Happy Friday, friends, and Happy Hannukah. Let’s talk about what we’re reading!
First a quick PSA: the ebook of IT’S ONE OF US is on a Bookbub special this week!
We had an amazing Tuesday that started with Ariel getting the Good Morning America Bookclub pick and ended with her event at Parnassus, where the literary who’s who of Nashville showed to mix and mingle. A great time was had by all. I hope you’ve all gotten your copies of THE FROZEN RIVER!
It was a good reading week, which is always nice. I finished up my buddy’s horror novel, then switched over to a highly anticipated novella from one of my favorites, Lisa Unger. CHRISTMAS PRESENTS is nuanced and complex and reads more like a full-length novel. I’m always in awe of Lisa’s finely drawn characters, and Maddie, Badger, Evan, and Harley are no exception. Great stuff.
Last night, we watched A HAUNTING IN VENICE, and though it’s supposed to be a cozy, I found it undeniably creepy. Much more suited to Halloween. In case of nightmares, I started Rebecca Yarros’s IN THE LIKELY EVENT, which I’d been saving for a moment when I wasn’t about to get on a plane. (I’m weird about plane books. Why invite the possibility of that kind of tragedy into my life?)
I’ll admit, I’m entranced with Yarros right now, both her writing and her personal journey, which is hitting closer to home than you can possibly imagine. I’ll talk more about that in another post, but suffice it to say she has changed the course of my life.
A long overdue look at Merlin Sheldrake’s ENTANGLED LIFE, which was recommended to me by my pal Jayne Ann Krentz and I’ve been saving. And in that vein, another one I’ve been waiting to read, Peter Wohlleben’s THE HIDDEN LIFE OF TREES. My new book, HLN, takes place in a small isolated town, surrounded by woods, and I figure both of these books are perfect to help bring that setting to life.
That’s it from me this week. How about you? What’s on your reading plate this weekend?
PS: I was feeling the narrative non-fiction vibe this week. Here’s a new essay for all subscribers questioning the value of comparison and genres, and a new craft post on how I organize my files will go out to paid subscribers on Sunday….
I read In the Likely Event as well. I liked it but not as much as Fourth Wing. Speaking of Rebecca Yarros, I just read her book The Things We Leave Unfinished. This was an incredible book! One of those books that stays with you for days...I just can't reccomend it enough.
I also just finished Wait for You by Jennifer Armentrout. It's an older book of hers and it's definitely more young adult. Not as good as her current books, but it was good and I got it on sale.
Oh well, so far I've lived on the Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Tribeca, and Williamsburg (Brooklyn). ~ I would love Brooklyn Heights/Cobble Hill 🤗. But I'm open...
I ♥️ pizza! And pasta. 😋 ~ Brooklyn Heights is a very historic (land marked) neighborhood with treelined streets and old brownstones/townhouses. Really beautiful. Lots of famous writers lived there. Not sure, but I think Elizabeth Strout did. Truman Capote, Arthur Miller, David McCullough, Norman Mailer, and Thomas Wolfe (briefly). I'm sure there are many others. I just love the neighborhood. It has a beautiful view of Manhattan, which is just across the Brooklyn Bridge. ~ I would love to give you a tour (that includes pizza) next time you're in town. 🤗🤗🤗
I read In the Likely Event as well. I liked it but not as much as Fourth Wing. Speaking of Rebecca Yarros, I just read her book The Things We Leave Unfinished. This was an incredible book! One of those books that stays with you for days...I just can't reccomend it enough.
I also just finished Wait for You by Jennifer Armentrout. It's an older book of hers and it's definitely more young adult. Not as good as her current books, but it was good and I got it on sale.
Can't wait for Allison Brennan's new book!!
I will add that to the list... she's really blowing the doors off right now. Excited for her!
Armentrout is another superbly talented author. I like her later stuff too.
I will report in on Allison's book but I'm excited to be reading early!
Loved getting to see you on Tuesday-- it was a blessing to be a part of that day!
Me too - it truly was a blessing. So proud of our girl!
Now, it's Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger. Otherwise, I'm just running all over the city to find an apartment. 🙈 If possible, one I like.
You know that's like everyone's dream, right? And the opening of a fabulous new Olivia Barry RomCom...
Haha, right now it feels more like some kind of horror story. But I'm staying optimistic.
Any particular areas?
Oh well, so far I've lived on the Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Tribeca, and Williamsburg (Brooklyn). ~ I would love Brooklyn Heights/Cobble Hill 🤗. But I'm open...
Do you know Brooklyn Heights?
I’ve only stayed in Brooklyn once but it houses my all time favorite pizza joint, Love-N-Dough. Best GF pizza I’ve ever had.
I ♥️ pizza! And pasta. 😋 ~ Brooklyn Heights is a very historic (land marked) neighborhood with treelined streets and old brownstones/townhouses. Really beautiful. Lots of famous writers lived there. Not sure, but I think Elizabeth Strout did. Truman Capote, Arthur Miller, David McCullough, Norman Mailer, and Thomas Wolfe (briefly). I'm sure there are many others. I just love the neighborhood. It has a beautiful view of Manhattan, which is just across the Brooklyn Bridge. ~ I would love to give you a tour (that includes pizza) next time you're in town. 🤗🤗🤗
Do you know Brooklyn Heights?
The Daughters of Block Island by Christa Carmen
The Search Party by Hannah Richell
Guardians of Silence by Joss Walker and R.L. Perez
Turkey and the Wolf: Food for Fun Times from a New Orleans Joint A Cookbook by JJ Goode and Mason Hereford
The Hunter by Tana French
A Light Most Hateful by Hailey Piper
You're feeling suspensey this week!!!
Usually! Lol