bookchickdi

Catching Up On 2025 Books I Missed

2026-04-07T06:30:00.001-04:00

Reprinted from auburnpub.com

With the cold snowy weather taking hold this past month, it’s been a good time to stay inside under a blanket with a hot beverage reading good books. I read several of them, including the ones I’m writing about today.

Catching up on some great books published in 2025, Lily King’s gorgeous Heart the Lover tells the story of Jordan, a college student who begins dating Sam, a brilliant student who, along with his best friend Yash, is staying at the home of a professor on sabbatical.

Jordan finds that she has more in common with Yash, and things become complicated. This is a short novel- only 250 pages- but King packs a lot into story that recalls first loves and what it feels like to be caught up in it.

Megha Majumdar’s A Guardian and a Thief brings the reader to a time in not-too-distant future in India when climate change has brought unbearable heat, droughts, food shortages and more. Ma is preparing to take her young daughter and elderly father to Michigan where her husband has a job.

When a young thief steals her purse with their passports in it, Ma must track him down and get the passports back before their flight leaves in two days. It’s a harrowing tale and you can feel Ma’s desperation growing as time ticks by as she must decide what lines she will cross to get her family to safety.

For something lighter, B.K. Borison’s First-Time Caller takes inspiration from “Sleepless in Seattle”. Single mom Lucie’s twelve year-old daughter Maya calls into a local radio romance show to try to get her mom a date.

The show’s host Aiden is getting discouraged about true love but when Lucie agrees to come on the show to try to find true love, sparks obviously fly between Aiden and Lucie. The writing here shines, and when the dates that Lucie goes on turn into disasters, will Aiden change his mind about true love? It’s charming, funny, and has a few very spicy scenes.

Madeline Cash’s debut novel Lost Lambs also had me laughing out loud, even though the premise is not so humorous. Bud Flynn is devastated when his wife Catherine declares she wants an open marriage.

He becomes depressed, and their daughters are having issues of their own. Beautiful high schooler Abigail begins dating a man called War Crimes Wes, a security officer at the compound of a creepy billionaire shipping magnate.

Middle daughter Louise has an online relationship with a possible terrorist, and youngest daughter Harper is insistent that the citizens of the town are being monitored by someone dangerous and will get to the bottom of it.

It all ties together in the end, and the Flynn family are truly unforgettable characters in this comedic novel.

On the Nonfiction side, there are two books I would recommend. Beth Macy returns to her hometown of Urbana, Ohio to discover why her friends and family have become so hardened and unhappy in Paper Girl. They no longer seem to have the same views on life as she does.

Opioid abuse is rampant, school absenteeism is high, jobs and the middle class have all but disappeared. Macy interviews students struggling to deal with drug addicted parents, juggling multiple low-paying part-time jobs and school and trying to get into college to make a better life for themselves.

She also interviews counselors and people doing their best to get children to go to school, and community members who run programs to help them with schoolwork, teach life skills, and keep them off the streets.

She finds plenty of blame to go around from politicians on both sides over the past forty years as to how this country has gotten to the point we are at now. It’s an insightful and important read for everyone.

Belle Burden’s memoir Strangers recounts how her life dramatically changed the day a man called to tell her that her husband was having an affair with his wife. When she confronted her husband, he told her he was leaving and she could have the house and their three children, he wanted a different life.

All this occured during the pandemic as Belle struggles to understand how this could be happening to her. Her husband was a good man and father, and now he rarely saw their children, and the prenup that she signed allows her husband to keep everything he earned during the marriage and he got half of the expensive homes they owned. It’s an eye-opener.

Four Books That Got Me Through February

2026-04-06T06:30:00.001-04:00

Reprinted from auburnpub.com

Four Books That Got Me Through February

February was tough month, and between the freezing cold and multiple snowstorms we had plenty of time to stay inside and read good books. I read several in February.

I’ve read every book Tayari Jones has written, including her last novel An American Marriage, which I and many others felt was tremendous. Her new novel Kin may be her best yet.

Vernice and Annie both lost their mothers as babies. Vernice’s mother was murdered by her father and Annie’s mother abandoned her at birth. Both girls were raised by their aunts and were best friends all the way through high school.

Vernice prepared to attend college, something not many people, especially Black women in 1950’s and ‘60s Louisiana, did. Her tight knit community rallied around her, raising money and providing clothing.

Feeling out of place surrounded by wealthier people, Vernice did her best to fit in, helped by her roommate who became her best friend. Her future was bright.

Annie was obsessed with finding the mother who left her and instead of college, she and her boyfriend ran away to Tennessee to find the woman. With no money or prospects, Annie and her boyfriend end up in dead end jobs.

While their lives diverge, Annie and Vernice stay connected through the years, and when Annie needs her most, Vernice is there for her. It’s a beautiful story of friendship and how losing your mother as a young child affects your entire life. Kin is Oprah’s Book Club choice this month and has already received much well-deserved praise, including mine.

Sadeqa Johnson writes wonderful historical fiction and her newest Keeper of Lost Children tells a largely unknown story set after WWII. Following the war, American soldiers were sent to occupied Germany.

Ethel is the wife of an Black American officer stationed in Germany. Wanting to have a baby and discovering that she is unable, Ethel is despondent. One day she comes upon a orphanage run by nuns. Most of the children there have been left by their mothers who were shunned because they had babies whose fathers were Black American soldiers.

Ethel decides to find adoptive families for these children back in the United States. She creates a program for this, and she and her husband even adopt several children.

Ozzie is a Black soldier in Germany who falls in love with a German woman. Flash forward to 1965 and Sophie is headed to a prestigious boarding school on scholarship. This is an opportunity to make something of herself and get away from her parents who treat her as a farmhand.

Keeper of Lost Children threads together these three stories to create a fascinating tale based on a real program that brought babies to the United States for adoption. I highly recommend it.

If you are missing the Olympics, Layne Fargo’s novel The Favorites will take you back there. Kat is young girl who dreams of becoming an gold medal Olympic ice dancer like her idol Sheila Lin.

Kat’s boyfriend Heath does not have the same dream, but because he loves Kat he wants her to be happy. They become a team, and after winning competitions in the Midwest, they work their way to Los Angeles to train with Sheila Lin.

Lin’s twins, Bella and Garrett, are destined to become gold medal winners like their mother. Soon it becomes clear that Kat and Heath may be the only ones who stand between Bella and Garrett becoming Olympic champs.

The story is told by Kat, and interspersed are comments from people participating in a documentary about Kat and Heath. We watch them over the years as Kat’s ambition pushes them to great heights, and eventually low lows.

If you think hockey is a rough sport, wait until you read about these cutthroat people involved in ice dancing. The Favorites is a real page-turner.

Anna Quindlen writes heartfelt novels and her latest More Than Enough is beautiful. Polly is a high school teacher who longs to have a child with her loving husband as they struggle with infertility.

Her best friends from book club give her an ancestry DNA test as a joke, but when she takes it, she discovers a connection with someone she doesn’t know. When she meets the person she connected with, they are both confused and surprised.

As Polly becomes more involved with her new family member she looks for answers. Her father has dementia who lives in a memory care center, and the scenes between them are lovely. Her mother is a highly respected judge with whom Polly has a challenging relationship.

The characters are so well-drawn, and I would love to know more about Polly’s brother. Their relationship is so realistic, as is Polly’s relationships with her friends in book club. Anna Quindlen’s novels always touch my heart.

Spring Has Sprung With Good Books To Read

2026-04-05T16:20:00.000-04:00

Reprinted from auburnpub.com

Spring Has Sprung Some Good Books

Spring is here (isn’t it supposed to be?), and this is the time of year when many publishers are gearing up to bring out the books they feel will be big sellers in the coming months. Here are a few I read that fit that bill.

First up is a historical novel from Allison Pataki, who specializes in fictionalizing stories of women in history we may not know much about, like Marjorie Post (The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post) and Empress Sisi of Austria-Hungary (Sisi). Her latest is It Girl, which takes on the life of Evelyn Nesbit, a young woman who became world-famous for her beauty at the turn of the 20th Century.

This is a bit different from Pataki’s other historical novels in that she changes the name of Evelyn Nesbit to Evelyn Talbot in her novel. Evelyn is a young teenager who, after her father dies and leaves her family impoverished, discovers that her beauty can be her ticket out.

She meets a female sketch artist who uses Evelyn in advertising, and soon Evelyn’s face is everywhere. She moves to Manhattan with her mother and finds more work as a sketch model, becoming the first Gibson Girl known the world over. Eventually she ends up on the Broadway stage.

Evelyn catches the eye of Stanley Pierce (a stand-in for architect Stanford White), a rich and powerful man who takes Evelyn and her mother under his protective wing- too protective. He controls Evelyn’s every move until it becomes too unbearable for her.

Like her real-life counterpart, Evelyn becomes involved in “the Crime of the Century”, a murder-love triangle that captivated society, but Pataki tweaks the story enough to make it even more intriguing. Pataki immerses the reader in this time period, and while we may think this generation is obsessed with female beauty, we see the seeds of the supermodel in Evelyn. Historical fiction readers will want to pick It Girl up.

In more contemporary fiction, Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney’s Lake Effect begins in 1977 Rochester, New York. A company town where many men have good jobs at Xerox and Kodak, the story takes place in a suburban neighborhood where families are friendly, frequently hosting dinner parties for each other.

Women’s roles are changing at this time, and when Nina Larkin is given a copy of The Joy of Sex, she discovers that she has been missing out on something in her marriage. When her neighbor Finn, who feels that he is missing something is his marriage as well, kisses her at a party, everything changes for both families.

Nina divorces her husband and marries Finn. This throws the lives of both families into turmoil, especially Nina’s daughter Clara, who was beginning a relationship with Finn’s son Dune.

Dune has to care for his mother Honey and his sister now that his father is out of the house. Clara becomes a mother figure to her younger sister Bridie, taking over in the kitchen where her mother used to make elaborate meals for them all. Dune and Clara’s relationship is over before it started, and Clara blames Nina.

Over the next few decades, we see how the divorce causes ripple effects in their lives. This is a powerful family story and, like Allison Pataki’s It Girl, Sweeney immerses the reader in a particular time period when things began to change for both men and women. It’s about how changes in both society and personal life affect these family members for good and bad. I highly recommend Lake Effect.

Susan Mallery is an author I frequently read and her newest novel The Bookstore Diaries initially attracted me as I also work in a bookstore. This one takes place in a small seaside California community, and I also enjoy a small town story.

Jax is a divorced mom of two who owns a local bookstore. Her husband left her and now is dating a much younger woman. Jax and her husband switch off weeks in the family home to make things easier on their children. Which it does until he becomes engaged.

Jax has control issues, and when her sister Ryleigh hints she may be moving away, Jax will not stand for it. When the bookstore has some foundation issues that need to be addressed, the handsome contractor who steps in to help is attracted to Jax, but Jax doesn’t know if she is ready to date or not.

The characters in the story are interesting, and I like that Jax has some obvious flaws. The small town setting wonderful, and this is a terrific book to kick back with and enjoy.

It Girl by Allison Pataki- A

Published by Ballantine

Hardcover, $30, 416 pages

Lake Effect by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney- A+

Published by Ecco

Hardcover, $30, 288 pages

The Bookstore Diaries"by Susan Mallery- A-

Published by MIRA

Trade paperback, $14.99, 384 pages

The Most Compelling Books of 2025

2025-12-15T17:14:00.002-05:00

Reprinted from auburnpub.com:

The Most Compelling Books of 2025

Each year I set a goal to read 100 books. Out of those 100 books, the ones that stay in my mind- the ones with characters that I just can’t forget and want to know what they are doing now- make my list of the Most Compelling Books, and here I share them with you.

January started off the year strong in 2025, with two books that still resonate with me almost a year later.

Irish author Niall Williams’ The Time of the Child continues the story of the small Irish village of Faha that we met in his novel “This Is Happiness”. In this book, an abandoned baby is found by a young boy who brings the child to the local doctor. The doctor’s daughter falls in love with the baby, but in 1962 Ireland a single woman can’t adopt. The village setting and the characters are indelible.

I always look forward to a new novel by Tracey Lange, and What Happened to the McCrays? is her best one yet. A man who left his wife and hometown of Potsdam, New York returns home when his father has a stroke. He has to face the consequences of leaving his wife behind, and we learn the sad circumstances of his sudden departure. It’s heartbreaking.

Lauren Willig’s brilliant historical novel The Girl From Greenwich Street takes the reader back to 1800 New York City as she fictionalizes a real-life murder mystery. When a young lady’s body is found at the bottom of the town well, Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton reluctantly team up to represent the accused murderer. It’s a fascinating novel, filled with intriguing characters and a compelling storyline. Willig drops the reader right into 1800 New York City, and you feel like you are right there watching the action as it happens.

No one writes family stories better than Adriana Trigiani, and her latest The View From Lake Como shares the story of Jess, a young divorced woman who lives in her parents' basement and works for her lovable Uncle Louie. It will make you smile and laugh as Jess strives to find her place in this world while she deals with her large Italian family and her former husband and mother-in-law.

Maria Reva’s Endling is a creative, fascinating novel about a young scientist in Ukraine trying to save an endangered species of snail. She works with a mail-order bride operation to raise money for her project, and ends up involved in a kidnapping scheme with two sisters trying to stop the bride organization, when the Russians invade Ukraine.

Michelle Huneven is another author whose novels I will always read, and Bug Hollow is another amazing story. A family is rocked by the accidental death of their son and brother when they discover his new girlfriend is pregnant. We follow how all this affected the family through the years. It is unforgettable.

Virginia Evans’ superb debut novel The Correspondent shares the story of an elderly woman through the letters she writes to others and the letters she receives back, including from famous authors like Ann Patchett and Joan Didion. It’s an ingenious way to build a character, and this book has been deservedly building good buzz for months.

Another book that took time to build an audience is Clare Leslie Hall’s gripping

Broken Country. The book begins with the shooting death of a someone, and the book flashes back to tell the story of a couple dealing with the aftermath of a family tragedy. The wife becomes involved with the young son of her former boyfriend, now a wealthy man who has come back to town. It’s a love story with elements of a thriller thrown in.

Florence Knapp’s novel The Names has a unique concept. A woman, who is a domestic violence victim, sets out to complete her baby son’s birth registration. When it comes to giving his name, she can give the name her six year-old daughter wants, the one she herself wants, or name him after her husband, as he insists. The story is then told in three parts- how the young boy’s life proceeds in each life with the different names he could have been given. It’s brilliant and heartbreaking at the same time.

Jess Walter’s novel, So Far Gone is a timely one. After Rhys heatedly argues with his son-in-law over politics and punches him, he goes off the grid in the Pacific Northwest where he can be alone and read literature. Seven years later, his two grandchildren show up on his doorstep with a note from his daughter asking him to care for them. When their father shows up with two armed militia men to take the children back, Rhys rounds up his only few friends to take the children back.

I have two nonfiction titles this year that impressed me. Jeff Hobbs’s

Seeking Shelter addresses the growing problem of homelessness in this country through the lens of a mother of five children whose main goal is to get her children into a good school district. What they endure for that is thought-provoking.

Will Bardenwerper’s Homestand- Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America spends one summer following the Batavia Muckdogs after Major League Baseball drops 42 minor league teams (including the Auburn Doubledays) . The community of Batavia rallies around the couple who buys the team to keep baseball in their hometown. It successfully combines a look at a small town community with the one thing that continues to bring them together- a love of baseball. It’s a five star read.

Share your favorite reads this year with me at laruediane2000@yahoo.com.

No One Aboard

2025-12-07T14:46:00.001-05:00

No One Aboard by Emy McGuire

Published by Graydon House ISBN 9781525831621

Trade paperback, $18.99, 368 pages

From the publisher:

The White Lotus meets Laura Dave’s The Last Thing He Told Me in this debut domestic mystery about a luxury sailboat found floating adrift in the ocean and the secrets of the missing family who set sail aboard it weeks before.

"No One Aboard is a riveting, astonishing debut, and Emy McGuire is an important new voice in fiction. I will read anything she writes!"

—Sarah Pekkanen, #1 New York Times bestselling author

At the start of summer, billionaire couple Francis and Lila Cameron set off on their private luxury sailboat to celebrate the high school graduation of their two beloved children.

Three weeks later, the Camerons have not been heard from, the captain hasn’t responded to radio calls, and the sailboat is found floating off the coast of Florida.

Empty.

Where are the Camerons? What happened on their trip? And what secrets does the beautiful boat hold?

Set over the course of their vacation and in the aftermath of the sailboat’s discovery, No One Aboard asks who is more dangerous to a family: a stormy ocean or each other?

My thoughts:

I concur that No One Aboard has a White Lotus vibe to it. Much like The White Lotus, it was difficult to find a completely likeable character her to root for. Francis was downright cruel to his son Rylan, who doesn't show his father's aptitude or desire to be a macho seafaring dude. Rylan is quieter, more artistic, and closer to his fading movie star mother Lila. At times you wanted to shake Rylan out of his complacency, to be less meek, to speak up for himself.

Rylan's twin Tia was more like her father- tough, rash, quick to push the limits. She was sent away to a boarding school for her last year of high school because of something that happened at home, something the reader doesn't discover until well into the story. She can't wait to leave her family permanently, and she is trying to convince Rylan to do so as well.

There are many twists and turns in the story, and it is hard to know who is hiding what from whom, but it is fun trying to figure it out. Most of the crew members on the boat have been around the family for years, and they hold shifting allegiances to the various Cameron family members.

The scenes that lead up to how the boat came to be floating off the coast are harrowing, and very cinematic. (Perhaps a miniseries in the making?) The reader does have to suspend disbelief to accept the ending, and if you can do that, you will enjoy the ride.

Thanks to Harlequin for puttingme on their Fall 2025 Blog Tours.

Books Are Great Gifts Guide 2025

2025-11-24T16:58:00.000-05:00

Reprinted from auburnpub.com

Books Are Great Gifts Guide

It seems that holiday shopping starts earlier and earlier each year. Halloween was barely over and the Christmas decorations were being put out. So now it’s time for Books Are Great Gifts Guide. Books make great gifts: they always fit, are never the wrong color or size, and are so easy to wrap.

For your best friend who always reads the celebrity book club selections and loves great fiction, Megha Majumdar’s A Guardian and a Thief about an Indian woman who has her passport stolen just when she was to leave for America is an Oprah Book Club pick and has garnered much critical acclaim.

For your favorite neighbor who enjoys lighter fiction, Adriana Trigiani takes the reader from Lake Como, New Jersey to Lake Como, Italy in her novel The View From Lake Como. It’s got humor, heart, and no one writes a better family story than Trigiani.

Mysteries are always popular, and Richard Osman’s latest in his Thursday Murder Club series is The Impossible Fortune ,where our four residents of Cooper’s Chase retirement community come back together to solve the disappearance of a wedding guest. Fans of the Netflix movie will enjoy this one.

Fantasy books are hot now and no one is hotter than R.F. Kuang whose new novel Katabasis is perfect for fans of her previous works, Babel and The Poppy War.

You’ll impress your adult niece who grew up with the Harry Potter books when you give her SenLinYu’s Alchemised. It’s a Romantasy, a new genre that combines Romance with Fantasy and it’s on the top of the bestseller lists today.

For Romance readers who prefer a more traditional contemporary story, you can’t go wrong with anything by Emily Henry, including her latest Great Big Beautiful Life, about two writers who compete to write the biography of an heiress and daughter of a scandalous family.

For your father-in-law who loves to do Wordle every day, Puzzlemania! from the New York Times has Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Minis, and more in book form. It would be great for family activities after your Thanksgiving gathering this year as well.

For your uncle who watches CNBC in the morning, Andrew Ross Sorkin’s 1929 tackles the seminal year in American history when the stock market crashed and led to the Great Depression.

For your nephew who grew up loving the movies “Uncle Buck”, “Home Alone” and “National Lampoon’s Vacation”, Paul Myer’s biography “John Candy- A Life in Comedy” looks at the life of the comedic genius gone too soon.

For your aunt who cooks all the big family meals, there’s Ree Drummond’s The Pioneer Woman Cooks The Essential Recipes featuring her best recipes from her long-running Food Network show.

For your sister-in-law who creates beautiful parties, Martha Stewart’s first book, Entertaining has been reissued and is a timeless classic.

Coffee table books are big this time of the year and there are several lovely ones available. Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s The Look is filled with photos and stories about all of the gorgeous gowns she wore to official White House functions.

National Geographic always has wonderful coffee table books, and this year they have three: Photographs features a collection of the iconic photos from years past, along with stories about some of their photographers.

The Traveler’s Atlas of the World divides the world into continents and has statistics, important information, fun facts, photos, and drawings of the different countries. It would be a great gift for the adventurer or armchair traveler on your gift list.

With air travel being as unpredictable as it is today, 100 Train Journeys of a Lifetime is another great gift for the traveler on your gift list. From the fanciest of trains to the less glamorous, from long journeys to day trips, this book has it all.

We can’t leave the kiddies out, they love books. Teens who loved Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games would be thrilled to get the newest in the serie, Sunrise on the Reaping.

Once they have finished the Harry Potter series, Sangu Mandanna’s Vanya and the Wild Hunt takes middle grade readers to a fantasy adventure inspired by Indian mythology and English folklore.

Two popular series for younger readers have new books- Jeff Kinney’s “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” has Party Pooper and Dav Pilkey’s “Dog Man” has Big Jim Believes. You can’t go wrong with these.

The littlest ones would love to find any of the newest books from Pete the Cat, Don’t Let the Pigeon, Llama Llama and The Little Blue Truck series.

Happy shopping!

Not You Again by Erin La Rosa

2025-11-10T11:23:00.003-05:00

Not You Again by Erin La Rosa

Published by Canary Street Press ISBN 9781335916372

Trade paperback, $18.99, 320 pages

From the publisher:

Two 30-something singles stuck in a time loop are forced to relive the worst days of their lives, so they team up to find a way to break the cycle. For fans of Palm Springs and Oona Out of Order, NOT YOU AGAIN offers a fresh new take on the Groundhog Day story.

In Julian, California, every day is April 22. Most people have accepted the loop—after all, reliving the same day every day, there’s nothing to lose. Day drinking until you pass out? Yes. Partner swapping? Why not.

But Carly has woken up at her dad’s funeral exactly 238 times, and she wants out. She doesn’t want to waste her life away reliving the worst day ever in the small town she always hated visiting. Carly wants to go back to writing film scripts in LA; she’s determined to find a way to break the cycle.

She discovers an unexpected kindred spirit in Adam, the mortician she met at her dad’s funeral. April 22 was also one of the worst days of his life: his fiancée admitted to cheating on him with his best friend. Every day Adam wakes up on April 22 to his ex-fiancée's admission, starting each day with a breakup. April 22 was supposed to be his last day working for his parents at the funeral home, and the start of his new life as an astronomer. Adam is a man of science, and like Carly, he believes there must be a way out of the time loop.

Together, Carly and Adam team up to find out what’s causing the time loop. And in trying to find a way out, they also find their way to each other.

My Thoughts:

Palm Springs is an underrated movie starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti that dealt with two people traveling to a wedding who get stuck in a time loop. It's a great movie, and when I read Not You Again, it immediately put me in mind of this movie. (I was happy to see in the Acknowledgements section that it inspired author Erin La Rosa as well.)

While it took me awhile to get into this story, I'm glad I went along for the journey. Who would want to relive one of the worst days of their lives over and over again? Carly is dealing with the loss of her father, the man who raised her and gave her a love of movies. She's also dealing with her guilt over not visiting her father when he moved from Los Angeles to the small town of Julian to open a movie theater of his own.

Adam has family issues as well. Along with discovering his wife is having an affair with his best friend, he can't bring himself to tell his parents he doesn't want to run the family funeral home business anymore. He wants to be an astronomer, but he never could bring himself to take a chance and make that leap.

And as Carly and Adam go from two people who meet on the worst day of their lives and don't like each other to banding together to try and discover a way out of the time loop, they realize maybe there are sparks there. The sparks turn into flames as La Rosa gives the reader some very steamy sex scenes.

I liked the family angle to the story, it gave it an added dimension to the characters for me. And if you love science and astonomy, this story will give you an extra bonus. I recommend Not You Again as a romance with an intriguing concept.

Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on their Fall 2025 Blog Tours.

Otherwise Engaged by Susan Mallery

2025-11-04T06:00:00.001-05:00

Otherwise Engaged by Susan Mallery

Published by MIRA ISBN 9780778387268

Hardcover, $30, 368 pages

From the publisher:

When Shannon gets engaged, her beloved mom, Cindy, is the first person she wants to tell—and the last. Cindy’s engaged, too, and has already hinted at a double wedding. The image of a synchronized bouquet toss with her mom fills Shannon with horror. She’ll keep her engagement a secret until Cindy’s I-dos are done.

Victoria has never been proper enough for her mother, Ava, so she stopped trying. She lives on her own terms and amuses herself by pushing Ava’s buttons. Ava loves but doesn’t understand her stuntwoman daughter. When a movie-set mishap brings Victoria home, Ava longs to finally connect.

Chance brings the four women together at a wedding venue, where a shocking secret comes tumbling out. Twenty-four years ago, desperate teenager Cindy chose wealthy Ava to adopt her baby—then changed her mind at the very last second. The loss rocked Ava’s world, leaving her unable to open her heart to the daughter she did adopt, Victoria. As Shannon and Victoria deal with the fallout from the decisions their mothers made, they wrestle with whether who they are is different than who they might have become.

My thoughts:

The premise of this novel is intriguing and unique. Victoria has always known she was adopted, but when she discovers that she was not the baby her parents thought they were getting, it knocks her for a loop. It also causes more friction between her and her mother.

Shannon discovers that her mother, who raised her as a single mom, almost gave her up for adoption. She loves her mother even as she feels her mother is a bit too close to her. She works for her mom and is engaged to a great guy, but she feels something is missing in her life.

Victoria now thinks she understands why she and her mother never had a close relationship; she was second choice. It should have been Shannon that her parents raised.

Running into Cindy after twenty-four years has brought back so many feelings that Ava had buried. She felt that Cindy was like a sister to her, they took her into their home and lives, and then she just disappeared with the baby that thought would be theirs.

There is a lot here for great book club discussions especially about mother-daughter relationships and how fraught they can be. People will see themselves in these characters and wonder if they would react the same way. I know I did.

Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on their Fall 2025 Blog Tours.

National Geographic's The Traveler's Atlas of the World

2025-11-03T13:37:00.001-05:00

The Traveler's Atlas of the World

Published by National Geographic Partners ISBN 9781426223549

Hardcover, $65, 559 pages

Halloween has come and gone and now people will turn their sights to holiday gift shopping. Every year National Geographic publishes a few new titles of coffee table books perfect for gift-giving to your favorite people.

One of the new titles this year is The Traveler's Atlas of the World. It's a beautiful book that combines stunning photos with full color maps that feature drawings of animals, food, and other things found in that country.

The book is divided into six sections- North America & the Caribbean, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, Antartica & the Pacific.

Each country has an information page featuring a quick overview of the country and a side bar of Fun Facts that give the reader the lowdown on Best Known For, When to Visit, Climate/Weather, Plan Ahead, Best-Kept Secret, and Good To Know. At the top of each page is the capital, area in mileage, official language, and currency.

You will also find full two-page spreads on Cultural Treasures (like Stockholm's Old Town in Sweden), Must-Do guides (the wine country in Douro Valley in Portugal) and Top Ten lists (Singapore's Can't Miss Experiences).

If you are a world traveler (or know someone who is), this is a wonderful book filled with information that will make your trips more enjoyable. It's also fun for armchair travelers or anyone who wants to audition for Jeopardy!

Thanks to TLC Tours for putting me on this tour.

Julia Song Is Undateable by Susan Lee

2025-10-26T12:31:00.000-04:00

Julai Song Is Undateable by Susan Lee

Published by Canary Street Press ISBN 9781335402523

Trade paperback, $17.99, 336 pages

From the publisher:

CEO seeks dating coach

Julia Song, CEO of Starlight Cosmetics, is at the height of her career. Then why does she feel like such a failure? Maybe because she’s thirty and single, with a terrible track record at dating. And in the eyes of her Korean family, that is just unacceptable. It never really bothered her—that is until her beloved grandmother drops the bomb that she is sick and her dying wish is for Julia to get married. Impossible. So in a moment of weakness, Julia asks her family for help. Set her up on three dates to help her find The One. But it will never work—Julia is undateable. If only there was a coach for that…

Tae Kim knows about the weight of familial expectation. He’s currently unemployed, living in his parents’ basement to care for his ill father. Sure, he’s become somewhat of a fix-it man for the Korean community around town, but that’s not a real job. And the pressure to get his life together is getting to be too much. So when the Julia Song—his childhood crush—asks for his help, it may be just the distraction he needs. He’ll do whatever it takes, even coach her for these three dates. Problem is, the more time they spend together and the closer they get, the more Tae wonders if anyone is good enough for Julia…including him.

My Thoughts:

What I liked about Julia Song Is Undateable is that it turns the tables on traditional romance characters. Julia is the powerful CEO while Tae is the caretaker. Tae not only came home to take care of his parents when his father became ill, he also is the go-to guy who helps everyone in the neighborhood. Whenever anyone needs a ride to the market or church, or fixing something in their home, they call Tae.

I also like novels that are set in a community I don't know much about, in this case the Korean community. We learn about Korean customs and foods, and even a little about K-Pop. One thing that seems to be universal though is that families of every culture want their children to find true love and happiness and will do just about anything to see that happen (especially grandmas).

While Julia knows all about her business, she is hopeless when it comes to dating. She blurts out comments that may be better left unsaid. Tae offers to be her dating coach, but he secretly wants to be the one Julia wants to date, and given the three men that Juia's family set her up with, Tae is looking pretty good.

As in every romance, there are a few bumps in the road and misunderstandings along the way to true love.

There are also a few spicy scenes that will heat up the cold weather headed our way.

I truly enjoyed Julia Song is Undateable and look forward to more from Susan Lee in the future.

Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on their Fall 2025 Blog Tours.

Three Books For Autumn

2025-10-19T16:53:00.000-04:00

Reprinted from auburnpub.com:

There’s a chill in the air as autumn has arrived, it’s a good time to stay inside, cuddle under a blanket, and read a good book. This month’s Book Report has two books that are seasonal- one for fall, and one for the upcoming Christmas season.

The cover of Ellen O’Clover’s The Heartbreak Hotel has a lovely autumnal feel to it. Lou is living with her longtime boyfriend Nate, the lead singer for a popular rock band.

While he has been off touring the world with his band, Lou has been in their beautiful rental home in the mountains of Colorado. She has been studying to get her license in counseling and life seems to be on course for her.

Until Nate is photographed with another woman and he tells her that he is love with this other woman. Lou is devastated not only for the loss of her relationship, but she loves the house they have been living in. She has made it a beautiful home.

In order to keep staying in the house, she meets with the landlord, a handsome veterinarian named Ben. She proposes to Ben that she turn the house into a bed and breakfast that she would manage in lieu of paying rent.

Lou is surprised that Ben agrees so quickly, and even more surprised when he shows up at the house to fix things that need attention. Ben in turn is surprised to learn that Lou is advertising the bed and breakfast as the Comeback Inn, a place for people who have suffered heartbreak to come and stay to get over their loss.

It’s clear that Ben has had heartbreak in his life (word of warning- it’s very sad), and that he and Lou are attracted to each other. But the course of true love does not run smooth as they each have to deal with things the other is holding back that could derail their relationship.

All of the characters in The Heartbreak Hotel are so interesting- from Lou and Ben to Lou’s best friend Mei, to Nan the widow who comes to stay at the inn and doesn’t want to leave.

Lou had a difficult upbringing. Her single mother raised her and her older sister Goldie, although it frequently fell to Goldie to raise Lou as their mother dealt with mental health challenges.

They moved often, living with whatever boyfriend Mom was with until he tired of her. Now as an adult, it has become Lou’s responsibility to get her mother out the situations she finds herself in. I think many readers may relate to Lou, a person who cares for others before she cares for herself.

The Heartbreak Hotel is a romance with a serious side to it. I recommend it.

Turning to the Christmas season, Matthew Norman’s new novel, Grace and Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon also deals with heartbreak. Henry lost his young wife suddenly nearly a year ago and he is still staying with his parents.

He can’t bring himself to move back into their apartment, still decorated for Christmas. His wife loved the holidays, and one of their favorite traditions was watching holiday movies together.

Grace lost her young husband after a battle with cancer. Her mourning is different from Henry’s as she has two young children to raise- Ian and Bella.

Grace and Henry’s mothers decide to play matchmaker. Neither Grace nor Henry are ready for a romantic relationship yet, but to make their mothers happy, they decide to be friends.

When Henry tells Grace about he and his wife’s holiday movie marathon tradition, Grace agrees to watch the movies with him. (Even if some of them are not her cup of tea- Die Hard is not a Christmas movie).

Each chapter is titled after a holiday movie- Home Alone, Elf, Rudolph- which I find delightful. Grace and Henry help each other through their grief and Henry grows fond of Ian and Bella.

What I like about Matthew Norman’s novels is his sense of humor he imbues in each book. Grace in particular has such witty comments, even with a storyline that is sad, the humor shines though. I loved Grace and Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon.

Reading it put me in mind of a great scary psychological thriller that also uses movies in the chapter headings and is perfect for a Halloween read. John Searles’ Her Last Affair is set in a closed drive-in theater and uses movie quotes to open each chapter. It’s a twisty thriller that will keep you turning the pages until you finish. It’s brilliant. (My full review is here.)

The Heartbreak Hotel by Ellen O'Clover- A

Published by Berkley

Trade paperback, 352 pages, $17.99

Grace and Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman- A+

Published by Dell

Trade paperback, 336 pages, $18

Her Last Affair by John Searles- A+

Published by Mariner

Trade paperback, 336 pages, $18.99

The Photographs-Iconic Images From National Geographic

2025-10-19T16:07:00.002-04:00

The Photographs- Iconic Images from National Geographic

Published by National Geographic Partners ISBN 9781426224409

Hardcover, 461 pages, $50

October is almost over and it's time to turn our thoughts to the upcoming holiday season and gift giving.

This year National Geographic has several beutiful coffee table books, perfect for that person on your gift list who is hard to buy for.

The Photographs- Iconic Images from National Geographic is filled some of the most spectacular photos from the pages of the magazine we all grew up in our families. Now when most of us see photos on a screen- our computer or phone- these photos in this book have more of an impact when viewed in the pages of a book we can touch.

The book is divided into five chapters- Discover (featuring adventure and exploration), Protect (wildlife and conservation), Honor (people and culture), Cherish (landscape and environment) and Reveal (science and technology).

Many of the stunning photos are double-paged and will take your breath away. Stephen Wilkes in 2016 created a composite photo of animals around a watering hole in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania that will appeal to anyone who has ever been on a safari- or who want to go on one.

There are biographies of some of National Geographic most prolific photographers who explain how they became interested in photography and how they honed their craft, like Joel Sartore, whose fascination with endangered animals is shown in the photo below.

One of my favorite photos is David Yoder's Christmas Day 2014 shot of Pope Francis in the Sistine Chapel. It captures the majesty of Michelangelo's ceiling contrasted with Pope Francis' humility.

If anyone on your list is an amateur photographer or just curious about the world acround us,

The Photographs- Iconic Images from National Geographic is a great gift. Families will enjoy looking at it together.

Thanks to TLC Tours for putting me on this tour.

Friday 5ive- September 26, 2025

2025-09-26T20:08:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a regular post featuring five things that caught my attention this week.

It's been a busy September with a lot of traveling, but I'm back. We spent the weekend back home in Auburn, where we spent time with family, ran into old friends, and got to have a Cameron's Bakery long john donut on Donut Sunday at my Mom's house.

1) I was honored to officiate my niece's wedding which took place at Chantelle Marie Lakehouse and Celebration Hall in Auburn, NY. The bride and groom said their vows overlooking Owasco Lake, and it was such a beautiful setting. The bridesmaids and bride (who looked stunning!) processed through a set of doors that added such a special touch. It was a fantastic weekend!

The beautiful setting for the vows

The doors

2) Two weeks ago I had a craving for a Beef on Weck sandwich and could not find anyone near me in NYC that served it. (I guess it's a Western/Central New York thing.) So I was delighted that when we went to Parker's 129 in downtown Auburn, they had Beef on Weck on the menu! It was my go-to sandwich when we used to take our young sons out to dinner years ago there. The kimmelweck bun with salt and caraway seeds on top make the sandwich. Delicious. And a special bonus- I saw a friend from high school and we chatted about her book club. What could be better?

3) There are a lot of terrific additions to downtown Auburn since we were last there. One such is

Auburn Bagel Company, where we made three trips in two days to get tasty bagels (they had a huge variety). They make bagels New York style, the owner worked for a time in a bagel shop in New York City. We know bagels here in New York City and these were fantastic. The highlight for me was their Danish scone- I got the Cranberry White Chocolate and it was incredible. I even got one to take home.

Where the magic happens- a water bath for the bagels

Bright art for sale lines the walls

4) Auburn is filled with history, as Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the Women's Right to Vote movement, is close by, and many suffragists lived in Auburn. They have a plaque noting where the headquarters of the Cayuga County Political Equality Club stood in 1914-1916.

5) We stayed at the Prison City Brewery Loft apartments, around the corner from

Prison City Pub & Brewery. As you know of my love for books, I was impressed to find a book about female brewers titled A Woman's Place is in the Brewhouse in the living room of the apartment. How appropriate!

I hope you have a safe, healthy week. Until next time.

Friday 5ive- Five Books I Read and Loved

2025-09-05T18:24:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly blog post featuring five things that caught my attention this week. I've been on reading roll and read some excellent books while on a mini-vacation over Labor Day.

1) Michelle Huneven is an author who writes heart-piercing novels (Blame and Off Course were both excellent). Her latest, Bug Hollow, begins with the golden son heading off for a weeklong trip with his friends before he goes to college. When he meets a lovely young lady, he decides to spend the rest of the summer with her. His mother is unhappy about the situation, his father thinks he's sewing oats. When he tragically drowns the first week of college, and his summer girlfriend shows up pregnant, the family is thrown into turmoil. This moving story follows the family for the next twenty years as each member gets their chance to tell their story. It's one of the best books I read this year.

2) Sybil Van Antwerp is an unforgetable character in Virginia Evans' quiet and immersive novel

The Correspondent, which consists only of letters Sybil writes and receives in return. At the age of 77, Sybil lives alone, divorced from her husband years ago, has a strained relationship with her daughter, and a son who checks in on her. She writes letters to people she knows like her sister, with whom she shares book recommendations, and people she doesn't, like authors Ann Patchett and Joan Didion. She has an interesting correspondence with the young son of a friend, and their relationship is charming. Sybil's neighbor would like to be friends with her, but Sybil seems to have difficulty with relationships not on paper. A tragedy from years ago haunts Sybil sixty years later, and explains much of why she is the way she is. It's a lovely story well told. If you liked Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge, you'll like The Correspondent.

3) Janelle Brown's What Kind of Paradise shares the story of Jane a teenager who lives in a cabin in the middle of nowhere in Montana in the 1990s. Jane's mom died years earlier and it's just Jane and her father who homeschools Jane and keeps them isolated. Her father doesn't trust technology and believes that the internet will be the destruction of mankind as he writes in increasingly disturbing leaflets that he distributes in the local bookstore. It's a lonely existence for Jane, who isn't allowed to have friends (other than the girl whose mom owns the bookstore). Jane is devoted to her father but when he makes her an accomplice to a devastating crime, she has to decide where her loyalties lie. It's a brilliant novel.

4) There has been a lot of buzz about Patrick Ryan's big novel Buckeye. Set in the small town of Bonhomie Ohio, it follows two families from the end of WWII to the Vietnam War. Cal Jenkins works in his father-in-law's hardware store when on VE Day, a beautiful woman named Margaret comes into his store and kisses him as they hear on the radio that WWII is over in Europe. She leaves as quickly as she arrived and he is flummoxed. Cal's wife Becky has the gift of being able to contact the dead, and brings people into their home to help them contact loved ones who have passed. Cal isn't happy about this, and it causes tension in their marriage. Margaret's husband Felix is serving in the Pacific on a supply ship and she waits for word after his ship is hit. This incredible novel follows the outcome of that kiss that causes ripple effects for years to come, even affecting both couple's sons Skip and Tom. The novel tells the story of what is happening in the United States over the thirty years through these two families. It's Read With Jenna's September pick.

4) My palate cleanser after all this serious stuff is Taj McCoy's spicy romance The Dating Prohibition. Kendra returns home to her family after years away studying with chefs in hopes of opening up a speakeasy supper club. She has returned to help her brother as he opens up his own restaurant, and is attracted to his best friend BJ, someone she has known all her life. BJ wants to help her realize her dream of opening her speakeasy and although he is attracted to Kendra, he tells her she is off-limits because she is his best friend's little sister. But is she off-limits though? If you liked The Bear as much as I do, you'll love this one. There's something for foodies, people who like family stories, and of course spice.

I hope you have a great back-to-school week, until next time.

The Dating Prohibition by Taj McCoy

2025-09-05T17:22:00.000-04:00

The Dating Prohibition by Taj McCoy

Published by MIRA ISBN 9780778368588

Trade paperback, $18.99, 320 pages

From the publisher:

In this spicy new rom-com, an ambitious entrepreneur working to get her speakeasy supper club off the ground is pushed off balance when her childhood crush turns up, hotter than ever––then tells her she's off-limits.

Now that Kendra’s returned home, she can’t help feeling like a kid again—back in her big brother’s shadow, trying to get her restaurant off the ground while his new venture is flying high right out the gate. It doesn’t help that everyone refuses to stop calling her Keke, the childhood nickname she loathes.

The only bright spot is her longtime crush BJ. He’s been her big brother’s best friend for most of her life, and he’s always been that cool, chill guy who was easy to talk to and made her laugh. Now he’s looking at her like she’s all grown up, and there’s nothing childish about the chemistry brewing between them. Even better, he takes her dreams seriously, and he’s ready to help her make her supper club a reality.

But then BJ extinguishes the sparks flying between them, insisting nothing romantic can ever happen because she’s “off limits.” As her investors fall through and her best chance at fulfilling her professional dreams points toward leaving home again for a fresh start, will BJ be ready for love before Kendra moves on? Or will he sweep her off her feet when she least expects it?

My thoughts:

I truly enjoy a novel where the main character is a driven person trying to make their dream come true. Kendra left her job in tech to travel the world and learn from chefs and cooks with the dream of opening up her own speakeasy supper club in Washington, D.C., following in the footsteps of her brother Logan who just opened up his own restaurant there with his wife.

I loved immersing myself in their foodie world, as Kendra and her family and friends pulled together to make Logan's restaurant a success. Reading about all the work that goes into the preparation- ordering supplies, creating the atmosphere, testing recipes- I found it all fascinating.

Watching Kendra work to make her own dream come true, and seeing how even though she faced so many obstacles she wouldn't give up, was inspiring. The relationships among the characters, especially Kendra and her cousin Lani and Kendra and her Auntie Mack, were wonderful and joyful.

The story has a lot of spicy scenes between Kendra and her brothers best friend BJ, and I did find myself at times feeling like BJ was not being straightforward with Kendra- saying one thing (we can't be together) and doing another (see spicy scenes above).

I adored the last part of the book watching Kendra's dreams come true. If you are a fan of TV's The Bear, you will love The Dating Prohibition as much as I did.

This is the second book I've read by Taj McCoy (Zora Books Her Own Happily Ever After- my review here) and I look forward to many more from her.

Thanks to Harlequin Books for putting me on their Fall 2025 Blog Tours.

Friday 5ive- A Trip to Napa Valley

2025-08-29T09:00:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly post featuring five things that caught my attention this week.

It's been a few weeks since my last Friday 5ive, we've been to Boston, Rhode Island and last week we took our semi-annual Napa Valley trip to wine country. The weather was perfect and we had some great wines and delicious meals.

1) We visited one of our favorite wineries Del Dotto where we had the most delicious lunch. The highlight for me was a mini lobster roll that was just the perfect bite. The gardens are just spectacular, with playful statues along the walkway that made me smile.

2) Old gas stations have been repurposed and turned into takeout pizza joints and wineries. We stopped into Tank winery and it was very cool.

3) We celebrated a big birthday at Cliff Lede Vineyards, where we had a delightful luncheon in one of the caves. Pat went all out to decorate and we had wonderful time. We even had an impromptu sing along in the cave that was fun and beautiful. Cliff Lede is all about wine, art, and rock and roll, and they have a quite a collection of Beatles memorabilia, paintings by Grace Slick, and a guitar signed by some of the greats like Bruce Springsteen, Keith Richards, and Edge.

4) It was nearly harvest time and we got to taste grapes right off the vine. We were all surprised at how sweet they tasted, nothing like the grapes you get in the grocery store.

5) This week's sign comes courtesy of a bar offering free Husband daycare while their spouses shop the cute little stores on Main Street. I'm proud to say we did not have any drop-offs that day but it was early in our trip. If it was towards the end of the trip, we may have lost a few good men.

I hope you enjoy the end of summer and have a safe and healthy Labor Day holiday. Cheers!

End of Summer Reading Roundup

2025-08-26T08:05:00.000-04:00

Reprinted from auburnpub.com

End of Summer Reading Roundup

It doesn’t seem possible that the end of summer is fast approaching. it goes by more quickly each year. This month's Book Report features books I recently enjoyed and I hope you will as well.

Many of us have heard about the Magdalene laundries in Ireland where young pregnant teens were sent by their families to give birth, and then forced to give their babies up for adoption. While there, the young girls worked long days in the laundry for no money, and were generally treated poorly as free labor.

In the United States, there were 38 of these facilities. In her novel Wayward Girls, Susan Wiggs sets her story in a fictionalized version of a real-life home for wayward girls in Buffalo in the 1960s. Young girls and teens who were pregnant or whose parents could not care for them or were orphaned or sent by the court system ended up at this home.

When Marin rebuffs the advances of her alcoholic stepfather, he sends her to Good Shepherd Home, labeled a “reform school". There she bonds with a group of other young girls, and while they try to survive the hardships they faced, they plot a way to escape. It’s a heartbreaking and yet eventually uplifting story.

Kathy Wang’s novel The Satisfaction Cafe opens with Joan, a Chinese immigrant stating she never thought life in America would lead her to stab her husband. How can you not want to read on after that?

Joan divorces the first husband (the one she stabbed) and ends up married to a much older wealthy American man, and lives what many would call the American dream, even if her husband’s adult children do not trust her.

It’s a moving story of Joan’s life in America, finding a family, and the clever way she overcame the loneliness that many people face, especially in today’s world. She’s an unforgettable character.

Jess Walter’s new novel, So Far Gone tackles a different kind of loneliness. After he punches his conspiracy theory-spouting son-in-law at Thanksgiving, Rhys Kinnick goes off the grid to a dilapidated family cabin the middle of nowhere in the Northwest.

Seven years later a woman shows up on his doorstep with his two young grandchildren and a note from his daughter asking him to care for them until she returns. He tries to bond with the grandchildren over his love of literature, and when his son-in-law shows up with members of an armed militia to take the children, he is forced into action.

Rhys rounds up his only friends to rescue his grandchildren and then find his missing daughter. It’s a road trip family story and has a lot to say about where we are as a country. I liked that the characters are not black-and-white (except for one really bad guy), but shades of gray. It’s got humor and heart.

Beck Dorey-Stein’s novel Spectacular Things tells the story of two sisters, Mia and Cricket, who are raised by their single mother. Mom was a high school soccer superstar and headed for big things in college when she became pregnant with Mia.

She gave her girls their love of soccer, and when Cricket shows amazing talent at the game and a tragedy befalls the family, it’s Mia who sacrifices everything to give Cricket a shot at making her Olympic dream come true.

Just as Cricket is on the verge of soccer stardom, it’s Mia who needs her little sister to help her. Cricket has to decide what is more important to her- her sister or her dream. It’s a wonderful story that would make a great book club pick as there is so much to discuss here.

The last book I really liked is an unusual one. Maria Reva’s Endling is about a Ukrainian scientist trying to keep a species of snail from going extinct. To fund this, she secretly works for an organization that matches Ukrainian women with Western men looking for brides.

Two sisters who also work for this organization have an ulterior motive- they plan to kidnap twelve of the men to protest the matchmaking company that they feel exploits these Ukrainian women.

The sisters recruit the scientist so they can use her research van, and when the Russians invade Ukraine, all the plans these women have go out the window, and now it’s just trying to avoid the war and keeping the men alive.

While it sounds crazy, the writing and the characters are impressive, and the tension ratchets up as they try to avoid becoming caught up in the war. It’s unique and brilliant and just nominated for the prestigious Booker Prize.

Friday 5ive- August 8, 2025

2025-08-07T20:58:00.004-04:00

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly post featurng five things that caught my attention this week.

The weekend was so beautiful, perfect weather to sit on my balcony and catch up on my reading.

1) We went to see Just in Time, a Broadway show about legendary 50s and 60s singer/songwriter Bobby Darin. The show is fantastic, with the staging as a nightclub setting. (Darin performed a great deal in clubs like the Copacabana. My companions didn't know anything about Bobby Darin and they loved the show. I knew a little about him, but I didn't realize that Connie Francis (who recently passed away) was his first love. Jonathan Groff gave an astonishing performance as Darin, winning a Tony nomination for it. If you're in NYC, I highly recommend going to see Just in Time.

2) You see a lot of interesting things walking around the city, but I've never seen anything quite like the sight of an ad for a handyman. On top of his little car. On top of a gigantic box where I guess he keeps his tools?

3) I like to try new items at Trader Joe's and this week it was Dark Chocolate Covered Cashews (with a hidden layer of sweet caramel confectionary coating). Need I say more? They are delicious!

4) I binge-watched the sitcom Leanne on Neflix. It's a throwback to the traditional network TV sitcoms starring standup comic Leanne Morgan, with Kristen Johnston as her sister. Leanne portrays a woman married for 30+ years when her husband leaves her for another woman. It's very Southern and funny (if you've seen Leanne's comedy act you'll get it.) Leanne has to deal with her ex-husband, wild child daughter (who's almost 30), a son who is the light of her life, a beautiful grandbaby, nosy neighbor, and her elderly parents. The chemistry between Leanne and Kristen is perfection, and Tim Daly as Leanne's FBI agent love interest is terrific. There's 16 episodes and I hope we see season two.

5) I read Beck Dorey-Stein's fantastic new novel Spectacular Things in one day this week (on my balcony). It's about two sisters, one of whom, Cricket, is on her way to becoming an Olympic soccer star. Older sister Mia has sacrificed much to help her talented sister realize her dreams. When Mia has a serious situation arise where she needs Cricket to make a choice that could put her career in jeopardy, the sisters face a crossroads in their relationship.

I devoured this story of sisters, it hooked me from the very beginning. We see the challenges their single mom faced to give them a good life, as well as the blessings and curses of being a star athlete with so much potential.

The writing and characters draw you in, and if you are a soccer fan you will love this story even more. I'm always intrigued by athletes who perform at a high level, particularly if they begin as young children. Even though I don't follow soccer, I was captivated by that storyline.

Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid's Carrie Soto Is Back will want to read Spectacular Things. It was a Reeses' Book Club pick.

Have a safe and healthy week- until next time.

The Cover Girl by Amy Rossi

2025-08-03T17:33:00.001-04:00

The Cover Girl by Amy Rossi

Published by MIRA ISBN 9780778368267

Hardcover, $28.99, 336 pages

From the publisher:

Find them early enough, and they will always be her girls.

Birdie Rhodes was only thirteen when legendary modeling agent Harriet Goldman discovered her in a department store and transformed her into one of Harriet’s Girls. What followed felt like the start of something incredible, a chance for shy Birdie to express herself in front of the camera. But two years later, she meets a thirty-one-year-old rock star, and her teenage heart falls hard as he leads her into a new life, despite Harriet's warnings. Then, as abruptly as it began, it’s over, like a lipstick-smeared fever dream. Birdie tries hard to forget that time—starting over in Paris, in the dying embers of the LA punk scene, in Boston at the height of the AIDS crisis. She’s not that person anymore. At least, that’s what she’s been telling herself.

Decades later, Birdie lives a quiet life. She works modest gigs, takes Pilates and mostly keeps to herself. Maybe it’s not the glamor she once envisioned, but it’s peaceful. Comfortable. Then a letter arrives, inviting Birdie to celebrate Harriet’s fifty-year career. Except Birdie hasn’t spoken to her in nearly thirty years—with good reason.

Almost famous, almost destroyed, Birdie can only make her own future if she reckons with her past—the fame, the trauma, the opportunities she gave up for a man who brought her into a life she wasn't ready for. Just like she’s not ready now. But the painful truth waits for nobody. Not even Birdie Rhodes.

For fans of My Dark Vanessa and Taylor Jenkins Reid, this striking debut novel explores the dizzying fallout of being seen and not heard in a high-stakes industry that leaves no silhouette unscathed.

My thoughts:

At first glance, I wasn't sure I wanted to read this book, the modeling industry doesn't particularly intrigue me, but I was immediately captured by Birdie's story. Birdie was just a young teenager when her parents, who seemed not very interested in their own daughter, willingly allowed her to travel on a world tour with the much older rock star, even agreeing to give him what they thought was temporary guardianship of Birdie.

Birdie and the rock star are inseparable, and even though her mentor Harriet tries to move her away from this relationship and back towards her career, it's no use. Birdie is devastated when the rock star dumps her, as the life span of that relationship was doomed from the beginning.

Watching Birdie spiral is so awful; she has no support as she hasn't seen her parents in years and Harriet's past efforts to help Birdie were rebuffed. Thank goodness Birdie has a friend in Bernice, a fellow young model. As Bernice's star rises, Birdie's flames out.

This is a strong debut novel, Amy Rossi has created a memorable character in Birdie. The reader is so invested in her life, pulling for Birdie to get her life back on track even though the adults in her life failed her. I highly recommend The Cover Girl.

Thanks to Harlequin for putting on their Summer 2025 Blog Tours.

Friday 5ive- a Trip to Watkins Glen

2025-08-01T20:01:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly post featuring five things that caught my attention this week.

We made a trip to Watkins Glen, home to the famous Watkins Glen International Raceway.

1) While two of our group drove their cars on the raceway, two of us walked around the town of Watkins Glen. There are many cute second hand stores, filled with nostalgic items. One store had bookcases filled with minature salt and pepper shakers, many of them holiday-themed. The Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein ones caught my eye in particular.

2) I got to visit my good friend Kelly who lives close by. It was so great to have a glass of Finger Lakes wine and catch up.

3) I grew up in the Finger Lakes and there are some items that I just can't find in NYC grocery stores so a trip to the local Tops Supermarket scored some key items. I got salt potatoes (why doesn't Wegmans sell them in their NYC stores?), Dinosaur Barbeque Sauce (hard to find in NYC for some reason) and Gianelli sweet sausage patties. (I have looked all over for sweet sausage patties to no avail- hot sausage yes, sweet, no.) While there, a customer told us to stop at a little place called Art & Nancy's for the best sandwiches in town. We picked up turkey subs to bring to the guys at the track and they were so good, we went back the next day again for lunch. If you ever go to Watkins Glen, stop into Art & Nancy's.

4) One night we had dinner at Nickel's Pit BBQ for delicious Carolina barbeque sandwiches. As I am fan of Prince's music (the best concert I ever saw was Prince at the Carrier Dome), I tried the Little Red Corvette, made with vodka, pineapple juice, vanilla, coconut, and cherry. I enjoyed it, but I was in the minority in our group in that opinion.

Little Red Corvette

5) Our hotel (Glen Harbor Hotel) was located right on the shores of Seneca Lake, and every evening we had this beautiful view.

Have a wonderful and safe week- until next week.

Friday 5ive- July 25, 2025

2025-07-25T18:42:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly post featuring five things that caught my attention this week. It was a glorious weekend in New York City last week and I was able to spend much of it on my apartment balcony overlooking the East River reading good books. By luck, I chose several short books and was able to read one each day.

1) One of the best things about volunteering at the Book Cellar is that I get to meet authors. One of our frequent customers brought in his friend Ed A. Murray who wrote a novel titled Autumn in Wolf Valley. The description enticed me to read it and I'm glad I did.

Howard lives in Autumn Valley in Pennsylvania, and he has been bereft since his wife Amber died last year. He only has a dog named Coby for company, and an occasional drop by from his neighbor. When a storm approaches that leads to dangerous flooding, Howard refuses to leave his home for a shelter because he would have to leave Coby behind.

The story goes back in time as we relive Howard and Amber's love story, their marriage, the challenges that we all face in life. Love stories written by men are not all that common, and this one is wonderful.

The scenes of the flooding are realistic and frightening, especially given that so many people have been experiencing this recently all around the country. There is a secret revealed at the end of the story that I did not see coming, and it makes this a good book for book clubs to read. The discussion regarding that secret would be fascinating. I recommend Autumn in Wolf Valley.

Ed A. Murray

2) Linda Dahl's novel Tiny Vices is a sibling story that draws comparisons to Anne Tyler and Jojo Moyes' books. Four middle-aged siblings are dealing with their own crises-and those of their siblings. Kathy is the oldest and the one who seems to take on responsibilities of others. Corina has early-onset Alzheimer's and Kathy decides that a family vacation needs to be taken now before it's too late.

Brother Pete has a lot of medical issues as well, many of them self-inflicted from years of drug and alcohol abuse. Youngest daughter Becca and her husband are struggling with financial troubles and their own son's addiction that caused them heartache.

The only place they can all travel is to a beach town in Mexico where years ago something awful happened to Kathy on spring break, something she has never told anyone.

It's a road trip that also includes Kathy and Becca's husbands and Corina's caregiver and things get off to a difficult start and don't get better.

I raced through this story as I love a good family story, and Tiny Vices is surely one. The characters are vivid, and Kathy describes one thusly: "She knew him so well. Knew he was wearing his life like a musty old coat. And suspected that he wanted a new one." I highly recommend Tiny Vices to anyone who likes family stories.

3) Katie Yee's new novel Maggie; Or A Man and A Woman Walk Into A Bar has been getting a lot of buzz lately. Our unnamed narrator is at a restaurant when her husband tells her that he has fallen in love with a woman named Maggie. She goes to the buffet and fills up on samosas. They have two young children who prefer their father's entertaining bedtime stories to hers and now he wants out.

She feels a lump in her breast and discovers she has cancer (she names the lump Maggie). She turns to her best friend Darlene for support, and writes "The Guide to My Husband: A User's Manual" for Maggie, alerting Maggie to her husband's many quirks. She eventually agrees to meet Maggie, resulting in an awkward scene at yet another restaurant.

She turns to Chinese myths of her childhood to create bedtime stories for her children so they can better understand her culture- and theirs. The novel is by turns funny and insightful. Katie Yee has drawn comparisons to Jenny Offill and Nora Ephron with her fantastic debut novel, and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

4) I first remembered Merrill Markoe as the head writer for David Letterman's Late Night with David Letterman. She was also in a romantic relationship with Letterman for years. In her collection of humorous essays Cool Calm and Contentious, she recounts in one essay her relationship with an unnamed talk show and how she learned that he had been cheating on her with young staff members. As someone who remembered this scandal, I found how she handled it in the essay brilliant.

She also has essays about her narcassistic mother (oh wow, that woman is something), and maybe growing up with her mother helped her deal with a life in show business, and all the difficult personalities she encounters in her work.

I picked this book up because I saw Markoe on HBO's Hacks this season and she is hilarious in her deadpan delivery. It was a good afternoon spent reading it.

5) I caught uo with season four of Hulu's The Bear. This season focuses less on the restaurant and more on the lives of Bear, Sydney and Ritchie. I found it a bit slow going at first, but as the season progressed, there were three standout episodes- Worms (Ayo Edebiri's Sydney shines here), Bears (a family wedding stuffed with great guest stars like Sarah Paulson, John Mulaney, and Oliver Platt among them) and the last episode Goodbye (with strong performances from Ayo Edebiri, Jeremy Allen White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach). I do agree with people who say they relied too much on music this season and not enough dialogue, but the last episode sets up season five beautifully.

Have a safe and enjoyable week- until next time.

Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakely

2025-07-21T16:48:00.000-04:00

Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakely

Published by Canary Street Press

Trade paperback, $18.99, 352 pages

From the publisher:

Always each other’s plus-ones, but never each other’s real dates, two childhood best friends have one last summer wedding to fall in love in this dual-narrative debut.

One of The Washington Post’s ‘8 Romance Novels to Read this Summer’!

Best friends Joni and Ren have been inseparable since childhood. So when Joni moves across the country for her job, the two devise a creative way to stay in touch: they’ll be each other’s plus-ones every year for wedding season, no matter what else is happening in their lives.

It’s a tradition that works, until a line is crossed and the friendship they once thought was forever is ruined.

Now Joni is back at their families’ shared summer home for her sister’s wedding, and she’s determined to make the week perfect, even if it means faking a friendship with Ren—and avoiding the truth of why they have to fake it in the first place. How hard can it be to pretend to be friends with the person who once knew you best?

But as sunny beach days together turn into starry nights, Joni begins to question what her life is without Ren in it. And when the wedding arrives, bringing past heartaches to the surface, she’ll be forced to decide if loving Ren means letting him go, or if theirs is a love story worth fighting for.

My thoughts:

I was immediately drawn into Friends to Lovers from the first page. I felt for Joni, who lost her job in New York and hasn't told anyone in her family- or Ren, her best friend since childhood. Ren and Joni had spent every moment together growing up, and when Joni moved away for her dream job, they kept up by being each other's plus ones to the weddings of family and friends. Until something happened two years ago and they haven't texted or spoken since.

You can feel the discomfort leap off the page between Joni and Ren as family and friends gather for Joni's sister's wedding. They pretend to everyone that all is well even as they share a porch bedroom as they always have.

I liked seeing their relationship through the lens of the weddings they have attended over the years, it's a unique and interesting way to tell their story.

The secondary characters of various family and friends are so well drawn, and in another author's hands it could have felt crowded or confusing, but here it only adds to this wonderful story. The reader feels like we are there at the family vacation home along with everyone else, participating in the week of wedding festivities.

We root for Ren and Joni to figure out their relationship- should they make the leap from friends to lovers? Read and find out, you'll be rewarded. I recommend Friends to Lovers.

Thanks to Harlequin Books for putting me on the Summer 2025 Blog Tours.

Friday 5ive- A Trip to Nantucket

2025-07-18T20:55:00.004-04:00

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly post featuring five things that caught my attention this week.

We took a trip to Nantucket with our younger son and his fianceé. It was a glorious weekend, filled with good food and strolls around the pretty town.

1) We rented a Jeep (everyone in Nantucket has a Jeep) and went to Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge where you could drive the Jeep right onto the beach. There were a lot of people fishing, and a sign that read 'Warning- Seals Attract Sharks. Do not swim near seals'. We saw a lot of seals close up to the shore, they must figure that sharks can't come that close to the beach. It was pretty cool!

2) Topper's is a famous restaurant on the island and we had a special engagement dinner there. My first course was a summer fruit and vegetable dish that had such a beautiful presentation, as did the pavlova desset. If you watch Hulu's The Bear, you would appreciate it.

3) One of the highlights for me was a visit to the popular The Club Car for their piano bar entertainment. My son and his fianceé manuevered us to get right up close to the piano where the large crowd sang along enthusiastically to songs like Tiny Dancer (a big fan favorite that night).

4) As we were walking near the waterfront we ran into a wedding party marching down the street, complete with musicians and everyone had a tambourine. I wanted to ask if I could have a tambourine, but I did not. It was like something you'd see in New Orleans.

5) Our trip home took a little longer than planned. We were supposed to fly out of Nantucket on Monday, the day of the horrendous storms and flash flooding in New York City. Our 3:30pm flight kept getting delayed and we figured our best bet was to get off Nantucket and to Boston where we'd stay overnight and get a flight the next morning.

The only flight to Boston was on Cape Air in a little eight-seater plane. It was kind of like being up in a hot air balloon, very peaceful and slow going over the water. You had to tell the Cape Air agent your weight and all I could think of was comedienne Leanne Morgan's story of going on a small plane and when asked her weight she lied and she knew everyone lied too and she was sure they were going to crash.

When we went to get our luggage at the Boston airport, my bag was missing. (But my husband's golf clubs made it.) The other couple on our flight were also missing a bag, so we read a sign that said "If your bag is not here, wait 15-20 minutes before going to the Cape Air desk upstairs." The wife and and I waited while the husbands went upstairs and sure enough, our bags showed up 25 minutes later. They arrived on the following Cape Air flight. That made me laugh!

After a 90 minute car ride from Newark airport to NYC, we were home. Our flight from Boston to NYC took 45 minutes. Only 22 hours behind schedule. What are you going to do?

Our trip to Nanticket was so lovely, we had a fantastic time and I would go back again. Have a great and safe week.

The Friday 5ive is back!

2025-07-11T07:27:00.012-04:00

It's been a long while since I wrote a Friday post. I've been busy with running the Book Cellar, traveling and spending time with our beautiful, smart and curious granddaughter, but people have asked me about the Friday 5ive so let's give it a try. Here are five things that caught my attention this week.

1) You can thank this lovely lady here for the return. While attending Adriana Trigiani's comedy and music show at Molloy University in Rockville Centre this week, a woman came up up to me and said "you're Diane- bookchickdi! I read your blog and love your book reviews. I miss the Friday 5ive." Gabriella was so sweet and she took me by complete surprise. No one has ever recognized me from my blog! So Gabriella this one is for you. It was a delight to meet you!

2) I was at the Molloy University theater to see author Adriana Trigiani's comedy and music show celebrating the release of her latest novel, The View From Lake Como. (My rave review here.) The sold-out crowd watched Adriana talk about her family -she is one of seven children- and she had the crowd raoaring with laughter. It was the funniest comedy show I've ever seen and we got a copy of her book too! She had a slide show with family photos, her brother Mike and his band The Predictables played some fantastic music and it was a terrific evening of joy and laughter. If you get the chance to see the show, do it! You can find ticket information here. Here is a group photo with my friends and I at the Meet and Greet after the show.

3) Before the show, the ladies pregamed at my cousin Mary Beth's home, where she and her friends brought Italian treats to get us in the mood for the show about Adriana's Italian family. Everything was delicious, and Mary Beth's whipped ricotta with honey and herbs was the big hit.

4) My husband is a big golfer so we watched the show Stick on Apple TV this week. It's about a down-on- his-luck-golfer who years before had a meltdown and now he teaches golf lessons to anyone who will pay. When he finds a young golf phenom he believes he can take this kid all the way to the amateur championship. He along with the young man and his mom, take off in his best friend's old RV for a cross country road trip to make it happen. Owen Wilson and Mark Maron star and it's funny and charming.

5) The best book I read this week is Jess Walter's So Far Gone. Here's a description from the publisher:

Rhys Kinnick has gone off the grid. At Thanksgiving a few years back, a fed-up Rhys punched his conspiracy-theorist son-in-law in the mouth, chucked his smartphone out a car window and fled for a cabin in the woods, with no one around except a pack of hungry raccoons.

Now Kinnick’s old life is about to land right back on his crumbling doorstep. Can this failed husband and father, a man with no internet and a car that barely runs, reemerge into a broken world to track down his missing daughter and save his sweet, precocious grandchildren from the members of a dangerous militia?

With the help of his caustic ex-girlfriend, a bipolar retired detective, and his only friend (who happens to be furious with him), Kinnick heads off on a wild journey through cultural lunacy and the rubble of a life he thought he’d left behind. So Far Gone is a rollicking, razor-sharp, and moving road trip through a fractured nation, from a writer who has been called “a genius of the modern American moment” (Philadelphia Inquirer).

It's got humor and heart and what I liked best about it is that the characters feel real- they are flawed but no one is all good or bad. (Well, maybe one guy is pretty bad...) It's another road trip story (like Stick) so maybe that is the theme for this week's Friday 5- road trip.

Welcome back to the Friday 5ive, see you next week!

It's Summer Beach Read Time!

2025-07-01T09:29:00.000-04:00

Reprinted from auburnpub.com

Summer means it’s beach reads time and here are a few great ones.

Nothing brings me greater joy than a new book from Adriana Trigiani, and her newest romantic comedy, The View From Lake Como (publishing July 8th), has all the elements that made her a favorite of mine.

Jess Baratta finds herself living in her parents' basement (which doubles as a bonus kitchen and storage unit when "not housing someone old or newly divorced"). She left her husband Bobby after an unfulfilling short marriage, something her mother Philomena, Bobby, and Bobby's mother cannot comprehend.

Jess works for her Uncle Louie, owner of Capodimonte Marble and Stone (family owned since 1924). Philomena is currently feuding with her brother and will not speak to him, which makes Sunday family dinners fun.

Now that Jess is back home, unmarried and childless (unlike her older sister and brother), she finds her role in the family carved in marble- she is cook, maid, babysitter, and driver. She will transition to nurse and caregiver as her parents age, like the maiden Aunt Giuseppina whom she was named after. I liked what the author had to say about how we can get stuck in our family roles, anyone from a large family will be able to relate to that.

When Uncle Louie tells Jess that she is going with him to Italy to meet with marble manufacturers, Jess is beyond thrilled. This is a dream come true for her! But fate intervenes and Jess now has to deal with things she never imagined.

Adriana Trigiani writes such rich, fully developed characters. I loved how you always know what Philomena is thinking (whether you want to or not), and Uncle Louie is quite the snappy dresser who dotes on his wife and niece. The fact that keeps his Knights of Columbus tux and sword in his trunk because he is always going to wakes made me laugh out loud (and if you know, you know).

Many of us would love to have grown up with both sets of grandparents and cousins on the same street, and the dinner scenes had me wishing I could pull up a chair and pass the ravioli. (No one writes a family dinner scene better than Adriana Trigiani.)

I loved The View from Lake Como, it's a perfect summer read to toss in your bag as you head to the beach. It will make you smile and laugh out loud at times as Jess attempts to find her place in this world and in her family. Whether you're from a large family or just wish you were, be sure to pick up The View From Lake Como.

If Mysteries and Thrillers are more your style, there are two I would recommend. Chris Pavone turns from writing characters in situations abroad (The Expats, The Paris Diversion, Two Nights in Lisbon) to write The Doorman about a doorman in a fancy New York City building.

Chicky Diaz has been at his post for many years, and he knows all about the secrets, love affairs, and wealth that the residents of the Bohemia hold. When he gets entangled with someone who wants to cause trouble at the Bohemia, he has to decide how to handle it in the midst of protests that are beginning to roil the city. It’s a real page-turner about class, race, and privilege.

Laura Lippman takes a break from her more hard-boiled mysteries to write a cozy-type mystery in Murder Takes A Vacation. Muriel Blossom is a middle-aged widow on a river cruise in Paris. When she meets a handsome man on her flight, they have a flirtation and agree to meet later.

He turns up dead, and people are following Muriel on the cruise looking for something they believe the dead man gave her to hide. Muriel’s experience working as an assistant to PI Tess Monaghan will come in handy in solving the case.

Historical fiction fans will love Isabel Allende’s My Name Is Emilia de Valle set in the late 1800’s. Emilia is an American journalist traveling to Chile to cover the brewing civil war, and to find the father who left her and her mother behind before she was born.

Emilia ends up in the thick of battle and sees the horrors of war up close. Allende does an incredible job of putting the reader in Emilia’s shoes, and showing how women supported the dangerous war effort up close and personal. It’s a fascinating read.

If family stories appeal to you, Kevin Wilson’s Run For The Hills is a terrific novel. Rube Hill shows up at Madeline Hill’s farm to inform her that he is her brother- and that there are two more siblings out there.

Their father would marry a woman, father a child, and years later disappear without a trace. Rube and Mad travel cross-country to find the other two younger siblings and eventually confront their father. It’s got heart and humor and it’s a good road trip book.

Enjoy your summer reads!