I am back from a weeks vacation so my mind is not really here yet. I must have left it in Florida. I have this one post in which to cover any other books that I find interesting that are being published in July. Not too bad since there are only 5 of them I really want to talk about.
Beth Harbison tackles and interesting premise in If I Could Turn Back Time which arrives on July 28. If you could go back and change some decisions you made in the past, would you? 37 year old, successful Ramie Phillips made her fortune. She isn't happy - she isn't unhappy. While on a boat with friends in Florida, she drunkenly dives off the boat. She wakes up hearing her mother yell "Wake up! You'll be late for school!". Ramie has gone back to 18. What should she do differently? SHOULD she do anything differently? What does she really want?
Holly Brown, the author of Don't Try to Find Me, has another suspense novel coming out on July 7. A Necessary End is about the ends that Adrienne will go to in order to get a baby. Her husband is not gung ho about the idea but Adrienne agrees to let Leah, a pregnant 19 year old, live with them for one year after the baby is born. Suddenly, her husband is on board with the idea. Can things work out well? What do you think?
David Mark has the 4th in his DS Aector McAvoy series coming on July 7th, Taking Pity. McAvoy's life was ripped apart 3 month ago when his family home was destroyed along with his wife. He is living with his young son trying to recover and reenter police work in a slow manner. The case he chooses involves possible wrong doing by the police but was supposed to have been solved years ago. Never able to do things half heartedly, his investigation implicates some of the biggest criminals in England. Can he keep his son and himself safe? If you like Joseph Wambaugh or Ed McBain, try David Marks.
Also on July 7, Robert Karjel, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Swedish Air Force by day, has The Swede coming out. His novel focuses on Ernst Grip of the Swedish security police. Grip is sent to a remote military base in the Indian Ocean when the CIA is holding a suspect in a terrorist attack in the US. The CIA wants to know if the suspect is Swedish. Grip tries to uncover the man's real identity and uncovers a lot more than that. This is the first in a 2 book deal and this book has been very popular in Sweden.
Pretty Is is the first novel by Maggie Mitchell. The summer when Lois and Carly May were 12, they were abducted and driven to a cabin in the woods. They were held there for 2 months . 20 years later, Lois is a professor and Carly May is an actress. They have not seen each other since they were released. A movie with a familiar plot draws them together as adults and they must face their past. Reviewers say this will hook you from the beginning.
OK - there are the 5 titles I wanted to put out there. Hope one of them catches your interest. Happy reading!
Friday, June 26, 2015
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
LibraryReads for July
The July LibraryReads list was announced the end of last week. Only one of them is one that I have mentioned so far. I don't know if that is good or bad but you can decide that.
Number one on the list is Kitchens of the Great Midwest: A Novel by J. Ryan Stradal. This debut revolves around a great chef and how she became who she is. Chef Eva Thorvald is described by various characters in her life from her birth up to present day. Her mother ran away early in her life and her father raised her to enjoy food as much as he. Eva ends up so incredibly popular that people wait years for one of her dinners and pay $5000 per person. Reviewers overwhelming have loved this title. They said "it delighted and charmed me" and it was "hilarious without being cynical, touching without being overly sentimental, and wholly original." Give it a try and see what you think.
Paula McLain, the author of the popular The Paris Wife, has Circling the Sun which made the list. This one is a portrayal of Beryl Markham, an English woman who lived in Kenya and became an airline pilot and horse trainer. Markham is a real person who was the first to fly across the Atlanta west to east. If you liked the movie Out of Africa, then this book is for you. Said to be an outstanding book club pick and "a gorgeously written page-turning historical novel."
Next up is a romance, Kiss Me by Susan Mallery. This is the 17th in the series that takes place in Fool's Gold, CA. Phoebe Kitzke's is suspended from her job for doing a favor for a friend. She pledges she will never do that again when her best friend asks her to come help on the family ranch in Fool's Gold. Zane Nicholson has been talked into taking tourists on a cattle drive and when Phoebe shows up, he isn't thrilled. But then he is. Said to be great for romantics.
And now more romance with Jill Shalvis' Second Chance Summer. This is the first in a series that will be taking place in Cedar Ridge, CO. Lily Danville takes a job at the hottest resort in her hometown as much as she didn't want to be there. Aidan Kincaid is an old boy friend who allowed Lily to walk away 10 years ago. He wants a second chance. She doesn't want to give it to him. Hmmmm - I think we can guess who wins that one.
Kathy Reichs' Speaking in Bones was on last weeks list. As I said last week, this is the 18th Temperance Brennan novel. She investigates a theory on some unidentified bones. A must read for Bones fans.
Next is Chevy Stevens' Those Girls. A story about the bond between sisters. The Campbell sisters have a rough life on a range with a father who is always gone unless he is home, drunk and abusive. Their landlord threatens to call Family Services and after a particularly bad homecoming with their father, the girls take off with a gun and a truck. There, they get into more trouble and end up kidnapped. On their escape, they run and change their names. 18 years later, one of the sisters goes missing. It brings up memories of their past.
Then we have Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid. 29 year old Hannah Martin moves back home to LA to try to figure out what she wants out of life. Her best friend takes her out to a bar on her first night where she runs into an ex boyfriend, Ethan. When her best friend asks her if she is ready to go, Ethan offers to drive her home if she wants to stay. The rest of the story is told in alternating chapters about what happens when she makes that choice. Consequences, consequences, consequences.
Lissa Evans has Crooked Heart on the list. This is really a dark comedy that takes place in World War II Britain. Noel is 10 years old and has lived with his godmother (a opinionated ex-suffragette) since he was 4. On her death, he is evacuated from London and sent to live with Vet Sedge in St. Albans. Noel, a well read, intelligent child, and Vet, a well meaning, less than honest single mother, make a good team scheming to make some money. Said to be "hard to put down" and "completely captivating and utterly charming".
Love Lies Beneath by Ellen Hopkins is next on the list. I am not exactly sure how this one make it on the list. Reviewers seemed to really like it but be disappointed in the ending. Tara is a 40 year old divorcee (having been married 3 times). She breaks her leg in a skiing accident and meets Cavin, her handsome doctor. A steamy relationship starts to develop but then Tara notices a van following her; she experiences a break in and starts receiving threatening texts and emails. What is Cavin hiding?
Last on the list is Leanne Brown's Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day. This is an interesting book.
Brown was working on a master's at NYU and for her project, she figured out how well a person can eat on the $4 a day given by SNAP (the government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). The result is this cookbook. Wonderful pictures and good recipes. Take a look.
Number one on the list is Kitchens of the Great Midwest: A Novel by J. Ryan Stradal. This debut revolves around a great chef and how she became who she is. Chef Eva Thorvald is described by various characters in her life from her birth up to present day. Her mother ran away early in her life and her father raised her to enjoy food as much as he. Eva ends up so incredibly popular that people wait years for one of her dinners and pay $5000 per person. Reviewers overwhelming have loved this title. They said "it delighted and charmed me" and it was "hilarious without being cynical, touching without being overly sentimental, and wholly original." Give it a try and see what you think.
Paula McLain, the author of the popular The Paris Wife, has Circling the Sun which made the list. This one is a portrayal of Beryl Markham, an English woman who lived in Kenya and became an airline pilot and horse trainer. Markham is a real person who was the first to fly across the Atlanta west to east. If you liked the movie Out of Africa, then this book is for you. Said to be an outstanding book club pick and "a gorgeously written page-turning historical novel."
Next up is a romance, Kiss Me by Susan Mallery. This is the 17th in the series that takes place in Fool's Gold, CA. Phoebe Kitzke's is suspended from her job for doing a favor for a friend. She pledges she will never do that again when her best friend asks her to come help on the family ranch in Fool's Gold. Zane Nicholson has been talked into taking tourists on a cattle drive and when Phoebe shows up, he isn't thrilled. But then he is. Said to be great for romantics.
And now more romance with Jill Shalvis' Second Chance Summer. This is the first in a series that will be taking place in Cedar Ridge, CO. Lily Danville takes a job at the hottest resort in her hometown as much as she didn't want to be there. Aidan Kincaid is an old boy friend who allowed Lily to walk away 10 years ago. He wants a second chance. She doesn't want to give it to him. Hmmmm - I think we can guess who wins that one.
Kathy Reichs' Speaking in Bones was on last weeks list. As I said last week, this is the 18th Temperance Brennan novel. She investigates a theory on some unidentified bones. A must read for Bones fans.
Next is Chevy Stevens' Those Girls. A story about the bond between sisters. The Campbell sisters have a rough life on a range with a father who is always gone unless he is home, drunk and abusive. Their landlord threatens to call Family Services and after a particularly bad homecoming with their father, the girls take off with a gun and a truck. There, they get into more trouble and end up kidnapped. On their escape, they run and change their names. 18 years later, one of the sisters goes missing. It brings up memories of their past.
Then we have Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid. 29 year old Hannah Martin moves back home to LA to try to figure out what she wants out of life. Her best friend takes her out to a bar on her first night where she runs into an ex boyfriend, Ethan. When her best friend asks her if she is ready to go, Ethan offers to drive her home if she wants to stay. The rest of the story is told in alternating chapters about what happens when she makes that choice. Consequences, consequences, consequences.
Lissa Evans has Crooked Heart on the list. This is really a dark comedy that takes place in World War II Britain. Noel is 10 years old and has lived with his godmother (a opinionated ex-suffragette) since he was 4. On her death, he is evacuated from London and sent to live with Vet Sedge in St. Albans. Noel, a well read, intelligent child, and Vet, a well meaning, less than honest single mother, make a good team scheming to make some money. Said to be "hard to put down" and "completely captivating and utterly charming".
Love Lies Beneath by Ellen Hopkins is next on the list. I am not exactly sure how this one make it on the list. Reviewers seemed to really like it but be disappointed in the ending. Tara is a 40 year old divorcee (having been married 3 times). She breaks her leg in a skiing accident and meets Cavin, her handsome doctor. A steamy relationship starts to develop but then Tara notices a van following her; she experiences a break in and starts receiving threatening texts and emails. What is Cavin hiding?
Last on the list is Leanne Brown's Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day. This is an interesting book.
Brown was working on a master's at NYU and for her project, she figured out how well a person can eat on the $4 a day given by SNAP (the government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). The result is this cookbook. Wonderful pictures and good recipes. Take a look.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Big Name Authors in July
Amazingly, July does not have lots of big name authors publishing new works. There are some but not like June when there were lots. I am going to start with a nonfiction work and the rest will be fiction.
Lisa Scottoline is a very popular suspense author, however, she also writes a column about contemporary life, getting older, parenting, etc. for the Philadelphia Inquirer with her daughter, Francesca Serritella. They have accumulated these in several books. Scottoline is hysterical in person and in this series of nonfiction works. The newest one, Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat?, comes out on July 7th. I highly recommend these works - I guarantee you will laugh.
Do you or did you watch Dexter on television? Then Jeff Lindsay's newest Dexter is Dead ,which also comes out on the 7th, will be a must read. After 7 novels (this is the eighth) and 8 seasons on television, Dexter is making his final bow. Dexter is arrested for a murder he didn't commit and loses his wife, children and sister. The only thing he has left is his very dark brother who wants to prove him innocent. Does Dexter really die?
C.J. Box has Badlands coming out on July 28th. In is prior work, The Highway, Box introduced a rookie detective Cassie Dewell. This new title is the 2nd work that features Dewell. In a small North Dakota town a 12 year old paperboy, Kyle, witnesses an automobile accident and suddenly finds himself in possession of money and a package full of white powder. Kyle's mother's boyfriend says the package will make them lots of money. Dewell has newly been appointed the Deputy Sheriff in the area where oil has recently been discovered and money, men and crime have started to appear. She is looking at the possibility of gang warfare unless she can figure out what happened.
Brad Taylor has a Pike Logan thriller coming, The Insider Threat, on June 30th. While the world is focusing on ISIS on the battlefield, they have a plan working behind the scenes which is deadly and savagely cruel. Only Logan and the Taskforce can identify it and prevent it from happening. Said to be one of Taylor's best.
Brad Thor has Code of Conduct coming on July 7th. This will be the 14th in the Scott Harvath series. Thor has reached the level of popularity where his books do not come out for reviews list most other authors. Plot wise, you have to take the work of the publisher. According to the publisher, a few seconds of video is anonymously sent to people in DC. Counter terrorism operative Harvath is assigned to take an assignment that begins as a favor but becomes a high stakes game.
Lastly, Kathy Reichs has Speaking in Bones coming out on July 21st. This is the 18th Temperance Brennan novel. Someone names Hazel Strike tells Brennan that some unidentified bones she has in her lab belong to an 18 year old girl names Cora Teague. Brennan goes to investigate and finds some other skeletons in the same area. Then Hazel winds up dead. Can Brennan solve this case?
Hopefully, these might give you some other titles to put on your list. Hope you are having a great summer.
Lisa Scottoline is a very popular suspense author, however, she also writes a column about contemporary life, getting older, parenting, etc. for the Philadelphia Inquirer with her daughter, Francesca Serritella. They have accumulated these in several books. Scottoline is hysterical in person and in this series of nonfiction works. The newest one, Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat?, comes out on July 7th. I highly recommend these works - I guarantee you will laugh.
Do you or did you watch Dexter on television? Then Jeff Lindsay's newest Dexter is Dead ,which also comes out on the 7th, will be a must read. After 7 novels (this is the eighth) and 8 seasons on television, Dexter is making his final bow. Dexter is arrested for a murder he didn't commit and loses his wife, children and sister. The only thing he has left is his very dark brother who wants to prove him innocent. Does Dexter really die?
C.J. Box has Badlands coming out on July 28th. In is prior work, The Highway, Box introduced a rookie detective Cassie Dewell. This new title is the 2nd work that features Dewell. In a small North Dakota town a 12 year old paperboy, Kyle, witnesses an automobile accident and suddenly finds himself in possession of money and a package full of white powder. Kyle's mother's boyfriend says the package will make them lots of money. Dewell has newly been appointed the Deputy Sheriff in the area where oil has recently been discovered and money, men and crime have started to appear. She is looking at the possibility of gang warfare unless she can figure out what happened.
Brad Taylor has a Pike Logan thriller coming, The Insider Threat, on June 30th. While the world is focusing on ISIS on the battlefield, they have a plan working behind the scenes which is deadly and savagely cruel. Only Logan and the Taskforce can identify it and prevent it from happening. Said to be one of Taylor's best.
Brad Thor has Code of Conduct coming on July 7th. This will be the 14th in the Scott Harvath series. Thor has reached the level of popularity where his books do not come out for reviews list most other authors. Plot wise, you have to take the work of the publisher. According to the publisher, a few seconds of video is anonymously sent to people in DC. Counter terrorism operative Harvath is assigned to take an assignment that begins as a favor but becomes a high stakes game.
Lastly, Kathy Reichs has Speaking in Bones coming out on July 21st. This is the 18th Temperance Brennan novel. Someone names Hazel Strike tells Brennan that some unidentified bones she has in her lab belong to an 18 year old girl names Cora Teague. Brennan goes to investigate and finds some other skeletons in the same area. Then Hazel winds up dead. Can Brennan solve this case?
Hopefully, these might give you some other titles to put on your list. Hope you are having a great summer.
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