Books Read In June

Most of the books were suspenseful.

Paris Ever After and The Taste of Air were lovely women's fiction reads.

Have you read any of them?

The Taste of Air by Gail Cleare

Getting a phone call that your mother is in the hospital is frightening enough, but learning that the hospital is in Vermont and only a few miles from your mother's home when she lives in Massachusetts is quite puzzling for Nell.

Nell quickly made her way to Vermont, and Nell's sister, Bridget, would be arriving the next day from Washington, D. C.

After she saw her mother and needed a place to stay, Nell asked the receptionist for some local places to stay.  The receptionist suggested that she stay at her mother’s home. Another surprise...no one knew Mary had a home here.

As Nell looked around the cottage her mother was living in, she realized her mother had been here for longer than she had admitted and not in the assisted living facility.  There were a lot of secrets being kept by Mary both now and in the past.

A TASTE OF AIR has us following the lives of the three main characters.  We follow Mary from the time she was in the service as a nurse and met her husband to present day.  We follow Bridget and Nell as well.  Bridget had an interesting life with many marriages.  Nell seemed to be a normal, follow-the-rules, do-not-change-anything housewife.  All of the characters were heartwarming.

A TASTE OF AIR was a lovely read that any women’s fiction fan will enjoy.  I enjoyed going back and forth in the women’s lives and especially in Mary’s. Mary seemed to have the most interesting life and the one with the most secrets, and she had one BIG secret.  Bridget came in second with secrets.  Nell didn’t seem to have any secrets but got some ideas as time went on.

I truly enjoyed this book.  Ms. Cleare’s writing is smooth, beautiful, detailed, and alluring.  When you don’t want a book to end, you know the author’s talent is the reason.

A TASTE OF AIR is a perfect summer read or an any time read for when you need warmth oozing from the pages to help your mood be lightened or to be taken away.

There are also some tissues needed for happy things as all came together at the end, but for the most part A TASTE OF AIR is an uplifting, enjoyable read that is like receiving a big hug.  

I hope you get to read this book.  5/5

This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Spotlight of The Man On The Roof by Michael Stephenson

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All information including the blog tour photo and book cover in this post is courtesy of the author, Michael Stephenson.

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Celebrating The June 27th Release Of

 THE MAN ON THE ROOF
BY
MICHAEL STEPHENSON

On Sale JUNE 27, 2018
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A  domestic mystery-suspense thriller, The Man On The Roof propels the reader through a tangled, volatile and suspenseful thicket of deception, murder and friends. 

Similar in tone to novelist Gillian Flynn, The Girl on the Train, Big Little Lies and The Woman In The Window, The Man On The Roof invites the reader to discover the murderer and who hides which lie. 

I must warn that it does deal with very dark subject matter. 

It currently is available for review in digital formats only, and will be an Amazon Kindle release June 22, 2018. You can currently find it as a pre-order on Amazon and it is listed on Goodreads 

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About The Book:

Someone has been creeping in the dark while the others sleep, and they've done terrible, terrible things.

“There was a man on your roof,” claims curmudgeonly lane-hermit Herbert McKinney. Then, he initiates an unprovoked fight with a local punk. Drama escalates when that punk's dead body is found hanging at mid-street one August morning—a boastful killer messaging their next prey. 

All fingers point to Herbert as the culprit. Soon, the five couples he calls neighbors come under suspicion, too. When detectives divine blackmail as the motive, eyes cross to find who hides the most shameful secret. 

Husband versus wife, friend versus friend, the shiny suburban veneer of innocence has been forever tarnished. As hidden deviousness boils from their pores, there lurks a thief, a pill addict and two adulterers—secrets worth killing for. 

We all believe that most people are good. Our neighbors, our friends... ourselves. We dismiss insane plot twists or unlikeable characters as unrealistic and slightly ridiculous. 

But just how sure are we that the people closest to us aren't all teetering on the edge of insanity? And is it more frightening to think that we live in a mad world, or that we can wholly understand the madness? 

Step into a mind-twisting thriller that seeks to understand our darkest nature. Come meet The Man On The Roof.

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About the Author:

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Michael cultivated his love for storytelling on a steady diet of film and TV, embracing the art across all genres and mediums. 

He believes that to tell a story is the greatest gift that humanity has ever received and hopes to connect through words both written and filmed. A thoughtful suburbanite, he enjoys writing in every genre and platform. 

Covering a wide range of subjects, ethnicities, socioeconomic classes, and ideals, his writing runs the gamut from silly and lighthearted to thought-provoking and sensual to horrifying and captivating. 

Offering everything from sci-fi to romance, he wishes to supply the reader with an indelible experience.

Privately, he seeks to accomplish great things with his writing in both popular culture and more niche genres. 

He hopes to soon write for film again, as he had briefly before, and aspires to write the screenplay for the film adaptation of Captain Planet as he loves the environment.

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This book sounds good...thanks for the opportunity to spread the word, Mr. Stephenson.
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Book Beginnings - 6/29/2018

 

*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 THE TASTE OF AIR by Gail Cleare:

 "Her day began with reassuring rituals.  Make the beds, start a load of laundry, empty the dishwasher. After lining up shiny crystal tumblers inside the glass-fronted cabinets, she filled the upper shelves with neatly nested plates, bowls, and cups.  Her finger found a chipped edge, and she tossed the imperfect saucer into the garbage."

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Books Finished:

A NOISE DOWNSTAIRS by Linwood Barclay.

Review will be on July 26.

Excellent story line...love the typebars on the cover.

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BABY TEETH by Zoje Stage.

Review will be on July 19.

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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 is in the book's title.

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Book Blogger Hop - 6/29/2018

Question of the Week:

Do you have an Instagram account? If so, do you only follow book folks?(submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews)

My Answer:

I do have an Instgram account.

I would say 99% of the people I follow are book folks.

My name on Instagram is:  silversreviews.  

Not surprising about my name, right?  :) :)

Friendly Fill-Ins - 6/29/2018

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FRIENDLY FILL-INS:

1. Fireworks ______.

2. My favorite 4th of July picnic food is ____.

3. I begin every day with _____.

4. ____ is the best thing since sliced bread.

MY ANSWERS:

1.  Fireworks MUST be used carefully and by professionals.

2.  My favorite 4th of July picnic food is potato salad.

3.  I begin every day with a thank you.

4.  A cell phone is the best thing since sliced bread. 

 

Before and Again by Barbara Delinsky

These things can't be happening to me can they?

Maggie is a good person but still hasn’t healed from the emotional scars from the death of her daughter or the divorce from her husband.

Maggie moved away to make herself anonymous after the accident and hadn't seen her husband for four years.  He now shows up in the new town she has moved to, but why?

Another problem besides her ex-husband then surfaces. Maggie is still on probation because of the automobile accident and is not to associate with other felons, but a criminal incident occurs that makes Maggie think about being there for her friend instead of thinking of herself.  Her probation officer thinks differently.

We follow Maggie as she deals with her struggles and as she goes about her days as a makeup artist and an artist that works with clay.  I definitely would want to go to the spa where Maggie works and be pampered. 

All of the issues that were addressed and dealt with by Maggie were frightening, but handled well by her.  The personal issues were more difficult, and the criminal issue addresses current problems that could occur with the digital world we live in.

Most of the characters are ones you would want to connect with. 

Maggie was someone who had a heart and was a hard worker.

Kevin was a terrific friend and confidante.

Grace was a bit flighty.

Maggie’s husband Edward was someone who turned out to be great.

Maggie's mother was a strong woman.

Maggie’s brother Liam was a brother. 

Ms. Delinsky's beautiful, pull-you-in writing style kept me reading as always.

I haven’t read a book by Ms. Delinsky for a few years, and it was a pleasure to re-connect with her marvelous style and terrific story lines.

BEFORE AND AGAIN always had some warmth coming from somewhere whether it was a character or situation.  

This book deals with friendships, healing, emotional pain, and choices.   

BEFORE AND AGAIN had some difficult situations, but the ending is heartwarming, very satisfying, and marvelous.  5/5

This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.   All opinions are my own.

Three Days Missing by Kimberly Belle

Two women, two different life styles, two children the same age, and then one disappears.

Ethan went missing from a school event held overnight at a camp in a wooded part of Georgia.

Ethan was a bullied child and Sammy was a coddled, spoiled child who was the bully.  Funny thing is that they resembled each other.  The question was if Sammy was the target instead of Ethan.

The search reached far and wide, and the only clue was a trail of clues left by Ethan and a phone call from the kidnapper.

THREE DAYS MISSING moved at as frantic a pace as the search.  Ms. Belle left us hanging at the end of each chapter with a clue that wasn't revealed until another chapter.

As the search reached the forty-one hour mark, a school meeting was organized, and parents started telling what their children remembered.

Could the children's revelations be the big break through?

Did one of the children know more than they were telling?
 
Could Kat and Stef become friends after this even though their children were not friends?

Could they really share the grief of a missing child?

But...most importantly can Stef help with finding Ethan or will she have problems of her own that need to be taken care of?

If you like mysteries that have  unexpected twists and turns, THREE DAYS MISSING will need to go in your stack of  to-be-read books.

THREE DAYS MISSING pulls you in and keeps you guessing along with the characters.

You won’t want to stop reading because of the subject matter and because of the way the book is set up.  5/5

This book was given to me free of charge by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Which One Are You?

I am a paperback reader....I wish I were a paperback writer.  :)

It's Monday! What Are YOU Reading? - 6/25/2018

 

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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 BOY AT THE DOOR by Alex Dahl - review will be on July 25 - finished on June 18.

 

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GIRLS NIGHT OUT by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke - review will be on July 24 - finished June 10.

 

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SOMEBODY'S DAUGHTER by David Bell - review will be on July 11 - finished on May 26.

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THE SUBWAY GIRLS by - review will be on July 10, 2018 - finished on May 21.

Absolutely LOVED this book. I met Susie at the author event at Bryant Park in New York...lovely person.

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THE DYING OF THE LIGHT by Robert Goolrick - review will be on July 5, 2018 - finished May 17.

Another good Robert Goolrick read.

 

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THE BANKER'S WIFE by Cristina Alger - review will be on July 3, 2018 - finished May 9.

Definitely could be real events.

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SUMMER WIVES by Beatriz Williams - review will be on July 18, 2018 - finished May 7.

Good story line as always.

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BEFORE AND AGAIN by Barbara Delinsky - review will be on June 28, 2018 - finished on May 1. 

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THE LOST FOR WORDS BOOKSHOP by Stephanie Butland - review is in the book's title.

LOVED it...a book about books.

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THREE DAYS MISSING by Kimberly Belle - review will be on June 26, 2018 - finished - April 8, 2018.

A fast-paced mystery.

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BOARDWALK SUMMER by Meredith Jaeger - review is in the book's title.

Absolutely LOVED this book.

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Book Currently Reading

A NOISE DOWNSTAIRS by Linwood Barclay - review will be on July 26, 2018.

I am really enjoying this book.  My first by Mr. Barclay.

And look at that fabulous cover. 

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Books Up Next:

TIFFANY BLUES by M. J. Rose - review will be on August 6, 2018.

 

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OUR HOUSE by Louise Candlish - review will be on August 7, 2018.

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THE MASTERPIECE by Fiona Davis - review will be on August 8, 2018.  LOVE her books.

 

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THE DAY OF THE DEAD by Nicci French - review will be on August 9, 2018.

 

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THE OTHER WOMAN by Sandie Jones - review will be on August 21.

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SOLD ON A MONDAY by Kristina McMorris - review will be on August 28.

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THE SUMMER SAIL by Wendy Francis - review will be on September 5, 2018.

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HOW TO MURDER YOUR WEALTHY LOVERS AND GET AWAY WITH IT by Jane Simon Ammeson - review will be on September 18.

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THE DREAM DAUGHTER by Diane Chamberlain - review will be on October 2, 2018

 

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THE FALLEN ARCHITECT by Charles Belfoure - review will be on October 10.

 

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THE CLOCKMAKER'S DAUGHTER by Kate Morton - review will be on October 9, 2018.

 

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BEDSIDE MANNERS by Heather Frimmer - review will be on October 16.

 

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THE LAST CAROUSEL OF PROVENCE by Juliet Blackwell - review will be on October 18, 2018.

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ANNELIES by David R. Gillham - review will be on January 19, 2019.

The premise involves Anne Frank.  :) Sounds VERY good.

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WOMAN 99 by Greer MacAllister - review will be in March 2019.

No data base photo yet, but the publisher is Sourcebooks.

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