Chick with Books

Memoir Monday... A Memoir about Surviving

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 13:22:26 +0000

A Guide to Open Water Lifesaving: Lessons on Love, Care, and Survival by Virginia Eubanks...
Someone you love, maybe the person you love most in the world, is drowning. Should you jump in the water? Will you be able to bring both of you back to shore?

One night, Virginia Eubanks received the kind of news we all fear. Her beloved partner had been brutally beaten, just steps from their home.

She jumped in the water.

Eubanks dove into the responsibilities of caregiving. In the weeks, months, and years that followed, she and her partner, J., struggled to stay afloat as they faced wave upon wave of setbacks: police disinterest, suspended health insurance, inadequate medical care, lost income, lost friends, endless paperwork, and, for J., a serious case of post-traumatic stress disorder. Then, a second case. Eubanks herself developed what is known as collateral PTSD, a condition common among caregivers but rarely discussed.

She scanned the horizon for help.

A reporter and an activist, Eubanks turned to reliable sources for guidance: scientists, therapists, trauma theorists, social movements. But it wasn’t until she happened on an old lifesaving manual that she found advice that actually helped. Inspired by its lessons, she signed up for instruction in wilderness first aid, kayak self-rescue, Winter Survival 101, map and compass navigation, bushwhacking, and lifeguarding. She went out in search of other people’s stories and interviewed experts―everyone from neuroscientists to forest rangers. She gathered skills and knowledge that made her feel strong, competent, better prepared for the challenges ahead.

Disarmingly funny and quietly wise, A Guide to Open Water Lifesaving is the story―heart-wrenching and all too relatable―of how one woman tried to rescue her beloved and learned that she would also have to rescue herself. Built from both loss and connection, it is a moving, hopeful love story about two people caught in their own kind of wilderness, trying not just to survive but to truly care for each other. It asks that we reconsider the ways in which we tend to our loved ones and ourselves, and remember the communities of care that sustain us. It reminds us: no one survives the wilderness alone.

When I happened to read about this book I wondered if it was going to be the typical "how to" type of book, but I was surprised when I read a sample and it just drew me in. As Virginia Eubanks searched for help, she recounts in the pages I read, about learning how to survive an overturned kayak. As a kayaker, that's one thing that they say you should learn "just in case", but it's terrifying. Forcing yourself into a situation that could potentially drown you. Where I lived in CT, the YMCA had the survival course in one of their swimming pools. For Virginia Eubanks that lesson was in the open water. Just reading about her experience made me want to read more. But this was only one example of how the author learns to survive. I liked her writing and just from the sample I want to read more.

We'll have to wait a bit before diving into this book, Farrar, Straus and Giroux will publish & release this on August 11, 2026!

The Sunday Salon... and Having a Summer Sister

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 05:55:05 +0000

Happy Sunday and Welcome to The Sunday Salon! It's the place where Book Bloggers from around the world share their bookish finds with one another in a virtual place called The Sunday Salon. Thank you to Deb at ReaderBuzz keeping us all together on Sundays and hosting The Sunday Salon now! I also visited with Kim at The Caffeinated Reader, another Sunday gathering place for us bookish people called The Sunday Post!

Even though the calendar doesn't say Summer is here yet, Summer is going strong in South Carolina! I have been madly re-potting and potting all those seed snails I grew this winter and have finally finished that part and am now lugging 40 lb bags of topsoil and organic garden soil into a new raised bed I bought. We have 2 other raised beds that were looking a little "tired" and I thought it would be nice not to have to bend down to get to those 12 inch high raised and bought a 26 inch high metal raised bed. What I didn't think about was how much dirt a 4 x 8, 26 inch high raised bed would need. Would you like to know how many bags of 1 cubic foot soil it needs? 69! OMG! I threw cardboard on the bottom, sticks, branches and then bought 20 bags of cheap topsoil to put in the bottom. My plants are waiting, but Summer is not. It is getting really hot here during the days... which reminds me of Summers past. My favorite reads. Summer just brings a different feeling to everything. Maybe it's because growing up when school let out for summer, we were free and carefree. Filling our days with adventures and happiness and friendships...

I was thinking about some of the books I read that brought those feeling back. I thought about Summer Sisters by Judy Blume. Have you read it? It's about 2 girls who went to school together, but didn't really know eachother. When school gets out, one of the most popular girls in the school asks one of the not so popular girls to go on summer vacation with her. This was the start of their life long friendship. And it was such an incredible read with that "spending time with your girlfriends during the summer vibe". So, today I thought I'd highlight books that bring back that "summer vibe spending time with your girlfriends"

Summer Sisters by Judy Blume... In the summer of 1977, Victoria Leonard’s world changes forever when Caitlin Somers chooses her as a friend. Dazzling, reckless Caitlin welcomes Vix into the heart of her sprawling, eccentric family, opening doors to a world of unimaginable privilege, sweeping her away to vacations on Martha’s Vineyard, an enchanting place where the two friends become “summer sisters.”

Now, years later, Vix is working in New York City. Caitlin is getting married on the Vineyard. And the early magic of their long, complicated friendship has faded. But Caitlin begs Vix to come to her wedding, to be her maid of honor. And Vix knows that she will go—because she wants to understand what happened during that last shattering summer. And, after all these years, she needs to know why her best friend—her summer sister—still has the power to break her heart.

This broke my heart and brought tears to my eyes when I first read it, but it is such a good read. You feel yourself growing up with Victoria and Caitlin, and become invested in their friendship and their lives. If you have never read Summer Sisters, this is your sign that you should! Published by Dell in 1999.

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The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by... Carmen got the jeans at a thrift shop. They didn’t look all that great: they were worn, dirty, and speckled with bleach. On the night before she and her friends part for the summer, Carmen decides to toss them.

But Tibby says they’re great. She'd love to have them. Lena and Bridget also think they’re fabulous. Lena decides that they should all try them on. Whoever they fit best will get them.

Nobody knows why, but the pants fit everyone perfectly. Even Carmen (who never thinks she looks good in anything) thinks she looks good in the pants. Over a few bags of cheese puffs, they decide to form a sisterhood and take the vow of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants . . . the next morning, they say good-bye.

And then the journey of the pants — and the most memorable summer of their lives — begins.

All I can say, is this is a great book! Summer and friendships and growing up. Some friends just fit together. Published by Ember Publishing way back in 2003.

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This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki (illustrated by Jillian Tamaki).... Every summer, Rose goes with her mom and dad to a lake house in Awago Beach. It's their getaway, their refuge. Rosie's friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and when Rose and Windy seek a distraction from the drama, they find themselves with a whole new set of problems. It's a summer of secrets and sorrow and growing up, and it's a good thing Rose and Windy have each other. Gorgeous, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful story about a girl on the cusp of her teen age—a story of renewal and revelation.

Jillian Tamaki is a talented artist and her illustrations for This One Summer, who she collaborated to create with her sister Mariko, are wonderful. I enjoy graphic novels. Not the super hero kind, but the kind that tells a story of something I can relate to. This One Summer is that kind of story about "Summer Sisters". I read this a dozen years ago and it still remains in my summer heart today. Published by First Second Books, Read this!

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The Summer List by Am Mason Doan... Laura and Casey were once inseparable: as they floated on their backs in the sunlit lake, as they dreamed about the future under starry skies, and as they teamed up for the wild scavenger hunts in their small California lakeside town. Until one summer night, when a shocking betrayal sent Laura running through the pines, down the dock, and into a new life, leaving Casey and a first love in her wake.

But the past is impossible to escape, and now, after seventeen years away, Laura is pulled home and into a reunion with Casey she can’t resist—one last scavenger hunt. With a twist: this time, the list of clues leads to the settings of their most cherished summer memories. From glistening Jade Cove to the vintage skating rink, each step they take becomes a bittersweet reminder of the friendship they once shared. But just as the game brings Laura and Casey back together, the clues unravel a stunning secret that threatens to tear them apart…

The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan was published almost 8 years ago by Graydon House. I just reserved it at my local library! This sounds like a "Summer Sisiter" vibe and I'm looking forward to reading it!

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Girl's Girl by Sonia Feldman... Fifteen-year-old Mina’s whole world is her two best friends, but after an unexpected kiss, the established dynamics of their trio quickly unravel. Everything that was once shared openly, from clothes to secrets, now feels impossibly fragile. Loyalties shift and tensions simmer across the long days of this pivotal summer, where the girls have nowhere new to go and everything new to feel.

Looking back, an adult Mina traces the undercurrents of longing that shaped her first experience of desire. The rituals of girlhood—gossip, selfies, sleepovers, and videogames—become threads in a delicate, volatile web of intimacy, in which everything feels achingly fleeting and permanently etched. Loving one person, Mina learns, can change the way we love everyone else—including ourselves.

Published this week by The Dial Press, Girl's Girl by Sonia Feldman sounds like that summer spent with your girlfriends kind of vibe I love. This is on my TBR list and I'm hoping it meets all my expectations.

Weekly Recap...

(or how did I miss reading all this the last 2 weeks!)

New Release Tuesdays...

May 26th, June 2nd and June 2nd part 2. A massive amount of great books just got released these past two weeks! Check out what you need to put on your TBR list!

First Lines Friday...

May 26th & It's a Calamity... June 5th & A House Full of Ghosts. Great first lines from some new books you definitely need to put on your TBR list! Check out the first few lines and tell me if you'd keep reading!

Did you find books to add to your growing TBR list? I hope so! Share books that aren't on today's post that you love too! I'd love to hear about them! Have a wonderful week! And stop back this week for more great bookish things!

Happy reading... Suzanne

First Lines Friday... A House Full of Ghosts and Not The Kind You Think

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 23:16:18 +0000

The Children by Melissa Albert... The estranged adult children of a legendary author, written into their dead mother’s beloved fantasy series, must contend with the vine-like creep of legacy, memory, and magic.

Guinevere Sharpe has two childhoods.

In one, she and her brother, Ennis, live in the wooded shadow of their family's isolated Vermont farmhouse; in the other, the pages of their mother’s world-famous Ninth City books, where their magical adventures have made them household names. In reality, Guinevere's childhood isn't the enchanted idyll her mother’s readers imagine: she and Ennis are growing up near-feral, unwashed and underfed, escaping each day to the wild woods they’ve made their playland. As Edith Sharpe’s books explode into epic popularity, the threats of a rural childhood give way to the escalating perils of fame—until the night it all goes up in flames, leaving Edith’s series unfinished and her children the sole survivors.

Now an adult coasting on her mother's name, Guinevere is mid-promotion for a ghostwritten memoir when her estranged brother, an artist who has until now spurned his family's legacy, announces an upcoming installation titled, simply, Mother. As rumors swirl around a death connected to his last show, unsettling recollections from Guinevere’s childhood begin to surface. Her public facade starts to crack, forcing her to confront the questions she's spent the last twenty years running from: What really happened the night of the fire? And what dark history lies behind their mother’s fantasy world?

The Children is wise to the mythic weight childhood memories gather over time, and the way our most beloved stories grow up with us. It's for anyone who's ever revisited an old favorite and found its pages cast in a darker light, the line separating magic from reality blurring as we discover the books that once comforted us carry shadows of their own.

Would you keep reading after the first few lines?

My Book of The Month selection this month was The Children by Melissa Albert and I am definitely going to keep reading after the first few lines. And I really liked the style of writing so far too. What do you think? Is this on your TBR list? It's this months pick for Read With Jenna too. The cover reminds me of old time Halloween cards! I wonder if that was the point?!

Published by William Morrow and just released this week!

New Release Tuesday... Part 2!

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:42:28 +0000

My TBR list is EXPLODING this week! Did you think I could really stop at 6! Here are 6 more great reads you need to check out and add to YOUR TBR list!

Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim... The border cuts you in two.

When you immigrate, you leave a copy of yourself behind, an instance. One person enters their new country; the other stays trapped at home.

Some instances keep in touch, call each other daily, keep their lives and minds in sync in the hopes of reintegrating and resuming a life as one person. Others, like Soyoung Rose Kang, leave home at ten years old and never speak to their other selves again. Rose, in America, never imagined going back to Korea until her grandfather died and her Korean instance called her home for the funeral.

She doesn’t know that Soyoung plans to steal her body and her life.

How far would you go to live the choice you didn’t make?

This sounds so interesting to me! The whole concept of a version of you that stays behind as you move to a new country, but also the idea of you leaving part of yourself behind when you move forward to another place. If you've ever moved, and I moved 800 miles away from my home, this is so true. And then having your other life steal you back?!! This will be on my nightstand! Published by Tor Publishing.

Not Good Neighbors by Violet Lumant... Penny Huff and Jack Craig are neighbors by floor plan…and enemies by choice.

Thanks to a tragically thin wall in their NYC apartment building, Penny knows far too much about Jack―like his taste in too-loud music, the noxious fumes from his kitchen, and his habit of suspiciously aggressive vacuuming. And she knows all about the tearful brunette fleeing his apartment the day he moved in―the one crying about her cheating ex. Not even Jack’s piratical charm can undo what Penny knows: the man is bad news.

When her attempt to get the wall soundproofed literally blows a hole in it, the two are forced into a DIY disaster that traps them in each other’s lives...and spaces. With eviction looming, prank wars escalating, and unexpected sparks flying, Penny starts to suspect her insufferable neighbor might just be the plot twist her love life needs.

Packed with witty banter, laugh-out-loud moments, and sizzling tension, this fast-paced romantic comedy proves that love can bloom where drywall―and patience―have crumbled.

Another fun enemies to lovers romance. Sounds good to me! On my TBR list! And there's a special sprayed edging while supplies last too! Published by Entangled Publishing.

138 Main by Gavin Bell... AN ADDRESS TO DIE FOR…

There’s a killer on the loose. And he’s targeting one specific address—138 Main Street. The problem? There are over 7,000 Main Streets in the USA. And the police and FBI have no clue which one will be next.

For FBI Special Agent Ben Walker and his rookie colleague, Officer Zoe Hill, the pressure to solve the case is unimaginable. There aren’t enough police officers to cover every house, and vigilante residents are attacking anyone who rings their doorbell. Main Street might be one of America’s most popular addresses, but for those living at number 138, it comes down to fight or flight.

Then a manuscript is sent to the New York Times, purporting to be the manifesto of the “Main Street Killer” and demanding radical social change. As the effect of the terror campaign takes hold across the nation, Walker and Hill find themselves in a race against time to stop the killer. But with their target always several steps ahead, and almost 3,800,000 square miles of ground to cover, they’ll have to find him first…

A different take on the serial killer story. And it sounds like a good story! There's some great buzz about this book! On my wishlist... Published by Gallery/Scout Press.

Land by Maggie O'Farrell... On a windswept peninsula stretching out into the Atlantic, Tomás and his reluctant son, Liam, are working for the great Ordnance Survey project to map the whole of Ireland. The year is 1865, and in a country not long since ravaged and emptied by the Great Hunger, the task is not an easy one. Tomás, however, is determined that his maps will be a record of the disaster.

The British soldiers in charge are due to arrive any day, expecting the work to be completed, but Tomás is unexpectedly sent off course by an unsettling encounter in a copse. His life, and the lives of those of his family, will never be the same again. Liam is terrified by the sudden change in his taciturn father. What was it that caused such cracks to open in Tomás, and how is Liam, aged only ten, going to finish the mapping and get them both home?

Land is a novel about separation and reunion, tragedy and recovery, colonization and rebellion. It is a story of buried treasure, overlapping lives, ancient woodland, persistent ghosts, a particularly loyal dog, and how, when it comes to both land and history, nothing ever goes away. As spellbinding and varied as the landscape that inspired it, Land is, above all, a story of survival, for our times and for all time.

A big epic read that has all the promises of a greatness. Maggie O'Farrell is a wonderful writer and always writes these stories you want to sink your teeth into. Published by Knopf.

Man of My Dreams by Olivia Worley... A romance author is shocked when one of her characters-in-progress seemingly comes to life… but is he too good to be true?

Bestselling romance author Ivy Harcourt has been as unlucky in love as she’s been successful in writing―as her sad relationship track attests, there are no good dating options left in New York . . . Until she rescues an escaped dog in the park, and runs into Liam. Charming, British, hot architect Liam. The exact description of the love interest in her next book.

When an instant connection leads to a whirlwind relationship, Ivy is convinced she’s found the dream man. Except he may be too perfect. He may be hiding something.

And Ivy may have secrets of her own.

This "type" of story has been written before, but this feels like a take on it and because of that I am excited to read this. Maybe that it's a romance writers "character" supposedly coming to life, maybe because there's a dog park involved? In any case this is definitely on my TBR list too! Published by Minotaur Books.

Hunger and Thirst by Claire Fuller... 1987: After a childhood trauma and years in and out of the care system, sixteen-year-old Ursula finds herself with a new job delivering mail at a local art school, a bed in a halfway house, and some new friends, including wild-child Sue. When Ursula is invited to join a squat at the Underwood, a mysterious house whose owners met a terrible end, she can’t resist this hodgepodge family. But as Sue’s behavior and demands become more extreme, Ursula, who has always been hungry—for food, but more importantly for love and acceptance—carries out her friend’s terrible dare. And, for this, Ursula finds herself literally haunted.

Thirty-six years later, Ursula is a renowned but reclusive sculptor living under a pseudonym in London when her identity is exposed by a true-crime documentarian researching an unsolved disappearance. But the filmmaker is not the only one who has discovered Ursula’s whereabouts, and as her past catches up with her present, Ursula must work out whether the monsters are within her or without—and if they will finally make her pay for her past mistakes.

Part gothic horror, part coming-of-age, and a with contemporary twist on the haunted-house story, Hunger and Thirst is a chilling tale of loneliness, of the dangerous line between wanting and needing, and of how far a person will go to truly belong.

Put the words gothic horror and coming-of-age into the same sentence for a book description and you automatically have my attention! I read about this on Kirkus Reviews this week and they gave it their coveted star rating. That put a slam dunk on my reading it. Sounds like a really good story! On my TBR list! Published by Tin House.

Hope you've found MORE to add to your TBR list!

I know I did!

Happy reading... Suzanne

New Release Tuesday... Fresh Stories/New Obsessions

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 05:57:45 +0000

This week is loaded with great reads! A new book from Ann Patchett that has the book world buzzing and a new book by Mary Kay Andrews too! Let me tell you, (actually, I already did back in February) Road Trip is a fabulous read! I loved it! But let's get to them all...

Whistler by Ann Patchett... A moving, luminous novel that reminds us of the sweetness and impermanence of life and the power of connection to defy time.

When Daphne Fuller and her husband Jonathan visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they notice an older, white-haired gentleman following them. The man turns out to be Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who had been married to her mother for a little more than year when Daphne was nine. Now fifty-three, Daphne hasn’t seen Eddie for many years, not since the fateful event that changed the direction of both their lives. Meeting again, time falls away; while their relationship was brief, it had a profound impact on them both, and now that they are reunited, they have no intention of ever being separated again.

Whistler is a story about two adults looking back over the choices they made, and the choices that were made for them. It’s a story about bravery, memory, the often small yet consequential moments that define our lives, and the endless stream of loss that in time comes for us all. Beautiful in its simplicity, it is ultimately about how love endures, and how the feeling of being known by one other person, even for a short period of time, can change everything.

It's been a few years since we've gotten a new book by Ann Patchett and this one sounds wonderful. The kind of story we expect from her. And I have a copy sitting on my nightstand right now waiting for me to crack the spine!

Published by Harper Collins

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The Children by Melissa Albert... The haunting new novel from New York Times bestselling author Melissa Albert, in which the estranged adult children of a legendary author, written into their dead mother’s beloved fantasy series, must contend with the vine-like creep of legacy, memory, and magic.

Guinevere Sharpe has two childhoods.

This has gotten a lot of buzz because it is this month's Read with Jenna pick (Jenna Bush). I am intrigued! And I chose this as my June Book of the Month selection too.

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Published by William Morrow.

Lies Between Us by Jessica Goodman... a razor-sharp murder-mystery set during the summer when a local teen's suspicious death exposes the devastating secrets three sisters keep.

Do you ever really know the people you love?

For the Gold sisters and Silver brothers, life has been idyllic, growing up in side-by-side waterfront mansions in a town where doors are never locked and the police do little more than issue speeding tickets. The Golds and Silvers have known each other their entire lives, as neighbors, as friends, as family.

But one carefree summer takes a dark turn when a beach party ends in tragedy and their perfect world cracks wide open. Suddenly, the bonds that tie these families together are strained by suspicion and fear. Painful secrets surface, revealing the fragile truths they've all been hiding.

Lucy, the oldest Gold girl, harbors a crushing secret from her boyfriend, one of the Silver boys. Millie, the middle sister, quietly yearns for the one person she can't have. And the youngest, Frankie, uncovers something that could blow their island apart. A gripping novel about the lies friends tell, the façade siblings build, and how one summer tests—and breaks—the bonds of family.

This sounds like a perfect summer read! And courtesy of the publisher, I have a copy to read and review! Stay tuned for that soon! Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons.

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The Jellyfish Problem by Tessa Young... A marine biologist makes the discovery of a lifetime when called to rescue the inhabitants of a small Maine island being menaced by a giant, glowing jellyfish in this richly imagined, wholly original debut.

Dr. Jo Ness prefers jellyfish to people. Her best friend, Aldo, was the exception, but he died seven months ago. So she spends her days hidden away at an underfunded aquarium with her specimens and a draft of the jellyfish guide she and Aldo had been working on together. His voice is alive in the notes in the margins, and it’s enough. Almost.

Until she receives a call from Nadia, one of the few other humans she’s loved but whom she hasn’t heard from in years, asking for her help. Nadia tells her a grand tale of a giant jellyfish terrorizing her tiny island off the coast of Maine and sends a grainy video of the creature. Frankly, the footage looks fake, but Jo drops everything to fly across the country to see Nadia again, and to find this supposed sea beast. She couldn’t save Aldo, but perhaps she can help Nadia.

But when Jo arrives on Shattering Point, Nadia is nowhere to be found, and the islanders she meets each have something different to say about the creature they’ve dubbed Clementine . . . a jellyfish who changes all who see it.

At turns an ode to classic sea monster stories and a vibrant tale of human connection, The Jellyfish Problem is an unforgettable debut that announces a new talent.

I was so intrigued by this book when I read about it! (and I have a digital copy courtesy of the publisher to read and review!... that's coming soon too!)

Published by Berkley.

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Godbound by masha Sova... The Scarlet Letter meets the divine, deadly trials of The Games Gods Play in this dark, epic romantic fantasy where society weaponizes shame, gods weaponize survival, and love becomes the most dangerous rebellion of all.

They branded her a sinner.

She chose to become a threat.

In a kingdom where a forgotten goddess’s curse has become law—where purity is power and desire is a death sentence—Raylane has lived her life playing the perfect girl. Obedient. Untouched. Destined for the crown.

All so she might one day reshape a realm that damns cursed women like her mother… women who dared to fall in love.

Until one kiss ruins everything.

Branded impure and cursed with rot-magic that spreads by touch, Raylane is cast into the Trial of the Bound—a brutal arena where champions fight to the death, gods revel in blood, and power feeds on the prayers of the crowd.

Her only hope of survival? Swear fealty to the very goddess who cursed her. In return, the goddess tears a shadowbeast from another world and binds him to Raylane’s side—feral, unwilling, and the only one who can help her tame the power threatening to consume her.

He doesn’t want her. Doesn’t trust her. But their fates are entwined, and every step toward mastery binds them tighter.

As her power grows and their bond deepens, Raylane must make an impossible choice: win the trial, free the cursed, and unleash a forgotten goddess bent on reclaiming the world… or lose everything to save those who now pray for her death.

One path leads to love.

The other, to mercy.

Both end in ruin.

I've been kind of obsessed with Romantasy lately and this just sounds epic. Self published by the author, put this on your TBR list! It's being released on June 6th, and if you are a Kindle reader, it is available for pre-order for Kindle for $1.99. But as always, double check the price before you hit the buy button because prices change fast on Amazon.

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Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews... Pack your bags for a summer journey shaped by family secrets, long-buried history, and charming men with Irish accents.

Maeve and Therese Dunigan haven’t spoken in years. Raised under the same roof in Savannah, the two sisters could not be more opposite―Maeve the rule follower, Therese the unapologetic rebel. But when their mother’s death pulls them back together, they inherit more than just grief: a mysterious painting that may be worth millions…if it’s real.

Determined to uncover the truth―and desperately in need of the money―the sisters set out on a journey to Ireland, tracing their family’s roots and the origins of the portrait. What begins as a search for answers soon becomes something deeper―a reckoning with the past, as they uncover secrets that span generations and reshape everything they thought they knew about their family.

With tensions simmering, the two hit the road and find themselves on twisty lanes, in colorful villages, at local pubs, and with handsome men whose gift of the gab is surpassed only by their charm.

Can Maeve and Therese actually survive the journey without killing each other? Join Mary Kay Andrews on a road trip that will entertain you for miles.

I received an early review copy of this book from the publisher and absolutely loved it! How can this be my first Mary Kay Andrews book?! Well, it is, but it definitely will not be my last. Great writing and a great story to go along! If you haven't read my review, here's a link for it on Chick with Books. And definitely put this on your TBR list!

I hope you found something new to put on your TBR list! All of these are either in my Kindle or on the nightstand (or soon to be on the nightstand!). Don't you just love summer reading!

Happy reading... Suzanne

First Lines Friday... It's Going to Be A Calamity

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Fri, 29 May 2026 14:27:16 +0000

Kathryn Stockett is the author of The Help, a book that exploded the publishing world. Will her new book, The Calamity Club be the next viral hit? Here's the blurb from the publisher...

Oxford, Mississippi, 1933. Abandoned by her mother one Christmas Eve, eleven-year-old Meg Lefleur has learned the hard way to rely on no one. Now one of the unadoptable "big girls" at the Lafayette County Orphan Asylum, she fights each day to keep her spirit unbowed.

Birdie Calhoun, unmarried and outspoken, has come to Oxford to ask her socialite sister to help the struggling family she’s left behind. But as the Depression tightens its grip, Birdie discovers her sister’s seemingly charmed life is a tapestry of lies.

Then, Birdie encounters Charlie, a woman running low on luck with little left to lose. When their fates—and Meg’s—converge, Charlie comes up with an audacious plan for them to take control of their lives. But in a place and time where hypocrisy is rife and women’s freedom is fragile, even the smallest act of defiance can have dangerous consequences.

The Calamity Club will make you laugh, cry, and cheer—an epic testament to underestimated women who know that calamity can be the spark of new beginnings. This is Kathryn Stockett at her most confident, heartfelt, and hilarious—the triumphant return of one of the most beloved storytellers of our time.

Would you keep reading after the first few lines?

I think I will...

New Release Tueday... And It's Loaded!

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Tue, 26 May 2026 16:48:15 +0000

It's Tuesday and that means New Book Releases! There were many interesting books this week... New books by popular authors Nora Roberts, and Freida McFadden. (and Stephen King's book, Never Flinch, is out in paperback today!). A much anticipated release of Matt Haig's book, The Midnight Train and... here are my top ten!

The Midnight Train by Matt Haig... When your life flashes before your eyes, where would you stop? No one can change the past, but the Midnight Train can take you there. The chance to re-live the moments that meant most. To see what kind of person you really were. For Wilbur his best days were with Maggie, the love of his life. On his honeymoon in Venice. Before he gave it all away. He wishes he could go back and live differently. But to do so risks everything . . . A magical, time-travelling love story, from the world of The Midnight Library.

The much anticipated release by Matt Haig is finally here! This sounds so good! On my TBR list. Published by Viking Penguin.

The Final Target by Nora Roberts... A young author becomes the object of a fan’s desire―and rage. He showed up at Arden Bowie’s debut author appearance with a copy of her novel and an eager smile. He showered her with compliments and got her autograph. Then he came to her next event. And the one after that. Dustin was just an aspiring writer who wanted advice, Arden reassured herself. But after giving in to one of his incessant invitations and chatting with him over coffee, she discovered that ignoring her inner alarm bell had been a terrible mistake… An introvert at heart, Arden had long craved solitude―but now, after a harrowing assault, she finds herself hiding behind locked doors and startling at every sound. And her relief at his imprisonment is tempered by anxiety when Dustin’s wealthy mother helps to get him a paltry five-year sentence at a psychiatric facility.

Another much anticipated release from a popular author! Nora Roberts never disappoints. I have an digital advanced copy of this I am enjoying now! Stay tuned for a review! Published by St. Martin's Press.

The Divorce by Freida McFadden... What is a happily ever after really worth?

Naomi was living the quintessential love story. Boy meets girl. They fall in love, get married, buy a dream house, start a family…

Then―he kicks her out, hires the city's best divorce lawyers, drains their accounts, and takes up with a 20-something. It's a brutal end to the story. Naomi should accept defeat: move into a dingy apartment, get back into the workforce, and piece together the shattered remains of her life. Except, why should she? Instead, Naomi fixates on her husband's new girlfriend. What begins as cynical curiosity soon twists into obsession―and then into something far darker. As Naomi uncovers secrets she never imagined, she realizes her own life may be in danger. But if it keeps her perfect family intact, isn't it worth it?

How does Freida McFadden keep releasing all these books?! After The Housemaid, she is a must read author now! Published by Poisened Pen Press.

Dolly All The Time by Annabel Monaghan... If they start by pretending, can they end with something real? Dolly Brick has never met a problem she couldn’t solve. Not when her mom left when she was twelve, and not at thirty-nine when she moves with her son back to Whitfield, Rhode Island, for the summer to keep her dad and brother from losing the family home.

So when she comes across Stewart Whitfield—annoyingly handsome scion of the Whitfield family—with a flat tire and at the wrong end of a very public, very humiliating breakup, it’s in her nature to help. But Stewart’s proposed arrangement ends up being more than either of them bargained for, because as public dinners and high-society benefits turn into sunset boat rides and kisses that hit her bloodstream like a ghost pepper, Dolly starts to feel something more than helpful. She’s never relied on anyone besides herself—can she really start now?

I've seen this book mentioned everywhere! Sounds like a fun Rom com and I'm looking forward to reading it at some point! Published by G.P. Putnam's & Sons.

Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It by Brooke Averick... Is it possible to find true love when going on a date makes you want to throw up? Phoebe Berman fears the one thing she wants the most: love. Thanks to an extremely unfortunate first kiss attempt, crippling intimacy anxiety has plagued her since she was a teen.

Phoebe has so much going for her: a dream teaching job, a supportive and hilarious group of best friends, and all the romance novels a girl could want at her fingertips—but she can’t help but beat herself up over the one thing she can’t quite seem to figure out. Determined to change this, she drafts up the ultimate “Guide to Losing My Virginity” checklist with the hope of finally getting laid.

Suddenly, she goes from a relatively boring (basically non-existent) dating life to juggling three romantic prospects at once. There’s the gorgeous new fourth grade teacher at her school, a former high school classmate that resurfaces through Words with Friends, and there will always be her roommate, who might just be the best friends-to-lovers situation of her dreams.

Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose It is a brutally honest and completely relatable story for anyone who’s ever felt stuck between coming of age and coming apart.

This sounds like fun! Debut for new author Brooke Averick, who has a popular podcast talking about her struggles with OCD, anxiety and depression. Why does this book remind me a little of Bridgett Jones Diary?! Published by Crown Publishing.

Babylon, South Dakota by Tom Lin... When Saul Keng Hsiu and his wife, Mei Lee, move from China to the United States to take possession of a 160-acre homestead bequeathed to them by a distant relative, all they have are the possessions on their back, some hidden gold, and a pocketful of chrysanthemum seeds. After a rocky start and a long, harsh winter, the couple find themselves successfully raising chrysanthemums and livestock, and soon after, a daughter, Mara.

But when representatives from the US Army Corps of Engineers buy an acre of the Hsiu’s farmland and begin building a missile silo, the inexplicable starts to occur: Mara can commune with the animals on the farm, Mei develops a hidden talent for augury, and the chrysanthemums become impervious to everything. When the Hsius learn that the project on their farm is an effort to make America’s nuclear deterrent invulnerable, they see firsthand the long arm of power and empire.

In the years and generations that follow, increasingly impacted by the silo and its residue, the Hsius experience strange, wondrous, and tragic events on their farm. An ambitious epic and an ode to the beauty and glory of our connection to the natural world, Babylon, South Dakota upends the idea of "strangers in a strange land" to become a classic American story. It is a daring novel about how choices reverberate across generations and asks us what we owe to one another.

When I happened upon this new release I was intrigued. On my TBR list. Published by Little, Brown & Co.

Evening Score by Lexi LaFleur Brown... Don't get mad—get even.

A grudge hates to see Olivia Hinckley coming. Years ago, a dirty hit ended her late father’s NHL career with the Minnesota Freeze. It was never fair that Erik Parker walked away with little more than a penalty, but it’s worse that her father's rival is now up for Hall of Fame induction. On top of that, Erik's son—hockey’s golden boy, Brody—just signed on to play for the Freeze. Determined to dismantle the Parker legacy, Olivia enacts a revenge plot that has her donning the Freeze’s mascot costume to gain intel on the Parkers. And she can’t help but mess with Brody’s gameplay—and his heart for good measure. After all, what’s a little fake dating between enemies?

Brody Parker only ever wanted to play hockey for fun, but the pressure of being part of hockey’s “First Family” has him dodging nepotism allegations along with high sticks. Erik might act like Father of the Year when the cameras are on, but behind closed doors, Brody struggles with his father’s impossible expectations. Preserving Erik’s image is a full-time job, but lucky for Brody, his new connection with Olivia is a welcome (spicy) distraction.

When Brody finally opens up to Olivia, she never expected she’d pity a Parker for anything. Suddenly, she wants to protect her once-enemy. The romantic feelings she faked are now unexpectedly real, but after leading Brody on for so long, can she keep the lies and the truth straight before she accidentally blows up his whole life?

Okay, hockey romance fans and enemies to lovers fans, this one sounds like a fun romp. I am currently listening to the audiobook version of this, courtesy of the publisher, and am loving it! Book published by Mira.

The Redemption Center Is Closed on Sundays by Andrea Hariston... In the Heart of Mystery Lies Redemption...

Every Sunday, Oona the St. Berdoodle and her current owner, Zsuzsu, make their way through the winding paths of the State Park to the enigmatic Redemption Center―a place often mistaken for a haunted mansion.

When a local celebrity is found murdered, the unexpected brings Oona together with a rag-tag group of local misfits. Together they venture into the depths of the Center's mystery to untangle the threads of murder and deception.

But Oona holds two secrets: she’s a citizen of the multiverse, able to travel between dimensions at will, and more importantly, she knows the killer's identity. Unfortunately, the killer knows she knows, and he’s determined to find her and silence her for good.

An extra-dimensional murder mystery with conundrums, alien tricksters, and a dog detective who just doesn’t know the meaning of “stay”.

I couldn't resist reading the blurb on this book when I saw the dog on the front cover. And it sounds so quirky but interesting. On my TBR list. Published by Tor Books.

Beneath A Broken Sky by Joshua Moehling... A killer hides in the wreckage of a broken town… It's a hot, miserable summer in the small town of Sandy Lake. Detective Ben Packard has finally settled into life here―just in time for a tornado to sweep through the county, causing irreparable damage. Trees are felled, homes are destroyed, and people are desperate.

Hiding among the debris is someone with a secret.

When a mother who made enemies defending her bullied son is killed, the suspect list stretches across the entire town. For Packard, the case hits uncomfortably close to home. The deeper he digs, the more Sandy Lake hums with a tension that refuses to break.

As thick smoke from nearby wildfires chokes the air, someone from Packard's past shows up on his doorstep without warning, forcing him to confront the reality of navigating life as a gay man in a small town bent on tradition, no matter the cost.

The heat suffocates. The violence simmers. Before the summer is out, someone else will die.

You usually can't go wrong with the murder mystery and this sounds good. Published by Poisened Pen Press.

Never Flinch by Stephen King... When the Buckeye City Police Department receives a disturbing letter from a person threatening to “kill thirteen innocents and one guilty” in “an act of atonement for the needless death of an innocent man,” Detective Izzy Jaynes has no idea what to think. Are fourteen citizens about to be slaughtered in an unhinged act of retribution? Izzy turns to her friend Holly Gibney for help.

Meanwhile, controversial and outspoken women’s rights activist Kate McKay is embarking on a multi-state lecture tour, drawing packed venues of both fans and detractors. Someone who vehemently opposes Kate’s message of female empowerment is targeting her, disrupting her events, and growing bolder. Holly is hired to be Kate’s bodyguard—a challenging task with a headstrong employer and a determined adversary driven by wrath and his belief in his own righteousness.

Featuring a riveting cast of characters, including world-famous gospel singer Sista Bessie and an unforgettable villain addicted to murder, King’s twinned narratives converge in a chilling and spectacular conclusion—a feat of storytelling only this master of suspense and horror could pull off.

Stephen King does it again! or he did it again last year. I missed this when it came out last year, but the paperback came out today! If you missed it too, we get to go on an adventure with Holly with this one! On my TBR list! Published by Scribner.

So, there you have it! Ten amazing new books to sink your teeth into! Which books are you taking another look at? What sounds interesting to you?! Hope you find something to add to your TBR list today! And let me know what caught your eye!

Happy reading... Suzanne

The Sunday Salon and a Salute to The Men and Women in Uniform

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Sun, 24 May 2026 16:14:20 +0000

The Sunday Salon is the place where Book Bloggers from around the world share their bookish finds with one another in a virtual place called The Sunday Salon. Thank you to Deb at ReaderBuzz keeping us all together on Sundays and hosting The Sunday Salon now! I also visited with Kim at The Caffeinated Reader, another Sunday gathering place for us bookish people called The Sunday Post!

Memorial Day is the day we remember the soldiers that gave the ultimate sacrifice. I want to thank them for their bravery and selflessness. Today I also wish to thank our men and women in uniform for their service, for their bravery, their selflessness as they protect us.

And in honor of Memorial Day, I'm highlighting 3 books that highlight that bravery...

The Women by Kristin Hannah... Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets―and becomes one of―the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.

Last May I wrote about my experience at The Wall That Heals, which came to my little town. And because of that experience and the person I met there I picked up The Women. Here's what I wrote last May...

This week, in my little town, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, The Wall That Heals came... displayed in a field, in beautiful farm land, not too far from where I live. The Wall That Heals is a replica of the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial that is in Washington, DC. It also is an educational center as the trailer that brings in the memorial is turned into a learning experience with displays and information that brings what the Vietnam Veteran's experienced to life.

Even though this is a 3/4 replica of the original memorial in DC, it still has the power to move anyone who sees it. The over 58,000 names displayed is enough to silence the room, but seeing how the Veterans who visit are moved by their visit, brought tears to my eyes.

One of the facts I learned during my visit to The Wall was that there are only 8 women whose names appear on The Wall. These 8 women were all nurses that died while serving in the Vietnam war. And on the day I visited The Wall, I sought out these women to see their names among the many. I had their names and their locations on the wall. As I stood in front of one of the panels I was approached by one of the Veteran volunteers. He asked me if I had any questions, and if I'd like to do a rubbing of any of the names on the wall. I explained to him, that I did not have any relatives engraved on the wall, but that I was amazed how there were only 8 women on the wall. We got to talking about those women and their histories. He shared his story with me, and I thanked him for his service and told him I was glad that he was able to come home and glad he was okay. "Okay is a relative word" he tells me. And I understood what he meant without further explanation... but then a strange thing happened. This Vietnam Vet, a man in his 70's, tells me if I am interested in these women, I should read, The Women by Kristin Hannah. He went on to tell me, that even though it is fiction, it really tells the story, the experience, of one woman during her time in Vietnam. He originally picked the book up because of the cover, which shows a helicopter flying over palm trees. He read it because of it's story...

Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War by Mark Bowden... On October 3, 1993, about a hundred U.S. soldiers were dropped by helicopter into a teeming market in the heart of Mogadishu, Somalia, to abduct two top lieutenants of a Somali warlord. The action was supposed to take an hour. Instead, they spent a long and terrible night fighting thousands of armed Somalis. By morning, eighteen Americans were dead, and more than seventy badly injured. Mark Bowden's gripping narrative is one of the most exciting accounts of modern war ever written--a riveting story that captures the heroism, courage and brutality of battle.

When Black Hawk Down came out in 1999, it was a massive best seller. I read it at the time, even though I was not, and still am not, a reader of war stories. But the writing was so compelling and I really thought it was a great book.

Band of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose They came together, citizen soldiers, in the summer of 1942, drawn to Airborne by the $50 monthly bonus and a desire to be better than the other guy. And at its peak—in Holland and the Ardennes—Easy Company was as good a rifle company as any in the world.

From the rigorous training in Georgia in 1942 to the disbanding in 1945, Stephen E. Ambrose tells the story of this remarkable company. In combat, the reward for a job well done is the next tough assignment, and as they advanced through Europe, the men of Easy kept getting the tough assignments.

They parachuted into France early D-Day morning and knocked out a battery of four 105 mm cannon looking down Utah Beach; they parachuted into Holland during the Arnhem campaign; they were the Battered Bastards of the Bastion of Bastogne, brought in to hold the line, although surrounded, in the Battle of the Bulge; and then they spearheaded the counteroffensive. Finally, they captured Hitler's Bavarian outpost, his Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden.

They were rough-and-ready guys, battered by the Depression, mistrustful and suspicious. They drank too much French wine, looted too many German cameras and watches, and fought too often with other GIs. But in training and combat they learned selflessness and found the closest brotherhood they ever knew. They discovered that in war, men who loved life would give their lives for them.

This is the story of the men who fought, of the martinet they hated who trained them well, and of the captain they loved who led them. E Company was a company of men who went hungry, froze, and died for each other, a company that took 150 percent casualties, a company where the Purple Heart was not a medal—it was a badge of office.

This was a widely read book, but it really came into its' own when HBO adapted it to the screen i a 10 part mini series.

There are also some great movies out there, one of which is The Six Triple Eight...

The Six Triple Eight (Netflix)... Written and directed by Tyler Perry and directly based on the true historical story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. Specifically, the screenplay was adapted from historian Kevin M. Hymel's article, "Fighting a Two-Front War", published in the February 2019 issue of WWII History magazine.The movie chronicles the real-life accomplishments of the only all-Black, all-female U.S. battalion to be deployed overseas during World War II. The 855 women were tasked with clearing a massive, years-long backlog of 17 million pieces of mail for American troops in Europe, which they successfully completed in just three months while battling systemic racism and sexism.While there are several historical fiction books that have been written about this unit—such as Kaia Alderson's Sisters in Arms—the film itself remains a direct adaptation of historical records and events.

This was an excellent movie!

Are you a war story reader? What books do you recommend?

I hope you all take a moment to remember our fallen soldiers and pray for our living men and women who have fought or are fighting or who have served during the times we were not at war. Thank you!... Suzanne

First Lines Friday... It's a Disappearing Act

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Fri, 22 May 2026 14:08:02 +0000

I was intrigued when I read this first line, are you? Would you keep reading? Here's the blurb from the publisher about the book:

Carrie and Johan marry on a beach in Thailand only months into their whirlwind romance. Carrie, a British surgical intern, is too happy to care that she’s being impulsive. But as the wedding festivities stretch into the night, a group of armed men suddenly swarm the beach, taking Johan away. She never sees him again.

Twelve years later, Carrie is living in the English countryside with her husband, Robin, and their six-year-old twins, running a holiday cottage rental business on the side. One night, she stumbles across an online post in which she discovers that Johan escaped from Thailand years ago, and has been living in Stockholm ever since. As the memories of their passionate relationship flood her, she becomes obsessed with discovering what happened on their wedding day all those years ago.

But just when Carrie thinks she knows what she must do, a shocking twist tears apart everything Carrie thought she knew. The One Day You Were My Husband asks readers what—and whom—they would give up to return to a first love and to the people they once were.

The One Day You Were My Husband by Rosie Walsh was released this week and published by Pamela Dorman Books. On my TBR list!

New Release Tuesday...

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Tue, 19 May 2026 13:29:59 +0000

There are always lots of great books released on Tuedays!

Here are my top 5!

Fever Dream by Elsie Silver... Professional bull rider Emmett Bush is not looking for love. He’s looking for a paycheck to save his family’s farm from bankruptcy. So, when he agrees to be the leading man on a hot new reality dating show, Romance Ranch, he’s already decided it’s all one big performance.

Until Julia Silva walks onto his property. Smart, snarky, beautiful, and off-limits in more ways than one. As the location consultant on set and the little sister of his most bitter professional rival, she’s the last woman who should pique his interest.

Julia has been warned about Emmett. She knows better than to fall for his cocky swagger, broad shoulders, and smoldering good looks. Plus, she’s sworn off relationships.

But as Julia and Emmett work together, mutual distaste grows into an unexpected connection and then… something more.

Soon, they find themselves searching for excuses to spend time together and out of reach of the cameras. Knowing glances. Stolen kisses. Secret rendezvous.

Still, Emmett signed up to play the role of an eligible bachelor searching for the one. His family’s land and legacy depend on him completing the show.

The problem is, he’s already fallen in love.... Just not with a contestant.

Published by Emerald Lake

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The Burning Side by Sarah Damoff... When April and Leo’s house burns in the middle of the night, they escape with their two young children and the quiet knowledge that the fire is not the only thing threatening their family. They retreat to April’s childhood home in Dallas, where her spirited parents and siblings provide both comfort and complication.

As the family reckons with the aftermath—grief, guilt, logistics, and memories scorched and intact—the fire exposes the cracks already forming in April and Leo’s marriage. The novel unfolds in alternating perspectives: from April, who feels the crushing weight of motherhood, marriage, and self-blame; from Leo, a high school history teacher shaped by a lonely, fractured childhood; from Deb, April’s generous and no-nonsense mother who has to contend with her husband’s recent Alzheimer’s diagnosis; and from flashbacks that trace April and Leo’s relationship from its earliest days of connection to the devastating decisions that led them here.

A family saga suffused with humor, longing, and heartbreak, The Burning Side is about what we inherit and what we choose, about forgiveness and the ache of being known. It is, above all, about the meaning of home and the costs of long love.

Published by Simon & Schuster

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Dear Missing Friend by Susan McGuirk... Through letters exchanged across oceans and Manhattan streets, Irish immigrant Catherine McGuirk navigates love, ambition, and heartbreak. Torn between her seafaring husband, the suitor she once refused, and her own dreams, Catherine’s fate unfolds in an intimate, epistolary saga of passion, resilience, and 19th-century life Sea Crow Pass

Published by Sea Crow Press

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The Ballad of Falling Dragons by Sarah A. Parker... Raeve’s thirst for vengeance continues to burn, as does her love for Kaan Vaegor—a staunch beacon from a past she’s yet to face. With Rekk’s blood still fresh on her hands, she learns the world will face its most devastating moonfall yet, forcing her to pick a path:

Chase death. Or life.

Desperate to save his kingdom from ruin, Kaan’s crown has never felt so heavy. His many larks to scattered friends and family remain unanswered, and time is running out. As allies merge and enemies surge with bloodlusting agendas of their own, secrets brew hot enough to burn, but none so mighty as the truth nesting within the icy depths of Raeve’s long forgotten past. Something … Other. Something with the knowledge to change it all.

Published by Avon

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The Day You Were My Husband by Rosie Walsh... Carrie and Johan marry on a beach in Thailand only months into their whirlwind romance. Carrie, a British surgical intern, is too happy to care that she’s being impulsive. But as the wedding festivities stretch into the night, a group of armed men suddenly swarm the beach, taking Johan away. She never sees him again.

But just when Carrie thinks she knows what she must do, a shocking twist tears apart everything Carrie thought she knew.

Published by Pamela Dorman Books

Memoir Monday... We'll be in Beijing today Delivering Parcels!

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Mon, 18 May 2026 14:28:28 +0000

I Deliver Parcels in Beijing by Hu Anyan

A viral hit in China in 2025, Hu Anyan's book hit a chord with readers. Starting out with just a blog post about his life as a parcel sorter during Covid, readers encouraged him to keep writing about his experiences and this is the result. Here's the blurb from Astra Publishing...

In 2023, I Deliver Parcels in Beijing became the literary sensation of the year in China. Hu Anyan’s story, about short-term jobs in various anonymous megacities, hit a nerve with a generation of young people who feel at odds with an ever-growing pressure to perform and succeed.

Hu started posting essays about his experiences online during COVID lockdowns. His recollection of night shifts in a huge logistics center in the south of China went his nights were so hot that he could drink three liters of water without taking a toilet break; his days were spent searching for affordable rooms with proper air-conditioning; and his few moments of leisure were consumed by calculations of the amount of alcohol needed to sleep but not feel drowsy a few hours later.

Hu Anyan tells us about brutal work, where there is no real future in sight. But Hu is armed with deadpan humor and a strong idea of self. He moves on when he feels stuck—from logistics in the south, to parcel delivery in Beijing, to other impossible jobs. Along the way, he turns to reading and writing for strength and companionship.

I just happened to come upon this book while reading about some upcoming memoir releases and I found it so interesting how it went viral. Published in October of 2025 in the US by Astra Publishing, this is translated from the original Chinese to English. The story sounds interesting too... on my wishlist.

First Lines Friday... This week’s opening lines are from a twisty coastal thriller full of family drama, suspicious deaths, and the kind of small-town secrets that never stay buried…

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Fri, 15 May 2026 19:20:27 +0000

"I did not plan to start the summer by dangling out of a second-story window. But on this breezy night, all that separates me from plunging to my death and living to see my eighteenth birthday is the grip my older sister, Lucy, has on my wrists from inside my bedroom."

I love the way this story starts out! How about you? Would you keep reading after these first few lines?

I just received this book in the mail from Penguin Random House and had to share just a peek. It is a romantic mystery thriller, and with all those three in a book description, I'm definitely in. Here's the book description from the publisher...

A razor-sharp murder-mystery set during the summer when a local teen's suspicious death exposes the devastating secrets three sisters keep.

Do you ever really know the people you love?

A gripping novel about the lies friends tell, the façade siblings build, and how one summer tests—and breaks—the bonds of family.

The book will be released by G.P. Putnam & Sons (a division of Penguin Random House) on June 2nd! Look for my review before then!

New Release Tuesday... and My Top 3 (maybe 4) picks...

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Tue, 12 May 2026 16:11:16 +0000

Happy New Release Day! There are always many new books to choose from on "New Releases Tuesday"! It's summer and thoughts turn to breezy sweeping stories that I can melt into. Here are my top picks for this week... (the last one is not a breezy story though 😲)

The River Muse by Laura Resau...
A French chateau. A forest with secrets. A magical spring. Welcome to La Chanson, where lost souls are found again…

At the brink of summer, Callie arrives in a secluded village in the South of France with her young daughter, after barely escaping her menacing ex-partner. Desperate to hide, she rents a cottage on the grounds of the Chateau of the Lost. Her new home sings with flowing water, rustling olive trees, and whispering poppies—an otherworldly nook of hidden magic. Little by little, she warms to her quirky neighbors—a witchy landlady, an acclaimed truffle hunter, his kind veterinarian son, and their lovable dogs. Oh, and a mischievous ghost boy.

Slowly but surely, her new friends help her discover herself again. Years earlier, she gave up music at the insistence of her ex, but as she reclaims her voice, everyone finds that her songs open hearts and heal old wounds. When her ex tracks her down, the stakes grow deadly, and she must tap into her most powerful self to protect her newfound family.

*********************

June Baby by Shannon Garvey...
Some summers never leave you.

In this moving debut novel, set over the course of one transformative summer in the lush, beachy enclave of Block Island, a young woman reckons with love, loss, and the choices she must make to move forward.

At seventeen, Ruth lost her mother to cancer, and her father, unable to handle his grieving daughter, shipped her off to Block Island with nothing but a name scribbled on the back of a receipt: Diana Beckett. Diana, a renowned photographer, took Ruth in for the summer, and Block Island became Ruth’s refuge, a place of beauty and creativity, a place where she could nurture her dreams of being a writer, a place where she could fall in love for the first time—with Diana’s nephew, Charlie.

Now, at twenty-seven, Ruth has spent the last ten summers living and working among the lucky few who get to vacation in this wealthy beach town, and the rest of the year just scraping by, yearning to return to the place where she feels safe and unburdened. But then Ruth’s world is upended by tragedy again. Desperate for an anchor, she reaches for the person she’s been pining for since she met him—Charlie—who has his own startling revelation to share. And when another surprise comes in the form of a box left to Ruth by Diana, its contents raise questions about just how well she knew the two women who raised her. Torn between what to believe about her past, and what her future might hold, Ruth is faced with another choice: does she dare to rewrite her story entirely?

Both a heartfelt coming-of-age story and a tender exploration of love and grief, set against a backdrop of golden dunes and seaside sunsets, June Baby shows us what it might look like to embrace a life shaped not by loss, but by possibility.

*****************************

The Foursome by Christina Baker Kline...
A boldly original reimagining of the astonishing true story of two sisters in nineteenth-century North Carolina — Kline’s own distant relatives — who married world-famous conjoined twins from Siam.

When Eng and Chang Bunker arrive in Wilkes County in 1839, they’re not just a curiosity—they’re a sensation. Everyone is eager to learn whether the salacious rumors about them are true. Within months, the twins have opened a general store, bought land, and begun building a plantation. Now, word has it, they’re looking for wives—and in a place that thrives on gossip and legacy, their ambitions set the community on edge.

Sarah and Adelaide Yates, daughters of a once-prominent local family brought low by scandal, are drawn into their orbit. Bold, beautiful Adelaide sees in the twins’ fame a chance to reclaim her future. Sarah, quiet and observant, isn’t so sure. When the twins’ lives become entangled with theirs, they must navigate loyalty, longing, and identity in a world where everything—including race, class, and gender—is rigidly defined.

Spanning five decades and unfolding against the backdrop of a fractured nation hurtling toward war, The Foursome is both intimate and epic: a story of love and constraint, identity and reinvention. With piercing insight and emotional precision, Kline brings to life a forgotten chapter of American history and the complex, boundary-defying marriages at its center.

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The Anniversary by Alex Finley...
Every May 1st, a serial killer stalks a small town. Every year he comes for them . .

On May 1, 1992, Jules Delaney and Quinn Riley hardly know each other.

Jules is high school queen bee in a small Midwestern town when she survives a brutal attack by the elusive May Day Killer―a predator who strikes every May 1st and then vanishes without a trace. Quinn, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks, is arrested the same night after trying to break up a fight and nearly killing someone.

By morning, their lives are forever connected.

A year later, Jules is haunted by trauma and guilt, tormented by one question: Why was she spared? Quinn is newly released from juvenile detention and returns home to devastating news―the unsolved murder of his mother.

Over the next decade, their lives are revisited on a single day each year: May 1st.

As the years pass, secrets surface, lies unravel, and the paths of Jules and Quinn draw closer together. Two mysteries edge toward the truth―what really happened the night Jules was attacked, and who murdered Quinn’s mother? All the while, the May Day Killer is still out there.

And the clock is racing toward another anniversary.

Twisty, high-concept, and emotionally charged, The Anniversary is an addictive murder mystery and nail-biting thriller―but it’s also a tender, heartrending story about fate, innocence lost, and two people bound by a single day. With its masterful structure and propulsive tension, The Anniversary reaffirms Alex Finlay as one of the leading thriller writers today.

Mastering American Mahjong: A Complete Guide To Rules and Strategy by Megan Trottier... A Review

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Tue, 12 May 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Mastering American Mahjong:

A Complete Guide to Rules and Strategy

by Megan Trottier

I have always wanted to learn how to play Mahjong. As an absolute beginner who was eager to learn how to play American Mahjong, I loved Mastering American Mahjong: A Complete Guide to Rules and Strategy by Megan Trottier. The book is incredibly well organized, easy to understand, and makes learning the game feel approachable and fun.

Everything is thoroughly explained, from the basic rules and terminology to learning the tiles, reading the NMJL card, setup, dealing, and gameplay. The author also shares helpful tips and insights into the nuances of the game, which made the learning process feel much less intimidating. I found the book not only informative, but also a real confidence builder as I learned.

One of my favorite additions was the inclusion of several popular “casual” Mahjong games at the end of the book, which added even more fun and variety.

If you’re interested in learning American Mahjong, this is absolutely the book I would recommend! And author Megan Trottier knows what she's talking about too... Megan is "the founder of the high-end, women-owned American mahjong brand Oh My Mahjong." And let me tell you, her mahjong tiles are beautiful!

In a few days, I'll be going to a "Mahjong Basics" class hosted by a local Mahjong teacher. I signed up before reading Megan's book and I'm glad I was able to read it beforehand. Instead of my head spinning with what would have been an overwhelming amount of "new" information from the class, I'll have a great grasp of the information ahead of time. And I really am looking forward to the class. I'll let you know how it goes...

Do you know how to play Mahjong?

Mark your calendars... Mastering American Mahjong will be published by Ten Speed Press and released on October 13, 2026!

Memoir Monday... A "Memory" of a Mysterious Death and the Search for Truth

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Mon, 11 May 2026 04:41:00 +0000

London Fallng: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search For Truth by Patrick Radden Keefe... In the early morning of November 29th, 2019, surveillance cameras at the headquarters of MI6, Britain’s spy agency, captured video of a young man pacing back and forth on a high balcony of Riverwalk, a luxury tower on the bank of the river Thames. At 2:24 a.m., he jumped into the river.

In a quiet London neighborhood several miles away, Rachelle Brettler was worried about her son. Zac had told her that he had gone to stay with a friend for the weekend, but then he did not come home. Days later, a police car pulled up and two officers relayed the dreadful news: Her son was dead.In their unbearable grief, Rachelle and her husband, Matthew, struggled to understand what had happened to Zac. He had had his troubles, but in no way seemed suicidal. As they would soon discover, however, there was a lot they did not know about their son. Only after his death did they learn that he had adopted a fictitious alter ego: Zac Ismailov, son of a Russian oligarch and heir to a great fortune. Under this guise, Zac had become entangled with a slippery London businessman named Akbar Shamji and a murderous gangster known as Indian Dave. As the Brettlers set about investigating their son’s death, they were pulled into a different and more dangerous London than the one they’d always known, and came to believe that something much more nefarious than a suicide had claimed Zac’s life. But to their immense frustration, Scotland Yard seemed unable—or unwilling—to bring the perpetrators to justice.

In a bravura feat of reporting and writing, Patrick Radden Keefe chronicles the Brettlers’ quest, peeling back layers of mystery and exposing the seedy truths behind the glamorous London of posh mansions and private nightclubs, a city in which everything is for sale, and aspirational fantasies are underwritten by dirty money and corruption. London Falling is a mesmerizing investigation of an inexplicable death and a powerful narrative driven by suspense and staggering revelations. But it is also an intimate and deeply poignant inquiry into the nature of parental love and the challenges of being a parent today, a portrait of a family trying to solve the riddle not just of how their son died, but of who he really was in life.

This isn't a memoir, but a true crime novel with an interesting twist that Zac Ismailov had a kind of secret life, with him posing as the son of a Russian oligarch! That sounded so interesting to me. I love a good mystery and this certainly falls under that category.

This book was published by Doubleday in early April of this year, so it is available at your favorite bookstore! And it is on my TBR list now!

P.S. This cover is actually from the UK version of the book ( I like it better and actually ordered my copy from the UK so I could have this cover of the book.)

The Sunday Salon... Happy Mothers Day and "Mother"" Books

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Sun, 10 May 2026 17:34:00 +0000

Happy Mothers Day!

Welcome to The Sunday Salon! It's the place where Book Bloggers from around the world share their bookish finds with one another in a virtual place called The Sunday Salon. Thank you to Deb at ReaderBuzz keeping us all together on Sundays and hosting The Sunday Salon now! I also visited with Kim at The Caffeinated Reader, another Sunday gathering place for us bookish people called The Sunday Post!

Happy Mothers Day to all the women who have nurtured us, taken care of us, and raised us ❤️! Here is my wonderful mother and me at the beginning...

We all have a mother, but there is so much more that giving birth that makes a mother, a mother... My mother took the time and patience to nurture me and help me grow into the woman I am today. I've known her for a very long time (more years than we both care to admit). She was and has always been my BFF. I am lucky that I can still pick up the phone and talk to my mom when I need advice or just to talk to her to hear her voice. Love you Mom, and Happy Mothers Day (I know she reads my posts and will be reading this one too!)

There have been a lot of books about "Mothers", so for today's Sunday Salon we have "Mother" books...

Mother, Mother by Zia Rayyan...
Iris Blackwood always knew her mother didn’t love her. It’s why she left six years ago and never looked back. But when her aunt—her mother’s identical twin—and her stepfather die in a tragic accident, she’s forced to return home. The cruel woman she remembers is gone. In her place is someone who cooks breakfast with a smile and says, “I love you.” Iris wants to believe it’s real. But then she finds a journal in the attic. One that reveals her mother and aunt used to switch places all the time. And when her car mysteriously won’t start, she begins to fear the truth. She came home to the wrong mother. And now she may never leave.

This book was independently published back in 2025 and is a psychological thriller

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The Wrong Mother by Charlotte Duckworth...
One mother on the run. A safe place to hide. But you can't escape the past forever. Faye is 39 and single. She's terrified she may never have the one thing she always wanted: a child of her own. Then she discovers a co-parenting app: Acorns. For men and women who want to have a baby, but don't want to do it alone. When she meets Louis through it, it feels as though the fates have aligned. But just one year later, Faye is on the run from Louis, with baby Jake in tow. In desperate need of a new place to live, she contacts Rachel, who's renting out a room in her remote Norfolk cottage. It's all Faye can afford - and surely she'll be safe from Louis there? But is Rachel the benevolent landlady she pretends to be? Or does she have a secret of her own?

Published by Quercus Publishing in 2023, this is a psychological thriller.

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The Mothers by Brit Bennett...
It is the last season of high school life for Nadia Turner, a rebellious, grief-stricken, seventeen-year-old beauty. Mourning her own mother's recent suicide, she takes up with the local pastor's son. Luke Sheppard is twenty-one, a former football star whose injury has reduced him to waiting tables at a diner. They are young; it's not serious. But the pregnancy that results from this teen romance—and the subsequent cover-up—will have an impact that goes far beyond their youth. As Nadia hides her secret from everyone, including Aubrey, her God-fearing best friend, the years move quickly. Soon, Nadia, Luke, and Aubrey are full-fledged adults and still living in debt to the choices they made that one seaside summer, caught in a love triangle they must carefully maneuver, and dogged by the constant, nagging question: What if they had chosen differently? The possibilities of the road not taken are a relentless haunt.

In entrancing, lyrical prose, The Mothers asks whether a "what if" can be more powerful than an experience itself. If, as time passes, we must always live in servitude to the decisions of our younger selves, to the communities that have parented us, and to the decisions we make that shape our lives forever.

Published by Riverhead back in 2017, this is a literary fiction, coming-of-age story.

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For more recently published "Mother" books, you have The Mother Daughter Book Club by Susan and James Patterson and The Mother Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon.

Do you have any suggestions

for a good "Mother" book?!

Memoir Monday... A memoir about 2 women living together! A smash hit in South Korea.

New Books Tuesday... An amazing selection of 10 books!

First Lines Friday... A book that will have your head in the stars!

And that's all for this past week. Next week look for a review on a soon-to-be published book on Mahjong! Yes, I've secretly wanted to learn to play Mahjong for years. I recently signed up for an intro lesson, and then this book pops up from a publisher for me.to review! I've been studying this book and have to say, it has really taught me a lot! and I'll share that with y'all next week. Do you play Mahjong?

Hope you all have a wonderful Mothers Day and that you found some fun "Mothers" books here today!

Happy reading... Suzanne

First Lines Friday... How about a little magic in the stars?!

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Fri, 08 May 2026 16:32:00 +0000

An Arcane Study of Stars by Sydney J. Shields

“There is an old bookshop called the Wanderer's Wonders in the heart of Kulden -- a small, often forgotten town tucked in a far northern corner of England --and as far as Claudia Jolicoeur is concerned, it's magical, for it always has something she needs”

An Arcane Study of Stars by Sydney J. Shields was recently published by Red Hook (a division of Hachette Books) and has gotten a lot of buzz! It's a romantasy, but with the twist that it has "celestial magic", which is magic based on the stars and cosmos. I picked this out for my Allurial book choice this month and it is patiently waiting in the wings for me to dive into.

Here's the blurb from Goodreads: a historical dark academia fantasy filled with ancient secret societies, a swoon-worthy rivals-to-lovers romance, and dangerous deals made after dark. Perfect for fans of The Atlas Six and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

When Claudia Jolicoeur is rejected from Cygnus University, a devilish stranger named Dorian appears in her nightmares and offers her a bargain: he will get her into Cygnus if she learns how to free him from a prison of stars. He takes a bite of her soul to seal the deal, and Claudia wakes to a letter from the High Sage of Cygnus stating she will take the place of Odette Dufort, a Rhetoric student who passed away.

Her arrival raises suspicions, rumors that she had a hand in Odette's death spread like wildfire, and Cassius MacLeod, the High Sage’s apprentice and Claudia's fellow Rhetoric student, seems hellbent on humiliating her. Determined to clear her name, she searches for any evidence that could prove her innocence. When someone—or something—starts slipping her pieces of Odette’s diary, Claudia uncovers a horrifying truth: over the last century, celestial witches at Cygnus have been murdered. Odette was one of them, and Claudia could be next. For her own protection, Claudia needs to free Dorian—and fast.

By night, she studies the stars, slowly unraveling the mystery of Dorian's prison. By day, she and Cassius wage rhetorical war as debate partners in class. What begins as a fierce rivalry devolves into something deeper, darker, and dangerously sensual. As Claudia inches closer to the truth, she must decide: would trusting Cassius be the last mistake she ever makes?

Would you keep reading after the first line?

New Books Tuesday!

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Tue, 05 May 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Romance... Romantasy... Historical Fiction... Murder... Memoir...

*********************************************

There is something for everyone in todays New Book Releases!

Here they are:

Rules For The Summer by Meghan Quinn (Romance).

Summer State of Mind by Kristy Woodson Harvey (Literary Fiction)

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett (Historical Literary Fiction)

Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune (Romance)

The Daisy Chain Flower Shop by Laurie Gilmore (Romance)

Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister (Crime Thriller)

A Founding Mother by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kimoie (Historical Fiction)

True Crime by Patricia Cornwell (Memoir)

Dissection of a Murder by Jo Murray (Psychological Thriller)

Verity Guild by Mai Corlang (Romantasy set in a Roman Empire)

Are you looking forward to any of these books? Kathryn Stockett hasn't published anything new since The Help (which everyone loved!), so this is on my wishlist! Patricial Cornwell gives us insight into the "real" Dr. Kay Scarpetta with her memoir. Dissection of a Murder by Jo Murray has gotten a lot of great buzz prior to its' publication and I picked that as my Book of The Month subscription choice. I am so intrigued byVerity Guild, which is a romantasy set in a type of ROMAN EMPIRE!

Let me know what you think, and if there's something newly published NOT on this list share that too!

Memoir Monday... and This One Comes Naturally

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Mon, 04 May 2026 05:46:00 +0000

Two Women Living Together by Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo... From Goodreads: The big-hearted, bestselling South Korean memoir co-written by two best friends flouting gender norms and societal expectations with their decision to grow old together under one roof.

When most of their peers were moving in with romantic partners and having children, Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo chose independence—savoring solitude, quiet mornings, and the unmitigated freedom of living alone. But in their forties, something shifted, and they were met with a new, unexpected loneliness. Refusing to settle for the outdated choice between marriage or isolation, Hana and Sunwoo made a radical decision: to buy a home and live together—not as lovers, not as roommates, but as chosen family.

Now a bustling household of two women and four cats, Hana and Sunwoo still value solitude, but can do so while sharing a life and its meaning with someone else. Together they navigate the challenges and comforts of cohabiting in midlife, the growing pains of interdependence and the unexpected rewards of compromise when you’ve grown set in your ways. From sick days to career wins to aging parents and beach-side retirement plans, they are redefining domestic bliss on their own terms, where love, partnership, and home are defined not by tradition, but by choice.

With warmth, wit, and sharp social insight, Hana and Sunwoo share their blueprint for building a life outside the scripts of marriage and society’s expectations for women. Two Women Living Together is a quiet revolution—a celebration of female friendship, community, and the many forms that love and family can take.

When we are young girls, we have sleepovers--with our girlfriends. When we go to college, we have roommates in college--that are women. But when we get married, we leave our girlfriends behind and build a life with our husbands. But if we find ourselves alone, why not embrace what we've done basically all of our lives, live with our girlfriends. Some may like to be alone, but we don't have to be alone. And Hana and Sunwoo chose not to be alone, and not to find a husband, but to find each other, and embrace female friendships. I am so fascinated with this book. On my wishlist!

First published in 2019, more recently in January 2026 by Ecco.

P.S. This cover show is the UK cover, which I just love because of the cat tree!

Fictional Faceplants and My Real Tomatoe Plants... This weeks' Sunday Salon

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Sun, 03 May 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Welcome to The Sunday Salon! It's the place where Book Bloggers from around the world share their bookish finds with one another in a virtual place called The Sunday Salon. Thank you to for Deb at ReaderBuzz keeping us all together on Sundays and hosting The Sunday Salon now! I also visited with Kim at The Caffeinated Reader, another Sunday gathering place for us bookish people called The Sunday Post!

This week marks the final re-potting of my Seed Snails before the actual transplanting into the raised bed garden (which needs some serious weeding!) The Seed Snails were a total experiment because I had never sowed seeds to grow anything indoors, but they actually sprouted and grew. They were a little leggy (skinny stems) because they were stretching for more light from the shelves I had them on, by one of the front windows. I did not have grow lights. But I opened the seed snails up and took half of the plants and put them into a new seed snail and added more dirt and buried those stems a little deeper and they came back stronger and happier (or at least I hope they were happier). The past few weeks I've been hardening them outdoors in a mini garden shed, and this week I'm going to re-pot some of them into their own pots to give some of them some more room.

And while I was dealing with my tomato plants, I noticed another trend in plants... Faceplants. Faceplants on book covers!?! Yes, it seems like it's a thing. The new hit series on Apple TV, Margo's Got Money Trouble based on the Rufi Thorpe book made me remember that my first library book from my new local library back in 2018 was an illustration of a girl faceplanted on a couch too... Which got me thinking about if there were other books with women faceplanted on their couch... and the answer is yes! Here are my top 3...

Margo's Got Money Trouble by Rufi Thorpe... As the child of a Hooters waitress and an ex-pro wrestler, Margo Millet's always known she’d have to make it on her own. So she enrolls at her local junior college, even though she can’t imagine how she’ll ever make a living. She’s still figuring things out and never planned to have an affair with her English professor—and while the affair is brief, it isn’t brief enough to keep her from getting pregnant. Despite everyone’s advice, she decides to keep the baby, mostly out of naiveté and a yearning for something bigger.

Now, at twenty, Margo is alone with an infant, unemployed, and on the verge of eviction. She needs a cash infusion—fast. When her estranged father, Jinx, shows up on her doorstep and asks to move in with her, she agrees in exchange for help with childcare. Then Margo begins to form a plan: she’ll start an OnlyFans as an experiment, and soon finds herself adapting some of Jinx’s advice from the world of wrestling. Like how to craft a compelling character and make your audience fall in love with you. Before she knows it, she’s turned it into a runaway success. Could this be the answer to all of Margo’s problems, or does internet fame come with too high a price?

Blisteringly funny and filled with sharp insight, Margo’s Got Money Troubles is a tender tale starring an endearing young heroine who’s struggling to wrest money and power from a world that has little interest in giving it to her. It’s a playful and honest examination of the art of storytelling and controlling your own narrative, and an empowering portrait of coming into your own, both online and off.

Published by William Morrow in 2024

how hard can it be? by Allison Pearson... Look, I was doing OK. I got through the oil spill on the road that is turning forty. Lost a little control, but I drove into the skid just like the driving instructors tell you to and afterwards things were fine again, no, really, they were better than fine.Kate Reddy had it all: a nice home, two adorable kids, a good husband. Then her kids became teenagers (read: monsters). Richard, her husband, quit his job, taking up bicycling and therapeutic counseling: drinking green potions, dressing head to toe in Lycra, and spending his time―and their money―on his own therapy. Since Richard no longer sees a regular income as part of the path to enlightenment, it’s left to Kate to go back to work.

Companies aren’t necessarily keen on hiring 49-year-old mothers, so Kate does what she must: knocks a few years off her age, hires a trainer, joins a Women Returners group, and prepares a new resume that has a shot at a literary prize for experimental fiction.

When Kate manages to secure a job at the very hedge fund she founded, she finds herself in an impossible juggling act: proving herself (again) at work, dealing with teen drama, and trying to look after increasingly frail parents as the clock keeps ticking toward her 50th birthday. Then, of course, an old flame shows up out of the blue, and Kate finds herself facing off with everyone from Russian mobsters to a literal stallion.

Surely it will all work out in the end. After all, how hard can it be?

Published by St. Martin's Press in 2018

Lynn Ly is Doing Just Fine by Thao Votang... Told with deadpan humor and brutal honesty, this debut novel follows Vietnamese American Linh Ly’s unraveling as she reckons with the traumas of both her past and present.

When twenty-seven-year-old Linh Ly’s recently divorced mother begins dating a coworker, Linh is determined to make sure he is worthy of her mother. She’s seen the kind of men her mother ends up with—she grew up watching her unreliable and volatile alcoholic father as her mother worked two jobs to make ends meet. Linh is certain that her mother can’t do this on her own, but what begins as genuine worry quickly turns obsessive.

Following her mother and spying on her dates becomes part of Linh’s routine, especially after a university shooting at Linh’s work that leaves her feeling adrift—at least her mom’s dating life gives her something to focus on. Linh doesn’t exactly have a life of her own (dating or otherwise) and figures the best course of action is action—not how she handled the shooting: curl up in a ball and wait it out.

Linh is slowly forced to reconcile the image of her mother from her childhood with the woman she’s getting to know as an adult. Growing up Vietnamese in the middle of Texas with a broken household taught Linh a certain guarded way of living—one she never quite left behind.

Published by Alcove Press in 2024

Have you read any faceplant books?

How about planning on growing any tomato plants?

Here are some Honorable Mention Faceplant Covers...

BTW, did you notice the Careering by Daisy Buchanan cover? It's the same image as the cover for Linh Ly is Doing Just Fine!

(Click on the links, they'll take you to the post!)

Memoir Monday... Strangers by Belle Burden. "He wanted it, he wanted me. And then he didn’t."

New Book Tuesday... Part One and Part Two (Because there were too many new good books coming out this week!)

In My Mailbox... Wow, I received some great reading from publishers this past week! Check out what came into my mailbox (and eReader).

Book Review for Blood Bound by Ellis Hunter... OMG, if you love Romantasy, you need to read this. If you have never read Romantasy, but want to try some, you need to read this! I just loved this book, and I just started reading romantasy. Read my review!

New Book Announcement... Did you love The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger?! Then you need to read this post!

First Lines Friday... You'll want to pack your bags for this one!

A Little Library Love... I share my library loot this week!

Kindle Deal...For romantacy readers! If you want to read Dire Bound before book 2 hits the shelves on Tuesday, have I got a Kindle deal for you!

That does it for this week! Have you found your next read here? How about finding a spark to start some tomato plants? Share any great reads you found this week!

Happy Reading... Suzanne

Kindle DEAL!

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Sat, 02 May 2026 14:40:00 +0000

Hey Kindle Readers! If you've heard about the BIG release on Tuesday of Fury Bound, Book 2 of The Wolves of Ruin series by Sable Sorensen, but still haven't read Book 1, Dire Bound, today is your day! Amazon has the Kindle version of Dire Bound for $1.99!! (605 pages on a Kindle is nice)... Here is the link for the Kindle book of Dire Bound. Remember to always check the price before hitting the "buy" button, because we all know how fast those prices can change.

Library Love

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Sat, 02 May 2026 05:00:00 +0000

This is what happens when you reserve your favorite books at the library... and they ALL come in at the same time!

Thank you Tristan from The Village Branch Library (Pickens County Library System) for lugging them all over and checking them out for me!

Here's what came in...

*Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker

*When The Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker

* The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff

*Kill for Me Kill For You by Steve Kavanagh.

I'll be going on a book date with each of these books and pick out which ones to read first.

Which one would you pick first?

#bookstagram #pickenscountylibrarysystem

#librarylove #pickenscountysc #pickenssc #librarylove

First Lines Friday... You'll want to Pack Your Bags for This One!

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Fri, 01 May 2026 15:48:00 +0000

"Wilbur Budd died around midnight, but he had trouble remembering the details"

Would you keep reading after the first lines? I would! And I love these stories that let the characters go back in time and that's what the publisher's blurb implies...

No one can change the past, but the Midnight Train can take you there.
The chance to re-live the moments that meant most.
To see what kind of person you really were.
For Wilbur his best days were with Maggie, the love of his life. On his honeymoon in Venice.
Before he gave it all away.
He wishes he could go back and live differently. But to do so risks everything . . .
A magical, time-travelling love story, from the world of The Midnight Library.

Let's get our bags packed and ready to board that train!

Viking Books will release The Midnight Train by Matt Haig on May 26th!

On My Wishlist!

Did You Love The Time Travelers Wife?... Here's The Long Awaited Sequel!

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 05:00:00 +0000

I loved The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger when I read it way back in 2009. The story was so unique and so touching. I still love that story...

In October, we get to read the continuing story of the Time Travelers Wife, following the daughter of Henry and Clare, Alba, who is also a "time traveler".

Here is the blurb from the publisher...

Alba DeTamble has never lived a life in order. Born with the same rare Chrono-Displacement Disorder as her father, Henry DeTamble, Alba is an involuntary time traveler: she slips unpredictably through decades, carrying the weight of a future she can witness but cannot change. Yet she strives to maintain a normal life: as a gifted violinist, Alba finds refuge in her music, as well as her tight-knit community of artists and activists who fight to take care of each other in an increasingly unstable world. 

As she dips in and out of time, Alba is haunted by secrets she must keep from those she loves most, including Zach, her safe, supportive anchor in the chaos. Her journey takes her from the riot-torn Chicago streets, to the eerie, timeless “Yellow House” – where she meets Oliver, a handsome fellow time traveler – to the digital corridors of the Museum of Lost Souls, a virtual sanctuary of forgotten memories and lost artifacts. Curating the museum is Isadora, Alba’s mysterious stepsister and an increasingly unsettling presence in their family – whose fate may be intertwined with Alba’s in more dangerous ways than she knows.

At once intimate and sweeping, Life Out of Order is a kaleidoscopic tale of love, resilience, and hope amid our fractured world where time itself is the greatest adversary. With every leap through the years, Alba is forced to reckon with the choices that define her, the people she cannot bear to lose, and the question that haunts every time traveler: can you ever truly belong to the present?

AND, publishers also added that you don't have to read The Time Travelers Wife to enjoy this- it's a standalone.

Will we fall in love with Life Out of Order?

I sure hope so! Looking forward to reading this!

Are YOU looking forward to it too?

Blood Bound by Ellis Hunter... A Deadly Duel. A Forbidden Love. One Jaw-Dropping Twist.

noreply@blogger.com (Suzanne Yester) — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:04:00 +0000

Blood Bound by Ellis Hunter

A centuries-old covenant forces the heir of the witches of Arturea to fight the heir of the dragon riders of Vatra… to the death.

Astrid—princess of Arturea—is powerful, proud… and not a warrior at heart. Zryan—Vatra’s lethal champion—is a battle-hardened force of nature, bonded to a massive fire-breathing dragon… and completely obsessed with Astrid.

What should be a death sentence becomes something far more dangerous: a forbidden, undeniable pull neither of them can resist. Blood Bound is the kind of romantasy that hooks you fast and doesn’t let go.

The world-building? Incredible. From the witches’ distinct magic and their familiars to the dragon riders’ raw, elemental power—every detail feels vivid and immersive. I swear, I was living in Vatra the entire time. (Still waiting to find out if “reading” counts as a magical talent… I’m claiming it.)

What fills this story out even more is the political intrigue and the rebellion hiding in the shadows—adding layers of tension and depth that make the stakes feel even higher.

And the characters? I was in. Fully invested. Practically third-wheeling alongside Astrid. The friendships that develop are true and touching. I loved the way the female friendships unfolded.

But let’s talk about what really delivers: 

Forbidden love…. Enemies to lovers….That slow burn tension…. Touch her and you’ll die… Dragons & Familiars… Political intrigue… Great banter!… Found family… Great female friendships… Magic & Potions… Did I say Dragons! And Familiars! 

And then—THE TWIST. The kind that makes you stop, reread, and immediately need to talk about it with someone. I want to scream about it… but I won’t ruin it for you.

Just know: It’s big, it’s bold and it brings everything together in a jaw-dropping way. There is so much packed into the story - you’re going to love it. I know I did. This is the first book of a promised 3 book trilogy.

And I am already whining that I want the second book!

Published by Atria Books on April 28th! And available at your favorite bookstore right now! I want to thank Atria Books for an advanced copy of Blood Bound to read & review! I loved it!