Release Day! The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle ~ My Thoughts #TheDinnerList #FlatironBooks

Happy Release Day!

The Dinner List

The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle
Print and ebook, 288 pages
Published September 11th 2018 by Flatiron Books

For fans of Me Before You and One Day comes a wondrous novel of first love, loss, and the dinner of a lifetime.

When Sabrina Nielsen arrives at her thirtieth birthday dinner she finds at the table not just her best friend, but also her favorite professor from college, her father, her ex-fiance, Tobias, and Audrey Hepburn.

At one point or another, we’ve all been asked to name five people, living or dead, with whom we’d like to have dinner. Why do we choose the people we do? And what if that dinner was to actually happen? These are the questions Sabrina contends with in Rebecca Serle’s utterly captivating novel, The Dinner List, a story imbued with the same delightful magical realism as Sliding Doors, and The Rosie Project.

As the appetizers are served, wine poured, and dinner table conversation begins, it becomes clear that there’s a reason these six people have been gathered together, and as Rebecca Serle masterfully traces Sabrina’s love affair with Tobias and her coming of age in New York City, The Dinner List grapples with the definition of romance, the expectations of love, and how we navigate our way through it to happiness. Oh, and of course, wisdom from Audrey Hepburn. 

Delicious but never indulgent, sweet with just the right amount of bitter, The Dinner List is a modern romance for our times. Bon appetit. 

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First line—"'We've been waiting for an hour.' That's what Audrey says. She states it with a little bit of an edge, her words just bordering on cursive. That's the thing I think first. Not Audrey Hepburn is at my birthday party but Audrey Hepburn is annoyed."

I really didn't know what to expect when I started this book. I didn't know much about the book and Rebecca Serle was a new-to-me author. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Haven't we all seen or been asked the question—'If you could invite 5 people to a dinner party, living or dead, who would they be?'

Well, we get dropped right into Sabrina's dinner party and as the night goes on we learn so much about her life, her loves, and her disappointments. The Dinner List was a very enjoyable escape, filled with great characters—such wise people seated around the table—helping Sabrina navigate through her past and her future on her 30th birthday. 

This was a quick, very satisfying read for me, one that made me stop and think about the 5 people I would invite to dinner. (That just may be a topic for another post some day.) Now that Rebecca is no longer a new-to-me author, I'll be checking out some of her other books. 

I received a copy of The Dinner List from Flatiron Books via The Girlfriend in exchange for my honest review. 

Congratulations Rebecca

on the release today of

The Dinner List!

About the author

Rebecca Serle is an author and television writer who lives between New York and Los Angeles. Serle most recently co-developed the hit TV adaptation of her young adult series Famous in Love, now on Freeform. She loves Nancy Meyers films, bathrobes, and giving unsolicited advice on love. She can be found on twitter: @RebeccaASerle ~ Goodreads

Connect with Rebecca

 Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? September 10, 2018

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are!

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Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week. Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading

The World Breaks Everyone
by Lauren Clark
I love this author!

Chaos in Death (In Death #33.5)

by J.D. Robb
(audio-book)
I just love this series and the narrator is so good!

What I recently finished

The Dinner List

by Rebecca Serle 

My thoughts will be posted tomorrow.

Pub date 9/11

Lies

by T.M. Logan

My thoughts will be posted tomorrow.
Pub date 9/11

What Happens at Midnight
by Laura Chapman
(audio-book)
Read my thoughts here. I read this previously and the audio-book was just as good! 

What I am going to read next

Everything, Everything
by Nicola Yoon
Something off of my personal TBR pile.

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris ~ My Thoughts

Sold on a Monday

Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris

Paperback and e-book, 352 pages
Published August 28th 2018 by Sourcebooks Landmark

From New York Times bestselling author Kristina McMorris comes another unforgettable novel inspired by a stunning piece of history.

2 CHILDREN FOR SALE

The sign is a last resort. It sits on a farmhouse porch in 1931, but could be found anywhere in an era of breadlines, bank runs, and broken dreams. It could have been written by any mother facing impossible choices.

For struggling reporter Ellis Reed, the gut-wrenching scene evokes memories of his family’s dark past. He snaps a photograph of the children, not meant for publication. But when it leads to his big break, the consequences are more devastating than he ever imagined.

At the paper, Lillian Palmer is haunted by her role in all that happened. She is far too familiar with the heartbreak of children deemed unwanted. As the bonds of motherhood are tested, she and Ellis must decide how much they are willing to risk to mend a fractured family.

Inspired by an actual newspaper photograph that stunned the nation, Sold on a Monday is a powerful novel of love, redemption, and the unexpected paths that bring us home.

My thoughts about Sold on a Monday ~~ 

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First line—"Outside the guarded entrance, reporters circled like a pack of wolves. They wanted names and locations, any links to the Mob, every newsworthy detail for tomorrow's front page. The irony wasn't lost on me."

I have to admit that I had not read a book by Kristina McMorris before I read this one. And an even bigger confession would be that I've never thought of myself as a fan of historical fiction. Lately, I've happened to find several historical stories that have appealed to me and I'm thinking I may have found a whole new genre to explore. 

After reading Sold on a Monday, I am now of fan of both Kristina and historical fiction. I'm guessing the genre doesn't matter when it's a interesting story, written by a talented author who is able to do wonderful things with words. 

This story captured my attention from the start. How could it not, when you read the phrase '2 Children for Sale'? That's just unfathomable to think about. The author weaves a wonderful tale, full of great characters and eye-opening descriptions of the hard times of those years of the 30's. 

I found myself completely swept up in the story towards the end of the book and honestly stayed up way too late just so I could find out how it ended. I couldn't leave the characters hanging in my thoughts, I just had to finish it! 

Thanks for the wonderful story, Kristina!

I received a copy of Sold on a Monday from Sourcebooks Landmark in exchange for my honest review.

About the author

Kristina McMorris is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her novels have garnered more than two dozen literary awards and nominations, including the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, RWA’s RITA® Award, and a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Historical Fiction. Inspired by true personal and historical accounts, her works of fiction have been published by Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, and Kensington Books.

Her forthcoming novel, Sold on a Monday (Sourcebooks Landmark, 8-28-18), follows her widely praised The Edge of Lost, The Pieces We Keep, Bridge of Scarlet Leaves, and Letters from Home. Additionally, her novellas are featured in the anthologies A Winter Wonderland and Grand Central.

Prior to her writing career, Kristina hosted weekly TV shows since age nine, including an Emmy® Award-winning program, and has been named one of Portland's "40 Under 40" by The Business Journal. She lives with her husband and two sons in the Pacific Northwest, where she is working on her next novel.

Connect with Kristina

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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Book Spotlight Giveaway! A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

I have sooooo many books! The Book Spotlight Giveaway feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to clear my shelves and to share some of the many books I have. This feature is a way for my to cull my collection and to give someone else the opportunity to enjoy these treasures.

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I absolutely love this book—and Ove. I've read the book several times already and have seen the Swedish version of the movie. I gathered some copies for my book club so this one's an extra. I will be keeping one for my shelves.

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

A Man Called Ove

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Paperback, 337 pages
Published May 5th 2015 by Washington Square Press

A grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.

Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon—the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him “the bitter neighbor from hell.” But must Ove be bitter just because he doesn’t walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very foundations.

    

About the author

Fredrik Backman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove (soon to be a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks), My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Britt-Marie Was Here, Beartown, Us Against You, as well as two novellas, And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer and The Deal of a Lifetime. His books are published in more than forty countries. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden, with his wife and two children. ~ Goodreads

Connect with Fredrik

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Amazon

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Miss Etta: A Novel by Deanna Lynn Sletten ~ My Thoughts and a Giveaway!

Miss Etta

Miss Etta: A Novel by Deanna Lynn Sletten

Historical Women's Fiction
Published by Deanna Lynn Sletten
Release Date: September 4, 2018

She rode with the most famous outlaws of her time. Then she vanished.

In the fall of 1895, Etta Place falls in love with Harry Longabaugh, alias the Sundance Kid. She gives up everything to follow him and his partner-in-crime, Butch Cassidy, in their outlaw life across the continent and beyond. Breathtakingly beautiful and every inch a lady, Etta can also ride and shoot as well as any man. As their fugitive life begins to crumble, she finds herself alone and living in a convent with her newborn son. Knowing she can’t hide away forever, she moves halfway across the country to begin anew. Etta prays her past won’t catch up with her.

In 1911 Emily Pleasants steps onto the train station platform of Pine Creek, Minnesota with a teacher’s contract in hand and a secret life she’s fled. A young widow with a small son, she’s searching for a safe place to raise her child where no one will recognize her. She meets Edward Sheridan, a successful merchant and bank owner, who quickly falls for her beauty, intelligence, and kindness. Still, she worries her notorious past will threaten the one thing dearest to her—her son.

From the deserts of Texas to the sweeping vistas of Wyoming, the refinement of New York City to the lush valleys of Argentina, Etta followed the outlaw men she loved so dearly. And then, she disappeared.

One woman, two separate lives. What became of the elusive Etta Place?

Purchase Miss Etta

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Apple iBooks | Google Play | Kobo

Amazon AU | Amazon CA | Amazon UK

My thoughts about Miss Etta ~~ 

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First line—"Susan Sheridan hurried out of her car and headed across the street to the assisted-living facility where her grandmother lived."

I've always loved the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. I can't even guess how many times I've seen it. There is also a female character in this story, Etta Place. Little is known about her after the outlaws' lives fell apart.

I was so excited when I heard that one of my very favorite authors was working on a book depicting what she thinks Etta's life might have been like after she is separated from the duo. Miss Etta is a believable, heart-warming tale that looks at what life was like for a woman in the early 1900's. It was even tougher for someone like Etta, who was trying to leave her old life in the past and start all over with a new one.  

Etta moves to Minnesota, remaking her life as Emily, a young widow with a little boy. She is a strong woman who just wants to raise her son to be a good man, all while living in the fear that her other life will be found out. Is a happy, carefree life and a good man to love even possible for her to think about?  

Etta and Harry, the Sundance Kid, had a deep loving relationship—their story was such a beautiful love story, even though they led very unusual lives, very tough lives. Their strong bond and the deep love that they had for each other gets them through the tough times, even at the very end. 

I would love to think that Miss Etta's life ended up the way that Deanna wrote about it here. Sure, she had a tough life with tough decisions to make and she did it all while raising a little boy, a boy who was safe and loved. Miss Etta is a wonderful tale that ended for me just the way I wanted it to. I absolutely loved everything about this story.

You can read the first three chapters of Miss Etta here. Check it out! I know you're going to love it. 

I received a copy of Miss Etta from the author in exchange for my honest review.

The Real Etta Place

Harry Longabaugh alias the Sundance Kid

and Etta Place

Etta Place was a real woman who was married to the notorious outlaw the Sundance Kid. From 1895 to 1907, she followed Sundance and Butch Cassidy, the leader of the Wild Bunch, along the Outlaw Trail and down to South America where the threesome tried to go straight. She was a young, beautiful woman who was said to be refined and mannered, even though she could shoot and ride as well as any man. No one knew her real name. She went by the alias Etta Place, but some thought her name was Ethel.

Sometime around 1906–1908, she disappeared. Some say that during that time, she died in a Denver hospital and Sundance went on a drunken brawl and shot up a bar before returning to South America. Others say she died in childbirth. Stories persist that she left Sundance for someone else, that she came back to America alone, or that she died in the final shootout in San Vincente, Bolivia where it was believed that Butch and Sundance died. In reality, no woman was killed during that shootout, and there has yet to be any evidence that Butch or Sundance died that day.

What became of Etta Place? No one knows. And that is what makes her story so interesting. Using a timeline of true events that are known, I create her past life with Butch and Sundance, while giving a fictional version of her life after she disappeared. Enjoy!

About the author

Deanna Lynn Sletten is the author of Maggie's Turn, Finding Libbie, One Wrong Turn, and several other titles. She writes heartwarming women’s fiction and romance novels with unforgettable characters. She has also written one middle-grade novel that takes you on the adventure of a lifetime. Deanna believes in fate, destiny, love at first sight, soul mates, second chances, and happily ever after, and her novels reflect that.

Deanna is married and has two grown children. When not writing, she enjoys walking the wooded trails around her home with her beautiful Australian Shepherd, traveling, and relaxing on the lake.

Deanna loves hearing from her readers. 

Connect with her here—

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon

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