Friday Reads 3.28.25

A Very Bookish Week

Better late than never, yeah? As Randy just reminded me…it’s still Friday!

It was a busy week but a fun one. I went to Alabama! I had a very enjoyable event with the Sheffield Library — one of my dear friends, Georgina Cross, interviewed me in front of a lovely crowd, and I signed every copy of A VERY BAD THING in northern Alabama, thanks to the fine folks at Court Street Books. It was a blast, and I’m so grateful to have met so many fabulous readers! I also got to meet PA Paige in person for the first time, which was so much fun. Also, if you haven’t read Georgina yet, I highly recommend her books. Start with NANNY NEEDED.

L-R: Georgina Cross, J.T., Librarian Beth Ridgeway

We decided to have a field trip on the way home, and toured both the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and the Helen Keller house. It was a bit of a boomerang, really, from hearing how Keith Richard’s penned “Wild Horses” in the tiny studio bathroom to hearing a reenactment of the infamous dining room scene from The Miracle Worker. Very neat and very inspiring.

Muscle Shoals Sound Studio

On the way home, we stopped in Columbia so I could check in with one of my fave little bookstores, Duck River Books. It was great to catch up with James, and we walked out with a few exciting titles. Then it was dinner and a stroll for some ice cream (dairy free for me, of course. Delish!)

I’m still sliding back into the groove—doing out of state events, no matter how fun, throws me off for a few days. All that energy!

In hopes of feeling things calm and center, I decided to switch modules this quarter to nature.

I started THE HIDDEN LIFE OF TREES, and can already tell this is going to speak to me on so many levels.

At Duck River, I also picked up a book called TREE NOTES: A Year In The Company Of Trees by Nalini Nadkarni. I love that moment in a bookstore when a book calls to you, and this one called to me.

I got some rather amazing book mail, too. Starting with the galley of LAST SEEN! It is SO incredibly gorgeous. Would you like a copy? Leave a comment here and I’ll pick a winner Sunday.

Lisa Scottoline sent a copy of her latest, THE UNRAVELING OF JULIA, and I am so here for it!

Also face out on the shelves is Andrew Ludington’s SPLINTER EFFECT, which I loved so much I blurbed. Think Indiana Jones with time travel. Super cool premise, a great debut. Plus, I got to chat with Andrew and Barbara at Poisoned Pen last night!

I have to get to work, so I’ll leave it there. What are you up to this weekend? Any good book recommendations? I’d love to hear what you’re up to!

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