First up is The Family Plot by Megan Collins. Right away, the plot caught my eye. I was very intrigued by the storyline and knew I’d enjoy this book. Imagine growing up in a secluded mansion with crime-obsessed parents?
Here’s what you need to know about The Family Plot:
At twenty-six, Dahlia Lighthouse is haunted by her upbringing. Raised in a secluded island mansion deep in the woods and kept isolated by her true crime-obsessed parents, she is unable to move beyond the disappearance of her twin brother, Andy, when they were sixteen.
After several years away and following her father’s death, Dahlia returns to the house, where the family makes a gruesome discovery: buried in their father’s plot is another body—Andy’s, his skull split open with an ax.
Dahlia is quick to blame Andy’s murder on the serial killer who terrorized the island for decades, while the rest of her family reacts to the revelation in unsettling ways. Her brother, Charlie, pours his energy into creating a family memorial museum, highlighting their research into the lives of famous murder victims; her sister, Tate, forges ahead with her popular dioramas portraying crime scenes; and their mother affects a cheerfully domestic facade, becoming unrecognizable as the woman who performed murder reenactments for her children. As Dahlia grapples with her own grief and horror, she realizes that her eccentric family, and the mansion itself, may hold the answers to what happened to her twin.
Coming out on August 17.
How could you not want to read The Show Girl by Nicola Harrison? It combines everything I love: historical fiction, showgirls, a romance plus a fantastic cover design. I was hooked on this one right away and think you will love it as well.
The synopsis:
It’s 1927 when Olive McCormick moves from Minneapolis to New York City determined to become a star in the Ziegfeld Follies. Extremely talented as a singer and dancer, it takes every bit of perseverance to finally make it on stage. And once she does, all the glamour and excitement is everything she imagined and more—even worth all the sacrifices she has had to make along the way.
Then she meets Archie Carmichael. Handsome, wealthy—the only man she’s ever met who seems to accept her modern ways—her independent nature and passion for success. But once she accepts his proposal of marriage he starts to change his tune, and Olive must decide if she is willing to reveal a devastating secret and sacrifice the life she loves for the man she loves.
Coming out on August 10.
True crime is one of my favorite genres and I just don’t see all that many books coming out, as opposed to another genre like romance. If you are into true stories too, then you will have to read Paradise by Lizzie Johnson. This is an intriguing, compelling, and heartbreaking story.
Synopsis:
On November 8, 2018, the people of Paradise, California, awoke to a mottled gray sky and gusty winds. Soon the Camp Fire was upon them, gobbling an acre a second. Less than two hours after the fire ignited, the town was engulfed in flames, the residents trapped in their homes and cars. By the next morning, eighty-five people were dead.
San Francisco Chronicle reporter Lizzie Johnson was there as the town of Paradise burned. She saw the smoldering rubble of a historic covered bridge and the beloved Black Bear Diner and she stayed long afterward, visiting shelters, hotels, and makeshift camps. Drawing on years of on-the-ground reporting and reams of public records, including 911 calls and testimony from a grand jury investigation, Johnson provides a minute-by-minute account of the Camp Fire, following residents and first responders as they fight to save themselves and their town. We see a young mother fleeing with her newborn; a school bus full of children in search of an escape route; and a group of paramedics, patients, and nurses trapped in a cul-de-sac, fending off the fire with rakes and hoses.
In Paradise, Johnson documents the unfolding tragedy with empathy and nuance. But she also investigates the root causes, from runaway climate change to a deeply flawed alert system to Pacific Gas and Electric’s decades-long neglect of critical infrastructure. A cautionary tale for a new era of megafires, Paradise is the gripping story of a town wiped off the map and the determination of its people to rise again.
Highly recommended! Out on August 17.
What a fun read this was! The Seven Day Switch by Kelly Harms was a great book, really enjoyable and just entertaining in between heavier reads. A book like this is always welcome on my book shelf!
The plot will remind you of Freaky Friday!
Celeste Mason is the Pinterest stay-at-home supermom of other mothers’ nightmares. Despite her all-organic, SunButter-loving, free-range kids, her immaculate home, and her volunteering awards, she still has time to relax with a nice glass of pinot at the end of the day. The only thing that ruins it all is her workaholic, career-obsessed neighbor, who makes no secret of what she thinks of Celeste’s life choices every chance she gets.
Wendy Charles is a celebrated productivity consultant, columnist, and speaker. On a minute-by-minute schedule, she makes the working-mom hustle look easy. She even spends at least one waking hour a day with her kids. She’s not apologizing for a thing. Especially to Celeste, who plays her superior parenting against Wendy whenever she can.
Who do Celeste and Wendy think they are? They’re about to find out thanks to one freaky week. After a neighborhood potluck and too much sangria, they wake up—um, what?—in each other’s bodies. Everything Celeste and Wendy thought they knew about the “other kind of mom” is flipped upside down—along with their messy, complicated, maybe not so different lives.
Loved it! If you are dealing with heavy things in life, you need to escape into the pages of a book like this. Out now!
The time is always right for a book like this. Who doesn’t need some guidance into creating their ideal and authentic life? Manifesting by Kris Ferraro is a simple book with practical advice and I found it helpful, a good book to keep close and dip into for a little while each day to keep yourself on track to creating your ideal life.
Synopsis:
Too often we walk through life in a state of lack, choosing to focus our attention on our deficiencies and allowing our minds, bodies, and spirits to swirl with discontent and negativity. But when our focus and attention is sunk in darkness, that becomes all we experience in our lives. Manifesting offers a transformative new approach. By focusing on what you wish to have or achieve, instead of despairing over what you are missing, you will find that you can manifest those very things in your life.
Out on August 24.
From the cover, I knew this would be a gripping and suspenseful book. The Unwelcome Guest by Amanda Robson is about a married woman and her awful mother-in-law. Imagine your mother-in-law hating you so much that she will do anything to rid of you? Yikes. Thankfully we can read about it rather than experience this in real life…
Synopsis:
Saffron vowed to love Miles no matter what life threw at them both. But when her mother-in-law moves into their happy family home, Saffron’s shiny life begins to tarnish.
Even as Caprice’s barbed comments turn to something more sinister, Saffron hopes the new nanny’s arrival will shield her from the worst of it. She’s starting to feel paranoid in her own home.
Little does she realize that Caprice longs for a new daughter-in-law – and she’ll do anything to make that happen…
This one is due out on August 19.
