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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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Instagram post 2229578279768086030_5480751027 Who doesn’t like to match their drink with their book and outfit?!! 💁🏼‍♀️ . What are you all reading this weekend? I just started STRANGER DIARIES for #buddyreadstodiefor because I’m the biggest procrastinator. I’m not too far in, but I’m curious where the story is going. And thank you so much @crookedlanebooks for my free copy of ONE LITTLE SECRET. I really enjoyed this book - @cateholahan is such a lovely person!
Instagram post 2228812926871982579_5480751027 How are YOU doing this fine day? I’m someone who cares deeply about the people in my life. And for some reason, I feel like I know my peeps on #Bookstagram so I want to know HOW YOU ARE because I care. #BookReview of @carmenmmachado’s IN THE DREAM HOUSE.... When @belletrist selected a short story collection called HER BODY AND OTHER PARTIES in December 2017, I fell madly in love with Machado’s writing. She’s a uniquely talented voice that I couldn’t get enough of. When IN THE DREAM HOUSE was announced, you bet your beautiful butt that I preordered it. I had the highest of expectations when I started reading it, and Machado did nothing but exceed every one of them. She is nothing short of amazing and this memoir is nothing short of phenomenal. Not only should you run out and beg / borrow / buy HER BODY AND OTHER PARTIES but you also need to do the same for IN THE DREAM HOUSE. @carmenmariamachado continues to be one of my favorite authors and I can’t wait for her next book! ★★★★★ . Synopsis: In the Dream House is Carmen Maria Machado’s engrossing and wildly innovative account of a relationship gone bad, and a bold dissection of the mechanisms and cultural representations of psychological abuse. She looks back at her religious adolescence, unpacks the stereotype of lesbian relationships as safe and utopian, and widens the view with essayistic explorations of the history and reality of abuse in queer relationships. Machado’s dire narrative is leavened with her characteristic wit, playfulness, and openness to inquiry. She casts a critical eye over legal proceedings, fairy tales, Star Trek, and Disney villains, as well as iconic works of film and fiction. The result is a wrenching, riveting book that explodes our ideas about what a memoir can do and be.
Instagram post 2228153402775474991_5480751027 Thank you to the tagged publishers for the free books. HAPPY THURSDAY BOOK NERDS Here are a few of the week’s #NewReleases - see any you’re excited to read?!! 👀📚 . THE SEEP - Trina and her wife, Deeba, live blissfully under The Seep’s utopian influence—until Deeba begins to imagine what it might be like to be reborn as a baby, which will give her the chance at an even better life. Using Seeptech to make this dream a reality, Deeba moves on to a new existence, leaving Trina devastated. THE BLAZE - One man knows the connection between two extraordinary acts of arson, fifteen years apart, in his Montana hometown--if only he could remember it. FIGHT OF THR CENTURY - To mark its 100-year anniversary, the American Civil Liberties Union partners with award-winning authors Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman to bring together many of our greatest living writers, each contributing an original piece inspired by a historic ACLU case. RIOT BABY - Rooted in the hope that can live in anger, Riot Baby is as much an intimate family story as a global dystopian narrative. It burns fearlessly toward revolution and has quietly devastating things to say about love, fury, and the black American experience. THE THIRD RAINBOW GIRL - A stunningly written investigation of the murder of two young women--showing how a violent crime casts a shadow over an entire community. UNIVERSAL LOVE - A hypnotic collection of speculative fiction about compassion, love, and human resilience in the technological hyper-age. PROCESSED CHEESE - Darkly hilarious, Processed Cheese is both satire and serious as death. It's a road novel, a family story, and a last-girl-standing thriller of once-in-a-generation vitality and inventiveness. WIFE AFTER WIFE - A modern take on the life and marriages of Henry VIII, if he were a 21st century womanizing media mogul rather than the king of England. AMERICAN DIRT - Please don’t @ me.
Instagram post 2227466559465514756_5480751027 🩸When the @night_worms organize a book party, you don’t miss it! . 🩸Stephen Kozenieski’s SKINWRAPPER is a novella that is written as a prequel to THE HEMATOPHAGES. And although you can read it as a standalone, I will be sure to pick up the next book. It’s an atmospheric, taut, riveting, and bloody good time of a tiny, little book. . 🩸We follow a young female protagonist who is left alone on a spacecraft and to her own devices. What she needs to avoid are the brutal, dreadful, SKINWRAPPERS. . 🩸This novella is an excellent mix of science fiction and horror that kept me on the edge of my seat. I highly recommend it to readers who are looking to try out this horror, hybrid sub-genre as it doesn’t get crazy complicated with terminology. My only qualm is when I finished, it left me wanting more! SKINWRAPPER is a dark, fast-paced, and terrifying book ★★★½ . 🩸Thank you to the @night_worms and @sinistergrinp for my free copy. #NightWormsBookParty #NightWrapper #NightWorms #BookReview
Instagram post 2226711859715885330_5480751027 #BookReview | Thank you so much to @aaknopf for my free copy. . Carolina De Robertis’ CANTORAS is a coming-of-age story unlike any I’ve read before. Five queer women who survive a brutal Uruguayan dictatorship become like family and call themselves “CANTORAS”. The story is quite heartbreaking, emotional, and beautifully written. . In 1977, under the reign of an oppressive dictatorship, it is dangerous to step outside of your house, let alone be a queer woman. Flaca, Romina, Anita, Malena, and Paz, who have all lived different lives, come together to stay on a deserted beach where they can be free to be themselves. Over the years they return to the beach periodically and we see how these trips affect who they are and who they become. . I love character driven novels and this one is outstanding. Each of the five women are interesting, complex, and unique; I didn’t have a favorite because they were all amazing and pertinent to the story. Spanning decades with a beautiful but devastating Uruguay backdrop, this is a story of friendship and love that I will never forget. ★★★★★
Instagram post 2225991324778308298_5480751027 Thank you so much @getredpr and @berkleypub for my free copy of @davidbellnovels’ THE FORGOTTEN GIRL. Ever since I read BRING HER HOME a few years back I’ve been such a fan! His books are compulsive, full of mystery, and so much fun to read. I feel like I blinked and this weekend was over. Lots of great things happened though: I read a 5 star book, went to our quarterly wine club dinner, and the Niners are in the Super Bowl 🎉🏈 . Now I have to know, what are you all reading this week?! ☟
Instagram post 2225133747232218553_5480751027 #BlogTour #BookReview | KILL SLEEP REPEAT by @britneyking_ is dark, twisty, and violent with a decent amount of gore - so of course I totally recommend it! . We meet Charlotte Jones, married with two teenage girls, a flight attendant on charter flights for the well-to-do, oh, and a trained killer. She lives a double life, one that appears normal, until she slaps on a wig and uses an alias while heading for the airport. It’s the perfect cover to make her vocation work. But just like Charlotte moonlighting as an assassin, things aren’t always what they appear. . King writes every scene with no detail spared. Just know going in that here are some graphic scenes, but they are always pertinent to the story. KILL SLEEP REPEAT is a fun, wild, and compulsive ride - like read-in-one-sitting kind of compulsive. I am convinced that not only can King write amazing psychological thrillers, she can write a damn good action scenes as well. King continues to surprise me in the best way. If you haven’t picked up one of her books yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? ★★★★
Instagram post 2224590264587170883_5480751027 Thank you @riverheadbooks @randomhouse @aaknopf and the tagged publishers for my free copies | . Say hello to some of the week’s #newreleases - I’ve read about half of these and they are outstanding. Do you see any GEMS in this photo?! . Soooo, I’ve been slacking lately with #Bookstagram - as in sticking to my normal schedule. January always kicks my ass, then February is a transition month, but March is always beautiful and by that time I’ll be back on track. I hope you all are having a great weekend ✨
Instagram post 2223800601748177374_5480751027 Happy #Caturday Eve! 😻 Abby and I are curling up with Stephen Kozenienski’s SKINWRAPPER because we were invited to another super fun, super rad #NightWormsBookParty (holla 🙌🏻) . In other news, I just finished KILL SLEEP REPEAT by @britneyking_ which is awesome - watch this space for my review. After SKINWRAPPER I’ll start THE STRANGER DIARIES for #buddyreadstodiefor with my girl @wherethereadergrows - I’m in book heaven right now. What are you all reading this weekend?! Thank you so much @night_worms @mother.horror & @sinistergrinp for my free copy! #nightwrapper #nightwormsbookparty
Instagram post 2223431784425739098_5480751027 We are over the moon excited for our February #buddyreadstodiefor selection. We are going to read THE INNOCENT WIFE by Amy Lloyd! 🎉 . Chandra and I have been wanting to read this for ages, so we hope you will join us! It’s super casual, spoiler-free chitchat up until the end-of-the-month discussion date, and then it’s all the spoilers! Take a 👀 at the synopsis and let us know in the comments if you’re in! Also, scroll ⬅️ to see our future picks! Synopsis: Twenty years ago, Dennis Danson was arrested and imprisoned for the brutal murder of a young girl. Now he’s the subject of a true-crime documentary that’s whipping up a frenzy online to uncover the truth and free a man who has been wrongly convicted. A thousand miles away in England, Samantha is obsessed with Dennis’s case. She exchanges letters with him, and is quickly won over by his apparent charm and kindness to her. Soon she has left her old life behind to marry him and campaign for his release. When the campaign is successful and Dennis is freed, however, Sam begins to discover new details that suggest he may not be quite so innocent after all. But how do you confront your husband when you don’t want to know the truth?
Instagram post 2223042531430663083_5480751027 Happy Thursday all! I finally kicked that headache thanks to my little helper pills. This is just a small section of my bookshelves since it’s really hard to get a good angle of my office in its entirety. My office is tiny but mighty!🤣 I was tagged by @thebookdad for #ShowMeYourBookshelf so here is just a tiny portion of my fiction shelves. I arrange my shelves by genre because my shelves are deep and my books are plentiful. There are many books that I’ve already read behind the books I haven’t or my favorites that I love to 👀 at. Fiction, nonfiction, thriller, true crime, fantasy/science fiction/dystopia, classics/special editions, and horror all have special shelves. And of course Stephen King has his very own featured shelf!😈 I also have three book carts and stacks everywhere. In my living room, I have two small shelves, two TBR shelves, and a coffee table filled with art and music books. My house is getting eaten alive by books! How do you arrange your bookshelves?
Instagram post 2221912342252447271_5480751027 Thank you so much @night_worms @briankirk13 and @flametreepress for my free copy. A horror book with a mental asylum, paranoid schizophrenics, and clinical drug trials was too good to pass up! Brian Kirk’s WE ARE MONSTERS starts off with some of the more intriguing few chapters I’ve come across - I was absolutely addicted. Dr. Eli Alpert deals with the most psychotic criminals. Luckily, his mentee, Alex Drexler, is working on a drug that will cure schizophrenia, by ridding patients of their terrifying delusions and hallucinations. However, instead of eradicating these problems, the treatment evokes past traumas and internal darkness. But, are the patients the only monsters? This is Kirk’s rereleased debut novel so I am impressed with how well the story and the characters are developed. WE ARE MONSTERS takes you on a very strange and unusual ride. It starts out full of intrigue and creepiness, then you get a very detailed account of the characters, and finally it finishes with an unorthodox ending. My favorite aspect of the book is the writing style and although it lost my attention for a short while, I loved the overall reading experience. I felt as if the author, by design, wanted me to feel just as insane as his characters. I will definitely not hesitate to read another book by Kirk. #nightwormsaremonsters #promotehorror #wearemonsters ★★★★
Instagram post 2221636371930527473_5480751027 #WRC2020 #BookSharks | Thank you so much @booksparks for this amazing free package! It’s that time again and I just got my first ambassador package! #BookSparks always selects the perfect books to read over any given season and this lineup starts off with a bang! I listened to AMERICAN DIRT by @jeaninecummins on #audiobook through @librofm and it was amazing! I am so excited to receive a finished copy for my collection. It’s a gripping piece of fiction and I can’t recommend it enough! (pub. Jan 21) The second book I received is THE TENANT by @katrineengberg! I just picked it up and I am really enjoying it. I can’t wait to see where it goes - out today! Scroll ← to see the the crazy awesome swag that came with AMERICAN DIRT. Hot cocoa ☕️🍫, marshmallow ⛄️⛄️, a campfire mug ⛺️🔥, a winter themed candle ❄️🕯, and my favorite, @draperjames mittens! THEY ARE THE CUTEST! 💁🏼‍♀️🧶 @booksparks nailed it! Are either of these books on your reading list?!
Instagram post 2220865680339731053_5480751027 Thank you to the author, #GrindhousePress and @night_worms for my free copy. Samantha Kolesnik’s debut novella TRUE CRIME is uncomfortable, intriguing, absorbing, and brilliantly written. I picked it up and did not put it down until I finished the final page. Suzy and her brother Lim live in a reality of horrific proportions. Their mother is extremely abusive, especially to Suzy. One day, Suzy understandably snaps and retaliates against her mother which then leads to a spree of deviant behavior on an impromptu road trip. There are a slew of heinous crimes prevalent in this story but I was more intrigued by the psychological aspect. Since as long as I can remember I’ve been fascinated by the pathology of sociopaths. I want to know if it’s something that comes naturally, versus if it’s a force of nature that pushes an individual to do despicable things. Suzy is no doubt who she is because of her fiendish mother, but can she ever be reformed? Or was it in her all along, to the point of no return? There are a few scenes that made me cringe, but I couldn’t stop reading because Suzy’s journey was too captivating to put down. Kolesnik wrote a perfect horror novella and I know this because at the end of the day I didn’t detest Suzy. After what she went through it is difficult not to feel for her but I certainly wouldn’t want to cross her path. ★★★★★ #NightWormsBookParty Shout out to @mother.horror for years of 📸 inspiration and thank you to @jobis89 for introducing me to this beautiful REᗡЯUM mug 💀🩸
Instagram post 2220114754716906159_5480751027 “Based on the novel by Stephen King” is one of the most common phrases in horror movies. Carrie, Firestarter, The Dead Zone, Salem’s Lot, Misery, Dolores Claiborne, The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption, 1408, IT, The Shining, Doctor Sleep, Christine, Stand by Me, Pet Sematary, Secret Window, Children of the Corn, Cujo, Apt Pupil, Gerald’s Game, Needful Things, Cell, Hearts in Atlantis, The Mist, Christine, Big Driver, Dreamcatcher, The Stand, The Langoliers, The Tommyknockers, and Thinner - and those are just the movies I’ve seen. King is prolific with a natural talent for writing extraordinary characters and tremendous world building. I am always in awe of what this man’s imagination can do. I dedicate this post to my friend @kamis_korner who is hosting a #chronologicallyking buddy read. Even though I’ve read some of these books recently in other #StephenKing readalongs, it’s fun to revisit them in order. 😈 Hail to the King. What is your favorite Stephen King adaptation?!! . AND WHO’S EXCITED FOR THE OUTSIDER?! 😱
Instagram post 2219479102786860204_5480751027 Happy weekend everyone! What are you reading?! I finished SALT SLOW by Julia Armfield last month and loved it so much! I am so thankful I won a copy from @hotcocoareads and @flatiron_books so I could read it with @belletrist - I’m such a #belletristbabe ! This superbly written collection of short stories is so visceral it’s been etched into my literary loving soul. There is not a weak story in the bunch and I highly recommend each one for different reasons. Armfield touches on women and their relationship with their bodies, love, childhood, and death, all in a very dark, magical, and haunting way. I am counting the minutes until Armfield’s next book. 5 brilliant stars! I couldn’t resist pairing this gorgeous book with my favorite peacock feather sleeve from @sewhappystitchhappy and my beloved yoga statue. Which reminds me...I need to start doing yoga again - I miss it so much. Visit @sewhappystitchhappy for your choice of a beautiful sleeve and be sure to use code SHEREADS for a 10% discount! 🦚🦚🦚
Instagram post 2218758734254076543_5480751027 Thank you @tlcbooktours and @harlequinbooks for my free copy! I am so excited to feature GOOD GIRLS LIE by @thrillerchick because she is the QUEEN of psychological suspense! LIE TO ME is still one of my all time favorites. Take a peek at the synopsis ☟ Perched atop a hill in the tiny town of Marchburg, Virginia, The Goode School is a prestigious prep school known as a Silent Ivy. The boarding school of choice for daughters of the rich and influential, it accepts only the best and the brightest. Its elite status, long-held traditions and honor code are ideal for preparing exceptional young women for brilliant futures at Ivy League universities and beyond. When a popular student is found dead, the truth cannot be ignored. Rumors suggest she was struggling with a secret that drove her to suicide. But look closely…because there are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened.
Instagram post 2218545433628693189_5480751027 Thank you so much @algonquinbooks for my free copy. Crissy Van Meter’s CREATURES is the @belletrist selection for January and I could not be more excited. When I saw the cover I was mesmerized and when I started reading I was captivated. And when I saw that Melissa Broder and Leni Zumas put their stamp of approval on this ravishing debut, I had no doubt I would love it. Evangeline or “Evie” grew up on an island off the coast of Southern California. Her mom left her early on and seldom returned so her father raised her. He wasn’t conventional by any means as he was an alcoholic, drug addict, and never held down a steady job. Evie struggled through a very difficult childhood and this novel reveals what she went through and how it affected her. The nonlinear timeline can be a bit tricky, but it really worked for me. The book’s sole narrator is Evie and it begins a few days before her wedding day. The narrative shifts from the present to the past, back and forth, much like the tides around the island. It’s an emotional, poignant, and provocative read that deeply explores a dysfunctional family – always an interest of mine. Just like we are all creatures of our existence, Evie is a creature of hers - a creature of her mercurial upbringing and the island in which she was raised. CREATURES is a story filled with intricacies, heartbreak, and dry humor, written in a lyrical, poetic manner with a wildly beautiful island backdrop. ★★★★★ #belletristbabe #creatures #bookreview
Instagram post 2218023119342434816_5480751027 I picked up SNOWBALL by Gregory Bastianelli because HORROR and CHRISTMAS go together like CHOCOLATE and PEANUT BUTTER. It’s a delicious combo, so I am always seeking out new books to add during the winter season. This is definitely an entertaining read! Set in New Hampshire on Christmas Eve, we follow a group of travelers that get stranded on a deserted highway during a snowstorm. A snowplow gets stuck causing an eight vehicle pileup leaving said travelers to fend for themselves. The survivors gather together waiting for the storm to pass and as they get to talking, they realize there is a connection between them, and like any survival story, bad things always happen. If I finish a book, that usually means I liked it. I love unlikeable characters, I don’t need to feel a connection to any characters, and I’m fine if I don’t get the perfect ending BUT it always has to appeal to me. This book is pretty good. My least favorite aspect is the ending because I like things to make sense. And something about the story’s pace didn’t flow for me. It wasn’t horror-y enough for me personally, but please do not let me deter you if you are intrigued by the synopsis - it’s always good to try things for yourself. ★★★ Thank you so much @smithpublicity for my free copy.
Instagram post 2216868918193065036_5480751027 Thank you so much @riverheadbooks for my free copy. I had no idea what to expect when I picked up Liz Moore’s LONG BRIGHT RIVER but once I did, I could not let it go. It’s gritty, dark, suspenseful, emotional, and unsettling. In a word, phenomenal. Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood is greatly affected by the country’s ever growing opioid epidemic and people are regularly found dead of an overdose. The neighborhood is afflicted with drug related crime so it’s an uphill battle law enforcement and it’s inhabitants for reform. Our narrator, Mickey Fitzpatrick, is a police officer who regularly patrols the streets looking for her sister, Kacey, who battles with drug addiction of her own. Every time Mickey gets a call of a dead body, she is filled with fear that it’s Kacey, especially since she hasn’t seen her sister in weeks. The two girls never had it easy losing both parents to drugs and being raised by their cold, rancorous grandmother - they just had each other. The story alternates between present day in the search for Kacey and flashbacks of the girls’ life growing up. Although the story’s mystery revolves around a serial killer targeting sex workers, the novel’s true focus are the perils of drug addiction and how it effects every member of the community, from newborn babies to grandparents. Mickey is a compelling character and I completely sympathize with her. I have someone in my life who resembles a Kacey so I know Moore did her research on this subject. I cannot get this novel out of my head. In fact, I became anxious just writing this review. Moore’s writing is atmospheric, visceral, and ominous. She writes in such a way that you feel the story and know the characters. The novel is almost 500 pages long but it reads amazingly fast. LONG BRIGHT RIVER is not only exceptionally written, it’s also an uncomfortably honest story that will break your heart. ★★★★★
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Instagram post 2229578279768086030_5480751027 Who doesn’t like to match their drink with their book and outfit?!! 💁🏼‍♀️ . What are you all reading this weekend? I just started STRANGER DIARIES for #buddyreadstodiefor because I’m the biggest procrastinator. I’m not too far in, but I’m curious where the story is going. And thank you so much @crookedlanebooks for my free copy of ONE LITTLE SECRET. I really enjoyed this book - @cateholahan is such a lovely person!
Instagram post 2228812926871982579_5480751027 How are YOU doing this fine day? I’m someone who cares deeply about the people in my life. And for some reason, I feel like I know my peeps on #Bookstagram so I want to know HOW YOU ARE because I care. #BookReview of @carmenmmachado’s IN THE DREAM HOUSE.... When @belletrist selected a short story collection called HER BODY AND OTHER PARTIES in December 2017, I fell madly in love with Machado’s writing. She’s a uniquely talented voice that I couldn’t get enough of. When IN THE DREAM HOUSE was announced, you bet your beautiful butt that I preordered it. I had the highest of expectations when I started reading it, and Machado did nothing but exceed every one of them. She is nothing short of amazing and this memoir is nothing short of phenomenal. Not only should you run out and beg / borrow / buy HER BODY AND OTHER PARTIES but you also need to do the same for IN THE DREAM HOUSE. @carmenmariamachado continues to be one of my favorite authors and I can’t wait for her next book! ★★★★★ . Synopsis: In the Dream House is Carmen Maria Machado’s engrossing and wildly innovative account of a relationship gone bad, and a bold dissection of the mechanisms and cultural representations of psychological abuse. She looks back at her religious adolescence, unpacks the stereotype of lesbian relationships as safe and utopian, and widens the view with essayistic explorations of the history and reality of abuse in queer relationships. Machado’s dire narrative is leavened with her characteristic wit, playfulness, and openness to inquiry. She casts a critical eye over legal proceedings, fairy tales, Star Trek, and Disney villains, as well as iconic works of film and fiction. The result is a wrenching, riveting book that explodes our ideas about what a memoir can do and be.
Instagram post 2228153402775474991_5480751027 Thank you to the tagged publishers for the free books. HAPPY THURSDAY BOOK NERDS Here are a few of the week’s #NewReleases - see any you’re excited to read?!! 👀📚 . THE SEEP - Trina and her wife, Deeba, live blissfully under The Seep’s utopian influence—until Deeba begins to imagine what it might be like to be reborn as a baby, which will give her the chance at an even better life. Using Seeptech to make this dream a reality, Deeba moves on to a new existence, leaving Trina devastated. THE BLAZE - One man knows the connection between two extraordinary acts of arson, fifteen years apart, in his Montana hometown--if only he could remember it. FIGHT OF THR CENTURY - To mark its 100-year anniversary, the American Civil Liberties Union partners with award-winning authors Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman to bring together many of our greatest living writers, each contributing an original piece inspired by a historic ACLU case. RIOT BABY - Rooted in the hope that can live in anger, Riot Baby is as much an intimate family story as a global dystopian narrative. It burns fearlessly toward revolution and has quietly devastating things to say about love, fury, and the black American experience. THE THIRD RAINBOW GIRL - A stunningly written investigation of the murder of two young women--showing how a violent crime casts a shadow over an entire community. UNIVERSAL LOVE - A hypnotic collection of speculative fiction about compassion, love, and human resilience in the technological hyper-age. PROCESSED CHEESE - Darkly hilarious, Processed Cheese is both satire and serious as death. It's a road novel, a family story, and a last-girl-standing thriller of once-in-a-generation vitality and inventiveness. WIFE AFTER WIFE - A modern take on the life and marriages of Henry VIII, if he were a 21st century womanizing media mogul rather than the king of England. AMERICAN DIRT - Please don’t @ me.
Instagram post 2227466559465514756_5480751027 🩸When the @night_worms organize a book party, you don’t miss it! . 🩸Stephen Kozenieski’s SKINWRAPPER is a novella that is written as a prequel to THE HEMATOPHAGES. And although you can read it as a standalone, I will be sure to pick up the next book. It’s an atmospheric, taut, riveting, and bloody good time of a tiny, little book. . 🩸We follow a young female protagonist who is left alone on a spacecraft and to her own devices. What she needs to avoid are the brutal, dreadful, SKINWRAPPERS. . 🩸This novella is an excellent mix of science fiction and horror that kept me on the edge of my seat. I highly recommend it to readers who are looking to try out this horror, hybrid sub-genre as it doesn’t get crazy complicated with terminology. My only qualm is when I finished, it left me wanting more! SKINWRAPPER is a dark, fast-paced, and terrifying book ★★★½ . 🩸Thank you to the @night_worms and @sinistergrinp for my free copy. #NightWormsBookParty #NightWrapper #NightWorms #BookReview
Instagram post 2226711859715885330_5480751027 #BookReview | Thank you so much to @aaknopf for my free copy. . Carolina De Robertis’ CANTORAS is a coming-of-age story unlike any I’ve read before. Five queer women who survive a brutal Uruguayan dictatorship become like family and call themselves “CANTORAS”. The story is quite heartbreaking, emotional, and beautifully written. . In 1977, under the reign of an oppressive dictatorship, it is dangerous to step outside of your house, let alone be a queer woman. Flaca, Romina, Anita, Malena, and Paz, who have all lived different lives, come together to stay on a deserted beach where they can be free to be themselves. Over the years they return to the beach periodically and we see how these trips affect who they are and who they become. . I love character driven novels and this one is outstanding. Each of the five women are interesting, complex, and unique; I didn’t have a favorite because they were all amazing and pertinent to the story. Spanning decades with a beautiful but devastating Uruguay backdrop, this is a story of friendship and love that I will never forget. ★★★★★
Instagram post 2225991324778308298_5480751027 Thank you so much @getredpr and @berkleypub for my free copy of @davidbellnovels’ THE FORGOTTEN GIRL. Ever since I read BRING HER HOME a few years back I’ve been such a fan! His books are compulsive, full of mystery, and so much fun to read. I feel like I blinked and this weekend was over. Lots of great things happened though: I read a 5 star book, went to our quarterly wine club dinner, and the Niners are in the Super Bowl 🎉🏈 . Now I have to know, what are you all reading this week?! ☟
Instagram post 2225133747232218553_5480751027 #BlogTour #BookReview | KILL SLEEP REPEAT by @britneyking_ is dark, twisty, and violent with a decent amount of gore - so of course I totally recommend it! . We meet Charlotte Jones, married with two teenage girls, a flight attendant on charter flights for the well-to-do, oh, and a trained killer. She lives a double life, one that appears normal, until she slaps on a wig and uses an alias while heading for the airport. It’s the perfect cover to make her vocation work. But just like Charlotte moonlighting as an assassin, things aren’t always what they appear. . King writes every scene with no detail spared. Just know going in that here are some graphic scenes, but they are always pertinent to the story. KILL SLEEP REPEAT is a fun, wild, and compulsive ride - like read-in-one-sitting kind of compulsive. I am convinced that not only can King write amazing psychological thrillers, she can write a damn good action scenes as well. King continues to surprise me in the best way. If you haven’t picked up one of her books yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? ★★★★
Instagram post 2224590264587170883_5480751027 Thank you @riverheadbooks @randomhouse @aaknopf and the tagged publishers for my free copies | . Say hello to some of the week’s #newreleases - I’ve read about half of these and they are outstanding. Do you see any GEMS in this photo?! . Soooo, I’ve been slacking lately with #Bookstagram - as in sticking to my normal schedule. January always kicks my ass, then February is a transition month, but March is always beautiful and by that time I’ll be back on track. I hope you all are having a great weekend ✨
Instagram post 2223800601748177374_5480751027 Happy #Caturday Eve! 😻 Abby and I are curling up with Stephen Kozenienski’s SKINWRAPPER because we were invited to another super fun, super rad #NightWormsBookParty (holla 🙌🏻) . In other news, I just finished KILL SLEEP REPEAT by @britneyking_ which is awesome - watch this space for my review. After SKINWRAPPER I’ll start THE STRANGER DIARIES for #buddyreadstodiefor with my girl @wherethereadergrows - I’m in book heaven right now. What are you all reading this weekend?! Thank you so much @night_worms @mother.horror & @sinistergrinp for my free copy! #nightwrapper #nightwormsbookparty
Instagram post 2223431784425739098_5480751027 We are over the moon excited for our February #buddyreadstodiefor selection. We are going to read THE INNOCENT WIFE by Amy Lloyd! 🎉 . Chandra and I have been wanting to read this for ages, so we hope you will join us! It’s super casual, spoiler-free chitchat up until the end-of-the-month discussion date, and then it’s all the spoilers! Take a 👀 at the synopsis and let us know in the comments if you’re in! Also, scroll ⬅️ to see our future picks! Synopsis: Twenty years ago, Dennis Danson was arrested and imprisoned for the brutal murder of a young girl. Now he’s the subject of a true-crime documentary that’s whipping up a frenzy online to uncover the truth and free a man who has been wrongly convicted. A thousand miles away in England, Samantha is obsessed with Dennis’s case. She exchanges letters with him, and is quickly won over by his apparent charm and kindness to her. Soon she has left her old life behind to marry him and campaign for his release. When the campaign is successful and Dennis is freed, however, Sam begins to discover new details that suggest he may not be quite so innocent after all. But how do you confront your husband when you don’t want to know the truth?
Instagram post 2223042531430663083_5480751027 Happy Thursday all! I finally kicked that headache thanks to my little helper pills. This is just a small section of my bookshelves since it’s really hard to get a good angle of my office in its entirety. My office is tiny but mighty!🤣 I was tagged by @thebookdad for #ShowMeYourBookshelf so here is just a tiny portion of my fiction shelves. I arrange my shelves by genre because my shelves are deep and my books are plentiful. There are many books that I’ve already read behind the books I haven’t or my favorites that I love to 👀 at. Fiction, nonfiction, thriller, true crime, fantasy/science fiction/dystopia, classics/special editions, and horror all have special shelves. And of course Stephen King has his very own featured shelf!😈 I also have three book carts and stacks everywhere. In my living room, I have two small shelves, two TBR shelves, and a coffee table filled with art and music books. My house is getting eaten alive by books! How do you arrange your bookshelves?
Instagram post 2221912342252447271_5480751027 Thank you so much @night_worms @briankirk13 and @flametreepress for my free copy. A horror book with a mental asylum, paranoid schizophrenics, and clinical drug trials was too good to pass up! Brian Kirk’s WE ARE MONSTERS starts off with some of the more intriguing few chapters I’ve come across - I was absolutely addicted. Dr. Eli Alpert deals with the most psychotic criminals. Luckily, his mentee, Alex Drexler, is working on a drug that will cure schizophrenia, by ridding patients of their terrifying delusions and hallucinations. However, instead of eradicating these problems, the treatment evokes past traumas and internal darkness. But, are the patients the only monsters? This is Kirk’s rereleased debut novel so I am impressed with how well the story and the characters are developed. WE ARE MONSTERS takes you on a very strange and unusual ride. It starts out full of intrigue and creepiness, then you get a very detailed account of the characters, and finally it finishes with an unorthodox ending. My favorite aspect of the book is the writing style and although it lost my attention for a short while, I loved the overall reading experience. I felt as if the author, by design, wanted me to feel just as insane as his characters. I will definitely not hesitate to read another book by Kirk. #nightwormsaremonsters #promotehorror #wearemonsters ★★★★
Instagram post 2221636371930527473_5480751027 #WRC2020 #BookSharks | Thank you so much @booksparks for this amazing free package! It’s that time again and I just got my first ambassador package! #BookSparks always selects the perfect books to read over any given season and this lineup starts off with a bang! I listened to AMERICAN DIRT by @jeaninecummins on #audiobook through @librofm and it was amazing! I am so excited to receive a finished copy for my collection. It’s a gripping piece of fiction and I can’t recommend it enough! (pub. Jan 21) The second book I received is THE TENANT by @katrineengberg! I just picked it up and I am really enjoying it. I can’t wait to see where it goes - out today! Scroll ← to see the the crazy awesome swag that came with AMERICAN DIRT. Hot cocoa ☕️🍫, marshmallow ⛄️⛄️, a campfire mug ⛺️🔥, a winter themed candle ❄️🕯, and my favorite, @draperjames mittens! THEY ARE THE CUTEST! 💁🏼‍♀️🧶 @booksparks nailed it! Are either of these books on your reading list?!
Instagram post 2220865680339731053_5480751027 Thank you to the author, #GrindhousePress and @night_worms for my free copy. Samantha Kolesnik’s debut novella TRUE CRIME is uncomfortable, intriguing, absorbing, and brilliantly written. I picked it up and did not put it down until I finished the final page. Suzy and her brother Lim live in a reality of horrific proportions. Their mother is extremely abusive, especially to Suzy. One day, Suzy understandably snaps and retaliates against her mother which then leads to a spree of deviant behavior on an impromptu road trip. There are a slew of heinous crimes prevalent in this story but I was more intrigued by the psychological aspect. Since as long as I can remember I’ve been fascinated by the pathology of sociopaths. I want to know if it’s something that comes naturally, versus if it’s a force of nature that pushes an individual to do despicable things. Suzy is no doubt who she is because of her fiendish mother, but can she ever be reformed? Or was it in her all along, to the point of no return? There are a few scenes that made me cringe, but I couldn’t stop reading because Suzy’s journey was too captivating to put down. Kolesnik wrote a perfect horror novella and I know this because at the end of the day I didn’t detest Suzy. After what she went through it is difficult not to feel for her but I certainly wouldn’t want to cross her path. ★★★★★ #NightWormsBookParty Shout out to @mother.horror for years of 📸 inspiration and thank you to @jobis89 for introducing me to this beautiful REᗡЯUM mug 💀🩸
Instagram post 2220114754716906159_5480751027 “Based on the novel by Stephen King” is one of the most common phrases in horror movies. Carrie, Firestarter, The Dead Zone, Salem’s Lot, Misery, Dolores Claiborne, The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption, 1408, IT, The Shining, Doctor Sleep, Christine, Stand by Me, Pet Sematary, Secret Window, Children of the Corn, Cujo, Apt Pupil, Gerald’s Game, Needful Things, Cell, Hearts in Atlantis, The Mist, Christine, Big Driver, Dreamcatcher, The Stand, The Langoliers, The Tommyknockers, and Thinner - and those are just the movies I’ve seen. King is prolific with a natural talent for writing extraordinary characters and tremendous world building. I am always in awe of what this man’s imagination can do. I dedicate this post to my friend @kamis_korner who is hosting a #chronologicallyking buddy read. Even though I’ve read some of these books recently in other #StephenKing readalongs, it’s fun to revisit them in order. 😈 Hail to the King. What is your favorite Stephen King adaptation?!! . AND WHO’S EXCITED FOR THE OUTSIDER?! 😱
Instagram post 2219479102786860204_5480751027 Happy weekend everyone! What are you reading?! I finished SALT SLOW by Julia Armfield last month and loved it so much! I am so thankful I won a copy from @hotcocoareads and @flatiron_books so I could read it with @belletrist - I’m such a #belletristbabe ! This superbly written collection of short stories is so visceral it’s been etched into my literary loving soul. There is not a weak story in the bunch and I highly recommend each one for different reasons. Armfield touches on women and their relationship with their bodies, love, childhood, and death, all in a very dark, magical, and haunting way. I am counting the minutes until Armfield’s next book. 5 brilliant stars! I couldn’t resist pairing this gorgeous book with my favorite peacock feather sleeve from @sewhappystitchhappy and my beloved yoga statue. Which reminds me...I need to start doing yoga again - I miss it so much. Visit @sewhappystitchhappy for your choice of a beautiful sleeve and be sure to use code SHEREADS for a 10% discount! 🦚🦚🦚
Instagram post 2218758734254076543_5480751027 Thank you @tlcbooktours and @harlequinbooks for my free copy! I am so excited to feature GOOD GIRLS LIE by @thrillerchick because she is the QUEEN of psychological suspense! LIE TO ME is still one of my all time favorites. Take a peek at the synopsis ☟ Perched atop a hill in the tiny town of Marchburg, Virginia, The Goode School is a prestigious prep school known as a Silent Ivy. The boarding school of choice for daughters of the rich and influential, it accepts only the best and the brightest. Its elite status, long-held traditions and honor code are ideal for preparing exceptional young women for brilliant futures at Ivy League universities and beyond. When a popular student is found dead, the truth cannot be ignored. Rumors suggest she was struggling with a secret that drove her to suicide. But look closely…because there are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened.
Instagram post 2218545433628693189_5480751027 Thank you so much @algonquinbooks for my free copy. Crissy Van Meter’s CREATURES is the @belletrist selection for January and I could not be more excited. When I saw the cover I was mesmerized and when I started reading I was captivated. And when I saw that Melissa Broder and Leni Zumas put their stamp of approval on this ravishing debut, I had no doubt I would love it. Evangeline or “Evie” grew up on an island off the coast of Southern California. Her mom left her early on and seldom returned so her father raised her. He wasn’t conventional by any means as he was an alcoholic, drug addict, and never held down a steady job. Evie struggled through a very difficult childhood and this novel reveals what she went through and how it affected her. The nonlinear timeline can be a bit tricky, but it really worked for me. The book’s sole narrator is Evie and it begins a few days before her wedding day. The narrative shifts from the present to the past, back and forth, much like the tides around the island. It’s an emotional, poignant, and provocative read that deeply explores a dysfunctional family – always an interest of mine. Just like we are all creatures of our existence, Evie is a creature of hers - a creature of her mercurial upbringing and the island in which she was raised. CREATURES is a story filled with intricacies, heartbreak, and dry humor, written in a lyrical, poetic manner with a wildly beautiful island backdrop. ★★★★★ #belletristbabe #creatures #bookreview
Instagram post 2218023119342434816_5480751027 I picked up SNOWBALL by Gregory Bastianelli because HORROR and CHRISTMAS go together like CHOCOLATE and PEANUT BUTTER. It’s a delicious combo, so I am always seeking out new books to add during the winter season. This is definitely an entertaining read! Set in New Hampshire on Christmas Eve, we follow a group of travelers that get stranded on a deserted highway during a snowstorm. A snowplow gets stuck causing an eight vehicle pileup leaving said travelers to fend for themselves. The survivors gather together waiting for the storm to pass and as they get to talking, they realize there is a connection between them, and like any survival story, bad things always happen. If I finish a book, that usually means I liked it. I love unlikeable characters, I don’t need to feel a connection to any characters, and I’m fine if I don’t get the perfect ending BUT it always has to appeal to me. This book is pretty good. My least favorite aspect is the ending because I like things to make sense. And something about the story’s pace didn’t flow for me. It wasn’t horror-y enough for me personally, but please do not let me deter you if you are intrigued by the synopsis - it’s always good to try things for yourself. ★★★ Thank you so much @smithpublicity for my free copy.
Instagram post 2216868918193065036_5480751027 Thank you so much @riverheadbooks for my free copy. I had no idea what to expect when I picked up Liz Moore’s LONG BRIGHT RIVER but once I did, I could not let it go. It’s gritty, dark, suspenseful, emotional, and unsettling. In a word, phenomenal. Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood is greatly affected by the country’s ever growing opioid epidemic and people are regularly found dead of an overdose. The neighborhood is afflicted with drug related crime so it’s an uphill battle law enforcement and it’s inhabitants for reform. Our narrator, Mickey Fitzpatrick, is a police officer who regularly patrols the streets looking for her sister, Kacey, who battles with drug addiction of her own. Every time Mickey gets a call of a dead body, she is filled with fear that it’s Kacey, especially since she hasn’t seen her sister in weeks. The two girls never had it easy losing both parents to drugs and being raised by their cold, rancorous grandmother - they just had each other. The story alternates between present day in the search for Kacey and flashbacks of the girls’ life growing up. Although the story’s mystery revolves around a serial killer targeting sex workers, the novel’s true focus are the perils of drug addiction and how it effects every member of the community, from newborn babies to grandparents. Mickey is a compelling character and I completely sympathize with her. I have someone in my life who resembles a Kacey so I know Moore did her research on this subject. I cannot get this novel out of my head. In fact, I became anxious just writing this review. Moore’s writing is atmospheric, visceral, and ominous. She writes in such a way that you feel the story and know the characters. The novel is almost 500 pages long but it reads amazingly fast. LONG BRIGHT RIVER is not only exceptionally written, it’s also an uncomfortably honest story that will break your heart. ★★★★★
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