So Many Books, So Little Time

Marlene: A Novel of Marlene Dietrich by C.W. Gortner Paperback Release Date: December 13, 2016 William Morrow, Harper Collins ISBN: 9780062406071; 432 Pages Genre: Historical Fiction/Contemporary Women/Biographical Marlene Dietrich’s femme fatale persona defined her, but behind the glitz of 1930s Hollywood was a remarkably modern woman, determined to live by her own terms. A rebellious girl, Marlene’s genteel family expectations curtail her until Germany's defeat in the Great War gives rise to the decadence of Weimar Berlin. Here, Marlene finds her niche as a cabaret actress. With her sultry beauty, smoky voice, and androgynous tuxedo, she performs to packed houses and has a series of stormy love affairs that push the boundaries of social convention until she finds overnight success in the scandalous movie The Blue Angel. As Hitler seizes power, Marlene sets sail for America to become one of Hollywood’s top leading ladies, starring opposite Gary Cooper, John Wayne,

USA Today Bestselling Author  Shanna Hatfield  joins us with her latest release, a sweet World War II romance. Picture a beautiful summer day when the sky is clear, the temperature is warm, but not uncomfortably so, and the humidity is low. On one of those ideal summer days, Captain Cavedweller (my husband) and I climbed a hilly path to visit the  Japanese Garden  in Portland, Oregon. We heard it was “nice” and “pretty,” but we had no idea what to expect. After we topped the hill and paid our admission at the little gate booth, we walked inside the garden, spellbound by the beauty around us. For a few minutes, we didn’t move, absorbed in the wonder of being transported to a completely different world in a matter of a few steps. The garden — oh, such a lovely garden. I highly recommend visiting it if you are ever in the area. There are ponds with bright orange fish, walking paths, raked sand, and a waterfall. In truth, in my mind’s eye, it is Miko’s secret g

Oh my goodness, I am so glad November is over!  First, because I LOOOOVE Christmas but also because November was a giant suck fest for a variety of reasons.  Despite all that, I managed to have the best reading month I've had in years (probably).  I pretty much gorged myself on Christmas romance novels and it was pure heaven.  I plan on continuing to do that for the rest of the year because they're full of fluffy goodness. I feel bad for reading so many of the same genre but that's about all I can handle right and I have big reading plans for the new year so I'm going to enjoy myself until then. I hit my raised goal of 80 books and am now only 11 books shy of 100!  Most of what I read was library books so like I every year, I've pretty much failed at reading my own books.  I think the ones I did read this month were books I just purchased instead of just ones I've had for a while.  I did beat my non-fiction total from last year; I know I wanted to finish wit

 Phew!  I am so glad that October is over.  Halloween was fun but the rest of the month was just plain rough.  Work was crazy busy and I just kind of got into a reading rut.  The majority of the books I read were finished in the last week because I just didn't have it in me to read.  A lot of what I read this month was pure fluff and I don't see that changing for the rest of the year.  I think I'm going to actively try to read as many Christmasy romance novels as I can because I just don't have the brain capacity for anything too deep right now. I am on track to meeting my new goal of 80 books for the year so I'm pretty happy about that.  I am not doing a great job of reading books I own but I did still manage to read two non-fiction books in October.  Even thought I've read fewer books total than last year, I've already surpassed the number of non-fiction books I last year.  I really wanted to try to focus more on non-fiction books this year and as of rig

COVER REVEAL! THE COMPETITION: Da Vinci’s Disciples Book Two! Ready (willing and eager) to see the cover of the much-anticipated second book in the Da Vinci’s Disciples trilogy? Well, we hope so, because here it is (be sure to read to the end of the post for an extra special bonus!). But before we get to the gorgeous cover, here’s what the author has to say about the next book in this thrilling trilogy and its cover: “I knew I wanted the second book in this trilogy to be a little more personal, get into the lives of these courageous women, and da Vinci himself, a bit more deeply. Oh, they are still daring to go where women had never gone before in the Renaissance, and they put everything on the line for the love of their art—their marriages, their family relationships, even their lives—to do it, to bring their work out into the open, no matter the consequence. Another form of art is explored through their eyes, through their hands. But in THE COMPETITION, I’ve pulled back more of t

From Goodreads:  In 1667, an invisible wall separates settlers in New France from their Huron neighbors. Yet whether in the fledgling city of Quebec or within one of the native tribes, every woman’s fate depends on the man she chooses—or is obligated—to marry. Although Claudine Deschamps and Gabrielle Giroux both live within the settlement, their prospects are very different. French-born Claudine has followed her older sister across the Atlantic hoping to attract a wealthy husband through her beauty and connections. Gabrielle, orphan daughter of the town drunkard, is forced into a loveless union by a cruel law that requires her to marry by her sixteenth birthday. And Manon Lefebvre, born in the Huron village and later adopted by settlers, has faced the prejudices of both societies and is convinced she can no longer be accepted in either. Drawn into unexpected friendship through their loves, losses, and dreams of home and family, all three women will have to call on

From Goodreads:  Jennifer Weiner is many things: a #1 New York Times bestselling author, a Twitter phenomenon, and “an unlikely feminist enforcer” ( The New Yorker ). She’s also a mom, a daughter, and a sister; a former rower and current cyclist; a best friend and a reality TV junkie. In her first foray into nonfiction, she takes the raw stuff of her personal life and spins into a collection of essays on modern womanhood as uproariously funny and moving as the best of Tina Fey, Fran Lebowitz, and Nora Ephron. Jennifer grew up as an outsider in her picturesque Connecticut hometown (“a Lane Bryant outtake in an Abercrombie & Fitch photo shoot”) and at her Ivy League college, but finally found her people in newsrooms in central Pennsylvania and Philadelphia, and her voice as a novelist, activist, and New York Times columnist. No subject is off-limits in this intimate and honest essay collection: sex, weight, envy, money, her mom’s newfound lesbianism, and her estranged

It's fall and the holiday season is fast approaching!  I am so excited as the next few months are my favorite time of the year!  My daughter and I read a bunch of Halloween books yesterday, did a Halloween craft and we watched Halloweentown this morning.  I love the holidays! I've also already started listening to Christmas music (don't judge!). : ) September felt like a slow reading month but I still managed to read 9 books this month so I can't really complain.  Since I already met my goal of 52 books for the year, I decided to bump it up to 80.  I only have to read 6 books a month for the rest of the year to hit that goal so I think it's doable.  I haven't been super excited about most of the books I'm reading and I'm hoping that will change soon.  I'm really close to beating my non-fiction numbers from last year and I'm so happy about it!  I'll have to back and see what my non-fiction goal was for the year but I'm pretty happy wi

I haven't done a Mailbox Monday post in a while and since I got a ton of books this week, I decided to go ahead and put one up.  It's been such a relaxing weekend and today is my 6 year wedding anniversary so it's been a good few days! My local library had their big fall sale this week; I had two coupons for free books and decided to stop by.  I meant to only get two books and wound up getting 10 books and visiting on two different days.  They had an amazing selection of non-fiction books this time and all of the books I got are practically brand new so I couldn't resist the price!  For Review:   Hungry Heart by Jennifer Weiner From the Library:   Blackballed: The Black & White Politics of Race on America's Campuses by Lawrence Ross Property of a Noblewoman by Danielle Steel Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas Christmas in Mustang Creek by Linda Lael Miller Purchased: The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman