Rainy Days With Amanda

Hey Ya'll! I'm back with another Stephanie Plum novel. It's been almost a year since I read my last one. So many books, so little time. But I had an itch for my favorite bounty-hunter, so I grabbed the next book on the list and dove right back into the world of Stephanie and her bounty hunter life in Trenton, New Jersey.   *Side Note:  I'm also excited to go to Jersey next year and I will be checking to see if there is a Plum tour of sorts!    About the Author Janet Evanovich  is an American writer. She began her career writing short contemporary romance novels under the pen name Steffie Hall , but gained fame authoring a series of contemporary mysteries featuring Stephanie Plum, a former lingerie buyer from Trenton, New Jersey, who becomes a bounty hunter to make ends meet after losing her job. The novels in this series have been on The New York Times , USA Today , Wall Street Journal and Amazon bestseller lists. Evanovich has had her last seventeen Plums debu...

 The Golden Girls has to be one of my all-time favorite shows/sitcoms. I've been a viewer, probably since the womb and my little family and I are current;y watching it all the way through once a week-ish. It's a show that has, for the most-part, aged well with punchlines still hitting and the more serious subjects still ringing true today. My daughter has a few Golden Girls books on her bookshelf and now I can say the same for me. Here's my review of Murder by Cheesecake: A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery. About the Author  Rachel Ekstrom Courage is the New York Times, USA Today, and American Booksellers Association bestselling author of Murder By Cheesecake: A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery (Hyperion Avenue/Disney) and the Young Adult thriller Nothing Bad Happens Here (PRH/Delacorte). She lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband (the children’s book author Nick Courage) and their family. By day she’s the founder of Courage Literary, advocating for books and authors that make the worl...

Every year for Christmas, my husband finds me a unique or interesting book as part of my gift. This year, he chose Mona's Eyes. It's a book I've seen displayed at Barnes & Nobles as their book of the year for 2025. I always make the books he gets me on the top of the list of my TBR and what I found was a love letter. Here are my thoughts on Mona's Eyes by Thomas Schlesser.   About the Author Thomas Schlesser is the director of the Hartung-Bergman Foundation in Antibes, France. He teaches Art History at the École Polytechnique in Paris and is the author of several works of nonfiction about art, artists, and the relationship between art and politics in the 20th century. He is the grandson of André Schlesser, known as Dadé, a singer and cabaret performer who founded the Cabaret L ’Écluse. Mona’s Eyes is Schlesser’s second novel and his American debut. It has been translated into thirty-eight languages, including Braille. Schlesser was awarded 2025’s Author of ...

   About the Author Susan P. Baker, a native of Galveston, Texas, is the author of 13 mystery/suspense novels, two nonfiction titles, and a collection of short pieces. A retired Texas judge, Susan presided over cases ranging from murder to divorce for 12 years in Galveston, later serving as a visiting judge across Texas for another 12 years. Before her judicial career, she practiced law for nine years and worked as a probation officer for two years. Her extensive experience in the justice system and Texas courts significantly influences her writing, bringing authenticity and depth to her fictional works.   About the Book  Aurora’s life seems close to perfect. She has a devoted husband, a recent move back to her hometown, and the chance to fix up the house she inherited. She has a close circle of new and old friends and finds fulfillment in her volunteer work at the local animal shelter, loving on the animals in her care. But one night, a strange sound aw...

I was completely infatuated with the first book, A Court of Thorns , so I didn't want to wait too long to read the next book. I was hoping for a good sequel, well, some people will say ask and you will receive. This rang true for this sequel, A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Mass. SPOILERS AHEAD!     A Little Bit About the Author Sarah J. Maas is the prolific, #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Throne of Glass , A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City series , which have sold more than 70 million copies in English worldwide and are published in thirty-eight languages. Maas is one of the most successful authors of the modern era, generating a far-reaching and ever-growing fanbase of readers, as well as a TikTok phenomenon, with the hashtag for her A Court of Thorns and Roses series having several billion views. A Little Bit About the Story Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court–but at a steep cost. Though she n...

Ever since coming back from my first European trip to Italy, I have been an avid Rick Steves listener. Besides listening to his podcast, I also consumed his TV specials (more so during the pandemic), but I had never read his books. I'm not one to read guidebooks, but when he started advertising for this book, I knew I wanted to pick it up myself, so down to the library I went. Here are my thoughts on On The Hippie Trail by Rick Steves .    About the Author  Rick Steves, America's most respected authority on European travel, empowers Americans to have European trips that are fun, affordable, and culturally broadening. In 1976, he started his business, Rick Steves' Europe, headquartered in Edmonds, Washington, near Seattle. There, he produces a best-selling guidebook series, a popular public television show, a weekly public radio show, a syndicated travel column, and free travel information available through his travel center and ricksteves.com. Rick Steves' Europ...

 So many people recommended this series to me, and I refused to listen. Why? Because I am not one to read something super popular. I mean, I did read Twilight, but I read it well before it became popular let alone a movie. Anyway, I just didn't want to be disappointed with the hype. But alas, I was wrong.  Here is my book talk on A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas . A Little Bit About the Author 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 ︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶︶⊹ Sarah J. Maas is the prolific, #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City series, which have sold more than 70 million copies in English worldwide and are published in thirty-eight languages. Maas is one of the most successful authors of the modern era, generating a far-reaching and ever-growing fanbase of readers, as well as a TikTok phenomenon, with the hashtag for her A Court of Thorns and Roses series having several b...

 I picked up this little book while I was out on a Barnes & Noble run. It's size, it's funny title, and it's description made me put it in my tote bag and check out with it. Since it's a small book, it was the perfect size to read with one hand while my daughter contact napped on me. Here's a little book talk on An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten. About the Author Helene Tursten (born in Gothenburg in 1954) is a Swedish writer of crime fiction. The main character in her stories is Detective Inspector Irene Huss (who does make an appearance in this book). Before becoming an author, Tursten worked as a nurse and then a dentist, but was forced to leave due to illness. During her illness she worked as a translator of medical articles. About the Story Maud is an irascible 88-year-old Swedish woman with no family, no friends, and…no qualms about a little murder. This funny, irreverent story collection by Helene Tursten, author of the Irene Hus...

 I was sitting at the cafè inside of Barnes & Nobles, working on my laptop and minding my own business when I looked over and saw a pretty display of a very bold cover that I had seen plenty of times. I've seen he cover of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow plenty of times, but for some reason, I didn't think that I would like it. This very particular time at Barnes & Nobles, I felt really compelled to give it a chance, and this was a B&N exclusive copy with the blue edged pages. So I picked it up and saved it for a day when I didn't have anything else to read. Just so happened, this was this was that time. Read on to find out more about Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow .  About the Author Gabrielle Zevin is a  New York Times  best-selling novelist whose books have been translated into forty languages. Her tenth novel,  Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow,  was a  New York Times  Best Seller, a  Sunday Tim...

In case you don't know me or are new to my blog, Liane Moriarty is one of my favorite authors. I really enjoy her way of giving the reader suspense with little twists and turns here and there. The plot lines are always interesting and there's never a huge ending surprise in the sense that you will have these outlandish ideas, only for it to be the last thing you would have thought about but makes the most sense (did that even make sense?). Anyway, Here One Moment came out on September 10th, 2024 in the U.S. and best believe I was there at Barnes & Nobles on the day of (and receiving 30% off. Thanks B&N!). So here are my thoughts and feelings on Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty.  About the Author Liane Moriarty is the Australian author of eight internationally best-selling novels: Three Wishes, The Last Anniversary, What Alice Forgot, The Hypnotist’s Love Story, Nine Perfect Strangers and the number one New York Times bestsellers: The Husband's Secret, Big Little ...

 Hey Ya'll! I'm back with another e-book that I picked up for Lone Star Literary Life . Side note, you should check out all the new things Lone Star is doing and planning on doing. Keep up with them on their social media, newsletter, and website! Anyway, this is my last review with them for the year as baby will be here anytime now, but it won't be forever! So I chose to read this book because I'm sucker for reading all things set in the 90's and I love to see how writers portray different eras when it comes to fiction. It also seemed like a cute book according to the synopsis, so I had to throw my hat in the ring. Here is everything you need to know about Poetic Justice by Kathleen McFall and Clark Hays.   About the Author(s)  Kathleen McFall lives, writes, and plays in the Pacific Northwest. Together with Clark Hays, she has written eleven books. Their first book together was about a cowboy and vampire falling in love, which was originally published two decades...

I found this book when I was looking through a table set at Barnes & Nobles with a sign that read something along the lines of "Translated Japanese Novels." Of course, I had to take a look. This one caught my attention not by the cover, but by the title. It intrigued my interests, so I put it on my list of books to read and I was happy to be able to find a copy at one of my local bookstores. Here's a little bit about All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami . About the Author Meiko Kawakami is a Japanese writer and poet from Osaka. Her work has won prestigious Japanese literary awards in several genres including the 138th Akutagawa Prize for Chichi to Ran (Breasts and Eggs), the 2103 Tanizaki Prize for Ai no yum to ka (Dreams of Love, etc.), and so much more.  Kawakami published All the Lovers in the Night in 2011. In 2022 is when it was translated into English by Sam Bett and David Boyd.  About the Book Fuyuko Irie is a freelance copy editor in her mid-thirtie...

    HALLOW:  A FRACTURED FAMILY TALE A Black Orchid Enterprises Mystery, Book #5 by M.R. Dimond Mystery / Cozy Mystery / Lawyers & Criminals Humor Publisher: Rock Rose Press Pages: 321 Publication Date: May 30, 2024

 I am back with another book talk from the L.A. Night Market Mystery series from J. Chow. I enjoyed my time reading the first book of this series, Death by Bubble Tea , so of course I had to come back for seconds. Just like the last book, I checked this one out at my local library (suppoer your local libraries!) since it was the place I discovered the last one and I was already there, so might as well! Anyway, onto the review. About the Author Jennifer J. Chow writes cozies filled with hope and heritage. She is an Agatha, Anthony, Lefty, and Lilian Jackson Braun Award-nominated author. Her newest series is the Magical Fortune Cookie mysteries; the first book is Ill-Fated Fortune . Jennifer’s previous series is the L.A. Night Market Mysteries. Death by Bubble Tea was reviewed by the New York Times , featured in Woman’s World , and hit the SoCal Indie Bestseller List.   About the Story Trouble is brewing for cousins Yale and Celine Yee after a hot pot dinner gets overheated...

 So, I've been reading this fan fic and it takes place in the Victorian era. I am not the biggest fan of reading materials from this era but I ended up loving it and now I read other fics that are set int he Victorian era. Anyway, one day the author of the main Victorian-era fic that I read posted in her comments that she was inspired by the book Persuasion , thus I put it on my Goodreads list to read and here we are. Here's my book talk blog on Persuasion by Jane Austen.    About the Author  Jane Austen was an English novelist known primarily for her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots often explore the dependence of women on marriage for the pursuit of favorable social standing and economic security. Her works are an implicit critique of the novels of sensibility of the second half of the 18th century and are part of the transition to 19th-century literary...

    THE GHOST OF WHISPERING WILLOW Second Edition by AMANDA M. THRASHER Children’s Horror / Fantasy / Magic / Chapter Book Publisher: Progressive Rising Phoenix Press Page Count: 246 Publication Date: January 9, 2024 SYNOPSIS Stewart sees a ghostly figure out of the corner of his eye. He and his friend, Andy, begin a ghost investigation that leads to an adventure of a lifetime.  Coming face-to-face with a ghost, the boys make a decision to join forces with a group of girls, who have encountered a ghost of their own. The kids soon find that the ghosts that they've encountered are in imminent danger and need their help. Can the kids devise a plan to help the ghost in time? Will they be able to reunite a ghost with his lost family? Complete with a ghost village and a feud, this story takes on a life of its own. BOOK TRAILER CLICK TO PURCHASE ABOUT THE AUTHOR Award-winning author Amanda M. Thrash...