THOUGHTS ON THIS 'n THAT

  A DRESS the COLOR of the MOON (GlassSpiderPublishing) is the sequel in a series by author, Jennifer Irwin. In the first novel, A Dress the Color of the Sky, Prudence Aldrich's marriage implodes when her sex addiction leads to a divorce from her soon-to-be-ex husband, Nick. She finds herself checking into the Serenity Hills rehab center. In A DRESS THE COLOR of the MOON, Prudence is leaving Serenity Hills after five weeks at the rehab center. Five weeks may sound like significant amount of time, but Prudence knows staying sober isn't going to magically happen. She's faced her demons in rehab and now struggles to get control over her life and daily difficulties. I immediately connected to Jennifer's novel. I too, have faced many of life's challenges and have worked hard to move forward. It's not easy. One day at a time. Jennifer Irwin’s debut novel,  A Dress the Color of the Sky , was published in 2017 and has received rave reviews, won seven book awards, and wa...

  An uplifting novel about a heartbroken young pie maker who is granted a magical second chance to live the life she didn’t choose. Rachel Linden's new novel, THE MAGIC of LEMON DROP PIE (Berkley) is a heartwarming that'll warm your heart from the very first page.   Lolly Blanchard's life only seems to give her lemons. Ten years ago, after her mother’s tragic death, she broke up with her first love and abandoned her dream of opening a restaurant in order to keep her family’s struggling Seattle diner afloat and care for her younger sister and grieving father. Now, a decade later, she dutifully whips up the diner’s famous lemon meringue pies each morning while still pining for all she's lost.     As Lolly’s thirty-third birthday approaches, her quirky great-aunt gives her a mysterious gift—three lemon drops, each of which allows her to live a single day in a life that might have been hers. What if her mom hadn’t passed away? What if she had ope...

  Before even telling you how much I enjoyed your second novel, KISMET (Thomas&Mercer), let me share with Amina Akhtar, how I'm addicted to THE CUT, the blog you created in New York magazine. It has everything: fashion, celebrities, food, beauty, shopping, everything. Now on to your novel, KISMET which USA TODAY calls a "sizzling summer book." Lifelong New Yorker Ronnie Khan never thought she’d leave Queens. She’s not an “aim high, dream big” person―until she meets socialite wellness guru Marley Dewhurst. Marley isn’t just a visionary; she’s a revelation. Seduced by the fever dream of finding her best self, Ronnie makes for the desert mountains of Sedona, Arizona. Healing yoga, transcendent hikes, epic juice cleanses…Ronnie consumes her new bougie existence like a fine wine. But is it, really? Or is this whole self-care business a little sour? When the glam gurus around town start turning up gruesomely murdered, Ronnie has her answer: all is not well in wellness town....

  There's the current wife, the ex-wife and the work wife. Alison B. Hart's new novel, THE WORK WIFE (GraydonHouse) focuses on the lives of three women all connected to Hollywood mogul, Ted Stabler and his wife, Holly. THE WORK WIFE takes readers inside the Hollywood event of the season. Anyone who is anybody will be there. THE WORK WIFE is about female ambition, complicity, privilege and how some of the brightest stars don't get their chance to shine. Zanne Klein is assistant to Stabler and oversees the studio and mansion compound. She didn't plan on becoming married to her job, but at thirty-eight that's exactly what she is. Her life is all about the job and the six-figure salary she makes.  Phoebe Lee is Stabler's ex-wife who helped make him the success and media mogul he is. But in the end, she didn't get any credit and when they divorced, she was blacklisted from making her own films. Holly Stabler is Ted's current wife who is sick of the sexism and...

  I always like to point out that the word D-O-G is GOD spelled backwards. Whether or not you believe in God, you can't help but agree dogs are loving, smart, kind and devoted to their human friends. Maureen Maurer introduces us to some dogs who have had miraculous effects on those in need of some TLC in her book, WONDER DOGS (Revell). After a devastating diagnosis at the age of 39, Maureen Maurer was given a second chance at life. Giving up her successful career as a CPA, she took a leap of faith to pursue her childhood dream: teaching dogs to help people with disabilities. She founded two nonprofit organizations, Assistance Dogs of Hawaii and Assistance Dogs Northwest, and unleashed the potential dogs have to help people with special needs. In WONDER DOGS (Revell)  Maureen shares her story of discovering God's true purpose for her life and the amazing adventure that followed. She also tells the triumphant stories of her beloved dogs and their inspiring partners as ...

      Whether we like to talk about it or not, mental illness affects many of us and our families. You or someone you know, may have an addiction, anxiety, depression or they cut themselves.  Caitlin Billings thought she could neatly walk away from her past. But it's true, wherever you go, you bring yourself along. Billings memoir,  IN OUR BLOOD  (SheWritesPress) will pierce you to your core. After finding support in her adoptive father and overcoming an eating disorder in college, she thought she had worked through her own pain enough to provide support for others. In her work as a mental health professional and role as a mother, she felt tremendous pressure to be perfect and present stability. But a hold-up at gunpoint breaks her carefully balanced world apart. Suddenly, Caitlin is trapped by frightening mental health issues while raising two young children, and just when she feels in control of her newfound bipolar disorder, her daughter shows similar de...

Okay, so let's just get it out of the way, Zibby Owens comes from privilege and overwhelming wealth that most of us can't relate to. But Zibby Owens is a woman who has experienced deep love, excruciating loss and books have been by her side and her saving grace. Her memoir, BOOKENDS (LittleA) is her personal journey starting at childhood up until now, a wife and mother of four. I've known Libby for some time and I'm grateful for her sharing her honest, intelligent coming of age story. During the pandemic, I participated in her zoom book-clubs and listened to her podcasts. She was a refreshing, positive voice during a very difficult time for many of us. She introduced us to books and authors, while facing her own challenges behind the scenes. I can relate to having social anxiety and depression and thank her for putting her personal experience out there for all to read and know. It takes courage to share suffering from these diseases which still carry societal stigma. I...

  I recently finished debut author, Connor Habib's novel, HAWK MOUNTAIN (WWNorton&Co.) and all I can say is prepare to be totally creeped out. Since you're reading this, you're probably a grownup. Looking back over your childhood and years in school did you ever make an enemy? Sure, we all did. But how many of us never forgot, even as we became adults? In HAWK MOUNTAIN, childhood enemies meet up fifteen later and it seems someone hasn't forgotten how he was slighted.  An English teacher is gaslit by his charismatic high school bully in this tense story of deception, manipulation, and murder.  Single father Todd is relaxing at the beach with his son, Anthony, when he catches sight of a man approaching from the water’s edge. As the man draws closer, Todd recognizes him as Jack, who bullied Todd relentlessly in their teenage years but now seems overjoyed to have “run into” his old friend. Jack suggests a meal to catch up. And can he spend the night? What follows is a f...

  Author Alex Kiester, digs deep into the mental state of postpartum emotions in her novel, THE TRUTH ABOUT BEN AND JUNE (ParkRowBooks). It's hard to believe this is a debut novel when you read Kiester's insightful narrative about the highs and lows of marriage and parenthood without any judgement. June and Ben are deeply in love. June is a ballet dancer with a prestigious company and Ben is a lawyer. Shortly after getting married, they find out they're pregnant. They give up the city for white picket fences in the suburbs. This all happens despite the fact they haven't discussed what they want from their marriage. It's just assumed June will put her career aside and stay at home, while Ben works 80 hour weeks at the firm to keep them in a wealthy lifestyle. They've lost each other, but don't realize it until something devastating happens. THE TRUTH ABOUT BEN AND JUNE explores marriage and how a woman struggles to keep her own identity while a man faces soci...

  As a youngster growing up on Long Island, during spring and summer months my family would drive the hour and a half out east to visit The Hamptons – particularly Southampton. We’d drive around town, maybe take a walk and then get some ice-cream. But we knew behind those tall hedges, keeping us from sneaking a peek, were grand mansions dating back to when the Pilgrims landed in the New Land. Southampton has always been the summer destination for wealthy New York City WASPs (White Anglo Saxton Protestants).   In her new novel, ON GIN LANE (GalleryBooks), Brooke Lea Foster whisks readers off to those sparkling beaches and behind those tall hedges. It’s the summer of 1957 and Everleigh “Lee” Farrows thinks she has everything a girl could want. She has a handsome fiancé, a trust, a home in exclusive Bronxville for when she gets married and her Nikon S2. Her fiance, Roland gives Lee a surprise - a brand new hotel in her name, but not all of Southampton, including Lee is thrill...