New Releases for March

It’s a bit late but we’re still in March so  time here’s a quick roundup on some new advance review copies that I’ve received.  Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for these:

Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk; translated by Heather Cleary. Across two different time periods, two women confront fear, loneliness, mortality, and a haunting yearning that will not let them rest. A breakout, genre-blurring novel from one of the most exciting new voices of Latin America’s feminist Gothic. And, yes, vampires are involved! On sale 3/5/2024.

Finding Sophie by Imran Mahmood. For the last seventeen years, Harry and Zara King’s lives have revolved around their only daughter, Sophie. One day, Sophie leaves the house and doesn’t come home. Six weeks later, the police are no closer to finding her than when they started. But someone knows what happened. On sale 3/5/2024.

One Moment by Becky Hunter. The day Scarlett dies, her hopes and dreams for the future die with her…or so she thinks. Because she’s still here watching. She’d do anything to go back and join the living, especially Evie, her best friend who needs her now more than ever. On sale 3/12/2024.

Jaded by Ela Lee. “Jade isn’t even my real name. Jade began as my Starbucks name, because all children of immigrants have a Starbucks name.” Can I tell you how often I have used a different name at Starbucks or a restaurant waitlist? Really curious about this one. On sale 3/19/2024.

Little Crosses by Sabrina Reeves. A daughter examines her complicated relationship with a charismatic, narcissistic mother who now lives with alcohol-related dementia. I do enjoy books that explore mother-daughter relationship so this one sounds like it will be quite emotional. On sale 3/19/2024.

A Deadly Walk in Devon by Nicholas George. The first in a charming new mystery series set in the English countryside, as a retired San Diego police detective embarks upon group walking tours in England’s most scenic counties… Of course murder ensues. On sale 3/26/2024.

What do you think about these? Any spark your interest?

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Library Visit

It has been quite a while since I went to the library. Last time was in December and I was dropping off some magazines for the magazine exchange program but I didn’t even look at the new books shelf! I do use the library frequently but basically for Audiobooks through the Libby App. However, I needed a book for my upcoming mystery book group and as I’ve been trying to curb my book buying a bit as my shelves are overflowing then I thought it’s time to visit the library!

I was happy to see a display for Women’s History Month although I was hoping it would have a bit more nonfiction but maybe those books were already checked out. I didn’t grab any from the display but went over to the holds section to pick up The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman for my upcoming mystery book group discussion, and then of course went over to the new books section.

There were so many new books that caught my attention but I only picked up two additional books: Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri, translated with Todd Portnowitz and My Brilliant Friend the graphic novel by Chiara Laguna and Mara Cerri. So excited about these. Have you read them?

Before I left of course I had a look at the magazine exchange table because I am really into collage lately for my crafty projects and enjoy going through magazines to pull images I can use. I was able to get several magazines and bonus, some of these are from AllRecipes and Cooking Light which means we may have some new recipes to try this spring.

So a fun visit and now off to get started on one of these books. Let me know if you’ve been going to your library lately and what you’ve found.

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Month in Review

I’m back from five days in Maui! Yes, it really was a work trip but there was quite a bit of downtime and it was wonderful to relax in such a beautiful place. Despite the devastation of the wildfires last year, you can feel the spirit of coming together to rebuild the community.

We had great meals and my favorites being the seafood and fruit. Of course some delicious desserts were also savored at every meal. We went on a whale watching tour and before you think it was all fun, we did some volunteering at Kipuka Olowalu. It was fascinating to learn about native plants and their traditional uses.

While you won’t be able to go into the historic Lahaina as that was lost in the wildfires, you can still visit Maui and help support the community. So if you are planning a trip, I encourage you to check out the Maui official travel site for more information on how you can help and enjoy a great time.

Obviously that is the highlight of the month. A month where I was feeling a bit overwhelmed but as usual travel always has such a great effect on me and I’m feeling a bit more refreshed and excited about a new month and spring just around the corner.

When it comes to the books at first I didn’t think I’d be reading much but time in Maui and the long flights meant I got a bit of extra reading time so I finished six books in February. They are: Winter Solstice by Rosamund Pilcher, These Silent Woods by Kim Cunningham Grant, The Clinic by Kate Quinn, Murder Road by Simone St. James, The Ascent by Adam Plantinga and Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight by Riku Onda.

By far, my favorite was Winter Solstice. There was something so comforting about that book and now I’m thinking why did I wait so long to read anything by Rosamund Pilcher? But at least there are more of her books to discover. I barely got in my book for the Japanese Literature reading challenge but I did. Unfortunately, this book by Riku Onda wasn’t as great as the previous novel I read by her but still enjoyable.

I hope you had a wonderful month and can’t wait to hear if you’ve got some reading plans for next month.

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