Wednesday, November 6, 2024

Spotlight of Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch


PHOTO SOURCE:
TYPORAMA

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PONY CONFIDENTIAL
CHRISTINA LYNCH
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ALL INFORMATION IN THIS POST IS COURTESY OF TARA O'CONNOR | SENIOR PUBLICIST | BERKLEY, AN IMPRINT OF PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE.

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This fall, saddle up for an epic whodunnit with horsepower!


Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club meets The Art of Racing in the Rain in a mash-up of feel-good mystery and a tear-jerking journey for friendship, love, and belonging—all narrated by one very cranky pony.


A hilariously epic equine mystery starring a snarky yet endearing pony (aptly named Pony) who is determined to acquit the only human he’s ever loved of a crime she didn’t commit. 


Perfect for readers of Lessons in Chemistry and Remarkably Bright Creatures, Lynch’s Berkley debut is a one-of-a-kind tale of epic proportions with an animal narrator, as Pony travels far and wide on a selfless quest to save his person from peril.

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November 5, 2024
Berkley Hardcover
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ABOUT PONY CONFIDENTIAL:

Pony has been passed from owner to owner over the course of his life—he’s put out to pasture when the children outgrow pony-riding, bought and sold like an object. 


The years have left him jaded, and, fed up with the way he’s been treated, Pony decides to bust out of the barn. He sets out to find Penny—his original owner, and the one person who ever held Pony’s heart. 


But when Pony finds Penny and learns she’s an adult who is now standing trial for murder, he commits to stirrup some trouble—he must find the true killer and clear Penny’s name once and for all.  What follows is an epic filled with both snark and heart. 


It’s only murders in the barn from here—and Pony must make hay if he is going to bring the true killer to justice.

 

Lynch shines light on how people often treat animals as disposable goods despite their innocence, devotion, and loyalty to us. 


Her story poignantly upends this dynamic, revealing the humanity of animals and the beastliness of humans time and time again. 


A former editor of Harvard Lampoon, Lynch is no stranger to humor. 


Her bold, unique novel hilariously brings to life a pony with attitude. PONY CONFIDENTIAL begs the question—if our pets could talk, what would they say about the ways in which we treat them? And the ways we treat each other?


Fresh, original, and full of humor, PONY CONFIDENTIAL is a must readthe "mane event" this fall, you might say!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Photo Credit:  Stacy Brand

Christina Lynch is the author of The Italian Party, Sally Brady's Italian Adventure, and the forthcoming Pony Confidential.

She is also the co-author of two novels under the pen name Magnus Flyte.

She's at the beck and call of two dogs, three horses, and a hilarious pony who carts her up and down mountains while demanding (and receiving) many carrots.

Her picaresque journey includes chapters in Chicago and at Harvard, where she was an editor on the Harvard Lampoon.

She was the Milan correspondent for W magazine and Women’s Wear Daily, and disappeared for four years in Tuscany.

In L.A. she was on the writing staff of Unhappily Ever After; Encore, Encore; The Dead Zone and Wildfire.

She now lives in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and teaches at College of the Sequoias.

**Author Information and Photo taken from her Bio on Amazon**

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Tuesday, November 5, 2024

The Memory Dress by Jade Beer


A 2024 FAVORITE!!

We meet Madeline both past and present.

In the past, we meet Madeline as she starts work at her dream job of being a dressmaker.  William, who also works there, figures out that she is very talented.


Present day, we see Madeline living in an apartment where no one pays attention to any of the residents, but one day Jayne notices Madeline’s apartment is in horrible condition.  There is no food.  It’s dirty.  It’s messy.  It smells.


She has to help this sweet woman who apparently has dementia and keeps repeating that she is looking for her husband William and waiting for him to come home.


A surprising thing is that Jayne found a room in Madeline’s apartment called the memory room where there are dresses with a note pinned on each dress explaining some event in Madeline’s life.  The most amazing dress is one that belonged to Princess Diana and one that Madeline designed and made.


Jayne must find out what all this means and how she and her neighbors can help Madeline with her memory.  She has no family that the neighbors know of to help.


THE MEMORY DRESS is a sweet, but heartbreaking read with a look at how dementia robs a person of their life and one that you will not want to put down as you follow Madeline and Jayne and as Jayne unravels the life of Madeline.


Each one of the characters is so lovely and ones you would hope to encounter in your life.


Historical fiction fans, fans of Princess Diana, and fans of fashion as well as those who enjoy some twists and turns in a character’s life will enjoy this book.


I enjoyed another book by Ms. Beer, THE LAST DRESS FROM PARIS.  Be sure THE MEMORY DRESS is in your want to read list along with some tissues.  5/5


Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book.  All opinions are my own.



Monday, November 4, 2024

Showcase of The Cadieux Murders by R.J. Koreto and a $20 Amazon Gift Card

The Cadieux Murders by R.J. Koreto Banner

THE CADIEUX MURDERS

by R.J. Koreto

November 4-29, 2024 

Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

The ink is still wet on the contract, but Wren Fontaine is already running into trouble as she renovates Cadieux House, a modernist masterpiece on Long Island's exclusive Gold Coast. The home's architect was the brilliant and eccentric Marius Cadieux, her father's mentor, and Ezra doesn't want Wren to change as much as a doorknob.

And the home itself comes with a dark past: In 1955, it was the site of the never-solved murder of its owner, Dennis Blaine. Cadieux himself was alleged to be having an affair with Dennis's wife, the stunningly beautiful Rebecca. It seems like yesterday's headlines, but then someone starts killing people with a connection to the house. The home's new owner—bestselling novelist Bronwyn Merrick—may be using the house to launch a fictionalized account of the 1955 crime. But someone may not want to her to. Just how far will Bronwyn's armed bodyguard go to protect her?

The Cadieux Murders by R.J. Koreto

As Wren untangles the threads, she finds they all lead back to the house. Rebecca apparently inspired the strange, yet alluring residence, and both the home and its mistress may have caused uncontrolled emotions that led to tragedy. Wren uses all her architectural skills to decipher the hidden message Cadieux cunningly wove into the home's design. She must think back 20 years to when, as a little girl, she met Cadieux. Deeply impressed with Wren, he gave her a clue about the house—and his unusual friendship with Rebecca. With her girlfriend Hadley at her side, Wren eventually solves the mysteries of the home and the people who lived there, develops a grudging respect for modernist architecture—and learns something about the difference between love and obsession.

Book Details:

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Published by: Level Best Books
Publication Date: October 15, 2024
Number of Pages: 237
Series: The Historic Homes Mysteries, 3
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Audible | Goodreads | Level Best Books

Read an excerpt:

From Chapter 1

Wren stood on the shore and stared, trying to sort out her feelings about the ineffable house in front of her. She was only vaguely aware that while she looked at the house, her companion looked at her.

"So, Ms. Architect—what say you?" Bronwyn finally asked. Wren saw her wry smile. She knew she'd have to answer, and Bronwyn would expect it to be clever.

"Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness," Wren said.

"Is that an original observation?" asked Bronwyn.

Wren laughed. "You flatter me. It's the great modernist architect Frank Gehry. This house is very much of its time and place. Look at the white stucco walls, the glass and steel, the absolute cleanliness of lines. The geometric arrangement of the layers is mathematically perfect."

"Why do I sense a 'but' coming?" asked the woman, arching an eyebrow.

Wren knew there could be no softening the message. "I don't find it welcoming. There is something very self-aware about modernist homes. A look-at-me arrogance about them, as if they are doing you a favor of letting you inside." She paused, wondering if she had gone too far. "But maybe I'm being unfair. I haven't been inside it yet. And there's no doubt that it's stunning." She looked at Bronwyn, waiting for her reaction.

"Are you saying I may have made a mistake buying it?" asked Bronwyn. Wren heard the teasing in her voice.

"No. Nobody ever made a mistake buying a house that spoke to them." Yes, even if they spent $30 million for it. "If you are honest with yourself about what you want, you will be happy here. And if you are honest with me, I guarantee I can give you what you want with the renovation."

"Fair enough," said Bronwyn. "Was that Frank Gehry again?"

"No, that was entirely me."

"Ah. But as Gehry said, it should yearn for timeliness. Has this succeeded in that?"

"We'll need to give it another century."

Bronwyn nodded. "Maybe it's because I'm a writer. I become obsessed in making sure my books, the plots and subplots, are exciting. This house looks exciting. I was happy in my nice, simple co-op, and then my financial advisor told me I could do better. Much better. I fell in love with this right away. The more I walked through it, the more I liked it, the idea that I will be able to stay in it a long time, and keep finding something new about it."

"Then you absolutely did the right thing. Indeed, that is the very purpose of a house like this," said Wren. She mulled over her next statement. "When I was a girl, however, I wanted to live in a Victorian manor house, with a great hall with a huge hearth and handmade wooden furniture. I'd wear long dresses and be attended to by maids in starched uniforms." Did I just sound silly?

"That's very romantic," said Bronwyn, and Wren wondered if that was a criticism, a put-down for a flighty young girl. "But then again, I feel romantic about this, about men in classic tuxedos and women in Chanel dresses, with cigarettes and dry martinis and Dave Brubeck playing in the background. I guess we're both emotional that way, so despite our differences about favorite eras, I'm thinking hiring you is going to turn out to be a good decision as well."

Wren felt relief wash over her. She felt confident building houses but closing a deal—that involved people. She still didn’t trust her abilities when people were involved. Of course, there was still one more feature of the house they needed to discuss: The "tragedy." That's how the papers had described it.

But Wren wasn't going to bring it up first.

Bronwyn hugged her leather jacket. "It's a great view, but it's getting cold. Let's go inside."

Yes. Wren always looked over the outside first, but she was especially excited about seeing the interior. Until Bronwyn had bought it a few weeks ago, no one had been inside the house since the 1950s, except for the caretaker staff.

The house overwhelmed Wren despite herself. Oh yes, she thought, Marius Cadieux knew it would. He would be so amused. So very proud. No—smug. Even if it wasn't to her taste, there was no denying what Cadieux had achieved here: the soaring ceiling, the clever use of windows filling the house with light even on a dreary day, the unexpected curves and angles, the steel staircase, which also served as a sculpture. Wren just stared. There really was nothing to compare it to—a Cadieux house was always unique. She could see him standing over her, "Very nice, isn't it, little one? And of course, your client is overwhelmed by it, as she should be."

"I'm glad I bought a house that even knocks the socks off another architect," said Bronwyn, grinning.

"It certainly does," said Wren. "I've seen pictures, but they're not the same as really being inside it." Wren took in Bronwyn, with her attractive, angular face and the matching pixie haircut. Did the author indeed have a modernist personality, a match for this home, a connection with Cadieux? Indeed, did Bronwyn know how perfect she looked in her new house?

Wren walked among the rooms, taking note of the artful ways Cadieux had divided the house—very few true walls and doors, just a series of levels and passages, rectangular pillars clad in stone. Cadieux loved granite and marble, quartzite and sandstone, and merged them with oak and walnut, teak and lyptus. Wren saw Bronwyn marveling over it, even though she had already visited her new home several times. That was the thing about a Cadieux home, that Bronwyn had already realized: You could live there 40 years and marvel over it every day for the rest of your life.

"I'd like to see upstairs." Wren smiled. "But as you no doubt noticed, 'upstairs' is relative in a Cadieux house, with its intersecting layers. It just flows. That was a hallmark of Cadieux, but none I've seen are quite as…" She let her voice trail off.

"You can't find the word?" said Bronwyn.

"You're the writer—can you? Architectural journalists struggled to describe him. But here we go…'intriguing.' No other Cadieux house is as intriguing as this one. It may take me a while to figure it out."

"You mean, how it's put together?" asked Bronwyn.

"Oh no. That's easy. I meant what is its personality? Marius Cadieux stamped a personality on this house. It has a reason, and I will find out what that is. For now, we look at it: See the extraordinary flow of the house, the ways the rooms are separate and yet merge into each other, the way the light plays along the floors and walls. The materials blend into each other, and Cadieux is taught in every architecture school—as if you could teach this."

"It sounds like you studied him," said Bronwyn. "It sounds like you knew him. Did you?" She fixed her eyes on Wren, who gave that question some thought.

She didn't want to go there, not yet.

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Excerpt from The Cadieux Murders by R.J. Koreto. Copyright 2024 by R.J. Koreto. Reproduced with permission from R.J. Koreto. All rights reserved.

 

Don't Miss The Previous Historic Homes Mysteries




Author Bio:

R.J. Koreto

Over the years, R.J. Koreto has been a magazine writer, website manager, textbook editor, novelist and merchant seaman. He was born and raised in New York City, graduated from Vassar College, and has wanted to be a writer since reading The Naked and the Dead. In addition to his novels, he has published short stories in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, the 2020 Bouchercon Anthology and Paranoia Blues: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Paul Simon. His current series features Wren Fontaine, an architect who finds mysteries in the historic homes she renovates. He and his wife have two grown daughters, and they divide their time between Rockland County, N.Y., and Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.

Catch Up With R.J. Koreto:


www.RJKoreto.com
Goodreads
BookBub - @rkoreto1
Instagram - @RJKoreto
Threads - @RJKoreto
Twitter/X - @RJKoreto
Facebook - @RJKoreto

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It's Monday!! What Are YOU Reading? - 11/4/2024

                              http://bookdate.blogspot.com/

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I hope you had a great reading week.
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This is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at BOOK DATE!

Post the books completed, the books you are currently reading, and the books you hope to finish at some point.
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Books Completed:

THE FAMILY INSIDE by Katie Garner - review will be on January 28, 2025.

A bit bizarre, but a twisty storyline.

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CROSS MY HEART by Megan Collins - review will be on January 17, 2025.

Slow at first, but worth the wait - tense and twisty.

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THE BUSINESS TRIP by Jessica Garcia - review will be on January 15, 2025.

Oh my - SO GOOD!!  You will need your thinking cap!!

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THE LOST HOUSE by Melissa Larsen - review will be on January 14, 2025.

Pretty slow until the last ten percent.   

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THE JEWEL OF THE BLUES by Monica Chenault-Kilgore - review will be on November 29.

A bit wordy, but entertaining and well-researched.

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THE CHAMPAGNE LETTERS by Kate Macintosh - review will be on December 12.

So good - It's about Veuve Clicquot, the Champagne Queen of Reims.

THE LAST FASHION HOUSE IN PARIS by Renee Ryan - review will be on December 20.

Another well-researched gem by fabulous Renee Ryan.

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THE FRENCH WINEMAKER'S DAUGHTER by Loretta Ellsworth - review will be on December 11.

SO GOOD - LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the storyline and the characters.

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WHAT THE WIFE KNEW by Darby Kane - review will be on December 10.

Another good one by Darby Kane.

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THE SUNFLOWER HOUSE by Adriana Allegri - review will be on November 12.

A marvelous debut - wonderful research, pull-in-writing, and some tender moments despite what was going on in one of the many homes in the Lebensborn Program during WWII.

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CHRISTMAS WITH THE QUEEN by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb - review will be on November 11.

Do NOT miss this one!!  Sweet characters and a great storyline

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THE MEMORY DRESS by Jade Beer - review will be on November 5.

LOVED IT!!

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Book Currently Reading:

THE GIRLS OF THE GLIMMER FACTORY by Jennifer Coburn - review will be on January 29, 2025.

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Books Up Next:

LAST TWILIGHT IN PARIS by Pam Jenoff - review will be on February 4, 2025.

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THE QUEENS OF CRIME by Marie Benedict - review will be on February 11, 2025.

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NOTHING EVER HAPPENS HERE by Seraphina Nova Glass - review will be on February 12, 2025.

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YOU ARE FATALLY INVITED by Ande Pliego - review will be on February 13.
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EVERY PRECIOUS AND FRAGILE THING by Barbara Davis - review will be on February 18, 2025.

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COME FLY WITH ME by Camille Di Maio - review will be on February 19, 2025.

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TO SICILY WITY LOVE by Jennifer Probst - review will be on February 20.
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THE LOST PASSENGER by Frances Quinn - review will be on February 25, 2025.

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THE YOUNGER WOMAN by Cate Ray - review will be on February 26, 2025.

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BROKEN COUNTRY by Claire Leslie Hall - review will be on March 4, 2025.
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A MAP TO PARADISE by Susan Meissner - review will be on March 18, 2025.
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BEACH VIBES by Susan Mallery - review will be on March 19, 2025, 2025.

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THE FISHERMAN'S GIFT by Julia R. Kelly - review will be on March 20, 2025.
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THE LIBRARY GAME Gigi Pandian - review will be on March 21, 2025.
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THE OTHER PEOPLE by C. B. Everett - review will be on March 25, 2025.

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I WOULD DIE FOR YOU by Sandi Jones - review will be on March 26, 2025.
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THE PAGE TURNER by Viola Shipman - review will be on April 8, 2025.
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THE MATCHMAKER by Aisha Saeed - revivew will be on April 9.
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CORAM HOUSE by Bailey Seybolt - review will be on April 15, 2025.
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FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY by Jennifer E. Smith - review will be on April 16, 2025.

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TOUGH LUCK by Sandra Dallas - review will be on April 29, 2025.

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SUCH A GOOD MOM by Julia Spiro - review will be on April 30, 2025.

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THE GIRLS OF GOOD FORTUNE by Kristina McMorris - review will be on May 20, 2025.

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THE MARTHA'S VINEYARD BEACH AND BOOK CLUB by Martha Hall Kelly - review will be on May 27, 2025.

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SHAW CONNOLLY LIVES TO TELL Gillian French - review will be June 17, 2025.
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PARTY OF LIARS Kelsey Cox - review will be on July 1, 2025.

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HIGH SEASON by Katie Bishop - review will be on August 12, 2025.

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