Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Wayward Girls by Susan Wiggs

Be prepared to find the truth about these schools known as the Magdalene Laundries where they sent girls back in the 60s for many different reasons.

Some were sent there because of pregnancy - others were sent there just because their parents wanted them out of the house or they couldn’t afford them, but most of the reasons were not really legitimate to keep them.


They didn’t educate them.  They used the girls as free labor for doing laundry for local businesses and treated them like prisoners.


These schools were run by nuns with many strict rules, very little nutritious food, horrible punishments, and with the outside world thinking the girls were being treated well and being redeemed.


We meet Mairin, who was dragged there by her mother.  While she is there she befriends other girls, but tries to escape every chance she can.


The girls become close and realize they need each other to endure what goes on.


You will love the characters and the lifelong friendships they made, but your heart will break for them.


WAYWARD GIRLS is another marvelously researched, pull-you-in book by Susan Wiggs that will also have you shedding tears.


Be sure to add it to your TBR.  5/5


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






Tuesday, July 15, 2025

The Lake Escape by Jamie Day

Your huge new house is blocking my lake view.

The house started off the not-so-good summer for the life long friends, and it wasn't the worst thing that happened or that was discovered.

 

Julia, David, and Erika have spent summers at the lake all their lives.


Everyone has changed and everyone has secrets as we meet two new characters this year - David's young girlfriend, Fiona, and the nanny, Izzy, for David's four-year-old twins.


When David's girlfriend goes missing the first night she is there, everyone wonders if the lake claimed her like it did two other girls more than thirty years ago.


And who deleted the security footage from the exact time Fiona went missing.

 

How is this summer going to turn out?


Will there be another victim? 


What other information will surface?


Find out in this slow moving read with a lot of characters to keep track of and characters with secrets and agendas of their own.  4/5


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



Monday, July 14, 2025

Spotlight of Bottom of the Breath by Jayne Mills


PHOTO CREDIT:
TYPORAMA
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BOTTOM OF THE BREATH
JAYNE MILLS
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ALL INFORMATION IN THIS POST IS COURTESY OF SARA OF WUNDERKIND PR.
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For fans of Liane Moriarty and Maria Semple, this contemporary debut novel weaves together romance, mystery, and adventure as a woman travels to the Grand Canyon seeking answers to an old family secret.

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July 8
She Writes Press
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PRAISE FOR BOTTOM OF THE BREATH:

“An engrossing and often moving novel about the ways in which disaster can create newfound fortitude.” Kirkus Reviews


“Mills’s efficient prose sketches an entirely believable landscape in Cyd’s mind, roiling with confusion over the breakdown of her marriage and the shocking revelations about her family. Cyd’s mental state unfolds through intermittent flashbacks of marital ups and downs, her childhood, and the family secrets that drive the novel, all delivered with rich symbolism. Mills even uses an incoming hurricane as a token of the emotional storms brewing in Cyd’s life… Mills effectively examines the self-destructive thought patterns women often fall into in their quest for happiness… Readers will savor Cyd’s intense journey, rooting for her to navigate her trauma and emerge on the other side, ready to become a woman who “believed she would find her way.”— Publishers Weekly BookLife


“Jayne Mills’s Bottom of the Breath is about struggle and acceptance, secrets and losses—and also both frank and hopeful, a willing and wise embrace of what is.”—Michelle Wildgen, author of Wine People 


“Mills drops her readers into the middle of a life, a marriage, and a quest for answers about the past and future, in other words, into a situation we can all relate to. Set against the grandeur of the American Southwest, this is a story of seeking—not only for answers but the physical strength and spiritual clarity needed to recover from a profound emotional blow. Guided by an eclectic cast of characters, this inspiring journey takes us to the depths of the Grand Canyon and reveals the resilience of the human heart.”

—Kerry Sanders, Today Show Correspondent (retired)


“Finely crafted and emotionally rich, Bottom of the Breath is a captivating debut from a fresh voice in fiction . . .”—Deborah Sharp, author of the Mace Bauer Mystery Series


“The novel examines the complexity of human emotions, the strength found in vulnerability, and the power of taking control when life feels unmanageable. It captures the beauty of introspection and the courage to embrace change. . . . a contemporary drama about the human condition.”—Reader’s Favorite, FIVE STARS


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ABOUT BOTTOM OF THE BREATH:

After crashing into a devastating revelation, Cyd’s tranquil life on the Florida panhandle is upended when she receives a letter announcing an inheritance from an estranged aunt.


The inheritance contains mysterious “items of a personal nature” which Cyd must collect in person halfway across the country.


In a last attempt to salvage her deteriorating marriage, Cyd agrees to travel with her husband on what he promises—and she questions—will be the trip of a lifetime.

As they set out, a hurricane threatens their hometown.


Fueled by the growing threat of the storm and the tension brewing between them, the couple’s long-suppressed problems erupt. Cyd continues the journey on her own, unsure if either her home or her marriage will survive.


Clues and instinct lead Cyd to Sedona and then to the Grand Canyon.


She descends into the vast chasm alone searching for answers to newly raised questions and age-old mysteries.


She steps off the beaten path, literally, knowing she must make peace with her pain-filled past and her uncertain future.


The narrative delves into themes of self-discovery, the complexities of marriage, the impact of family legacies, and the resilience required to navigate life's challenges.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jayne Mills is a financial advisor who has secretly nurtured a lifelong dream of writing a novel.


She expressed her literary aspirations through  Financial Wellness Monthly , a newsletter combining her interests in finance, yoga, and meditation.


Additionally, she developed a program called The Wealth-Wellness Connection, designed to help people better understand their complex relationships with money.


Jayne holds degrees in journalism and finance and is a registered yoga teacher.


In recent years, her favorite way to vacation is as the navigator in a custom van (she hates talking maps) on a quest to visit every national park with her partner (he knows better than to  ever  let her drive) and their Border Collie, Elvis. 


She lives peacefully in St. Augustine, Florida

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Connect with Jayne:


Website


Instagram


Facebook


Substack



It's Monday!! What Are YOU Reading? - 7/14/2025

                              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:

FORGET ME NOT by Stacy Willingham - review will be on August 26, 2025.

A slow startup, but oh so good.   Don't miss it.

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THE SECOND CHANCE BUS STOP by Alli Zetterberg - review will be on August 23, 2025.

A bit confusing, but a good read.  An emotional read.

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THROUGH AN OPEN WINDOW by Pamela Terry - spotlight will be on August 22, 2025.

I still loved her book THE SWEET TASTE OF MUSCADINES the best.   This was not a favorite.

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THE MARIGOLD COTTAGES MURDER COLLECTIVE by Jo Nichols - review will be on August 21, 2025.

Not my usual read, but it was enjoyable.

Quirky characters.

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ONE DARK NIGHT by Hannah Richell - review will be on August 20, 2025.

An OK read.

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JOY MOODY IS OUT OF TIME by Kerryn Mayne - spotlight will be on August 19, 2025.

Was excited because I loved her last book.  This is a bit too out there for me.

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GONE IN THE NIGHT by Joanna Schaffhausen - review will be on August 15, 2025.

Another good one - don't miss it if you are an Annalisa fan.  It can be read as a standalone so no worries.

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TOO OLD FOR THIS by Samantha Downing - review will be on August 14, 2025.

It's a good one!!

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

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THE WITCH'S ORCHARD by Archer Sullivan - spotlight will be on August 13, 2025.

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MRS. ENDICOTT'S SPLENDID ADVENTURE - review will be on August 8, 2025.

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book - so uplifting except for a few things during the WWII part.

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THE WRONG SISTER by Claire Douglas - review will be on August 6, 2025.

So good - Claire Douglas can't be beat for surprises and tension.

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THE LOCKED WARD by Sarah Pekkanen - review will be on August 5, 2025.

This is a DO NOT miss read!!

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SUMMER ON LILAC ISLAND by Lindsay MacMillan - review will be on July 31, 2025.

A lovely read.

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ASYLUM HOTEL by Juliet Blackwell - review will be on July 30, 2025.

Not a favorite - I liked her historical fiction books more.

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TYPEWRITER BEACH by Meg Waite Clayton - spotlight is in the book's title.

Couldn't get into the book.

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THE LIES THEY TOLD by Ellen Marie Wiseman - review will be on July 29, 2025.

An excellent history lesson, but very heartbreaking and upsetting.

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THE UNRAVELING OF JULIA by Lisa Scottoline - review will be on July 25, 2025.

A little confusing, but turned out good.

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SECOND CHANCE AT SUNSHINE INN by Amy Clipston - review is in the book's title.

A lovely, heartwarming read with a great main character.

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THAT LAST CAROLINA SUMMER by Karen White - review will be on July 22, 2025.

An enjoyable read.

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WAYWARD GIRLS by Susan Wiggs - review will be on July 16, 2025.

Oh my is this good - another FAB read by Susan Wiggs.

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DON'T LET HIM IN by Lisa Jewell - review is in the book's title.

SO GOOD - her books are hit and miss for me - this one was a HIT!!

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THE LAKE ESCAPE by Jamie Day - review will be on July 15, 2025.

A good mystery - a slow startup, but turns out great!!

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THE NIGHT SPARROW by Shelly Sanders - spotlight is in the book's title.

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PARTY OF LIARS Kelsey Cox - review is in the book's title.

Oh YES!!  This was GOOD!!  Thriller fans won't want to miss it.

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IT'S NOT HER by Mary Kubica - review is on Goodreads, but other reviews will be on February 3, 2026.

SO GOOD - DO NOT MISS THIS ONE!!  Might be her best one yet!!  :)

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THE SUMMER OF STARTING OVER by Savannah Carlisle - review is in the book's title.

So uplifting - you will love the characters and the setting.

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DON'T OPEN YOUR EYES by Liv Constantine - review is in the book's title.

A bit slow, but the ending makes it all worthwhile.

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BEYOND THIS PLACE OF WRATH AND TEARS by Jack Ford - review is in the book's title.

Historical fiction - interesting

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Book Currently Reading:

THE BATTLE OF THE BOOKSHOPS by Poppy Alexander - review will be on August 28, 2025.

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Books Up Next:

THE SECRET BOOK SOCIETY by Madeline Martin - review will be on August 27, 2025.

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SHIP OF DREAMS by Donna Jones Alward - review will be on August 29, 2025.

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THE HARVEY GIRLS by Juliette Faye - review will be on August 31, 2025.

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BODIES IN THE SAND by Crystal Murphy - review will be on September 1, 2025.

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THE CABERNET CLUB by Margie Zable Fisher and Rona S. Zable - review will be on September 2, 2025.


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THE GIRL IN THE GREEN DRESS by Mariah Fredericks - review will be on September 3, 2025.

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BEES IN JUNE by Elizabeth Bass Parman - review will be on September 4, 2025.

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THE RIGHTEOUS by Ronald A. Balson - review will be on September 9, 2025.

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A MURDEROUS BUSINESS by Cathy Pegau - review will be on September 16, 2025.

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NO REST FOR THE WICKED by Rachel Louise Adams - review will be on September 17, 2025.

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THE WASP TRAP by Mark Edwards - review will be on September 19, 2025.

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THE GUEST IN ROOM 120 by Sara Ackerman - review will be on September 23, 2025.

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THE WIVES OF HAWTHORNE LANE by Stephanie DeCarolis - review will be on September 24, 2025.

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ICING ON THE MURDER by Valerie Burns - review will be on September 25, 2025.

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THE VIOLET HOUR by Victoria Benton Frank - review will be on September 29, 2025.

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THE LOST STORY OF EVA FUENTES by Chanel Cleeton - review will be on September 30, 2025.

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DINNER AT THE NIGHT LIBRARY by Hika Harada - review will be on October 1, 2025.

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THE SECRET OF ORANGE BLOSSOM CAKE by Rachel Linden - review will be on October 10, 2025.

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THE HITCHHIKERS by Chevy Stevens - review will be on October 7, 2025.

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THE GALLERY ASSISTANT by Kate Belli - review will be on October 14, 2025.

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THE MISSING PAGES by Alyson Richman - review will be on October 15, 2025.

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THE GIRL FROM THE RED ROSE MOTEL by Susan Beckham Zurenda - review wil be on October 16, 2025.

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THE FORGET-ME-NOT LIBRARY by Heather Webber - review will be on November 4, 2025.

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THE HIDDEN CITY by Charles Finch - review will be on November 5, 2025.

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THE PERFECT HOSTS by Heather Gudenkauf - review will be on November 6, 2025.

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THE MAD WIFE by Meagan Church - review will be on November 7, 2025.

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THE BRIDESMAID by Cate Quinn - review will be on November 10, 2025.

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THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGS by Jennie Godfrey - review will be on December 2, 2025.

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THE WORLD AT HOME by Ginny Kubitz Moyer - review will be on December 9.

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