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Home Read. Review. Repeat. Publishers Simon Books

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

Review: CHARLOTTE WALSH LIKES TO WIN by Jo Piazza

Janelle August 26, 2018 Book Reviews, Contemporary, Finished Copy, From Publisher, Political, Simon and Schuster, Simon Books, Women's Fiction Leave a Comment

Thank you so much to Simon and Schuster for providing my free copy – all opinions are my own.  Book Description:  Charlotte Walsh is running for Senate in the most important race in the country during a midterm election that …

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Pretty Book Mail: THE FAVORITE SISTER by Jessica Knoll

Janelle May 13, 2018 Advance Copy, Book Mail, From Publisher, Mystery, Simon and Schuster, Simon Books, Suspense, Thriller Leave a Comment

Thank you so much to Simon Books for sending me this gorgeous free copy! I’ve started reading this and it’s SO good!  Synopsis:  From Jessica Knoll—author of Luckiest Girl Alive, the instant New York Times bestseller and the bestselling debut novel of 2015—comes …

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PRACTICAL MAGIC & THE RULES OF MAGIC by Alice Hoffman

Janelle October 10, 2017 Book Reviews, Bookstagram, Buddy Read, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Simon and Schuster, Simon Books Leave a Comment

PRACTICAL MAGIC is the story of the Owens sisters, who are rumored to possess magical powers. Sally and Gillian, who were born 13 months apart, were orphaned and went to live with their aunts. They grew up in a house …

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Happy Pub Day to THE LIVING DEAD by George A. Rome Happy Pub Day to THE LIVING DEAD by George A. Romero and @kraus_author! I read this book about a month ago and absolutely loved it! It’s a hefty tome with lots of detail and I enjoyed every minute of it. George A. Romero passed away in 2017 before he finished the book. It’s impressive that @kraus_author was able to finish complete Romero’s work with so much success. I’m writing up a full review now which will be featured on @scifiandscary very soon #watchthisspace. Thanks again to @torbooks and @tornightfire for my copy! Do you enjoy zombie or apocalyptic stories?! I love to read and watch them 🧟‍♀️🔥 . . . See this article on @cemeterydancepub for detail: https://www.cemeterydance.com/extras/reviews/
(#sponsored) HAPPY MONDAY Y’ALL! Tomorrow is one (#sponsored) HAPPY MONDAY Y’ALL! Tomorrow is one of the biggest publication days of the year. Here is a list of the books I’m most excited for... Harrow the Ninth The Living Dead The Death of Vivek Oji True Story Luster Caste The First Time I Lie A Furious Sky Tender is the Flesh Eliot Ness and the Mad Butcher Imperfect Women The Black Kids Behind the Red Door The Eighth Detective The Hollow Ones The Space Between Worlds In Case of Emergency The Night Swim Midnight Sun Which #book or #books did you preorder?!! Also, SPECIAL THANKS TO @outofprint FOR MY NEW FAVORITE SHIRT. If you can’t tell it looks exactly like my first edition of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary which happens to be my favorite book, well next to IT of course. Scroll ⇦ for the full view! They also have The Stand, IT, and The Shining which of course I’m going to purchase. I’m wearing a size small in women’s relaxed fit which is super soft and comfortable. Highly recommended! Gold stars and #booknerd approved! P.S. please excuse the Mylar cover which I refuse to remove 🤓
Check it out folks, I’m a @pageonebooks ambassad Check it out folks, I’m a @pageonebooks ambassador! So the thoughtful people behind @pageonebooks chose @seananmcguire’s EVERY HEART A DOORWAY for my first rep package! How cool is that?! This is the first book in the #WaywardChildren series put out by @torbooks (a Janelle favorite 💁🏼‍♀️). You might be thinking...”hmm, why does she have the entire series already?” Well folks, I bought the whole series earlier this year when @torbooks sent me an ARC for the latest release. Plus @holo.reader can’t stop raving about it. I KNOW I KNOW...I already have the book but LOOK, LISTEN...I’ve never posted these books on #Bookstagram and I own a million #books so I’m not your normal customer. PLUS @pageonebooks will happily send out a replacement book - EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE, am I right?! Let’s just think about this a moment: @pageonebooks was actually spot on with their pick. This is the most recent #series I’ve purchased and out of all the books, they chose this one. That’s some wizardry right there! If you are interested in trying this @pageonebooks out, you’ll find the #linkinbio. All you need to do is fill out a questionnaire as detailed as you like and VOILÀ you are on your way to another #bookish adventure! I’d love to see how you all do with this experiment - let’s put them to the test! QOTD: I’ve eaten everything and need food inspiration - what has been your go-to meal or snack?!
#BuddyReadsToDieFor Giveaway! 💋💋💋 We hav #BuddyReadsToDieFor Giveaway! 💋💋💋 We have TWO copies of @marypaulinelowry’s THE ROXY LETTERS to give away to TWO lucky readers! This is our August buddy read and we could not be more excited to dive in! Oh and guess what?! It’s international! Oh, and one other thing. #MaryPaulineLowry is joining us at the end of the month for the discussion! Woop! Woop! To enter: 1. Like and save this post 2. Please follow @shereadswithcats @wherethereadergrows & @jessicamap 3. Tag some friends in the comments and tell us your favorite summer read thus far! 4. Be sure to enter on all 3 accounts 5. Please share in your Insta stories and be sure to tag us 💋💋💋 . Not affiliated with Instagram. Giveaway winners will be announced on August 7th. Be safe and good luck! 😘😘😘 . . . . . #internationalgiveaway #freebooks #bookclub #bookstagram #readalong #shereadswithcats #jessicamap #wherethereadergrows #buddyread #bookgiveaway #bookclubsofinstagram
“All that is gold does not glitter, Not all tho “All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost.” — J.R.R. Tolkien This shelf holds the majority of my special editions. It’s hard to see how beautiful they all are from this photo, but they give me all the warm and fuzzies. It started with collecting Stephen King, Joe Hill, Shirley Jackson and all the beautiful @foliosociety editions and just kept growing from there. BUT as soon as I discovered some of my now favorite publishers (thank you @mother.horror) it just blew up. The covers and artwork of these editions are just simply stunning. My copies of Frankenstein, Dracula, NOS4A2, Brother, The Shining, Horns, and Sleeping Beauties take my breath away. However to be honest anything from @cemeterydancepub, @darkregionspress, @suntupeditions, @pspublishinguk, @sstpublications, #ThunderstormBooks, @flametreepress @letterpresspublications, @subpress , and @idwpublishing are phenomenal. #ThisIsMyHappyPlace Do you collect anything? I also collect mugs, pins, and bookmarks like any #booknerd 😉
🐈✨ Happy #Caturday! Today’s feature is abo 🐈✨ Happy #Caturday! Today’s feature is about my #readingbuddy, best friend, and baby, ABBY. This little creature is my world and I am not ashamed to admit it. She definitely owns both Marcus and me - she’s queen 👑. We have our routines: I say “ready for beds?” and she pops up meerkat style, meows at least 3 times and runs off the couch; then I get my phone, turn out the lights, etc. but if I lollygag she returns to escort me out of the room. THEN, I wash my face and when I return she’s perked up in the spot where I sleep. I get into bed then she leaves all feline-style, but eventually returns to jump across my face (of course 😼😹) I lift the covers, she circles around, lays down, and then scoots up to my neck and falls asleep while purring super loudly #purrbox. Marcus always looks at us and says “this can’t be healthy”. - Of course he’s putty in her paws too 😻 #catobsessed Anyway, what are you reading this weekend?!! I am #currentlyreading @danielletrussoni’s THE ANCESTOR (psst...it’s so good) 🐈✨
Two BOOK REVIEWS for the price of one post. Read ‘em both and tell me which one tickles your fancy ⁉️ . THE AUCTIONEER by Joan Samson - The cool thing about this cult classic is it’s been reintroduced back into the mainstream by @valancourtbooks. Originally written in 1975, it’s now in a snazzy paperback with an introduction by one of my favorite authors, Grady Hendrix (@paperbacksfromhell). Set in Harlowe, New Hampshire in a farm community, we meet an intriguing kind of evil. Perly Dunsmore is the town’s auctioneer and recently inquired an old mansion to set up shop. The auctions are funded by the residents’ donations and are meant to benefit the community, but instead he bleeds them dry. Things really take a turn in this atmospheric, dreadful, suspenseful tale. AWAKE by @lrera - At first I was drawn to the cover and so I immediately said “hell yes” when the author offered up a copy. Plus he’s a writer in @thehorrorwritersassociation which is solid gold in my book. What we have here is a stellar collection of stories. They are all sharply written, chilling, and downright clever. There’s not a dull one in the mix and I never found myself getting distracted. Visitation Rights, The Facts in the Case of Dr. Blackwell, Awake, Clown on a Segway, The Cemetery, Reunion, Artist in Residence, and Scarecrow are my favorite stories but honestly, you can’t go wrong. I especially enjoyed Rera’s The Facts in the Case of Dr. Backwell because it always fun to read a reimagined Poe story. His stories play around with murder, obsession, paranoia, supernaturalism, and revenge. Sounds amazing, right? Perfect score! #bookreview #reviews #read #readersofinstagram #shelfie #horrorobsessed #bookstagram #bookshelf #library #currentlyreading #shereadswithcats
In the words of the lovely Lin-Manuel Miranda “G In the words of the lovely Lin-Manuel Miranda “Gmorning” or “Gnight” depending on where you are in your day. This month basically flew by and I’m trying to catch my breath! How are you all doing this week? I took a quick photo of this fancy finished copy of @riley.sager’s HOME BEFORE DARK. Courtesy of the kind people at @duttonbooks ahem, Katie. Scroll ← to see it glow ✨✨
✨ BOOK MAIL ✨ Thank you to the tagged publishe ✨ BOOK MAIL ✨ Thank you to the tagged publishers for the #gifted copies. Which book should I read next?! Full disclosure, I’ve read THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS (review, 5⭐️). Also, I just finished AWAKE and BAD PEOPLE - watch this space for reviews! Not gonna lie... I screamed when @torbooks sent me @veschwab’s THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE (most anticipated book). Also, I love love love Lisa Jewell so obviously I need to read INVISIBLE GIRL very soon. But really though, which book should I read next?! Also, thank you to @jen4444 for sending me a copy of SURVIVAL INSTINCTS (I’ve heard it’s a page-turner). And from what I understand there are some necessary revisions to be made for future copies of the book. See @thereadingchemist’s review for details ✨
This is the third and final drunk #selfie as you c This is the third and final drunk #selfie as you can tell from the dress I’m wearing. Let’s just say it was a fun day LMAO. ✨ SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT ✨ The lovely and gracious @emilyliebert has agreed to do an interview with me regarding her new book PERFECTLY FAMOUS. She recorded her answers to make it fun for y’all so tune in this week when it drops right here! PERFECTLY FAMOUS is a page-turner with a controversial ending! Oh did I mention it’s a book where the main character is a writer?! Who doesn’t love that?! #watchthisspace Now onto my favorite question to ask #Bookstagram - what are YOU reading this week?! ✨✨
THE HOUSE THAT FELL FROM THE SKY by @patrickrdelan THE HOUSE THAT FELL FROM THE SKY by @patrickrdelaney is another party with the @night_worms crew #NightWormsBookParty Isn’t this cover so cool?! It comes out September 1st! Check out my review on Goodreads #linkinbio - 👀 at the synopsis is in the comments. How was your weekend?! Do anything relaxing? Thank you to the author and @gowsy33 for this #gifted copy 🔥🔥
‼️ GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED ‼️ EDITED: THIS GIVE ‼️ GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED ‼️ EDITED: THIS GIVEAWAY IS FOR A BOOK OF YOUR CHOICE! 🙀 . GIVEAWAY (@canterburyclassics #sponsored) Who’s ready for a giveaway?! I teamed up with CANTERBURY CLASSICS to give away one of their gorgeous books! Isn’t that just a #bookstagram dream?! All you have to do is follow the entry rules below and you are entered 🎉 . Rules of entry: 1. Like and save this post 2. Please follow @shereadswithcats & @canterburyclassics 3. Tell me your favorite classic novel 4. Tag your friends and also be sure to share in your stories for 24 hours (be sure to tag me). BROWSE CANTERBURY CLASSICS BOOKS - #linkinbio International giveaway. Not affiliated with Instagram. Winner will be announced July 31st. Good luck 🎉 . . . . #bookcommunity #canterburyclassics #canterburyclassicsambassador #booksbooksbooks #freebooks #bookaddict #bookaholic #shereadswithcats
HAPPY FRIDAY LOVELIES... Today I want to show my HAPPY FRIDAY LOVELIES... Today I want to show my love and support for our bookish friend @thegreeneyedreader with a pink stack #FightPinkWithPerry 🎀 . Jess has stage 3 breast cancer and her dear friends @literaturewithlylan & @compulsivereadersblog put this challenge together - feel free to participate! Also, be sure to follow Jess’ Insta page to follow along on her brave journey 🎀 . Can you guess which book in this stack I’ve read multiple times? Special thanks to @avidreaderpress for this gorgeous copy of Tana Wojczuk’s LADY ROMEO - I cannot wait to read it! 🎀
I am a steadfast fan of @alicewriterland’s thril I am a steadfast fan of @alicewriterland’s thrillers. I’ve read them all! I can always depend on her books to have a captivating psychological component, exciting twists, and intriguing characters. She also has a way of sneaking in clever details and astute observations of the human condition. It’s always a wildly fantastic ride. The story of HIS & HERS is told through three alternating narratives: HIS, HERS, and our killer. The HERS chapters are those of Anna Andrews, a BBC reporter who finally has her dream job as a news anchor. In her hometown of Blackdown, her childhood friend is brutally murdered, and she has been asked to cover it. There are old friends she doesn’t want to run into, so the last thing Anna wants to do is go back to Blackdown. Does she go anyway?...of course. The HIS chapters are those of DCI Jack Harper, head of the major crimes unit, and investigating the case. For his own reasons, Jack fled London to start anew and work in this small countryside town, but he can’t escape the fact that he knows the victim. Or that Anna is his ex-wife. ADDICTIVE is the word of the day. Feeney is the master of psychological suspense, chilling characters, and creative plot twists. I loved every minute of it. Both Anna and Jack have interesting backstories, and like with any small town, everyone is too close to everyone else. The dueling viewpoints had me on the edge of my seat, desperately trying to figure out this obscure, puzzling battle of who’s lying. HIS & HERS is nothing short of compulsive brain candy. Once again, Feeney delivers her signature style of short chapters, sharp pacing, and outright craziness that I’ve come to enjoy. Side note: I read my physical copy provided by @flatiron_books about three months ago, and then recently, when @librofm provided me with the audiobook, I gave it a listen. Both formats are excellent! I breezed right through my copy, and then when I listened to the audiobook, I was obsessed. Stephanie Racine and Richard Armitage are fantastic. And kudos for the use of the voice changer for the killer’s voice. Have you read any of Feeney’s books?! #BookReview #Audiobook #LibroFM
Here’s a pretty stack of books I am writing revi Here’s a pretty stack of books I am writing reviews for. I like to take my photo first and then it nudges me to write the review. Who else puts way too much pressure on themselves to write a decent review? I read them over a million times before I post. Thank you @john.fram for getting this gorgeous hardcover of your book, THE BRIGHT LANDS, into my eager hands. Not sure if you’ve been paying attention but I am obsessed. Have you read it?!
Hello folks 👋🏻 I haven’t been around for a Hello folks 👋🏻 I haven’t been around for a few days because we’ve been looking for a house. Our landlord suddenly put the house we live in up for sale so we had to get on it lickety-split. Such a strange thing happened—we saw the perfect house for us on the market in the right place at the right time. So of course we are not going to get it 🤪 BUT GUESS WHAT? We got it *knocks on wood*. After 21 years together, Marcus and I bought our first house. It’s overwhelming but in the best way. It makes the last ten years of crap totally worth it LOL. My sweet talented friend Dennis @scaredstraightreads has a cool stack challenge going on with Isabel over at @thecrimebookshelf #NotScaredOfCrimeFiction - CRIME FICTION Y’ALL. Like what’s better than that?! So I went overboard 🤷🏼‍♀️ Ever since I read the Millennium Series (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) years back I’ve been obsessed with finding more just like it! Of course following @crimebythebook solved that problem LMAO. See any books you love?
Happy (belated) #Caturday from Abby. The stack of Happy (belated) #Caturday from Abby. The stack of books behind my precious Abby are some of the books I’m reading and some I’m writing reviews for. Scroll ⇦ to see which book I’m #currentlyreading. I can’t thank you all enough for your kindness and words of encouragement regarding my post yesterday. I am overwhelmed at how amazing this #bookcommunity is. You all are truly the best. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU. SO...tell me what you are reading this week?! Thank you to all the amazing tagged publishers for gifted copies 😺😻
Happy Saturday! Welp, this year has been a doozy. Happy Saturday! Welp, this year has been a doozy. This photo was taken last summer when my overall health was monumentally better. The pandemic among other things have aged me about five years 😂 . Sharing is caring, right? 😉 Summer is usually the time when I feel the best. But not having a break from all the stress is taking a toll. To be clear, Bookstagram is not a stress for me—it’s my place and you are my people. My situation is mind over matter so when I have nothing to look forward to things get dire. Basically, it’s been exactly ten years since I got sick and my life changed forever. Your 30s and 40s are supposed to be the best years of your life, but sometimes I feel like they were stolen from me. I can’t start a family and for health reasons I had to start over with a less stressful career. Also, you find out who your friends are. These are the cards I was dealt and I have no choice but to accept it. BUT LOOK...I could be sad that Marcus and I had a bout of Covid or that our landlord of 6 six years is suddenly selling our house. I could be sad, but instead I look at it as another adventure. Something to look forward to. Thank you for listening. And please send us all the good vibes, rainbows, and unicorns because we are trying to quickly buy a house. Our dream home. How is your day going? Sending you a hug if you need it ❌⭕️
Do you read true crime like me? The first true cr Do you read true crime like me? The first true crime book I ever read was SMALL SACRIFICES by Ann Rule. I could not put that book down and I quickly learned Ann Rule is Queen! My mom read it first and was glued to the pages. Like mother like daughter I guess. I was so jazzed when I found a first edition hardcover copy of the classic, ZODIAC by Robert Graysmith. Have you read this? Are you as obsessed with Mark Ruffalo as I am? Also, both Robert Downey Jr. and Jake Gyllenhaal are awesome. RDJr says the best line in the movie - if you can guess it we can be best friends. Why do I have 2 copies of Michelle McNamara’s I’LL BE GONE IN THE DARK you ask? I brought my preordered copy to the book signing with @pattonoswalt, @billyjensen, and @thepaulofhaynes but quickly realized I had to purchase a copy there to get it signed. One is signed by Mr. Oswalt and the other is signed by a couple of people from the victims’ families. Did you know that I lived 8.6 miles from the Golden State Killer this entire time? It’s surreal, and not in a good way. My parents used to barricade the doors at night in the late 70s and lived near one of the victims when I was born. Crazy, right?! Is anyone watching the documentary series on HBO? It’s really good! What’s your (for lack of a better word) favorite true crime case?!
How is your day going? Doesn’t Abby look so peac How is your day going? Doesn’t Abby look so peaceful? #BookReview DUST is the third installment of the splatter western series published by Death’s Head Press. The first two are MAGPIE COFFIN by Wile E. Young and HUNGER ON THE CHISHOLM TRAIL by Mike Ennenbach. While MAGPIE COFFIN remains my favorite, I have really enjoyed reading all of these bizarre little western tales. The cover of Chris Miller’s DUST is by far the most eye catching. The story itself is a gory, bloody, action-packed mashup of cosmic horror, western, and science fiction. We have everything from a Clint Eastwood-esque gunslinger, to the famous old west setting, to gods, monsters, gunfights, and to plenty of bloodshed. As always, I go in blind so it was a nice surprise that science fiction had a role in the story. Dust is a small Texas town with an evil entity just waiting to be unleashed. The protagonist, James Dee, is a god killer and is equipped with inexplicable abilities to help him kill these gods. He rescues a former slave named Denarius who he forms a relationship with and off it goes. Any good hero needs a villain so we are introduced to Gear Dreary who stops at nothing to interfere with Dee’s pursuit. The story is entertaining enough, but I had some problems with execution. I think Miller writes some great scenes and descriptions but some of the dialogue falls short and the pacing is off. Denarius ends up being the character that shines the most which I think helps the story. Although I enjoyed the nods to Stephen King, Lovecraft, and the other two books, there was one bit that was meant to be a “did you catch that meaning” moment but was too subtle to have any dramatic effect. Thanks to the publisher for my copy. As always thank you to the @night_worms for the book party. #nightwormsbookparty #promotehorror #horrorbooks
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