My Fall 2015 to Read List

                      

             My Fall 2015 Reading  List

1) World After by Susan Ee

2) Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

3) First Impressions by Charlie Lovett

4) Eve by Wm. Paul Young

5) The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

6) Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

7) Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper

8) Siddhartha by Herman Heese

9) Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

10) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

11) Inferno by Dan Brown

12) Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward

13) 1984 by George Orwell

14) Kalona's Fall by P.C. and Kristin Cast

New Book Alert....Stealing Marilyn Monroe by Sophie Warren

I recently downloaded this book from Net Galley! Here is the synopsis:

Juliet Chadwick has it all—a job at a New York art gallery, a great boyfriend, and a long-term career in the family business: theft. But unlike her father, Juliet plays it safe, sticking to small-time art heists and always covering her tracks. Until one day when her father’s creditors show up, demanding that she pay off his debts—or else. 

And so Juliet comes up with a desperate plan, the greatest con she’s ever attempted: She’s going to steal Andy Warhol’s famous portrait of Marilyn Monroe from bachelor billionaire Edward Aster. All she’ll have to do is pose as the Aster family’s new nanny until she can get her hands on the painting. How hard can it be?

But all too quickly, Juliet finds herself falling in love with Edward’s children, and maybe even with Edward himself. Can she bring herself to pull off the ultimate theft—if it means stealing from a man who’s stolen her heart? 

Hey ya'll I just got this ARC as an eBook and I will be reading this fall....

New book discovery and just perfect for fall...it's all about a witch ! 

Here is the synopsis:

A sweeping historical romance about a witch who foresees her own murder--and the one boy who can help change her future.

Sixteen-year-old Avery Roe wants only to take her rightful place as the witch of Prince Island, making the charms that keep the island's whalers safe at sea, but her mother has forced her into a magic-free world of proper manners and respectability. When Avery dreams she's to be murdered, she knows time is running out to unlock her magic and save herself.

Avery finds an unexpected ally in a tattooed harpoon boy named Tane--a sailor with magic of his own, who moves Avery in ways she never expected. Becoming a witch might stop her murder and save her island from ruin, but Avery discovers her magic requires a sacrifice she never prepared for.

Another book discovery

                                                                         

Here is the synopsis:

Florence, Italy—1533: 

An orphan named René le Florentin is plucked from poverty to become Catherine de Medici’s perfumer. Traveling with the young duchessina from Italy to France, René brings with him a cache of secret documents from the monastery where he was trained: recipes for exotic fragrances and potent medicines—and a formula for an alchemic process said to have the potential to reanimate the dead. 

In France, René becomes not only the greatest perfumer in the country, but also the most dangerous, creating deadly poisons for his Queen to use against her rivals. But while mixing herbs and essences under the light of flickering candles, René doesn’t begin to imagine the tragic and personal consequences for which his lethal potions will be responsible.

Paris, France—The Present:

A renowned mythologist, Jac L’Etoile—trying to recover from personal heartache by throwing herself into her work—learns of the sixteenth-century perfumer who may have been working on an elixir that would unlock the secret to immortality. She becomesobsessed with René le Florentin’s work—particularly when she discovers the dying breaths he had collected during his lifetime.

Jac’s efforts put her in the path of her estranged lover, Griffin North, a linguist who has already begun translating René le Florentin’s mysterious formula. Together they confront an eccentric heiress in possession of a world-class art collection, a woman who has her own dark purpose for the elixir . . . for which she believes the ends will justify her deadly means.

This mesmerizing gothic tale zigzags from the violent days of Catherine de Medici’s court to twenty-first-century France. Fiery and lush, set against deep, wild forests and dimly lit chateaus, The Collector of Dying Breaths illuminates the true path to immortality: the legacies we leave behind.

My latest book purchases....first book up is a mystery !

This is the book my cousin Jay suggested I purchase; she is rather obsessed with mysteries/thrillers....well here is the synopsis.

From amazon.com

When Charlie Clark takes a break from his latest losing streak at the track to bring home his Alzheimer’s-addled father, Drummond, they’re attacked by two mysterious shooters.  At first, Charlie thinks his Russian “creditors” are employing aggressive collection tactics.  But once Drummond effortlessly hot-wires a car, Charlie discovers that his unassuming father was actually a deep cover CIA agent . . . and there is extremely sensitive information rattling around in his troubled mind.  Now the CIA wants to “contain” him, so the two embark on a wild chase through the labyrinthine world of national security that will force them to confront unspeakable danger, dark conspiracies, and what it means to be a father and son.

Another book discovery

                                                                         

Here is the synopsis:

Florence, Italy—1533: 

An orphan named René le Florentin is plucked from poverty to become Catherine de Medici’s perfumer. Traveling with the young duchessina from Italy to France, René brings with him a cache of secret documents from the monastery where he was trained: recipes for exotic fragrances and potent medicines—and a formula for an alchemic process said to have the potential to reanimate the dead. 

In France, René becomes not only the greatest perfumer in the country, but also the most dangerous, creating deadly poisons for his Queen to use against her rivals. But while mixing herbs and essences under the light of flickering candles, René doesn’t begin to imagine the tragic and personal consequences for which his lethal potions will be responsible.

Paris, France—The Present:

A renowned mythologist, Jac L’Etoile—trying to recover from personal heartache by throwing herself into her work—learns of the sixteenth-century perfumer who may have been working on an elixir that would unlock the secret to immortality. She becomesobsessed with René le Florentin’s work—particularly when she discovers the dying breaths he had collected during his lifetime.

Jac’s efforts put her in the path of her estranged lover, Griffin North, a linguist who has already begun translating René le Florentin’s mysterious formula. Together they confront an eccentric heiress in possession of a world-class art collection, a woman who has her own dark purpose for the elixir . . . for which she believes the ends will justify her deadly means.

This mesmerizing gothic tale zigzags from the violent days of Catherine de Medici’s court to twenty-first-century France. Fiery and lush, set against deep, wild forests and dimly lit chateaus, The Collector of Dying Breaths illuminates the true path to immortality: the legacies we leave behind.

Book Recommendation for the summer

Renee and Jay by J.J. Murray....its romantic, sexy, sweet, funny and an amazing read. Its one of my absolutely favorite books....here is the synopsis...

There are worse places a saucy single gal could be stranded in the biggest winter storm to hit southwestern Virginia in years. Here at Luchesi's restaurant, Renee can fill up on hot breadsticks and spiked mocha cappuccino--and she can check out Giovanni Anthony Luchesi, the finest man this side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. But damn, if it doesn't stop snowing soon, she's gonna wind up in big trouble, what with all the amaretto and candlelight.

Days later, the ice isn't all that's melting in Roanoke. Renee's gone and fallen for the whitest white boy she's ever met. Now she feels like she's living a Julia Roberts movie with an interracial twist and gentle Giovanni, with his slow, seductive hands and spicy kisses, as her leading man. Renee always was a sucker for happy endings. Now, with a make-do ring from Giovanni on her finger, her own seems guaranteed. What can possibly go wrong?

Book Discoveries

Synopsis:

My Sisters Made of Light follows three generations of a Pakistani family as they make their way through life in the political, social, and religious maze that is their motherland. This novel pulls readers into the compelling, heartbreaking, and often terrifying world of honor crimes against women in Pakistan through the life and family history of Ujala. Ujala decides to follow the path for which her mother has prepared her and pushes aside fears for her own safety to help other women escape from the impossible situations in which they find themselves. Dorothy Allison, author of the critically acclaimed Bastard Out of Carolina, says, "[Jacqueline St. Joan] brings to her story what she brought to the law, a conviction that life is full of both struggle and purpose and that grace comes to us when we have no reason to expect it."

Another new book discovery

Confused and disoriented, Georgina Ferrars awakens in a small room in Tregannon House, a private asylum in a remote corner of England. She has no memory of the past few weeks. The doctor, Maynard Straker, tells her that she admitted herself under the name Lucy Ashton the day before, then suffered a seizure. When she insists he has mistaken her for someone else, Dr. Straker sends a telegram to her uncle, who replies that Georgina Ferrars is at home with him in London: “Your patient must be an imposter.”

Suddenly her voluntary confinement becomes involuntary. Who is the woman in her uncle’s house? And what has become of her two most precious possessions, a dragonfly pin left to her by her mother and a writing case containing her journal, the only record of those missing weeks? Georgina’s perilous quest to free herself takes us from a cliffside cottage on the Isle of Wight to the secret passages of Tregannon House and into a web of hidden family ties on which her survival depends.

Another delicious read from the author praised by Ruth Rendell as having “a gift for creating suspense, apparently effortlessly, as if it belongs in the nature of fiction."

New book discovery

Synopsis....

Known throughout Tennessee as "Old Kate," the Bell Witch took up residence with John Bell's family in 1818. It was a cruel and noisy spirit, given to rapping and gnawing sounds before it found its voices.

With these voices and its supernatural acts, the Bell Witch tormented the Bell family. This extraordinary book recounts the only documented case in U.S. history when a spirit actually caused a man's death.

The local schoolteacher, Richard Powell, witnessed the strange events and recorded them for his daughter. His astonishing manuscript fell into the hands of novelist Brent Monahan, who has prepared the book for publication. Members of the Bell family have previously provided information on this fascinating case, but this book recounts the tale with novelistic vigor and verve. It is truly chilling.

Recommended for those that want a good horror/thriller 

Another book to buy

Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson 

Marianne Daventry will do anything to escape the boredom of Bath and the amorous attentions of an unwanted suitor. So when an invitation arrives from her twin sister, Cecily, to join her at a sprawling country estate, she jumps at the chance. Thinking she'll be able to relax and enjoy her beloved English countryside while her sister snags the handsome heir of Edenbrooke, Marianne finds that even the best laid plans can go awry. From a terrifying run-in with a highwayman to a seemingly harmless flirtation, Marianne finds herself embroiled in an unexpected adventure filled with enough romance and intrigue to keep her mind racing. Will Marianne be able to rein in her traitorous heart, or will a mysterious stranger sweep her off her feet? Fate had something other than a relaxing summer in mind when it sent Marianne to Edenbrooke.

A book I want to buy

"That skinny Indian teenager has that mysterious something that comes along once a generation. He is one of those rare chefs who is simply born. He is an artist."

And so begins the rise of Hassan Haji, the unlikely gourmand who recounts his life’s journey in Richard Morais’s charming novel, The Hundred-Foot Journey. Lively and brimming with the colors, flavors, and scents of the kitchen, The Hundred-Foot Journey is a succulent treat about family, nationality, and the mysteries of good taste.

Born above his grandfather’s modest restaurant in Mumbai, Hassan first experienced life through intoxicating whiffs of spicy fish curry, trips to the local markets, and gourmet outings with his mother. But when tragedy pushes the family out of India, they console themselves by eating their way around the world, eventually settling in Lumière, a small village in the French Alps.

The boisterous Haji family takes Lumière by storm. They open an inexpensive Indian restaurant opposite an esteemed French relais—that of the famous chef Madame Mallory—and infuse the sleepy town with the spices of India, transforming the lives of its eccentric villagers and infuriating their celebrated neighbor. Only after Madame Mallory wages culinary war with the immigrant family, does she finally agree to mentor young Hassan, leading him to Paris, the launch of his own restaurant, and a slew of new adventures.

The Hundred-Foot Journey is about how the hundred-foot distance between a new Indian kitchen and a traditional French one can represent the gulf between different cultures and desires. A testament to the inevitability of destiny, this is a fable for the ages—charming, endearing, and compulsively readable.

Happy 123rd Birthday Zora Neale Hurston!!!! Author of Their Eyes Were Watching God

Entire List of the Books I am set to read this year...hopefully I can get more than this in...

A short list of the books that I am looking forward to reading this year.

1) I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

2) Shades of Milk & Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal

3) You Give Good Love by J.J. Murray

4) Inferno by Dan Brown

5) Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

6) The Hours by Michael Cunningham

7) The City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

9) The Night Eternal by G. Del Toro & Chuck Hogan

10) Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom

11) The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan

12) Divergent by Veronica Roth

13) Beautiful Redemption by K. Garcia and M. Stohl

14) Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by R. Riggs

15) The Time Travelers Life by A. Niffenegger

16) Emma by Jane Austen

17) Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

18) By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham

19) The Help by Kathryn Stockett 

20)  She’s the One by J.J. Murray

21) Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

22) Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

23) The Cuckoo’s Calling by J.K. Rowling

24) Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead 

25) Love In the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez

26) Snowflower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

27) A Gift from Tiffany’s by Melissa Hill

28) Alice and Wonderland by Lewis Carroll 

29) The White Chapel Conspiracy by Anne Perry

30) Dolores Claibourne by Stephen King

31) Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers

32) The Art of Devotion by Samantha Bruce - Benjamin

33) The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards

34) Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

35) Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende