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Book Review: Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo
When I heard that author Elizabeth Maria Naranjo had begun writing a YA cozy mysteries, with Murder by Milkshake being the first in her series, I was so excited. As a teen, I was a huge fan of the Trixie Belden mystery series, as well as Francine Pascal’s Sweet Valley High books featuring the lives of twins Liz and Jessica Wakefield and their group of friends. In high school, I also delved into more adult mysteries with author Mary Higgins Clark. Naranjo gave an interview with WOW! Women on Writing when she launched her blog tour this week explaining how she got the idea to create a unique blend of genres she hadn’t…
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Book Review: The Merchant of Venus
Today I’m participating in a fun blog tour for WOW! Women on Writing by sharing my review of the book The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton by Nancy Thornton Navarro and Adriana Thornton-Cornejo with Philip Mershon. Imagine losing a parent and discovering he had a secret life you’d never known about. You and your siblings embark on a quest to uncover what it all meant, becoming enmeshed in a series of images and anecdotes found in newspapers, magazines, books, and documents. Ultimately, you realize your parent was not just famous, but VERY famous! Walter Thornton was famous during a time when it was easy to be forgotten (1920s to the…
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Book Review: Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand
I discovered author Elin Hilderbrand on a beach trip with the book Barefoot, so it was fitting that I completed her final Nantucket-based novel, Swan Song, on the beach as well. I’ve never been to Nantucket, as I mostly visit beaches in the Carolinas and Florida, but you can bet it’s on my bucket list of places to visit, thanks to Elin’s ability to set the reader right in the middle of the island, along with her gorgeous descriptions of food. She’s written 27 novels all set on Nantucket, and her final one did not disappoint, although I may have a love-hate relationship with the ending (don’t worry, no spoilers!) Here’s the synopsis:…
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Book Review: Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda
If you’re looking for a suspense/thriller with a foreboding setting, I recommend Megan Miranda’s new novel, Daughter of Mine. Megan Miranda is the New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls; The Perfect Stranger; The Last House Guest, a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick; The Girl from Widow Hills; Such a Quiet Place; The Last to Vanish; and The Only Survivors. She has also written several books for young adults. She grew up in New Jersey, graduated from MIT, and lives in North Carolina with her husband and two children. Here’s a synopsis of the book: When Mirror Lake’s longtime detective dies suddenly, his daughter Hazel Sharp is wary of returning to the town (and people) she left behind almost…
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Book Review of Broken Faith: Inside the Word of Faith Fellowship, One of America’s Most Dangerous Cults
Several years ago, I watched an episode of the series “People Magazine Investigates: Cults” about a church in Spindale, North Carolina called “Word of Faith.” I was astonished at what I learned, and could see why the church is being considered called a cult by former members and other people who learn about it. The church was founded in 1979 by Sam and Jane Whaley. While Sam had formal training as a minister, Jane, who went to college to study education and eventually worked as a high school math teacher, did not. It didn’t take long before Jane declared herself a prophet and took over as the leader of the Word of Faith.…
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Review of “Blood on Their Hands: Murder, Corruption, and the Fall of the Murdaugh Dynasty”
“Blood on Their Hands” is a memoir that journalist and podcaster Mandy Matney wrote after four years of reporting on Alex Murdaugh, his family, and their numerous related crimes. It details how she first became aware of the Murdaughs after Mallory Beach went missing as a result of the boat crash on Archers Creek, the mysterious death of Stephen Smith that many people felt was connected to the Murdaughs, the death of the Murdaughs’ housekeeper, and finally, the deaths of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh. With dogged reporting, Mandy Matney and a few other diligent South Carolina reporters would realize how everything led to the fact that Alex Murdaugh had been abusing narcotics and…
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Book Review: Secrets Laid to Rest by Catherine C. Hall
Book Summary Fall is in the air, the scent of autumn leaves and apple pies, and now a brand new business is opening its doors in small-town Sutter, Georgia. But not just any business. It’s the Golden Girls meet the Ghostbusters when four women find themselves in an unlikely career: Southeastern Paranormal Investigations. Ree Lane, a stylish widow, is more cynic than true believer, while her childhood chum Elle Harper has a knack for getting sensitive info with the help of her homemade pies. The preacher’s wife, Betsy Jones, can’t be seen with SPI unless she’s in her disguise as Nora, a psychic-in-training with a gift for Tarot. And the recently-returned-home Gillian Buchanan…
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Book Review: As Far as You Can Go Before You Have to Come Back by Alle C. Hall
Nominated for The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Book Award, Alle C. Hall’s debut literary novel, As Far as You Can Go Before You Have to Come Back is a-girl-and-her-backpack story with a #MeToo influence: Carlie is not merely traveling. A child sexual abuse survivor, as a teen she steals ten thousand dollars from her parents and runs away to Asia. There, the Lonely Planet path of hookups, heat, alcohol, and drugs takes on a terrifying reality. Landing in Tokyo in the late 1980s, Carlie falls in with an international crew of tai chi-practicing backpackers. With their help, Carlie has the chance at a journey she didn’t plan for: one to find the self-respect ripped from her…
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Season 2 of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” Vs. the Book
This post contains spoilers for both the second season of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” and the books the show is based on. Having recently binged both seasons of the Amazon Prime series “The Summer I Turned Pretty” and the books that inspired it, I wanted to share my thoughts on how the second season was different from book, “It’s Not Summer Without You.” While the first season of the show ended with Conrad declaring his feelings for Belly and kissing her on the beach, the second season begins with Belly admitting Susannah has died and she and Conrad are no longer together. While “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is only told from…
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Season 1 of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” Vs. the Book
This post contains spoilers for both the second season of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” and the books the show is based on. I’ll admit it. I got sucked into watching “The Summer I Turned Pretty” on Amazon Prime when I saw multiple online discussions about it. I kept seeing references to the love triangle between Isabel “Belly” Conklin and brothers Jeremiah and Conrad Fisher reminding people of the ones on “The Vampire Diaries” and “Twilight” so of course I was intrigued. Fortunately for me, by the time I watched it, Season 2 had already been released so I could binge to my heart’s content. But wait! The series was based on a…
