I attended the Kentucky Book Festival this weekend. It seemed to be a huge hit! Despite the many authors and programs, I only had an interest in meeting two: Jessica Strawser and Ann Gabhart. I‘ve been a fan of Jessica‘s books for years and even met her at a book festival before. Ann is a local author who writes stories set in the beautiful landscapes of Kentucky. I shared it on my blog.

abookandadog.com/author-events/kentucky-book-festival-2024

This book has been collecting dust on my bookshelf for ages. I bought my copy when I went to an author event with Delia Owens at my local indie back in 2019. I absolutely adored this book! It has everything I love in a novel. It‘s a historical fiction, a coming-of-age story, a murder mystery, and a love story all set against the breathtaking backdrop of coastal North Carolina.

Full review at abookandadog.com/blog/where-the-crawdads-sing

Happy Halloween! 🎃 Nikolette and I hope you have a spooktacular day filled with yummy treats. We‘re about to dive back into Stephen King‘s Night Shift for a re-read.

I am addicted to Freida McFadden‘s amazing psychological thrillers. A former coworker/friend and I have been discussing our love for her books for the past few months. My friend is always raving about the Housemaid series, along with the rest of the reading world, so I finally made it a priority to start reading The Housemaid. It‘s so creepy and diabolical! I loved it!!

Full review at abookandadog.com/blog/the-housemaid

It has been too long since I read a book by Peter Swanson. I have been a fan of his work since he started publishing. He is an author I can count on for an outstanding psychologically suspenseful novel. I‘m so glad I decided to read this one! I was completely engaged in the story from beginning to end. 🍁

Full review at https://abookandadog.com/blog/before-she-knew-him

My only knowledge of Griffin Dunne, prior to reading this family memoir, was his role in the 1987 movie Who‘s That Girl, starring Madonna. I enjoyed reading The Friday Afternoon Club. Other people‘s lives have always fascinated me, so I appreciate it when people are willing to share some of the most private moments of their lives.

Full review at abookandadog.com/blog/the-friday-afternoon-club

I love the cover of this book. It provides the perfect visual intrigue for what may be occurring behind that closed gate, as though only certain people are privileged enough to be included. I‘m always game for a story about an elegant mansion, its arrogant residents, and a murder to be solved. This seriously exceeded my expectations. 🎃

Full review at abookandadog.com/blog/the-manor-house

It‘s always a pleasure to receive signed copies of John Grisham‘s new books from Square Books. Grisham just released his latest nonfiction book that he coauthored with Jim McCloskey, Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions. I preordered my copy, signed by both authors, from Square Books, an independent bookseller in Oxford, Mississippi. I expect this will be a good read!

abookandadog.com/blog/framed-signed

I participated in my second author event at The Back Room hosted by Hank Phillipi Ryan and Karen Dionne. There were fascinating and stimulating conversations among authors Lauren Ling Brown, Julia Dahl, Mindy Mejia, and Beatriz Williams. I wrote about my experience on my blog.
abookandadog.com/author-events/the-back-room-chilling-suspense

Author Joe Hill is easily one of my favorite horror writers. And why wouldn‘t he be — he‘s the son of Stephen King! I‘ve read all of his novels and short story collections, so I was excited when I learned from Joe‘s newsletter that his latest short story, Ushers, was available on Amazon‘s First Reads for the month of October. ?? (Not in Litsy database yet.)

Full review at abookandadog.com/blog/ushers

I ended up enjoying this book more than I expected from the beginning. It seemed the sequence of events escalated a tiny bit slowly. My personal barrier to this story was the MC‘s age. As I get older, I find it hard to relate to a main character who is barely 21. The ending of the book was a complete shock! If you like ghosts, Ouija boards, and solving puzzles, this book is for you! 

Full review at abookandadog.com/blog/hidden-pictures

While searching for my next audiobook, I came across this on my wishlist. The setting of a father and daughter living in the woods with no electricity and no connection to the outside world because a secret is being held sounded quite intriguing.

Full review at abookandadog.com/blog/these-silent-woods

Original painting pictured by artist, Patrick Riley, is available at https://www.poesoulstudio.com/original-artwork-pss/a-place-to-rest-my-mind

It‘s spooky reading season, and I want to devour as many scary stories as possible. I needed to find the perfect book to listen to while decorating my house for Halloween. I couldn‘t have been happier with my selection. A group of friends on their way to a hotel for a week relaxing in nature get lost, and they start disappearing — one by one? Yep, I was sold!

Full review at https://abookandadog.com/blog/one-by-one-mcfadden

With the spooky reading season approaching, I was in the mood for a book involving a haunted house. Scrolling through books I saved on the Hoopla app, I came across this one. Fantasy is always a bit out of my wheelhouse; however, I couldn‘t resist a story set just after WWI in an old, gothic English manor with a library. The book description sounded spooky and dreamy!

Full review at https://abookandadog.com/blog/the-last-heir-to-blackwood-library

I participated in The Back Room author event hosted by Hank Phillipe Ryan and Karen Dionne for the first time. It was a lot of fun seeing authors Madeline Martin, Rose Carlyle, Mansi Shah, and and Marybeth Mayhew Whalen discuss their latest books and interact with participants. I wrote about my experience on my blog. 💕

https://abookandadog.com/author-events/the-back-room-riveting-stories

It‘s always a good day when there is a book in my mailbox. I‘m grateful for The Poisoned Pen, an independent bookseller, in Scottsdale, Arizona, who sent me a signed copy of The Forest of Lost Souls by Dean Koontz. The gorgeous end papers are perfect for fall! The dust jacket protects a beautiful hardcover. I look forward to reading this!

More pictures on my blog at https://abookandadog.com/blog/the-forest-of-lost-souls-signed

TNH explains the power of silence by slowing down the mind so that we can recognize the surrounding beauty. Many people search for happiness; however, they spend their days frantically running from one place to another. Silence is about cultivating quiet in our minds amid chaos. TNH offers techniques to remind us to be present in the moment with equanimity in a noisy environment or mind. 

Full review at https://abookandadog.com/blog/silence

I‘ve been a fan of Grisham forever, so I was disappointed to not have liked this one as much as I hoped. Especially since I attended Grisham‘s author event in 2017 for the release of this book and purchased a signed copy. While I have a few issues with this book, it was still an okay read. The story kept my interest enough that I finished it and didn‘t feel compelled to bail.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com/blog/the-rooster-bar

Alright #hygge hour Littens, I see you! I had a vague understanding of Hygge from my use of the Calm app and mindfulness practice. I wanted to learn more about it, so I added this book to my Libby wishlist. Thanks to your recent posts, I finally read and very much enjoyed this little book. Now I understand what you all are doing! Great idea!! 😅

Full review at https://abookandadog.com/blog/the-little-book-of-hygge

I like how I never know what to expect from a Hawthorne and Horowitz mystery novel. Each installment in the series is unique. The only constant is that poor Horowitz has to figure out how to navigate the walls put up by Hawthorne. Trying to learn more about Hawthorne is like trying to enter an impenetrable fortress. Each murder mystery is complex and impossible for me to figure out.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com/blog/close-to-death

I‘m getting close to finishing the Alphabet series. I‘ve enjoyed all books in the series, otherwise I wouldn‘t keep reading them; furthermore, U is for Undertow, stands out as one of my favorites.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com/blog/u-is-for-undertow

Evan Smoak answers a person‘s frantic call for help. Soon after saving that person, Evan is captured, drugged, and whisked away. He awakens, realizing he is someone‘s prisoner, but he has no idea who has kidnapped him, what they want from him, or where he is. Evan expends all of his energy and skill in an effort to escape his confinement. Meanwhile, he receives another call for help. 

Full review at https://abookandadog.com/blog/the-nowhere-man

I‘m easily drawn to stories about abandoned houses or villages. I think that is what kept me reading this novella — there were many times I came close to bailing. The story seemed to often deviate from the main story, which was the mysterious girl in the lake and the abandoned village, by the MC‘s lengthy interactions with his parents and another boy at the resort.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com/blog/lost-girl-of-the-lake

The thing I love about horror stories is how they can creep me out and get my mind racing in a million different directions trying to figure out what‘s happening. When I close the book, I can return to my relatively calm, peaceful life. But I can‘t with this new novella, because this horror story won‘t leave my head! 

Full review at https://abookandadog.com/blog/when-you-leave-i-disappear

I admit, I judge books by their covers. I assumed this book was about external beauty based on the title and the image of a beautiful woman. I was finally drawn to reading this book because it was constantly popping up in my book feeds. Many readers seem to love this book, so I read the description and decided it sounded like something I would find interesting.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com/blog/hello-beautiful

-Not the tagged book- Audible Original Podcast offered this six-part series about Arthur Conan Doyle, and I was intrigued to learn about his personal life and the creation of Holmes. There‘s a lot of information packed into this two-hour podcast. I recommend giving this a listen if you're interested in learning the highlights of Doyle‘s life. 

Full review at https://abookandadog.com/blog/the-real-sherlock

I have an innate curiosity to learn about the lives of other people. Identified as a biographical fiction novel, Call Me Zelda by Erika Robuck, spoke to my interests about F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. The novel opens in 1932 with Zelda being admitted to the Phipps Psychiatric Clinic in Baltimore, Maryland, and meeting her assigned nurse, Anna Howard.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com/blog/call-me-zelda

I had never heard of Rakiya before, but I became quickly acquainted with the knowledge that it‘s a type of alcohol, or fruit spirits. Rakiya is consistently present in this short story collection. It is either the main focus of the story, as in the story titled, Rakiya, or briefly mentioned as a modest character. This book contains an impressive 12 short stories. 

Full review at https://abookandadog.com/blog/rakiya-stories-of-bulgaria

Professor Ben Garrod offers a lot of knowledge in just a couple of hours. He teaches listeners what defines a dinosaur, the various kinds of dinosaurs, and what led to their extinction. I was amazed to learn that some dinosaurs had feathers, and birds today are technically considered dinosaurs. Ben explains recent research that has revealed fascinating discoveries.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com/blog/a-grown-up-guide-to-dinosaurs

For the longest time, I had no intentions of reading this one. After seeing people read and love this book for about six months, I decided I would see what all the hype was about. I put the audiobook on hold with my local library and waited another eight months for my chance. I enjoyed this story and am glad I read it. If I hadn‘t read it, I think I would have been okay, too.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com/blog/yellowface

I‘m a latecomer to the writings of Neil Peart. Ghost Rider is the book I was most looking forward to reading. His 19-year-old daughter died in a car accident in 1997. Ten months later, his wife died of cancer. I remember thinking, ‘How does someone survive that magnitude of loss?!‘ Well, Neil tells readers exactly how he survived in Ghost Rider. I love everything about this book.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com/blog/ghost-rider

Set in Ireland, Niamh is a young woman employed as a teacher living with a roommate. She wakes up one morning, assuming her roommate is still asleep, when police, Cormac Reilly, knocks on her door. Curious why her roommate didn‘t rouse with the knocking, Niamh realizes her roommate is missing. As the investigation into her missing roommate evolves, Niamh‘s life becomes increasingly chaotic and confusing. 

Full review at https://abookandadog.com

This book was originally published in 2001. It was updated and re-published with the new title in 2020 to include information about the reopening of Wood‘s death investigation in 2018. A complete biography is the best way to describe this book. Author, Suzanne Finstad, clearly spent years of her life researching and interviewing everyone associated with Wood. It is extremely detailed and thorough.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com

This is my first time reading anything by Caroline Overington, so I didn‘t know what to expect when I started this book. I was pleasantly surprised by the development of this story line. I liked the characters, the beach town seemed lovely, and the suspenseful buildup was great.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com

I loved learning about Geddy Lee and Rush. I chose the audiobook format for this book; it‘s so cool that Geddy narrates. The book illustrates the life of Rush, including how the band was initially formed, the resignation of their first drummer, how Neil Peart joined the band, and highlights from their impressive 40-year career. I included some cool videos in my full review.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com

The ending was satisfying in a way that left me wanting more. I wasn‘t ready for it to be over. There is a conclusion to what happened to the missing person. I was also left with curiosity about what happened to the characters next. This ending left room for the reader to draw their own conclusions, which I kind of like. It‘s fun to dream about what I hope happens next. 

Full review at https://abookandadog.com

This book is incredibly good! I have quickly become a huge fan of Hurwitz and want to read everything he has written. The Survivor immediately surprised me with the emotional weight the story holds. I often felt physically heavy while reading this book. It might seem strange to have immensely enjoyed that feeling, but it just illustrated the talented writing of Hurwitz. I loved every minute of it!

Full review at https://abookandadog.com

This is my first time reading a book by these authors, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I picked up The Getaway from one of Audible‘s amazing offers awhile ago. Kate Mara‘s narration made for a fantastic listening experience! I‘m so glad I never attended a weekend retreat like this one! The suspenseful build-up in this story was perfect. I generally have a hard time liking short stories, but I loved this one.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com

I read the fourth book in the Beach House series, Beach House for Rent several years ago, and have finally made my way back to this series. I decided to read the first book, The Beach House, to see how things started. Reading a beach-themed book in July seemed like the best idea. It worked out perfectly, as The Beach House takes place over the course of one summer in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. 🏖️

Full review at https://abookandadog.com

You know how books are so amazing because they can transport you to another place? That‘s what I love about the Lighthouse Library Mystery series set in the Outer Banks, North Carolina, where I love to vacation. Not only that, the heart of the story takes place at the Bodie Island Lighthouse. Eva has created a fictional library inside the lighthouse with a tiny apartment. It‘s purely dreamy!

Full review at https://abookandadog.com

A few months ago, I overheard a coworker say to someone that she was exhausted because she stayed up late the previous night reading a book she couldn‘t put down. Naturally, I casually inserted myself into the conversation by asking what book she had been reading. She replied that it was by Freida McFadden. It was time for me to see what all the hype was about.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com

Happy Fourth of July from me and Nikolette! 🇺🇸🎆📚

https://abookandadog.com

Second Skin is a short story about a widower and a 9-year-old girl who believes she is the man‘s wife reincarnated. The story was engaging and inceasingly suspenseful. There is a nod to Stephen King in the story that I enjoyed.  The listening length is about four and a half hours, perfect for this short story. 

Full review at https://abookandadog.com

It‘s been a while since I‘ve read a novel by Kimberly Belle and I felt in the mood for a suspenseful thriller, so it seemed perfect timing to read Stranger in the Lake. I enjoyed this book of suspense, secrets, lies, and murder. It‘s always a pleasure to listen to an audiobook narrated by Xe Sands.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com

Thanks to an incredible Audible sale, I recently purchased all of Neil Peart‘s nonfiction books. In this one, Neil joined a group through African villages for one month on his bicycle. The ride itself was physically and mentally challenging, and Neil shares the struggles of bike repairs, long rides up steep hills and treacherous terrain, and searches for food and drink.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com

I found this to be different from French‘s Dublin Murder Squad books. The story didn‘t have the quick-paced, suspenseful twists and turns that are common in a lot of thrillers. I found the pace of the story smooth and engaging. The overall outcome wasn‘t surprising, but the details and people involved were unexpected. The Searcher contained more emotion than fast-paced crime-solving tactics. 

Full review at https://abookandadog.com

I rarely enjoy short stories, but this one was perfect! At only 16 pages on my iPad, Hurwitz tells a suspenseful story succinctly and completely. I was not left wanting more of the story as there didn‘t need to be more. I enjoyed learning how the Nowhere Man started his work. I‘m ready for book two!

Full review at https://abookandadog.com

This is an excellent book. It‘s a powerful and emotional read. Steven Hale, is a journalist who accepted an unusual invitation to witness an execution by the state of Tennessee. This is exactly the type of book that fueled my interest and subsequently guided my passion to build a career working with inmates. I share more about my professional experience in my full review.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com

I became a fan of Lisa Scottoline when I met her in 2018 on her book tour for After Anna. I was immediately drawn to her warm, excitable personality. She tells great stories, in person and her writing. I love all her books I‘ve read. Sadly, Lady Killer is my least favorite. ☹️

Full review at https://abookandadog.com

I decided I better get my act together and read this book before I retire in a few months! I adore Sharon Salzberg and appreciate her wisdom. In this book, she teaches readers how to incorporate meditation into their work life to better cope with stressful meetings, pressing deadlines, and difficult people. ☮️

Full review at https://abookandadog.com