Summer is finally here--thank goodness! Bring on the beach, the (flattering) bathing suits and the BOOKS!
And we have 32 (yes, you read that right--THIRTY-TWO books) up for grab--and they all can be yours! Just leave a comment on the thread for this post on our Facebook page to be entered for a chance to #win ALL 20 books! Want an extra entry? Share it on Facebook or Twitter and tag us! Click on the cover image to learn more about each book. Contest closes on Monday, June 20th at 5pm PST.
April showers bring May flowers and.... lots of BOOKS!
And YOU have a chance to win every single one of the books listed below! Just leave a comment on our Facebook page to be entered for a chance to #win ALL 20 books! Want an extra entry? Share it on Facebook or Twitter and tag us! Click on the cover image to learn more about each book. Contest closes on Monday, MAY 23rd at 5pm PST.
Spring is our fave season of the year because it means one thing--LOTS AND LOTS of amazing new releases! (ahem, including our own, The Year We Turned Forty, our April 26th!)
And YOU have a chance to win every single one of the books listed below! Just leave a comment here or on our Facebook page to be entered for a chance to #win ALL 24 books! Want an extra entry? Share it on Facebook or Twitter and tag us! Click on the cover image to learn more about each book. Contest closes on Monday, April 18th at 5pm PST.
The amazing Brenda Janowitz has a new book out April 12th and we've selected it as our #bookclub pick because it's a must-read for anyone who wants to be thoroughly entertained for 300 pages! Add THE DINNER PARTY to your TBR list for Spring--you'll thank us!
And we have a copy for #giveaway. Just leave a comment here or on our FB page to be entered to #win. Share this post for a second entry. Contest closes on Friday, April 8th at 5pm PST.
Brenda, also the force behind many of PopSugar's must-read lists, stopped by to answer some of our burning questions. (Find out why she's inspired us to use the voice memo app on our phones!) But first, more about her novel!
The scoop: This Passover Seder is not just any Passover Seder. Yes, there will be a quick service and then a festive meal afterwards, but this night is different from all other nights. This will be the night the Golds of Greenwich meet the Rothschilds of New York City.
The Rothschilds are the stuff of legends. They control banks, own vineyards in Napa, diamond mines in Africa, and even an organic farm somewhere in the Midwest that produces the most popular Romaine lettuce consumed in this country. And now, Sylvia Gold's daughter is dating one of them.
When Sylvia finds out that her youngest of three is going to bring her new boyfriend to the Seder, she's giddy. When she finds out that his parents are coming, too, she darn near faints. Making a good impression is all she thinks about. Well, almost. She still has to consider her other daughter, Sarah, who'll be coming with her less than appropriate beau and his overly dramatic Italian mother. But the drama won't stop there. Because despite the food and the wine, despite the new linen and the fresh flowers, the holidays are about family. Long forgotten memories come to the surface. Old grievances play out. And Sylvia Gold has to learn how to let her family go.
Our thoughts: Read. It. Now.
PHOTO BY: Hy Goldberg / Cristina Calvi
How did you come up with the idea for THE DINNER PARTY? And on that note, when you think of an idea, do you write it down in a notebook, pin it up on a corkboard, file it away in your mind, promptly forget it and then curse yourself for not writing it down?
I wanted to write a novel about letting go of the past, and how only when we do that can we move on to the future. The novel originally began at Chapter Fourteen, where Sarah’s boyfriend insists on wearing a “tie substitute.” (I have such affinity for that chapter, and it’s the one that was featured in my PopSugar First Look.)
When I think of an idea, I usually write it down. I’ve done the “file it away in your mind” thing and I always forget it (and then curse myself for not writing it down!). So, these days I live by my notes and the Voice Memo app on my iPhone.
The book is chock full of lively and complex characters that anyone in a family can relate to--especially during the holidays. Did you have a favorite to write? One that you found more challenging than another?
Thank you! I appreciate that so much. I definitely had a blast writing Valentina, the woman who says what everyone is thinking. I wish I could be the sort of woman who says what everyone is thinking. But alas….
I always find male characters tough to write. I’m such a girly girl, and sometimes my worldview sneaks into their dialogue. In the book I’m working on now, one of my agent’s comments was: “A man would never say that.” And she was completely right! I was saying the line in my own head, when really, I should have been imagining Ryan Gosling, or Henry Cavill, or Joe Manganiello, or… I’m sorry, what were we discussing?
Ooh how we loved the drama in this book! In your own life, how do you handle drama when it comes your way?
You two are seriously making me blush! Thank you!!
I love family drama, but only in novels. In real life, family drama is so much harder to deal with. I think that’s what I love about fiction—you can create this entire world that you control. And you can give it a resolution.
Oh, and how I deftly answered around your question? That should give you a little glimpse on how I deal with family drama. I duck and I swerve and I try not to say anything too incriminating.
You are such a huge supporter of other writers. Why do you feel this is important?
I love reading and I love books. There’s nothing I love more than a good book, so why not talk about it?
What are three things your readers might find interesting about your writing process?
One: I dictated full chapters of this book on my Voice memo app on my iPhone. (See, above, regarding not losing ideas when they come to you!)
Two: I don’t have a set writing routine—I basically write whenever and wherever I have the time. Sometimes it’s the nursery school parking lot (thank you, Voice memo app!), but I prefer it to be in my office.
Three: I’ve always had vivid dreams and nightmares, but I think it’s a big part of my creative process. I keep a pad next to my bed at night since I often wake up in the middle of the night with an idea.
Have you recently discovered any debut authors you'd recommend?
So many!
In the past year, I loved EVERYBODY RISE by Stephanie Clifford, SWEETBITTER by Stephanie Danler, EVERY ANXIOUS WAVE by Mo Daviau, A WINDOW OPENS by Elisabeth Egan, HUGO AND ROSE by Bridget Foley, LOVE AND MISS COMMUNICATION by Elyssa Friedland, MAESTRA by L.S. Hilton, BE FRANK WITH ME by Julia Claiborne Johnson, THE THE TWO-FAMILY HOUSE by Lynda Cohen Loigman, MADWOMAN UPSTAIRS by Catherine Lowell, THE ASSISTANTS by Camille Perri, THE NEST by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, and DIETLAND by Sarai Walker.
What's up next for you?
I’m working on my sixth novel and doing lots of freelance work. I’m getting ready for the launch of THE DINNER PARTY and reading seemingly a million galleys for my PopSugar Best Reads of Summer list. Maybe somewhere in there, I’ll work in a nap, but it’s doubtful.
Thank you so much for having me here!
Happy Holidays! We know y'all are so busy this season so we've kept our December list short and sweet. We'll be giving them all away to one lucky winner! Leave a comment here or on our Facebook page and you'll be entered to #win. Contest closes December 18th at 8am PST. Good luck!
It's finally getting chilly over in San Diego (where Liz lives), and she can't wait for some rain so she has an excuse to hide away under a blanket with one of these amazing books! Leave a comment here or on our Facebook page to be entered to win ALL OF THEM. Yep, you heard that right. One lucky reader will get every one! Contest closes November 23rd at 8am PST.
The Marriage Pact by MJ Pullen
Love and Other Near-Death Experiences by Camille Pagan
Put a Ring On It by Beth Kendrick
Stars of Fortune by Nora Roberts
Everything She Forgot by Lisa Ballantyne
Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams
The Hundred Gifts by Jennifer Scott
Catherine McKenzie's, SMOKE, is one of the hottest books this year. (See what we did there?) So, of course, we chose it as our book club pick this month. #duh #nobrainer #welovecatherine
If you leave a comment on this post or on our Facebook page, you'll be entered to #win a copy! Contest closes on Wednesday, November 11th at 8pm PST.
The scoop: From the internationally bestselling author Catherine McKenzie comes an evocative tale of two women navigating the secrets and lies at the heart of a wildfire threatening their town.
After a decadelong career combating wildfires, Elizabeth has traded in her former life for a quieter one with her husband. Now she works as the local arson investigator in a beautiful, quaint town in the Rockies. But that tranquil life vanishes when she and her husband agree to divorce and a fire in nearby Cooper Basin begins to spread rapidly. For Elizabeth, containing a raging wildfire is easier than accepting that her marriage has failed.
For Elizabeth’s ex-friend Mindy, who feels disconnected from her husband and teenage children, the fire represents a chance to find a new purpose: helping a man who has lost his home to the blaze. But her faith is shattered by a shocking accusation.
As the encroaching inferno threatens the town’s residents, Elizabeth and Mindy must discover what will be lost in the fire, and what will be saved.
Our thoughts: We couldn't put it down. It was engaging and nuanced and kept us up at night as we raced to finish.
We loved SMOKE! Tell us, what was your inspiration for this story?
I've spent a lot of time in a small town in the Rockies and a few years ago it was threatened by a wildfire. I have several friends who live there and it was interesting to me how they each had a very different experience of the fire. That was the genesis of the idea.
There is great detail about fire-fighting--how much research did you have to do?
My sister worked in search and rescue in a national park for many years and she helped me a lot with the details. I also read a lot on the internet, watched videos etc.
You also work as an attorney. When do you squeeze in time to write? Where is your favorite place to scribe?
I usually write at night and on the weekends. More on the weekends these days. I have this nice desk to write at, but I usually end up writing on my laptop with the TV on in the background. Which I may be doing as I write this ...
What are you reading right now?
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell.
What's up next for you? We can't wait!
I can't say yet unfortunately, but I'm close to finishing my sixth novel and it will hopefully be out next October! Crazy.
The leaves are turning. The air is crisp. Fires are being built in the fireplace. (Well out here in the Midwest anyway!) And this month, we have a great suggestion for a heartwarming (get it?) novel to read when you want to relax on a nice fall day: HOUSE TRAINED by Jackie Bouchard.
And you can win a copy! Just leave a comment on this post or on our Facebook page to be entered. Contest closes on Sunday, November 1 at 8pm PST.
The scoop: Alex Halstad, a childless-by-choice interior designer and dog mom, is a true perfectionist. But her orderly life turns chaotic when the teenage daughter her husband, Barry, never knew he had shows up on their doorstep...with a baby girl of her own in tow. While Alex’s dog enthusiastically welcomes the new arrivals, Alex struggles with the loss of her steady routine. She desperately needs peace and quiet to get her business back on track before Barry finds out she’s spent most of their savings. Meanwhile, the arrival of the girls stirs up old insecurities, and Alex can’t help but worry that Barry’s ex will make an entrance too. With her tidy life a distant memory, will Alex be able to learn from her dog the true meaning of love and acceptance? From bestselling author Jackie Bouchard comes a humorous and heartwarming look at how life creates opportunities to love in surprising ways.
Our thoughts: Smart, sweet and completely satisfying!
Your books have always centered around dog-friendy characters and are considered "fido-friendly" fiction--what impact have animals had on your own life?
Oh, man. I could write a book to answer that! My dogs have been my best buddies, my constant companions, my therapists, and my teachers. Our last dog, Abby, had an especially huge impact on my life. She died very young from bone cancer (she was diagnosed when she was only 15-months old, and then we had another fantastic 15 months with her), but she had a huge zest for life. She taught us to make the most of today, because you never know what tomorrow has in store.
You were a very accomplished self-published author before signing with Lake Union. Tell us a little bit about your road to publication.
Back in 2006, I started writing a novel - I needed something to do at night after work while my hubs was busy working crazy-long hours. In 2008, I signed with an agent (I met her at a conference after reading a scene in her workshop), and she helped me polish the manuscript. Then the market crashed, so it wasn’t great timing by early 2009 when we were shopping the manuscript around. I got a lot of nice rejections... but, still, rejections. I started working on two other books, and then had dinner a couple of years later with my agent, and she encouraged me to self-publish my first book. Self-publishing had come into its own by then, so I decided to go for it.
I self-published WHAT THE DOG ATE in 2012, and then in 2013 I self-published RESCUE ME, MAYBE. I didn’t even bother trying to pitch that book to publishers. I just wanted it to be out in the world, so went for it. At one point, I put the book on sale and advertised it, and it sold so many copies it hit the USA Today bestseller list. The sales and the good reviews caught the attention of Lake Union, a publishing imprint owned by Amazon. They contacted my agent, right around the time we were ready to sell HOUSE TRAINED, asking if I’d like to work with them to re-release MAYBE. I said, heck yeah! And then we sold HOUSE TRAINED to them as well.
What advice you would give aspiring authors following your same path?
If you go the self-pub or hybrid route like I have, that advice that you’ve probably heard before *really* is correct: write the best book you can, and get a great cover. It’s so easy to self-publish now, but you have to resist the temptation to publish the book before it’s ready. Have an editor help you whip the story into shape and also look for grammatical/spelling errors. You can also always recruit some friends to help proofread it. When I thought RESCUE ME, MAYBE was ready to self-publish, I waited and had four friends read it solely to look for typos. They each found two - but none of them found the same two! As for the cover, you don’t have to spend a fortune, but unless you’ve got some graphic design experience or artistic talent, don’t try to go it alone. Hire a pro!
When it comes time to market the book, focus on finding your ideal readers and connecting with them. For me, my ideal readers are dog-lovers, so I blog, tweet, and post about dogs to connect with other crazy dog ladies.
House Trained is a wonderful novel filled with some heartwarming moments. What, if anything, was taken from your own life?
Thank you! Really, there’s not that much in the book that comes from my life, other than the most basic starting point, which is that the couple in the book are childless-by-choice and have a dog. The hubs and I are “CBC”ers and are very happy with our familial unit of three, which includes our current rescue mutt, Rita. The hubs would like me to make it clear that (a) he does NOT have a love child out there in the world and (b) he does NOT talk to his private parts (as Alex finds her husband doing in the opening scene in HOUSE TRAINED). (Poor hubs.) Alex is an interior designer, so their house is much nicer than ours, and she’s a great dog trainer, so their dog is much better trained than ours!
There is one scene that is somewhat from my own life. Alex goes to a party her sister throws, and she feels out of place with her sister’s friends who only seem to want to talk about their kids or having babies. I used to be in a book club that really should have been called a “baby club.” All the women in the group had either just had a baby, were pregnant, or were trying to have a baby, so there was very little talk about the books. As a huge book lover, that was bummer enough, but I just really didn’t fit in with that group. I often sat with nothing to contribute to the conversation, and I would come home feeling very sad and out of place. I wanted to write the character of Alex for other ladies out there who feel out-of-place because they don’t want to have kids. Just because we don’t want to have our own children, it doesn’t mean we’re not nice, loving, nurturing people.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on what I’ve been calling “a fairy tale for a forty-year-old.” It has lots of cute dogs in it and I’m having fun writing it. I hope folks will enjoy it when it’s done!
Thanks, Jackie!
We love Lisa Becker's books--especially her latest! Warm and witty, CLUTCH, is the perfect Fall read! (And we love the classy cover!)
If you leave a comment on this post (or on our Facebook page), you'll be entered to win a copy of CLUTCH + a Clutch by Kissy Kissy! (The bag retail for $295!) Contest closes on Saturday, October 31 at 8pm PST.
The scoop: CLUTCH is the laugh-out-loud, chick lit romance chronicling the dating misadventures of Caroline Johnson, a single purse designer who compares her unsuccessful romantic relationships to styles of handbags – the “Hobo” starving artist, the “Diaper Bag” single dad, the “Briefcase” clutch cover finalintense businessman, etc. With her best friend, bar owner Mike by her side, the overly-accommodating Caroline drinks a lot of Chardonnay, puts her heart on the line, endures her share of unworthy suitors and finds the courage to discover the “Clutch” or someone she wants to hold onto.
Our thoughts: LOVED. The perfect blend of sassy, smart and stylish!
The scoop on the clutch: Perfect for the lady on the go, the Kissy-Kissy clutch from Sevy Bags is a clean, touchable calf hair clutch with solid complimentary leather on the back. MSRP $285.
To learn more about Lisa Becker + Sevy Bags: Follow @lisawbecker and @sevybags on Twitter
Are y'all ready to put on your sweater and boots and read some hot books? (Okay, so it's still 90 degrees in So Cal, but let's pretend for a minutes it's not!) We've hunted down the latest and greatest for you this month and one winner will take them all home! Leave a comment here, or on the thread on our Facebook page to enter! Contest closes Sunday, September 20th at 10am PST.
All Together Now by Gill Hornby
Everybody Rise by Stephanie Clifford
Harriet Wolf's Seventh Book of Wonders by Julianna Baggott
The Secrets She Keeps by Deb Caletti
The Admissions by Meg Mitchell Moore
The Paris Key by Juliet Blackwell
Before We Were Strangers by Renee Carlino
Ally Hughes Has Sex Sometimes by Jules Moulin
Middle of Somewhere by Sonja Yoerg
All The Difference by Leah Ferguson
We LOVE Emma and Nicola. They are not only great people who blurbed our debut novel and have been kind enough to give us advice along the way, but they are fabulous authors. And we couldn't love How to Be a Grown-Up more! And we have a copy for #giveaway! To be entered to #win, leave a comment on this post or on the status on our FB page. Contest closes Thursday, September 17th at 6:00 p.m. PST.
The scoop: From bestselling authors Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus comes a timely novel about a forty-something wife and mother thrust back into the workforce, where she finds herself at the mercy of a boss half her age.
Rory McGovern is entering the ostensible prime of her life when her husband, Blake, loses his dream job and announces he feels like “taking a break” from being a husband and father. Rory was already spread thin and now, without warning, she is single-parenting two kids, juggling their science projects, flu season, and pajama days, while coming to terms with her disintegrating marriage. And without Blake, her only hope is to accept a full-time position working for two full-time twenty-somethings.
A day out of b-school, these girls think they know it all and have been given the millions from venture capitalists to back up their delusion—that the future of digital media is a high-end “lifestyle” site—for kids! (Not that anyone who works there has any, or knows the first thing about actual children.) Can Rory learn to decipher her bosses’ lingo, texts that read like license plates, and arbitrary mandates? And is there any hope of saving her marriage? With her family hanging by a thread, Rory must adapt to this hyper-digitized, over-glamorized, narcissistic world of millennials…whatever it takes.
Our thoughts: So damn witty and smart! As forty-something self-proclaimed technological dinosaurs, we related to Rory and her roller coaster life. This is a LOL funny novel we could not put down.
What inspired the idea for HOW TO BE A GROWN-UP?
When we graduated from college we looked up to the women we worked for who were in their 40s. They were in the corner office. They had great husbands, great kids, and seemed to have figured it out. Fast forward twenty years and there is no corner office—only a bullpen. In New York our friends in their 40s are being eliminated and replaced with kids in their 20s at half the price. The whole idea of job security seems a thing of the past. Add to that our culture’s idea of beauty skews ever you nger and it can leave a women with a serious case of the blues. We wanted to create a character who’s up against all of that—and vanquishes it.
As 41 year old women, we really related to your main character. How much of that character comes from your own experiences?
Emma kept saying to me as she was writing, “Is this actually funny—or just my morning?” Rory is so close to us we kept losing perspective. BUT we are luckier than Rory in two regards—we have not had a 23 year-old boss—YET. And thankfully we are both married to men who are very much grown-ups.
How has your writing changed over the years as you've both gotten older?
You know, for a few discombobulated years after our kids were born we tried to “write to the marketplace”—I think out of fear that we wouldn't be able to support our new families. The results were uneven. We knew this was our last book and we wrote it for the sheer pleasure of it. The lesson being follow the love—write for yourself first and foremost becasue if you write what someone in the industry tells you is “hot” or “on-brand” and it doesn’t sell, you’ll kick yourself.
What are you reading right now?
I (Nicola) just finished The Girl On The Train, which I loved. And Paper Towns. John Greene, man. He sticks the landing every f’ing time. Now I’m reading Anne Lamott’s Imperfect Birds. It was in the cabin we rented and I couldn’t leave it behind!
You've said this book will be your final book together. (Cue tears!) What's up next for both of you?
Emma has returned to organizational development—which is what she was getting her Masters in when I seduced her away to the very not-grown-uo world of entertainment. She has a thriving transition coaching practice. I have a comic book series called The 29ers coming out next year about a group of teens who survive when the world suddenly stops. And I’m writing a self-help book called How To MANifest Your Husband. We are still each other’s kidney donors. Nothing could ever change that. We grew up together!
Thanks, Emma & Nicola!
You guy know how we feel about Jen Lancaster, right? That we have a big fat ol' girlcrush? Then it should be no surprise that her latest release, The Best of Enemies, is our book club pick. And we have a copy for giveaway! Just leave a comment here or on the post on our Facebook page and you’ll be entered to win. The contest will close on Sunday, August 16th at 6pm PST.
The Scoop: Jacqueline Jordan knows conflict. A fearless journalist, she’s spent the past decade embedded in the world’s hot spots, writing about the fall of nations and the rise of despots. But if you were to inquire about who topped Jack’s enemy list, she’d not hesitate to answer: Kitty Carricoe.
Kitty reigns supreme over the world of carpools and minivans. A SAHM, she spends her days caring for her dentist husband and three towheaded children, running the PTA, and hiding vegetables in deceptively delicious packed lunches.
Kitty and Jack haven’t a single thing in common—except for Sarabeth Chandler, their mutual bestie. Sarabeth and Jack can be tomboys with the best of them, while Sarabeth can get her girly-girl on with Kitty. In fact, the three of them were college friends until the notorious incident when Jack accidentally hooked up with Kitty’s boyfriend…
Yet both women drop everything and rush to Sarabeth’s side when they get the call that her fabulously wealthy husband has perished in a suspicious plane crash. To solve the mystery surrounding his death, Jack and Kitty must bury the hatchet and hit the road for a trip that just may bring them together—if it doesn’t kill them first.
Our thoughts: Jen at her best--a clever, insightful story you don't want to miss!
Best title ever. What's the story behind it?
Thanks! I love a good play on words so I wanted something that would look funny on one of those split-heart friendship necklaces we used to have when we were kids. Remember those – you’d get one half and your BFF would wear the other? (I can’t imagine you two in particular didn’t have them.) I’d actually hoped to have the Best of Enemies quote engraved into little hearts for a giveaway (people could be all, “We hate each other! Wear this!”) but I am not that organized.
After I came up with this title, an unrelated, and ultimately more cerebral, entity claimed this title. Now people looking for this book will find a film about the rivalry between William F. Buckely, Jr. and Gore Vidal. This is similar to when Orange is the New Black came out after Bitter. But instead of people wondering when I become a lesbian and go to jail, now they’ll be puzzled as to when the mommyblogger starts dissing Nixon. Argh.
The plot of THE BEST OF ENEMIES is so funny and creative. How did you think of this idea? How do you generally think of your book ideas?
Kitty’s character came to me as I explored the topic of stepping back from social media in my memoir I Regret Nothing. I used her as an example of what I think is wrong with the advent of lifestyle blogging. I actually feel sorry for those women so obsessed with presenting a Pinterest-perfect reality that their real lives are going by the wayside.
I needed a foil for Kitty and thought the polar opposite would be a foreign war correspondent who I called Jack. Then I tied their lives together via a mutual best friend so they couldn’t avoid each other.
My last two novels included magical realism, so I wanted to try something a little more mainstream, with an element of mystery and a good twist. I’d also never written from two opposing points of view, and I was looking to challenge myself. Honestly, sometimes the ideas come not from the characters or the plot itself, but from the parameters I’ve set.
Also, I’m far more apt to write a story where the conflict is interpersonal rather than romantic because I would rather invite a camera crew to my next GYN exam than write a sex scene. Hence, girl fights. Thus far, friends/family/frenemies have been my wheelhouse.
Fill in the blank with the name of a character from any of your novels:
I'd most like to have a drink with LISSY RYDER. (From Here I Go Again; you know that bitch would be hilarious.)
I'd want to set a girlfriend up with BOBBY JORDAN. (From Best of Enemies. Cute as a button and smarter than you think.)
I'd most like to be best friends with KITTY CARRICOE. (I’d like to say Jack Jordan, but she’s just a little too noble for my tastes.)
I'd run the other way if I saw DEVA coming. (From Here I Go Again and Twisted Sisters. Her intentions are good. Her execution, not so much.)
You are a multi-tasker, writing both fiction and non-fiction. How does the writing process differ for each?
Both kinds of writing require the same kind of sit-at-the-desk discipline, but the fiction requires me to spend a lot more time inside my head dreaming up other worlds. I much prefer writing novels because with the memoirs, I have to spend all my time in my head thinking about my damn self. Sometimes it’s like a never-ending bar conversation with the most myopic person in the entire universe, so the fiction is always a welcome break.
What's up next for you?
I have a few other projects in the works that will become more of a priority once summer is over and Poolyball season comes to an end. Poolyball is a volleyball/water polo hybrid game my husband and I created. It’s played in the water on a fun noodle, with cocktails and an elaborate scoring system, while listening to 70s yacht rock. Now, if Poolyball becomes a thing, then I’m just going to turn pro and will likely have to retire from writing.
But just in case the Poolyball thing doesn’t work out, I’m writing a new novel called By the Numbers, working on a travel memoir proposal, and adapting Here I Go Again as a screenplay with my friend Gina.
Thanks, Jen!
We have another fabulous round of books to add to your summer reading list! And starting this month, we're switching things up. ONE person will #win ALL of the books in the post! Just leave a comment here or on the post on our Facebook page and you'll be entered to #win. **If you share this post on Twitter and/or Facebook, you'll receive two entries!** The contest will close on Friday, July 17th at 8pm PST. Good luck!
The scoop: “I don’t love you anymore.”
For Charlotte Crawford, the worst part about being dumped after twenty years of marriage is that her husband, Jack, doesn’t want another woman; he just doesn’t want her.
Forty-two and clueless, Charlotte is a fish out of water in a dating pool teeming with losers. Just when she thinks she’s finally put her failed marriage behind her, it comes back to bite her in the ass…hard. Without warning, Charlotte finds herself staring down the barrel of a future she wouldn’t (she would totally) wish on her worst enemy.
Our thoughts: Fabulous!
The scoop: He followed her eyes skyward to a bird that was falling, turning and turning, like a heart that had leapt free. It fell, and as it did it became a falcon. He was transfixed.
Julian's fall begins the moment he sets eyes on Julia.
Julia is married and eight years his senior; he is a gifted English student, a life of academia ahead. Ignoring warnings from family and friends, they each give up all they have to be together. Their new life in London offers immense happiness, especially after their longed-for daughter Mira is born.
When Julian hears that Firdaws, his adored boyhood home, is for sale, he sets out to recreate a lost paradise for his new family. Once again, love blinds him. It is only when Mira becomes terrifyingly ill that it is impossible for Julia to conceal from him the explosive secret that she has been keeping at the heart of their lives.
Our thoughts: A gripping read!
The scoop: A fledgling entertainment writer stumbles into the gig of a lifetime writing a teenage pop star’s memoir and soon realizes that the young celebrity's squeaky-clean image is purely a work of fiction.
Struggling writer Holly Gracin is on the verge of moving back home to upstate New York when she gets hired to write the memoirs of eighteen-year-old Daisy Mae Dixson, a former Nickelodeon child star who has moved seamlessly into both blockbuster movies and pop music.
Holly quickly realizes that Daisy’s wholesome public image is purely a work of fiction, as Holly finds herself trailing the star as she travels around the world on yachts, gets stalked by paparazzi, and sneaks out of five-star hotels in the dead of night.
As Holly struggles to write a flattering portrait of a teenage millionaire who only eats “nightshades” and treats her employees like slaves, Daisy has a public meltdown—and suddenly, her book is the cornerstone of resurrecting her image. But working at all hours trailing a pop star has taken its toll, and Holly must decide if becoming the ultimate insider is worth losing a starring role in her own life.
Our thoughts: Wildy addictive!
The scoop: Cape Cod summers are supposed to remain reassuringly the same, but everything falls apart when three sisters and their families come together for their annual summer vacation—and they are carrying more secrets than suitcases.
Maggie is the oldest. She feels responsible for managing the summer house and making sure everything is as it always has been. But she’s hurt that her parents’ recent divorce has destroyed the family’s comfortable summer routines, and her own kids seem to be growing up at high speed. Is it too late to have another baby?
Jess is the middle sister. She loves her job but isn’t as passionate about her marriage. She’s not sure she can find the courage to tell Maggie what she’s done—much less talk to her husband about it.
Virgie is the youngest, her dad’s favorite. She’s always been the career girl, but now there’s a man in her life. Her television job on the west coast is beyond stressful, and it’s taking its toll on her—emotionally and physically. She’s counting on this vacation to erase the symptoms she’s not talking about.
The Herington girls are together again, with their husbands and kids, for another summer in the family’s old Cape Cod house. When their mother, Gloria, announces she’s coming for an unscheduled visit—with her new boyfriend—no one is more surprised than their father, Arthur, who has not quite gotten over his divorce. Still, everyone manages to navigate the challenges of living grown-up lives in close quarters, until an accident reveals a new secret that brings everyone together in heartbreak…and then healing.
Our thoughts: The perfect escape!
The scoop: “Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.” So begins this exquisite novel about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee, and her parents are determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. But when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos. A profoundly moving story of family, secrets, and longing, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait, uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another.
Our thoughts: Unputdownable!
The scoop: Lawyer-turned-stay-at-home mom Sarah Shaw is struggling to keep it together for her two young sons and law professor husband. Since the death of their infant daughter, her husband has been buried in his career, her friendships have withered, and Sarah remains lost in a private world of grief. Then one day walking in L.A., Sarah’s heart catches at the sight of a young homeless woman pushing a baby in a stroller―and saving them becomes her obsessive mission. An unlikely bond grows between Sarah and the young mother, Josie. When tragedy threatens Josie, Sarah discovers that she is capable of deceptions and transgressions she never imagined. Her lies unleash a downward spiral that will threaten her marriage, family and her sanity. Shelter Us speaks to the quiet joys and anxieties of parenthood and illuminates a place all parents know: that shadowy space between unconditional love and fear of unbearable loss.
Our thoughts: Incredibly moving!
The scoop: A vicious hit. A vengeful enemy. A drug addled Colombian club owner. A sex crazed Italian family. And the ever powerful Lucky Santangelo has to deal with them all, while Max-her teenage daughter is becoming The "It" girl in Europe's modeling world. And her Kennedyesque son, Bobby, is being set up for a murder he didn't commit. But Lucky can deal. Always strong and unpredictable with her husband, Lennie, by her side she lives up to the family motto-Never cross a Santangelo.
Lucky rules. The Santangelos always come out on top. An epic family saga filled with love, lust, revenge and passion.
Our thoughts: Absolutely delicious!
The scoop: In the summer of 1975, Samuel Ryder sets off to hitchhike to the Grand Canyon where he realizes life is very good. Standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona the road ahead appears to be one never ending smooth ride full of fun, adventure, and pretty women. Late at night in a vacant hotel lobby in South Florida, decades later Sam finds himself trying to come to peace with the fact that plans do not always work out and the life you imagined is not always the life you end up living. Alone at the front desk, he writes novels and communicates via email with his wife who has left him and now runs a food truck in Colorado. The two of them alone but at the same time together, trying to work things out, trying to hold onto a marriage that has moved just out of reach. With a sharp eye for the world around him, Sam’s memories wander through the decades of his life as a traveling salesman, husband, and father. His story takes the reader on a journey from 1960’s New Hampshire where he writes letters to his brother in Vietnam, to Boston and New York where he and his wife raise their young family during the tumultuous years at the turn of the century, to South Florida during the Great Recession. Against the backdrop of the conflicts and anxieties of a changing world, Life Is All This is the story of a modern American family facing life’s hardships with hope, optimism, and humor while discovering that pain, loss, and distance can strengthen their love and enrich their lives.
Our thoughts: A page-turner!
The scoop: Every dream comes with a price…
Dallas
Sacrifice.
I’m familiar with it.
I’ve had to leave behind everyone I cared about—my sister, my best friend, my band, and my high school sweetheart—in order to chase my dream of making it in Nashville.
But when Robyn Breeland walks back into my life, it’s as if the universe has decided to give me a second chance. I’m just not sure it’s one I’m willing to take.
Robyn
Heartbreak.
I practically majored in it.
Dallas Lark was the first boy I ever loved and the one who'd shattered my heart into pieces. But I’ve moved on. Working in promotions at Midnight Bay Bourbon, I’m too busy to sit around moping over my ex. But when my company decides to sponsor his tour, I’ll have to face him whether I’m ready to or not. Dallas is determined to drive me to distraction, and my body begs me to let him.
Trouble is, my heart can’t tell the difference between a second chance and making the same mistake twice.
Our thoughts: A sexy read!
The scoop: Thirty-nine-year-old Adrienne is desperate to be a mother. And this time, nothing is going to get in her way.
Sure, her husband, Gabe, is ambivalent about fatherhood. But she knows that once he holds their baby, he’ll come around. He’s just feeling a little threatened, that’s all. Because once upon a time, it was Gabe that Adrienne wanted more than anything; she was willing to do anything. . . . But that was half a lifetime ago. She’s a different person now, and so is Gabe. There are lines she wouldn’t cross, not without extreme provocation.
And sure, she was bitten once before by another birth mother—clear to the bone—and for most people, it’s once bitten, twice shy. But Adrienne isn’t exactly the retiring type.
At nineteen, Leah bears a remarkable resemblance to the young woman Adrienne once was. Which is why Adrienne knows the baby Leah is carrying is meant to be hers. But Leah’s got ideas of her own: Her baby’s going to get a life in California; why shouldn’t she? All she wants is to live in Adrienne’s house for a year after the baby’s born, and get a fresh start.
It seems like a small price for Adrienne to pay to get their baby. And with Gabe suddenly on board, what could possibly go wrong?
Our thoughts: Utterly thrilling!
The scoop: Twenty years ago, Emma Michaels, Mackenzie Hayes, and Serena Stockton bonded over their New York City dreams. Then, each summer, they solidified their friendship by spending one week at the lake together, solving their problems over bottles of wine and gallons of ice cream. They kept the tradition for years, until jealousy, lies, and life’s disappointments made them drift apart.
It’s been five years since Emma has seen her friends, an absence designed to keep them from discovering a long-ago betrayal. Now she’s in desperate need of their support. The time has come to reveal her secrets—and hopefully rekindle their connection.
But when a terrible accident keeps Emma from saying her piece, Serena and Mackenzie begin to learn about the past on their own. Now, to heal their friendship and their broken lives, the three women will have to return to the lake that once united them, and discover which relationships are worth holding on to . . .
Our thoughts: Riveting!
The scoop: Leila Massey, a young L.A. screenwriter, is on the verge of hitting it big when she falls into the grip of drug and alcohol addiction. Her descent into the narcotic underbelly of the city leads her to a commune in the desert, a filthy room at the Chateau Marmont, and, eventually, rehab. Will Leila continue down the dark path of addiction? Or will she make it as a successful writer? Based on the author’s own life, Liana Maeby’s brilliant debut novel is raw and haunting, and simultaneously incredibly astute and humorous. South on Highland explores true identity and questions our culture’s response to addiction and sensationalism.
Our thoughts: Wonderfully unique!
The scoop: A kiss is just the beginning…
Pinterest Perfect. Or so Annie Carson's life appears on her popular blog. Reality is ... messier. Especially when it lands her back in one-cow town Brightwater, California, and back in the path of the gorgeous six-foot-four reason she left. Sawyer Kane may fill out those Wranglers, but she won't be distracted from her task. Annie just needs the summer to spruce up and sell her family's farm so she and her young son can start a new life in the big city. Simple, easy, perfect.
Our thoughts: The ultimate beach read! (ebook)
The scoop: Set in the rapidly changing world of 1920s America, this is a story of three people from very different backgrounds: Henry “Schuler” Jefferson, son of German immigrants from Midwestern farm country; Cora Rose Haviland, a young woman of privilege whose family has lost their fortune; and Charles “Gil” Gilchrist, an emotionally damaged WWI veteran pilot. Set adrift by life-altering circumstances, they find themselves bound together by need and torn apart by blind obsessions and conflicting goals. Each one holds a secret that, if exposed, would destroy their friendship. But their journey of adventure and self-discovery has a price—and one of them won’t be able to survive it.
As they crisscross the heartland, exploring the rapidly expanding role of aviation from barnstorming to bootlegging, from a flying circus to the dangerous sport of air racing, the three companions form a makeshift family. It’s a one-of-a-kind family, with members as adventurous as they are vulnerable, and as fascinating as they are flawed. But whatever adventure—worldly or private—they find themselves on, they’re guaranteed to be a family you won’t forget.
Our thoughts: Fascinating!
The scoop: Bienvenue à Paris!
When April Vogt's boss tells her about an apartment in the ninth arrondissement that has been discovered after being shuttered for the past seventy years, the Sotheby's continental furniture specialist does not hear the words "dust" or "rats" or "decrepit." She hears Paris. She hears escape.
Once in France, April quickly learns the apartment is not merely some rich hoarder's repository. Beneath the cobwebs and stale perfumed air is a goldmine, and not because of the actual gold (or painted ostrich eggs or mounted rhinoceros horns or bronze bathtub). First, there's a portrait by one of the masters of the Belle Epoque, Giovanni Boldini. And then there are letters and journals written by the very woman in the painting, Marthe de Florian. These documents reveal that she was more than a renowned courtesan with enviable decolletage. Suddenly April's quest is no longer about the bureaux plats and Louis-style armchairs that will fetch millions at auction. It's about discovering the story behind this charismatic woman.
With the help of a salty (and annoyingly sexy) Parisian solicitor and the courtesan's private diaries, April tries to uncover the many secrets buried in the apartment. As she digs into Marthe's life, April can't help but take a deeper look into her own. Based on real events, Michelle Gable's A Paris Apartment will entertain and inspire, as readers embrace the struggles and successes of two very unforgettable women
Our thoughts: Flawless!
The scoop: The truth could cost her everything. Her whole life, Ava Carson has been sure of one thing: she doesn’t measure up to her mother’s expectations. So when Mitchell Carson sweeps into her life with his adorable son, the ready-made family seems like a dream come true. In the blink of an eye, she’s married, has a new baby, and life is wonderful. Or is it? When her picture-perfect marriage begins unraveling at the seams, Ava convinces herself she can fix it. It’s temporary. It’s the stress. It’s Mitchell’s tragic history of loss. If only Ava could believe her own excuses. Mitchell is no longer the charming, thoughtful man she married. He grows more controlling by the day, revealing a violent jealous streak. His behavior is recklessly erratic, and the unanswered questions about his past now hint at something far more sinister than Ava can stomach. Before she can fit the pieces together, Mitchell files for divorce and demands full custody of their boys. Fueled by fierce love for her children and aided by Graham Thomas, a new attorney in town, Ava takes matters into her own hands, digging deep into the past. But will finding the truth be enough to beat Mitchell at his own game?
Our thoughts: Completely gripping!
The scoop: We think of the past as a more innocent time. But in these stories of California teenagers acting out in the last years of the '70s, it's easy to see that love, loss, and heartbreak are even more poignant when viewed through 15- or 16-year-old eyes. Surrounded by friends and family who are spinning with their own losses and heartache, these teenage girls navigate the terrors and tenderness of life in the only ways they know how.
In this touching and moving pair of coming-of-age stories, best-selling author Jessica Anya Blau makes it clear that once you step over certain lines, there's no going back.
Our thoughts: Smart and sassy! (Audiobook)
The scoop: The unstoppable, irreverent mother-daughter team presents a new collection of funny stories and true confessions that every woman can relate to. From identity theft to the hazards of bicycling to college reunions and eating on the beach, Lisa and Francesca tackle the quirks, absurdities, and wonders of everyday life with wit and warmth. As Lisa says, "More and more, especially in the summertime when I'm sitting on the beach, I'm learning not to sweat it. To go back to the child that I used to be. To see myself through the loving eyes of my parents. To eat on the beach. And not to worry about whether every little thing makes me look fat. In fact, not to worry at all."
So put aside your worries and join Lisa and Francesca as they navigate their way through the crazy world we live in, laughing along the way.
Our thoughts: Hilarious!
Never miss news about contests, books, and more! Subscribe to our newsletter here.
