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Home Read. Review. Repeat. Genres Non-Fiction Memoir

Category Archive

Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Memoir”

Review: PURE by Linda Kay Klein

Janelle October 24, 2018 Book Reviews, Finished Copy, From Publisher, Memoir, Non-Fiction, Touchstone Books Leave a Comment

Many thanks to Touchstone Books for my free copy – all opinions are my own.  Description:  In the 1990s, a “purity industry” emerged out of the white evangelical Christian culture. Purity rings, purity pledges, and purity balls came with a …

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Review: OKAY FINE WHATEVER by Courtenay Hameister

Janelle August 26, 2018 Advance Copy, Book Reviews, From Publisher, Little Brown Ambassador, Little, Brown and Company, Memoir, Non-Fiction Leave a Comment

Thank you so much Little, Brown and Company for providing my free copy – all opinions are my own. Book Description:  For most of her life (and even during her years as the host of a popular radio show), Courtenay …

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Review: JELL-O GIRLS by Allie Rowbottom

Janelle August 22, 2018 Advance Copy, Book Reviews, From Publisher, Little, Brown and Company, Memoir, Non-Fiction Leave a Comment

Many thanks to Little, Brown and Company for my free copy – all opinions are my own. Book Description:  In 1899, Allie Rowbottom’s great-great-great-uncle bought the patent to Jell-O from its inventor for $450. The sale would turn out to …

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Review: FROM THE CORNER OF THE OVAL by Beck Dorey-Stein

Janelle July 18, 2018 Advance Copy, Book Reviews, Finished Copy, From Publisher, Memoir, Non-Fiction, Political, Random House, Random House Ambassador Leave a Comment

Thank you so very much to Random House for providing my free copy – all opinions are my own.  Description:  In 2012, Beck Dorey-Stein is working five part-time jobs and just scraping by when a posting on Craigslist lands her, …

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Review: MANY LOVE by Sophie Lucido Johnson

Janelle June 29, 2018 Book Reviews, Finished Copy, From Publisher, Memoir, Non-Fiction, Touchstone Books Leave a Comment

Many thanks to Touchstone Books for providing my free copy – all opinions are my own. Book Description:  After trying for years to emulate her boomer parents’ forty-year and still-going-strong marriage, Sophie realized that maybe the love she was looking …

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Review: END OF THE ROPE by Jan Redford

Janelle June 15, 2018 Advance Copy, Book Reviews, Counterpoint Press, From Publisher, Memoir, Nature, Non-Fiction, Travel Leave a Comment

Thank you so much Counterpoint Press for providing my free copy – all opinions are my own. Book Description:  As a teenager, in a fit of rage toward her father, Jan pits herself against a steep rock face near their …

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Blog Tour & Review: AMSTERDAM EXPOSED by David Wienir

Janelle May 13, 2018 Advance Copy, BLOG TOUR, Book Reviews, Memoir, Non-Fiction, Publicist, Smith Publicity Services, Travel Leave a Comment

Book Description: Amsterdam Exposed tells the true one-of-a-kind story of an innocent exchange student who moves to Amsterdam hoping to write a book about the red light district and everything that follows. It’s an American abroad story, and also a …

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Review: HEART BERRIES by Terese Marie Mailhot

Janelle April 6, 2018 Book Reviews, Counterpoint Press, Memoir, Non-Fiction Leave a Comment

Book Description:  Heart Berries is a powerful, poetic memoir of a woman’s coming of age on the Seabird Island Indian Reservation in the Pacific Northwest. Having survived a profoundly dysfunctional upbringing only to find herself hospitalized and facing a dual …

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Book Mail: SISTER OF DARKNESS by R. H. Stavis

Janelle April 6, 2018 Book Mail, Finished Copy, Memoir, Non-Fiction, Publicist, Wunderkind PR Leave a Comment

Thank you so much to Wunderkind PR, Dey Street Books for this free copy! This sounds incredibly interesting and I cannot wait to read it! SYNOPSIS:  The world’s only non-denominational exorcist tells her astonishing true story: a riveting chronicle of …

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Amazon Purchase: HEART BERRIES by Terese Marie Mailhot

Janelle February 20, 2018 Counterpoint Press, Memoir, Non-Fiction Leave a Comment

I have been waiting to read this one! I’ve seen this on a bunch of “must read” lists and the cover is gorgeous! It’s surprisingly short too! SYNOPSIS:  Heart Berries is a powerful, poetic memoir of a woman’s coming of age …

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✨ FLASH GIVEAWAY ✨ (thank you so much @delreyb ✨ FLASH GIVEAWAY ✨ (thank you so much @delreybooks for the free books) Hey all! I received an extra copy of MALICE by Heather Walter and I would love to gift it to one of you! I just finished MALICE and I absolutely loved it. Full review to come, but if you love fairytale retellings, especially Sleeping Beauty, then you definitely need this book. See below for rules to enter ✨ 1. Like and save this post ✨ 2. Please follow me, @shereadswithcats 3. In the comments, tag two friends and tell me your favorite fairytale ✨ 4. Please share this post in your Instagram stories for 24 hours and be sure to tag me International. Not affiliated with Instagram. Must be 18 years or older. Winner will be chosen on April 15. Good luck ✨ #malice #heatherwalter #delreybooks #bookstagram #bookgiveaway #fairytale #book #lovebooks #booksofig #igreads #giveawaycontest #shereadswithcats
✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨ HOWLS FROM HELL is a beast of ✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨ HOWLS FROM HELL is a beast of an anthology (get it?) with many brand-new-to-me authors. It’s a given that I would be drawn to the gorgeous cover art and the forward written by Grady Hendrix, but after reading it I realize it’s spectacular in its own right. There are a total of sixteen stories, none of them alike. Each story gave me a new horror experience, but the one thing they all have in common is they are addictive. @howl_society stands for Horror-Obsessed Writing and Literature Society. It’s a community of horror readers and writers on Discord who read books monthly and have discussions about all things horror. It’s also inclusive because guess what?...it’s 100% free. Sounds pretty fantastic, right? The forward by Grady Hendrix encompasses why I love horror so perfectly. His words gave me all the horror warm and fuzzies and left me ready to begin. I haven’t read an anthology recently that doesn’t have a single bad apple.m, but every one of these little gems shines. Reading, I went through all sorts of reactions: I gasped, I winced, I laughed, and I immediately looked up more books by authors I didn’t even know were out there. The first story A CASUAL ENCOUNTER by Quinn Fern is wicked fun. It is the perfect amuse-bouche for your horror palette and I left it with a wink and a smile. From this 5 star story, I hit one after the other. No joke, I rate every one of these 5 stars. I’ll give you a few teasers below: Shane Hawk’s SHE’S TAKEN AWAY is perfectly executed. It’s written as a transcript of a doctor-patient session where the patient discusses her likely evil twin. There is not a single sinister word wasted. SUSPENDED BY LIGHT by Alex Wolfgang thoroughly impressed me. I love a good “lost footage” story and in this one a student starts watching old film reels when things get real creepy. I’m not sure if this makes me weird, but the story IT GETS IN YOUR EYES by Joseph Andre Thomas made me chuckle. I couldn’t read it fast enough. Reading the thoughts of our narrator was suspenseful but there is some great sarcasm that I much appreciated. The ending is everything. I cannot recommend HOWLS FROM HELL enough. It’s a stellar collection.
@aniaahlborn is one of my favorite authors, so I a @aniaahlborn is one of my favorite authors, so I am honored to #review her latest creation, DARK ACROSS THE BAY. It’s only available through Earthling Publications as a deluxe hardcover, but it is worth every bit of the $50 price tag. @joshmalerman writes the introduction and he starts off with a grand segue into how, in the hands of Ania Ahlborn, family dynamics are not always as they seem. Not even close, as by the end, and in Malerman’s own words, Ania gives us readers a bird’s eye view of “who got what they deserved, who got screwed, and who made it out alive.” I think he nails it. “Or maybe Felix had never been there at all, Leo thought. Maybe you made him up as you slipped into madness. Maybe that’s why you keep smelling that scent...the one nobody else seems to smell.” The title alone, Dark Across the Bay, has an ominous feel to it. As I opened the book and read the first chapter, all I read was fear, and all I visioned was blood. I was immediately hooked. I don’t want to spoil the experience by revealing too much of the plot, so I’ll be brief. Poppy and Ezra Parrish decide to go on a family vacation with their teenage daughter, Lark, and her brother, Leo, who recently graduated high school. Taking place on a remote island off the coastal town of Raven’s Head, the setting is as thick as the fog, and the isolation is palpable. The view of the water’s edge is breathtaking, but the vacation house itself is eerie and claustrophobic. It has too many hallways, tiny nooks, random doors, and the kitschy decor runs rampant. The chapters switch perspectives with each family member, where each chapter reads like a piece to a puzzle. It starts off slow with a tiny clue here and a tiny bit of information there, and then midway in the story amps up drastically. And in true Ania Ahlborn fashion, there are twists right up to the very end. Just when I thought it was over, she impressed me one last time, and I smiled on that last page. It’s difficult to categorize DARK ACROSS THE BAY as a single genre, as some chapters read as a whodunnit, some as a thriller, and some as horror, but mark my words, you most certainly need to read this book.
✨ SUNDAY FUNDAY ✨ (thank you @novelsuspects an ✨ SUNDAY FUNDAY ✨ (thank you @novelsuspects and @grandcentralpub for my free copy) I have recently become a @harlancoben fan thanks to @suspensethrill and @beautyandthebook. They have read everything as far as I can tell, and what I’ve read I’ve really enjoyed. My husband is a fan too! Needless to say, I’m super excited to dive into #WIN because #HarlanCoben brings on all the thrills and chills! Also, have you all watched his series, THE STRANGER, SAFE, and THE FIVE on @netflix? Holy cow, they are so fantastic! #novelsuspectinsiders What are you up to today? Reading or watching anything good?!! ✨
✨ BOOK MAIL ✨ (thank you so much to the tagged ✨ BOOK MAIL ✨ (thank you so much to the tagged publishers for the free books) Is there anything better than getting books in the mail? Here is a batch of beloved hardcovers from some lovely publishers. Check out my Insta stories to see each book one by one. I love hardcovers for their beauty, but I don’t mind reading any format. What’s your favorite medium? Hardcover? Paperback? Kindle? Audiobook? ✨
✨ SUNDAY VIBES ✨ Happy Easter, all 🐇 We br ✨ SUNDAY VIBES ✨ Happy Easter, all 🐇 We brought Stella over to her grandparents’ and she is having a blast. We are about to have some BBQ and whatnot. And, by golly, I’m enjoying my first Grolsch of the year! How is your day going? What are you up to this fine day?! Thank you so much @twodollarradio for this copy of NIGHT ROOMS by @ginagail. I love a good essay collection and I’m super excited for this. Check out this amazing synopsis 💋🚬 “NIGHT ROOMS is a poetic, intimate collection of personal essays that weaves together fragmented images from horror films and cultural tropes to meditate on anxiety and depression, suicide, body image, identity, grief, and survival. Whether competing in shopping mall beauty pageants, reflecting on childhood monsters and ballet lessons, or recounting dark cultural ephemera while facing grief and authenticity in the digital age, Gina Nutt’s shifting style echoes the sub-genres that Night Rooms highlights―spirit-haunted slow burns, possession tales, slashers, and revenge films with a feminist bent. Refracting life through the lens of horror films, NIGHT ROOMS masterfully leaps between reality and movies, past and present―because the “final girl’s” story is ultimately a survival story told another way.”
✨ KING PHOTO CHALLENGE ✨ My lovely friends Ka ✨ KING PHOTO CHALLENGE ✨ My lovely friends Kallie @pageandparlorbooks and Nina @the_wandering_reader tagged me for the #SlayItLikeKing challenge and I finally took the photos! YAY ME! ON WRITING by #StephenKing is one of my favorite #nonfiction books! And, if you know me at all, then you know I just had to find a first edition hardcover 😆 Also, did you notice SK and I have the same taste in leather jackets? Slay 💅🏻 What is you favorite #memoir or nonfiction book?!
✨ ALMOST #CATURDAY ✨ I finished HOWLS FROM HE ✨ ALMOST #CATURDAY ✨ I finished HOWLS FROM HELL: A Horror Anthology, a few days ago and I just devoured it. My review to come soon, but just know it’s entertaining as hell. Also, GRADY HENDRIX, aka @paperbacksfromhell, wrote the forward and I loved it so. He ruffles all of my nostalgia feathers💀 This was the best photo I could get out of Mia and Jules, but it’s super cute. I tried getting this book pic with Stella, but she wasn’t having it - maybe for the review post. Do you enjoy anthologies? Special thanks to @night_worms and @howl_society for my free copy.
✨ BOOK MAIL ✨ (thank you to the tagged publish ✨ BOOK MAIL ✨ (thank you to the tagged publishers for the free books) I really hate Wednesdays 🤣 For some reason, it’s a negative day for me. Do you have a specific day of week you can’t stand? Check out all these amazing books! So far, I’ve read HOWLS FROM HELL and HOUSE OF HALLOW (ahem, both 5⭐️s)! And I just started reading WHERE THE TRUTH LIES, which is keeping my attention. Which book would you read next?!
✨ BOOK TO MOVIE ✨ #sponsored We all know #Tom ✨ BOOK TO MOVIE ✨ #sponsored We all know #TomHanks is a national treasure. He’s just a talented, warm and fuzzy actor. I recently watched #NewsoftheWorld staring Mr. Hanks and a new-to-us up-and-comer Helena Zengel, and I really loved it. Tom Hanks is his usual brilliant self, but Helena steals the show. Thank you to @uniallaccess for this incredible gift. The vinyl movie soundtrack is such a nice touch! The @NewsoftheWorldMovie is AVAILABLE NOW on Blu-ray/DVD ✨ If you love a great western drama with a perfect ending, make sure you watch this movie. What’s your favorite Tom Hanks movie? ✨
✨ FOR MY ASIAN FRIENDS ✨ Here are a couple o ✨ FOR MY ASIAN FRIENDS ✨ Here are a couple of book stacks by Asian authors I one hundred percent recommend. There are so many rich, beautiful, and interesting stories here. There is everything from science fiction, to literary fiction, to mystery. One of my favorite authors (not pictured here) is Amy Tan. I’ve read all of her books on my Kindle, so I don’t have any physical copies. Have you read any of these books?! I stand by my friend @wherethereadergrows - love you to pieces Chandra 😘
✨ Happy #FaceFriday ✨ (thank you @quirkbooks f ✨ Happy #FaceFriday ✨ (thank you @quirkbooks for the free copy) I finished THIS IS NOT THE JESS SHOW by @annacareybooks last month and really enjoyed it! “Black Mirror meets My So-Called Life” is the perfect description to get you in the door, but Carey’s ability to write a story will keep you there until the final page! It’s a twisty fun-filled ride! What are you reading this weekend?!
✨ HAPPY PLACE ✨ Here is the place where I get ✨ HAPPY PLACE ✨ Here is the place where I get lost. Time stands still. It’s my happy place. I love to see the world and experience new things, but it’s not always possible to travel. If there is one place I could magically go to, it would be Maui. But after I relax there for a bit, I would head to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Norway, Japan, and Thailand. Pretend you could snap your fingers, where is the one place you would travel to right now?
✨ PUPPY LOVE ✨ Oh my goodness, #SheReadswithC ✨ PUPPY LOVE ✨ Oh my goodness, #SheReadswithCats almost missed #NationalPuppyDay *whew* Hi all! Say hello to my sweet #puppy Stella. Today she is modeling one of my favorite books of the year! Have you read Chris Whitaker’s WE BEGIN AT THE END yet?! I love everything about this book and highly recommend you go and get yourself a copy. ✨special thanks to @henryholtbooks for my review copy✨
✨ true crime ✨ All my life I’ve been obsess ✨ true crime ✨ All my life I’ve been obsessed with #truecrime so imagine my excitement when @spookishmommy started a book club! She hosts #bookishtruecrime and it’s so fun! It’s nice being amongst other people who are as peculiar as me 👀🔍 Last night I watched a Lifetime movie based on true events called Girl in the Basement. So, of course, after it was over, I Googled the real life crime. It’s one of the most horrific crimes I’ve ever read about. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I went down the rabbit hole and I’m still reeling. All of you #truecrimelovers out there know exactly what I mean 😳💻 Have you read any of these books? My favorites are DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY and HELTER SKELTER, but THE FIVE and SAY NOTHING are close runner ups!
✨ happy st. patrick’s day ✨ Do any of y’a ✨ happy st. patrick’s day ✨ Do any of y’all celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? My family does! We have the traditional dinner and whatnot. Of course, I had a Guinness! @kealan_patrick_burke is one of my favorite indie horror authors. If you haven’t read any indie horror, he’s guaranteed to knock your socks off. The perfect intro for the indie horror lover inside you. KIN is one of my favorite books, but there’s this one scene that is a capital ICK 😂 I just started Jennifer McMahon’s The Drowning Kind. Whatcha reading?!
April is just around the corner, so it’s time to April is just around the corner, so it’s time to read our next #BuddyReadstoDieFor selection! Huzzah! We really love Silvia Moreno-Garcia and cannot wait to read her book, UNTAMED SHORE 🎉 Take a 👀 at the synopsis and let us know if you’ll be joining us👇🏻 “Baja California, 1979. Viridiana spends her days watching the dead sharks piled beside the seashore, as the fishermen pull their nets. There is nothing else to do, nothing else to watch, under the harsh sun. She’s bored. Terribly bored. Yet her head is filled with dreams of Hollywood films, of romance, of a future beyond the drab town where her only option is to marry and have children. Three wealthy American tourists arrive for the summer, and Viridiana is magnetized. She immediately becomes entwined in the glamorous foreigners’ lives. They offer excitement, and perhaps an escape from the promise of a humdrum future. When one of them dies, Viridiana lies to protect her friends. Soon enough, someone’s asking questions, and Viridiana has some of her own about the identity of her new acquaintances. Sharks may be dangerous, but there are worse predators nearby, ready to devour a naïve young woman who is quickly being tangled in a web of deceit.” . . #untamedshore #silviamorenogarcia #agorabooks #booksbooksbooks #bookclub #bookclubsofinstagram #read #bookstagram #currentlyreading #bookish #buddyread #booklove #lovebooks #shereadswithcats #badassbookbabes #bookclubfavorites #wherethereadergrows #coolgirlsread #jessicamapreviews
✨ stephen king ✨ Has anyone read Stephen King ✨ stephen king ✨ Has anyone read Stephen King’s Bill Hodges trilogy? I devoured all three books back to back because they are THAT GOOD. Detective Bill Hodges is a character I’ve grown quite attached to, so a huge sigh of relief when I realized Brendan Gleeson was cast for the part. Basically, he’s the perfect Bill Hodges and now he’s who I picture when I think of the books. I caught up on the #MrMercedes series today and it’s fantastic! I’m always nervous about book-to-television adaptations, but this one is solid gold. If you enjoy thrillers, intriguing characters, crime fiction, and all with the style of Stephen King, go check it out! The series is streaming now on @peacocktv #MrMercedes #sponsored How ‘bout it? Are you going to watch it?
✨ kittens & books ✨ I’ve spent the day writ ✨ kittens & books ✨ I’ve spent the day writing reviews and taking book photos. I didn’t realize how far behind I am on reviews. Oh my goodness. Today, I chose my #BookoftheWeek on the @night_worms blog. Everything about this book just worked for me. Go check it out and tell me if it sounds good to you! How is your Monday going? I’m absolutely exhausted 😴
✨ work in progress ✨ This is my Saturday nigh ✨ work in progress ✨ This is my Saturday night. I am always moving books around to make them fit. I organize them by genre mostly, but I also put random books together that only make sense to me 😂 How do you organize your books?
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