Wednesday, July 29, 2015

The Road Home by Kathleen Shoop


Hope rises. Those are beautiful words spoken to describe the passage two characters embark upon in this second in a series by author Kathleen Shoop. Although not not what you would expect from the   summer reading challenge (it is a chunker), readers who enjoy traveling back in time will want to pack this in their beach tote. Also, if you are a stickler for reading books in a series in order, you may want to pick up the first book to familiarize yourself with the characters, but it is truly a stand-alone book. Check out the synopsis for a glimpse of The Road Home.

Synopsis

The Long-Awaited Sequel to Award-Winning, Bestselling Author Kathleen Shoop’s The Last Letter… 1891—Living separately for three years, fourteen-year-old twins, Katherine and Tommy Arthur, have done their best to make each boarding house feel like home. But unrest grows as they are driven to questionable actions just to survive. Meanwhile their desperate mother is confronted with breaking yet another promise to her children. Then a miracle descends. Hope rises on a cold, rainy night and changes everything. If Jeanie could just get word to Katherine and Tommy, she knows she can set their lives right again. Agitators, angels, and dangerous “saviors” illuminate the Arthurs’ unmatched determination and smarts. 1905—Though she tries to forget the awful years that hurt so much, the memories still haunt Katherine. Now, tearful mourners at her mother’s funeral force her to revisit a time in her life that both harmed and saved her in the most unexpected ways. Tommy grieves his mother’s passing as well. He too is thrust backward, compelled to rediscover the events in his life that shaped the man he has become. Will he commit to reconstructing his broken life? The Arthurs come to understand that forgiveness is the only way back to hope, the only way to find all that was good in the misfortune that transformed their lives forever.

Hope you enjoy your reading escapades!

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Saturday Kid Reads featuring Baby Lit by Jennifer Adams

Like Saturday morning cartoons, but much better because it involves books! Yes! This week I want to share with you some adorable board books, written by Jennifer Adams. These board books are from the BabyLit Book series, and they are sure to delight the adult, as well as the young reader.  I have three books to share with you, and I know you'll want to share these with your adorable little ones!

Don Quixote 
A Spanish Language Primer

There was a man (el hombre) named Don Quixote. He was the man of La Mancha. He would say "Yo soy el hombre de La Mancha." He carried his armor (la armadura) and had a horse (el caballo). Horses neigh (relincho) and the lady (la dama) was a very important part of the story as well. This adorable take on classic literature will have your babies learning espanol and the premise for Don Quixote! This is one of the books (los libros) that you will want to leave on the shelf to read to your baby every night!

The Secret Garden 
A Flowers Primer

This flower primer illustrated the flowers that were part of the original children's novel The Secret Garden. In this BabyLit version, an illustration of the flower is combined with a quote from the book. If you are unfamiliar with the original book which was published entirely in 1911, there is a secret, untended garden that holds beauty, and tranquility from a life that can often be troubling.  The children learn to appreciate nature and their kinship through this mysterious garden. A classic children's book.

Doodle Lit
Drawing on the Classics

Break out the colored pencils, markers and crayons for the classic lit version of a coloring book! In this book you will find Kids can follow the entertaining prompts provided and put pencils to work doodling such things as:
• Mr. Darcy’s dog (kids doodle what they think his dog looks like)
• Bob Cratchit’s Christmas tree
• Tattoos on Queequeg’s arms
• Anna Karenina’s hairdo
• Dress designs for Elinor and Marianne
Sprinkled throughout are also designs with perforated edges, perfect for popping out and crafting! Illustrated in the same colorful and playful style as the acclaimed BabyLit board book series.
This one is my personal favorite! 

Don't forget to visit my Instagram (@lilmommareader) for your chance to win a copy of this set of three books! 
Happy Reading!

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Beautiful Girl by Fleur Phillips

For fans of Young Adult novels, this book, Beautiful Girl is one that you will quickly devour. The book is short and sweet, and the novel moves quickly through the story of Melanie, and her journey to recover from her life-altering accident, and the focus on external beauty in the world. The premise of this story resonated with me not only because I live near Los Angeles, and understand the culture of vanity that permeates everything people do and have done, but also because I have suffered feelings of inadequacy myself. Melanie was a character with whom I could identify. Read more about the novel in the synopsis.
Beautiful Girl by Fleur Phillips
Synopsis
Seventeen-year-old Melanie Kennicut is beautiful. Her entire life revolves around this beauty because her overly controlling mother has been dragging her to casting calls and auditions since she was four years old. According to Joanne Kennicut, Melanie was born to follow in her footsteps. But Melanie never wanted this life. When a freak car accident leaves her with facial lacerations that will require plastic surgery, she can't help but wonder if this is the answer to her prayers. For the first time in her life, she has a chance to live like a normal teenager‹at least for a little while‹away from the photo shoots and movie sets that have dominated her entire existence. But after Melanie allows her best friend to come to the house to see her, Joanne decides to hide her daughter in Montana for the remainder of the summer. There, Melanie won't be seen by anyone they know, and her face will heal in time for the scheduled surgery in late August. Joanne’s plan backfires, however, when Melanie meets Sam, a Native American boy hired by the home's owner to tend to the property. Sam is nothing like the Hollywood boys Melanie knows‹he¹s poor, his father's a drunk who possesses a bizarre gift inherited from a Kootenai Shaman, and his only brother disappeared into the mountains after the death of their mother eight years before. What transpires over a mere 36 hours after Sam and Melanie meet changes both of their lives in ways they never thought possible.

Truly a quick read! You will finish in a single day.
Happy Reading!

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Reid

The girl crush continues. I cannot dole out enough compliments to this writer for the amazing work she publishes every year! Once again, she has written a book that leaves the reader breathing a sigh of relief. From the author of Forever, Interrupted and After I Do comes a People's Magazine, Glamour, and US Weekly (I could go on-there are more!) pick about making choices that change the circumstances of your life. Is anything ever really meant to be? Is it possible that the choices you make, every second and every day lead to a new path? The path that you are meant to walk. This book will make you think about the decisions you make, and where those choices lead you or leave you.
Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Reid
Synopsis
Taylor's new novel is about a young woman whose fate hinges on the choice she makes after bumping into an old flame; in alternating chapters, we see two possible scenarios unfold—with stunningly different results.

At the age of twenty-nine, Hannah Martin still has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She has lived in six different cities and held countless meaningless jobs since graduating college. On the heels of leaving yet another city, Hannah moves back to her hometown of Los Angeles and takes up residence in her best friend Gabby’s guestroom. Shortly after getting back to town, Hannah goes out to a bar one night with Gabby and meets up with her high school boyfriend, Ethan.

Just after midnight, Gabby asks Hannah if she’s ready to go. A moment later, Ethan offers to give her a ride later if she wants to stay. Hannah hesitates. What happens if she leaves with Gabby? What happens if she leaves with Ethan?

In concurrent storylines, Hannah lives out the effects of each decision. Quickly, these parallel universes develop into radically different stories with large-scale consequences for Hannah, as well as the people around her. As the two alternate realities run their course, Maybe in Another Life raises questions about fate and true love: Is anything meant to be? How much in our life is determined by chance? And perhaps, most compellingly: Is there such a thing as a soul mate?

Hannah believes there is. And, in both worlds, she believes she’s found him.
Sounds amazing, right? Yes! Grab your copy today!


If you have never read a book by Taylor Reid, you have struck author gold! She is an incredible author. Her books are like a long-awaited steak for the reluctant vegetarian.

For more about Taylor visit her websiteTwitter @ tjenkinsreid, or Facebook

Happy Reading!

Friday, July 17, 2015

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

This book. I did not receive an early copy of this book, and was on the fence about reading it for a very long time. This book was a sleeper. Quiet for a while, and then all at once like an angry toddler waking from a nap. Loud, everywhere, and wildly selling. So, I headed to the library to check the book out. I knew it was popular, so I knew it would have a hold on it. Mind you, this was February, and not long after its release. I was #239 on the hold list. Wait a second...let that sink in. #2-3-9. yes, that is a whole THREE DIGITS. What in the world? two weeks ago, it actually became available for check out. In the entire Los Angeles County, it has taken months for me to receive a copy of this book for check out. For those of you wondering why the heck I didn't just borrow it from a friend, the answer is that it was a little of a contest to me to see when I would actually get a copy.

Now, to the nitty-gritty. After all that wait, did I actually like the book? Was the long wait worth it. The answer is a resounding YES! This was absolutely 5 stars for me. By the end, I could not wait to know what was to come of Rachel, Anna, Megan, Tom and Scott. I am not on the fence about this book, I really liked it. For those of you who hated Rachel and thought she was awful and unlikeable, you have added a feather in the cap of Ms. Hawkins writing hat. To be able to write a character that people hate is truly a gift. If you become so involved in the story that you loathe a character, then the writer has done their job really well.

I think you should read it! See for yourself. That is a challenge.

Synopsis
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

Compulsively readable, The Girl on the Train is an emotionally immersive, Hitchcockian thriller and an electrifying debut.


Happy Reading!

Thursday, July 16, 2015

The Medea Complex

The Medea Complex by Rachel Florence Roberts

The Medea Complex-derived from Greek definition meaning "a murderous hatred by a mother for her child(ren), driven by the desire for revenge on her husband; it is a reference to Medea of Greek mythology, who kills her children." That alone would entice the reader to delve in to this novel, but then you read the synopsis and you are further driven to read this book. Inspired by true events that occurred during the Victorian era, and peppered with experiences a new mother has in the days following birth, Rachel Florence Roberts writes a thriller unlike any other. What possesses us, and what is the line between madness and sanity, and evil and illness? 

Synopsis
1885. Anne Stanbury wakes up in a strange bed, having been kidnapped from her home. As the panic settles in, she realizes she has been committed to a lunatic asylum, deemed insane and therefore unfit to stand trial for an unspeakable crime. But all is not as it seems….

Edgar Stanbury, her husband as well as a grieving father, is torn between helping his confined wife recover her sanity and seeking revenge for his ruined life. But Anne’s future rests wholly in the hands of Dr. George Savage, chief medical officer of Bethlem Royal Hospital.

The Medea Complex is the darkly compelling story of a lunatic, a lie, and a shocking revelation that elucidates the difference between madness and evil….


With the historical tie and the thriller behind the story, readers will be unable to remain on one side in this new novel. Being a mother myself, and remembering the period post-baby, I truly became engrossed and could not wait to approach the resolution. I have a copy of The Medea Complex to give away as well. Please visit my Instagram (@lilmommareader) to be entered for a chance to win! Good luck. 

Happy reading!

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Wednesday #wanttoread List-Jenny Milchman Double Take!

This week is brought to you by books I want you to read...
I know what you are thinking...that I am the girl who reads fluff. I am the one who recommends books in the "Women's Fiction" genre. I rarely read Literary Fiction only because the depth of concentration it requires is usually not within my grasp. I recently turned over a new genre leaf after reading The Stranger by Harlan Coben, and now I am hooked! What took me so long to read this genre? I've missed out on a lot of reading opportunities, but that will not happen again! I also am writing today to get you started on two great mysteries, both from the same author-Jenny Milchman.

Audio
Cover of Snow

When a story starts out with a suicide, and then the pieces of the puzzle slowly add up together, you know you have the makings of a great audio book. The police corruption, and the suspicion of all the characters make this audio book a great companion for your commute, workout or chore list! 

Synopsis
Waking up one wintry morning in her old farmhouse nestled in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, Nora Hamilton instantly knows that something is wrong. When her fog of sleep clears, she finds her world is suddenly, irretrievably shattered: Her husband, Brendan, has committed suicide.

The first few hours following Nora’s devastating discovery pass for her in a blur of numbness and disbelief. Then, a disturbing awareness slowly settles in: Brendan left no note and gave no indication that he was contemplating taking his own life. Why would a rock-solid police officer with unwavering affection for his wife, job, and quaint hometown suddenly choose to end it all? Having spent a lifetime avoiding hard truths, Nora must now start facing them.

Unraveling her late husband’s final days, Nora searches for an explanation—but finds a bewildering resistance from Brendan’s best friend and partner, his fellow police officers, and his brittle mother. It quickly becomes clear to Nora that she is asking questions no one wants to answer. For beneath the soft cover of snow lies a powerful conspiracy that will stop at nothing to keep its presence unknown . . . and its darkest secrets hidden.

To Read
As Night Falls

Oh, goodness, this is a woman's worst nightmare! Alone and isolated with a pair of murderers on the loose? The suspense will have you wondering what will happen next, and glancing sideways in to the blinds. It was quite a book. Truly a page-turner and a great segue in to this genre for a new mystery/thriller reader! 

Synopsis
Sandy Tremont has always tried to give her family everything. But, as the sky darkens over the Adirondacks and a heavy snowfall looms, an escaped murderer with the power to take it all away draws close.

In her isolated home in the shadowy woods, Sandy prepares dinner after a fight with her daughter, Ivy. Upstairs, the fifteen-year-old—smart, brave, and with every reason to be angry tonight—keeps her distance from her mother. Sandy’s husband, Ben, a wilderness guide, arrives late to find a home simmering with unease.

Nearby, two desperate men on the run make their way through the fading light, bloodstained and determined to leave no loose ends or witnesses. After almost twenty years as prison cellmates, they have become a deadly team: Harlan the muscle, Nick the mind and will. As they approach a secluded house and look through its windows to see a cozy domestic scene, Nick knows that here he will find what he’s looking for . . . before he disappears forever.

Opening the door to the Tremont home, Nick brings not only a legacy of terror but a secret that threatens to drag Sandy with him into the darkness.
  

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

It's You by Jane Porter


It's You by Jane Porter

Aside from the beautiful cover art on this book, readers will be enthralled with Jane's newest book, It's You. The story is set from alternating points of view, and centers around a historical period of time-World War 2. The numerous letters and tales from the front lines that were written during this time period provided the basis for the story, and the connection between Dr. Alison McAdams and Edie. I only hope to find someone like Edie in my life. This book may be a little departure from Jane's other novels, but a good writer can transport you through time and space, and Jane has done just that. This book flashes back to World War 2, a time surrounded by sadness and unthinkable events. When Edie shares her life with Alison, she is helping her attempt to piece her life back together with the help of her new community. The story offers readers a trip to two places this summer, and one that you should not miss!

Synopsis
A heartwarming story about finding love and strength, even in the darkest moments…
In the wake of a tragedy that tore her life down to the foundations, Dr. Alison McAdams has lost her way. So when she’s summoned to Napa to care for her ailing father, she’s not sure she has anything to offer him—or anyone else.
What Ali finds in Northern California wine country is a gift—an opportunity to rest, and distance from her painful memories. Most unexpectedly, she finds people who aren’t afraid of her grief or desperate for her to hurry up and move on.
As Ali becomes part of her father’s community, makes new friends of her own, and hears the stories of a generation who survived the Second World War, she begins to find hope again. In a quest to discover the truth about another woman’s lost love, she sets off on a journey across oceans and deep into history. And in making sense of that long-ago tragedy, Ali is able to put together the broken pieces of her heart and make new choices that are right for her.


Happy Reading!

Monday, July 13, 2015

Monday Run-Down

I had such a wonderful, eventful week! I had the opportunity to meet Taylor Reid, who is one of my favorite authors! She is so gracious, and wonderful, it is no wonder her books have been such a success. Years ago, I won a copy on Twitter of Taylor's first book, and I was a fan-girl from that day forward. She promises nothing crazy is going to happen in the first chapter in her new book, and I can attest that this is true! Here is the run-down on what is happening this week at Read Baby Read.

Tuesday
It's You by author Jane Porter. I grew to love Jane's work when I was introduced to the Brennan  Sisters' trilogy. It was a fabulous series, and one I recommend time and time again to friends who love books with continuing story lines.

Wednesday
Want to Read Wednesday is brought to you by Mystery/Thriller books by the incomparable Jenny Milchman. Her new book As Night Falls is out now, and you can combine with the audio of The Cover of Snow, which I recently listened to and loved! I have recently begun to read Mysteries, and I am loving it! I believe it is important for us all to expand our horizons and try new things, and you never know-it may just be what the brain needed!


Thursday
Medea Complex by Rachel Florence Roberts is a psychological thriller about the madness that ensues post-birth, and a husband who is torn between helping his wife regain her sanity and trying to save his own ruined career. What is the line between madness and evil?

Friday 
Fun Friday- you will have to stay put to find out whether I loved or hated The Girl on the Train. Should authors entertain the thought of placing unreliable narrators in their stories, or is this the very thing that readers loathe? Unlikeable characters. Love them or leave them? 

Have a wonderful reading week! 


Friday, July 10, 2015

"It" Book Failure

"It" books are a publishing house's dream! A book you can't keep on the shelves, and that everyone has heard of-we are talking about readers and non-readers. Everyone knows the "it" book of the moment. What happens when the "it' book of the moment is a huge flop for you? I, for one, become embarrassed to admit to anyone that I didn't like it? Will everyone question my sanity, and wonder what is wrong with me? Why would I give some fluffy Women's Fiction novel 5 stars on Goodreads, but the "it" book  just passes with a meh? You know what? It's okay. We don't all love the same books and that is all right! I'm going to share some "it" books that didn't cut it for me, and some that really hit the target!



"It" Books that hit the target


"It" books that missed the Target
One word-Nope.

What say you, readers?




Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Wednesday's #wanttoread List


I first heard of this title from Books on the Nightstand, a weekly book podcast that I listen to. After hearing the description of the short stories that make up the book, I knew this was a title I had to get my hands on! So this week's feature is In the Country by Mia Alvar-watch out literary world! She's going to be a huge star!

Synopsis

These nine globe-trotting, unforgettable stories from Mia Alvar, a remarkable new literary talent, vividly give voice to the women and men of the Filipino diaspora. Here are exiles, emigrants, and wanderers uprooting their families from the Philippines to begin new lives in the Middle East, the United States, and elsewhere—and, sometimes, turning back again.

A pharmacist living in New York smuggles drugs to his ailing father in Manila, only to discover alarming truths about his family and his past. In Bahrain, a Filipina teacher drawn to a special pupil finds, to her surprise, that she is questioning her own marriage. A college student leans on her brother, a laborer in Saudi Arabia, to support her writing ambitions, without realizing that his is the life truly made for fiction. And in the title story, a journalist and a nurse face an unspeakable trauma amidst the political turmoil of the Philippines in the 1970s and ’80s.

In the Country speaks to the heart of everyone who has ever searched for a place to call home. From teachers to housemaids, from mothers to sons, Alvar’s powerful debut collection explores the universal experiences of loss, displacement, and the longing to connect across borders both real and imagined. Deeply compassionate and richly felt,In the Country marks the emergence of a formidable new writer.

Add it to your TBR list! Happy Reading!

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Summer Secrets by Jane Green


When authors like Kristin Hannah, Emily Giffin and Sophie Kinsella singing your praises, you know the book you have in your hands is going to be fabulous. Such is the case for Jane Green's newest title, Summer Secrets. Jane is one of my favorite authors, so I was thrilled to receive this book as part of BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge! Your heart will immediately go out to Cat, and her struggle with the secrets of the past. In order for Cat to make right some of her past mistakes, she must confront what she has been straying from for years. The fast and furious lifestyle of endless alcohol-filled nights, a marriage ruined by binges will have you walking the12 steps with Cat, and rooting for her success. It's easy to become part of the story, and with part of the story is set in Nantucket, it will have you wishing you could pack your suitcase and live in the place where these characters existed. An honest, well-written women's fiction book.

Synopsis

When a shocking family secret is revealed, twenty-something journalist Cat Coombs finds herself falling into a dark spiral. Wild, glamorous nights out in London and raging hangovers the next day become her norm, leading to a terrible mistake one night while visiting family in America, on the island of Nantucket. It's a mistake for which she can't forgive herself. When she returns home, she confronts the unavoidable reality of her life and knows it's time to grow up. But she doesn't know if she'll ever be able to earn the forgiveness of the people she hurt.
As the years pass, Cat grows into her forties, a struggling single mother, coping with a new-found sobriety and determined to finally make amends. Traveling back to her past, to the family she left behind on Nantucket all those years ago, she may be able to earn their forgiveness, but in doing so she may risk losing the very people she loves the most.
Told with Jane Green's keen eye for detailing the emotional landscape of the heart,Summer Secrets is at once a compelling drama and a beautifully rendered portrait of relationships, betrayals, and forgiveness; about accepting the things we cannot change, finding the courage to change the things we can, and being strong enough to weather the storms.


If you are a fan of Amy Hatvany's Best Kept Secret, you will love Summer Secrets! From the cover art to the story, this is one delicious summer read!

Happy Reading!


Monday, July 6, 2015

The Monday Run-Down

I wish I could remember who the author of the blog was that stated that summer time is a tough time for reading. While you would think you would have more time to spend reading, often times we over schedule ourselves to keep the kids busy, take lazy naps or just busy ourselves doing other things. I resonate with this big time. I always idealize the summer months as time when I will read ALL THE BOOKS, but I am not a book-a-day person. I can read quickly, but not that quickly. Plus, I shamelessly love Netflix and Bravo TV. Anyhow, exciting things coming up at Read Baby Read!

Tuesday
Review of Jane Green's newest book called Summer Secrets! I adore Jane's work, and was fortunate enough to meet her at the LA Times Festival of Books a few years ago. Speaking of awesome authors, tonight I get to meet up with Taylor Reid at Barnes and Noble in Santa Monica! So thrilled to see her again, and celebrate the release of her newest book Maybe in Another Life.

Wednesday 
This Wednesday's #wanttoread selection is called In the Country, a collection of short stories by Mia Alvar. I originally heard of this title through Books on the Nightstand, and it is generating a ton of buzz on the author, and more for her book, which is supposed to be a stunner.

Thursday
Medea Complex review will be up along with a giveaway! Don't miss out on this new title. 

Friday
"It" book failure? Have you ever picked up the next "It" book, and been disappointed? Guilty! I'll share some of my "It" book failures, and I hope you'll be willing to share yours as well!

Happy Reading, everyone!



Friday, July 3, 2015

Tiny Little Things by Beatriz Williams


The reigning queen of the beach read is back this summer with a new book-Tiny Little Thing. I find myself with overlapping themes in recent books I have read. The Balance Project, and this book both include themes of the struggle for perfection. No matter the time period, many women feel compelled to uphold a false image of perfection. In this day and age, it comes in the form of social media and the unavoidable social web. In the past it was photographs, physical evidence of betrayals and secrets that are kept at close bay. The perfect life is an image, a mirage of something that is unattainable. When Tiny is confronted with the reality that her marriage and her life may not be as perfect as she maintains, her life threatens to unravel. 

Synopsis
In the summer of 1966, Christina Hardcastle—“Tiny” to her illustrious family—stands on the brink of a breathtaking future. Of the three Schuyler sisters, she’s the one raised to marry a man destined for leadership, and with her elegance and impeccable style, she presents a perfect camera-ready image in the dawning age of television politics. Together she and her husband, Frank, make the ultimate power couple: intelligent, rich, and impossibly attractive. It seems nothing can stop Frank from rising to national office, and he’s got his sights set on a senate seat in November.

But as the season gets underway at the family estate on Cape Cod, three unwelcome visitors appear in Tiny’s perfect life: her volatile sister Pepper, an envelope containing incriminating photograph, and the intimidating figure of Frank’s cousin Vietnam-war hero Caspian, who knows more about Tiny’s rich inner life than anyone else. As she struggles to maintain the glossy façade on which the Hardcastle family’s ambitions are built, Tiny begins to suspect that Frank is hiding a reckless entanglement of his own…one that may unravel both her own ordered life and her husband’s promising career.

If you are looking for an engaging summer read, Beatriz Williams is your go-to author. Her other titles OverseasThe Secret Life of Violet Grant, and A Hundred Summers make great reads as well. A special thank you goes out to Andrea, founder of the Facebook group Great Thoughts, Great Readers for an early copy of the book! You can find her blog here.

Happy Reading!

Thursday, July 2, 2015

#tbt to The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

Throw Back Thursday to 2013! 
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

This is the first book of Liane Moriarty's that I have read, and I'm a fan! Do you believe in the idea that everything is destiny? Do you believe that your fate can be decided in a moment's notice? I believed that before reading this book, and realize just how many moments in my life could have been changed by an instantaneous decision. Would I be able to resist the temptation to read a letter addressed to me, to read only upon my husband's death? That's exactly how The Husband's Secret begins. With a letter. A letter that Cecelia's husband does not want her to read until he is dead. When Cecelia decides to open the letter even though John-Paul is not dead, what unfolds is a story so complicated that you won't want to do anything else until you find out what happens! Rachel Crowley is a widower who has also lost her teenaged daughter. Janie Crowley was murdered, and Rachel is convinced she know just who the murderer is. She'll see to it that Janie's death is avenged if it is the last thing she does. Does Rachel have the right suspect? Tess O'Leary has been shattered by a revelation by her husband, and sends her running into another man's arms. Does Tess have the courage to reunite her family? Is she choosing what is best for her? Or, will she make a decision simply to appease her family life?  The lives of these families are woven together so precisely by the author that you are invested in the outcome. You can readily see yourself in their shoes, and dare to imagine the possibilities of their scenarios in your own life.  A superb read. Back list books are the best! 
Keep reading, my friends!

Wednesday, July 1, 2015