Books Read in August

I had a good August....what about YOU?

THIS TENDER LAND - review 9/3

THE PERFECT SON

VERSIONS OF HER

THE OYSTERVILLE SEWING CIRCLE

THE WORDS BETWEEN US - review 9/6

SEABREEZE INN

Happy September Reading!!

Favorite August Reads

I read seven books this month, but these are my favorites:

THE SEABREEZE INN by Jan Moran

THE OYSTERVILLE SEWING CIRCLE by Susan Wiggs

THIS TENDER LAND by William Kent Krueger - review will be on 9/3

Have you read any of these books?

What were YOUR favorite August reads?

Versions of Her by Andrea Lochen

 

A secret door covered by a tapestry that Kelsey and her sister Melanie were never allowed to move when they were children held and hid secrets of its own.

The secret door allowed Kelsey and Melanie to see their mother’s life and to see her secrets, heartaches, and feelings that they never knew about.

I’m not sure how I would feel if I could see what my mother’s life had been like, but it would be quite interesting.
 
The current problem now that they found this door, though, was that Kelsey and Melanie had to decide whether or not to sell their family’s lake house or keep it.  

Selling it meant the memories would be gone forever. Keeping it would preserve the memories but also incur expensive upkeep.  Melanie was all for selling the house, but Kelsey was not in favor of selling it.

I enjoyed learning about the cottage and the memories associated with it and finding the portal for time travel.  It also had me wondering if time travel like this was actually possible because
time traveling through the portal seemed real.
 
This was a creative premise for a book and a book that also addressed sibling rivalry as well as sibling closeness.   

VERSIONS OF HER was a cozy, nostalgic, heartfelt, and at times heartbreaking read.  You will need tissues.

Women’s fiction fans will adore this book.  

Readers will experience family, love, and a light, yet thought-provoking read.  5/5

This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.

FEATURING Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase

 

What secrets does Black Rabbit Hall hold, and will Lorna find out what the secrets of the Alton family are as she explores the Alton's summer home?

BLACK RABBIT HALL was a family saga with hints of foreboding as you turned each page. 
  
BLACK RABBIT HALL had marvelous characters that were loving and endearing and of course there was a villain who ruined it all.

FULL REVIEW: https://tinyurl.com/y5y2gnmx

 

Spotlight and Giveaway of The Passengers by John Marrs

Photo Source

Celebrating 
The Release Of:

THE PASSENGERS
BY 
JOHN MARRS

With a USA Giveaway!!

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Information in this post is courtesy of Loren Jaggers of Penguin Random House.

THE PASSENGERS sounds VERY intense.

************

Set in the not-too-distant future, automated cars are now the norm. Several years into their implementation, on a seemingly average day, eight people get into their self-driving cars. Suddenly on their journey, the doors lock and the pre-determined route changes. The riders have lost all control. A mysterious voice tells them, “You are going to die.” 

What follows is a gripping thriller that examines the effects of social media, mob mentality, money in politics, privacy, and more. It’s been described as an episode of Black Mirror meets Agatha Christie by way of Speed and I’d love to know if you might be able cover it in any way.

************ 

PRAISE FOR THE PASSENGERS:

 “THE PASSENGERS is a 1970s disaster movie by way of Black Mirror, with an added dash of technology-gone-wrong straight out of Michael Crichton….If you’re looking for a sleek, exhilarating ride, look no further.”— Financial Times 

“One can almost hear the Hollywood music in the background as the action unfolds; the plot twists are truly gripping….Summer blockbuster entertainment at its best.”— Kirkus Reviews 

“[THE PASSENGERS’s] strength lies in its well-developed characters and in its exploration of issues such as the growing role of AI, mob psychology, and the ethics of who gets to decide who lives or dies.”— Publishers Weekly 

“Marrs excels at thrilling readers by creating a real sense of tension and delivering a believable, harsh criticism of modern society through this dark and entertaining story.” —Los Angeles Times

 ************

ABOUT THE PASSENGERS:

The headlines have made it known:  driverless cars are coming. And soon. As author John Marrs has put it:  “Whether we like it or not, there are arriving soon.

Within the next decade, we will be sitting in the front seats of our vehicles with a flat dashboard containing no steering wheel, and below us, no brakes. We will be in the hands of an operating system that we cannot touch and that we cannot see. It will be making life or death decisions for us. But what if that artificial intelligence could be compromised? What if it is hacked and something – or someone – other than the OS is controlling our destiny?”

Marrs takes that idea and hits full speed in THE PASSENGERS. In it, the British government has mandated all cars be automated. Several years into their implementation, on a seemingly average day, eight people get into their self-driving cars. Suddenly on their journey, the doors lock and the pre-determined route changes. The riders have lost all control. A mysterious voice tells them, “You are going to die.”

 These passengers—an aging actress, a pregnant young woman, an abused wife fleeing her husband, an illegal immigrant, a husband and wife, and a suicidal man—are panicked. From cameras hidden in their cars, their frantic pleas for help are broadcast to millions of people around the world. The public will show their true colors when they are asked, "Which of these people should we save? Who should we kill first?”

The passengers desperately plead for the lives and sell themselves to the cameras blasting this onto social media. But it soon becomes apparent most of these passengers haven’t been picked randomly. They are all hiding secrets that, once revealed, could be the difference between life and death for each of them.  

************

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

PHOTO CREDIT:  Robert Gershinson

John Marrs is the author of The One which is being made into a 10-part Netflix series, The Good Samaritan, Her Last Move, When You Disappeared, and Welcome to Whever You Are. 

Until recently, he worked for twenty-five years as a freelance journalist based in London, England where he interviewed celebrities from the world of television, film, and music for national newspapers the Guardian's Guide and Guardian Online, Total Film, the Huffington Post, Empire, Q, GT, the Independent,  S Magazine, and Company. 

He is now a full-time author.

  ************

GIVEAWAY:

I am partnering with Loren Jaggers of Penguin Random House for this giveaway.

NOT A REQUIREMENT FOR THE GIVEAWAY, BUT PLEASE FOLLOW MY BLOG - IN THE FOLLOWERS' SECTION.

USA ONLY

August 27 - September 3

Enter here

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Let's Travel

Thanks to these Litsy folks for today’s prompt:

#LetsTravelAugust

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

@OriginalCyn620

Today’s Prompt:  GERMANY

THE GIRL FROM BERLIN is a very absorbing dual-timeline that will immediately capture your interest with detailed descriptions of the characters and events.

FULL REVIEW:  https://tinyurl.com/y5q36kvu

Coming Up This Week

Hope you can stop by this week.

FEATURING: THE GIRL WHO WROTE IN SILK by Kelli Estes

Have you read this book?

THE GIRL WHO WROTE IN SILK is beautifully written and beautifully told by Ms. Estes. The characters come alive, and the storyline is quite intriguing.

THE GIRL WHO WROTE IN SILK has secrets about a family home, a family connection, and an embroidered shirt sleeve that t​ells a story Inara just HAS to unravel.  Just what were all of these secrets?

FULL REVIEW

Books by Kathleen Grissom

Which have you read?

Reviews are in the book's title.

THE KITCHEN HOUSE - the review was written only a few days after I began my blog.  :)

GLORY OVER EVERYTHING

Featuring Angel Harp by Michael Phillips

Thanks to these Litsy folks for today’s prompt:

#LetsTravelAugust

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

@OriginalCyn620

Today’s Prompt:  SCOTLAND

What a lovely, lovely book...I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

If you enjoy Scottish history and listening/reading the written Gaelic brogue, you will fall in love with the book and the characters.

FULL REVIEW:  https://tinyurl.com/yxz98yj2

One of the first few books I read on my “new” blog in 2010. 

FEATURING THE WEDDING GIFT by Marlen Suyapa Bodden

Poignant, heartbreaking, and unfortunately true.
THE WEDDING GIFT is beautiful in the sense of how the story is told in the author's marvelous prose and flowing style, but ugly in the harshness, cruelty, and reality of the events. 
FULL REVIEW:  https://tinyurl.com/y2vgnyvh

Shelter by Sarah Stonich

Thanks to these Litsy folks for today’s prompt:

#LetsTravelAugust

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

@OriginalCyn620

Today’s Prompt:  SHELTER

Lots and lots of information magnificently conveyed.

Shelter is a love affair with the land....a land filled with nature's beauty.

FULL REVIEW:  https://tinyurl.com/y4el96hz

 

The Perfect Son by Lauren North

 

We meet Tess in the hospital after she had an accident at her son's birthday party and after coping with the death of her husband a few weeks ago.

Something is going on since her husband’s death, and Tess doesn’t know what it is.  All she knows is that she is happy she has her son.

Her brother-in-law, Ian, says Tess needs to pay back the 100,000 her husband lent him, flowers are left on her doorstep with no note, her son is being very difficult, and an appointment with a social worker that Tess doesn’t remember making do not add up and make things worse for Tess.

We learn of all these things in between the time we meet Tess in the hospital and the flash backs to the days before her son’s eighth birthday party where Tess was stabbed.

There was a lot going on as Tess grieved for Mark, and what was going on wasn’t good.  She thought she saw Mark in the grocery store, heard people in her driveway at night, had a social worker stopping by looking through her mail, had questions about what Ian told her, had hang-up phone calls at all hours, and other odd happenings.

You can feel there is something going on and plenty of hints that seem to go in the wrong direction not allowing you to be able to figure out what is really happening.
 
If you enjoy the feeling of something not quite right growing underneath it all, THE PERFECT SON shouldn’t be missed. 

If biting your finger nails keeps you reading because of the choices a character makes and doesn’t make and other characters that don't really have another character's best interest in mind, THE PERFECT SON should be your next read. 

THE PERFECT SON will lead you down the wrong path as you read, but a terrific book and a surprise ending await you.  5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This Week

Looks like another good week coming up. 

Book features and a review of THE PERFECT SON by Lauren North.

Hope you can stop by.

Imagination

Thanks to these Litsy folks for today’s prompt:

#LetsTravelAugust

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

@OriginalCyn620

Today’s Prompt:  IMAGINATION

What do you imagine your life would be without books?

I think mine would be lonely in terms of books and bookish friends.

Today's Prompt: Adventure

THANKS to these Litsy folks for today's prompt:

#LetsTravelAugust

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

@OriginalCyn620

TODAY'S PROMPT:  ADVENTURE

Arthur was an absolutely endearing, charming, sweet character for me.   

We traveled the globe with him on his adventures.

THE CURIOUS CHARMS OF ARTHUR PEPPER is an adorable, enchanting, uplifting read.   

Be prepared to fall in love with Arthur Pepper.

FULL REVIEW 

HAPPY PUB DAY!!

HAPPY PUB DAY!!

LOVED THIS BOOK.

FULL REVIEW HERE https://tinyurl.com/y2cvu3te

Books By Meredith Jaeger

Have you read either or both of these books?

I read and enjoyed both.

Reviews are in the title of the book.

THE DRESSMAKER’S DAUGHTER

BOARDWALK SUMMER 

Books That Have A Lake in the Story Line

Thanks to these Litsy folks for today’s prompt:

#LetsTravelAugust

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

@OriginalCyn620

Today’s Prompt:  LAKESIDE

Reviews are in the book's title!!

WILDE LAKE by Laura Lippman

THE LAKE HOUSE by Kate Morton 

THE SECRETS OF LAKE ROAD Karen Katcher

HEMLOCK LAKE Carolyn J. Rose 

The Oysterville Sewing Circle by Susan Wiggs

​Caroline never thought she would be returning to her childhood home of Oysterville and definitely not with two children that weren't her own.

Caroline had wanted to leave as badly as any young person and head to New York City.  Caroline did make it big in New York until a famous designer stole her clothing line.

Her loss and the death of her friend had Caroline returning with her friend's two children because Caroline had no idea how to take care of a child let alone two.

Caroline had a loving, supportive family to help her and ideas on how to help women of domestic abuse since that is what took her friend who left her the two children.

We get a glimpse into Caroline’s life as a teenager as well as her life now.  Her teenage years were just as full of love as her adult life with her family.

THE OYSTERVILLE SEWING CIRCLE was a sweet, beautiful read with lovable characters and a setting you will want to make your own.

If you enjoy sewing, the fashion world, being on a beach setting, learning about running a restaurant, being with loving characters, and seeing women helping other women, THE OYSTERVILLE SEWING CIRCLE will be a wonderful addition to your reading stack.

A truly cozy, heartwarming read for readers of women’s fiction. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher as an ARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.