The Flower Sisters by Michelle Collins Anderson

I just love this cover. It speaks volumes about the content without giving one thing away.

I love reading historical fiction and especially when it’s based on a true event. In this case Anderson is writing about the area of this country where she is from: Missouri, the Ozarks. Once upon a time in a tiny town named Possum Flats, deep in the Ozarks, it was a scorching hot night in August, 1928. The local dance hall was packed and jammed with dozens of local young people, all together to let loose and have some fun. Unfortunately that fun came to an abrupt and horrifying end when the dance hall complete with dozens of dancers, blew up and caused the excruciating deaths of dozens of people. And that part is entirely true.

Anderson made up the characters in her stellar novel. But the basis of this outstanding story is part of history. I can only imagine the amount of research she did to make this novel so strong.

Daisy and Violet are born identical twins. The only defining difference being a tiny purplish mark on one long, slender neck. On the night of the explosion one of the twins is at the dance hall. One stayed home.

Looking back on the tragedy a big piece of the puzzle to me is that NO ONE ever spoke about the event. Children were born, then grandchildren, and none of them were told about the fire. Hush/hush. So much survivors guilt. So many strong characters. So much trauma. This novel went from one I figured I would blow through, to me putting the reading brakes on HARD so as not to miss one iota. How did this explosion get started? Who was responsible? And why isn’t anyone talking? So much to take in.

This is one of those amazing novels that have me googling as soon as the last page is turned. What I found was staggering. And, once again, I ask myself if anyone is who they appear to be. Boom.

Put this wonderful novel on your TBR list for this spring and summer. You will be so glad you did. And by the way, there’s a great section of questions and answers at the back of the book.

My physical review copy of THE FLOWER SISTERS was provided by John Scognamiglio Books, a division of Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review. Yes, I adored it!

The Road To Murder by Camilla Trinchieri

You are certainly in for a treat with the fourth installment of The Tuscan Mystery series. Just look at this cover. Makes one immediately wish to ease into a comfortable reading chair with a cup of tea or a glass of wine and disappear into the Tuscan countryside.

Nico Doyle, the lovable transplant from NYC and recently retired detective from NYPD, returns to the scene of yet another crime deep in the atmospheric, homey part of Tuscany where he’s been living since the death of his Italian wife. Nico is enjoying his new life, surrounded by his late wife’s family and his adopted dog, One Wag, who I adore. Nico knows there is trouble brewing when his phone rings deep into the night. Yes, it’s his friend, Salvatore Perillo, head of the local carabinieri. And Perillo is asking once again for help with a crime scene. So off Nico goes to be the translator in this new murder case.

When a wealthy widow is found dead slumped across her piano the plot thickens. And then it turns to murder. So, who did it? There’s not a long list of possibilities. Maybe the cook, the housekeeper, the gardener. Or maybe one of her daughters or their partners. There’s a lot of money and a huge estate worth tons…. So the hunt begins for the murderer. Since the only witness is a woman who was visiting the widow speaks only English, we understand why Nico is called in. ENGLISH.

I always enjoy being folded back into the countryside of Tuscany. The food, the eateries, the flora and fauna, and the people. Oh the Italian people. And did I mention that Nico is a fabulous cook? Well, he is. So much so that he works part time at the family restaurant where he is most beloved. We are even given a great recipe at the end of the story.

Don’t miss this newest installment of The Tuscan Mystery series. I loved it.

My review copy was provided by Soho Crime in exchange for an honest review.

The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl

When Ruth Reichl publishes a new book, I listen. Hard. I fell in love with her writing years ago when she penned several memoirs about her relationship with food. She was also the editor in chief of Gourmet magazine and was a food critic for The New York Times. Not all writers excel at writing both fiction and non fiction. Reichl has mastered this challenge well.

My family are big-time foodies. We’ve all worked in the food industry in one way or other. We just love it. My husband and youngest son work at Cafe You here on the Cape while my daughter-in-law Ana is the pastry chef at Cafe You. I knew this novel was going to be filled with food, glorious food. And it also has art and fashion. OMG. I jumped right into the book pool!

It’s the eighties when Stella’s estranged mom dies suddenly. Mom leaves her daughter Stella a very special gift. You see, Stella has become a bit of a recluse ever since she experienced some tough trauma earlier in her life. She’s not up for change or adventure. And this would have been a totally different novel if she had not decided to step outside her comfort zone… Stella’s mom has left her a one way ticket to Paris. PARIS. After much thought and prodding from her boss, off she goes.

Stella eases into her new adventure in The City of Light. She’s shy and still reeling from the shock of the surprise. But she meets some great people who take her under their wings. One older man who is an art collector is an especially super character to the story. And Stella discovers hidden mysteries in art, becomes a “tumbleweed” at Shakespeare and Company Bookstore, and finds that she has writing talents. Who knew? And, what, you might ask, is a tumbleweed? Back in the day eager young writers-to-be could sometimes sleep in the bookstore for free. Well, not free-free, for they were expected to work within the store. How fun. Honestly, I felt so involved with this part of the story that I truly felt as if I were there with Stella as she maneuvered through this grand new opportunity.

You will swoon over the food. And Reichl’s brilliant, articulate descriptions might just have you running to the market to get what you need to create a new dish. You will love the fashion as it sparkles through the story like stars. And the art will have you yearning to get on that plane and fly away to Paris.

Don’t miss this new novel that comes out on Tuesday, April 23. Great for bookclub or to toss onto your summer reading list.

My copy for review arrived digitally from NetGalley and the publisher, Random House, in exchange for an honest review. Truth be told…..I LOVED it!

The Secret Lives Of Booksellers and Librarians by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann

I can’t believe I’m blogging and raving about a James Patterson book. Hey, many years ago, I used to read the Alex Cross books. I loved them. And, well, this new book is non-fiction. I had to take a look at it because, well, booksellers and librarians. I am all in.

I can’t tell you how happy it made me to spend my day and evening on Saturday reading this book. It’s really a tipping of the hat to people who own bookstores, work in bookstores, love bookstores, and librarians who spend their lives with noses in books.

There were several book people that I found to be most interesting. But, I have to say the chapter on Judy Blume who now runs the Books & Books in Key West, Florida, warmed my heart. She realized she’d been writing books for adults and children for fifty years….. She was ready to do something different. So she and Mitchel Kaplan from Books and Books in Miami were able to collaborate and now it’s a win/win for everyone. I am looking forward to visiting this amazing store in the near future.

I have to say the biggest surprise was finding a librarian from right here in Lee County memorialized in this super book. It’s our own Beth Jarrell who is the reference librarian and digital archivist at Sanibel Public Library on Sanibel Island, Florida. I live in Cape Coral which is a mere hop, skip and jump from the island. The chapter explains how Beth came to the island library to work and then delves into the horrors of returning to restore the library a month after hurricane Ian hit a year and a half ago. It just brings joy to my reading heart to know the books in the library were saved and the rebuilding is happening. Yippee.

So, James Patterson does a lot of good for booksellers. He uses gobs of his money to help booksellers each year. This year he’s spread out and has given even more funds away to deserving booksellers all over the country.

Sending out a big thanks to Patterson and his crew for this wonderful book about wonderful book peeps!I read my review copy digitally through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I LOVE it!

A Great Country by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

I discovered Gowda several years ago when she published SECRET DAUGHTER. It was just superb. Now she brings us an important novel about the American Dream.

A young Indian couple have moved halfway across the world from their native India to begin a new life in Southern California. Their dream is raise their family in the United States where anything is possible. A better life.

Gowda immediately draws the reader into the world of this family who are just regular people. When the couple get a phone call from law enforcement telling them they have their son in custody, they think surely this is a mistake, or maybe a terrible joke. No, it’s no joke. Their twelve-year-old son is very tall for his age. He’s done something illegal. And so mom and dad are off to the jail to find out what the sam hill is going on…..

The American Dream means different things to different people. Immigrants coming to America expect miracles and so there is that.

From page one I was totally IN. The pace began to escalate and never slowed down. This is a novel for our times right this very minute.

Gowda attacks social, cultural and political issues with a quiet dignity that makes a point and drives it home.

My physical review copy was provided by Mariner Books, a division of Harper Collins, in exchange for an honest review. This story is simply stunning and so very important!

A Summer Reading List For All

I’ve decided to divide the list into sections. There will be books for everyone. What I have seen in the past coming from big Book Reviews is summer reading that is based on mostly mystery and romance. Almost no non-fiction and the literary fiction is just not included.

I have one last book event scheduled for this season and that is Friday, April 5 at Mediterra in Bonita Springs. Will be my first visit to those excited readers and hopefully not my last. I have a really good selection of reads for them and I know they will have a great time.

Summertime is almost upon us. Here in SW Florida the arrival of summer is a nonevent. We often ease into the humidity and heat. This year we are heading right straight into it, head first. We know we need to get any yard work done before it’s too hot to do it. My husband planted our new frangipani tree in the front yard island just this morning. My oldest son Craig has been cultivating if for many months and just delivered it the other day. I have high hopes for it and look forward to it becoming the mainstay of the island.

I am surrounded by books; both digital and physical. Each year as summer approaches, I get excited and try to read books I might not otherwise take on. But, each year, publishers send books far in advance and I find myself reading books that will not be out until October and many are holiday themed. I don’t intend to read holiday books just yet. So there is that.

I have just finished reading Mary Kay Andrew’s upcoming book, SUMMERS AT THE SAINT. She’s done it again. We are back at the beach. And there is plenty of drama and quirky characters galore.

I am off to work on that list…..

April Brings Flowers And Books

This little yellow rose came straight from my rose garden. I clipped it as a tight bud and watched for a week as it blossomed into an amazing and aromatic flower. I love stopping to smell the roses.

March is but a memory now, but it was jam-packed with book events for me. I was traveling all over Collier and Lee County doing what I love: talking non-stop about great books. It was my most productive month ever. And I’m not done. I will be visiting the readers at Mediterra in Bonita Springs on Friday morning. I can’t wait.

Easter arrived early this year. Dinner with family and the weather was cooperative so we were able to dine alfresco.

Above are Alana and Lucas holding the Easter Bunny Cake. This is the cake I’ve been making forever for this special day. It was devoured.

The precious baby in the basket is our Emerson. The photo was taken fifteen years ago and is one of my favorite photos of all time.

We celebrated my husband Jack’s. birthday and Lucas’s this past week. But it’s April when the most birthday’s arrive. There will be plenty of cake.

Books for summer are appearing in droves. One that is already available is EXPIRATION DATES by Rebecca Serle.

If you’re looking for something well-written and laugh out loud funny, this is your next read. And, it’s short and sweet. Don’t miss it. Just for fun.

Books coming onto the literary scene this month are:

THE PARIS NOVEL by Ruth Reichl; CITY IN RUINS by Don Winslow; THE SECOND COMING by Garth Hallberg; DEMON OF UNREST by Erik Larson; THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE by Michelle Gable.

We are firming up our plans for summer travel. Next month we travel back to Asheville for one very important event. Our grandson Liam has completed his Eagle Scout journey and the celebration is May 11 in Asheville. Would not miss it for the world. Then in June we travel to Vancouver to board our Holland America ship to cruise through the inside passage of Alaska with Alicia and Chris and Liam and Emerson. Now that the kids are teens it will be a trip filled with memories.

I can hardly believe summer is almost upon us once again. Sending out well-wishes for all of you who are traveling back to the land of the North for the summer. Safe travels.

Meanwhile, those of us who stay in Florida year-round, will be trying to squeeze every ounce of cool breezes each and every day, all in advance of the humid and hot days we know are on the way. And, dear readers, that is a very good reason to start making your summer reading lists right now. I’m working on mine. And will post a big one soon.

Happy April and happy reading!

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

A new romance novel by Rebecca Serles! She’s famous in the world of romance for having brought us two of my all-time favorites: IN FIVE YEARS and ONE ITALIAN SUMMER. I absolutely adored ONE ITALIAN SUMMER because it took place in one of my favorite places on earth: Positano and the Amalfi Coast.

Now Rebecca brings us a light novel with a heartfelt message about relationships, love and heartbreak. Here she shows us why we need to live each day to the fullest.

Daphne lives in Southern California where she doesn’t take anything very seriously. Especially her love life. You see she experiences something unique. Each time she meets a love interest she also receives a mysterious note with two things on it: a name and a date. The name is of the newest guy in her life, and the date lets her know just how long they will be together. Wow. So far, it’s been spot-on. Until one day she receives a note that just says JAKE. And he’s her newest boyfriend. Will he be the “forever” one?

Romantic Comedies, now named Rom Coms, have come a long way. They used to be considered light and entirely fluffy. No longer the case, Serle proves herself once again with yet another novel with a big message in a small book filled with great characters and a lot of speculation about life.

My review copy was provided by Atria Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This novel belongs on the to-be-read list of every avid reader. I loved it!

Last Seen In Havana by Teresa Dovalpage

This is a great cover! I can feel myself being transported to the island of Cuba and into Havana.

The settings range from Miami where one of the main characters is a recent widow who’s running her own bakery to Havana, Cuba, where history comes forth to provide us with a mystery of disappearance.

Cuban food, culture, politics; all burst into the forefront of this new atmospheric novel from Dovalpage who is a Cuban transplant herself. She sure knows how to bring us the best of the best of what it takes to bring Havana to life, both then and now.

Mercedes’s mom disappeared more than thirty years ago when Mercedes was just a small child. Her whereabouts have never been found. So Now Mercedes is back in Havana and she’s looking for answers. The reason she is back in Havana in the first place is because her beloved grandmother is ill and she needs her. No time like the presence to dig deep for clues.

Cuba is one of my favorite topics. I enjoyed fleshing this story out and getting down to the nitty-gritty of the past.

My copy of LAST SEEN IN HAVANA by Teresa Dovalpage was provided through NetGalley and So Ho Crime in exchange for an honest review. It’s perfect for those of us who love a good mystery set in Cuba.

BECOMING MADAM SECRETARY by Stephanie Dray

Stephanie Dray is quickly becoming one of the best historical fiction authors writing today. With BECOMING MADAME SECRETARY she invites us into the world of a real historical woman’s trials and tribulations as she maneuvers a very public life in the government eye and the challenging behind the scene day-to-day issues of marriage and motherhood. Frances Perkins is this very real woman who is almost solely responsible for Social Security as we know it today.

Going into this fine new novel by Dray, what I did know was that I was not interested in getting mired down in any political bog. I am up to my last hair in politics and do not need more of that sort of drama. Not to worry, this novel is not political. It’s about one of the strongest women of our time; one who flew pretty much under the radar in recent history. It’s a great novel to read as a book club. So much to talk about. So much to think about.

I know you’re going to want to add this one to your TBR pile of worthy books. It’s available now wherever you buy your books.

I read my review copy of BECOMING MADAME SECRETARY digitally through NetGalley and Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review. I was so thoroughly happy with this novel and heartily recommend you read it soon!