A huggable book, a Netflix binge, and beach reads to look forward to
Plus links I love, a must watch show & more
Hello! First, I’d like to welcome the many new subscribers who’ve joined me here on Substack this week! Thank you so much for deciding that this newsletter was worth an arrival in your inbox each week:) Speaking of my newsletter, I’ve been inspired lately to make some changes - both visual and content wise- and I spent an inordinate amount of time finding an image I liked for this weekend update post. As you can see, I settled on something super simple because ultimately my hope is that you’ll read my newsletters while enjoying a great cup of coffee (or with today’s late post maybe it’s tea or wine:). How was your week? Mine was bittersweet as my last episode of my podcast, Book Talk, Etc aired on Tuesday. I’ve co-hosted the podcast for the past three years with my friend Tina (Tbretc) and have had so much fun chatting weekly about the books we read, what we loved, and more. The podcast will continue and I’ll be an avid listener, but my weekly book chat will now be here on Substack:) I’m also still posting on Instagram but that will continue to be sporadically.
As I mentioned above, I’ve been busy behind the scenes deciding what content I’d like to continue, change, and/or add to my newsletters. I love creating a variety of content, so that is what I will be bringing you weekly. Stay tuned this week for more details on what’s to come. I’m super excited about what I have in store for my newsletter content and hope you will be too.
This weekend has been a relaxing one. We’ve spent the weekend at the lake enjoying warm weather (finally!), taking a few long walks, and playing euchre. I love playing cards! Actually, I love playing games in general- and I tend to be a bit competitive:) The only game I truly don’t like is Monopoly, otherwise sign me up for a rousing Bingo game, corn hole, 500 Rummy, Sorry….I could go on.
A Few Recent Reads
Find You First by Linwood Barclay - This was such a fun, smart thriller about a tech millionaire who receives a devastating diagnosis and decides to track down all nine of his never met kids to give them an inheritance. The reason he has to find them- he was a sperm donor in his younger years and doesn’t know who they are. When, one by one, each of the kids (now adults) begins vanishing, it becomes apparent someone else has a different agenda. If you like fast paced thrillers that keep you guessing, just trust me and add this one to your tbr asap. Excellent on audio 🎧
The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: Their Stories Are Better Than the Bestsellers by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann - This is the ultimate huggable book- since I did a combination audio and kindle read I had to hug my kindle but I gladly did that. Admittedly I don’t read that many “delightful” books but this one was a joy to read start to finish. There are at least 10 narrators in the audio and they brought the voices of the booksellers and librarians to life. They shared their histories as far as their love of books and what led them to owning a bookstore or working in a library. There were bookstore descriptions, books recommended (your tbr will thank you), heartwarming stories of the power of books and reading, and infuriating stories about book banning. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book and felt “these are my people” the entire time I was reading. I predict every book lover will enjoy this and it would also make a great gift!
The Silence by Mary McGarry Morris - The premise of this new release literary mystery/police procedural grabbed me. It’s about the ramifications of a childhood event - the moment eight-year-old Ruth Corrigan ran away from playing in the woods with her best friend, and then the moment after, when Ceely was gone. Murdered. Ruth thinks she knows who killed Ceely but the particular man is above reproach. Now Ruth is a cop whose life has been a slow downward spiral since that day. When Ceely’s killer returns to town, Ruth decides it’s up to her to prove him guilty once and for all. This should’ve been right up my alley, and while I liked many parts of it and was compelled to find out how it all unfolded and what would happen, I had issues. I’m over the alcoholic, pill popping detectives- I really wish authors would move on from this. I liked Ruth, but she was a hot mess and many of her actions required me to suspend too much disbelief. I came for the mystery and stayed for the mystery, but overall this was an average read for me.
What I’m Reading Now…
Middle of the Night by Riley Sager - out June 18 - I’ll preface this by saying I’ve read almost all of Sager’s books and after The House Across the Lake I swore I’d never read him again- I very much disliked that book. But this one has a missing kid premise and I can rarely pass up a missing person story of any kind. In this story, it is a July night in 1994 when ten-year-old Ethan and his best friend and neighbor, Billy, fall asleep in a tent set up on a manicured lawn in a quiet, quaint New Jersey cul-de-sac. In the morning, Ethan wakes up alone. During the night, someone had sliced the tent open with a knife and taken Billy. He was never seen again. I’m over half way and while I was initially on board and intrigued, I’m starting to lose patience and interest, especially with the alternating timeline structure. I’ll share my full thoughts and review this week in my April Reflections wrap up post for paid subscribers….if you’re interested hearing about all 11 of my April reads (with star ratings), plus the book I did not finish, consider upgrading to a paid subscription!
Links & Loves This Week…
We had the best time binging the Netflix show Buying Beverly Hills - best described as real estate eye candy with a whole lot of family and interpersonal drama. I’m so bummed we caught up and hope we’ll be getting a season 3
I’m a pen and paper girl, so I love planners and post its. Did I need another weekly or monthly planner- not at all- but I couldn’t resist this blank monthly planner and this blank daily planner at Barnes & Noble this week. The selling point is the blankness, I can make them my own and if I miss a day or month, it’s not wasted. Plus, the colors are so soothing and they are so slim I can toss in any bag
Here’s Everything Coming to Netflix in May
10 Interview techniques from the world’s best interviewers
The problem with giant book preview lists
The type of breakfast pastry you are, based on your zodiac sign
Predicting the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
Mysteries and thrillers with the best twists of all time
Find You First and The Secret Lives of Booksellers both sound so good, Renee! AUGH! I need fewer books to read, not more - ha! I love playing corn hole - my husband and I can often be found trying to beat one another in the front yard on spring and summer evenings after work. ;)
Great post as always! Find You First sounds fun, btw I'm also over alcoholic detectives, ugh hahaha I didn't like The house across the lake that much but the next one I loved! I'm excited for this year's novel hehe
I'm also a fan of games :D Especially board games!