It’s Monday, what are you reading? (7/20/2020)

It was a really hot weekend in Nashville which means I stayed inside and read a book. (OK, I also got hooked on a reality show on the History channel called Top Shot, but that’s another story.) I trolled through the hundreds of books I had on my Kindle because I am ahead on my Arc’s and had time to read something for pleasure. That is always a great feeling!

This post originated over on Book Date, so thanks for the idea and letting me continue on the discussion about what books I am reading.

JUST FINISHED

I bought this book back in 2018, which is probably the last time I’d read a Suzanne Wright novel. I had forgotten that her books centered on the physical relationship, then gave you a side of story. If you like sexy paranormal then one of her books has probably crossed your path. There are six books in this series, so if you like demons and don’t mind a LOT of sex scenes this book may be the right one for you.

JUST STARTED

It’s back to the ARC schedule for me, and this is one I’ve been totally excited about reading. Spells for the Dead is the next installment of Faith Hunters Soulwood series. One I’m a HUGE fan of! Excuse me while I go and read for a bit.

I’d love to hear what book is tempting you away from your work this fine Monday. Share in the comments!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads18 Comments

This Chicks Sunday Commentary: How will I fill my time without Facebook?

My husband and I have agreed that we’re going to try to take a month off of Facebook. It’s so easy to get caught up in surfing that feed and getting frustrated or angry at people who have a difference of opinion than my own on the importance of wearing a mask, or the incompetence of our President. My husband is even worse than I am and peppers his “friends” with shared posts delivering scientific facts that he hopes will change their minds. He’s currently unemployed and I could see him spiraling into an unhealthy aggravation that we can easily avoid. So, we have agreed to call it quits with Facebook for one month. One week in and how are we doing?

Well…. I do check in on my blog Facebook page to make sure my posts are delivering but I have not gone through my feed. So I think that’s a success! I think he’s done even better and truthfully I can see a difference in both of our attitudes. We’re a little calmer, and much happier not re-hashing what so and so said and getting ourselves amped up over the stupidity of people we haven’t seen in thirty years.

Why do we still traverse the Facebook universe? I’ll admit, I do get some comments on my The Reading Chick page and I have a friend who has a group for her home business Color Street nails and she plays games and posts photo’s of manicures which sound stupid but are really fun to look at. Other than those two things I can’t say I want to go back. Then, if you throw in Zuckerberg’s views about not policing fake content, do you really want to support that? I’m mulling that one over still.

What are the things I’m turning to instead of Facebook?

1)My husband and I spend $12 a month on the NY Times digital subscription where with that subscription we also get the NY Times Crossword puzzle app. We do a LOT of crosswords. LOL.

2) I also scroll through my Twitter feed, but gosh the book nation on Twitter is just as political as the Facebook nation. Everyone is so opinionated about EVERYTHING. So, I may cut back a little on the Twitter account as well.

3) Pinterest! I love looking at pictures, reading nails, and looking at clothes I’ll never wear because I’m in t-shirts and shorts 24/7 working from home.

4) Tending our family garden. This is probably one of my favorite activities at least once or twice a day. If I need a break from work? Check and see if the tomatoes are turning red. If our cucumber crop is about to need picking- look up cucumber recipes on Pinterest! Did you know you can make cucumber bread? Yeah, kind of like zucchini bread. Funny! Who knew!

5) Bake/Cook- I made some awesome Cardamon, Orange, Dark Chocolate Chunk shortbread cookies that were to die for. I’m really interested in odd flavor combo’s lately and this one was great. Look it up on Pinterest and give it a try. Also, last night was Greek night in our household. We had all the cucumbers to make Tzaziki dip, Cucumber dip, we made hummus, cantaloupe, grilled some beef and home grown zucchini and voila! Greek night. It was pretty damn good. 🙂

6) Read more books on my TBR and watch some Netflix and chill. Pretty self explanatory, right?

You get my point though. We don’t need to do things that make us crazy. For me and my husband that was trolling Facebook. If you find yourself getting aggravated, I think you should give it a try. If you need help finding something to do I’ve got this great recipe for Green Tomato Salsa Verde I can share if you’ve got some time to burn.

Taking care of yourself means taking care of your mental health too!

Stay safe, stay calm, and reach out if you need to talk.

Deb

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This Chicks Audio Review: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

What do you do when you’re on a road trip with your husband and have hours in the car in front of you? You try to pick a book that the two of you will enjoy together, in this case Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology, and hit play. Narrated by the author himself, Norse Mythology tells of some of the myth’s surrounding Thor, Loki, and Odin. Characters we think are familiar to us because of the very popular Avenger’s franchise, but in actuality Gods who were flawed and maybe not quite so heroic.

A quick word about the narration. Read by Neil Gaiman’s accented voice, he brought the characters to life imbuing them with a humanity that those Gods would probably dislike. That humanity held a wealth of emotions; humor, anger, mischievousness, stupidity, and even evil. I forgot at times that this was the author himself speaking because the characterizations were read so well.

What I found most interesting about listening to these myth’s is how much the popularization of these characters in current movies has shifted from the truth, or at least the truth as it was passed down through stories. Marvel gave us handsome actors in Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and a stout grandpa like figure in Anthony Hopkins as Odin. When Mr. Gaiman’s voice spoke the first chapter it was those actors who filled my head, but by the third story I realized those faces didn’t fit the characters actions in this book and I soon came up with faces from my own imagination. Although, it was quite funny to picture Chris Hemsworth as a more stupid, beefy version of Thor. How did Marvel stray so far from these truths? Strike that question, we know why. Chris, Tom, and even a more elderly Anthony Hopkins sell tickets because of their pretty (cough) faces.

Despite a couple of dull stories, my husband and I were entertained for 6+ hours, laughing at Thor’s obtuseness, and Loki’s mischievous nature, but I’ll admit to being more surprised at Odin’s true character. In Norse Mythology, Odin, the father of all humans, was actually a rather evil guy. As Loki played tricks on other Gods, Odin played tricks on humans which seemed a lot worse. Gods given their all powerful nature should be able to take care of themselves but the scale seems imbalanced when you pit a god against a human.

Even though I’d had Norse Mythology on my TBR I probably would never have gotten around to reading it because mythology sounds interesting but the reading of it, even fictionalized, can be a little dry. I’m glad the opportunity arose to listen to the audiobook in a time when their tales seemed relevant. What I mean by that is that this year, in 2020, it feels like a book could be written about our current gods (imaginary or real) playing tricks, getting angry, or being completely obtuse about the goings on of their humans. It strikes me that in Norse Mythology there wasn’t a very benevolent god in the bunch which doesn’t bode well for this humans future. Gods help me.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this audiobook!* Norse Mythology

Copyright 2020 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you should purchase this audiobook through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: What You Wish For by Katherine Center

Samantha Casey is the school librarian at a small school that focuses on diversity, learning, and creativity. She has thrived in this environment and is now completely different than the once mousy woman she was. When their beloved principal passes away the newly hired principal, Duncan Carpenter, resurrects from her past. She had quietly been in love with him and he is in part the reason she left her last job. However, the Duncan that shows up for the first day of school is not the happy go lucky guy she used to know. This Duncan is a suit wearing, straight-laced, security conscious man and he proceeds to turn their lives upside down.

I loved the community of people that surround Sam Casey in this novel. A with previous insecurity and shyness issues, Sam has blossomed in the “safe” environment of this small town in Galveston, Texas. As the novel moves forward we learn more about just how much Sam has changed and why, especially as she faces her past crush and is deeply disappointed at his new demeanor. The old Sam would’ve run away, but this new Sam ends up leading the charge, fighting for their rights while at the same time searching for the man she used to know.

Duncan was pretty easy to understand. Based off Sam’s memories he’d obviously done a bit of growing up, but there was something bigger behind his actions. I loved how Sam picked away at his armor to find that more fun loving man underneath. What You Wish For was the perfect mix of quirkiness, drama, and I especially loved the heart in which this author embued in her characters. From the start of the book I was invested in Sam, and then when Duncan entered the scene and his demeanor was a direct contradiction to how Sam had described him sealed the deal. I along with Sam wanted to solve the mystery and truly enjoyed the journey of finding out all of these characters secrets.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* What You Wish For: A Novel

Copyright 2020 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you should purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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It’s Monday, what are you reading? (7/13/2020)

The release of Mariana Zapata’s novel Hands Down last week had me picking up a couple other of her books as got me in the mood to read an older favorite. Which then led me into an old fantasy favorite, and I went down the rabbit hole. LOL. My reading choices hit just the right note! I hope you had as much luck with your choice!

This post originated over on Book Date, so thanks for the idea and letting me continue on the discussion about what books I am reading.

JUST FINISHED

After reading Hands Down, which featured Zac from The Wall of Winnipeg and Me, I re-read Winnipeg which had a side character in Vanessa’s best friend Diana Casillas. So, I read her story next. Yep, the rabbit hole. Wait for It is probably my third or fourth favorite Mariana Zapata novel so it wasn’t a hardship to pick it back up.

JUST STARTED

AFter binging on Mariana Zapata and feeling great about the books I’d chosen I again chose an older book that I’d read previously and really liked. I’d last read Oracle’s Moon in 2014 and I think it was my favorite of Thea Harrison’s Elder Races. Have you read those? They are fun romantic fantasy novels. I’m looking forward to finishing this one up this week.

What books did you read this last weekend, and what book are you starting out your week reading? An old favorite? Or a brand new release?

Happy Monday!

Deb

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This Chicks Sunday Commentary: A Mental Health Check In.

Here in Tennessee we are three months into our new lives. Most of us are working from home if we are working at all. If you’re not working you’ve filed for unemployment where you hope that you’ll receive that $200+ check weekly to help you put food on your table, but will certainly not pay your mortgage. You watch the local news and wonder what your city is thinking, going to bars and restaurants without masks with the numbers still climbing. The national news isn’t much better and you shake your head in disbelief over the inadequacies of the people in charge, and wish you could also go out and protest along with those brave enough to voice that black lives matter.

Will life ever get better? When it comes to the coronavirus, it seems that it won’t for a really long time. The country? Only if we get leadership who stops thinking of themselves and starts thinking of others. Will black lives matter protests make a difference? In some ways, yes, because technology has made it impossible to ignore injustices and horrible actions as well as made it impossible for white people to act as some always have, with bigotry and hate. Big brother is watching in the form of IPhone camera’s that will always be turned on and will show all injustices. We need that switch flipped in the minds of all of our citizens that all people should be treated equally and that includes black people. I have hope.

So, how do we navigate the next few months if you care about the people around you, still practice social distancing, and remain at home for the majority of the hours in our days? How do we take care of our mental health? I am lucky because I live with my family which totals six people. We see each other every day, eat dinner together, and generally drive each other crazy. However, we know how each one of us is feeling. We discuss a multitude of politics, food, work, our friends, who we’ve talked to, what books we’ve read lately, shows and movies we’ve watched, etc. But, I know that my situation is not normal. A LOT of people live on their own or are elderly and are scared and isolating. Here is how you can help:

  1. Put on a mask and knock on your neighbors door then take three big steps back. Have a conversation through the screen. Check on them, see if they need groceries, or some veggies from your garden.
  2. Pick through your library and take a stack of feel good books around to all of the Free Little Libraries in your neighborhood. Take one to your neighbors, lend it to a friend.
  3. Set up Zoom or Scype calls with your friends and engage, make a cocktail, and have fun for an hour. You can still talk to people even if it’s not in person.
  4. If you have any elderly people you know from church or a book club, etc. Set up a calling chain and make sure those older friends know they aren’t alone and make sure they are healthy and sound.
  5. Take walks, visit a local park, go on drives and see what’s changed in your neighborhood. Just because you need to social distance and wear a mask doesn’t mean you can’t take in the scenery.

There are so many things we can all do to make a mental health check on ourselves and on others. I believe we have a long road in front of us and many things are going to happen that we will find unbelievable, be disgusted with, and eventually some that may fill us with hope. Grab onto that feeling of hope, this time will pass. We, as a community, can get through this if we all work together.

If you read to the bottom of this post, thank you. I hope you know I’m thinking of all of you, and if you need to chat please reach out.

Take Care,

Deb

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This Chick Read: Hands Down by Mariana Zapata

Possible SPOILERS Ahead! Read at your own risk.

Zac Travis and Bianca Brannen used to be best friends but ten years have gone by since the last time they spoke. When her brother Boogie, the third leg in their friendship, asked her to swing by Zac’s house to give him a message about his grandpa she sucks it up and does the right thing. When he doesn’t recognize her? It’s devastating. Now that she’s back in his life, Zac is determined to not let her leave.

I was beyond thrilled that Mariana Zapata was releasing a book about one of my favorite side characters, Zac “Big Texas” from the Wall of Winnipeg and Me. I’ve read Winnipeg about 8 times, so Zac is a very familiar character. His aw shucks attitude and sweet charm makes him super easy to like, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to a main character hero. For me, that usually depends upon the leading lady, which in this case is also a side character but one that barely blipped on my radar. Bianca was the receptionist at the Maio House gym in The Best Thing. She was pretty minor but as I was reading Hands Down I admired how Mariana Zapata, again, tied the characters from her books together.

As I was reading this novel I found myself getting restless. For me, that’s never a good sign and meant I had some reservations about these characters love story. What was it that bothered me? I believe in love at any age, so the age difference between Zac and Bianca wasn’t that big a deal (it’s an 8 year difference). After all, I married a man 5 years my junior and it’s the maturity of a person that matters, not the age. Part of Zac’s charm in Winnipeg was his aw shucks attitude, which was on overdrive and may have been a bit overused in Hands Down. His nicknames of “sugar” and “darlin” were part of his identity, but there was one nickname that he used with Bianca specifically that I disliked. Well, at first I was ok with it, but after their feelings developed my feelings changed. Zac called Bianca “kiddo”. If this was a story about a brother and sister I’d think that was sweet, but at the end of the book he was still saying “I love you kiddo” and well, I found it kind of creepy. Why didn’t the author change that nickname like he did when he started calling her Bibi? I felt like that would’ve been an easy resolution. Insert “Bibi” wherever he says kiddo as his feelings had started to change. This may seem like a very small point but for me it’s one that would’ve made a huge difference in how I felt about the characters.

I love a strong female protagonist and Bianca had moments of strength but those moments were interspersed with quite a lot of insecurity. I get that she felt like Zac dumped her for his successful career but the number of times she said something like “if you want to” or “if you don’t have anything better to do” or spoke down about herself, got kind of frustrating. It actually frustrated Zac too as he addressed it quite a few times in the book, but when it starts getting on a readers nerves it’s like that tickle in your throat that won’t go away. When attention is drawn to it, it just itches even more. I was never allowed to get past it because it was brought up too often. Would I have felt differently if Bianca had started feeling more secure about herself a little sooner? Possibly.

Despite those two things, I did enjoy reading Hands Down. There’s a safety in reading a Mariana Zapata novel. You know you’re getting a great story, you look forward to seeing how these characters connect to past novels, and when they finally reveal their love for each other after that long build-up to it, it’s just so satisfying. Despite being let down on that last point just a smidge, it was still a nice get away from the stresses of my everyday life which is a win in my book.

❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Hands Down

Copyright 2020 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you should purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Not Like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey

After the success of her debut novel, Waiting for Tom Hanks, Kerry Winfrey gives us a follow up featuring the two people her heroine, Annie, wrote her screenplay, Chloe and Nick. Chloe seems like she has it all with her positive attitude, unique style, and never-ending charm, but in actuality she’s got a load of stress balanced on her small shoulders. She’s approaching thirty and is still working in a coffee shop, her father’s in a facility because of his Alzheimer’s, she’s helping Annie plan her wedding, and she’s taking online classes to try to get a degree so she can one day have her dream, opening a bakery. When Annie’s screenplay based on Chloe’s life gets made into a movie it seems the world wants a piece of her that she can’t afford to give away and the one constant in her life, Nick, her boss and friend, starts looking very very good. How will her life change if Chloe starts seeing him as more than a friend?

Not Like the Movies had the charm of Kerry Winfrey’s first novel, but had an underlying depth that took the story beyond the fluffy love story into a well written piece of fiction. Don’t get me wrong, Ms. Winfrey still wrote some great rom-com banter and had all of those movie comparisons as she did in Waiting for Tom Hanks, but Chloe and Nick’s story had a layer of insecurity and uncertainty hidden beneath the artful disguise of Chloe’s exterior. If it weren’t for the love story aspect of this novel the color of Chloe’s tale would have been muted grays and greens instead of the bright technicolor red of her favorite lipstick.

What about our hero Nick? He was the perfect complement to Chloe in that he was steady, safe, and sweet. Truthfully though, he kind of got a little lost in all of her drama although I think that was done purposefully by the author to show Chloe how he was her perfect match. I am a reader that likes a more obvious approach to love, so the will they or won’t they was frustrating for me and I’ll admit to skimming over a few scenes to get to the meat of the romance a little quicker.

As a comparison to the first novel, which I loved, I thought Not Like the Movies was a solid sequel but lacked the optimism and charm that made me root for Annie and Drew. Not to say that I didn’t like Nick and Chloe, because I did, their story was just a different piece of fiction. Chloe and Nick had their own smoldering fire and I adored Nick’s steadiness because it was exactly what Chloe needed to make her happy. They had me rooting for them just as hard just in a more quiet way. If you didn’t read Waiting for Tom Hanks, it will be easier for you to like Not Like in the Movies because you won’t have the same expectations and I’m sure you’ll fall in love with this couple in the end, just like I did. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase!* Not Like the Movies

Copyright 2020 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you should purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Birthright by Nora Roberts

A couple years ago I took a trip with my sister to Boonsboro, Maryland and stayed at Nora Roberts hotel Inn Boonsboro. It was a girls trip and we explored the area, including the Antietam Battlefield. On that trip my sister mentioned this book as one of her favorites that Nora Roberts had written. It’s an older book, published in 2003 and takes place in Woodsboro, a town very close to Boonsboro. When we got back home she pulled it off her shelf and gave it to me to read. I set it on my own bookshelf and then promptly forgot about it until a couple of weeks ago when I picked it up and just started reading. It totally took me back to that area of the country. A trip that I may not be able to take again any time soon, but loved revisiting in this novel.

Callie Dunbrook gets called in to investigate some bones that were discovered on a construction site. Those bones turn out to be 5000 years old and her team, including her ex-husband Jake start digging and cataloging. Their dig is interrupted by two things. A local woman declares Callie her long lost daughter, stolen from her when she was a baby, and someone is murdered on the site. With the help of her ex, who does not want to be an ex anymore, they investigate both mysteries….and more people end up dying.

That’s kind of a short synopsis for a rather long and intricate novel but I really don’t want to get too far into the plot and give anything away. Let’s talk about the main characters. Callie is a really interesting heroine, she’s direct, honest, and analytical when she finds out the woman’s tale about her being a long lost daughter is true. On the outside she remains a little unemotional, but through her investigation, you can see how hard she’s trying to do right by these people, even if she can never have the same feelings for them as they do for her. You’ve got to admire that. I really liked how Jake supported her through all of this and seemed determined to not disappoint her a second time. Despite her trying to keep him at a distance he doesn’t give up and it’s that persistent caring that makes her see how different he is from a year ago. Their relationship seemed very real despite the mysterious things going on around them. I totally bought into it.

What I liked best about this novel were the moments of history that Nora Roberts wrote into this story. You could tell she knew this area really well and those little details really added depth to a format that she’s written a thousand times. Despite this novel being written 17 years ago it really wasn’t dated at all. There was zero mention of technology or anything else to point out how long ago it was written, so if you haven’t read this one lately I’d recommend that you pick it up again to enjoy. It’s a great story, the mystery was well done, and the romance had heat and emotion. What more could you possibly want?

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Birthright

Copyright 2020 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you should purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (7/6/2020)

One of my favorite authors released a book this weekend so this week’s recap is an easy one for me! I’m just going to jump right in and tell you who!

This post originated over on Book Date, so thanks for the idea and letting me continue on the discussion about what books I am reading.

JUST FINISHED

If you’re a fan of Mariana Zapata’s as I am, you’ll be happy to hear this most recent book is about fan favorite, Zac, from the Wall of Winnipeg. He’s funny, charming, and oh so southern.

JUST STARTED

I wanted to re-read The Wall of Winnipeg and Me because it’s one of my favorite Mariana Zapata novels, but also after reading Hands Down, I wanted to re-familiarize myself with Zac’s back story.

Yep, I immersed myself in Mariana Zapata books this weekend which was so much fun. It also wasn’t very productive as I have an ARC that comes out tomorrow that I still need to read. Oh well, I’ll get there!

What fabulous title did you pick up this weekend? I’d love to know in the comments!

Happy Monday,

Deb

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