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Showing posts from November, 2020

Do You BookBub?

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I’ve been an avid reader since I was about 2 years old.  No joke; I was reading on a 6th grade level in Kindergarten, and the only punishment that would work as a kid was taking away my books. I have been basing the size of my purse on whether or not I can fit a book in it for years. My wallet didn’t always support my reading habit, so quite a few of my books were thrifted, and then I would end up needing more bookshelves too, and that didn’t help.So when e-readers and smartphones came out, it drastically changed my life. Now I can hold SO MANY BOOKS in my POCKET!!!! Of course, that just meant I was paying full price for books instead.  That’s when my bestie of oh-so-many years introduced me to BookBub.  Yes, it’s a daily email, BUT, it’s worth it.  Sign up with your email.  Choose the way you read ebooks (I love my Kindle Paperwhite!) and the genres that you like.  Every single day, BookBub will find bargains on books that fit in your genres and send them to you.  Most of the time, th

Five Friday Favorites from Kim D.

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   Every Friday we are going to highlight one of our book club members, their 5 favorite books, and why these meant something to them. This will allow you to get to know us, what we've read, and what stuck with us. And if you're lucky, It just may give you some recommendations to look into and check out...  Our third member's Five Favorites is from Kim D. This is a quick, single grandmother raising a grandchild (almost 3) summary of the top favorite books in my 61 years. Probably all read in my mid-40s to mid 50s. Very little time now... 1. The Crimson Petal and the White  - written by Michel Faber. A 2002 novel set in Victorian England. Recommended by my therapist. My all time favorite. The story follows a teenage prostitute, Sugar in her life's journey. I was mesmerized by the writing, subject and era. You just have to read it. Also a four-part television miniseries.  2. The Glass Castle  - a memoir written by Jeanette Walls in 2005. It was hard to believe the stories

Book #12: The Return, Nicholas Sparks

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About the book: Trevor Benson never intended to move back to New Bern, North Carolina. But when a mortar blast outside the hospital where he worked sent him home from Afghanistan with devastating injuries, the dilapidated cabin he'd inherited from his grandfather seemed as good a place to regroup as any. Tending to his grandfather's beloved beehives, Trevor isn't prepared to fall in love with a local . . . yet, from their very first encounter, Trevor feels a connection with deputy sheriff Natalie Masterson that he can't ignore. But even as she seems to reciprocate his feelings, she remains frustratingly distant, making Trevor wonder what she's hiding. Further complicating his stay in New Bern is the presence of a sullen teenage girl, Callie, who lives in the trailer park down the road. Trevor hopes Callie can shed light on the mysterious circumstances of his grandfather's death, but she offers few clues -- until a crisis triggers a race to uncover the true natur

Five Friday Favorites from Natalie F.

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    Every Friday we are going to highlight one of our book club members, their 5 favorite books, and why these meant something to them. This will allow you to get to know us, what we've read, and what stuck with us. And if you're lucky, It just may give you some recommendations to look into and check out...  Our second member's Five Favorites is from Natalie F.  My all time fav genre is historical fiction/action/adventure/romance with flourishes of cuisine. Of course there’s exceptions but here are my top 5: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. Book 1 introduced me to two of my favorite characters of all time, Jamie and Claire. The adventures that unfold through the series is artfully written among historical backdrops. This book tik’d all my boxes with the added bonus of time travel. I devoured the series. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. WW2 era Paris through the eyes of a blind child. Heroine puzzle solver paralleled by reluctant Navi youth. An excellent portrayal o

The Return Book Review

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Hopeful, heart-wrenching, and bittersweet! The Return sweeps you away to the small town of New Bern, North Carolina (Nicholas Sparks actual home town!!) and into the life of Trevor Benson, a young doctor and wounded war vet who inadvertently stumbles across a mystery and unexpectedly falls in love when he heads to his late grandfather’s home to regroup, refocus, heal and prepare to move on. The characterization is well-developed with a wonderful cast of characters that are multilayered, strong, secretive, and endearing. It's been a long time since he dove into a mysterious plot and I think he handled it well. The plot is a tender tale full of life, love, heartache, healing, kindness, community, the intricacies of beekeeping, and a sliver of mystique. Overall, The Return is an absorbing, charming, incredibly touching tale with a real undercurrent of heartbreak, loss, loneliness, and grief. I read it in one singular sitting. Even though in classic Sparks style it had me a little tear

Five Friday Favorites from Brooke T.

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Every Friday we are going to highlight one of our book club members, their 5 favorite books, and why these meant something to them. This will allow you to get to know us, what we've read, and what stuck with us. And if you're lucky, It just may give you some recommendations to look into and check out... Our first member's Five Favorites is from Brooke T. "First off, let me just say that this was really, really hard.  I read and have read waaaay too many books in my life to remember all of them, and a lot of really spectacular ones too.  Hell, I've read more than 50 books in the past few months (yay COVID!)...but I tried my best lol This is not in order btw...." 1. Harry Potter Series - I can't name just one, because the whole series goes together so well...but it's really the whole theme.  I love magic and fantasy, and have always been a fan of young adult fiction.  The first two came out when I was about 16, so I grew up with the series.  Her writing

Book #11: The Silent Wife, Karin Slaughter

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About the book:   He watches. A woman runs alone in the woods. She convinces herself she has no reason to be afraid, but she’s wrong. A predator is stalking the women of Grant County. He lingers in the shadows, until the time is just right to snatch his victim. He waits. A decade later, the case has been closed. The killer is behind bars. But then another young woman is brutally attacked and left for dead, and the MO is identical. He takes. Although the original trail has gone cold – memories have faded, witnesses have disappeared – agent Will Trent and forensic pathologist Sara Linton must re-open the cold case. But the clock is ticking, and the killer is determined to find his perfect silent wife … Want to hear about the book from Karin herself?   Click that link to hear an interview she did Kansas Public Radio. Atlanta, Georgia. Present day.  A young woman is brutally attacked and left for dead. The police investigate but the trail goes cold. Until a chance assignment takes GBI in