for the week. I always find some titles that I just *have to add to my TBR list.  What a great way to discover new books and bloggers!  (click on covers for book details)</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>Reviews Posted:</strong>  </font><a href="http://readinginwbl.blogspot.com/2017/03/review-girl-before-by-jp-delaney.html"><font size="3" face="Arial">Review: The Girl Before by JP Delaney</font></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>Read Last Week:</strong></font></p> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1681443066/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1681443066&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=31b05b9f77b83c245cf7229d4b5908e0" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1681443066&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" /></a><img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1681443066" width="1" height="1" /> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>Reading This Week:</strong></font></p> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743296281/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0743296281&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=6e1612a312cce99fb5f032e51a9b0782" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0743296281&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" /></a><img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0743296281" width="1" height="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0778319814/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0778319814&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=32b14c1b28bb4443ac2b53487b864b1b" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0778319814&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" /></a><img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0778319814" width="1" height="1" /> <p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743296281/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0743296281&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=58b9b806151dfff98a1d4bcb7c3f9287"><font size="3" face="Arial">Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0743296281" width="1" height="1" />- this is a very interesting book.  It is taking a little while to read, but well worth it.   I am looking forward to discussing it at our Diversity Book Club at work.   I hope to finish this one this week.</font></p> <p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0778319814/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0778319814&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=2921a3662035cf7fabf2253d0c494d57"><font size="3" face="Arial">The Orphan's Tale: A Novel</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial"> – I read a few chapters of this one, I have been hearing a lot of good reviews from other bloggers!  I needed a little break from The Lies My Teacher Told Me. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>In the Car:</strong></font></p> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GF36EF0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01GF36EF0&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=9f4108d3e803a576d826230754461f03" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B01GF36EF0&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" /></a><img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B01GF36EF0" width="1" height="1" /> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Happy Reading!!</font></p> <p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/178/42B71FE4715D1E47163E617FD0B36818.png" /></a></p> <p>* This post contains affiliate links.</p>Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-5619548931344473722017-03-12T19:51:00.001-05:002017-03-12T19:51:55.356-05:00Mailbox Monday: 3/13/17<p><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com/"><img title="Mailbox" style="float: none; margin: 0px auto 5px; display: block" border="0" alt="Mailbox" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-N1f8BnAnBRU/WLNIwg1e-yI/AAAAAAAACds/MjS7LsLS3zw/Mailbox%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="244" height="177" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com/"><font size="3" face="Arial">Mailbox Monday</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial"> is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. A number of new titles made their way into my house this last week. (click on book covers for more details on each title)</font></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">From Netgalley:</font></strong></p> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/045149685X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=045149685X&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=7853a8a9b0d8f0a4dc1dda7a4864ad02" target="_blank"><font size="3" face="Arial"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=045149685X&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" /></font></a><font size="3" face="Arial"><img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=045149685X" width="1" height="1" /> </font><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812998340/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0812998340&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=fac0d1c6c4f4d9b6a0fab4773da710be" target="_blank"><font size="3" face="Arial"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0812998340&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" /></font></a><font size="3" face="Arial"><img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0812998340" width="1" height="1" /> </font> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">From Random House: </font></strong></p> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345527860/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0345527860&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=741fa6338bf8d8ee8c40fc3cee1b43df" target="_blank"><font size="3" face="Arial"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0345527860&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" /></font></a><font size="3" face="Arial"><img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0345527860" width="1" height="1" /> </font> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">From Library: </font></strong></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">I am optimistic that we will have warm weather in Minnesota soon.  I went to the library and loaded up on audio books for my daily walks once the weather is warmer and my commute to work each day. </font></p> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1101888571/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1101888571&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=c115857ac17d605b43782714292bb5f6" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=1101888571&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" /></a><img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=1101888571" width="1" height="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0147523990/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0147523990&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=d60484c43b93ec963d538750e31eec5e" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0147523990&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" /></a><img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0147523990" width="1" height="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GF36EF0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01GF36EF0&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=c8d1ce5508f57b0ae555385ffc586f39" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B01GF36EF0&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" /></a><img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B01GF36EF0" width="1" height="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N2ODLG0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01N2ODLG0&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=b760cbcf4351f9d1ef5d6464584e9dca" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B01N2ODLG0&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" /></a><img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B01N2ODLG0" width="1" height="1" /> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">Happy Reading!</font></strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><img style="margin: 0px 0px 5px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/178/42B71FE4715D1E47163E617FD0B36818.png" /></a></p> <p>*Note – if you would like to keep up with book reviews on Reading in White Bear Lake, please take a moment to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Reading-in-White-Bear-Lake/183181371732520?fref=ts">like us on facebook</a>!  <br />*This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links</p>Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986393199820309802.post-46095704538536486812017-03-12T18:35:00.001-05:002017-03-12T18:37:27.794-05:00Review: The Girl Before by JP Delaney<p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425285049/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0425285049&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=60e76d1d0f59d2e71f2166635f5946f9" target="_blank"><img style="float: left; margin: 0px 0px 5px; display: inline" border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=0425285049&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=rea08e-20" align="left" /></a><img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0425285049" width="1" height="1" /> </p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>Title:</strong> </font></font><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425285049/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0425285049&linkCode=as2&tag=rea08e-20&linkId=2a94180ff936af0af57be4361bdc60f6" target="_blank"><font size="3" face="Arial">The Girl Before: A Novel</font></a><font size="3" face="Arial"><img style="border-top-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; margin: 0px" border="0" alt="" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=rea08e-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0425285049" width="1" height="1" /> <br /><strong>Author:</strong>   JP Delaney   <br /><strong>Genre:</strong>   Mystery, Thriller and Suspense <br /><strong>Publisher</strong>: Ballantine Books (January 24, 2017) <br /><strong>Length:</strong>  352 pages <br /><strong>Source:</strong> Netgalley.com</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"></font></p> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Arial">About Book: (From Good Reads)  </font></strong></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><i>Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life.</i> <br />The request seems odd, even intrusive—and for the two women who answer, the consequences are devastating. <br /><b>Emma</b> <br />Reeling from a traumatic break-in, Emma wants a new place to live. But none of the apartments she sees are affordable or feel safe. Until One Folgate Street. The house is an architectural masterpiece: a minimalist design of pale stone, plate glass, and soaring ceilings. But there are rules. The enigmatic architect who designed the house retains full control: no books, no throw pillows, no photos or clutter or personal effects of any kind. The space is intended to transform its occupant—and it does. <br /><b>Jane</b> <br />After a personal tragedy, Jane needs a fresh start. When she finds One Folgate Street she is instantly drawn to the space—and to its aloof but seductive creator. Moving in, Jane soon learns about the untimely death of the home’s previous tenant, a woman similar to Jane in age and appearance. As Jane tries to untangle truth from lies, she unwittingly follows the same patterns, makes the same choices, crosses paths with the same people, and experiences the same terror, as the girl before.</font></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial"><strong>My Review/Rating: </strong>One Folgate Street was designed by a architect with a strong focus on perfection and technology.  The architect, Edward, has a very long questionnaire to be answered before you can be considered as a tenant of One Folgate Street.  You will become a better person just by living at One Folgate Street.  <strong><em>The Girl Before by JP Delaney</em></strong> is told in alternating storylines of Then and Now.  Then – Emma lived at One Folgate Street and dies under suspicious circumstances.  Now – Jane is the current tenant of One Folgate Street and has questions about the strange circumstances surrounding her new home. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Are you ready to be swept away by a faced paced read that will keep you guessing?  Anytime someone asks for a book recommendation, The Girl Before pops into my mind first.  It is spring break and snowing here in Minnesota.  What better time to get swept away by the suspense of <em><strong>The Girl Before by JP Delaney</strong></em>.  Many have compared The Girl Before to The Girl on the Train.   Honestly, for me The Girl Before is on a totally different level for me.  The story unravels at the perfect pace, with twists and turns throughout the story, keeping you guessing until the very end!  Yes, this book kept me awake into the late hours of the night!</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">So find some time like I did to neglect your family, your chores and quickly read <strong><em>The Girl Before by JP Delaney</em></strong>.   The Girl Before is a story of secrets, lies and manipulation that occur around a house which comes alive through it’s technology and the owners expectation for perfection.  The Girl Before is a 4 star read for me!</font></p> <p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><strong>The Girl Before </strong>by JP Delaney was also reviewed by <a href="https://keeperofpages.wordpress.com/2017/01/29/thebloggerbefore-blog-tour-book-review-the-girl-before-by-j-delaney-thegirlbefore/">The Keeper of Pages</a>, <a href="http://vilmasbookblog.com/thegirlbefore/">Vilma’s Book Blog</a>, and <a href="http://www.girlwithaprettykeyboard.com/book-review-the-girl-before-jp-delaney/">Girl with a Pretty Keyboard</a>. </font></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="2" face="Arial">My Rating Scale: 1 – didn’t like it; 2 – it was ok; 3 – liked it; 4 – really liked it; 5 – it was amazing</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Arial">Happy Reading!</font></p> <p><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/"><img alt="" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/178/42B71FE4715D1E47163E617FD0B36818.png" /></a></p> <p>**Disclosure – <strong>The Girl Before </strong>by JP Delaney was received from NetGalley.com reviewer program and Ballantine Books in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own.  This post contains affiliate links.</p> <iframe style="height: 240px; width: 120px" marginheight="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=rea08e-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0425285049&asins=0425285049&linkId=2dea4d93444ddcd73f75d8010d8e1686&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffcc" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"> </iframe>Jen Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15489176885921787076noreply@blogger.com0