Two Books to Put on Your Literary Radar

2 New Books I Can't Wait for You to Read.

Two of my favorite Minnesota authors, Sarah Stonich and Kirstin Cronn-Mills, have new books coming out soon and I can't wait to read them.  So I thought I would share them with you so you could be first on the library list when they are released.

The first book to be released is Fishing with Rayanne by Ava Finch. It is set to be released in about 10 days on November 3rd.  Ava Finch is actually a pen name for Sarah Stonich and I have loved her previous books, especially Vacationland, which was amazing and should have won the Pulitzer or the National Book Award.  I have a couple of books to finish and then I'm reading this one.

Here is the synopsis on Goodreads:

RayAnne Dahl goes fishing for a different life, catching much more than she’d bargained for...

Having fled the testosterone-soaked world of pro fishing to finally settle in her Minneapolis fixer-upper, thirty-something RayAnne unexpectedly lands at the helm of the first all-women fishing and talk show. Between her dad's falling off the wagon, unwanted advice from Mom—a life coach to the menopausal rich—and her clingy dog, she needs the advice of her beloved grandmother more than ever.

With the show’s surprise success, producers press for celebrity appearances, but fans tweet support for RayAnne and her quirky guests, real women with unique stories and something to say. And though handsome Hal tempts RayAnne, he is a sponsor, rocketing him to the top of her don’ts list.

Just when she’s shedding uncertainty, RayAnne’s world nearly capsizes, and she’s faced with gut-wrenching choices. Will she live by the rules, or by her heart?



The next book I want to tell you about is Original Fake by
Kirstin Cronn-Mills with artwork by E. Eero Johnson

Expected publication is in April, 2016.  Kirstin is a great Young Adult author and college teacher and I loved her last book Beautiful Music for Ugly Children.  This book is full of great artwork and story.

Here is what Goodreads has to say:

In this Banksy-inspired illustrated novel, an escalating sibling rivalry train wrecks and vengeance is a street-art act of war
Introvert Frankie Neumann hates his life, and understandably so. He’s got a weird, tutu-wearing sister, Lou, and even weirder parents, Bridget and Brett—Frank Sinatra and Dr. Frank-N-Furter impersonators, respectively. And, he’s just the guy who makes pizza at Pizza Vendetta. Though he has secret artistic aspirations of his own, his over-the-top family makes him want to stay in the background. But Frankie's life is about to change—becoming way more interesting, even a little dangerous, but definitely cool.

After his shift at the pizzeria one night, Frankie meets David and Rory, cousins and errand runners for the mysterious Uncle Epic, a legendary anonymous street artist and Frankie’s absolute idol. Little could Frankie dream that his new adventures with Uncle Epic would lead to the perfect opportunity to strike back at his insufferable sister for a lifetime of torture. But things go haywire quicker than you can say “street art kicks righteous ass,” and the lines are suddenly blurred between art and Frankie’s real life.


Now go and add them to your ever growing To Be Read list.

Enjoy!

Outlander Fans, Get Ready!

Outlander Fans, Get Ready!

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Audio Book
33 hours and 8 minutes
Narrated by Davina Porter

Outlander is set to be a new series on Starz and the first episode airs on Saturday!!

Are you as excited as I am for this series?  I recently listened to Outlander on audio during my long commute home and it was a fun book to listen to.  Porter has an excellent Scottish accent and she makes me feel as if I'm sitting in Scotland at Castle Leoch.  Loved this listen so much I bought the next two books in the series, there are 8 to be exact, and then I discovered it was being made into a TV series.  Yes!

If you have never heard of the Outlander series, I would describe it in this way;  It is similar to Game of Thrones but Game of Thrones for women.  OK guys will like it too but women will adore it.  It is a time traveling, man mesmerizing, female empowering, kick ass story.  It is about a WWII nurse named Claire Randall who inadvertently time travels back in Scotland during the time of the Clan wars against the British Crown in the year of our Lord 1743.  She lands in the hands of Black Jack Randall and is rescued by Clan McKenzie and is trying to survive in this cruel world.

This book series and TV show is multi-genred and includes within its many talents, romance, history, science fiction, fantasy and adventure and so much more.  It's epic! Hang on for one wild ride.

My suggestion is to read the books and/or watch the series!!
Here is the link to watch the first episode on Starz for free
http://www.starz.com/originals/outlander

Here is the trailer:



Let me know if you are planning to watch the series.  I am super excited about it.

BIg Girl Panties Audio Book Review + Giveaway

Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich
Audio Book Review
Narrated By Katie Schorr
Length: 9 hours and 51 minutes

Big Girl Panties is the first book I have read or listened to by Stephanie Evanovich.  I was lucky to win a copy from the publisher and since I have been an audiobook junkie lately, I gave it a try.  It is a romance and I'm not really big on romances but I thought it was OK.  It was light and funny and quirky and totally weird, especially when female characters were getting spankings.  My feminist self really wanted to gag at certain parts but I persevered.

Holly the main character is a bit overweight and starts working out with a hot trainer she met on an airplane.  Of course he is owns the training business and is cute and wonderful and wealthy.  So cliche!  I really liked the workout parts of the book and the main character.  Holly was spicy and spunky and adorable.  I totally laughed out loud several times.

The narration by Katie Shorr was great!  She is easy to follow, changes her voice with each character and even throws in some southern drawl.  It is the perfect audio book for light summer listening.

I am willing to give away my audio CD book to a Booksnob follower.  It has been gently used and listened to only once.

Please fill out the form:
Good Luck

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Someone Else's Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson

Someone Else's Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson

In the middle of a gas station hold-up, Shandi falls in love with a guy who looks like the Norse god Thor.  Will is his name and first he saves her life and then she saves his.  This tumultuous event has thrown Will and Shandi together.

If Shandi had a Facebook page she would label her relationship status; complicated.

If Shandi was writing an ad for the personals it would read:
21, single female, college student, looking for a man who can entertain and love a brainy 3 year old boy.  Who won't be jealous of male, poet best friend, can handle warring parents of two different religions and a wicked step-mother.  Please apply if you look like a superhero and act like one too.

If Will was writing an ad for the personals it would read: Nada. Zilch.
Forget it, William is not looking for love, he is hiding from it.  He lost his one true love, his wife, and their daughter in a car accident.  He is in survival mode and his best friend Paula is helping him forget.

Someone's Else Love Story is a romance with a twist of lemon and a shot of tequila.  Joshilyn Jackson is the queen of the written one liners.  Her sentences are so awesome and smashingly interesting that you need to read them more than once.  She makes you smile and think and she actually makes you want to compose awesome sentences that roll off your tongue and cause everyone to listen up too.  Jackson is creative and most people who read her books fall in love with her characters, who tend to be a little on the wild side, mixed up and unforgettable.  This is the second book I have read by Jackson, Gods in Alabama being the first.  Reading Jackson is like saying a prayer and having it answered on the same night.

Need a date for Friday or Saturday night?  Pick up Someone's Else Love Story, pour yourself a glass of wine, settle into your favorite comfy chair and fall in love.

Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey

Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey

Wren loses her first love in a drunk driving accident, and is understandably distraught.  Because she has hidden powers her mother won't acknowledge and because she is steeped in grief Wren does the unthinkable, she brings her boyfriend Danny back from the grave.  Danny is hidden in her neighbor's garage and as Wren tries to protect her secret, she starts losing control of her life.

Danny begins to become more like a cold-sleepwalking zombie everyday and Wren is beginning to realize the depth of her mistake.  As Wren is able to understand and resolve her grief, a new boy enters the school and awakens in her a sense of hope.

Cold Kiss comes highly recommended by many book bloggers and deals with some tough issues like death, grief and drunk driving.  Yet the plot is slow moving, the characters were underdeveloped and full of stifling emotion and it took me months to finish this book when I thought it would be a quick read.  The cover is appealing, the premise interesting and yet it was just mediocre.  So frustrating.

Do you ever feel like there is something wrong with you because you didn't "love" a book that everyone else seems to adore?  Well, I stuck with Cold Kiss and gave it my best shot but in the end, as I turned the last page, I was thankful it was over.  Then I thought, why does everyone like this book so much?  I just don't get it.

Well, each reader is unique and brings to the reading experience their own emotions, experiences and perspectives.  Sometimes you find a book that appeals to your senses and you know as you turn the very last page that it was right for you.  Cold Kiss was not right for me.

The Wind Warrior

The Wind Warrior by Cynthia Roberts

This a multi-faceted historical romance.  It begins in the NorthEast woods somewhere near upstate New York in the 1700's or 17th century( I'm guessing).  Leslie is a woman who has visions and she foresees a Indian man in her dreams.  After her father's murder and her escape from the village, Leslie is wounded and her reality entangles with the man from her dreams, Winnokin.  He is Seneca and his tribe is part of the Iroquois Confederacy (5 Indian Nations who formed a political and social system together).

The story is mainly about Leslie's and Winnokin's journey of melding their two distinct cultures together with some sex thrown in.  Leslie travels to Winnokin's tribe with many trials and pitfalls (kidnapper's included) along the way.  Mainly the novel is about acceptance.

I haven't read a true romance in a few years and I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I devoured it.   I really enjoyed the historical part of the book and that it dealt with the culture of the Seneca Nation.  I wish the author would have been a bit more specific with actual historical events, dates and locations but my guess, if I remember correctly, is that historical romance is supposed to be more about the romance than the historical backdrop.  Unfortunately I not really into the romance of a novel anymore but more interested in the issues and history it presents.

Leslie is a strong main character, the book seems historically accurate and presents a strong sense of culture. It was a good read for me and strongly I believe the racism of the time will play out in later novels.  This is the first book in a series of three.

I received this book from Crazy Book Tours.