Posted on November 15, 2022November 16, 2022 by tacklingtbr

November 13 – November 19

New Releases and Publications

Hello, friends – and happy Tuesday! Welcome to another round of new releases that I was lucky enough to get an early copy of, and have either already read or are upcoming on my #TBR.

These books could be gifted from the publisher through sites like NetGalley or Edelweiss+, they could be electronic copies gifted directly to me from the publisher or the author, an early audiobook copy through the publisher or Libro.fm, or even a physical copy that has been sent to me from the author or publisher. I am so thankful for all of the reading opportunities that I am given through these various sources, and I am excited to share these new releases!

In these weekly posts I will include a 20% review if I am currently reading the book, as well as a link to my full review if I have already finished the book. And if I have not yet started the book by the time this is posted, I will leave those spots blank and edit the post to add them in later!

What A Trip

Author: Susen Edwards

Publication Date: November 15, 2022

Genre: Fiction

Page Count: 424 pages

Thanks so much to the author, She Writes Press, and BookSparks for the gifted finished copy of this book!

Description from Goodreads:

In this dramatic coming-of-age novel we meet Fiona, an art student at a New Jersey college who is brilliant, beautiful, and struggling to find herself. Through her eyes we relive the turbulent culture of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll, the first draft lottery since World War II, the Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam, the Kent State University shootings, and the harsh realities of war for Americans in their early twenties.

Fiona’s best friend, Melissa, is in a dead-end relationship, pregnant, and going nowhere fast. After Melissa’s abortion, Fiona and Melissa spend a week in Florida, where they are introduced to tarot cards and the anti-war movement. Following this experience, Melissa becomes obsessed with the occult; Fiona, though intrigued, approaches the tarot cautiously, with the voice of her conservative Christian mother screaming in her head.

After Fiona’s return from Florida, she begins dating Reuben–a journalism major and political activist. Reuben decides to move to Canada to avoid the draft and encourages Fiona to accompany him. But is that really what she wants? Caught between her feelings for Reuben and her own aspirations, Fiona struggles to define herself, her artistic career, and her future.

20% Review:

(This will be added at a later date, once I start reading this book!)

Check out my full review and blog tour here!

The Lindbergh Nanny

Author: Mariah Fredericks

Publication Date: November 15, 2022

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, True Crime, Suspense, Thriller

Page Count: 320 pages

Thanks so much to the author, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and Netgalley for the gifted advanced e-copy of this book!

Description from Goodreads:

Mariah Fredericks’s The Lindbergh Nanny is powerful, propulsive novel about America’s most notorious kidnapping through the eyes of the woman who found herself at the heart of this deadly crime.

“A masterful blending of fact and fiction that is as compelling as it is entertaining.”—Nelson DeMille

When the most famous toddler in America, Charles Lindbergh, Jr., is kidnapped from his family home in New Jersey in 1932, the case makes international headlines. Already celebrated for his flight across the Atlantic, his father, Charles, Sr., is the country’s golden boy, with his wealthy, lovely wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, by his side. But there’s someone else in their household—Betty Gow, a formerly obscure young woman, now known around the world by another name: the Lindbergh Nanny.

A Scottish immigrant deciphering the rules of her new homeland and its East Coast elite, Betty finds Colonel Lindbergh eccentric and often odd, Mrs. Lindbergh kind yet nervous, and Charlie simply a darling. Far from home and bruised from a love affair gone horribly wrong, Betty finds comfort in caring for the child, and warms to the attentions of handsome sailor Henrik, sometimes known as Red. Then, Charlie disappears.

Suddenly a suspect in the eyes of both the media and the public, Betty must find the truth about what really happened that night, in order to clear her own name—and to find justice for the child she loves.

“Gripping and elegant, The Lindbergh Nanny brings readers into the interior of the twentieth century’s most infamous crime.”—Nina de Gramont, New York Times bestselling author of The Christie Affair

20% Review:

(This will be added at a later date, once I start reading this book!)

Review:

(This will be added at a later date, once I have finished this book!)

Have I Told You This Already?

Author: Lauren Graham

Narrated by: Lauren Graham

Audio Publication Date: November 15, 2022

Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, Humor, Adult

Audiobook Length: 4 hours 23 minutes

Thanks so much to the author, Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group, and Libro.fm for the gifted advanced audio-copy of this book!

Description from Goodreads:

Candid, insightful, and wildly entertaining essays about life, love, and lessons learned as an actress in Hollywood, from the beloved star of Gilmore Girls and New York Times bestselling author of Talking as Fast as I Can.

With her signature sense of humor and down-to-earth storytelling, Lauren Graham opens up about her years working in the entertainment business—from the sublime to the ridiculous—and shares personal stories about everything from family and friendship to the challenges of aging gracefully in Hollywood. In “RIP Barneys New York,” she writes about an early job as a salesperson at the legendary department store — and the time she inadvertently shoplifted; in “Ne Oublie” she warns us about the perils of coming from an extremely forgetful family; and in “Actor-y Factory” she recounts what a day in the life of an actor looks like (unless you’re Brad Pitt).

Filled with surprising anecdotes, sage advice, and laugh-out-loud observations, Graham’s latest collection of all-new, original essays showcases the winning charm and wit that she’s known for.

20% Review:

This is a fairly quick listen, so I was able to listen to it all in one go! Because of this I won’t be writing a 20% review, but check out my full thoughts at the link below.

Check out my full review here!

The Wind at My Back

Author: Misty Copeland

Narrated by: Misty Copeland

Audio Publication Date: November 15, 2022

Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir

Audiobook Length: 5 hours 13 minutes

Thanks so much to the author, Hachette Audio, and Libro.fm for the gifted advanced audio-copy of this book!

Description from Goodreads:

From celebrated ballerina and New York Times bestselling author Misty Copeland, a heartfelt memoir about her friendship with trailblazer Raven Wilkinson which captures the importance of mentorship, shared history, and honoring the past to ensure a stronger future.

Misty Copeland made history as the first African-American principal ballerina at the American Ballet Theatre. Her talent, passion, and perseverance enabled her to make strides no one had accomplished before. But as she will tell you, achievement never happens in a void. Behind her, supporting her rise was her mentor Raven Wilkinson. Raven had been virtually alone in her quest to breach the all-white ballet world when she fought to be taken seriously as a Black ballerina in the 1950s and 60s. A trailblazer in the world of ballet decades before Misty’s time, Raven faced overt and casual racism, hostile crowds, and death threats for having the audacity to dance ballet.

The Wind at My Back tells the story of two unapologetically Black ballerinas, their friendship, and how they changed each other—and the dance world—forever. Misty Copeland shares her own struggles with racism and exclusion in her pursuit of this dream career and honors the women like Raven who paved the way for her but whose contributions have gone unheralded. She celebrates the connection she made with her mentor, the only teacher who could truly understand the obstacles she faced, beyond the technical or artistic demands.

A beautiful and wise memoir of intergenerational friendship and the impressive journeys of two remarkable women, The Wind at My Back captures the importance of mentorship, of shared history, and of respecting the past to ensure a stronger future.

20% Review:

(This will be added at a later date, once I start reading this book!)

Review:

(This will be added at a later date, once I have finished this book!)

Posted on November 15, 2022November 15, 2022 by tacklingtbr

What a Trip by Susen Edwards Blog Tour

Review and #FallPopUp Blog Tour: Courtesy of BookSparks

Thanks so much to the author, She Writes Press, and BookSparks for the gifted finished copy of this book in exchange for my thoughts and participation in this blog tour! { partner } My reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.

Publication Date: November 15, 2022

Genre: Fiction

Page Count: 424 pages

Description from Goodreads:

Review:

(This will be added at a later date, once I have finished this book!)

About the Author:

(Taken from the author’s website: http://susenedwardsauthor.com)

“I’m one of two people in New Jersey who can say they have lived in two official White Houses (the other person being my husband, Bob).

I grew up in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey and now live in the Joseph and Minnie White House in Middlesex Borough NJ (more about that later).

I received a B.S. in Education and a minor in English from East Stroudsburg University, an M.A. in Professional Studies, and twelve graduate credits in online teaching from Thomas Edison State University. My degrees tell a small part of my educational background. I’ve taken courses in everything from professional development to massage therapy, from real estate to creative writing.

My husband Bob and I founded and directed Somerset School of Massage Therapy, New Jersey’s first state-approved and nationally accredited postsecondary school for massage therapy. During my tenure I was nominated by Merrill Lynch for Inc. Magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

After the successful sale of the business, I became an administrator at Middlesex College. Currently I’m secretary for the board of trustees for my town library as well as president of the friends of the library.

I spent forty years as a massage therapist and health care educator. I’m an animal lover and do my best to be a steward of the environment. My passions are yoga, cooking, reading, and writing.

In 2005 we purchased the Joseph and Minnie White House, the childhood home of Margaret Bourke White, probably the most famous 20th century female photographer. Restoring the house has been a labor of love. Bob and I continue to live here with our two fuzzy feline babies, Harold and Maude.”

Link to Purchase on Amazon:

Posted on August 18, 2021August 18, 2021 by tacklingtbr · 1 Comment

Anarchy in High Heels by Denise Larson

Review and Blog Tour courtesy of Booksparks

Thanks so much to the author, Booksparks, and She Writes Press for the complimentary finished copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.

Book Description from Goodreads:

Anarchy in High Heels is not a state of dress: it’s a state of mind.

A San Francisco porno theater might be the last place you’d expect to plant the seed of a feminist troupe, but truth is stranger than fiction.

In 1972, access to birth control and a burn-your-bra ethos were leading young women to repudiate their 1950s conservative upbringing and embrace a new liberation. Denise Larson was a timid twenty-four-year-old actress wannabe, when at an after-hours countercultural event called The People’s Nickelodeon, she accidently created Les Nickelettes. This bonding together of like-minded women with an anything-goes spirit unlocked a deeply hidden female humor. For the first time, Denise allowed the suppressed satirical thoughts dancing through her head to come out in the open. Together with Les Nickelettes, which quickly became a brazen women’s lib troupe, she presented a series of feminist skits, stunts, and musical comedy plays that led The Bay Guardian to describe the group in 1980 as “nutty, trashy, and very funny.”

With sisterhood providing the moxie, Denise took on leadership positions not common for women at the time: playwright, stage director, producer, and administrative/artistic director. But, in the end, the most important thing her time with Les Nickelettes taught her was the power of female friendship.

Review:

(This will be added at a later date, once I have finished this book!)

Meet the Author:

Author Denise Larson at SRK Headshot Day in San Francisco

After getting a BA in theater from San Francisco State University, Denise Larson pinned her dreams on becoming an experimental theater artist in the 1970s milieu of the Bay Area. Along that path she founded Les Nickelettes. For thirteen years, she helmed the feminist theater company and assumed the role of actress, playwright, producer, stage director, and administrative/artistic director. Then she gave it all up to become a mother and teacher. After a twenty-year career in Early Childhood Education, she retired and took up writing.

Connect with Denise

Website: https://anarchyinhighheels.wordpress.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeniseL16625579

Link to Purchase on Amazon:

Check out more of my recent blog tours here:

A Fate of Wrath and Flame by K A Tucker

Lindsey Love Loves by Sophie Sinclair

Supermaker by Jaime Schmidt

Posted on October 23, 2020October 23, 2020 by tacklingtbr · 1 Comment

Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier

Doubleday – Review: 2 Stars

Thanks so much to the author, BookSparks, and Doubleday for the complimentary finished copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts and participation in this blog tour. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.

TW : teenage pregnancy, excessive drinking during pregnancy, alcoholism, domestic violence and abuse, discussion of suicidal thoughts, stalking, guns

Unpopular opinion time.

You guys, I was so excited for this book when I received it. Getting to read a story about two women in such different stages of life and of different ages building a relationship and friendship was automatically really intriguing to me – I love stories that are centered around and focusing on it’s characters, and especially showing female friendships.

But unfortunately, this book really fell short for me. As excited as I was to start it, and with how short this book is (the hardcover is only 192 pages), I was betting that I could finish it in only a day, maybe two and that it would be a perfect final read of the month. BUT. It took me about four days to finish this book simply because I was having to basically force myself to keep reading it. I would put it down when it was time to head to bed, or when it was time to have dinner, or whatever the case was, and I just found myself not wanting to pick it back up.

Let’s get into what I didn’t really enjoy from this book. Like I said above, part of why I was so excited for this read was because I was expecting more of a friendship between the two women. Now, according to the book description on the inside flap, “her world is further upended when she becomes obsessed with Jenny… .” So maybe that’s on me, instead of on the book. Maybe I ignored the use of the word “obsessed” in the book description, or maybe I misunderstood it, I’m not sure. But I didn’t feel like I was really prepared for what was coming when I got into this story. Things like our main character driving to Jenny’s house in the middle of the night and watching her through the house windows, all the way to literally breaking into her house and watching her sleep. We were only about half a step away from Joe Goldberg from You, and I just wasn’t ready for that kind of crazy when I picked this one up. And again, maybe that’s on me. But I just didn’t enjoy this read, and I think that this was at least a big part of that.

Overall, I know that my negative opinion of this book is definitely not the norm (there are a TON of very positive reviews on goodreads and on retailer sites), and just because it didn’t work for me doesn’t mean that it won’t be the perfect book for somebody else, but unfortunately I just don’t know that I can overall recommend this book to friends. Unless I knew that this was exactly the type of read they were looking for. I just found it to be a really slow read, that wasn’t really what I was expecting it to be, and I just really didn’t enjoy this particular reading experience. I think that the best reading environment for this book would be in a bright, sunshine-y room with an entire box of pizza for yourself.

Posted on October 22, 2020October 22, 2020 by tacklingtbr · 1 Comment

A Star Is Bored by Byron Lane

Henry Holt & Co – Review: 4 Stars

Thanks so much to the author, BookSparks, and Henry Holt & Company for the complimentary finished copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts and participation in this blog tour. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.

TW : discussion of suicidal thoughts and attempts, drug use and abuse

“‘But seriously, I repeat: This is a work of fiction. That you might speculate as to the identity of certain key characters does not alter the fact that all of the characters in this book, including incidental ones, their names, the dialogue, the locales, and all of the events recounted, are fictional products of the author’s imagination. …’ – My publisher’s attorney”

Y’all, after starting with that disclaimer (or I should say pair of disclaimers, as that is the second one on the page – they are quite serious about telling people this book is fiction) I was really ready for a laugh out loud read. The author, Byron Lane, used to work as the personal assistant to Carrie Fischer, and this book is a fiction inspired by his time working with her.

Honestly, hearing that, I was hooked before I even picked up the book. That being said, it took me a bit of time to really get into this one. I enjoyed it once I got past about the first third of the book, but that first third was a bit slow in my opinion. I felt like I was kind of telling myself to just get through the beginning, and that once he started the job it would pick up. And it did for the most part, but that first third was just very slow for me, which definitely kept it from a 5 star read in my opinion.

All of that out of the way, let’s talk about what I liked about the book. Once I did get through that first third, I got much more of the laugh-out-loud read that I was expecting. At times it almost felt satirical – although it is hard to guess if that was the writing style, or if that just comes with telling a story about a celebrity as wild as Carrie Fischer was, fiction or otherwise. I loved getting to read about some of the strange interactions and shenanigans that these two characters got into, and getting to watch their weird relationship develop.

That being said, I didn’t really much enjoy the character of Kathi, the celebrity that our lead, Charlie, works with. Charlie on the other hand was a fairly enjoyable character, and I liked getting to read about his growth throughout the story as he started to really care for Kathi. But she was such a destructive character right from the beginning, and didn’t really show a ton of growth even up until the end of the book. Some, in the sense of growing her relationship with Charlie, but she was still that same destructive energy at the end that she was in the beginning – and not just towards herself, but in a few ways toward the people in her life as well.

Now, do I think that she was specifically written that way, and that it was on purpose on the author’s part? Honestly I do. I think that while he was working for Carrie Fischer he saw sides of her that we as the public, even as her fans, would never have had the opportunity to see. And maybe didn’t want to see. She was a real, and flawed, and deeply troubled person, not just a celebrity. And mot just Princess Leia. And while, yes, this is a work of fiction, you can tell that he was really writing from a real place, with real emotions, and real love and respect for her. And that is what I loved so much about this book.

Overall, I would recommend this read to my friends and fellow readers, and just tell them to work to get through that first third. In my opinion, the rest of the book made that first bit worth it. But I don’t think that you should go into this book expecting to get the insider-scoop, and come away with secrets about Carrie and her life. I think that you should go into this book expecting to get some laughs, and expecting to get a glimpse at some real emotion being put onto the page. I think that the best way to read this book is with a Coke Zero, and maybe in a stolen hotel bathrobe or something to make you feel ridiculously luxurious, but also a bit like you’re breaking the rules.

Posted on September 22, 2020September 22, 2020 by tacklingtbr · 1 Comment

Supermaker by Jaime Schmidt

Blog Tour: Courtesy of Booksparks

Thanks so much to the author, BookSparks, and Chronical Prism Publishing for the complimentary finished copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts and participation in this blog tour. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on my Goodreads.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In just seven years, Jaime Schmidt went from making natural products in her Portland, Oregon kitchen to turning her brand into a household name and selling her company in a nine-figure acquisition. Supermaker is her guide to business and career development on your own terms.

Through unfiltered storytelling and instructive takeaways, the acclaimed entrepreneur, founder of Schmidt’s Naturals, and icon of the Maker Movement shares how you too can start or grow your own business with her secrets on marketing, sales growth, product development, customer engagement, scaling operations, and partnerships.

Following Jaime’s journey from market stand to global brand, readers will take away:

• The keys to establishing a financially successful business for entrepreneurs and professionals ready to go from maker to magnate.
• Tactical approaches to branding, PR, sales, marketing, culture development, and team management.
• Candid advice and storytelling from an industry disruptor and proven executive.

Following her growth from kitchen to acquisition, Supermaker is a riveting mix of inspiration, the honest airing of mistakes, and indispensable instruction.

• A go-to guide for the passion-to-profit journey.
• The perfect read for aspiring entrepreneurs, makers, creatives, and anyone with an interest in selling their products online, retail strategy, or digital marketing.
• Great for anyone who enjoyed Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie, Craft, Inc: Turn Your Creative Hobby into a Business by Meg Mateo Ilasco, and The Girls’ Guide to Starting Your Own Business: Candid Advice, Frank Talk, and True Stories for the Successful Entrepreneur by Caitlin Friedman.

Review: (3 Stars)

I was so excited to jump into this book! Last year, in December 2019, I started my own small shop on Etsy, and it has been a crazy just under a year trying to figure it out as I went along. So I was so excited to be chosen to be a part of the blog tour for this book, and learn all of the things that Jaime had done early on in her business’s life, and how she made it what it is now.

I flew through the first half of the book, because I found it all so fascinating. The stories about her starting at craft fairs and farmers markets, to going in to her local shops to learn the process of getting her products on those first store shelves. Watching her in the middle of the learning process that is a constant once you pass the moment of “I like making this product, and I think that people would be interested in buying it” and are trying to figure out what comes next and what you would like the future of that business to look like. I got some answers to a few questions that I have had in my own experiences, and some answers to a few questions that I didn’t know that I had, and even a few answers to questions that I haven’t gotten far enough in my process yet to have been curious about.

All of that being said, once I got into about the second half of this book I hit a bit of a wall that I found myself really having to push through to the finish line and the last chapter. And that is nothing against the book, but I think that at this point in my own process only the first half of the book was really aimed at me and my business. Let me start off this portion by saying that we have very different types of businesses, Jaime and I, so it wasn’t like the whole book was going to be a one to one comparison. But more so than that, about halfway through the book is when she and her business really started to blow up – being able to shop it at target, moving into really large production spaces, hiring more and more staff members, etc. And that just isn’t a place that I see myself ever going with my own business. The biggest I could ever see my shop, in my absolute wildest dreams for my business, would be a small storefront with myself and at most one other person selling things that are still each made by my own hand. So by the time the book was all about her bringing in business partners and giving interviews on television, or being mentioned by celebrities in magazines, it just became a little bit more difficult for me to get through and I ended up finding myself putting it down in favor of my other reads.

Overall I would say that this was a fairly interesting book, written very narratively, and with lots of categorized tips and tricks from someone who made something really huge and international truly out of nothing. I would say that this book may be more interesting for you if you see yourself wanting to really take your business and make it something very big like Jaime did. Otherwise, if you’re a small business like me, maybe you’ll get more out of the first half than the second half. I am very glad that I read it, and there are a few tips and bits of inspiration that I have taken from the book since having read it. So if you are in that situation, it will just be up to you to decide for yourself if it is something worth picking up and reading, if you will potentially only be getting the information out of that one half.

About the Author (from Goodreads):

Jaime Schmidt is the acclaimed entrepreneur, investor, and Maker Movement icon that started out making natural products in her kitchen, and in short time, grew her brand into 30,000+ stores and sold it in a nine-figure acquisition.

Suffice to say, she’s got quite the story to tell. Not only about how she did it, but all the unbelievable twists and turns along the way that threatened to sink her business.

Through unfiltered storytelling and instructive takeaways learned during her growth from maker to magnate, Supermaker shares Jaime’s secrets to financial success, marketing, operations, sales growth, product development, PR, partnerships, and customer engagement.

Following Jaime from kitchen to acquisition, Supermaker: Crafting Business on Your Own Terms is a riveting mix of inspiration, the honest airing of mistakes, and indispensable instruction.

Link to Purchase on Amazon:

Posted on September 22, 2020September 22, 2020 by tacklingtbr · 1 Comment

The Safe Place by Anna Downes

Minotaur Books – Review: 4 Stars

Thanks so much to the author and BookSparks for the gifted finished copy of this book in exchange for my honest review and participation in the end of summer #SRC2020 blog tour. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on my blog at tacklingtbr.home.blog

TW : attempted murder, kidnapping, self-harm, death of a child, childhood trauma, gaslighting

This was a really interesting and thrilling read – a read that kept me up way past my bedtime on my last night because I needed to finish it and know how it ended before I went to sleep. It started out as a bit of a slow burn, and it took me a little while to really feel drawn in, but once the hook really got me the pages practically turned themselves, and I devoured the last half of the book.

Lets talk characters. Basically none of the characters in this book (aside from Aurelia, she’s just a child) seemed like objectively good people all the way through. Not even Emily, who is the heroine of the story. Even if the intentions had been good from the beginning, everyone had things going on, things they had done or ways that they were treating people, that seemed a bit questionable. And I think that this made all of the characters that much more interesting to read. Now obviously Emily is the most “traditionally good” character (I just think she could have been better to her parents. She was kind of a jerk to them every time we saw her interact with them, and I don’t know that I think they deserved that), and I enjoyed getting to see the story unfold through her eyes. But it isn’t only told through her point of view, we also get the husband Scott’s perspective as well, which made some of the slightly slower parts read a bit faster than they could have. His chapters felt a little bit like a peak at the wizard behind the curtain, since you know from the beginning that he is at the very least aware of whatever is happening, but at the same time he doesn’t really reveal anything so you still get to uncover the secrets along with Emily.

Now, I will say that I guessed the ending pretty early on. About 1/3 of the way into the book I turned to my husband and said “I feel like its either going to be A or B” and it ended up being the second option that I gave him. So if you are a reader that doesn’t like being able to guess the ending, then know going in that it may be a problem for you with this particular book. But that being said, I personally didn’t find that it drastically changed my enjoyment of the reading process. It just felt more like the book was confirming my theories, rather than being surprised by what was happening.

All in all, I would recommend this book to my friends. There are a few pretty serious trigger warnings attached to this read (see above), and I even found myself a bit affected by some of them closer to the end of the book while I was reading (even though none of them related to anything I have personally experienced, so I wasn’t quite sure why) so just be aware of that before jumping in. I think that the perfect way to read this book would be with a delicious, fancy wine (possibly a glass, possibly the whole bottle) by a pool or some other beautiful body of water. I mean, come on. Ignoring all of the crazy, thriller-y shenanigans, Querencia seems like a perfect place to spend a summer.

Posted on September 1, 2020October 2, 2021 by tacklingtbr

#SRC2020 End of Summer Pop-up Tour

Blog Tour: Courtesy of Booksparks

Thanks so much to the authors and publishers of these amazing books, as well as to Booksparks, for these complimentary finished copies in exchange for my honest thoughts and participation in this blog tour. { partner } All opinions are entirely my own. All of my reviews and tours can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.

The Safe Place by Anna Downes

Check out my full review here!

Book Description from Goodreads:

Emily is a mess.

Emily Proudman just lost her acting agent, her job, and her apartment in one miserable day.

Emily is desperate.

Scott Denny, a successful and charismatic CEO, has a problem that neither his business acumen nor vast wealth can fix. Until he meets Emily.

Emily is perfect.

Scott offers Emily a summer job as a housekeeper on his remote, beautiful French estate. Enchanted by his lovely wife Nina, and his eccentric young daughter, Aurelia, Emily falls headlong into this oasis of wine-soaked days by the pool. But soon Emily realizes that Scott and Nina are hiding dangerous secrets, and if she doesn’t play along, the consequences could be deadly.

Superbly tense and oozing with atmosphere, Anna Downs’s debut is the perfect summer suspense, with the modern gothic feel of Ruth Ware and the morally complex family dynamics of Lisa Jewell.

Welcome to paradise…will you ever be able to leave?

About the Author (From Goodreads):

ANNA DOWNES was born and raised in Sheffield, UK, but now lives just north of Sydney, Australia with her husband and two children. She worked as an actress before turning her attention to writing. She was shortlisted for the Sydney Writers Room Short Story Prize (2017) and longlisted for the Margaret River Short Story Competition (2018).
The Safe Place was inspired by Anna’s experiences working as a live-in housekeeper on a remote French estate in 2009-10.

Link to Purchase on Amazon:

Friends & Strangers by J. Courtney Sullivan

(Check back here for my full review, to be added later!)

Book Description from Goodreads:

An insightful, hilarious, and compulsively readable novel about a complicated friendship between two women who are at two very different stages in life, from the best-selling author of Maine and Saints for All Occasions (named one of the Washington Post‘s Ten Best Books of the Year and a New York Times Critics’ Pick).

Elisabeth, an accomplished journalist and new mother, is struggling to adjust to life in a small town after nearly twenty years in New York City. Alone in the house with her infant son all day (and awake with him much of the night), she feels uneasy, adrift. She neglects her work, losing untold hours to her Brooklyn moms’ Facebook group, her “influencer” sister’s Instagram feed, and text messages with the best friend she never sees anymore.

Enter Sam, a senior at the local women’s college, whom Elisabeth hires to babysit. Sam is struggling to decide between the path she’s always planned on and a romantic entanglement that threatens her ambition. She’s worried about student loan debt and what the future holds. In short order, they grow close. But when Sam finds an unlikely kindred spirit in Elisabeth’s father-in-law, the true differences between the women’s lives become starkly revealed and a betrayal has devastating consequences.

A masterful exploration of motherhood, power dynamics, and privilege in its many forms, Friends and Strangers reveals how a single year can shape the course of a life.

About the Author (from Goodreads):

J. Courtney Sullivan is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Commencement, Maine, The Engagements, and Saints For All Occasions. Maine was named a Best Book of the Year by Time magazine, and a Washington Post Notable Book for 2011. The Engagements was one of People Magazine’s Top Ten Books of 2013 and an Irish Times Best Book of the Year. It is soon to be a major motion picture produced by Reese Witherspoon and distributed by Fox 2000, and it will be translated into 17 languages. Saints For All Occasions, was named one of the ten best books of the year by the Washington Post, a New York Times Critic’s Pick for 2017, and a New England Book Award nominee. Her fifth novel, Friends and Strangers, will be published in June 2020. Courtney’s writing has also appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The Chicago Tribune, New York magazine, Elle, Glamour, Allure, Real Simple, and O: The Oprah Magazine, among many others. She is a co-editor, with Courtney Martin, of the essay anthology Click: When We Knew We Were Feminists. In 2017, she wrote the forewords to new editions of two of her favorite children’s books: Anne of Green Gables and Little Women. A Massachusetts native, Courtney now lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and two children.

Link to Purchase on Amazon:

The Wife Who Knew Too Much by Michele Campbell

Check out my full review here!

Book Description from Goodreads:

From Michele Campbell, the bestselling author of It’s Always the Husband comes a new blockbuster thriller in The Wife Who Knew Too Much.

Tabitha Girard had her heart broken years ago by Connor Ford. He was preppy and handsome. She was a pool girl at his country club. Their affair should have been a summer fling. But it meant everything to Tabitha.

Years later, Connor comes back into Tabitha’s life—older, richer, and desperately unhappy. He married for money, a wealthy, neurotic, controlling woman whom he never loved. He has always loved Tabitha.

When Connor’s wife Nina takes her own life, he’s free. He can finally be with Tabitha. Nina’s home, Windswept, can be theirs. It seems to be a perfect ending to a fairy tale romance that began so many years ago. But then, Tabitha finds a diary. “I’m writing this to raise an alarm in the event of my untimely death,” it begins. “If I die unexpectedly, it was foul play, and Connor was behind it. Connor—and her.”

Who is Connor Ford? Why did he marry Nina? Is Tabitha his true love, or a convenient affair? As the police investigate Nina’s death, is she a convenient suspect?

As Tabitha is drawn deeper into the dark glamour of a life she is ill-prepared for, it becomes clear to her that what a wife knows can kill her.

About the Author (from Goodreads):

Michele Campbell is a graduate of Harvard College and Stanford Law School and a former federal prosecutor in New York City who specialized in international narcotics and gang cases.

A while back, she said goodbye to her big-city legal career and moved with her husband and two children to an idyllic New England college town a lot like Belle River in IT’S ALWAYS THE HUSBAND. Since then, she has spent her time teaching criminal and constitutional law and writing novels.

She’s had many close female friends, a few frenemies, and only one husband, who – to the best of her knowledge – has never tried to kill her.

Link to Purchase on Amazon:

A Star Is Bored by Byron Lane

Check out my full review here!

Book Description from Goodreads:

A hilariously heartfelt novel about living life at full force, and discovering family when you least expect it, influenced in part by the author’s time as Carrie Fisher’s beloved assistant.

Charlie Besson is about to have an insane job interview. His car is idling, like his life, outside the Hollywood mansion of Kathi Kannon. THE Kathi Kannon, star of stage and screen and People magazine’s worst dressed list. She needs an assistant. He needs a hero.

Kathi is an icon, bestselling author, and an award winning actress, most known for her role as Priestess Talara in the iconic blockbuster sci-fi film. She’s also known for another role: crazy Hollywood royalty. Admittedly so. Famously so. Fabulously so.

Charlie gets the job, and embarks on an odyssey filled with late night shopping sprees, last minute trips to see the aurora borealis, and an initiation to that most sacred of Hollywood tribes: the personal assistant. But Kathi becomes much more than a boss, and as their friendship grows, Charlie must make a choice. Will he always be on the sidelines of life, assisting the great forces that be, or can he step into his own leading role?

Laugh-out-loud funny, and searingly poignant, Byron Lane’s A Star is Bored is a novel that, like the star at its center, is enchanting and joyous, heartbreaking and hopeful.

Link to Purchase on Amazon:

Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier

Check out my full review here!

Book Description (from Goodreads):

In the tradition of audacious and wryly funny novels like The Idiot and Convenience Store Woman comes the wildly original coming-of-age story of a pregnant pizza delivery girl who becomes obsessed with one of her customers.

Eighteen years old, pregnant, and working as a pizza delivery girl in suburban Los Angeles, our charmingly dysfunctional heroine is deeply lost and in complete denial about it all. She’s grieving the death of her father (who she has more in common with than she’d like to admit), avoiding her supportive mom and loving boyfriend, and flagrantly ignoring her future.

Her world is further upended when she becomes obsessed with Jenny, a stay-at-home mother new to the neighborhood, who comes to depend on weekly deliveries of pickled covered pizzas for her son’s happiness. As one woman looks toward motherhood and the other towards middle age, the relationship between the two begins to blur in strange, complicated, and ultimately heartbreaking ways.

Bold, tender, propulsive, and unexpected in countless ways, Jean Kyoung Frazier’s Pizza Girl is a moving and funny portrait of a flawed, unforgettable young woman as she tries to find her place in the world.

Link to Purchase on Amazon:

The Vanishing Sky by L. Annette Binder

(Check back here for my full review, to be added later!)

Book Description from Goodreads:

For readers of Warlight and The Invisible Bridge, an intimate, harrowing story about a family of German citizens during World War II.

In 1945, as the war in Germany nears its violent end, the Huber family is not yet free of its dangers or its insidious demands. Etta, a mother from a small, rural town, has two sons serving their home country: her elder, Max, on the Eastern front, and her younger, Georg, at a school for Hitler Youth. When Max returns from the front, Etta quickly realizes that something is not right-he is thin, almost ghostly, and behaving very strangely. Etta strives to protect him from the Nazi rule, even as her husband, Josef, becomes more nationalistic and impervious to Max’s condition. Meanwhile, miles away, her younger son Georg has taken his fate into his own hands, deserting his young class of battle-bound soldiers to set off on a long and perilous journey home.

The Vanishing Sky is a World War II novel as seen through a German lens, a story of the irreparable damage of war on the home front, and one family’s participation-involuntary, unseen, or direct-in a dangerous regime. Drawing inspiration from her own father’s time in the Hitler Youth, L. Annette Binder has crafted a spellbinding novel about the daring choices we make for country and for family.

About the Author (from Goodreads):

L. Annette Binder was born in Germany and grew up in Colorado Springs.

Her first novel The Vanishing Sky (Bloomsbury, July 2020) is inspired by events in her own family history.

Her story collection Rise came out in 2012. Her short stories have been included in the Pushcart Prize anthology and the PEN/O. Henry Prize anthology and have been performed on Public Radio’s “Selected Shorts.”

Link to Purchase on Amazon:

The Lost Girls of Devon by Barbara O’Neal

(Check back here for my full review, to be added later!)

Book Description from Goodreads:

From the Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids comes a story of four generations of women grappling with family betrayals and long-buried secrets.

It’s been years since Zoe Fairchild has been to the small Devon village of her birth, but the wounds she suffered there still ache. When she learns that her old friend and grandmother’s caretaker has gone missing, Zoe and her fifteen-year-old daughter return to England to help.

Zoe dreads seeing her estranged mother, who left when Zoe was seven to travel the world. As the four generations of women reunite, the emotional pain of the past is awakened. And to complicate matters further, Zoe must also confront the ex-boyfriend she betrayed many years before.

Anxieties spike when tragedy befalls another woman in the village. As the mystery turns more sinister, new grief melds with old betrayal. Now the four Fairchild women will be tested in ways they couldn’t imagine as they contend with dangers within and without, desperate to heal themselves and their relationships with each other.

About the Author (from Goodreads):

Barbara O’Neal is the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and #1 Amazon Charts bestselling writer of women’s fiction. She lives in Colorado with her partner, a British endurance athlete.

Link to Purchase on Amazon:

Posted on August 27, 2020September 1, 2020 by tacklingtbr · 1 Comment

The Wife Who Knew Too Much by Michele Campbell

St. Martin’s Press – Review: 5 Stars

Thanks so much to the author, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for the complimentary advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. And thanks as well to BookSparks and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted finished copy, also in exchange for an honest review. All opinoins are entirely my own. { partner } All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.

TW : discussion of suicide, medication overdose, drowning, murder, gun violence

This book jumps right into the story and the intrigue right from the word go, and works to hook you from page 1. This story is mostly told from Tabitha’s point of view, but we also get a few chapters from Nina Levitt’s point of view, both from her as a narrator and through a few of her diary entries. And the first entry that we see very clearly says “If you find that I’ve died unexpectedly, my husband and his lover have planned it.” Talk about drawing you in early! So we spend the whole story with the new wife, Tabitha, trying to figure out if Connor really is responsible, or if he’s innocent and someone else is to blame, or if Nina simply commited suicide.

I know there were some mixed reviews on whether readers enjoyed Tabitha as a character, but I really enjoyed her. She makes plenty of mistakes, and there are a few choices that she makes throughout the story that you’d like to believe that you’d be smarter than in the same situations, but I think that’s what I liked about her the most. I love reading a flawed character. And Tabitha, while she has a really great heart and a pretty solid moral compass, she is definitely flawed. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend this time in her head trying to figure out the mystery of who to trust. Especially as she was so suddenly thrust into this crazy world of money that is brand new to her, and watching her try to navigate it. I will say, I also really enjoyed the character of Nina, and I wish we could have gotten a few more chapters of her story. I know, she’s the supposed victim, and dies right at the start of the story, so we can’t get too much time in her head, or there wouldn’t be a mystery for the readers. But still, I said what I said. I enjoyed her as a character, and I wanted to get to know her better.

For the story, there were plenty of twists and turns to keep me hanging on until the very last page. There were a few littler twists that I guessed might happen, or that I slightly saw coming, but none of them were big enough that I found myself less invested in the story or how it got from point A to point B. This book had me staying up late and reading in bed past my bedtime, because I wanted to get to the end and see what happened next! I definitely felt the “fine, just one more chapter” draw over and over again while reading this one.

I would definitely recommend this book to my friends, and especially to anyone who, like me, was a fan of A Stranger On the Beach which is also by Campbell. This book had me hooked and feeling invested right from the beginning, and I didn’t feel like it let me go until the last page. I think if I were to reread this book I would want to read it in the evening by a fireplace with a large glass of red wine!

Posted on April 7, 2020April 7, 2020 by tacklingtbr

Four Faces of Femininity: Heroic Women Throughout History by Barbara McNally

Spring Pop-Up Tour: Booksparks courtesy of She Writes Press

Thanks so much to the author, Booksparks, and She Writes Press for the gifted advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts, and participation in this pop-up blog tour. { partner } All of my posts and reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on Goodreads.

Book Description from Goodreads:

Four Faces of Femininity tells the story of remarkable women who, through their creativity, passion, intelligence, and sheer determination, have left an indelible mark on the history of mankind. The book is divided into four sections, with figures placed in Mother, Lover, Warrior, or Sage. Accessible, informative, and uplifting, Four Faces of Femininity explores the many ways in which women have changed the course of history – and demonstrates how crucial it is that women from every background be provided with role models that inspire. The book includes questions for exploration to help modern multifaceted women see these qualities in themselves and balance them to lead a fuller life.

Mt Thoughts/Mini Review (5 Stars):

You guys, I am so excited to be a small part of the #SpringPopUp with Booksparks, but I’m even more excited that this was the book that I was chosen for! First of all, the illustrations are GORGEOUS! And I love getting to read about all different types of women and their contributions – I think that is one of my favorite parts of this book, getting to see all of the different sides of strong women. Not every women is going to be a warrior in the traditional sense, but being a motherly soul is just as important, and strong, and empowering!

My fiancé and I have loved going through this book, and I think it will probably be one of our go to coffee table books, so that we can share it with everybody else!