The Book Bag

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

First Flurries by Joanne DeMaio ~ My Thoughts #FirstFlurries

First Flurries

First Flurries by Joanne DeMaio
Print and ebook, 191 pages
Published September 18th 2018 by Joanne DeMaio

From New York Times bestselling author Joanne DeMaio comes a novel snow-dusted with love and possibility.

Lindsey Haynes' father once gave her a snow globe with the note: "Unsure where to go? Give a little shake ... and your heart will always know." On a whim, those words lead her to the quaint New England town of Addison. It's a place straight out of a storybook with its twinkling town green, decorated Main Street, and secluded lakeside cabin community.

But an encounter with a dejected doctor named Greg Davis turns Lindsey's days upside down, much like a snow globe in motion. With a little nudge from endearing townsfolk, and a few chance meetings of their own, a magical flurry of emotions suddenly swirls around them.

First Flurries is an enchanting story about finding love and home when you're not even looking. So cozy up and settle in with a tale that will simply capture your holiday heart.

My thoughts about First Flurries ~~

(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—"It's time to leave. Lindsey passes red barns and white picket fences along the winding country road. When she drives by a man raking the last of autumn's brown leaves, or a young couple walking a dog, they all stop and wave at her."

I love Joanne's winter series, set in the beautiful and friendly town of Addison. And to have this one set at Christmas time makes it even more special. I love when the Christmas stories start coming out and this was the perfect story to take me down the path to the holidays.

Lindsay travels around in her little house, which also serves as her business. She's carefree and goes where the wind takes her. Or in her case, where the snow globe seems to lead her. When she ends up in Addison, nothing seems to be in her control anymore. She finally feels what it is like to belong somewhere. But is it enough to make her stay put or will she just roll her life out of town?

First Flurries is the perfect winter, holiday read—it's short, sweet, and full of the wonderful people of the town of Addison, all of whom I have come to love. I strongly recommend that you take a trip to Addison and see if you don't fall in love with them as well.

I received a copy of First Flurries from the author in exchange for my honest review.

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About the author

Joanne DeMaio is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary fiction. She enjoys writing about friendship, family, love and choices, while setting her stories in New England towns or by the sea. Currently at work on her next novel, Joanne lives with her family in Connecticut.

For a complete list of books and to learn more about the author, visit Joannedemaio.com. She also enjoys hearing from readers on her Facebook Page.

Connect with Joanne

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram

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Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Release Day! The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain ~ My Thoughts #TheDreamDaughter #NetGalley

Happy Release Day!

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Congratulations Diane

on the release today of

The Dream Daughter!

The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain
Print and ebook, 384 pages
Published October 2nd 2018 by St. Martin's Press

From bestselling author Diane Chamberlain comes an irresistible new novel.

When Caroline Sears receives the news that her unborn baby girl has a heart defect, she is devastated. It is 1970 and there seems to be little that can be done. But her brother-in-law, a physicist, tells her that perhaps there is. Hunter appeared in their lives just a few years before—and his appearance was as mysterious as his past. With no family, no friends, and a background shrouded in secrets, Hunter embraced the Sears family and never looked back.

Now, Hunter is telling her that something can be done about her baby's heart. Something that will shatter every preconceived notion that Caroline has. Something that will require a kind of strength and courage that Caroline never knew existed. Something that will mean a mind-bending leap of faith on Caroline's part.

And all for the love of her unborn child.

A rich, genre-spanning, breathtaking novel about one mother's quest to save her child, unite her family, and believe in the unbelievable. Diane Chamberlain pushes the boundaries of faith and science to deliver a novel that you will never forget.

My thoughts about The Dream Daughter ~~

(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—"No one wanted to work with the man in the wheelchair. 'There's something strange about that guy,' one of my fellow students warned me in the hall outside the PT ward. 'If they try to assign you to him, say no.'"

The Dream Daughter is an amazing book that blew my mind! I hadn't read anything by Diane before but the synopsis of this one intrigued me. And once I started it, I couldn't put it down.

This is a story with interesting, likable characters wrapped around a wonderfully woven story-line. I felt all the angst, emotions, and love that Caroline experienced. It's amazing what a mother will do, all because of the love she has for her child.

I also loved the time travel aspect of this story. Time travel written about in books has always interested me, with The Time Traveler's Wife being one of my absolute favorites. This one is going right up there with that one. I'm definitely going to be reading more of Diane's books and I've added her to my list of must-read authors.

I received a copy of The Dream Daughter from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

About the author

Diane Chamberlain

Diane Chamberlain is the New York Times, USA Today and Sunday Times bestselling author of 26 novels published in more than twenty languages. Her most recent novel is The Dream Daughter. Some of her most popular books include Necessary Lies, The Silent Sister, The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes, and The Keeper of the Light Trilogy. Diane likes to write complex stories about relationships between men and women, parents and children, brothers and sisters, and friends. Although the thematic focus of her books often revolves around family, love, compassion and forgiveness, her stories usually feature a combination of drama, mystery, secrets and intrigue. Diane’s background in psychology has given her a keen interest in understanding the way people tick, as well as the background necessary to create her realistic characters.

Diane was born and raised in Plainfield, New Jersey and spent her summers at the Jersey Shore. She also lived for many years in San Diego and northern Virginia before making North Carolina her home.

Diane received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in clinical social work from San Diego State University. Prior to her writing career, Diane worked in hospitals in San Diego and Washington, D.C. before opening a private psychotherapy practice in Alexandria Virginia specializing in adolescents. All the while Diane was writing on the side. Her first book, Private Relations was published in 1989 and it earned the RITA award for Best Single Title Contemporary Novel.

Diane lives with her partner, photographer John Pagliuca, and her sheltie, Cole. She has three stepdaughters, two sons-in-law, and four grandchildren. She’s currently at work on her next novel. ~ Goodreads

Connect with Diane

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads

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Release Day! A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs

Happy Release Day!

Congratulations Ransom

on the release today of

A Map of Days!

A Map of Days (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #4) by Ransom Riggs
Print and ebook, 496 pages
Published October 2nd 2018 by Dutton Books for Young Readers

The #1 bestselling series returns with a thrilling new story arc set in America!

Vintage photographs reveal the never-before-seen world of peculiar America with a stunning addition—full-color images.

Having defeated the monstrous threat that nearly destroyed the peculiar world, Jacob Portman is back where his story began, in Florida. Except now Miss Peregrine, Emma, and their peculiar friends are with him, and doing their best to blend in. But carefree days of beach visits and normalling lessons are soon interrupted by a discovery—a subterranean bunker that belonged to Jacob’s grandfather, Abe.

Clues to Abe’s double-life as a peculiar operative start to emerge, secrets long hidden in plain sight. And Jacob begins to learn about the dangerous legacy he has inherited—truths that were part of him long before he walked into Miss Peregrine’s time loop.

Now, the stakes are higher than ever as Jacob and his friends are thrust into the untamed landscape of American peculiardom—a world with few ymbrynes, or rules—that none of them understand. New wonders, and dangers, await in this brilliant next chapter for Miss Peregrine’s peculiar children. Their story is again illustrated throughout by haunting vintage photographs, but with a striking addition for this all-new, multi-era American adventure—full color.

I absolutely LOVE this series and I'm so excited that there is another book out! Read my thoughts about book #1 and book #3. Check out the whole series on Goodreads and Amazon.

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Release Day! A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

Happy Release Day!

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Congratulations Jodi

on the release today of

A Spark of Light!

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
Print and ebook, 352 pages
Published October 2nd 2018 by Ballantine Books

The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center—a women’s reproductive health services clinic—its staff offering care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then, in late morning, a desperate and distraught gunman bursts in and opens fire, taking all inside hostage.

After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, sets up a perimeter and begins making a plan to communicate with the gunman. As his phone vibrates with incoming text messages he glances at it and, to his horror, finds out that his fifteen-year-old daughter, Wren, is inside the clinic.

But Wren is not alone. She will share the next and tensest few hours of her young life with a cast of unforgettable characters: A nurse who calms her own panic in order save the life of a wounded woman. A doctor who does his work not in spite of his faith but because of it, and who will find that faith tested as never before. A pro-life protester disguised as a patient, who now stands in the cross hairs of the same rage she herself has felt. A young woman who has come to terminate her pregnancy. And the disturbed individual himself, vowing to be heard.

Told in a daring and enthralling narrative structure that counts backward through the hours of the standoff, this is a story that traces its way back to what brought each of these very different individuals to the same place on this fateful day.

Jodi Picoult—one of the most fearless writers of our time—tackles a complicated issue in this gripping and nuanced novel. How do we balance the rights of pregnant women with the rights of the unborn they carry? What does it mean to be a good parent? A Spark of Light will inspire debate, conversation . . . and, hopefully, understanding.

Jodi's books are always so wonderful, and thought-proving. I'm excited to read her newest one!

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Monday, October 1, 2018

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? October 1, 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