Sunday Salon: Magical Cats and Marriage Secrets

In general, I'm not sure how I feel about magical cats that appear and disappear and walk through walls, but the cats in this series are delightful and clever. This is the 10th in the series, so this Magical Cats Mystery  series has staying power!

Title: The Cats Came Back by Sofie Kelly
Publication: September 4, 2018, Berkley Books
Genre: cozy mystery

Plot: Owen and Hercules, the two magical cats are looking forward to taking in some fabulous sardine crackers at a musical fest in town. But then with their owner Kathleen, the cats  stumble across a dead body by the river. The victim is a close friend of theirs and a look-alike for a cabaret singer who is to perform at the festival.

The trio use their magical and regular smarts to try to solve the mystery. 

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy of this book.

Though I got only that one book in the mail last week,  I have plenty of library books and Netgalley ebooks on my TBR list.  

Finished last week were a couple of thrillers with a similar theme - a marriage with a dark mystery behind a secret life, the secret life of a lying spouse.

The Marriege Lie

Under My Skin

I expected both books to have twists in the plot and predicted to some degree what the twists would or could be. Under My Skin was an interesting read, though I found the plot convoluted in making its twists. Easy reading, nevertheless, for psychological suspense readers. 

Now reading: 

The Life Lucy Knew

I have always liked plots that involve amnesia or memory distortions due to injury or head trauma. I luckily discovered a new book, The Life Lucy Knew by Karma Brown, at the library, about a woman who lost parts of her memory after a seemingly minor fall on the ice. She wakes up from a coma to find her domestic life is the opposite of what she remembers. She is not really married and has a live-in boyfriend whom she has always thought of as just a friend. The problem is, she wakes up still thinking of him as just a friend, much to his dismay. 

I can't wait to read on and see how this is resolved!

What books are you reading this week?
Memes:  
The Sunday Post  hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer,
It's Monday, What Are You Reading? by Book Date.
Mailbox Monday. Also, Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews

Book Tour: Tiffany Blues by M.J. Rose

TIFFANY BLUES by M.J. Rose 

Published August 7, 2018, Atria Books

"New York, 1924. Twenty‑four‑year‑old Jenny Bell is one of a dozen burgeoning artists invited to Louis Comfort Tiffany’s prestigious artists’ colony. Gifted and determined, Jenny vows to avoid distractions and romantic entanglements and take full advantage of the many wonders to be found at Laurelton Hall.

But Jenny’s past has followed her to Long Island. As the summer shimmers on, and the competition between the artists grows fierce as they vie for a spot at Tiffany’s New York gallery, a series of suspicious and disturbing occurrences suggest someone knows enough about Jenny’s childhood trauma to expose her.

Supported by her closest friend Minx Deering, a seemingly carefree socialite yet dedicated sculptor, and Oliver, Jenny pushes her demons aside. Between stolen kisses and stolen jewels, the champagne flows and the jazz plays on until one moonless night when Jenny’s past and present are thrown together in a desperate moment, that will threaten her promising future, her love, her friendships, and her very life. "(publisher)

The novel weaves a story of mystery, suspense and romance into the background of the famous Tiffany building, Laurenton Hall, Long Island. The building housed a variety of art including the famous stained glass windows and mosaics known as Tiffany glass. A mysterious fire in 1957 destroyed the building and much of the art. The author has tried to account for the fire in a fictional way, with her book, Tiffany Blues. 

Lovers of art, and especially those who know Tiffany stained glass, will enjoy this historical novel, and others will also enjoy a good romantic plot set in this fascinating environment.

Here's the  link to the complete schedule of reviews:

Connect with M. J. Rose: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Thanks to Lisa Munley of TLC Book Tours, and the publisher, for a review copy of this book. 

Sunday Salon: Contemporary and Historical Fiction

New books on my shelf:

The Stylist by Rosie Nixon
Publication: September 4, 2018, William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: contemporary fiction, romance

When fashion boutique worker Amber Green is mistakenly offered a job as assistant to infamous, jet-setting 'stylist to the stars' Mona Armstrong, she hits the ground running, helping to style some of Hollywood's hottest (and craziest) starlets.

The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash
Published June 5, 2018, William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: historical fiction, literary fiction

... set in the Appalachian foothills of North Carolina in 1929 and inspired by actual events. The chronicle of an ordinary woman’s struggle for dignity and her rights in a textile mill, 

The Lost Ones by Sheena Kamal
Published July 25, 2017; William Morrow
Genre: thriller, suspense

A woman is told the baby she gave up for adoption years ago has gone missing. Nora Watts must decide if she wants to get involved in a past she thought she would not face again.

Just finished:

Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson, published July 11, 2017, William Morrow
Genre: contemporary fiction, Southern fiction
I am enjoying the unusual plot. I haven't found any stereotypes so far among the characters, who are complex and interesting.

Finished review: A realistic look at the South, through the eyes of a Southern writer from Georgia, this novel shows the people, towns, and culture as it is, as it could be, as she would hope it will be in the future. The good and the not so good, or what she calls, the Second South. Eye opening novel that tackles history, race relations, and a hope for the future. Excellent plot and character development.

A Hero in France by Alan Furst, published June 2016
Genre: historical fiction, spy fiction

I found the book suspenseful and informative. A novel that shows what it must have been like as a resistance fighter during the WWII Occupation of France by Germany. The French heroes, some of them unsung men and women who made sacrifices and risked their lives to help save downed British airmen and others hiding from the Germans.

Next on the reading list:

The Guests on South Battery by Karen White
Publication Jan. 10, 2018, Berkley Books

What books are you reading this week?
Memes:  
The Sunday Post  hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer,
It's Monday, What Are You Reading? by Book Date.
Mailbox Monday. Also, Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews

The Guests on South Battery by Karen White

What new books are you reading this weekend? 

The Guests on South Battery by Karen White
Publication Jan. 10, 2018, Berkley Books

Book beginning:
There is no escaping the dead. On the slender peninsula that is Charleston, we cannot help being surrounded by them, packed as they are into ancient cemeteries behind ornate iron fencing. Beneath our streets. And under our homes and parking garages. Land is at a premium here, and it was inevitable that over the course of time the living and the dead would inevitably rub elbows. Most residents of the Holy City are blissfully unaware of those residents who have passed on but whose names and homes we share and whose presence lingers still. Others, like me, are not so lucky. 

Wow! What an opening paragraph! Makes me want to read on, for sure.

Page 56:
She stopped and faced me. "I don't like old houses, and seeing this hasn't really changed my mind. I'm ready to list it as it is."

Memes: The Friday 56. Grab a book, turn to page 56 or 56% of your eReader. Find any sentence that grabs you. Post it, and add your URL post in Linky at Freda's Voice. Also visit Book Beginning at Rose City Reader

Sunday Post: Murder on the Left Bank by Cara Black

I finished reading Murder on the Left Bank by Cara Black, published June 19, 2018, Soho Crime, the 18th in the Aimee Leduc Investigations series set in Paris. I was not disappointed in this new book and love that the author includes so much of Paris in her novel. People, places, streets, atmosphere are all here and would mean a lot to those who have walked these streets in that great city, and mean so much more to those who want to visit and travel in the main character's, Aimee's footsteps. 

A notebook holding secrets from the WWII past of Paris is stolen, and people are being killed by those who want to find and destroy the notebook's damaging evidence. Aimee makes it a point to follow up on these murders and find the incriminating evidence, even while putting her baby in harm's way. A mixture of danger and suspense blends the personal and the professional life of private investigator Aimee, as she goes about her duties while following her deep sense of justice. A five star READ.

Tahoe Skydrop, the 16th in the Owen McKenna Mystery Thriller series, will be published August 6, 2018 by Thriller Press. Thanks to the author for a review copy. Review will be coming soon. I'm enjoying the book right now!

I haven't yet decided which of my library books and TBR books I'll tackle next. There are several on my ereader too that I have started andwant to finish!

What books are you reading this week?
Memes:  
The Sunday Post  hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer,
It's Monday, What Are You Reading? by Book Date.
Mailbox Monday. Also, Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews

Sunday Salon: A Few ARCs for Summer

What books are you reading this week?

The Sunday Post  hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer,  It's Monday, What Are You Reading? by Book Date., and Mailbox Monday. Also, Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews

Thanks to HarperCollins for these ARCs:

The Fabulous Bouvier Sisters

The Fabulous Bouvier Sisters by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger, September 25, 2018
A gossipy account of the two sisters, Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill

News of Our Loved Ones

News of Our Loved Ones by Abigail DeWitt, October 2, 2018. A novel of two generations in France and America affected by the D-Day bombings in Normandy.

The Labyrinth of the Spirits

The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, September 18, 2018.  The final book in the cycle of novels that began with The Shadow of the Wind.
I've also reviewed The Prisoner of Heaven, but missed The Angel's Game

Ongoing reading:
 The Girl from Oto by Amy Maroney
A Strangeness in My Mind by Orhan Pamuk
Murder on the Left Bank by Cara Black

Finished reading: 

A River of Stars by Vanessa Hua, borrowed from NetGalley, August 14, 2018. What happens or could happen when a pregnant Chinese woman visits the U.S.  for "birth tourism" so that her baby can have U.S. citizenship? The novel gives us a fictional scenario when a naive young woman is persuaded by her wealthy lover to stay at a special maternity center in California. 

After the Monsoon by Swedish writer, Robert Karjel. This is an excellent thriller set in Djibouti, Africa, about pirates on the open ocean, kidnapped sailers, ransom demands, and the war on terror. 

What's on your desk this week? 

Sunday Salon: Mystery, History, Travel

I promised myself not to buy any more books, but this one was not available on NetGalley or at the library, so I bought the ebook!

The Girl from Oto

I was interested in The Girl from Oto by Amy Maroney, not only because it's an art history mystery, but because it also takes place on the Camino de Compostela in Spain, a new interest of mine, and a place on my bucket visit to visit and do.

New paper books on my shelf include:

Don't Eat Me 

Don't Eat Me by Colin Cotterill is the most unusual mystery series set in Laos and featuring the fictional Dr. Siri Paiboon, former national coroner of Laos, The books reflect the country's people, their beliefs, superstitions, and interesting cultural slants and is written tongue in cheek, with a great deal of irony and humor.

Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding

Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding  by Rhys Bowen is the 12th in the Royal Spyness Mystery series, Georgie, who is the queen's personal spy, is planning her own wedding but a murder intervenes to take time away from her planning.

I am almost finished reading a memoir, To Siri With Love: A Mother, Her Autistic Son, and the Kindness of a Machine by Judith Newman, August 24, 2017, and am learning a lot about autism, how it manifests and how parents can cope. In this case, the boy Gus finds a "friend" in Apple's Siri, as she gives him all the information he asks for and responds to him in a somewhat personal way, as personal as as the AI can get.

What books are you reading this week?

The Sunday Post  hosted by The Caffeinated Bookreviewer,  It's Monday, What Are You Reading? by Book Date., and Mailbox Monday. Also, Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews.