FROM THE INTERIOR: WAITING ON “MOST WANTED”

Welcome to another Waiting on Wednesday event, hosted by Jill, at Breaking the Spine.

Every week, we gather around the blogosphere and search out the upcoming book releases, sharing our thoughts and blurbs.  Today I am eagerly awaiting a book from an author I have loved over the years, Lisa Scottoline.  Her newest upcoming release is Most Wanted, another searing, powerful blockbuster novel that explores hot-button issues within the framework of an intricately plotted thriller. Release Date – 4/12/16.

 

 

 

When a woman and her husband, desperate for a baby, find themselves unable to conceive, they decide to take further steps. Since it is the husband who is infertile, the heroine decides to use a donor. And all seems to be well. Three months pass and she is happily pregnant. But a shocking revelation occurs when she discovers that a man arrested for a series of brutal murders is her donor – the biological father of the child she is carrying. Delving deeper to uncover the truth, the heroine must face her worst fears, and confront a terrifying truth.

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Oh, I love the sound of this one!  This author never fails to engage me with her books, whether they are mysteries, thrillers, or books rife with family issues.  And sometimes she combines all of these elements in one stunning book.

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FROM THE INTERIOR: WAITING ON “THE SECRET LIFE OF ANNA BLANC”

 

Welcome to another Waiting on Wednesday event, hosted by Jill, at Breaking the Spine.

Every week, we gather around the blogosphere and search out the upcoming book releases, sharing our thoughts and blurbs.  Today, I am eager to feature an upcoming release from a new-to-me author.  I love spotlighting eagerly anticipated books!  The Secret Life of Anna Blanc, by Jennifer Kincheloe, will be released on November 3, 2015.

 

 

 

 

Blurb:  It’s 1907 Los Angeles. Mischievous socialite Anna Blanc is the kind of young woman who devours purloined crime novels–but must disguise them behind covers of more domestically-appropriate reading. She could match wits with Sherlock Holmes, but in her world women are not allowed to hunt criminals.

Determined to break free of the era’s rigid social roles, Anna buys off the chaperone assigned by her domineering father and, using an alias, takes a job as a police matron with the Los Angeles Police Department. There she discovers a string of brothel murders, which the cops are unwilling to investigate. Seizing her one chance to solve a crime, she takes on the investigation herself.

If the police find out, she’ll get fired; if her father finds out, he’ll disown her; and if her fiancé finds out, he’ll cancel the wedding and stop pouring money into her father’s collapsing bank.

Anna must choose–either hunt the villain and risk losing her father, fiancé, and wealth, or abandon her dream and leave the killer on the loose.

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What do you think?  Do the blurb and cover grab your interest?

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FROM THE INTERIOR: EXCERPTING “THE LAST SEPTEMBER”

 

Welcome to another Waiting on Wednesday event, hosted by Jill, at Breaking the Spine.

Every week, we gather around the blogosphere and search out the upcoming book releases, sharing our thoughts and blurbs. 

Today’s feature is a book from an author I have not yet read, but I love the sound of it.  The Last September, by Nina de Gramont, is a riveting emotional puzzle that takes readers inside the psyche of a woman facing the meaning of love and loyalty.  Release Date: September 15, 2015.

 

 

 

“When I look back now, it hurtles toward us like a meteor. But at the time we were too wrapped up in our day-to-day life to see it. Charlie and I lived in a borrowed house by the ocean. Our daughter, Sarah, was fifteen months old. September had just arrived, emptying the beaches at the very moment they became most spectacular.”

Brett has been in love with Charlie ever since he took her skiing on a lovely Colorado night fourteen years ago. And now, living in a seaside cottage on Cape Cod with their young daughter, it looks as if they have settled into the life they desired. However, Brett and Charlie’s marriage has been tenuous for quite some time. When Charlie’s unstable younger brother plans to move in with them, the tension simmering under the surface of their marriage boils over.

But what happened to Charlie next was unfathomable. Charlie was the golden boy so charismatic that he charmed everyone who crossed his path; who never shied away from a challenge; who saw life as one big adventure; who could always rescue his troubled brother, no matter how unpredictable the situation.

So who is to blame for the tragic turn of events? And why does Brett feel responsible?  A lovely story set against the desolate autumn beauty of Cape Cod.

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I love family stories, seaside cottages on Cape Cod, and the challenges we all face as we try to manage our lives.  What are you sharing?  Come on by and leave a comment and your link!

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FROM THE INTERIOR: WAITING ON “EVIL NEVER DIES”

Welcome to another Waiting on Wednesday, our special day for sharing upcoming book releases.  Hop on over to Breaking the Spine to find out what everyone else is excited about.

I am addicted to T. R. Ragan’s Lizzy Gardner series, with its gutsy heroine.  I also love the setting in Sacramento, CA, where I lived for several years.  Evil Never Dies is Book #6 in the series.  Release  Date:  8/4/15.

 

 

 

Private investigator Lizzy Gardner believed in law and order once. But after losing a loved one to a killer and watching too many vicious predators game the system and walk free, she’s traded flawed justice for perfect vengeance.

Together with her tough and trusted assistants, Lizzy is tracking down a list of Sacramento’s worst offenders and dealing out the payback they deserve. But she may be lethally outmatched by a new criminal, a murderer the papers have dubbed the Sacramento Strangler. This ritualistic serial killer is dropping corpses and cryptic clues at a shocking rate—and he’s growing bolder and bloodier the longer he’s at large.

In the suspenseful finale to the Lizzy Gardner series, bestselling author T.R. Ragan’s gutsy heroine lashes out against the relentless onslaught of evil as she desperately fights to hang on to her own humanity.

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I still have some of the earlier books to finish, but I want to add this one as soon as possible.   What are you eagerly anticipating?

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FROM THE INTERIOR: WAITING ON “A WEEK AT THE LAKE”

Welcome to another Waiting on Wednesday, our special day for sharing upcoming book releases.  Hop on over to Breaking the Spine to find out what everyone else is excited about.

Today I am thrilled to share my anticipation for Wendy Wax’s upcoming release, A Week at the Lake, to be released on June 23, 2015.

 

 

 

 

Twenty years ago, Emma Michaels, Mackenzie Hayes, and Serena Stockton bonded over their New York City dreams. Then, each summer, they solidified their friendship by spending one week at the lake together, solving their problems over bottles of wine and gallons of ice cream. They kept the tradition for years, until jealousy, lies, and life’s disappointments made them drift apart.

It’s been five years since Emma has seen her friends, an absence designed to keep them from discovering a long-ago betrayal. Now she’s in desperate need of their support. The time has come to reveal her secrets—and hopefully rekindle their connection.

But when a terrible accident keeps Emma from saying her piece, Serena and Mackenzie begin to learn about the past on their own. Now, to heal their friendship and their broken lives, the three women will have to return to the lake that once united them, and discover which relationships are worth holding on to . . .

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I love this author’s work, and I can’t wait to find out about a new series of friends with their secrets and betrayals.  What are you sharing today?

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FROM THE INTERIOR: ANTICIPATING “WAIT FOR THE RAIN”

Welcome to another Waiting on Wednesday, our special day for sharing upcoming book releases.  Hop on over to Breaking the Spine to find out what everyone else is excited about.

I missed last Wednesday, so I am eager to check off one of the books on my list.  One of the eagerly anticipated upcoming releases.

In the past couple of years, I have discovered a fairly new author whose work I eagerly await.  Maria Murnane has given us such captivating titles as Cassidy Lane and Katwalk, among others.  So her newest offering, Wait for the Rain, immediately went on my list.  Coming on 2/24/15!

 

 

 

Daphne White is staring down the barrel of forty—and is distraught at what she sees. Her ex-husband is getting remarried, her teenage daughter hardly needs her anymore, and the career she once dreamed about has somehow slipped from her grasp. She’s almost lost sight of the spirited and optimistic young woman she used to be.

As she heads off to a Caribbean island to mark the new decade with her best friends from college, Daphne’s in anything but the mood to celebrate. But when she meets Clay Hanson, a much younger man, she ignores her inner voice warning her that she’s too old for a fling. In fact, this tropical getaway might be the perfect opportunity to picture her future in a new sun-drenched light.

With the help of her friends, Daphne rediscovers her enthusiasm for life, as well as her love for herself—and realizes that her best years are still ahead.

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I love the sound of this…and the title makes me think of blissful moments.  What do you have to share today?  Come on by and leave your comments and links.

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FROM THE INTERIOR: EAGERLY AWAITING “LILA”

Welcome to another Wednesday for sharing our eager anticipation of upcoming releases.  Check in over at Breaking the Spine, to see what everyone is excited about.

I am late to the party today, but I stumbled upon this book from a favorite author and had to join in:  Lila: A Novel, by Marilynne Robinson, is coming on October 7, 2014.

 

 

 

Blurb:  Marilynne Robinson, one of the greatest novelists of our time, returns to the town of Gilead in an unforgettable story of a girlhood lived on the fringes of society in fear, awe, and wonder.
Lila, homeless and alone after years of roaming the countryside, steps inside a small-town Iowa church—the only available shelter from the rain—and ignites a romance and a debate that will reshape her life. She becomes the wife of a minister, John Ames, and begins a new existence while trying to make sense of the life that preceded her newfound security.
Neglected as a toddler, Lila was rescued by Doll, a canny young drifter, and brought up by her in a hardscrabble childhood. Together they crafted a life on the run, living hand to mouth with nothing but their sisterly bond and a ragged blade to protect them. Despite bouts of petty violence and moments of desperation, their shared life was laced with moments of joy and love. When Lila arrives in Gilead, she struggles to reconcile the life of her makeshift family and their days of hardship with the gentle Christian worldview of her husband which paradoxically judges those she loves.
Revisiting the beloved characters and setting of Robinson’s Pulitzer Prize–winning Gilead and Home, a National Book Award finalist, Lila is a moving expression of the mysteries of existence that is destined to become an American classic.

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I am so excited about this new book from Robinson.  What are you excited about today?

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FROM THE INTERIOR: EAGERLY ANTICIPATING “THE CHILDREN ACT”

 

Welcome to another Wednesday for sharing our eager anticipation of upcoming releases.  Check in over at Breaking the Spine, to see what everyone is excited about.

Today I am celebrating the 9/9/14 release of Ian McEwan’s newest book, an emotionally wrenching novel, The Children Act.

 

 

 

 

Amazon Description:  Fiona Maye is a High Court judge in London presiding over cases in family court. She is fiercely intelligent, well respected, and deeply immersed in the nuances of her particular field of law. Often the outcome of a case seems simple from the outside, the course of action to ensure a child’s welfare obvious. But the law requires more rigor than mere pragmatism, and Fiona is expert in considering the sensitivities of culture and religion when handing down her verdicts.
But Fiona’s professional success belies domestic strife. Her husband, Jack, asks her to consider an open marriage and, after an argument, moves out of their house. His departure leaves her adrift, wondering whether it was not love she had lost so much as a modern form of respectability; whether it was not contempt and ostracism she really fears. She decides to throw herself into her work, especially a complex case involving a seventeen-year-old boy whose parents will not permit a lifesaving blood transfusion because it conflicts with their beliefs as Jehovah’s Witnesses. But Jack doesn’t leave her thoughts, and the pressure to resolve the case—as well as her crumbling marriage—tests Fiona in ways that will keep readers thoroughly enthralled until the last stunning page.

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I am a big fan of all books that spotlight families, and in this case, the balancing act of a family court judge against the intricacies of her own marriage woes is bound to draw me in.

Plus, it’s Ian McEwan, whose Atonement captured my interest throughout, with its reminders of themes of shame and forgiveness.

What are you eagerly anticipating? 

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HUMP DAY THOUGHTS FROM THE INTERIOR: WAITING FOR “THE ONE AND ONLY”

 

It’s that wonderful time again when we all gather together to share our eager anticipation for upcoming releases.  Check over at Breaking the Spine to see what everyone is excited about.

The One and Only, by Emily Giffin, is a story about love and loyalty, coming to readers on May 20.

 

 

In her eagerly awaited new novel, beloved New York Times bestselling author Emily Giffin returns with an extraordinary story of love and loyalty—and an unconventional heroine struggling to reconcile both.

Thirty-three-year-old Shea Rigsby has spent her entire life in Walker, Texas—a small college town that lives and dies by football, a passion she unabashedly shares. Raised alongside her best friend, Lucy, the daughter of Walker’s legendary head coach, Clive Carr, Shea was too devoted to her hometown team to leave. Instead she stayed in Walker for college, even taking a job in the university athletic department after graduation, where she has remained for more than a decade.

But when an unexpected tragedy strikes the tight-knit Walker community, Shea’s comfortable world is upended, and she begins to wonder if the life she’s chosen is really enough for her. As she finally gives up her safety net to set out on an unexpected path, Shea discovers unsettling truths about the people and things she has always trusted most—and is forced to confront her deepest desires, fears, and secrets.

Thoughtful, funny, and brilliantly observed, The One & Only is a luminous novel about finding your passion, following your heart, and, most of all, believing in something bigger than yourself . . . the one and only thing that truly makes life worth living.

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I love the sound of this one…I plan to savor it!  What are you waiting for?

 

 

 

 

FROM THE INTERIOR: AN EAGERLY ANTICIPATED BOOK – “ALL FALL DOWN”

It is that time again!  The moment when we share our eagerly anticipated reads.  Over at Breaking the Spine, you can see what others are sharing.

In a notebook, I keep a list of upcoming releases, and while checking online for the books on my list, I stumbled upon another one to add…and just had to share it today, as it is from a favorite author.  Jennifer Weiner’s upcoming release, All Fall Down, is coming on June 17, 2014.

Has your drinking or drug use become a problem?

Allison Weiss got her happy ending—a handsome husband, an adorable little girl, a job she loves, and a big house in the suburbs. But when she’s in the pediatrician’s office with her daughter and a magazine flips open to a quiz about addiction, she starts to wonder whether her use of prescription pills is becoming a problem. On the one hand, it’s just prescription medication, the stuff her doctors give her. Is a Percocet at the end of a hard day really different than a glass of wine? Is it such a bad thing to pop a Vicodin after a brutal Jump & Pump class…or after your husband ignores you?

Back in the car, with her daughter safely buckled behind her, Allison opens the Altoid tin in her purse and slips a chalky white oval underneath her tongue. The pill unties her knotted muscles, erases the grime and ugliness of the city, soothes her as she frets about the truth of her looking-good life: that her husband’s becoming distant, that her daughter is acting out, that her father’s early Alzheimer’s is worsening and her mother’s barely managing to cope. She tells herself that the pills let her make it through her days…but what if her ever-increasing drug use, a habit that’s becoming expensive and hard to hide, is turning into her biggest problem of all?

All Fall Down is the story of a woman’s slide into addiction and struggle to find her way back up again. With a sparkling comedic touch and tender, true-to-life characterizations, this tale of empowerment and redemption is Jennifer Weiner’s most poignant, timely, and triumphant story yet.

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I can’t wait for this one!  What are you dreaming about?