I hope that you had a good weekend. The Mister and I did some errands and then had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory on Saturday. Boy has that place ever gone downhill. It used to be one of my favorites because it has a delicious Skinny menu. My salad was 95% lettuce. And the place is dirty.
Now that I got that off my chest, on Sunday, we had lunch with our #2. We went to one of my favorite restaurants, Honor Bar.
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I had the usual Macho Salad, which was music to my tastebuds.
My #2 had the Ahi Tuna salad.
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We then zipped over to #2's pad to pick up Chowdah because our girl has been commuting to DC.
Not too much new except I am still glued to the Murdaugh trial. If you're interested in the latest scoop, you can find it here.
Today, I'm giving you a roundup of what I have been reading and listening to lately.
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I enjoyed the characters and the storyline. A happily-married woman's husband flies charters for wealthy clients. He is called last minute to fly a big celebrity to the destination, and on his way back, the plane disappears over the Bermuda Triangle.
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Gone Tonight, is written by a favorite author of mine. I thoroughly enjoyed this delicious slow-burn of a novel. It is a story about a mother on the run with her daughter. One problem - the adult daughter never knew that they were on the run. While the mother is showing signs of Alzheimer's, her daughter is digging into her dark past. It is fast-paced and suspenseful. This one comes out in August.
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Oh, Jojo Moyes, you did not let me down with this delightful page-turner centering around a pair of Christian Louboutin stilettos. A light, fun read.
Amazon
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The dream team behind the pen name of Liv Constantine did it again. This political thriller revolves around Sloane, a widow of a US Senator. A year after her husband was murdered, she marries another US Senator who was her hubby's best friend! Her ex's mother-in-law does not trust Sloane's new hubby one bit. Aside from her love life, Sloane is battling a chronic disease that is progressively getting worse. New hubby hires a very attractive caretaker, and sparks fly.
I spent most of my time trying to figure out whether the new hubs was a good guy or a bad guy. In any case, I loved this book. The twists were well-placed, and the characters are richly drawn. The authors never let me down.
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The Doctor's Wife begins with a bang. Almost instantly, the Doctor lays his cards on the table, and his hand is a whopper. I knew from that point on that I would love this twisty domestic thriller. In another couple of chapters, the wife shows her hand, and hers is a doozy. This thriller had me glued with every twist and turn. I was a big fan of Daniel Hurst and an even bigger one now.
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One twist after another in this whiplash of a thriller. Throughout the book, I found myself continuously changing my mind as to figuring out who the villain was. Plenty of clues were dealt, and yet it still took me by surprise. I highly recommend this one to someone who wants the time to fly while traveling.
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Sam and Alexis move into their dream house on the outskirts of Washington DC. Within several days, their neighbor is discovered floating in the Potomac. Alexis becomes fast friends with the widow. She slowly finds out that a lot of their neighbors are not the people that they appear to be. This was a well-written debut novel. This is coming out this Summer.
I'm a big fan of Samantha Downing. This book can be summed up in two words: toxic love. I did not care for either one of the main characters, Wes and Ivy. The writing and suspense kept me turning the pages, but I found the story exhausting. This was definitely not one of Downing's best books. This comes out this Summer.
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A child is kidnapped from a playground while the mother was distracted. The child is eventually recovered, and that sets the wheels in motion for a story full of suspense at a fast pace. I took a star off because I wasn't crazy about the ending.
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Hotel Laguna is a wonderful story that has it all. A beautiful setting and some lovable, quirky characters. This one comes out in June.
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A perfect beach read! I appreciate an original storyline. This is about a young woman who is a portrait artist. She passes out and needs brain surgery. When she wakes up, she discovers that she has facial blindness. Yup, just like Brad Pitt. Before the surgery, she was chosen to compete in a prestigious art competition. She then has to figure out how to create the portrait without seeing the face. It's a light read written with humor and heart.
This comes out in July.
Joe Goldberg goes to Harvard! My favorite murderer is invited to join an elite writing fellowship. Joe is again hoping for a new beginning. He then meets a lovely girl named Wonder. Before we know it, Joe's stalking tendencies have come back with a vengeance. This one comes out in April.
A dark and twisty tale centering around two friends and two murders. It is well-written; however, the protagonist was a bit-wishy-washy for my taste. All in all, it is a solid suspenseful thriller.
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I highly recommend the audio version read by the author if you are interested in this tell-all. I came away having more sympathy for Harry. A lot of the comments quoted in the press were taken out of context.
I think there are three people driving the royal bus:
Camilla, Kate, and Meghan.
I am reading this right now and enjoying it. It made me realize how much I enjoy family sagas. This centers around three generations of strong, likable women.
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All three of these books are coming out in March.
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One of my favorite authors.
A private eye starts to follow a possibly adulterous husband, but little does he know that the twisted trail will lead back to the woman who hired him.
Only Murders in the Building meets The Maid in this darkly beguiling locked-room mystery where someone turns up dead on the set of TV’s hottest baking competition.
The author wrote one of my favorite books, Defending Jacob.
A mother vanished. A father presumed guilty. There is no proof.
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Linking up with:
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I am following the Murdaugh trial like I'm on the jury! So many bizarre twists and turns.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the entertainment! Most appeal to me.
ReplyDeleteAt my book club last night, we talked more about the Murdaugh trial than the book! 😲
ReplyDeleteSounds like a book club that I used to belong to!
DeleteSeveral of these books are on my to read list too
ReplyDeleteShannon
Great minds think alike!
DeleteI started listening to Spare, but need to pick back up on this one. I just wish they could let go of so formality and just be a loving family. It's sad! I'm not a murder trial enthusiast, so not following the Murdaugh trial other than news clips.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the book suggestions. I always appreciate it!
It looks like you founds lots of fabulous books to help you pass the time away!
ReplyDeleteSo many great books! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAs for the trial, hard to believe some of the things coming out.
Elizabeth@pineconesandacorns
My favorite post in all of blogland! Thank you for all the great recommendations. I just finished Night Angels (an Amazon First Reads book from a few months ago). Really enjoyed a different take on WWII history.
ReplyDeleteIs that Hank Phillipi Ryan the newscaster who used to be on Ch5 Boston?
ReplyDeleteYes, she is. Annie G.
DeleteNo Way!! I never knew that. She's written some good thrillers.
DeleteI'm watching some of the Murdaugh trial. As a retired paralegal let me say Alec is a master on the stand but I don't know if he'll get off....I'm thinking hung jury. Also, I respectfully disagree with Spare, these two are toxic. I know you and others will disagree but we're all entitled to our opinions. Otherwise, a great list of books that I will definately check out!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the hung jury. We will agree to disagree on the royals. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. Enjoy your weekend.
DeleteI read Spare and changed my mind too!The Press is awful how can they lie the way they did?!
ReplyDeleteSo is the South Carolina Lawyer going to jail?What do you think?!!
I’ve only seen bits and pieces!!
My guess is a hung jury. The only thing I know for sure is there is no way he will be acquitted. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteI loved the audible version of Spare. It changed my perspective of the paparazzi and the new King's wife, Camilla. I'm happy to have a new list of book recommendations. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteKaren B.
Hi Karen! Hope all is well with you. Thanks for commenting.
DeletePinning this one too - I love your book recs! Thanks for sharing Katie!!
ReplyDeletexo,
Kellyann
Ugh on Cheesecake Factory, they also water their drinks :> Thank you for all of the recommendations on the books. A few of them will be joining me on vacation at the end of the month. Happy March! Annie G.
ReplyDeleteI want to go to Honor Bar. What a salad! I’m saving and pinning this post! Going to need some summer pool reads!
ReplyDeleteI've been following the Murdaugh saga since July 2021 by listening to Mandy Matney's "Murdaugh Murder's Podcast." It's the craziest southern gothic story. I will be on jury watch for this one!
ReplyDeleteLoved Defending Jacob, too. Looking forward to reading the new book.
ReplyDelete