Book Beginnings - 6/22/2018

 

*Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.  *Taken directly from Rose City Reader's Blog Page. 

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My Book Beginnings is taken from A NOISE DOWNSTAIRS by Linwood Barclay:

"Driving along the Post Road late that early October night, Paul Davis was pretty sure the car driving erratically in front of him belonged to his colleague Kenneth Hoffman.  The ancient, dark blue Volvo station wagon was a fixture around West Haven College, a cliche on wheels of what a stereotypical professor drove."

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Books Finished:

BABY TEETH by Zoje Stage.

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GIRLS' NIGHT OUT by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke.

Review will be on July 24.

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SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER by David Bell.

Review will be on July 11.

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THE DYING OF THE LIGHT by Robert Goolrick.

This was an awesome read as always.

Review will be on July 5.

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THE SUMMER WIVES by Beatriz Williams.

Review will be on July 18, 2018.

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BEFORE AND AGAIN by Barbara Delinsky.

Lovely read.  Review will be on June 28.

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THE LOST FOR WORDS BOOKSHOP by Stephanie Butland.

Review is in the book's title.

LOVED this book.

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BOARDWALK SUMMER by Meredith Jaeger.

LOVED it -  It is set in 1940 and then moves to 2007.  A lovely nostalgic read.

Review is in the book's title.

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Book Blogger Hop - 6/22/2018

Question of the Week:

For all of you worker bees out there! How do you balance having a day job/career and managing your blog at night? Is it hard or easy to do, and what do people in your work life think of your blogs? (submitted by Danielle @ PoetryBooksYA)

My Answer:

I no longer work, but when I was working I was able to manage my job and my family as well as keep up with my blog.  I just made time. My blog was my stress relief.

The folks where I worked loved hearing about my blog, and they still do.

Teachers LOVE to read so the teachers I worked with always asked for book recommendations from me and also read my blog.

Friendly Fill-Ins - 6/22/2018

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FRIENDLY FILL-INS: 

1. My favorite scent is _____. 

2. I hope to ___ this weekend. 

3. __ is music to my ears.

4. Home is where ___.

MY ANSWERS:

1.  My favorite scent is Warm Vanilla Sugar.  I'm guessing we are talking about fragrances.

2.  I hope to have a wonderful time with my sisters this weekend.  They are visiting.

3.  A new book is music to my ears.

4.  Home is where my books and computer are. 

The Winner of THE MERMAID

CONGRATS TO WENDY!!

WENDY IS THE WINNER!!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED THE GIVEAWAY!!

 

Thrillers For The Summer

Have you seen this?  

I found it on Facebook, and the link goes straight to your Goodreads page.  :)

How many have you read?

From this THRILLER LIST, I have read THE WIFE BETWEEN US, THEN SHE WAS GONE, THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW, AFTER ANNA, LYING IN WAIT, LET ME LIE, AND THREE DAYS MISSING. 

I have these waiting for me: 

THE DEATH OF MRS. WESTAWAY, THE OTHER WOMAN, and OUR HOUSE.

I am having a very THRILLING Summer.  

https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1290-the-unputdownable-domestic-suspense-thrillers-of-2018

Giveaway and Spotlight of Death and Taxes by Mark Zaslove

Photo Source

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All information in this post is courtesy of Andrea Stein of Jane Wesman Public Relations

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Celebrating The Release Of

DEATH AND TAXES

By Mark Zaslove

Emmy Award-Winning Writer Mark Zaslove Turns Up The Heat in His Debut Novel, DEATH AND TAXES, A Crime Thriller Featuring Badass IRS Agent, Mark Douglas, and His Indiosyncratic Band of Revenuers

The First In A Series, DEATH AND TAXES Takes Readers On a Roller Coaster Ride of Gripping Suspense Combined With Hilarious Moments of Camaraderie and Deep Caring

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Praise for DEATH AND TAXES:

BookTrib.com:  “With slapstick humor, libidinous innuendo and groan-worthy puns served up with much tequila, DEATH AND TAXES will entertain readers” 

Midwest Book Review:  “A deftly crafted and thoroughly riveting read from first page to last, author Mark Zaslove demonstrates a genuine flair for narrative driven storytelling and the creation of distinctively memorable characters.”

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About The Book:

Mix one badass IRS agent with a gang of murderous Mongolian drug traffickers.  Add an assortment of quirky but lovable characters, and you’ve got the makings of a gripping thriller, aptly titled DEATH AND TAXES (Aperient Press; June 2018) by Emmy Award-winning writer Mark Zaslove. This riveting debut novel features Mark Douglas, an ex-Marine turned IRS agent, who, along with auditing the weird and the profane, also spearheads weekend raids with his gang of government-sanctioned revenuers, merrily gathering back taxes in the form of cash, money order, or more often than not, the debtor’s most prized possessions.

Things turn ugly when Mark’s much-loved boss and dear friend Lila is tortured and killed over what she finds in a routine set of 1040 forms. Mark follows a trail dotted with plutonium-enriched cows, a Saudi sheik with jewel-encrusted body parts, a doddering, drug sniffing, gun-swallowing dog named The Cabbage, a billionaire Texan with a fetish for spicy barbecue sauce and even spicier women, and an FBI field agent whose nickname is “Tightass.” All of which leads to more and bloodier murders – and greater danger for Mark.

With the help of his IRS pals – Harry Salt, a 30-year vet with a quantum physical ability to drink more than humanly possible; Wooly Bob, who’s egg-bald on top with shaved eyebrows to match; Miguel, an inexperienced newbie with a company-issued bullhorn and a penchant for getting kicked in the crotch – Mark hunts down the eunuch hit man Juju Klondike and the cunning Mongolian mob smuggling weapons-grade plutonium into the United States.  Under the watchful eye of the FBI, Mark and his scruffy gang enlist the power of the IRS data bank to track the criminals and lure them to a perilous rendezvous where everyone’s life is on the line.  In the world of DEATH AND TAXES, only the honest and brave can survive.

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About the Author:

Mark Zaslove, author of DEATH AND TAXES, is a writer/director/producer of both live-action and animated movies and television. He creates content for all major studios, including Disney, Universal, Paramount, and Warner Bros. 

A two-time Emmy Award winner for writing/producing, and a recipient of the Humanities Prize (for writing about uplifting human values in television and movies), he also writes short fiction and has served as a senior editor on various magazines. 

A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, he lives with his teenage son in Los Angeles.

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GIVEAWAY:

I am partnering with Andrea Stein and Jane Wesman Public Relations for this giveaway.

USA ONLY

June 21 - June 28

Enter here

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The Lost For Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland

Loveday Cardew works in a bookshop owned by Archie. Working in a bookshop is perfect for Loveday because she is a shy almost introverted person through no fault of her own. THE LOST FOR WORDS BOOKSHOP is a lovely read and will make you jealous of Loveday’s job, but not of the heartaches she keeps hidden. Besides the books and the bookshop, the characters in THE LOST FOR WORDS BOOKSHOP are the best, especially Archie....loved him.  He is a bit on the unorganized and fly-by-night type of person, but he loves his job, loves Loveday, and loves how Loveday helps him keep the shop going. Loveday is lovable, sweet, and a bit on the odd side. Nathan is someone I would like to know and someone very sweet to Loveday. Rob was annoying and unlikeable. The secondary characters worked well with the main characters and added mystery and tension. As THE LOST FOR WORDS BOOKSHOP goes back and forth in time, a few mysteries and secrets about Loveday’s childhood are revealed. Her family history definitely explained her closed-mouthed-about-her-feelings, lost-for-words personality. If you like books, bookshops, wonderful characters, a bit of mystery, and secrets kept, THE LOST FOR WORDS BOOKSHOP is for you. I’m sure most readers fall into most of those categories, so you won’t want to miss reading this charming, alluring read. The cover itself draws you in. There are some heartaches in it, but for the most part it is a lovely, bookish read.   ENJOY when you read this book.  5/5 This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.