Sunday Salon: Some Lighter Reads TBR

 Book Galleys

These books aren't published as yet; they are galleys made available for readers to submit their comments. Something like the publishers asking for beta readers, but not quite. The final copies of the books may differ a little or a lot from these galleys, but I don't mind reading the unpublished, maybe closer to original versions by the authors

Murder and Mamon: A Tia Rosie's Kitchen Mystery

Publication: September 19, 2023; Berkley 

Publisher: Lila Macapagal's godmothers April, Mae, and June—AKA the Calendar Crew—are celebrating their business venture, a new laundromat. However, a joyous occasion turns into a tragedy when they discover the building vandalized—and the body of Ninang April’s niece, recently arrived from the Philippines, next to a chilling message painted on the floor. 

 

The Comeback

Publication: May 9, 2023; Sourcebooks Casablanca

Publisher: Who is Ariadne Hui?

• Laser-focused lawyer diligently climbing the corporate ladder
• The “perfect” daughter living out her father’s dream
• Shocking love interest of South Korea’s hottest star

Kindergarten at 60: A Memoir of Teaching in Thailand

Publication: June 20, 2023: Apprentice House

Publisher: Teaching kindergarten in Thailand. Dian Seidel, at age sixty and craving adventure, convinced her husband to try working abroad. Rambunctious children, sweltering heat, and Covid-19 turned out to be the challenge she needed. Struggling to understand Thai culture, their school, and their marriage, could she learn Thailand's essential lesson: mai pen rai, don't worry, keep cool?

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for access to these galleys

What are you reading this week?

Memes: The Sunday Post hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer. Also,  It's Monday: What Are You Reading, and Sunday Salon, Stacking the Shelves, Mailbox Monday

It's Monday: What's New?

This post lists new books and links up to It's Monday; What Are You Reading? at Book Journey;  to Mailbox Monday hosted by Dolce Bellezza; and to Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews.

Two arrivals in my mailbox from the publisher and the author:

The Crossing Places: A Ruth Galloway Mystery (2009)
"When she’s not digging up bones or other ancient objects, quirky, tart-tongued archaeologist Ruth Galloway lives in a remote area called Saltmarsh near Norfolk, land that was sacred to its Iron Age inhabitants - not quite earth, not quite sea.

When a child’s bones are found on a desolate beach nearby, Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson calls Galloway for help. Nelson thinks he has found the remains of Lucy Downey, a little girl who went missing ten years ago. Since her disappearance he has been receiving bizarre letters about her, letters with references to ritual and sacrifice.

The bones actually turn out to be two thousand years old, but Ruth is soon drawn into the Lucy Downey case and into the mind of the letter writer, who seems to have both archaeological knowledge and eerie psychic powers. Then another child goes missing and the hunt is on to find her.

As the letter writer moves closer and the windswept Norfolk landscape exerts its power, Ruth finds herself in completely new territory – and in serious danger." (publisher's description).

The Nine Fold Heaven by Mingmei Yip  (June 25, 2013)
"Mingmei Yip draws readers deeper into the exotic world of 1930s Shanghai first explored in Skeleton Women, and into the lives of the unforgettable Camilla, Shadow, and Rainbow Chang.

When Shadow, a gifted, ambitious magician, competed with the beautiful Camilla for the affections of organized crime leader Master Lung, she almost lost everything. Hiding out in Hong Kong, performing in a run-down circus, Shadow has no idea that Camilla, too, is on the run with her lover, Jinying--Lung's son.

Yet while Camilla and Shadow were once enemies, now their only hope of freedom lies in joining forces to eliminate the ruthless Big Brother Wang. Despite the danger, Shadow, Camilla, and Jinying return to Shanghai. Camilla also has her own secret agenda--she has heard a rumor that her son is alive. And in a city teeming with spies and rivals--including the vengeful Rainbow Chang--each battles for a future in a country on the verge of monumental change." (publisher's description).

An adventure novel/mystery that I bought:

The Wheel of Heaven by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child ( August 28, 2007).
FBI Special Agent Pendergast has taken Constance on a whirlwind Grand Tour, hoping to give her closure and a sense of the world that she's missed. They head to Tibet, where Pendergast intensively trained in martial arts and spiritual studies. At a remote monastery, they learn that a rare and dangerous artifact the monks have been guarding for generations has been mysteriously stolen. Pendergast agrees to take up the search.

The trail leads him and Constance to the maiden voyage of the Queen Victoria, the world's largest and most luxurious passenger liner-and to an Atlantic crossing fraught with terror. (publisher's description)

What are you reading this week?

New Books for Review

A few books and ARCs/galleys arrived for review. Here is a preview.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane  by Neil Gaiman
Publication date: June 18, 2013; William Morrow
Genre: fantasy, magic
Publisher description:
A fable that reshapes modern fantasy.
It began for our narrator forty years ago when the family lodger stole their car and committed suicide in it, stirring up ancient powers best left undisturbed. Dark creatures from beyond the world are on the loose, and it will take everything our narrator has just to stay alive. 

His only defense is three women, on a farm at the end of the lane. The youngest of them claims that her duckpond is an ocean. The oldest can remember the Big Bang. 

I don't normally read magical novels or fantasy, but this one seems unusual.

The Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall
Publication date: July 2, 2013: Gallery Books
Genre: coming of age fiction
Publisher: 
A wise and tender coming-of-age story about a nine-year-old girl who runs away from her Mississippi home in 1963, befriends a lonely woman suffering loss and abuse, and embarks on a life-changing roadtrip.

I've seen this story line before in several Southern novels but I'm eager to see where this one goes. 

More Bitter Than Death by Camilla Grebe and Asa Traff
Publication date: June 18, 2013; Simon and Schuster
Genre: thriller. Scandinavian crime novel
Publisher:
Five-year-old Tilde witnesses the death of her mother by an unknown man. The novel focuses on domestic abuse...the search for healing and the ability to love again are soon transformed into a hunt for Tilde’s mother’s killer.

I've liked Scandinavian thrillers, especially those  by Larsson and Adler-Olsen. These are new  authors to me. 









A Dangerous Fiction by Barbara Rogan
Publication date: July 25, 2013; Viking Adult
Genre: mystery
Publisher:
A publishing mystery that introduces Jo Donovan, literary agent-cum-detective, in a new series by the author. Jo has to face a stalker as well as an old flame, NYPD detective, Tommy Cullen.

This seems to be a mix of mystery and romance, a great combination.

The Prodigal: A Novel by Michael Hurley
Published June 1, 2013; Ragbagger Press
Genre: adventure, suspense, romance
Publisher: 
A cross-genre novel of religious mystery, suspense and adventure about a disbarred lawyer, trying to rebuild his life on Ocracoke Island, who finds love and destiny when an old schooner with a mysterious past drifts ashore. "The supernatural elements—a religious relic, a gypsy woman out of legend—depict island and nautical life.” (Kirkus Review)


This one is for those who love being on the water. 






Josh Whoever by Michael Guillebeau
Published March 20, 2013; Five Star
Genre: adventure, thriller
Publisher: 
Josh is forced into the role of hero in the Army, walks away from the fame and becomes a small-time con man with a drinking problem. His latest scam convinces the Russian mob he is a private detective who can find Mother Romanov's missing daughter, Kiev....He needs to save the girl, stay sober, and keep his idetity hidden - or die.

Reads like a modern day swashbuckler.

The new mystery novels that keep coming out are always amazing to me. I also enjoy books that involve children as the main characters who learn new things and overcome odds. 

Thanks to the authors and publishers for the galleys/books for review. What did you get in your review box recently?

Sunday Salon: A Quiet Weekend

Welcome to the Sunday Salon! I have found some really good books to read, one of them A Half Forgotten Song by Katherine Webb, set in Dorset and London. So, I'm reading this sunny weekend, gardening, enjoying my backyard, and taking walks. I'm not in the mood for crowds or long trips due to a bum hip!

I am also thinking about a book I should write ....

This post lists new books and links up to It's Monday; What Are You Reading? at Book Journey;  to Mailbox Monday hosted by Abi at 4 the LOVE of BOOKS; and to Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews.

For two upcoming book tours, I've finished reading two very different books: The Wonder Bread Summer by Jessica Anya Blau, a crazy but wonderful coming of age novel (May 28) and Running with the Enemy by Lloyd Lofthouse, a novel of war and romance (May 31). I also finished reading a cute cozy, Mayhem at the Orient Express by Kylie Logan.

On my reading shelves are new uncorrected proofs :
Summer Death: A Thriller by Mons Kallentoft
Second Watch by J.A. Jance
The Whole Enchilada by Diane Mott Davidson

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

The Illusion of Separateness by Simon Van Booy

and two review books from the publishers:

The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway.... a nice surprise
The Fountain of St. James Court by Sena Jeter Naslund

I've read Jance, Mott Davidson and Moriarty before, and know I'll like their new books. The others will be a nice surprise.

What are you doing or reading this Memorial Day weekend?

Sunday Salon: Stacking the Shelves

Welcome to the Sunday Salon! I found a new meme, Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews. List your new book arrivals and link up at the site each week. Other sites are It's Monday; What Are You Reading? at Book Journey, and  Mailbox Monday hosted by Abi at 4 the LOVE of BOOKS.

Seems that bloggers are still a viable means of publicity for publishers and authors, who send out ARCs and galleys as well as printed books to blogger reviewers. I love reading and writing about books and have expanded my book interests, found a lot of very good books that I would not have picked up on my own. Even though every single book I read can't be reviewed, because of time, there are books I feature or profile for readers.

Here are my new books this week:

The Healer by Antti Tuomainen, dystopian crime thriller
The Fame Thief by Timothy Hallinan, crime fiction
The Fallout by Garry Disher, crime fiction
Evil and the Mask by Fuminori Nakamura, literary thriller
A Spider in the Cup by Barbara Cleverly, crime fiction

The Sexy Vegan's Happy Hour at Home by Brian L. Patton, cookbook
The Viagra Diaries by Barbara Rose Brooker, coming of age novel
The Bookman's Tale: A Novel of Obsession by Charlie Lovett, historical fiction

I also have a few paperback cozies from Berkely and Obsidian, books to take to a beach or park.
 I take a book almost everywhere instead of my trusty e-reader. E-books are not my favorite way of reading, but the Kindle goes with me on a plane trip this summer. Beats hauling a ton of books along.

The sun is out finally, and the days are getting warmer. We went from winter right into summer, with only a few days of spring, it seems. I think my flowers bushes are confused. The iris are just now coming out when they normally bloom in April. They are plentiful and spread but are being kept in check by the hungry new bunnies and rabbits who visit from next door. I can't complain even though the crocus leaves don't survive, and the tiny tea rose bushes must have been totally consumed and haven't shown up this year. My consolation - the garden is kept from being rampant.

Have a great day and hope your Sunday is sunny!

It's Monday: What Are You Reading?

This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. What's on your shelf to read this week? Here are some on my list:



   







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