Book Nerds Across America

Monday, January 30, 2023

BOOKS I AM WAITING PATIENTLY FOR

It's a new year, and that means for all of us 12 months of new books to look forward to! I have been prowling through list after list to see what is coming out in the next few months and have compiled my own list of a few books I am wanting to add to my shelf...

SPARE BY PRINCE HARRY

Hardcover, 416 pages

Expected publication: January 10th 2023 by Random House

THIS IS THE BOOK I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR. Im a staunch royalist, so you can imagine my opinion on him and his wife. In the beginning I was so excited about them, how they would be such an assest to the Royal Family...now I think they need to shut up.

Spare is a landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.

GLITTERLAND BY ALEXIS HALL

Paperback

Expected publication: January 17th 2023 by Sourcebooks Casablanca

I loved both of the Boyfriend Material books and am anxious to read this one. It is a reprint of an older book of theirs but all the reviews look great...and it sounds fantastic

Once the golden boy of the English literary scene, now a clinically depressed writer of pulp crime fiction, Ash Winters has given up on hope, happiness, and―most of all―himself. He lives his life between the cycles of his illness, haunted by the ghosts of other people's expectations.

Then a chance encounter throws him into the path of Essex-born Darian Taylor. Flashy and loud, radiant and full of life, Darian couldn't be more different...and yet he makes Ash laugh, reminding him of what it's like to step beyond the boundaries of his anxiety. But Ash has been living in his own shadow for so long that he can no longer see a way out. Can a man who doesn't trust himself ever trust in happiness? And how can someone who doesn't believe in happiness ever fight for his own?

MAAME BY JESSICA GEORGE

Hardcover, 320 pages

Expected publication: January 31st 2023 by St. Martin's Press

I actually have a copy of this and it is next on my list to read. I love a good family drama story.

Maame is not only a coming of age story, but it's so much more. The underlying themes the author touched on in this story include grief, racism, the unfair burdens society places on women, and dating in today's modern society. Maame also includes mental illness and lgbtqa representation. Maame is at times humorous, beautiful and at others times heartbreaking.

THE LAST TALE OF THE FLOWER BRIDE BY ROSHANI CHOKSHI

Hardcover, 304 pages

Expected publication: February 14th 2023 by William Morrow & Company

I will read anything that says it is Gothic...most the time I am disappointed, but I can't risk the chance of finding a great story!

Combining the lush, haunting atmosphere of Mexican Gothic with the dreamy enchantment of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a spellbinding and darkly romantic page-turner about love and lies, secrets and betrayal, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive.

WHAT HAVE WE DONE- ALEX FINLAY

Hardcover, 368 pages

Expected publication: March 7th 2023 by Minotaur Books

I have been a fan of Alex Finlay's since his first book Every Last Fear, and I have made him an auto-buy without even realizing it.

Twenty-five years ago, Jenna, Donnie, and Nico were the best of friends, a bond forged as residents of Savior House, an abusive group home for parentless teens. When the home was shut down—after the disappearance of several kids—the three were split up.

Though the trauma of their childhood has never left them, each went on to live successfully, if troubled, lives. They haven’t seen one another since they were teens but now are reunited for a single haunting reason: someone is trying to kill them.

To save their lives, the group will have to revisit the nightmares of their childhoods and confront their past—a past that holds the secret to why someone wants them dead.

It’s a reunion none of them asked for... or wanted. But it may be the only way to save all their lives.

WEYWARD BY EMILIA HART

Hardcover, 336 pages

Expected publication: March 7th 2023 by St. Martin's Press

The Cover alone on this made me want to buy it...But then I read it had witches

In 2019, Kate fled an abusive relationship in London for Crows Beck, a remote Cumbrian village. Her destination is Weyward Cottage, inherited from her great Aunt Violet, an eccentric entomologist.

As Kate struggles with the trauma of her past, she uncovers a secret about the women in her family. A secret dating back to 1619, when her ancestor Altha Weyward was put on trial for witchcraft…

400 pages, Hardcover

March 14, 2023 by Dial Press

Sounds like we might be getting another heartbreaking, moving, novel from the writer of Dear Edward

Vibrating with tenderness, Hello Beautiful is a gorgeous, profoundly moving portrait of what's possible when we choose to love someone not in spite of who they are, but because of it.

400 pages, Hardcover

April 25, 2023 by Berkley

I can be disappointed or absolutely in love with an Emily Henry book, but I always pick them up!

A couple who broke up months ago make a pact to pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends

336 pages, Paperback

May 2, 2023 by Viking

I absolultely loved Every Summer After, infact it was in the top 5 books of last year so I am hoping this book will be equally good

A random connection sends two strangers on a daylong adventure where they make a promise one keeps and the other breaks, with life-changing effects

416 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication May 16, 2023

It isnt a want list unless it includes a book by these two authors.

Sparks fly when a romance novelist and a documentary filmmaker join forces to craft the perfect Hollywood love story and take both of their careers to the next level—but only if they can keep the chemistry between them from taking the whole thing off script.

368 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication June 20, 2023

I know, I tell everyone I am not sure if I like Riley Sager, yet once again I feel the urge to read one. Maybe so I can bitch about something for a week or two when I am finished with it?

A Gothic chiller about a young caregiver assigned to work for a woman accused of a Lizzie Borden-like massacre decades earlier.

384 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication July 25, 2023

This just seemed like a fun little book to read, and occasionall I need one of those

Never Have I Ever meets The X-Files in Amanda Quain's Ghosted, a gender-bent contemporary retelling of the Jane Austen classic, Northanger Abbey.

Are any of these books on your want list? Or do you have one not on this list you are waiting patiently for?

XO--TEE

Tuesday, January 3, 2023

Book Review : Drinking Games by Sarah Levy

GOODREADS SUMMARY:

Drinking Games explores the role alcohol has in our formative adult lives, and what it means to opt-out of a culture completely enmeshed in drinking. Sarah explores what our short-term choices about alcohol do to our long-term selves and how it challenges our ability to be vulnerable enough to discover what we really want in life. While many millennial women will see themselves in Sarah's words and story, Drinking Games is dedicated to anyone who feels like their private struggles are terminally unique. Whether it’s alcohol, food, exercise, or work, so many of us are grasping for control and struggling to keep our heads above water.

Candid, dynamic, Drinking Games speaks to the millennial experience of working hard, playing harder, and wanting everything to look perfect on social media. Dedicated to those who might be questioning their relationship with alcohol but scared that quitting drinking is an ending, Drinking Games illustrates how, for one woman, sobriety was just the beginning of the story. Sarah's words strike the perfect chord of relatability and biting honesty. Instead of claiming to have the answers, she takes readers by the hand throughout her journey and shows us that life's messiest moments are the ones that can end up being the most profound.

TEE'S THOUGHTS:

Author Sarah Levy shares her struggles with alcohol abuse in her new memoir Drinking Games. She gives readers an honest look at her navigation from being a person who abuses alcohol to becoming sober, and how it is absolutely, despite what many people think, possible to have fun without a drink in your life.

Her stories are relatable to anyone who has also struggled through becoming clean and also to those who may have just overindulged at times, or if the reader has known someone also going through the process of cleaning up. But the book is not all despair, she writes with humor, which I think we all need when we are struggling through something.

I found Drinking Games to be a heartfelt story of a young woman who not only struggled with drinking but also other things like body image issues, and you know, real things. I applaud Sarah Levy for both overcoming her drinking with dignity but also being brave enough to share the struggle with the world.

***Thank you to Macmillian Audio for the advance listen

Drinking Games was published today January 3rd, 2023

Monday, January 2, 2023

Book Review: No Accident by Laura Bates

GOODREADS SUMMARY:

No matter how you try to hide it, the truth will always come out . . .

When a small plane crash ends with a group of seven teens washed up on a deserted island, their first thought is survival. With supplies dwindling and the fear of being stranded forever becoming more of a reality, they quickly discover that being the most popular kid in high school doesn't help when you're fighting to stay alive.

And when strange and terrifying accidents start to occur all around them, the group realizes that they are being targeted by someone who was on the plane and that the island isn't their only danger. A terrible secret from a party the night before the flight has followed them ashore--and it's clear that someone is looking for justice. Now survival depends on facing the truth about that party: who was hurt that night, and who let it happen?

TEE'S THOUGHTS:

I had visions of Lord Of The Flies when I read the summary that seven teenagers were stranded on an island after a plane crash, but let's face it, nothing can quite compare to that book.

The first part of the book focuses on their will to survive, but it soon turns into a mystery as accidents begin to happen and a mystery unfolds.

The story is told to us by Haley, who is more of a storyteller slash observer than an actual character in the events of the story.

The story has a big build-up throughout most of the first half. This helps propel you through the pages and makes the book a very quick read. You feel the anticipation of something coming, however, even with all the build-up I found the ending to be a bit rushed and would have liked it to play out a bit more.

I had mixed feelings about the book, I felt it was very predictable and the characters were all a bit cliche. There were several triggering aspects to the story, such as rape and toxic male behavior, so if you are bothered by that kind of thing, use caution while reading. I do think the author used the book as a platform for getting a point across about several important issues, and at times I felt preached at, but for the most part, I think she did a good job.

I won't lie, I read this quickly, and there were parts I enjoyed and parts I just forced my way through, but all in all, it was pretty good.

** THANK YOU NET GALLEY FOR THE ADVANCE COPY

NO ACCIDENT BY LAURA BATES WAS PUBLISHED DECEMBER 6, 2022

Monday, December 12, 2022

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

Jacque's Review:

I actually watched the Netflix series when it was first released and decided to read the books before watching the second season. This is a must read for anyone who enjoys the series. The series followed along pretty closely with the book, but there is more detail in the book, which is almost always the case.

Each book in the series focuses on one of the Bridgerton siblings. This installment is about Daphne, who is the oldest daughter in the family, but the fourth of eight siblings. It is time for her to enter society and find a husband, but she has very little interest in the process and suitors have very little interest in her. With three overly protective older brothers, who are friends with most of the eligible bachelors, her prospects look bleak.

The Duke of Hastings is one of Anthony Bridgerton's closest friends and is considered the prize of the season, but he too wants nothing to do with marriage. All of the mothers are forcing their daughter on him, so he decides to talk Daphne into pretending they are courting. They agree that it could be a win win. It would increase the interest in Daphne while keeping the ladies and their mothers at bay.

One of the highlights of the book for me was the mystery behind Lady Whistledown. She publishes a gossip paper about all of society's elite and seems to have insider knowledge and first hand accounts that very few people would have access to. She was revealed at the end of the first season on Netflix, so I was scouring for clues from the very beginning of the book to see if it was revealed at any point. I do not think anyone could have uncovered the mystery until it was revealed to readers, so it is not surprising that the characters are still in the dark.

This is a highly entertaining and humorous love story that was a quick read for me. I am excited to learn more about the rest of the Bridgerton's as the series continues. They are a close knit family with some very unique personalities. Anthony, who is the oldest son and head of the house, will be the focus of the next book. He really does not seem like the type who is ready to settle down, so I can't wait to see who he will choose as a potential wife.

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

BOOK REVIEW: THE LINDBERGH NANNY BY MARIAH FREDERICKS

GOODREADS SUMMARY:

When the most famous toddler in America, Charles Lindbergh, Jr., is kidnapped from his family home in New Jersey in 1932, the case makes international headlines. Already celebrated for his flight across the Atlantic, his father, Charles, Sr., is the country’s golden boy, with his wealthy, lovely wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, by his side. But there’s someone else in their household—Betty Gow, a formerly obscure young woman, now known around the world by another name: the Lindbergh Nanny.

A Scottish immigrant deciphering the rules of her new homeland and its East Coast elite, Betty finds Colonel Lindbergh eccentric and often odd, Mrs. Lindbergh kind yet nervous, and Charlie simply a darling. Far from home and bruised from a love affair gone horribly wrong, Betty finds comfort in caring for the child, and warms to the attentions of handsome sailor Henrik, sometimes known as Red. Then, Charlie disappears.

Suddenly a suspect in the eyes of both the media and the public, Betty must find the truth about what really happened that night, in order to clear her own name—and to find justice for the child she loves.

TEE'S THOUGHTS:

The Lindbergh Nanny is a well-researched fictional account of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping. Told from the point of Nanny Betty, it takes us through the days that lead up to the kidnapping, during the kidnapping, and after it throughout the trail.

There are plenty of secrets that add to the mystery of the kidnapping, not to mention the heartbreak of losing a child to a kidnapping. I feel most of the heartache belonged to the people who cared for the child and were around him, and that was the staff. Not only in this story, but in others I have read that took place during this time period, it seemed like a normal thing for wealthy parents to rarely see their children and leave the upbringing to the Nanny and the rest of the staff. I am not denying the parent's heartbreak at the loss of their child, I just imagined it had a more profound effect on those that saw him more closely.

It does read extraordinarily well, and there were many times I had to bring myself back to the fact that this was a work of fiction, with a bit of truth woven in, the lines blur many times. The Nanny, Betty, is based on the real Nurse Nanny that took care of baby Charlie, so in a way, this is her story as much as a story of the kidnapping. The writer is fantastic at helping us feel her pain, heartache, and the extreme amount of guilt she had when the baby was taken on her watch. We also get her opinion on who the kidnapper was.

Well written, and an interesting take on a historical moment in time. It did not matter that I knew a bit about the real kidnapping, that I knew how it ended up, it was still a great read. The author also includes notes for us at the end of the story that helps with what is real in the story and what has been added. This book is wonderful for any historical fiction fan, or lover of history and I would even include True Crime lovers.

Sunday, October 30, 2022

Book Review: Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison

GOODREADS SUMMARY:

A pasture of dead trees. A hostile takeover of the Santa barn by a family of raccoons. And shipments that have mysteriously gone missing. Lovelight Farms is not the magical winter wonderland of Stella Bloom’s dreams.

In an effort to save the Christmas tree farm she’s loved since she was a kid, she enters a contest with instafamous influencer Evelyn St. James. With the added publicity and the $100,000 cash prize, she might just be able to save the farm from its financial woes. There’s just one problem. To make the farm seem like a romantic destination for the holidays, she lied on the application and said she owns Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend. Only … there is no boyfriend.

Enter best friend Luka Peters. He just came home for some hot chocolate, and somehow got a farm and a serious girlfriend in the process.

TEE'S THOUGHTS:

Bring on the holiday reads!

This book had several pluses telling me to read it...

* Christmas Story

I love Christmas stories, it doesn't matter the genre...Thriller/Murder...make it happen on Christmas....Romance... want snow, hot cocoa and a

Hallmark movie feel

* Friends to Lovers

One of my favorite tropes and my own marriage is proof that it can happen

* Fake Dating

The only thing I like better than friends hooking up is people faking it...I love the bits of tension it can add to the story

B.K. Borison didn't fail me on any of the above with Lovelight Farms.

Stella Bloom has a struggling Christmas tree farm that she is trying to save by entering a contest. She wants her farm to appear romantic so she enlists Luka Peters, her long-time best friend to pose as her long-time boyfriend and business partner.

I really enjoyed Stella and Luca, both were enjoyable to read about and so darn cute together. Stella's long-time ( I feel like I am using this word ALOT ) crush on Luca, makes some cute and funny reading.

The story is a bit of a slow-burn romance, mostly because neither Stella nor Luca seems to think the other isn't capable of actually liking the other, along with the fact that each of them might be a bit worried about how this will affect their friendship.

But OH BOY is there chemistry between these two. I guess each had years of it building that tension up. The author gives us some pretty steamy " fake " makeout sessions, that might make some of you blush.

I also really enjoyed the secondary characters of Layla and Beckett, especially Beckett with his grumpiness. Since Lovelight Farms is the first in a new series, I am hoping Borison will focus the next book on the two of them, they definitely have an interesting story.

Seriously y'all, Lovelight Farms is cute, funny, heartwarming, and sexy, so if you are a fan of Christmas Romances this one will have you smiling.

Thursday, October 20, 2022

Miami Book Fair 2022 Most Anticipated!

It's that time of the year again! The Miami Book Fair will be here in just a few weeks, and I couldn't be more excited. My friends and I are already planning out our schedules, because, yes, we are those people. Anyway, I thought as I'm putting together my list that I could share with you some of my most anticipated.

First, here's the general info about the Fair:

What- 39th Miami Book Fair 2022

When - Sunday- Sunday, Nov. 13-20, 2022 (Evenings With Nov. 13-18; Weekend Street Fair and Author Conversations Fri-Sun, Nov. 18-20)

Where - Miami Dade College, Wolfson Campus, downtown Miami

Parking - Free parking at Building 7 Garage, located between NE 1 & 2 Avenues, and between 5 & 6th Street

Access to Metro Rail, and Metro Mover

Tickets - $8 for general admission//adults; $5 for 13-18 & seniors 62+, FREE for those 12 and under

Info - miamibookfair.com

And now onto the list! My good friend Aurora Dominguez is moderating this panel, which I think will be awesome:

“I Will Survive: Deadly Curses, Deadly Games”: Melissa Albert, Alex Aster, S. Isabelle

Melissa Albert‘s Our Crooked Hearts reveals a string of increasingly eerie events surrounding a girl and her enigmatic mother, forcing her to question if she’s going to escape the supernatural forces that have come back to haunt them both. In Lightlark by Alex Aster, an island appears every 100 years to host a deadly game that only the rulers of six realms are invited to play, offering one final chance to break centurieslong curses…even as love complicates everything. In The Witchery by S. Isabelle, humans and witches must work together to survive the yearly onslaught of Wolves, even as old dangers lie in wait. Moderated by writer and educator Aurora Dominguez. Grades 9-12

Then there's this one -- I just finished Be Dazzled by Ryan and I adored it! I'm also currently reading Here to Stay by Sara Farizan and really enjoying it.

“Disturbia”: Sara Farizan, Lamar Giles, Tiffany D. Jackson & Ryan La Sala

In Sara Farizan‘s Dead Flip, it’s 1992, and two 17-year-old ex-best friends must solve the mystery of their third friend’s disappearance when he returns – and he’s still 12 years old. The Getaway by Lamar Giles follows Jay and his crew, employees trapped in a theme park that turns out to be an end-of-the-world oasis for the world’s richest and most powerful families – how far will they go to find out the truth and save themselves? Tiffany D. Jackson tackles America’s history and legacy of racism in The Weight of Blood, in which a Georgia high school hosts its first integrated prom, and not everyone survives the night. And in Ryan La Sala‘s The Honeys, Mars attends a prestigious summer retreat in place of his dead twin, only to discover something is hunting him, toying with his mind, and if he can’t find it soon, it will eat him alive. Moderating is Dr. Precious Symonette, M-DCPS educator and CEO of the Florida Freedom Writers Foundation. Grades 9 – 12

I read We Were Liars close to 10 years ago, and I still remember the feeling I had when I read the ending. That twist had me shook! I'm excited to hear E. Lockhart speak about it and her new one set in that world, Family of Liars.

E. Lockhart on Family of Liars: The Prequel to We Were Liars: Young Adult Fiction

Family of Liars: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart is the story of another summer, another generation – and the secrets that will haunt them for decades to come. A windswept private island off the coast of Massachusetts. A hungry ocean, churning with secrets and sorrow. A fiery, addicted heiress. An irresistible, unpredictable boy. A summer of unforgivable betrayal and terrible mistakes. Welcome back to the Sinclair family. They were always liars. Grades 9-12

These are just a few of some of the great panels. I can't wait! Will I see you there?

Monday, September 12, 2022

Audio Review: The Lost Girls Of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman

GOODREADS SUMMARY:

Sage Winters always knew her sister was a little different even though they were identical twins. They loved the same things and shared a deep understanding, but Rosemary—awake to every emotion, easily moved to joy or tears—seemed to need more protection from the world.

Six years after Rosemary’s death from pneumonia, Sage, now sixteen, still misses her deeply. Their mother perished in a car crash, and Sage’s stepfather, Alan, resents being burdened by a responsibility he never wanted. Yet despite living as near strangers in their Staten Island apartment, Sage is stunned to discover that Alan has kept a shocking secret: Rosemary didn’t die. She was committed to Willowbrook State School and has lingered there until just a few days ago, when she went missing.

Sage knows little about Willowbrook. It’s always been a place shrouded by rumor and mystery. A place local parents threaten to send misbehaving kids. With no idea what to expect, Sage secretly sets out for Willowbrook, determined to find Rosemary. What she learns, once she steps through its doors and is mistakenly believed to be her sister, will change her life in ways she never could imagined .

TEE'S THOUGHTS:

Oh wow...let me start off by saying that this book is DISTURBING, and at times it may be hard to read, there are many many triggering points in it, but if you can handle it, I recommend reading it. Ellen Marie Wiseman has based to story around the notorious Staten Island state school for disabled children called Willowbrook ( look it up, it was a real school ). The school ran from 1947 to 1987 and was plagued with rumors of unsanitary living conditions and medical practices that were not on the up and up. Geraldo Rivera did one of his popular investigation reports into the school in 1972 and brought it to light.

Wiseman does not hold back in the story, and at times you might feel a bit overwhelmed in the story of Sage, whose twin Rosemary ( I want to sing Simon and Garfunkel every time I read their names together) a student at the school goes missing. Sage takes it upon herself to go to the school to try and find her, and instead, she is mistaken for the missing Rosemary and gets sucked into the school. From this point on n the book you read about the horrors that Sage has witnessed in the school, the sexual and physical abuse, the horrid living conditions, and the questionable experiments that are at times performed on the students.

The story revolves around Sage's survival, of her trying to find her missing sister while trying to convince the powers to be that she is not Rosemary. She also gets in the middle of a mystery, that includes her sister, and also the Urban Legend of Cropsey. Reading all of this will shock you, sadden you, and keep you reading late into the night.

I urge you to not let the label of " Historical Fiction " turn you away if you are not a fan. Yes, The Lost Girls Of Willowbrook is Historical Fiction, but if you took away that label you will have a stunning piece of suspenseful writing that will keep any Suspense/Thriller fan entertained.

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