Paula Hawkins knows how to deliver a good, suspenseful thriller. Daniel is found on his boat by his neighbor, Miriam, murdered. His aunt, Carla, is already suffering through the recent unexpected loss of her sister, also Daniel‘s mother. Laura, is the woman Daniel had a one night stand with and was seen leaving Daniel‘s boat. This book is really about these three women and their individual tragedies.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com

Well, this was a disappointment. Some books are not meant to have an audio option and maybe that‘s why I didn‘t like this book, but yet for some reason I finished it.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com

I should have trusted my instinct and never purchased this book. When this came out, I repeatedly saw a lot of praise for this book. I didn‘t think it suited my interests and avoided it for a long time. Most likely, there was an Audible sale and I decided to purchase the book because the cover was cool and the title had the word ‘library.‘ I‘m such a sucker, I know.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com

Body of Proof is a podcast turned into audiobook. Authors/podcasters, Darrell Brown and Sophie Ellis tell the story of a missing woman, Suzanne Pilley, and the man, David Gilroy, convicted of her murder. Suzanne disappeared on her way to work one morning, without a trace. Her and David‘s relationship began as an affair and ended prior to her disappearance. David was quickly identified as a suspect.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com

I had a delightful time exploring my local independent bookstore, Joseph-Beth, this weekend. Excited to have picked up a signed copy of Justin Cronin‘s long awaited next book, The Ferryman. I absolutely loved the The Passage series. I‘m very curious about this new book. 🤓

https://abookandadog.com

This book provides a history of Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert (aka Ram Dass), Huston Smith, and Andrew Weil and their contribution to the use of psychedelics in the 1950‘s and 1960‘s. It tells the reasons why these men were seeking to know more; to be enlightened. They were and are amazing, brave seekers of other realms of consciousness.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com with additional resources and YouTube video.

For a book that is filled with characters struggling to make it through life, hard core brutality, and greed, Brian Panowich delivers a beautiful story about love and loss. Panowich writes about people, places, and circumstances that are real. There are no healthy families living in pretty houses with white picket fences in his stories.

Full review https://abookandadog.com with a YouTube video of Panowich‘s event at The Poisoned Pen bookstore.

I‘ve been a fan of John Grisham since the beginning of his writing career. I remember being in a college classroom and the professor casually talking about Grisham‘s first book, The Firm. In The Whistler, Lacy is a lawyer/investigator of Florida judges. Lacy and her partner, Hugo, are assigned a case involving a judge accused of corruption regarding the development of a casino on Native American land.

Full review https://abookandadog.com

Confessions on the 7:45 is a great suspenseful, thriller! I loved listening to every minute. Lisa Unger‘s introduction of many characters instantly got my mind whirling and trying to figure out how, if at all, these characters were tied to each other. It was confusing, but in a good way. I like it when a story makes my mind work to solve a puzzle. 🧡💛🤎

Full review https://abookandadog.com

Informative and inspiring. Ram Dass and Rameshwar Das collaborated to share beautiful stories of transforming into a lifestyle of spirituality. Ram Dass accounts in great detail how he ended up in India, his uses of psychedelics, and the relationship with his guru. I admire and respect that Ram Dass has always been transparent about the struggles he encountered with applying the teachings from Maharaja-ji. 💜

Full review https://abookandadog.com

This book cover is amazing! Poppy‘s Story by Kristina McMorris, which is part of the Good Intentions collection, is available through Amazon. I love how Kristina creates her stories! For Poppy‘s Story, she took a child character that appeared briefly in her novel, The Ways We Hide, and checked-in with her as an adult. 🌻

Full review https://abookandadog.com

Cormac McCarthy is one of those writers I‘ve always heard great things, but just didn‘t think the settings of his books would fit my taste. I figured it was finally time to find out. I didn‘t know what to expect. I simply read the description and started listening. I loved this book and McCarthy‘s storytelling. All The Pretty Horses is a beautiful piece of work. 🐎🤎

Full review https://abookandadog.com

Don Winslow in my mailbox! I received my signed copy of City of Dreams from The Poisoned Pen, an independent bookseller, in Scottsdale, Arizona. This is the second installment to Winslow‘s latest trilogy; the first book is City on Fire. More images on my blog https://abookandadog.com

I love scary stories, so this collection of tales seemed like a fitting selection. The Conception of Terror: Tales Inspired by M. R. James, Volume 1, is a collection of four short stories all designed to invoke fear. Audible does a great job with narration to include music and sound effects. Listening to this audiobook is a full theatrical performance in your ears.

Full review https://abookandadog.com

Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati, Ohio and Lexington, Kentucky hosted a virtual author event with Emily Henry in conversation with Carley Fortune. Emily Henry just released her latest romance novel, Happy Place. I wrote about my experience on my blog…https://abookandadog.com

Not the tagged book. Dying into Life is an incredible audiobook! Technically, it‘s recordings from a Ram Dass retreat in 1982. I purchased this from Audible and couldn‘t be happier. The retreat included the wisdom of Stephen Levine and Dale Borglum. As a student of Ram Dass, this audiobook offered many new experiences for me. Check out my blog post https://abookandadog.com for my review, additional resources, and YouTube video. 🧘🏻‍♀️📿🧎🏻‍♀️

My Gal Sunday is a shorter book containing four stories with an unusual crime solving duo. MHC created a team with a husband, who is a former president, and his new bride, who was recently elected to congress. Henry and Sunday are an adorable couple; however, pretty unlikely that these two would wind up in as many strange situations as they do. But, I guess that‘s why it‘s fiction!

Full review https://abookandadog.com

My mom always wore Chanel No. 5. Sentimental memories were the reason this book peaked my interest. I‘m sticking to my self-permission of bailing on any books that aren‘t satisfying my interests. Unfortunately, I bailed on this 16% of the way in. The writing and narration of the audiobook are fine. It‘s not the book, it‘s me.

Full review https://abookandadog.com

I used to be the reader who finished a book regardless of how much I was suffering through the story. I finally decided there are too many great books to spend time with so I am giving myself permission to bail on books I‘m not enjoying. I only made it to 11% before deciding to bail on Double Feature by Owen King. I just couldn‘t get invested in the story.

Full review https://abookandadog.com

The Hawthorne and Horowitz murder mystery series are definitely top notch! This one opens with the duo meeting editors/publishers at Penguin Random House to discuss the publicity of their first book. They appear at a literary festival on an island. A local resident is found dead and because the island has very little crime, the police force is minimal. Hawthorne is asked to work the case.

Full review https://abookandadog.com

This book must have ended up on my massive TBR thanks to Litsy. Asylum is a rather dark story set in a maximum security hospital for the criminally insane in 1959. A setting right up my alley! Stella and her husband, Max, move onto the reservation of the asylum. Max is a psychiatrist. Stella meets Edgar, a patient, and is not deterred from interacting with him when she learns of his violent past.

Full review https://abookandadog.com

As a devoted fan of Stephen King, I have been buying all of his books when they are published for a few decades. When I purchased this book, ages ago, I didn‘t think I would like it very much. Instead, I really liked it! Check out my blog at https://abookandadog.com for my review, pics of cool promotional dog tags and SK Funko Pop, and movie trailer.

Murder by the Book is the first in the series, Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery. Addie Greyborne moved to Greyborne Harbor for a fresh start. Her aunt, whom she didn‘t know, lived in a beautiful mansion with an amazing collection of first edition books and antiques. Her aunt recently died and left everything to Addie. She decided to use the collectibles as inventory to start her own book store.

Full review https://abookandadog.com

This book was originally published in 1992. It was updated and re-published 25 years later. The closest we will ever get to a true autobiography of Diana as she secretly collaborated on it‘s creation. Diana wanted to maintain complete anonymity with the book as she knew how much conflict would arise with the Royal Family. Andrew Morton revealed her cooperation with the book following her tragic death in 1997.

Full review https://abookandadog.com

This ‘Only from Audible‘ collection of 12 short stories is based on classic children‘s stories such as Hanzel and Gretel, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and The Prince and the Frog. These short stories are definitely for adults only! Nick Offerman‘s comedic personality definitely adds hilarity to the entertainment of this listening experience.

Full review https://abookandadog.com

I enjoy studying Buddhism and Hinduism; therefore, I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, I couldn‘t be more disappointed. I was turned off by her extreme feminism and delivery that seemed like a lecture on the definition of feminism. This book was all over the place. One minute she‘s preaching feminism, the next she‘s attempting to teach fierce self-compassion. She presented two different extremes.

Full review https://abookandadog.com

This book surprised me! Initially, I thought it was another suspenseful story about a woman being manipulated by a new man in her life. New man starts demonstrating creepy, controlling behaviors, and the woman refuses to accept reality despite the people closest to her pointing it out. As the story escalated, I recognized that I was loving Palmer‘s twisty, wicked, and heart pounding story.

Full review https://abookandadog.com

I have been savoring this book since my husband gave it to me for Christmas. There are so many pictures that illustrate the content. As an admirer of Vincent van Gogh, I am grateful for this book that has taught me so much about Jo van Gogh‘s life and how hard she worked for decades to expose the world to van Gogh‘s amazing art work. My blog post contains another special book in my collection about Vincent.

Full review https://abookandadog.com

I first met author Kristina McMorris at the Kentucky Book Festival in 2018 when she was on book tour for Sold on a Monday. She also had copies of this book, The Edge of Lost. My attention was immediately drawn to the cover; not only is it beautiful, it contains a picture of Alcatraz! Alcatraz is a sentimental place for me. Sounds weird, I know. Go to https://abookandadog.com where I explain, review this amazing book, and more!

Scottoline cleverly builds a story with many layers of interest and suspense. We‘ve got the associates in a law firm and their roles working cases. The boss is worried about keeping her firm in business and her twin sister causing problems at every turn. Then, we‘ve got a murder victim and their family to learn about. Full review https://abookandadog.com

Limited edition print by artist, PoeSoul Studio, available at https://poesoulstudio.com

This is my first time reading a novel by Beatriz Williams. I have come to love historical fiction novels in the past few years and her books have piqued my interest, so I decided it was time to give her a try. I absolutely loved The Summer Wives! This novel has so much depth and intrigue. I didn‘t want to stop listening as I wanted to know how all of the pieces to the puzzle fit, and I didn‘t want it to end.

Full review https://abookandadog.com

Each time I pick up the next book in this series, I can‘t wait to see what Jack Reacher is getting into next. He gets on a bus and during a stop in Wisconsin, he finds a class ring for West Point 2005. He becomes intrigued about the ring‘s owner. He purchases the ring and sets out on a mission to find the owner to return the ring. Sounds like a relatively simple task, right? Oh, it‘s definitely not!

Full review https://abookandadog.com

Not the tagged book. 😔 Lisa Scottoline sends out a newsletter to inform her fans of what work she has coming out. In the recent newsletter I received, she promoted her short story, Pigeon Tony‘s Last Stand. Pigeon Tony defends a boy in his neighborhood who is pressured into joining the local gang of drug dealers. It‘s heartwarming and empowering for those who can make a difference in their communities.

Full review https://abookandadog.com

This biography tells the comprehensive story of Stevie Nicks and all of the people close to her. Only knowing Stevie through her music, I learned so much about her. The author spends a large portion of the book detailing how Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac, the relationships between members, their music, and time on tour. I included some cool You Tube videos in my blog post.

Full review https://abookandadog.com

I don‘t recall where I learned of this book, but it obviously appealed to me for two reasons; it‘s a true crime story and it takes place in Ohio. This book tells the tragic story of men working the midnight shift at a mill when they are murdered by a man lurking in the shadows. The author opens the story by describing each incident, followed by the investigation, and the trial.

Full review https://abookandadog.com

I‘m always in the mood for a good story about a haunted house. This short story tells the story of Emil, who inherits his uncle‘s house in Portland, Oregon. The uncle was a famous classical pianist and Emil shares the same passion for playing the piano. It doesn‘t take long for things to go bump in the night; mysterious footsteps on the second floor, shadows outside, and piano music.

Full review https://abookandadog.com

Thanks @Twainy for your posts about this book! Dr. Vora is a holistic psychiatrist who explains anxiety in two ways: false anxiety and real anxiety. There are things in our lives that cause anxiety, i.e. diet. Regarding real anxiety, she offers suggestions such as meditation and breathing exercises. This is an excellent book for people new to learning about anxiety and holistic coping mechanisms.

Full review https://abookandadog.com

Not the tagged book. The audiobook, Breathing, is a short listen, less than two hours, and it‘s packed with vital information about the healing qualities of our breath. Dr. Weil explains the Eastern tradition of pranayama and how practicing breathwork can influence our nervous system. Dr. Weil takes listeners through several breathing exercises he practices in his own life.

Full review https://abookandadog.com

Not the tagged book. I was introduced to Dr. Andrew Weil on a recent episode of Jay Shetty‘s podcast, On Purpose. Their talk was fascinating as they covered a variety of topics. After listening to this episode, I began researching Dr. Weil‘s library of published books. I decided to start with Healthy Sleep, as I often have difficulty staying asleep. (The YouTube video of the podcast is included in my review.)

Full review https://abookandadog.com

This is a lovely novel about the powerful influence of art, history of WWII, and people working to impact change in belief systems. The story brings to life famous characters from this time period; Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Lee Krasnor. Pictured is one of my husband‘s oil paintings, A Girl of a Different Kind. The painting is available at www.poesoulstudio.com

Full review https://abookandadog.com

Karin Slaughter is an impressive writer of detective stories. I have loved every single book I‘ve read and Undone, the third installment of the Will Trent series, did not disappoint! I was so excited that Sara Linton‘s character joined Faith Mitchell and Will Trent.

Full review https://abookandadog.com

This is a must read book for everyone regardless of where you are in your career or retirement. The purpose of this book is to make the most out of your life experiences, regardless of your income, and to challenge the messages we have been taught about retirement.

Full review https://abookandadog.com

Leslie Jordan is an amazing actor, comedian, and all around wonderful human! Admittedly, I haven‘t seen all of his work. As this book proves, he‘s acted in A TON of television shows and movies! Leslie opens the book by talking about his use of Instagram and how he entertained people during COVID. As a fan of American Horror Story, I loved his stories about working with Jessica Lange and Lady Gaga.

Full review https://abookandadog.com

Anderson provides an in-depth history of the intriguing Vanderbilt family. He covers the beginning of the family tree with Cornelius Vanderbilt. Then how the family grew and lived on Staten Island and built mansions on Fifth Avenue. My heart broke as he shared about Alice of the summer home, The Breakers, in Rhode Island. It was fascinating to learn about the lives and tragic deaths of the Vanderbilts.

Full review https://abookandadog.com

So excited to have received my signed copy of Jay Shetty‘s new book from Barnes and Noble. I‘m so grateful for my husband who pre-ordered this for me. On my blog, I have a short, yet powerful YouTube video with Jay Shetty and you can check out his podcast, On Purpose.

https://abookandadog.com

I finally made my way to the letter R! Kinsey is hired by a wealthy, elderly father to pick up his daughter from prison and help her get acclimated to society. Seems like an easy task…until Reba, her new charge, reunites with a person she knew before her incarceration. The story unravels and escalates as Kinsey gets involuntarily involved in Reba‘s antics and events turn dangerous. #MountTBR

Full review https://abookandadog.com

Check out the gorgeous new Dean Koontz novel that arrived!! I received my signed copy of The House at the End of the World from The Poisoned Pen, an independent bookseller, in Scottsdale, Arizona. 🌵

https://abookandadog.com

I seldom read books in the fantasy genre, so I think that put me at a total disadvantage for not only liking this short story, but understanding it as well. I absolutely loved Alix‘s debut novel, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, so I thought I would really like this one. I guess I should have known better when I didn‘t understand the title details summary. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Full review https://abookandadog.com

I gratefully received The Circus Train by Amita Parish from an Instagram giveaway. The giveaway was hosted by the amazing author, Kristina McMorris! I‘m so excited and can‘t wait to dive in!!

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This book intrigued me as I‘m interested in the psychology of gangs and how they function. Around 1965, Hunter S. Thompson spent about two years hanging out with the Hell‘s Angels motorcycle gang. This was a time period in which the Hell‘s Angels were in their relative height of mayhem, violence, and destruction. This book didn‘t provide what I was hoping to learn. #MountTBR

Full review https://abookandadog.com