When I decided to become a blogger I had no idea what I was getting into. No clue. Fortunately, it did not take me long to find The Ray Journey Blog. Not only does Ray publish helpful articles on topics like, social media marketing and how to optimize your Pinterest efforts, she also helps bloggers connect with other bloggers and grow their audience. As a blogger it is a natural progression to someday publish a book, so I was excited to read Ray’s, Your Ultimate Guide to a Powerful Book Launch.

Your Ultimate Guide to a Powerful Book Launch is a concise guide on how to promote your self-published books. The book is 79 pages, but it is absolutely packed with information on exactly what to do at every phase of your book launch. She covers how to determine your niche and find your audience. She also includes a list of publishing platforms with a simple grid showing the commission structure, perks and rules of the various options. One of my favorite things about this guide is that it includes a thorough checklist at the end, so you won’t miss any steps. I know when I go to publish I will be referring to Your Ultimate Guide to a Powerful Book Launch.

If you’re not familiar with Ray check out her blog The Ray Journey. Not only does she have articles for bloggers, but also health and financial information as well. If you are considering self-publishing, be sure to check out her handy guide to a Your Ultimate Guide to a Powerful Book Launch. 

Thank you to Ray for allowing me advance access to this book in exchange for this honest review. Follow this link to purchase Powerful Book Launch.

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I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. I’m not much for mysteries and I’m okay with Sherlock, but I’m not fanatical. I really just read this because I was in the mood for historical fiction and it was available for check-out. Plus, the cover is intriguing.

Study in Scarlet Women was a fun combination of Pride and Prejudice and Sherlock. The financially precarious Holmes family has an abundance of unmarried quirky daughters. One of whom takes up solving mysteries to pay the bills. This is the lady’s version of the famous Sherlock Holmes mysteries.

I felt such a connection to Charlotte Holmes. She’s beautiful, fashion forward, bold and one of the most intelligent people of her time. I am none of those things, but I am socially awkward. So, we have that in common. She is flawed and fun. I think most readers will enjoy spending time with her.
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This book will appeal to mystery and historical fiction readers. Fans of Jane Austen are likely to connect to the female protagonists. Fans of Sherlock will enjoy the challenge of solving the cleverly crafted mysteries. You may also enjoy this No Spoiler Review of Above the Bay of Angels.

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Goodreads Summary

With her inquisitive mind, Charlotte Holmes has never felt comfortable with the demureness expected of the fairer sex in upper class society. But even she never thought that she would become a social pariah, an outcast fending for herself on the mean streets of London.

When the city is struck by a trio of unexpected deaths and suspicion falls on her sister and her father, Charlotte is desperate to find the true culprits and clear the family name. She’ll have help from friends new and old—a kind-hearted widow, a police inspector, and a man who has long loved her.

But in the end, it will be up to Charlotte, under the assumed name Sherlock Holmes, to challenge society’s expectations and match wits against an unseen mastermind.

This was my third book club read and unfortunately it was not my taste. I don’t like to do negative reviews so I am going to be honest, but also try* to focus on what was good about this book. Just because I didn’t like it doesn’t mean that it’s not the right book for someone else. In fact one of the book club members was beyond enthusiastic about this book. Good for her, not for me.

I get the feeling that most book club members would have rated this book two or three stars, but there was that one member who would have rated it an eleven (out of five). I think this was the best book she read this year and I think she will remember this book her whole life. For the right reader this is going to be their favorite book, maybe ever.

So, drag your favorite Lazy-Boy to the window and pour yourself a nice cold cup of lemonade. You’ll want to keep one eye on the neighborhood as you read this mystery…

A little street in lower middle class England suffers through an unforgettable heat wave and one of their neighbors goes missing. Everyone has secrets and everyone knows more than they should. This guilty little street is covering up for more than just a disappearance and nobody is who you think they are. Two young girls with the souls of middle-aged women try to solve the disappearance by looking for god (?). I don’t know… Anyways, it’s hot, everyone’s bored and guilty. The end.  

The tone of this book reminded me of the movie Rear Window, it is slow and there is a lot of whispering and peering through window shades. Readers of literary fiction, and mystery with an interest in psychology and sociology may enjoy this book. Readers that like wading through layers of heavy symbolism will find this book to be engaging. If you’re not sure if this is for you, maybe pick it up and read a few pages, see if it might be a good fit.

*I think I failed at staying positive.

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Release Date April 28, 2020

​This was the Okayest book that I loved the most. This book and I got off to kind of a rocky start. The initial writing, particularly dialogue made me question its historical accuracy. I am not a historian, so it is probably perfect, maybe just different than I was expecting. There was a big chunk of “memory” that maybe should have been sprinkled throughout the book instead of just dumped near the beginning. Hopefully, that will be corrected, since this was an advance copy… With that being said, I loved this book more with every page I read.

I have been into historical fiction lately and westerns are no exception. I would actually love to see westerns make a comeback. They are such an exciting mix of danger and naïve optimism. This book did a good job of illustrating that people did not put their lives on hold while they were on the trail. They continued their hobbies and work in some cases, got married, and had babies. Can you imagine? Having a baby. On the trail. Westerns are wild.

Naomi and John are fun, strong-willed characters that play off each other nicely. Amy Harmon does a good job of writing the sexual tension between the two characters and it helps add to the excitement of the story. It was amazing to find out that John Lowry and many other characters in this book were real people with a personal connection to the author. Don’t miss the author’s note, it was one of my favorite things about this book.
     
This is a western expansion, soft romance. If you like wagon trains, pioneers, settlers, Indians and sexual tension with modest sex, this is the book for you. Fans of the ancient series Into the West (2005) will love this book. If you are looking for a western with no romance try News of the World.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers of this book for allowing me advance access in exchange for this honest review.

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I think by now almost everyone has heard of Malala and knows the gist of her story. People know that she was shot by the Taliban for advocating for education for girls and women. She was 15 at the time. Shortly after she was attacked, she wrote and published, I am Malala.

About half of this book is entirely about Malala and her experiences growing up in Pakistan, and is very engaging. The other half of this book is about her family history and the history of Pakistan, which can be a little dry. The entire book is extremely important, but because about half of it is historical, I think a lot of people will have a hard time getting all the way through it.
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I have seen this book on required reading lists for SIXTH GRADE, and I have to say that is a mistake. This book is very rich in political and religious content that is beyond the grasp of many readers.  While Malala was a teenager when she wrote this book, she was exceptional. Most Americans would have a hard time with this book even as adults. If someone is drawn to this book, they will benefit from it. If they are forced to read it, they will be bored, at best.  

You may also enjoy this No Spoiler Book Review of Moment of Lift.

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I don’t tend to pay much attention to charities, there are too many stories of corrupt CEOs stealing from their organizations. We still donate, but we give directly to people in need.

So, I never really knew what the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation actually did. I knew they were trusted and respected, but not much else. When I learned that the foundation focuses on empowering women, I added Moment of Lift to my list.

This book was always hopeful, but the horrible treatment of women around the world was upsetting and infuriating.

Release date April 21, 2020

Janelle Brown’s, Watch Me Disappear, had been on my list for a while. When I saw that she had a new book coming out, I requested it and then crossed my fingers that I would be selected to review it. The story sounded exciting and I am a sucker for anything set at Lake Tahoe, it’s one of my absolute favorite places. I’m still new to getting advance access to books, so when I got approved, it made my day!

The story revolves around two women on opposite ends of the wealth spectrum. Nina was raised by a single mother, life for them was always a struggle. Vanessa was born into a prominent old-money family and given every advantage. Their lives collide when Nina marks Vanessa as the victim of her next con.

At first the two women are the embodiment of the poor vs the 1%. As the story progresses, the two women start coming together in unexpected ways. The stereotypes start to break down. This book was an exciting mystery with timely sociological statements. My only complaint is that the book was a little too long, and the dual narratives had too much overlap. Overall this was an enjoyable read with great visuals of the gorgeous Lake Tahoe area.
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This book will appeal to fans of mystery, intrigue and thrillers. Anyone interested in politics, healthcare in the US, and the wealth gap will also like this book.

You may also enjoy this No Spoiler Book Review of The Marriage Lie.

​Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers of this book for allowing me advance access in exchange for this honest review.

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This was my second community book club read. The first book we read, Marriage Lie, was a best-selling mystery that I did not personally care for, but the group loved. This was a best-selling historical fiction that I did not personally care for, but the group loved. Hopefully, this does not become a trend, because I really like this group!

If I had edited this book, it would have been very different. The author had such an intriguing premise, human trafficking of children during the great depression. That is an interesting story, based on true events. I liked the parts of the book that were actually historical. Anything having to do with the Foss family children was great. What I didn’t like was the modern narrative of pampered granddaughter, Avery, it added nothing to the story. I literally would have ripped all the “Avery” chapters out of this book if I was the editor.

That being said, I will still rate this book three stars on Goodreads. While half of this book put me to sleep every time that I read it (I’m looking at you Avery), the other half was not only interesting, but important as well. This would be a great choice for most book clubs, human trafficking is a problem that merits more than just a discussion, but discussion is a start.  

Check back on Thursday for a Happy Thanksgiving Post!

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This book was recommended by some enlightened human on Library Twitter.

I tend to love almost any book that falls into the apocalyptic fiction category, so even though the audiobook was THIRTY-TWO hours long, I still downloaded it without hesitation.

Let me just say, I was absolutely obsessed with this book. I could not stop reading it.

A lot of people are comparing this book to Stephen King’s, The Stand, and they are correct, the books both feature a plague and a trip to Las Vegas. However, I thought the more important King similarity was the powder keg politics of, Under the Dome.

Release Date February 11, 2020

Rhys Bowen is one of those prolific authors that pretty much has her own section at the library. While I tend to be wary of authors who publish frequently, I know that Bowen has a devoted following, so I always intended to read one of her books. I was not disappointed.

The main character is incredibly relatable for someone who was supposed to have lived over a hundred years ago. Bella is forced to become a servant after her noble family falls on hard times. As a working-class woman, she struggles with having a career, but also wanting a husband and family. She is faced with many of the same opportunities and limitations faced by women today.

This historical romance set in Queen Victoria’s royal kitchens is deliciously soothing. I don’t have much experience with Cozy Mysteries, but I can now understand the appeal. How does an author manage to maintain a warm comfortable glow in a story filled with accidents, intrigue and murder? That is a special talent. I am looking forward to reading more by Bowen, I know I have a lot to choose from.

Fans of Downton Abbey and Upstairs Downstairs will adore this quick read. Readers of historical fiction and romance, as well as cozy mysteries will also enjoy this title. I am personally recommending this book to my English Aunt Mary. Your Aunt Mary will love it too!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers of this book for allowing me advance access in exchange for this honest review.

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Check back on Tuesday for An Introvert's Guide to Holiday Parties!

I know you are not supposed to judge a book by it’s cover, but have you seen this cover? It’s gorgeous. Can I get a print for my house? Of course, I did not choose this book based solely on the cover. The summary of the impending environmental catastrophe and the fact that this book is Norwegian were both intriguing. I was excited to read something with a European perspective.

This book is divided into two narratives. There is the older Norwegian environmentalist looking back on her life and the young French father trying to survive in a world without water. One tells us what we have to do, the other tells us what will happen if we don’t. Both will make you feel incredibly guilty for living in modern society.

This author is gifted at writing the beauty of the Fjords, the loneliness of the ocean and the desperation of the drought. The shaming of greed and environmental recklessness is necessary and done well. However, I had a hard time connecting to this story and the characters. I suspect that the author made me feel so guilty, that I subconsciously became guarded against this story.

This book will appeal to adult readers who enjoy speculative, environmental, apocalyptic and survival fiction. Anyone who is interested in climate change and environmentalism will also find this book to be intriguing and relevant.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers of this book for allowing me advance access in exchange for this honest review.

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I liked the movie, Practical Magic, when it came out a thousand years ago. I didn’t know it was based on a book until much later, and even if I had, I would not have read it at that time. When this movie came out, I was still having my reading selected by school teachers. I only recently became interested in this book when the author released the prequel, Rules of Magic. I debated reading the story in chronological versus publication order, and ended up reading Practical Magic first. I’m not sure I made the right choice…

Practical Magic was first published in 1995, which puts it at about 24. This is a long time for a book to stay relevant. Most books do not stay readable for more than five years. The writing is starting to seem cliché, but with a book of this age, you have to wonder if it created the clichés. I can say with a reasonable amount of certainty that this will not become a “Classic”, but this book will have value for a particular type of reader. Fans of paranormal romance who were adults in the 70’s and 80’s would likely find this book to be wonderfully nostalgic.

For now, I have kept Rules of Magic on my to-read-list, we’ll see if I’m ever in the mood for it. 

You may also enjoy this No Spoiler Book Review of Dead Reckoning. 

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This is book ELEVEN of the Southern Vampire series. This review is more about the series in general than this book. No spoilers I promise!

I know this book has been out for almost a decade and I only just now read it! The thing is, I really enjoy this goofy series, but I need time between each story so I don’t get sick of them. I actually started reading this series sometime around 2008 (when the show came out) and have read about one a year since then. I always get the audio version because the narrator is super sassy.

These books have a classic, timeless, if white trash feel to them. Like if Jane Austen had grown up in a trailer in the Kingdom of Louisiana. This series is bursting with backwoods vampires, werewolves, fairies and other supernatural beings. All of whom vie for the attention of a telepathic blond barmaid. There is always a mystery to be solved, an adventure to be had, and lots of supernatural sex. Like I said, goofy.

These books are great for anyone who enjoyed the show, but never read the series. The show follows a loose outline of the book series with similar characters, setting and sexy mood. However, most of the stories that happen in the books don’t happen in the show and vice versa. It’s like getting twice as much Sookie! Great for fans of vampire fiction, paranormal romance and mystery.    

You may also like this No Spoiler Book Review of Practical Magic.

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I love horror and Halloween so it is crazy that I have never read the Haunting of Hill House. This year as I was searching for a spooky book to start the season, I kept seeing this book on all the lists. After about the 100th time that I saw this book I realized that it is not in fact The Hills Have Eyes (yuck) and then I felt like an idiot for ignoring this book. Don’t judge me! We’re all guilty of skimming!

It took my brain a few pages to get used to Shirley Jackson’s superior writing style. I had just finished a popular fiction book that was only okay, so my brain was a little lazy at first. After that, I was completely engaged by the characters and creeped out by the sadistic house. I made the mistake of reading this right before bed several times. I had to consciously remind myself that nothing creepy has ever happened in my house so I could go to sleep.

Don’t assume that because this book is 60 years old that it is a safe quaint Halloween read. Most readers will be spooked by this book, and it has moments of real violence. However, it is not gory or obscene the way that a lot of modern Horror can be. This is the perfect book for anyone looking for a haunted Halloween ghost story. 

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This book is raunchy. I guess this has been a popular genre for a while, the VERY personal memoirs by bloggers? I only discovered this genre for myself this year when I finally read Jenny Lawson’s, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened. Let’s just say Lawson “turned me on” (pun intended) to a whole new type of book.

The audio of, We Are Never Meeting in Real Life, had me laughing in the first minute. I stepped outside to take my morning walk, when the author described herself as “35ish, but I could pass for forty-seven to fifty-two, easily; sixty something if I stay up all night”. This had me. I was barely containing my insane laughter as my neighbor resisted the urge to ask me if I was okay.
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This memoir is full of self-deprecating humor, which is of course hilarious. However, if I’m being honest, the author is too hard on herself. The author continuously comes down on herself for being lazy, but all evidence suggests she is anything but… She works 50 hours a week, writes a blog, dates, and goes out clubbing. The thought of her lifestyle is absolutely exhausting.

I found this book to be entertaining, but I would be hesitant to recommend it to almost anybody. This book should come with a warning label: may cause uncontrollable laughing, flinching, and moments of disgust. May not be suitable for people who are allergic to cats, heterophobic, homophobic, racist, people with bad backs, heart disorders or bad credit scores. 

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The Dalai Lama is one of the most admired people in the world. I certainly find his story and his life to be both interesting and inspiring. He has participated in the creation of several books that could undoubtedly be categorized as “self-help”, including his newest collaboration, The Book of Joy. I read this book in two sittings, not because I didn’t like it or didn’t find it to be interesting, but because I really wanted to be able to get the most out of this book. I felt like reading it all at once would not have allowed me enough time to process the Dalai Lama’s wisdom. This book is very rich in content.  
 
The book was edited by Douglas Carlton Abrams and features a week long interview between the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu of South Africa. The book covers three broad topics, the nature of true joy, obstacles of joy and the eight pillars of joy. Each section is narrated by Abrams, he fills in missing back story and creates a sense of place for the book, but the teachings of the Dalai Lama and Archbishop are basically in interview format. You might be tempted to skim this book because of that, but you should plan to read this slowly, allowing time to reflect on the messages.

This is one of those books that you could read again and again and always come away with a new insight. The main philosophy that I gathered from the teachings was that joy comes through service to others. There is a lot more to this book, but the Dalai Lama and Archbishop warn against focusing on yourself and encourage everyone to turn outward not inward. Imagine the world, if we all lived to serve each other. There is definitely wisdom in that philosophy. 

You may also like my No Spoiler Review of Eat, Pray, Love.

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I judged this book hard when it came out. I just couldn’t understand how a book about abandoning your life to go on vacation for a year could possibly be helpful to anyone. Why did this book resonate with so many people? I just couldn’t figure it out, it didn’t seem like it offered helpful solutions for everyday people. Then again, this book was so popular, it had to have some value, right?

I was inspired to read this book, while I was reading the Book of Joy, I became interested in researching other perspectives on the subject of finding lasting happiness. This became kind of a compare and contrast investigation. Eat, Pray, Love was the most popular book on the subject of happiness that I could think of, so I decided to have an open mind and read this book.

Eat, Pray, Love follows the author on a year long trip to Italy, India and Bali after suffering a devastating divorce. In Italy the author pursues pleasure and basically does whatever she wants for three months, heavy emphasis on eating. In India she moves into an Ashram to pray and meditate, basically full time. In Bali she looks for balance with a medicine man, but this part of the book becomes a little unstructured. She does spend time with a medicine man and a healer, but she also just hangs around with locals and starts dating. I guess real life doesn’t always fall into neat categories.

I think the journey was restorative for the author, but I’m doubtful that it is the path to lasting happiness. I fear that taking a year off to focus on yourself would make it very hard to come back to the incompetent bosses and irate patrons of the real world. I get pouty when I come back from a one-week vacation, what would a year off do to me?

I don’t agree with a lot of this book, but I do respect the author for publishing this work. This is a very personal book and the author is very brave to have written it, knowing that the world is full of unhappy critics. I thoroughly enjoyed the parts that read like a travel guide, there is some very interesting information about the Balinese culture. There is also a lot of information about Yoga and meditation, that I didn’t know or understand. This book does not match my personal philosophy, but I can see how it would appeal to a lot of people.   

You may also enjoy this No Spoiler Book Review of The Book of Joy.

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I found this book after I decided to divide The Book of Joy into two readings. The Book of Joy is an interview between the Archbishop Tutu of South Africa and the Dalai Lama and how they think humans can find lasting happiness. The Archbishop talks a lot about Apartheid and South Africa, subjects that I know very little about. So, when I was scrolling Overdrive looking at available ebooks and I saw Born a Crime, I figured it was a happy coincidence and an opportunity for me to learn more about South African history.  

Each chapter of this book presents a prologue about South African history or Apartheid coupled with Trevor Noah’s experiences growing up there. A lot of the stories are about how his life was impacted by the laws and society at the time. This book definitely falls into the category of non-fiction that reads like fiction, I learned a lot about a culture that I knew very little about, in a way that kept me turning pages. I knew that Trevor Noah was from South Africa, but I always thought there was an asterisk there, like he moved to the US when he was three or was one of the “rich kids”. The truth is he graduated High School there and was so poor at one point he was living in a mechanic’s garage and sleeping in cars.

I used to think of Trevor Noah as a mischievous elf or trickster, he’s just so effing cute and funny, but I need to give him much more credit than that. The fact that he made it out of such a terrible situation and has always been able to see the humor in life, makes me respect him as a storyteller and social advocate. I know some people won’t read this because they don’t agree with his politics, but everyone could benefit from the cultural and historical knowledge provided in this book. 

You may also enjoy this No Spoiler Book Review of The Book of Joy.

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Austin Kleon just released Keep Going, which is getting a lot of attention and good reviews. Looking over his history, I noticed that Steal Like and Artist was hugely successful, so I decided to start there. I downloaded this book to my iPhone and was surprised to find that it is a teensy, tiny book a little over 100 pages. In addition to being barely long enough to actually get published, the book is mostly quotes, memes, illustrations and small paragraphs with lots of spacing. I read it in one day.

The title of this book is extremely accurate because the entire book is the author expanding on other people’s ideas. There is a quote by a famous, author, scientist, or musician on nearly ever page. Austin Kleon simply expands on each quote and explains how it relates to his creative process. This book is like if someone found all the inspirational creativity memes online and then lengthened them to be three or four sentences each.

I’m not saying this book isn’t helpful, it does have some good ideas and tips, but it doesn’t delve deeply into any subject. This book more skims the surface of creativity. Not bad if you are looking for a quick, easy read with an interesting format about the creative process. It certainly won’t be a waste of your time, as most people could probably read this in one sitting.  

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I got recommended Harlan Coben back when Dan Brown was super popular. I was getting ready to go on vacation and one of the librarians I worked with recommended his books. I don’t remember what the title was, but I liked it and have read probably one Harlan Coben book per year since then, including his young adult novel, Shelter. The funny thing about this recommendation is that the same librarian that introduced me to Harlan Coben later accused me of being “an eighty-year-old man” because I liked him… Oh well, I still like his books!

I don’t read every book that Harlan Coben puts out and I try to stay away from his series. I do not have time for that… When I saw that he was publishing a book about the heroin epidemic, I put it on my to-read list right away. The heroin crisis is so prolific that I feel like just about everyone has been affected by it now. My husband and I were both brought up pretty poor, I had a good childhood, but my husband’s upbringing was rough. Many of the members of his family are still struggling. He and I have tried to set a positive example for his nieces and nephews by showing them what a nice middle-class life looks like. He has four nieces and nephews, one of his nieces was determined to go down and bad path, another one always made good decisions, they are now both addicted to heroin. I know that Run Away is fiction and is not going to solve any of the real-world problems, but it was nice to read about someone, getting out there and trying to save his daughter from this terrible drug.

Harlan Coben, is an easy author to recommend to most adults that are looking for a fun adventure novel. Run Away, is a quick read, like most of Harlan Coben’s books. For the most part, it was pretty predictable, I consider his books to be more adventure than mystery, but there was a great twist at the end that I did not see coming. If you do recommend his books to someone just note that they do tend to have a bit of gore and violence, so just make your patron aware of that before they check out his books.   

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