The Mister's Reads & More

 

I hope that you had a good weekend.  The weather has been nothing less than glorious lately. You can't beat Texas in the Fall.

The Mister was out of town, so I headed to Dallas to see my favorite grandchild and her parents.  Miss Lucy loves her Cowboy books!

I met Anna Reiman and Cowboy, her beloved goldendoodle, at a book signing a while ago. I was so impressed with her, as well as her darling books. Through Cowboy's adventures, he brings Bible stories to life.  

  

You can find out more about Cowboy and his adventures here.

We had lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, Muchacho.  If you go, I highly recommend the Ahi Tuna Taquitos. They are delish! 

You asked, and I answered. 

Here is a list of the Mister's favorite Summer reads.

Amazon

This heartwarming story of lost love is as much about survival, love, and the beauty and culture of Puglia as it is about the memories. The backdrop is an Italian stone farmhouse that is now a crumbling hotel.

  

Amazon

 

In this brilliantly plotted espionage thriller, a father searches for his missing son in 1953 Tehran.  In Tehran, a city on the brink of a historic coup, Harry’s career as a spy soon proves perfect training for this much more personal mission. 

 

 Amazon

As always, Pam Jenoff brings historical fiction to its best.  It is 1942, and Hannah has escaped Nazi Germany on a steamship bound for America, only to be turned back to Brussels.  Hannah's bravery and sacrifice will keep you turning each page.

Amazon

 Raised off the grid in the middle of nowhere, Remy Blake has been taught that the world is in chaos and that the collapse of society is imminent. As supplies run out and fending for himself grows increasingly desperate, Remy sets out on foot, unprepared for the great unknown of civilization. As Remy’s journey into the real world begins, figuring out how to survive becomes a path they must learn to walk together.

Amazon

 Stewart Dubinsky knew his father had served in World War II.  He had heard the story of his rescue of Stewart's mother from the horror of the Balingen concentration camp.  But when he discovers, after his father's death, a packet of wartime letters to a former fiancée and learns of his father's court-martial and imprisonment, he is plunged into the mystery of his family's secret history.  In reconstructing the terrible events and agonizing choices his father faced on the battlefield, in the courtroom, and in love, Stewart gains a closer understanding of his past, of his father's character, and of the brutal nature of war itself.

Amazon

Marta Molnar will quickly become one of your favorite authors as family secrets unravel and Emsley navigates both the past and her future.   When Hollywood auctioneer Emsley Wilson finds her famous grandmother's diary while cleaning out her New York brownstone, the pages are full of surprises. The first surprise is the diary isn't her grandmother's. It belongs to Johanna Bonger, Vincent van Gogh's sister-in-law.

Amazon

 Back in 1940 and the London Blitz.  Evacuated to the English countryside, Josie ends up at the estate of the aristocratic Miss Harcourt, a reluctant host to the survivors of the Blitz. Awed as she is by the magnificent landscape, Josie sees an opportunity. Josie convinces Miss Harcourt to let her open a humble tea shop.  Another winner from Rhys Bowen. 

Amazon

 A great read from Nelson DeMille and his son Alex. 

This is a true military thriller with ripped-from-the-headlines appeal, an exotic and dangerous locale, and the hairpin twists and inimitable humor that are signature DeMille!

Amazon

 

Back to Italy, this time in Positano on the Amalfi Coast.  It is the mother-daughter trip of a lifetime that has spirit and spirit. Buoyed by the stunning waters, beautiful cliff sides, delightful residents, and, of course, delectable food.  Katy finds memories as a key to managing loss. 

 

Amazon

The Demon of Unrest covers the five months between Abraham Lincoln's election and the start of the Civil War in this "riveting reexamination of one of our nation's darkest periods." Erik Larson is a world-class storyteller. Egos, ambitions, errors, tragedy, and betrayal—these five words best describe this moving story.  

Amazon

To say that I loved Like Mother, Like Mother would be an understatement. I absolutely adored this book. The storyline is creative, and a mystery remains the core of this well-told story. The characters are well-drawn, and it was hard for me to say goodbye to them, especially Grace, Ruth, Frances, and Joe. I'm hoping for a sequel.  

Comes out 10/29

Amazon

True confession: I'm in love with Eddie Flynn, the brash-talking, former con man turned lawyer.  Don't tell the Mister.

I have read all of Cavanagh's books, and he never disappoints me.  Witness 8 centers around a murder that takes place in a wealthy neighborhood.  There is one witness, Ruby, the maid.  Ruby, at one time, lived in this neighborhood and enjoyed a life of luxury.  Ruby also hides a dark secret.  No worries, folks, Eddie is defending the innocent neighbor who is on trial for murder.  I could tell you the rest of the story, but then I would have to kill you.  

I'm sorry to say that this book won't be released until next year.

Amazon

This author released Hidden Pictures last year. This novel begins with Frank, a loyal UPS driver, receiving a call from his estranged daughter.  Maggie gives him the good news - she is engaged to a great guy and plans on marrying him in a few weeks. Frank is delighted that their estrangement is over and looks forward to meeting his new son-in-law the following weekend. If you are looking for spoilers, you won't find them here.

This book kept me guessing and moved quickly.

It comes out on 10/8.

Amazon

I am reading this now and enjoying it. Nicola Kraus is the author of The Nanny Diaries, but this family-focused saga is nothing like it. One flaky sister drops off her three kids at her responsible sister's house. The flake doesn't come back to reclaim the kids for several years. She not only takes the poor kids but also something else.

It comes out next year.

Amazon

This is the sequel to The Plot.

Anna Williams-Bonner has taken care of business. That is to say, she’s taken care of her husband, bestselling novelist Jacob Finch Bonner, and laid to rest those anonymous accusations of plagiarism that so tormented him. 

Amazon

When retired math teacher Grace Winters is left a run-down house on a Mediterranean island by a long-lost friend, curiosity gets the better of her. She arrives in Ibiza with a one-way ticket, no guidebook and no plan.

Amazon

MADWOMAN is a gripping story of motherhood and motherloss and the brutal, mighty things women do to keep themselves and each other alive, marking the arrival of a major fiction talent.

Amazon

An exquisitely moving story about grief, love, and family―but especially love―from the global phenomenon Sally Rooney.

Amazon

 Estranged siblings discover their father has been keeping a secret for more than fifty years, one that may have been fatal.

Amazon

Before she mastered the art of French cooking in midlife, Julia Child found herself working in the secrets trade in Asia during World War II.

The Mister has already downloaded this one. 

Amazon

In her long-awaited memoir, Ina Garten—aka the Barefoot Contessa, author of thirteen bestselling cookbooks, beloved Food Network personality, Instagram sensation, and cultural icon—shares her personal story with readers hungry for a seat at her table.

 

Amazon

Born to an American myth and raised in the wilds of Graceland, Lisa Marie Presley tells her whole story for the first time in this raw, riveting, one-of-a-kind memoir faithfully completed by her daughter, Riley Keough.

Amazon

By turns comical and heartbreaking, I Will Do Better is the remarkable journey of two defiant and wounded people and their personal growth in the name of love.

Amazon

From the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE, an electrifying re-examination of one of the 20th century’s greatest unsung power players.

Amazon

In John Grisham’s first work of nonfiction since The Innocent Man, “the master of the legal thriller” (Associated Press) teams up with Jim McCloskey, “the godfather of the innocence movement” (Texas Monthly), to share ten harrowing true stories of wrongful convictions.