Great reads for adults and children!
Hannah has a new book coming out in ’24
Highly recommended as is Becoming Mrs. Lewis.. Both have connections to CS Lewis
I enjoyed this.
MISS MORTON AND THE ENGLISH HOUSE PARTY MURDER
Part of a good traditional series
From a writer of mystery’s Golden Age
#TheJoyofBridge #NetGalley
I have played bridge for many years. I would say that I am an intermediate player. This book seemed great for me. There are clear examples and strategies for how to play, bid and think about bridge.
This book will, I think, work best if the reader has a pack of cards and can set up the situations to play them out. There is much to be gleaned here.
That said, this book is not designed to teach the beginner in my opinion. Even looking at the first section, the assumption is that the reader knows how to bid, what the dummy is, etc.
For the experienced player who wants to improve, this is a good resource. Just a few of the topics included are ruffing losers, nt drawing trumps, valuing no trump hands, which suit to open,Stayman and much more. Read the book in order or go to a topic that is of interest. Remember…a bridge game should be fun and there is always more to learn.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Ad Lib Publishers for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 16 November 2023
THE MAGPIE MURDERS
worth your attention
First book that i read by this author. A take on daddy longlegs
#BalancingAct #NetGalley
Do you ever long for a good, yet wholesome, read? One where you will care about the characters and their story and where you can hope for a happy ending? Do you like knowing that a book is part of a series so that it is possible to look forward to future good reads? You will know if you are this kind of reader. If you are, Emily March’s new series of which this is book 2 may be just right for you.
This title can be read as a standalone but, for the fun of it, readers may also want to look at the first book. This time, get to know Genevieve who lives in Lake Cloud, Colorado. She is just getting back on her feet when a visit from her daughter Willow leads to disruption. Willow is quite busy but also wants/needs to make time for some serious talk with her mother.
Readers also meet Noah. He has a few secrets of his own. What will happen as these three characters go through their days?
This book is sure to be enjoyed by readers of women’s fiction and those who like stories by writers like Debbie Macomber. It is easy to recommend this one.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Forever Grand Central Publishing for this title . All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 28 November 2023
All of the books on this blog tour are worth reading. Today’s title, The Fiction Writer, is an intriguing one. I so enjoy books that refer to DuMaurier and Rebecca.
Many thanks to the team at HTP for this opportunity.
The Fiction Writer : A Novel
Jillian Cantor
On Sale Date: November 28, 2023
9780778334187
Trade Paperback
$17.99 USD
304 pages
ABOUT THE BOOK:
From USA Today-bestselling Jillian Cantor, THE FICTION WRITER follows a mid-list writer hired by a handsome billionaire to write about his family history with Daphne du Maurier and finds herself drawn into a tangled web of obsession, marital secrets, and stolen manuscripts.
Last night I dreamt I went to Malibu again…
The once-rising literary star Olivia Fitzgerald is down on her luck. Her most recent novel–a re-telling of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca–was a flop, her boyfriend of nine years just dumped her, and she’s battling a bad case of writer’s block. So when her agent calls her with a high-paying ghostwriting opportunity, Olivia is all too willing to sign the NDA.
At first, the write-for-hire job seems too good to be true. All she has to do is interview Henry “Ash” Asherwood, a reclusive mega billionaire, twice-named People’s Sexiest Man Alive, who wants her help in writing a book that reveals a shocking secret about his late grandmother and Daphne du Maurier. But when Olivia arrives at his Malibu estate, nothing is as it seems. Ash is hesitant to reveal any family secrets, and he seems more interested in her than their writing project. The more Olivia digs into his grandmother’s past, the more questions she has—and before she knows it, she’s trapped in a gothic mystery of her own.
With as many twists and turns as the California coast, The Fiction Writer is a captivating story exploring the boundaries of creative freedom and whose stories we have the right to tell.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jillian Cantor is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of eleven novels for teens and adults, which have been chosen for LibraryReads, Indie Next, Amazon Best of the Month, and have been translated into 13 languages. She has a BA in English from Penn State University and an MFA from the University of Arizona. Born and raised in a suburb of Philadelphia, Cantor currently lives in Arizona with her husband and two sons.
BUY LINKS:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/077833418X/keywords=gothic?tag=harpercollinsus-20
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-fiction-writer/id6444363552
SOCIAL LINKS:
Author website: https://www.jilliancantor.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jilliancantor
FB: https://www.facebook.com/authorjilliancantor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JillianCantor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1651861.Jillian_Cantor
Prologue
Last night I dreamt I went to Malibu again.
I stood barefoot on the sand, the cool water nipping at my ankles. And there, high above me, perched on the edge of that magnificent cliff, his stunning house sat as it once had, alive, whole. It had ten bedrooms and was on three private cliffside acres, with a lap pool, a tennis court, and a garden blooming flush with pink and white bougainvillea. But from the beach down below all I could see was its long wall of privacy-tinted glass windows, slanting out toward the sea.
He could see me here, out on the beach. I was certain he could, even in my dream.
He was still behind those windows, watching my every step. Though I couldn’t see him. The glass was one-way. But I imagined him there behind the glass so vividly, it had to be real.
Until it wasn’t. Until the heat from the flames would shatter all the windows, break them apart, send smoke spewing from the piano room, down the cliff, evaporating in wisps into the lonely Pacific.
But in my dream, the flames hadn’t existed yet. Or, maybe they never would. He and his house were there, watching me. Wanting me. Haunting me.
“Come back!” His voice was a desperate echo, my undoing. The smoke was so thick, even out on the beach I couldn’t see, and I couldn’t breathe.
So that’s why I did it, in my dream. I turned away from the house, and I walked into the bone-chilling water. It was so cold, it numbed me, but I walked into the sea, up to my shoulders, my neck, my chin. Until I could no longer smell the smoke or hear his voice.
And then my entire head was underwater, and the tide was strong. It sucked me in, held me there.
But I wasn’t trying to drown. I really wasn’t. I was merely trying to escape the fire.
Excerpted from The Fiction Writer by Jillian Cantor, Copyright © 2023 by Jillian Cantor. Published by Park Row Books.
I have often enjoyed going to Thai restaurants and getting Thai takeout from the small place near where I live. Now, with this book of recipes, I can try my hand at making Thai food at home.
This title covers everything from snacks and street food, to soups, salads, fish & shellfish, curries, stir fries, noodles, desserts and more. The photos alone will make cooks hungry!
Each of the 80 plus recipes has a short introduction that is followed by photos and the directions. The recipes may not be for absolute beginners but that is for each cook to decide. I do know that they all look delicious.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.
Four stars ****
I enjoyed this one
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 