Category: Sunday Post

Spring is here! On this blog anyway. I’ve done my seasonal changing of the colors. Some of you may still be getting snow, but Spring will take over soon enough.

This week I got all my reviews for the May edition of Historical Novels Review (HNR), the magazine of the Historical Novel Society (HNS), in and on time! I have been working on some of those since January. That resulted in my not being able to post as much last week, but there will be seven reviews I can post later (after the May 1st publication date).

Here’s a look at the covers of all the books I reviewed for the May edition of HNR.

I have been reading and reviewing as much as possible, so I have some reviews to post in the coming week.

Doug and I watched a really interesting show a couple of weeks ago on Apple TV. It’s called The Shining Girls. It is a crime/thriller that also includes alternate reality and time travel! It was excellent, and not easy to figure out. If you like time travel, thrillers, and puzzles, give this one a try. I liked it so much that I got the audiobook of the novel of the same name by Lauren Beukes, and a review will be along in a couple weeks after I finish listening to it.

Indie Weekend: I posted last week that I have paused new submissions for Indie Weekend until June so I can get caught up. If you are one of the authors whose books I have accepted for Indie Weekend, look for an email from me when I give you a firm date of when the review will be posted. If you don’t get an email from me by Wednesday, contact me at bonniereadsandwrites@gmail.com.

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOG

On Friday I posted an excerpt from The Walk On for a blog tour sponsored by AME. I couldn’t put my review up because it was 3 stars and they require at least 4 for the tour. So they provided me with an excerpt and I will post the review later.

On Friday I also participated in Book Blogger Hop and answered the question: Do you Blog Daily?

On Saturday I reviewed Chronicles of the Golden City for Indie Weekend.

NEXT WEEK ON THE BLOG

On Tuesday I will post my review of The Walk On.

I will participate in Top Ten Tuesday if time permits.

On Thursday, the 23rd, I will be highlighting some great deals on Louise Bélanger’s poetry collection, which is going on sale next week.

On Friday I will review The Metropolitan Affair and participate in Book Blogger Hop.

On Indie Weekend I will review Birds in Flight by Anni Taylor and The Hedge Witch and the Musical Poet by MJ Mallon.

BOOK HAUL

This is a fascinating book about a Civil War era racehorse from whom twelve of horseracing’s thirteen Triple Crown winners are descended.

This is Book 3 of the Ice Cream Shop mysteries. I will have to check out the other two. Sometimes you just gotta read a good cozy.

This is the sixth Daniel Pitt novel, which can all be read as standalones. It is set in 1912 London. Daniel is working on a fraud case against a very wealthy philanthropist and Miriam becomes involved in the suffrage movement. I just love Anne Perry’s books.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See the rules here: Sunday Post Meme

Yes I did a lot of reading while driving this week, but it was legal because it was audiobooks! I have been requesting more of them because I have to do a lot of driving for work, so this helps pass the time and helps me get my reading done.

I have paused accepting submissions for Indie Weekend because I need to get caught up with the submissions that I have. I will resume accepting new books in June. I am determined to get caught up by then.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOG

On Sunday I reviewed The Women in Me for Indie Weekend.

On Monday I did a cover reveal of A Winter by the Sea.

On Tuesday I participated in Top Ten Tuesday.

On Wednesday I reviewed Deborah’s Gift.

On Thursday I reviewed Go As A River.

On Friday I participated in Book Blogger Hop and reviewed This Other Eden.

On Saturday I reviewed Awaken and did a spotlight of Kojiro for Indie Weekend.

NEXT WEEK ON THE BLOG

On Tuesday I will participate in Top Ten Tuesday if time permits.

On Wednesday I will review The Last Carolina Girl.

On Thursday I will review To Win Her Hand as part of a blog tour for Austenprose PR.

On Friday I will participate in Book Blogger Hop if time permits.

On Saturday I will review Chronicles of the Golden City for Indie Weekend.

BOOK HAUL

I picked up three audiobooks last week. I’m almost done with one of them.

Have you picked up any new books this week? Happy Reading!

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See the rules here: Sunday Post Meme

Spring is coming! My husband Doug took this great shot of flowers springing up amidst dead leaves. The turnover of seasons has begun! We might get some last gasps of winter, but Spring has announced its pending arrival.

This week Doug was in Bryson City working on the house all week and I was back in Tennessee working. With Doug and the dogs gone, it was way too quiet! I came down to Bryson City yesterday (Saturday) and I’m leaving tomorrow. Everytime I come, something new has been done. This time it was flooring. The wood floors are in everywhere except the porch, which will be made part of the house eventually.

LAST WEEK ON BONNIE READS AND WRITES

On Thursday I reviewed The Woman With The Cure by Lynn Cullen.

On Friday I did a cover reveal for Act Like A Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally

I also participated in Book Blogger Hop on Friday.

NEXT WEEK ON BONNIE READS AND WRITES

On Tues I will do a cover reveal for A Winter By The Sea by Julie Klassen

On Wednesday I will review Deborah’s Gift by Lois Ann Abraham

On Friday I will review the audiobook of This Other Eden by Paul Harding

I will participate in Book Blogger Hop if time permits.

And for Indie Weekend I will highlight Indie books.

BOOK HAUL THIS WEEK

Way too many books? Why not request more? That’s my motto!!!

Excited to read this book by the author of Cold Mountain.

I couldn’t turn down this widget from St. Martin’s Press. A dual-timeline murder mystery! And it might involve Russian spies. Intriguing!

I love to read about the gilded age, and this novel is inspired by the true story of Arabella Huntington.

I’m also busily reading my latest books from The Historical Novel Society. They are due March 15th, but I cannot post the reviews until May 1st.

Have a great week, everyone!

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post

This was a normal week, and yesterday was completely lazy as we watched “Young Sheldon” and “Law and Order” all day. I had gotten Doug all 20 seasons of Law and Order on DVD for Christmas, and we are on Season 2. Young Sheldon is so fun. It makes me want to watch Big Bang Theory all over again.

Last Week On Bonnie Reads and Writes

On Tuesday I participated in Top Ten Tuesday. The topic was Top Ten Books I’ve Recommended to Others

Sometimes a book ticks me off, and I just write my thoughts down without changing them too much. That happened on Wednesday with my review of SPARE by Prince Harry and J.R. Moehringer. I was not ticked off at Prince Harry, but at the media and the way they have tried to destroy his life for money, and lots of it. They are still trying. Check out my 5-star review here.

On Saturday I reviewed QUEEN OF THE WEST for Indie Weekend.

Next Week on Bonnie Reads and Writes

On Monday or Tuesday, I will review THE LAST RUSSIAN DOLL by Kristen Loesch.

I will participate in Top Ten Tuesday if time permits. The topic is “Debut Books I’m excited about.” I don’t know if I can think of ten. I may change it to “Future Releases I’m Excited About.”

On Wednesday or Thursday I will review THE SISTERS OF SEA VIEW by Julie Klassen.

On Friday I will participate in Book Blogger Hop if time permits.

On Indie Weekend I will review Independent and Self-Published books and provide a Q&A with author Jolie Tunnell.

NEW BOOK HAUL

Just one new book this week:

Book Blurb from Amazon:

Seventeen-year-old Victoria Nash runs the household on her family’s peach farm in the small ranch town of Iola, Colorado—the sole surviving female in a family of troubled men. Wilson Moon is a young drifter with a mysterious past, displaced from his tribal land and determined to live as he chooses.

Victoria encounters Wil by chance on a street corner, a meeting that profoundly alters both of their young lives, unknowingly igniting as much passion as danger. When tragedy strikes, Victoria leaves the only life she has ever known. She flees into the surrounding mountains where she struggles to survive in the wilderness with no clear notion of what her future will bring. As the seasons change, she also charts the changes in herself, finding in the beautiful but harsh landscape the meaning and strength to move forward and rebuild all that she has lost, even as the Gunnison River threatens to submerge her homeland—its ranches, farms, and the beloved peach orchard that has been in her family for generations. 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post

We got a really cool shout-out this week from Cinnabar Moth Publishing. In their weekly podcast, The Writer’s Triangle, they were talking about setting up author websites and how important they are. They used my site as an example of what a fledgling author can do while they are trying to get their name out there. They mentioned book reviews and a lot of what I do on this site. They gave us a lot of compliments.

The Youtube video is here if you want to listen. Bonnie Reads and Writes is mentioned at about 8:25.

So I am starting to sound like a broken record, but I was sick again this week, a majority of the week. This makes the third virus since mid-December. It’s never COVID, but the doctor told me there are about twelve different viruses going around out there. Hopefully, this is the last one. Once again I caught it after my grandkids visited. This time, I sent my husband to our other house in Bryson City while the kids were here so that at least one of us would be healthy. That plan worked. Here are some beautiful pictures he sent me while he was there:

Also, Indie Weekend has been neglected due to my illnesses in December and January. I am getting back to it in a big way next week, with more than one review.

Here’s to getting back to normal!

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOG

On Monday I did mini reviews of And Justice for Mall and Twice in a Lifetime.

On Thursday I reviewed Patches Through Time.

On Friday I participated in Book Blogger Hop.

NEXT WEEK ON THE BLOG

I plan to participate in Top Ten Tuesday and Book Blogger Hop if time permits.

On Wednesday I will review Last Summer Boys by Bill Rivers.

On Friday I will review The Marriage Season as part of a blog tour for Rachel’s Random Resources.

And Indie Weekend resumes Friday through Sunday!

BOOK HAUL

I hope you have a wonderful week!

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post

Happy New Year everyone! I’m finally getting back to regular blogging after being sick most of December. My latest cough of over 10 days is finally going away thanks to some antibiotics and steroids. Here’s to a healthier January!

My Top Ten Lists are up. You can check out my top ten traditionally published and top ten Indie books of 2022 at the links.

Any resolutions out there? I’m continuing with my diet resolution since May of last year (It took me a while to get started). I’ve lost 34 pounds. I have a lot more to go. A new addition to this list is to reverse my pre-diabetic condition and make sure I never get that dreaded disease. My third resolution is actually to read less. I’ve been taking on too many books, a lot of which never see the blog because I don’t have the time or didn’t feel it blog-worthy. So I’m cutting down on book tours to a degree and concentrating on Netgalley, one or two book tour companies, my favorite Indie publisher, and of course Indie Weekend requests. I met my Goodreads challenge of 200 books, but I’m lowering it to 125 this year.

What resolutions or changes have you committed to for 2023?

LAST WEEK ON BONNIE READS AND WRITES

On Monday I reviewed Unjoy by Len Lantz

On Thursday I reviewed The American Adventuress by C.W. Gortner

On Friday I participated in Book Blogger Hop

On Saturday I posted an Indie Spotlight of Progress Report by Roman Lando

NEXT WEEK ON BONNIE READS AND WRITES

Monday I will review Under A Veiled Moon by Karen Odden.

Tuesday I will review His Secret Daughter as part of a blog tour for Bookouture. I will also participate in Top Ten Tuesday if time permits.

Friday I will participate in book blogger hop.

I will post other reviews if time permits.

BOOK HAUL LAST WEEK

I was in the mood for a rom-com, and it’s written by a real-life husband and wife. It’s not my usual read, but I’m looking forward to it.

Have a wonderful week and a Happy New Year!

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post

What a cold week it’s been for everyone! Friday our power was out twice, for a total of five hours, and we huddled in the living room around the fireplace. I know a lot of others went through the same thing. Doug and I are coughing again. We got over the flu and then the grandkids visited last weekend and left us with whatever they picked up in daycare/school. We had a wonderful early Christmas with them though and it was great to see them playing with their presents.

With work and all the illness, the blog has been pretty quiet, but we’re getting back to normal. I am going to be able to spend the next few days reading and catching up on my reading/comments on other blogs. I need to also catch up on my Goodreads and Instagram, which are way behind. Also I will be making some Indie Weekend posts today and get that back on schedule again.

BOOK HAUL THIS WEEK

The Girl in the Photo is the third book in the Hanni Winter series. It’s one of two books I’ve just received from the Historical Novel Society for the May issue of Historical Novels Review. Hanni, a photographer, is trying to start over after World War II, but her father, a Nazi concentration camp commander who is still at large, is haunting her every step. I absolutely loved the first two books.

The Tapestry of Grace by Kim Vogel Sawyer is the second book I’ve received from Historical Novel Society. “When a group of Kansas women start a Frauenverein, a benevolent society devoted to aiding widows and orphans, life changes for more than just the hurting people they seek to help in this heartwarming romance inspired by historical events.” I love all of Kim Vogel Sawyer’s best-selling Christian novels.

The Everlasting Meal Cookbook by Tamar Adler is a fascinating cookbook that not only shows you great ways to use leftovers, but ways to use scraps you might have otherwise thrown away, and even greens from your yard. I am excited to read it.

The Marriage Season by Jane Dunn is a Regency Romance. Sybella Lovatt, a widow, heads to London with her sister Lucie in order to find Lucie a suitable husband.

Have a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post

On Monday I returned home and by Tuesday I was having flu symptoms. Unfortunately my husband got it too and we were both pretty much out of commission after that. We both had to go to Urgent Care. I started feeling a tiny bit human again on Friday. The Tammiflu they gave us works pretty well, I must say. Sadly I will have to miss the Bengals/Browns game today. I’m not well enough to travel to Cincinnati. I’m behind on all my reviews as well.

LAST WEEK ON BONNIE READS AND WRITES

Because of the flu, I couldn’t post much.

Monday I reviewed The Blackout Book Club by Amy Lynn Green

Friday I participated in Book Blogger Hop.

NEXT WEEK ON BONNIE READS AND WRITES

I hope to get to the following reviews:

BOOK HAUL

I was approved for the audiobook of Twice in a Lifetime by Melissa Baron. It is about a woman who receives a message from her husband, or the man who will be her husband, sent from three years in the future. It kind of reminds me of that Keanu Reeves/Sandra Bullock movie, The Lake House.

I accepted a widget of Courtiers because I find royal family history fascinating, and the Courtiers are supposed to be the power behind the throne. So far it’s pretty good.

WHAT WE WATCHED

Yesterday we felt up to a movie and we found a great one! Mrs. Harris goes to Paris.

It’s about a British housekeeper in the mid 1950s who decides that her life would be so much better if she could get a Dior gown. So good. And apparently there’s a book series.

I’ll try to get back to full speed soon. That flu literally kicked my butt.

Have a great week everyone!

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post

Not much going on personally except the chilly Fall temperatures are here. I find if my feet are warm, I’m generally warm, so it’s time to get out the warm, fuzzy socks.

Planning to make roast duck for the first time next week. That should be an adventure. Anyone with experience roasting duck please feel free to give me some tips in the comments below.

I haven’t decided on dessert yet. What are y’all having?

LAST WEEK ON BONNIE READS AND WRITES

On Tuesday I participated in #Top Ten Tuesday: My Favorite Moments in Books

On Wednesday I participated in Blog Tour and Book Blast: Silhouette by Paul Swingle

On Thursday I did a review of The Highlander’s Holiday Wife

On Friday I participated in #Book Blogger Hop: Do you write long or short reviews? I also announced I’m willing to make Black Friday sales posts. If any authors are planning on doing Black Friday sales, I am happy to provide a spotlight with sales information and buy links.

On Saturday I reviewed a book for Indie Weekend: Murder on the Underground Railroad. There is also a great guest post from the author.

On Sunday, besides this Sunday post, I participated in a book tour for the four books in The Goswell Quartet by Kate Hewlitt. Blog Tour, Book Review, and Spotlights: The Goswell Quartet

NEXT WEEK ON BONNIE READS AND WRITES

On Monday I plan to review the audiobook of The Ingenue by Rachel Kapelke-Dale.

On Tuesday I will participate in Top Ten Tuesday if time permits.

On Wednesday and Friday I will post Black Friday sales spotlights, so if you are putting your book on sale, let me know at bonniereadsandwrites@gmail.com.

On Friday I will participate in Book Blogger Hop if time permits.

The rest of the week I will post some reviews, in between cooking and reading!

BOOK HAUL

A haunting, epic novel about betrayal, revenge, and redemption that follows three generations of Russian women, from the 1917 revolution to the last days of the Soviet Union, and the enduring love story at the center.

In a faraway kingdom, in a long-ago land…

…a young girl lived happily in Moscow with her family: a sister, a father, and an eccentric mother who liked to tell fairy tales and collect porcelain dolls. 

One summer night, everything changed, and all that remained of that family were the girl and her mother.

Now, a decade later and studying at Oxford University, Rosie has an English name, a loving fiancé, and a promising future, but all she wants is to understand–and bury–the past. After her mother dies, Rosie returns to Russia, armed with little more than her mother’s strange folklore–and a single key.

What she uncovers is a devastating family history that spans the 1917 Revolution, the siege of Leningrad, Stalin’s purges, and beyond.

–I received both an ebook and an absolutely stunning print copy of this book. I don’t keep all the print copies but I’m keeping this one. Gorgeous cover.

Audiobook:

Ever since business mogul Clive Reynolds disappeared twenty years ago, the name “Reynolds” has become synonymous with “murder” and “mystery.” And now, lured by a cryptic note, down-on-her-luck photographer Morgan Mori returns home to Black Harbor and into the web of their family secrets and double lives. The same night she photographs the Reynolds holiday get-together, Morgan becomes witness to a homicide of a cop that triggers the discovery of a long-buried clue.

This could finally be the thing to crack open the chilling cold case, and Investigator Ryan Hudson has a chance to prove himself as lead detective. If only he could stop letting his need to solve his partner’s recent murder distract him. But as Morgan exposes her own dark demons, could her sordid history be the key to unlocking more than one mystery?

Audiobook:

On the surface, Emerson, Massachusetts, is just like any other affluent New England suburb. But when a young woman is found dead in the nicest part of town, the powerful neighbors close ranks to keep their families safe. In this searing novel, Eden Perry’s death kicks off an investigation into the three teenagers who were partying with her that night, each a suspect. Hannah, a sweet girl with an unstable history. Jack, the popular kid with a mean streak. Christopher, an outsider desperate to fit in. Their parents, each with motivations of their own, only complicate the picture: they will do anything to protect their children, even at the others’ expense.

With a brilliantly woven, intricately crafted plot that gathers momentum on every page, this is superb storytelling told in terse prose—a dynamic read that is both intensely gripping and deeply affecting.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK OF THANKSGIVING!

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post

I missed last week’s Sunday Post, so here’s a recap of the last two weeks. I missed the post because I was back in Cincinnati going to a Bengals game. The day before that, my friend Lyric and I went to the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter in Kentucky.

This is the Ark Encounter. The ark is built to the specifications in the Bible, and it’s massive. It’s completely full of exhibits inside of animal pens, food storage, and work rooms. It’s really cool, and I enjoyed it a lot.

The Bengals game was fun as always, especially since we won again. Now I’m back to working and blogging.

On the trips to and from Ohio/Kentucky I was able to get a lot of audiobook listening done.

This past week was about catching up, reading, and writing reviews. I’ve let my Goodreads and Instagram fall behind too, so I’ve been trying to catch those up. On Saturday I got some more of my garden tomatoes out of the freezer to thaw so I can get them canned today. Canning will commence soon.

LAST WEEK ON BONNIE READS AND WRITES

Monday I did two blog tours: Victoria and Violet and Side Launch

Tuesday I participated in Book Blogger Hop

Wednesday I reviewed The Secret Benefits of Invisibility by C.W. Allen

Thursday I reviewed The High Notes by Danielle Steel

Saturday I reviewed The Girl Who Feared Trains for Indie Weekend.

NEXT WEEK ON BONNIE READS AND WRITES

On Tuesday I will participate in Top Ten Tuesday.

Also on Tuesday I will share some of the reviews I did for the November issue of Historical Novels Review, the magazine of the Historical Novel Society.

On Wednesday I will review Godmersham Park for Austenprose PR.

On Friday I will participate in Book Blogger Hop

I will review Indie books for Indie Weekend

BOOK HAUL THE LAST TWO WEEKS

When Serin discovers a hidden family manuscript, she has no idea what she has set in motion. The old pages reveal the bewildering tale of an ordinary Victorian girl, Wren, who is given an enchanting pendant that changes her life.

Serin reads all night, compelled to discover the fate of her ancestor. Will Wren fulfil her destiny to protect the cursed London Stone, like the witches before her? Or will the relentless raven man be her downfall? Will she lose everyone she ever loved? Will she lose herself?

As Serin reads Wren’s tale, strange things start to happen, and she begins to believe she may have unleashed dormant dark magic upon herself.

This is a gothic tale of magic and myth, family secrets, love and revenge. It is a tale of the extraordinary, hidden beneath ordinary Victorian lives.

If you ever lost a sock, you’ll find it here.
If you ever wondered about your favorite toy from childhood… it’s probably sitting on a shelf in the back.
And the headphones that you swore this time you’d keep safe? You guessed it….

Antoinette has lost her father. Metaphorically. He’s not in the shop, and she’ll never see him again. But when Antsy finds herself lost (literally, this time), she discovers that however many doors open for her, leaving the Shop for good might not be as simple as it sounds.

And stepping through those doors exacts a price.

Lost in the Moment and Found tells us that childhood and innocence, once lost, can never be found.

Two women–bound by blood, torn apart by circumstance–find together that true strength comes in many forms.

In 1911, Mabel MacGinnis is Europe’s strongest woman and has performed beside her father in the Manzo Brothers Circus her entire life. When he dies unexpectedly, she loses everything she’s ever known and sets off in the company of acrobat Jake Cunningham in hope of finding the mother she thought was dead.

Isabella Moreau, America’s most feted aerialist, has given everything to the circus. But age and injury now threaten her security, and Isabella, stalked by old fears, makes a choice that risks everything. Then her daughter Mabel appears alongside the man who never wanted to see Isabella again, and she is forced to face the truth of where, and from what, she derives her worth.

As Mabel and Isabella’s lives become entangled beneath the glittering lights and flying trapeze of Madison Square Garden, their resiliency and resolve are tested as they learn the truth of what it means to be strong.