THOUGHTS ON THIS 'n THAT

  I'm sure there a few oenophiles out there who would just love having this book on their coffee table. This is Steven Kent Mirassou's story: Lineage: Life and Love and Six Generation in California Wine is my first book. I’ve spent much of the last 30 years thinking about what’s written here and many hours of the last year-and-a-half putting those thoughts on paper. Writers and winemakers have the same job, really. Each of them is desperate to communicate with someone else, to use words or grapes to tell a story and to forge an emotional connection. Lineage – the book, then, is my attempt to get at the heart…and to the heart. It is a book about one family’s history in the wine business and a history of my winegrowing region.   Mostly, though, it is a love letter to the glories of vineyards and cellars, to the craft of shepherding unruly nature into the bottomless beauty that is wine, and to all those here and gone who have lived and worked in the wine life. All about Steven Ken

It's the most wonderful time of the year and the holiday cheer seems to be arriving earlier and earlier! Mary Kay Andrews offers up some comfort, support and small town secrets in her novel, THE SANTA SUIT (StMartinsPress). Ivy Perkins is looking for a fresh start after her divorce. She wants to change her life, so she packs everything up in her home and buys a farmhouse sight unseen. She has no idea how much work it's going to take to make The Four Roses, as the farmhouse is known livable. While going through cabinets and closets she comes across a beautiful Santa suit with a handwritten note by a child in a pocket. The note shares the child's one Christmas wish, that her father comes home from the war. Ivy is determined to find out who wrote the note, did dad come home and what other mysteries there are at The Four Roses. If you're looking for a fast, fun read to get you in the holiday mood, grab a cuppa cocoa and snuggle up with THE SANTA SUIT! MARY KAY ANDREWS  is t

  Bestselling author, Peter Heller is out with another thrilling novel, THE GUIDE (Knopf). Readers will recognize Jack from Heller's previous novel, THE RIVER, and Covid19 continues to push those who can afford it out into the great outdoors. What could be better than this? It's Jack's go to phrase that helps soothe some of the awful loss which has filled his young life. He hopes to find time for reflection when he's hired as a fishing guide for rich people at The Kingfisher Lodge, known by locals as "Billionaires Mile." It's located in a remote area of Colorado and known for its pristine river and fly fishing. It boasts privacy and distance from the virus. Jack quickly forms a close relationship with his client, Alison K. - a well known singer. But nefarious things start happening and it doesn't take long for Jack and Alison to realize something's not quite right at the ranch.    THE GUIDE is as beautifully written as it's terrifying. I've

  Let me start by saying I absolutely loved reading, CATCH US WHEN WE FALL (WilliamMorrow) by Juliette Fay. It has everything a reader can hope for in a novel. It's an interesting compelling story with really developed characters and it touches on a subject that many readers have been impacted by. Eighteen year old Cass Macklin and Ben McGreavy partied their way through their twenties. They were drunk most of the decade. Cass wakes up one morning to find Ben dead and she's broke, homeless, frightened and pregnant. Cass having lost her mother to alcohol poisoning is determined to get sober and have this baby. But she has no family, friends, money, skills or hope. In desperation she turns to Ben's brother, Scott, Red Sox third baseman who has watched them struggle for the past decade. He has a temper, problems of his own and he begs her to have an abortion, but she refuses. He sends her to rehab and when she returns, they make a deal neither one is sure they can live up to. C

  In this sequel to Valerie Taylor's novel,  What’s Not Said (SheWritesPress) , with the court date set for her divorce and her future plans over, Kassie shifts attention to reviving her stalled marketing career.  There's only one problem. A woman from her husband’s past has other ideas. WHAT'S NOT TRUE (SheWritesPress) picks up with Cassie's story. In the ensuing battle to protect what’s legally and rightfully hers, Kassie discovers that sometimes it’s what’s  not   true that can set you free. Valerie Taylor's juicy sequel is filled with steamy love scenes, infidelity, secrets, lies and quick smart dialogue. It's just the kind of story that'll keep you flipping pages to the very end. You don't have to read WHAT'S NOT SAID to read WHAT'S NOT TRUE. It'd be better if you did, but either way it's going to keep you on the edge.   WHAT'S NOT TRUE includes a playlist and questions for book club groups. It'll be published next Thursday.

  In the spirit of John Le Carre, Thornton brings to life the remarkable true story of a spy who worked for both Russia and the United States in the 1940s and 50s. Bentley is often credited with starting America’s Communist Red Scare, and for naming hundreds of American Communists as traitors to the state―including Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, the infamous American couple sentenced to death for treason.   Decades after Bentley’s death, Thornton’s   A MOST   CLEVER GIRL   (Berkley Trade Paperback) is the first historical novel to tell her story, exposing the ruthlessness of her Russian counterparts and the intense pressures she faced at every turn, ultimately illuminating the enormous emotional and psychological toll that she paid for her work.   Some of Bentley’s male counterparts provided similar espionage and informant work, and were awarded high honors for their service by the American government. But Bentley’s story has largely been pushed under the rug. The truth of her court testi

In Cai Emmons' popular novel, WEATHER WOMAN, Bronwyn Artair drops out of her prestigious doctoral program in Atmospheric Sciences at MIT to take a job as a television meteorologist in New Hampshire. It's there that she learns she has the power to control the weather. Bronwyn's story continues in the recently published sequel, SINKING ISLANDS (RedHenPress). Bronwyn's notoriety has forced her into hiding with her boyfriend on a remote island off the coast of Seattle. It's a time for her to reflect on the results of her actions and the ethics of changing the world herself. Inspired by the chance that she may be able to teach others, she gathers a group of like-minded people at a camp in Northern New Hampshire. It's there that the group works to understand Bronwyn's connection to the natural earth and learn if they can activate their own powers. Sinking Islands is  an timely enjoyable read that focuses on our current concerns about climate change. Bronwyn is a s

It's 1967. Janet Luongo is a white seventeen year-old. Her dreams of going to college are dimmed by her family's neglect and lack of interest. Her mother believes "without men, women are nothing," a belief Janet doesn't embrace. In her memoir, REBELLION, 1967 (SheWritesPress) Janet Luongo finds her community in a very unlikely place. Janet first wonders who is she? A difficult, rebellious, bookworm, creative artist, dependent daughter and independent woman. She dreams of being something bigger than herself and this leads her to Freedom House - a hang-out for politically active black people. In a society that frowns upon whites and blacks interacting, Janet embraces the teachings of her upbringing in the Unitarian Universalist seekers of truth. Janet Luongo's memoir is one year out of her life in which she explores racial injustice, troubled teenagers and artists at risk. Not much has changed. It could be today. Compelling characters, complex relationships and

  Two best friends say "I do" to living together, for better or worse, in this bold women's fiction novel from Alexa Martin. Jude Andrews is famous. Well, at least on Instagram. Her brand is clean eating, good vibes, Pilates, and casually looking like a sun-kissed goddess. In real life, however, she’s a total disaster. She has a strained relationship with her fame-hungry mom and her latest bad decision emptied out her entire savings account. Lauren Turner had a plan: graduate medical school and become the top surgeon in the country. But when she became unexpectedly pregnant, those plans changed. And when her fiancé left her, they changed again. Now navigating the new world of coparenting, mom groups, and dating, she decides to launch a mommy podcast with all the advice she wishes someone had given her. Jude and Lauren don't have much in common, but maybe that's why they've been best friends since the third grade. Through ups and downs, they've been by each

  Award winning investigative reporter, Hank Phillippi Ryan takes readers inside the television news business in her new suspenseful novel, HER PERFECT LIFE (ForgePublicity). Superstar, Boston reporter, Lily Atwood has it all - fame, money, Emmys, an adorable seven-year old daughter and her own hashtag "PerfectLily" on instagram. And while viewers only see perfection, Lily hides a few secrets that threaten to destroy her world. Lily starts communicating with an anonymous source, who feeds her big stories. But eventually, her source lets Lily know he's has knowledge of her secrets. HER PERFECT LIFE is a fast-paced thriller. Just when you think you might know what is going on, the novel takes a different twist. The novel alternates between all the characters, even changing time lines. Stay focused while reading HER PERFECT LIFE. If you don't, you might find yourself wondering, "Huh?" Hank Phillippi Ryan is the  USA Today   bestselling author of 13 thrillers, w

  I'm just back from vacation and I have a long list of winners to tell you about. I mailed the packages yesterday, so expect to start receiving your books shortly. FYI: Please remember to post a picture of you holding your book on Facebook:BluePointPress when it arrives. Winners include: Sharon OD., Lisa M., Phyllis E., Josephine KH., Dianne KC., Penny S., Licha H., Diane S., Melissa FG., Kimberly E., Sylvia CB., Kayla G.  

  Heather Frimmer's new novel, BETTER TO TRUST (Wyatt-MacKenziePublishing) asks the question when is trust violated, can it ever be recovered? Alison Jacobs needs brain surgery and puts all her trust in her world renowned neurosurgeon brother-in-law, Grant. But Grant is hiding secrets that threaten his ability to operate. Grant's wife and sister-in-law, Cynthia is estranged from Alison and choosing to ignore the obvious about her husband. Grant and Cynthia's daughter, Sadie finds herself being kept out of family issues and makes a new friend, while making choices that could endanger her whole family. Told in alternating chapters between the various characters, we find ourselves as readers  being immersed into the family dynamics. Although all the characters are seriously flawed, I found myself hoping for the best. The pulling apart of a family by secrets is at the heart of BETTER TO TRUST. It takes a while to get there, but trust is something everyone in the family strives