MONDAY FROM THE INTERIOR: MAILBOX MONDAY & WHAT ARE YOU READING? — JULY 30

Good morning, and welcome to another Monday, in which we celebrate our reading, blogging, and life.  Mailbox Monday is hosted in July by Mrs. Q Book Addict; and Book Journey brings us another edition of What Are You Reading?

MAILBOX MONDAY:

 

This week brought two review books…and I downloaded one book for Sparky.

1.  Grace Grows, by Shelle Sumners (Amazon Vine)

Grace Barnum’s life is precariously balanced on sensible choices and uncomfortable compromise. She dutifully edits textbooks that, she fears, may be more harmful than helpful to kids. She is engaged to a patent attorney who is study and reliable. She has a cautious relationship with her fascinating father, a renowned New York painter, and she prefers her mom slightly drunk.

Always a planner, Grace feels prepared for most eventualities. Until the responsibility-challenged Tyler Wilkie shows up. Fresh in town from the Poconos, Tyler has warm eyes, a country drawl, and a smile that makes Grace drop things. Worst of all, he writes devastating songs. About her.

Tyler reaches something in Grace, something she needs, but can’t admit to. Something she wants, but won’t succumb to. Tyler Wilkie loves Grace Barnum and ruins everything.  And Grace grows.

2.  Those We Love Most, by Lee Woodruff (Amazon Vine)

A bright June day. A split-second distraction. A family forever changed.

Life is good for Maura Corrigan. Married to her college sweetheart, Pete, raising three young kids with her parents nearby in her peaceful Chicago suburb, her world is secure. Then one day, in a single turn of fate, that entire world comes crashing down and everything that she thought she knew changes.

Maura must learn to move forward with the weight of grief and the crushing guilt of an unforgivable secret. Pete senses a gap growing between him and his wife but finds it easier to escape to the bar with his friends than face the flaws in his marriage.

Meanwhile, Maura’s parents are dealing with the fault lines in their own marriage. Charismatic Roger, who at sixty-five, is still chasing the next business deal and Margaret, a pragmatic and proud homemaker, have been married for four decades, seemingly happily. But the truth is more complicated. Like Maura, Roger has secrets of his own and when his deceptions and weaknesses are exposed, Margaret’s love and loyalty face the ultimate test.

Those We Love Most chronicles how these unforgettable characters confront their choices, examine their mistakes, fight for their most valuable relationships, and ultimately find their way back to each other. It takes us deep into the heart of what makes families and marriages tick and explores a fundamental question: when the ties that bind us to those we love are strained or broken, how do we pick up the pieces?

Deeply penetrating and brimming with emotional insight, this engrossing family drama heralds the arrival of a major new voice in contemporary fiction.

3.  Gone Girl (e-book), by Gillian Flynn

Marriage can be a real killer.
One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn.
On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy’s diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?
As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?
With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.

***

WHAT ARE YOU READING?

 

Welcome to another week of contemplation about the week just past…and what lies ahead.

My blogging has been erratic this week, but I did post a ROW 80 Check-In: Lazy Week, on Creative Journey; and in my Hump Day Potpourri, I talked about happy events coming.  My Sweet Saturday Sample on Snow Chronicles was about The One That Got Away.

Reading-Click Titles for Reviews:

I read and reviewed three books this week.  One book was a DNF…enough said about that.

1)  One Breath Away, by Heather Gudenkauf (Fabulous Five Star Read!)

2)  What I Did For Love, by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (fun read!)

3)  Summer Breeze (e-book), by Nancy Thayer (Great summer read)

What’s Up Next? (Click titles/book covers for more info)

1)  Gone Girl (e-book), by Gillian Flynn (I’ve already plunged into this one!)

2)  The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge, by Christine Nolfi (Review book)

3)  Zero Day (e-book), by David Baldacci

***

And that’s my week!  Hope you’ll stop by and share about yours....

THE INTERIOR WORLD OF HOLLYWOOD STARS — A REVIEW

What happens to a popular sitcom star after the show is over? Georgie York is trying to make her own real-life love story come true, but being dumped by her husband Lance, and now being fodder for the paparazzi, is not what she had in mind.

When she tries to hide out in her best friend’s Malibu beachhouse, who should appear but the self-absorbed co-star of that now defunct sitcom. Running into Bram Shepard is the last thing she wants, and then stumbling upon him again in Las Vegas when she tries for a getaway a few days later, leads to some unexpected moments.

Like an elopement between the two of them, fueled by drinks someone drugged.

What happens next is sure to keep the reader turning pages, as the two of them try to turn what could have been a disaster into a public relations fix for their image problems.

A riotous and fun-filled romp had me guessing about what would happen next. Would the two of them fall in love for real, or would they sabotage each other for revenge? Will either of them find the self-acceptance to recreate their own lives? A predictable tale with some interesting twists and turns was delightfully surprising at times. Four stars for What I Did for Love: A Novel.

MONDAY FROM THE INTERIOR: MAILBOX MONDAY & WHAT ARE YOU READING? — JULY 23

Good morning, and welcome to another Monday, in which we celebrate our reading, blogging, and life.  Mailbox Monday is hosted in July by Mrs. Q Book Addict; and Book Journey brings us another edition of What Are You Reading?

MAILBOX MONDAY:

This week brought two books into my mailbox.  One is a review book from the publisher, and the other is a book I purchased.

1.   Where’d You Go, Bernadette - Maria Semple (Publisher)

Bernadette Fox is notorious. To her Microsoft-guru husband, she’s a fearlessly opinionated partner; to fellow private-school mothers in Seattle, she’s a disgrace; to design mavens, she’s a revolutionary architect, and to 15-year-old Bee, she is a best friend and, simply, Mom.

Then Bernadette disappears. It began when Bee aced her report card and claimed her promised reward: a family trip to Antarctica. But Bernadette’s intensifying allergy to Seattle–and people in general–has made her so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India now runs her most basic errands. A trip to the end of the earth is problematic.

To find her mother, Bee compiles email messages, official documents, secret correspondence–creating a compulsively readable and touching novel about misplaced genius and a mother and daughter’s role in an absurd world.

2.  Small Damages - Beth Kephart

Juno meets Under the Tuscan Sun

It’s senior year, and while Kenzie should be looking forward to prom and starting college in the fall, she discovers she’s pregnant. Her determination to keep her baby is something her boyfriend and mother do not understand. So she is sent to Spain, where she will live out her pregnancy, and her baby will be adopted by a Spanish couple. No one will ever know.

Alone and resentful in a foreign country, Kenzie is at first sullen and difficult. But as she gets to know Estela, the stubborn old cook, and Esteban, the mysterious young man who cares for the horses, she begins to open her eyes, and her heart, to the beauty that is all around her, and inside her. Kenzie realizes she has some serious choices to make–choices about life, love, and home.

Lyrically told in a way that makes the heat, the colors, and the smells of Spain feel alive, Small Damages is a feast for the heart and the soul, and a coming-of-age novel not easily forgotten

***

WHAT ARE YOU READING?

Welcome to our week in review and our anticipation for the new one.

My week has included some intriguing titles and some blog posts.

On the Blogs:

At Story Corner, I posted about Cooler Days Ahead:  Reading, etc.

My Creative Journey included a Check-In Post:  Goal Tweaking; and I posted an excerpt from Interior Designs at Snow Chronicles:  Internet Dating: “Post-Mortem.”

Reviews-Click Titles:

Rain, (e-book), by Leigh K. Cunningham

Keepsake (e-book), by Kristina Riggle

The Roots of the Olive Tree, by Courtney Miller Santo

The Shadow Queen, by Rebecca Dean

What’s Up Next?(Click Titles/Covers for More Info)

One Breath Away, by Heather Gudenkauf

 

 

What I Did For Love, by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (From Mt. TBR)

Summer Breeze (e-book) , by Nancy Thayer

Red (e-book), by Kait Nolan

***

That is my week!  Hope to visit many of you and discover what you’ve been up to…and come on by and share your comments and links.

AN INTERIOR JOURNEY — EXPOSING THE ROOTS — A REVIEW

Against the beautiful backdrop of Northern California, five generations of women have lived, loved, and kept secrets. Secrets that are gradually revealed as the story flows. But the primary thread throughout The Roots of the Olive Tree: A Novel is the longevity of the women.

Anna, the eldest and the matriarch, is 112 and aspiring to be the oldest living person. A scientist has come to study the women through interviews and via blood samples, hoping to discover the clues, not only to the length of their years, but the “agelessness” that seems to describe them most aptly.

Anna is followed by daughter Bets, whose first daughter Callie has an aura of pain and misery about her. Deb, Callie’s daughter, has been in prison in Chowchilla for twenty years when the novel opens. Erin, Deb’s daughter, has returned home unexpectedly with a secret of her own.

I enjoyed the slow pace that seemed to only gradually reveal certain details, like not knowing exactly why Deb was in prison until later in the story, and not realizing Bets’s secrets until much later, too.

Sometimes I had difficulty distinguishing between the women, whose names (like Bets and Deb) felt so similar. And I gave up about the “great-great-great” aspect of it early on and just focused on the individuals when I could.

Not all the loose threads of the story were pulled together satisfactorily (for me), and sometimes the flashbacks appeared suddenly and confused me about where we were in time, but then I gave in to the flow of the story and simply enjoyed it. Four stars.

MONDAY FROM THE INTERIOR: WHAT ARE YOU READING? — JULY 16

Good morning, and welcome to another Monday, in which we celebrate our reading, blogging, and life.  Mailbox Monday is hosted in July by Mrs. Q Book Addict; and Book Journey brings us another edition of What Are You Reading?

MAILBOX MONDAY:

This week’s mailbox was totally empty!

WHAT ARE YOU READING?

Welcome to another week of sharing our reading, blogging, and life moments.

Here are some of my blogging posts:

I did a little bit of editing on one of my WIPs this week and posted about it at Creative Journey:  Accomplishments & Distractions.

Earlier in the week, I wrote about Creative Summer Days:  Changes & Creations, at Story Corner.

At My Forest Journey, In Search of the Perfect Surrogate (an excerpt from Embrace the Whirlwind).

In My Sweet Saturday Sample:  Comparing Notes (a snippet from Interior Designs).

Reading/Reviews-Click titles for reviews:

Paris Without End, by Gioia Diliberto

Island Apart, by Steven Raichlen

Sea Change, by Karen White

Still Reading:

Rain, by Leigh K. Cunningham.

What’s Up Next? (Click titles/covers for more info)

The Roots of the Olive Tree, by Courtney Miller Santo

The Shadow Queen, by Rebecca Dean

Keepsake (e-book), by Kristina Riggle

***

That’s my week!  I hope you’ll stop by and share your week.

 

A JOURNEY THROUGH MY STACKS: A PROGRESS REPORT — JULY 15

The Huge Original Stacks

Three years ago, I started a journey through my TBR stacks, and the photo above displays a portion of the original stacks.  To help me focus on that journey, I started my Curl up and Read blog.

There have been a couple of challenges along the way that helped me with this task.

However, there is the steady influx of new and review books to distract me from the goal.  Despite this influx and these distractions, I am happy to report that the Old TBRs, as I now call them, have been reduced in numbers and now rest on my office coffee table.

The stack in the front row (center) contains the current reads, while the others are from the Original TBRs.

Today’s count:  16 books!

You may recall that I wrote about my journey HERE.  The total at that time was around 166 books.

Of course, there is an ongoing stack of New TBRs to deal with, but let’s not worry about that right now…lol

Here’s a glimpse:

Not too bad…right?  Or am I creating another monster?  What do you think?

I am grateful for Sparky, my Kindle…many new books now rest there.

MONDAY FROM THE INTERIOR: MAILBOX MONDAY & WHAT ARE YOU READING? — JULY 9

Good morning, and welcome to another Monday, in which we celebrate our reading, blogging, and life.  Mailbox Monday is hosted in July by Mrs. Q Book Addict; and Book Journey brings us another edition of What Are You Reading?

MAILBOX MONDAY:

My mailbox this week held one review book, one contest win, and a book I purchased:

1.  Queen Bee of Mimosa Branch, by Haywood Smith (from Sheila, at Book Journey)

Southern housewife Linwood Breedlove Scott was happily content in her comfortable, complacent thirty-year marriage, but when her husband cleans out their bank accounts and runs off with a stripper, her life takes a hilarious, yet touching, right turn into reality. With no place to go but home, she’s forced back to her insular hometown and the “eccentric” family she escaped by marrying at nineteen: her senile father, her loving-yet-controlling mother, her long-suffering aunt, her crazy uncle, and her good-for-nothing brother. But despite her newly dependent situation and her family’s genteel insanity, Lin begins to stand on her own two feet and wake up to the joys-and perils-of life as a single woman. And she also learns surprising lessons about her family: that things aren’t always what they seem, and that the power of love governs even the most dysfunctional of relationships. This joy-filled, moving, and wise-cracking novel delivers a portrait of Southern life, Southern families, and self-discovery that readers will never forget.

2.  Five O’Clock Follies, by Theasa Tuohy (From Publisher)

In her debut, former Associated Press editor Tuohy describes the Vietnam War through a journalist’s lens. Freelance writer Angela Martinelli arrives in Saigon in 1968, wearing her “greenness” in the form of high-heeled shoes and a gorgeous mane of red hair. As one of the few women correspondents in a war zone, Angela is greeted with misogyny, skepticism or disdain by her male colleagues, except for Nick, who works for a Chicago newspaper and gives her the benefit of the doubt. She soon proves her merit and bravery in the middle of a covert operation in Cambodia, surviving capture by the Viet Cong, living in a bunker during a siege and chasing truths that the military denies and her fellow reporters doubt. Angela also finds romance in the midst of this chaos; eventually she must choose: her career or love.

3.  The Next Best Thing, by Jennifer Weiner

Actors aren’t the only ones trying to make it in Hollywood.…At twenty-three, Ruth Saunders left her childhood home in Massachusetts and headed west with her seventy-year-old grandma in tow, hoping to make it as a screenwriter. Six years later, she hits the jackpot when she gets The Call: the sitcom she wrote, The Next Best Thing, has gotten the green light, and Ruthie’s going to be the showrunner. But her dreams of Hollywood happiness are threatened by demanding actors, number-crunching executives, an unrequited crush on her boss, and her grandmother’s impending nuptials.

Set against the fascinating backdrop of Los Angeles show business culture, with an insider’s ear for writer’s room showdowns and an eye for bad backstage behavior and set politics, Jennifer Weiner’s new novel is a rollicking ride on the Hollywood roller coaster, a heartfelt story about what it’s like for a young woman to love, and lose, in the land where dreams come true.

WHAT ARE YOU READING?

Welcome to another week of reading, blogging, and life.

This past week, as I continued to familiarize myself with my new laptop, I also did a bit of reading and blogging.

In addition to last Monday’s meme, I enjoyed posting a Saturday Snapshot, followed by my Sweet Saturday Sample: Implementing Maeve’s Plan.

Today I posted a Sunday Potpourri and shared the week in review.

Books Read/Reviewed-Click Titles for Reviews:

1.  Terminal Ambition, by Kate McGuinness

2.  The Last Summer of Her Other Life, by Jean Reynolds Page

3.  My Extraordinary Ordinary Life, by Sissy Spacek, et. al.

4.  XO (Kathryn Dance) (e-book), by Jeffery Deaver

WHAT’S UP NEXT? (Click Titles/Covers for More Info)

1.  Paris Without End, by Gioia Diliberto (Review Book)

2.  Island Apart, by Stephen Raichlen (Vine)

3.  Sea Change, by Karen White

4.  Rain (e-book), by Leigh Cunningham

***

That’s my week!  I can’t wait to see what’s on your list…so come on by and share some links.

 

 

A DOWN-HOME ACTRESS & HER EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY — A REVIEW

As a reader, I feel a special connection to the author of a memoir, especially one written by a celebrity who is as down to earth as Sissy Spacek.

I still recall her first movies and how she seemingly inhabited her roles. Almost as if they were made for her.

In My Extraordinary Ordinary Life, I discover why this is true. Reading about how she grew up in a small town in Texas in the 1950s, I could totally feel connected to her life. Even though I grew up in a small California town, the similarities existed. Small town life comes to define its inhabitants, and for all those who have lived in them, the connections are like strong twine that forms between all of us.

We see Sissy’s life growing up, and follow her from Texas to New York to California. And then, as she begins to become that star with the ability to inhabit the lives of the characters she played, the special story unfolds. As references were made to each of her films, I found myself grabbing my own DVDs from my shelves: Coal Miner’s Daughter, Crimes of the Heart, In the Bedroom, and The Help.

Finally Sissy and her husband Jack found their true home on a farm in Virginia, and her descriptions of that home and how various family members have joined them there filled me with nostalgia. Nostalgia for an ordinary life that is so filled with the treasure trove of people we love that it truly becomes extraordinary.

For all those who enjoy a memoir that spotlights both ordinary and extraordinary moments, I recommend this book. Five stars.

MONDAY FROM THE INTERIOR: MAILBOX MONDAY & WHAT ARE YOU READING? — JULY 2

Good morning, and welcome to another Monday, in which we celebrate our reading, blogging, and life.  Mailbox Monday is hosted in July by Mrs. Q Book Addict; and Book Journey brings us another edition of What Are You Reading?

MAILBOX MONDAY:

 

This week’s mailbox brought two review books, one contest win, and several books purchased, despite all my vows for restraint.  But what are you going to do when lovely books keep showing their faces (covers)?

Here’s my haul:

1.  The Roots of the Olive Tree, by Courtney Miller Santo (Amazon Vine)

Meet the Keller family, five generations of firstborn women—an unbroken line of daughters—living together in the same house on a secluded olive grove in the Sacramento Valley of Northern California.

Anna, the family matriarch, is 112 and determined to become the oldest person in the world. An indomitable force, strong in mind and firm in body, she rules Hill House, the family home she shares with her daughter Bets, granddaughter Callie, great-granddaughter Deb, and great-great-granddaughter Erin. Though they lead ordinary lives, there is an element of the extraordinary to these women: the eldest two are defying longevity norms. Their unusual lifespans have caught the attention of a geneticist who believes they hold the key to breakthroughs that will revolutionize the aging process for everyone.

But Anna is not interested in unlocking secrets the Keller blood holds. She believes there are some truths that must stay hidden, including certain knowledge about her origins that she has carried for more than a century. Like Anna, each of the Keller women conceals her true self from the others. While they are bound by blood and the house they share, living together has not always been easy. And it is about to become more complicated now that Erin, the youngest, is back, alone and pregnant, after two years abroad with an opera company. Her return and the arrival of the geneticist who has come to study the Keller family ignites explosive emotions that these women have kept buried and uncovers revelations that will shake them all to their roots.

Told from varying viewpoints, Courtney Miller Santo’s compelling and evocative debut novel captures the joys and sorrows of family—the love, secrets, disappointments, jealousies, and forgiveness that tie generations to one another.

2.  The Shadow Queen, by Rebecca Dean (Amazon Vine)

A king would abdicate his throne for her in one of the world’s great love stories – but who was Wallis Simpson?

Born into a poor southern family but taken in by rich relatives, Wallis Simpson was raised as a socialite. Between family conflicts and debutante balls, she and her friends dream of their future husbands, and like millions of girls worldwide, dream of Prince Edward, the heir to the British throne who would someday be king. Beloved author Rebecca Dean imagines the early life of Wallis Simpson, her triumphs and heartbreaks, and the making of the twice divorced, nearly destitute woman who captured a king’s heart and changed the course of history. Set against a background of high society, royal circles, and diplomatic intrigue, The Shadow Queen features one of the most fascinating and controversial women of the 20th century.

3.  One Breath Away, by Heather Gudenkauf

In her most emotionally charged novel to date, New York Timesbestselling author Heather Gudenkauf explores the unspoken events that shape a community, the ties between parents and their children and how the fragile normalcy of our everyday life is so easily shattered.

In the midst of a sudden spring snowstorm, an unknown man armed with a gun walks into an elementary school classroom. Outside the school, the town of Broken Branch watches and waits.

Officer Meg Barrett holds the responsibility for the town’s children in her hands. Will Thwaite, reluctantly entrusted with the care of his two grandchildren by the daughter who left home years earlier, stands by helplessly and wonders if he has failed his child again. Trapped in her classroom, Evelyn Oliver watches for an opportunity to rescue the children in her care. And thirteen-year-old Augie Baker, already struggling with the aftermath of a terrible accident that has has brought her to Broken Branch, will risk her own safety to protect her little brother.

As tension mounts with each passing minute, the hidden fears and grudges of the small town are revealed as the people of Broken Branch race to uncover the identity of the stranger who holds their children hostage.

4.  Between The Lines, by Jodi Picoult & Samantha van Leer

New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult and her teenage daughter present their first-ever novel for teens, filled with romance, adventure, and humor.What happens when happily ever after…isn’t?

Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.

And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.

Delilah and Oliver work together to attempt to get Oliver out of his book, a challenging task that forces them to examine their perceptions of fate, the world, and their places in it. And as their attraction to each other grows along the way, a romance blossoms that is anything but a fairy tale.

5.  Jackie After O, by Tina Cassidy (Contest win from June, at Writing is a Blessing)

Defined in the public eye by her two high-profile marriages, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis faced a personal crossroads on the eve of 1975. Her relationship with Aristotle Onassis was crumbling while his health was rapidly declining. Her children were nearing adulthood, soon to leave her with an empty nest. Both death and scandal were about to strike yet again. But 1975 would also be a time of incredible growth and personal renaissance for Jackie, the year in which she reinvented herself and rediscovered talents and passions she had set aside for her roles as wife and mother.

In Jackie After O, acclaimed author and journalist Tina Cassidy explores this prolific yet incredibly daunting year in the life of Jacqueline Onassis, including her part in the campaign to preserve Grand Central Terminal in New York City; her pursuit of a real career, in the editorial department of Viking Press; the death of her second husband and her fraught relationship with his surviving daughter; and the London bombing that almost took her own daughter’s life. Cassidy has unearthed new information from archives and original interviews, and reveals intimate stories about the projects and interests of Jackie’s earlier years that would lay the foundation for her life beginning in 1975, from an internship at Vogue to her meticulous restoration of the White House when she was First Lady.

Jackie After O is an exciting and original portrayal of the life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis through the lens of one remarkable year, a time of reinvention both personal and public, as she shook the world’s expectations and pursued her dreams in middle age.

6.  Keepsake (e-book), by Kristina Riggle

From the critically acclaimed author of Real Life & Liars and Things We Didn’t Say comes a timely and provocative novel that asks: What happens when the things we own become more important than the people we love?

Trish isn’t perfect. She’s divorced and raising two kids—so of course her house isn’t pristine. But she’s got all the important things right and she’s convinced herself that she has it all under control. That is, until the day her youngest son gets hurt and Child Protective Services comes calling. It’s at that moment when Trish is forced to consider the one thing she’s always hoped wasn’t true: that she’s living out her mother’s life as a compulsive hoarder.

The last person Trish ever wanted to turn to for help is her sister, Mary—meticulous, perfect Mary, whose house is always spotless . . . and who moved away from their mother to live somewhere else, just like Trish’s oldest child has. But now, working together to get Trish’s disaster of a home into livable shape, two very different sisters are about to uncover more than just piles of junk, as years of secrets, resentments, obsessions, and pain are finally brought into the light.

7.  The Other Woman’s House, by Sophie Hannah

The latest gripping psychological thriller from the internationally bestselling author of The Wrong Mother and The Cradle in the Grave

Featuring the return of detectives Charlie Zailer and Simon Waterhouse, Sophie Hannah’s latest novel offers the spine-tingling thrills her ever-increasing fan base adores.

It’s past midnight, but Connie Bowskill can’t sleep. To pass the time, she logs on to a real estate website in search of a particular house, one she is obsessed with for reasons she’s too scared to even admit to herself. As she clicks through the virtual tour, she comes across a scene from a nightmare: a woman lying facedown on the living room floor in a pool of blood. But when she returns to show her husband, there is no body, no blood—just a perfectly ordinary room. With plot twists that will keep readers up all night, The Other Woman’s House is another unforgettable story by a new master of the crime novel.

***

WHAT ARE YOU READING?

Now for the part of the week when we celebrate our reading, blogging, and life.

During the past week, I enjoyed a family get-together, and here are some photos at my Saturday Snapshot post.

I also got a laptop…so excuse any typos you might see, as I’m still trying to master the keyboard!

Here’s what I posted this week:

ROUND THREE:  BACK IN THE SADDLE

LAUREN CARR:  AN INTERVIEW & A CONTEST

SWEET SATURDAY SAMPLES:  AFTER THE FALL

JUNE READING WRAP-UP

Read/Reviewed Kiss Crush Collide, by Christina Meredith

Read/Reviewed Valley Fever, by Sunny Frazier, et. al.

Read/Reviewed The Investigation of Ariel Warning, by Robert Malich

Read/Reviewed Wallflower in Bloom (e-book), by Claire Cook

What’s Up Next? (Click titles/covers for more info)

1.  Terminal Ambition, by Kate McGuinness

2.  My Extraordinary Ordinary Life, by Sissy Spacek

3.  The Last Summer of Her Other Life, by Jean Reynolds Page

4.  XO (Kathryn Dance) (e-book), by Jeffery Deaver

***

And that’s my week!  This week, I also plan to practice, practice PRACTICE on my new laptop until I master that keyboard!

Come on by and share your week….