Posts

Posted on

Infographic: Which generation reads the most? by Lachlan Brown

This interesting article was amassed and written by Lachlan Brown of Best By The Numbers, and republished with permission.

Which generation reads the most? (Infographic)

Lachlan Brown  July 18, 2020

Which generation reads the most? (Infographic)

By / July 18, 2020

When it comes to reading habits across generations, there are similarities—but also surprising differences.

The 5 generations—Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation—have different life experiences and expectations for everything from marriage to work to entertainment.

But what about their reading habits?

Best By The Numbers set out to answer this question. We created the following infographic packed with facts and statistics collected from a number of sources over the last several years.

Here are some key takeaways from our infographic.

  • Coronavirus has led Gen Z to increase their reading more than any other generation
  • While Millennials read more books than other generations, the Silent Generation spend the most time reading each day
  • Every generation has a preference for physical books over digital ones.
  • While Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation find their books from bestseller lists, Gen Z find them on social media.
  • Gen Z are less likely to read for fun the older they get
  • Millennials are using public libraries more than any other generation
  • Gen X are “news junkies”—they read more online news each day than the other generations.

What does this all mean?

It’s clear that every generation likes to read, even the tech-obsessed Millennials and Gen Z. If you assumed that all younger people prefer their Facebook feed or TikTok videos over a good book, you’d probably be wrong.

Although the coronavirus has been extremely challenging for small publishers in particular, there’s going to be a strong appetite for reading books and online content well into the future.

Check out our infographic below for more insights into the reading habits of the different generations.

Comparing the reading habits of 5 generations

Your reading habits can help sharpen your mind and open your imagination. Reading fits like a glove with your personal development. It is also one of the best ways to learn anything.

We hear a lot about Millennials and Baby Boomers and their idiosyncrasies. Gen Z, Gen X and the Silent Generation are also subject to a lot of stereotypes.

When it comes to reading, Best By The Numbers wanted to look beyond conventional wisdom, and look at the data and facts. And the actual reading habits of the 5 different generations may surprise you.

Let’s delve a little deeper into some of our key findings.

What’s your generation?

First, here’s a breakdown of the 5 generation groups, so you can see where you currently fit.

In 2020, if you’re aged between 5 and 25, you’re in Generation Z. Millennials are 26 to 40. Generation X are 41 to 55, and Baby Boomers are 56-75 years old. The Silent Generation are aged 76+.

Although these age ranges are a little arbitrary, these are the generally accepted ranges.

Which generation reads the most

You may be surprised to learn that Millennials read more books than any other generation. They are also the most likely to have visited a library over the last 12 months.

The fiction genres preferred by Millenials include general adult fiction (46%), classic literature (25%), erotica (15%) and urban lit (10%). Health/fitness/wellness (27%) and parenting (22%) are their preferred non-fiction topics.

However, it’s actually the Silent Generation that reads for the longest each day. On average, they read for 35 minutes every day. And for 35%, their book of choice is the Bible.

In terms of fiction, the Silent Generation prefer mystery/suspense (71%) and historical fiction (52%).

So, it seems that the older you get, the longer you read for each day. The extra free time in retirement could be a deciding factor here.

Print books vs eBooks

We’ve all had this conversation with someone.  Do you prefer to read “real” books or eBooks?

Surprisingly, in our hi-tech society, printed books are still preferred across all five generations—and by some margin.

Next time you are at the airport, look around and see how many people have an actual book on their laps. The statistics speak for themselves.

In the past year, 65% of US adults have read a print book, and only 28% an eBook. The Baby Boomers are near this average benchmark, reading 64% print books and 24% eBooks.

Meanwhile, the tech-savvy Millennials are knocking print books out of the park. They read more printed books at 72%, compared to 35% of eBooks.

Who would have thought that?

Not surprisingly, the Silent Generation are the least likely to read an eBook. Only 19% have done so in the past 12 months compared to between 24% to 35% in other generations.

What’s more, the Silent Generation have cottoned to audiobooks even less than eBooks. Only 9% of the Silent Generation have listened to an audiobook in the past 12 months. This is less than half the audiobook use of the other generations.

Reading news is a different story

When it comes to reading the news, all generations prefer reading it online.

This makes sense. The internet is accessible and portable, and physical newspapers can’t keep up.

Let’s face it. Surfing on the internet is as common as brushing your teeth now, and people prefer to read the news in their own time.

However, when you look at the stats in more detail, you can see a definite generation divide here. The impact of the internet is clear.

76% of Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X prefer to read the news online. Only 8% opt to read an actual newspaper.

However, Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation are more open to reading newspapers. 43% still prefer to read the news online, while a sizable 32% are sticking with a traditional newspaper.

And which generation reads the most news? That would be Gen X. They read an average of 54 minutes of online news per day.

Returning the favor?

One interesting insight from our research was that Baby Boomers like to return the reading favor.

In the UK, 89% of parents who were read to by their parents now read regularly to their children. In comparison, only 72% of parents read regularly to their children when their parents did not read regularly to them.

The coronavirus effect

The coronavirus has upended a lot of people’s lives.

But what has it done to our reading habits?

We found that the coronavirus has led Millenials to read more than the other generation. 40% of Millenials read more books than before the outbreak, as did 34% of Gen Z.

The Library Lovers

We know that Millennials love reading books, but their appetite for reading doesn’t stop there.

Libraries are still in fashion with the Millennials. At 53%, they are the generation that has visited libraries the most in the last 12 months.

Whereas the Silent Generation doesn’t fancy libraries as much at 35%.

A snapshot of French readers

As French readers age, they are more likely to read for a hobby and less likely to read for work.

If you look at the youngest generation, 40% of French Gen Z read for a hobby, and only 23% read for work. By the time the French become Baby Boomers, 89% read for pleasure, and only a tiny 2% read for work.

Another interesting insight is that older French readers are more likely to have read erotic books.

The sexiness starts with Generation Z at 44%. But by the time French readers hit the Silent Generation, 65% of them have already read erotic books.

Posted on

Book Review: Lies, Lies, Lies by Adele Parks

Lies, Lies, Lies (Kindle Edition)
by Adele Parks 

LIES LIES LIES (MIRA Trade Paperback; August 4, 2020; $17.99) centers on the story of Simon and Daisy Barnes. To the outside world, Simon and Daisy look like they have a perfect life. They have jobs they love, an angelic, talented daughter, a tight group of friends… and they have secrets too. Secrets that will find their way to the light, one way or the other.

Daisy and Simon spent almost a decade hoping for the child that fate cruelly seemed to keep from them. It wasn’t until, with their marriage nearly in shambles and Daisy driven to desperation, little Millie was born. Perfect in every way, healing the Barnes family into a happy unit of three. Ever indulgent Simon hopes for one more miracle, one more baby. But his doctor’s visit shatters the illusion of the family he holds so dear.

Now, Simon has turned to the bottle to deal with his revelation and Daisy is trying to keep both of their secrets from spilling outside of their home. But Daisy’s silence and Simon’s habit begin to build until they set off a catastrophic chain of events that will destroy life as they know it.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

… she’s had bouts of terrible hallucinations and intense paranoia. She threw things at me when I went into her room, she thought I was an undertaker and had come to measure her up.

 

Born in a different era, Connie would most likely have been one of the women knitting by the guillotines during the French revolution, she had the stomach for it. She always put curiosity before sentimentality. She collected experiences.

 

The cell smelt stale. Simon had always had a keen sense of smell. It was one of the least useful… He wore glasses, his hearing was average, and he couldn’t remember anyone ever saying he was a total king in the sack. So, out of smell, taste, sight, hearing and touch, it was his luck to get an A* in smell. Leon had been openly farting all evening… Simon longed for fresh air and a breeze.

 

Not blackouts Daisy, time travel. I’m like Doctor Who. My Tardis is a whisky bottle. I punch through the mundane rules of time and space that you mere mortals must live with.

 

I don’t need to worry about identity theft. No one wants to be me.

My Review:

 

This author is a wily minx! I adored and despised her as I read and adored and despised her tragic and tensely emotive and prickly storylines, which were populated with curiously compelling characters who were rather awful human beings. I thought they were appallingly weak and horrible people until about 80% into the book and it broke my heart when I realized how wrong I had been. The tale was steeped in angst, which is one of my least favorite things in the world, yet my brain was itching to know every little thing. I couldn’t put it down and wanted to hiss at every interruption to my perusal.

I was on edge, tense, nibbling my cuticles, biting my lips, my shoulders up in my ears, the knots in my neck and shoulders had additional knots of their own. I was confounded by my investment and attraction to these devastating storylines full of woe. The writing was haunting, insightfully observant, cunningly evocative, and poignant with oddly alluring intrigue and bewitching word voodoo that kept me tethered to my Kindle as I navigated this maddeningly paced, taut, and complex tale with a level of tension that continued to build exponentially. Even during those unavoidable periods when I was forced to put my Kindle down, also known as adulting and sleep, I found myself ruminating about the characters.   I had five pages of marked quotes.   There were multiple layers to this tale as well as to the complicated cast, in addition to a series of heart-clenching and unexpected twists. It was tragic, heartbreaking, and in the end – rather brilliant.

About the Author

Adele Parks was born in Teesside, North-East England. Her first novel, Playing Away, was published in 2000 and since then she’s had seventeen international bestsellers, translated into twenty-six languages, including I Invited Her In. She’s been an Ambassador for The Reading Agency and a judge for the Costa. She’s lived in Italy, Botswana, and London, and is now settled in Guildford, Surrey, with her husband, teenage son, and cat.

Posted on

Book Review, Excerpt: The Friendship List by Susan Mallery

 

THE FRIENDSHIP LIST
by Susan Mallery

 

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU /
B&N / Apple/ GP / Kobo

 

[ ] Dance till dawn

[ ] Go skydiving

[ ] Wear a bikini in public

[ ] Start living

Two best friends jump-start their lives in a summer that will change them forever…

Single mom Ellen Fox couldn’t be more content—until she overhears her son saying he can’t go to his dream college because she needs him too much. If she wants him to live his best life, she has to convince him she’s living hers.

So Unity Leandre, her best friend since forever, creates a list of challenges to push Ellen out of her comfort zone. Unity will complete the list, too, but not because she needs to change. What’s wrong with a thirtysomething widow still sleeping in her late husband’s childhood bed?

The Friendship List begins as a way to make others believe they’re just fine. But somewhere between “wear three-inch heels” and “have sex with a gorgeous guy,” Ellen and Unity discover that life is meant to be lived with joy and abandon, in a story filled with humor, heartache, and regrettable tattoos.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

She’s a wizened old cow who hasn’t had sex in over a decade. I’m sure her girl parts are about as interesting as day-old bread.

 

“Are you wearing eyeliner?” “Yes. And it’s not easy to put on. I tried a smoky eye yesterday, but I just looked like I got in a fight.”

 

It’s all I can think about. I’m glowing so much, I’m practically radioactive.

My Review:

 

As with every Susan Mallery book I have been lucky enough to stumble upon, The Friendship List was better than an all-day all-you-can-eat and carryout trip to Willy Wonka’s. It was good fun with several cleverly written, witty, and highly entertaining storylines that held something for everyone. I adore and covet Susan Mallery’s writing style, she is a master storyteller and I quickly fall into her smoothly scrolling tales that seem to be populated with oddly endearing characters who are delightfully easy to know while realistically flawed and endeavoring for improvement. Her dialogues and observant narratives are crisp and lively yet comfortable and a pleasure to navigate.   Of course, my favorite character in this tale was the all-wise and lovely Dagmar, a woman I am sure was crafted by the use of hidden cameras following me!

While I didn’t have one thing in common with the main characters I enjoyed them anyway. Unity was a grieving young widow who was stagnant and unable to move on even after three years, and Ellen was a single mom of a teen who had not been on a date since becoming pregnant as a teen herself. Their friendship and sassy banter sparkled with delightful humor and were a welcome reprieve and absolute joy after a reading a slate of tense thrillers. I have decided I need a regular infusion of Susan Mallery in my life for good balance.

Excerpt

Chapter Two

Keith reached for his beer, not bothering to hide his amusement. “Is that going to be part of the decision-making process? How you look in the college colors? Because you care so much about how you look?”

“Hey!” Ellen balled up her napkin and tossed it at him. “I care. Sort of.”

Keith had been around women enough to know this was not a winning line of conversation. When it came to pretty much everything, women had rules men couldn’t possibly understand. He’d often thought that if Ellen put even five minutes into her appearance, she would be chasing men off with a stick. Yet if he mentioned that, he was the bad guy.

Like her clothes. They were always at least two sizes too big. Even when she wasn’t teaching, she wore baggy jeans and oversize T-shirts or sweatshirts. She never put on makeup. Despite having long, wavy dark hair, she never wore it other than in a ponytail or a braid.

Not his rock, he reminded himself. Ellen was his friend and whatever made her happy made him happy, too.

“I’m sure the Stanford colors will be glorious on you,” he told her.

She rolled her eyes. “Glorious? Is that the best you could come up with?”

“It is.”

“Fine. Tell me about your day.”

He reached for a chicken leg and put it on his plate, then added two more. “I had to deal with another pregnant girl. Why does this keep happening and why do they come to me?”

“In reverse order, they come to you because you’re capable and the odds of the guy involved being an athlete are high. As for why they get pregnant, that’s easy. Men don’t control their sperm.”

He stared at her. “What?”

“Sperm. It’s not the sex that’s the problem.” She waved her beer bottle. “Think about it. Women can have sex all day long and not get pregnant. They can have orgasm after orgasm and nada. It’s all about ejaculation. If the male half of the species made sure that didn’t happen inside women, there would be no unplanned pregnancies. Everyone looks to the girl, but she’s not the one who made it happen. He did.”

Despite the hell that had been his day, Keith chuckled. “You always have a unique perspective.”

“I know. What was it you said? I’m glorious.”

“You are. So if you’re right, then the system is rigged against women, but that doesn’t change the pregnancy outcome.”

Her expression turned sympathetic. “You worry about Lissa too much.”

“Do I? As you just pointed out, she’s one wayward ejaculation away from getting pregnant.”

“She’s on the pill.”

“If she takes them.”

Ellen put her hand on his forearm. “Your daughter doesn’t want to get pregnant, Keith. She’s a smart girl and she’s on birth control. Plus, from what I can tell, she’s not seeing anyone. You know how she gets—once she likes a guy, that’s all she ever talks about. On the boy-girl front, things have been quiet.”

“I hope you’re right. The whole situation makes me crazy.” Lissa was his daughter, his world. He wanted to do everything in his power to make her life perfect.

Ellen reached for the mashed potatoes. “When we’re back from the college bus trip, Lissa and I will be working at the fruit stand for the rest of the summer. I’ll find out what’s going on. Between now and then, she’s busy with school, then she’ll be with you on the bus. She should be perfectly safe. And speaking of the bus trip, I think we’re pretty much done with the details. What do you think?”

“I agree. I’m buying the Disneyland tickets this week,” he said. “The hotel reservations are all made.”

“You’re a good man for doing this.”

He raised one shoulder. “I don’t mind it.”

.

About Susan Mallery

#1 NYT bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming, humorous novels about the relationships that define our lives-family, friendship, romance. She’s known for putting nuanced characters in emotional situations that surprise readers to laughter. Beloved by millions, her books have been translated into 28 languages. Susan lives in Washington with her husband, two cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Visit her at SusanMallery.com.

Connect with Susan

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

 

Posted on

Book Review: The Child Across the Street by Kerry Wilkinson

The Child Across the Street
by Kerry Wilkinson

Wheeling my suitcase down the familiar, hedge-lined street, I smile at the sound of children playing in the park nearby. Suddenly, there’s a screech of car brakes. I rush over to see a bent bike wheel sticking out of the ditch, and underneath, a little boy…

As I turn the rusty key in the lock of the house I grew up in, memories flood back. None of them happy. I never told anyone why I left home twenty years ago, and all I want is to sort out Dad’s funeral as quickly as possible.

Now I’m trapped here, the only witness to a terrible incident that has left an eight-year-old boy fighting for his life. But after a lifetime trying to forget my past, I don’t know if I can trust my memory, or be totally sure of what I saw today.

Sorting through Dad’s things one night – shopping lists in his curly handwriting, piles of old newspapers, dusty sports trophies – I think I hear the back door handle rattle. I tiptoe downstairs, past an open window I’m sure I locked. And a figure darts across the overgrown garden.

Someone is watching me. Someone who knows I’m the only one who saw what happened to little Ethan… or could they know the real reason why I left? Either way, I’m certain that coming back was my biggest mistake. I can’t leave, but the longer I stay, the more danger I’m in…

An utterly addictive psychological thriller that will have you glued to the pages until the early hours. Fans of The Girl on the Train and I Am Watching You won’t be able to put down the next mind-blowing read from bestselling author Kerry Wilkinson.

  

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Damien speaks in constant hushed tones, as if there’s a militant librarian on our tail.

 

He’s utterly unremarkable, neither short nor tall; fat or thin; attractive or not. If I wasn’t looking at him, I’m not sure I’d be able to describe him.

 

it’s hard to say no to anything she asks. There’s also the not small matter that, when Diane says something, it very much feels like that thing should be done immediately… If Diane was after world domination instead of daytime television ratings, she’d be dangerous.

 

Kirsty is silently fuming, like she accidentally shredded a winning lottery ticket.

 

There’s a somewhat childish instinct of it not being my mess to begin with –but there’s also the fact that I simply don’t want to do it. It’s one of the great underrated benefits of being an adult that, if you don’t want to do something, you can simply say no.

 

It makes me ache for those friendships of youth. The ones that feel like they’ll last forever before things like marriage, kids, houses and everything else gets in the way. As an adult, there’s nothing quite like it.

 

 

My Review:

 

This was a slowly developing, gradually unfolding, and curiously tantalizing tale laced together with heartbreaking revelations and dangerously damaged characters who were oddly compelling while largely unlikable. My inquisitive nature was prodded and poked with this new to me wily author’s maddeningly paced disclosures, and insightful yet terse observations and profound insights. While I was often impatient with the main character of Abi while assuming she was just a self-indulgent alcoholic, I later realized Mr.Wilkinson’s character development was rather elegant and clever as only after her history was revealed did I piece together and understood the cause and nature of her memory loss and mental dysfunction. I thought I had the culprit sussed early – silly me, I was so very wrong and never saw this ending coming. I could do with more of Mr. Wilkinson’s clever scheming and interesting turns of phrase in my future.

About the Author

Kerry Wilkinson has had No.1 bestsellers in the UK, Canada, South Africa, and Singapore, as well as top-five books in Australia. He has also written two top-20 thrillers in the United States.

As well as his million-selling Jessica Daniel series, Kerry has written the Silver Blackthorn trilogy – a fantasy-adventure serial for young adults – a second crime series featuring private investigator Andrew Hunter, plus numerous standalone novels. He has been published around the world in more than a dozen languages.

Originally from the county of Somerset, Kerry has spent far too long living in the north of England, picking up words like ‘barm’ and ‘ginnel’.

When he’s short of ideas, he rides his bike or bakes cakes. When he’s not, he writes it all down.

Author Social Media Links:

http://kerrywilkinson.com

http://facebook.com/KerryWilkinsonBooks

 

Posted on

Book Review, Giveaway: You May Kiss the Bridesmaid (First Comes Love #6) by Camilla Isley

You May Kiss the Bridesmaid
(First Comes Love #6) 
by Camilla Isley

Amazon  / Kobo / B&N / Apple / GP/

 

Archibald Hill is handsome, single, and he’s going to his best friend’s wedding ready to make a conquest or two. After all, everyone knows weddings are the perfect setting to get lucky.

Summer Knowles used to have a life—friends, family, a sister who’d do anything for her—until she blew it all away with a terrible mistake. Now, attending her twin’s wedding as the party’s undesirable number one seems like more than she can handle. So, when a tall stranger with smoldering ice-blue eyes offers her a therapy of seven nights of no-strings-attached fun, she might even ignore that he has a beard and accept.

Problem is, Summer has never been good at keeping sex and feelings separated…

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

The only thing this bunch would be interested in seeing stripping is a mummy. And only so that they could properly analyze it and date the corpse to the right Pharaonic era.

 

Not a fan of raisins, uh? … They’re the worst invention ever made Why would someone in their right mind take nice grapes and turn them into shriveled down dead droppings set free into the world to ruin all the best foods?

 

The moment our eyes lock, time ripples. It stops, while simultaneously moving faster.

 

My Review:

 

As with every single Camilla Isley book I’ve read, this was a fun and entertaining read, I adore her clever wit and wry humor.   Her writing is crisp, engaging, and easy to fall into. I enjoyed the amusing storylines as much as I did the characters; they were a feisty and smart bunch with snappy banter and undeniable chemistry while indulging in a secret and red-hot fling during a destination wedding in wine country.

,

About the Author

Camilla is an engineer turned writer after she quit her job to follow her husband on an adventure abroad.

She’s a cat lover, coffee addict, and shoe hoarder. Besides writing, she loves reading—duh!—cooking, watching bad TV, and going to the movies—popcorn, please. She’s a bit of a foodie, nothing too serious. A keen traveler, Camilla knows mosquitoes play a role in the ecosystem, and she doesn’t want to starve all those frog princes out there, but she could really live without them.

Social Media Links –

Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/camilla-isley

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14135080.Camilla_Isley

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/camillaisley

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/camillaisley/

Twitter https://twitter.com/camillaisley

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/camillaisley/

.

Giveaway

Giveaway to Win 3 x ecopies of the boxset of the first three books in the series – First Comes Love (Open INT)

*Terms and Conditions –  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organizer and used only for the fulfillment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Posted on

Book Review: The Butterfly Room by Lucinda Riley

TBR - BT banner

The Butterfly Room, an all-new not-to-be-missed sweeping family saga from #1 International bestselling author Lucinda Riley, is available now! 

The Butterfly Room_300dpi (1)

“Lucinda Riley once again has written a masterful saga.”– People Magazine

Full of her trademark mix of unforgettable characters and heart-breaking secrets, The Butterfly Room is a spellbinding, second-chance-at-love story from #1 International bestseller Lucinda Riley.

Posy Montague is approaching her seventieth birthday. Still living in her beautiful family home, Admiral House, set in the glorious Suffolk countryside where she spent her own idyllic childhood catching butterflies with her beloved father and raised her own children, Posy knows she must make an agonizing decision. Despite the memories of the households, and the exquisite garden she has spent twenty-five years creating, the house is crumbling around her, and Posy knows the time has come to sell it.

Then a face appears from the past – Freddie, her first love, who abandoned her and left her heartbroken fifty years ago. Already struggling to cope with her son Sam’s inept business dealings, and the sudden reappearance of her younger son Nick after ten years in Australia, Posy is reluctant to trust in Freddie’s renewed affection. And unbeknown to Posy, Freddie – and Admiral House – have a devastating secret to reveal…

TBR out now

Download your copy today!

Amazon: http://mybook.to/thebutterflyroom
Apple Books: https://apple.co/2Ai5lPe
Amazon Worldwide: https://amzn.to/2X6xMs8
Nook: https://bit.ly/2M3dI3s
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2XAdVk9

Add THE BUTTERFLY ROOM to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3er9LC1

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

As you know, men generally tend to be much more basic than women; for the most part, less emotionally complex. They call a spade a spade, whereas women are more likely to say it’s a metal digging implement used in the garden.

 

Evie decided seeing Marie was a bit like eating at McDonald’s; you looked forward to it, but then felt sick halfway through.

 

It suddenly struck me that I hadn’t really thought the future through; and now here I was in it,

 

She’s very young for an old person.

 

… the dress—a shimmering cream 1930s vintage piece that covered the lumps and bumps that age had brought, and didn’t make her look like a ship in full sail.

My Review:

 

 

This epic saga was beautifully written with enticingly mysterious and cleverly intertwining storylines that were threaded with a few heavy secrets and shattering tragedies that this grievously wily author used to taunt and tease me while brutally dangling them rather barbarously out of my reach. I was invested and immersed in the complexities of the characters’ overlapping and oddly compelling family dynamics after being bewitched and pleasantly enthralled by Posy’s early childhood history and interactions with her beloved father. But there was something not quite right about her household and I had numerous suspicions and licentious theories, many of which were incorrect, but I wasn’t too far afield as the long-held secrets had been scandalous in their time as well as heartbreaking. This was my first experience reading this master-storyteller and where have I been, she has written thirty books already?

 

The writing was of extraordinary quality with densely detailed and evocative elements and scenes laced together with vibrantly painted and richly textured descriptions as well as insightful and emotive observations. It was maddeningly paced and kept me a bit on edge, like waiting for a massive heart attack as the various glossy threads were weaving into a tighter design. It was divine and despite all the mystery, angst, and tragedy, the final chapter left me with a light and contented feeling with an ending that pleased me and placed a restful smile on my face.

TBR teaser 3.jpg

Excerpt

‘Daddy?’ I asked at breakfast the next day, dipping my toast soldiers carefully into my egg. ‘It’s so hot today, can we go to the beach? We haven’t been in such a long time.’

I saw Daddy give Maman a look, but she was reading her letters over her cup of café au lait and didn’t seem to notice. Maman always got lots of letters from France, all written on very thin paper, even thinner than a butterfly wing, which suited Maman, because everything about her was so delicate and slender.

‘Daddy? The beach,’ I prompted.

‘My darling, I’m afraid the beach isn’t suitable for playing at the moment. It’s covered in barbed wire and mines. Do you remember when I explained to you about what happened in Southwold last month?’

‘Yes, Daddy.’ I looked down at my egg and shuddered, remembering how Daisy had carried me to the Anderson shelter (which I’d thought was called that because it was our surname – it had confused me a great deal when Mabel had said her family had an Anderson shelter too, as her surname was Price). It had sounded as if the sky was alive with thunder and lightning, but rather than God sending it, Daddy said it was Hitler. Inside the shelter, we had all huddled close, and Daddy had said we should pretend to be a hedgehog family, and I should curl up like a little hoglet. Maman had got quite cross about him calling me a hoglet, but that’s what I’d pretended to be, burrowed under the earth, with the humans warring above us. Eventually, the terrible sounds had stopped. Daddy had said we could all go back to bed, but I was sad to have to go to my human bed alone, rather than staying all together in our burrow.

The next morning, I had found Daisy crying in the kitchen, but she wouldn’t say what was the matter. The milk cart didn’t come that day, and then Maman had said I wouldn’t be going to school because it wasn’t there anymore.

‘But how can it not be there, Maman?’

‘A bomb fell on it, chérie,’ she’d said, blowing out cigarette smoke.

Maman was smoking now too, and I sometimes worried that she would set her letters on fire because she held them so close to her face when she was reading.

‘But what about our beach hut?’ I asked Daddy. I loved our little hut – it was painted a butter yellow, and stood at the very end of the row so if you looked the right way, you could pretend that you were the only people on the beach for miles, but if you turned the other way, you weren’t too far from the nice ice cream man by the pier. Daddy and I always made the most elaborate sandcastles, with turrets and moats, big enough for all the little crabs to live in if they decided to come close enough. Maman never wanted to come to the beach; she said it was ‘too sandy’, which I thought was rather like saying the ocean was too wet. 

Meet Lucinda

Kirjailija Lucinda Riley ||| Author Lucinda Riley

Lucinda Riley was born in Ireland, and after an early career as an actress in film, theatre, and television, wrote her first book aged twenty-four. Her books have been translated into thirty-seven languages and sold twenty million copies worldwide. She is a No.1 Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller.

Lucinda is currently writing The Seven Sisters series, which tells the story of adopted sisters and is based allegorically on the mythology of the famous star constellation. It has become a global phenomenon, with each book in the series being a No.1 bestseller across the world. The series is currently in development with a major Hollywood production company. 

Connect with Lucinda

Facebook: https://bit.ly/3hcFFU5
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2WxLIdX
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3jeMQwR
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3eGtEET
Bookbub: https://bit.ly/3eIpUTa
Website: https://bit.ly/2Ba6mcH 

Connect with
Blue Box Press
https://theblueboxpress.com/

Posted on

Book Review: She’s Got the Guns (The Suite #45 Series Book 1) by M.O. Mack

She’s Got the Guns
(The Suite #45 Series – # 1)
by M.O. Mack 

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU /

B&N / Apple / Kobo

 

She’s Got the Guns, the debut Thriller-Suspense from Author M.O. Mack…

What could possibly be worse than being beaten, broke, and on the run from a dangerous criminal? What if that criminal is your ex and works for the FBI?

Oh, and then there’s the tiny matter of landing a job. Not so easy for a girl on the run.

Which is why when Emily Rockford gets a gig, answering the phone for a “pest control” company, she thinks her luck is turning.

Until…she discovers the business is a cover.

For hitmen. A big, dangerous, deadly group of them.

It’s just about the last place Emily wants to be, but as she’s about to find out, once you’re in, you’re in. There is no out. There is no quitting.

Will she embrace the dangerous world she’s stumbled onto? Or will she find a way to outrun them all?

My Rating:

 

Favorite Quotes:

 

Mr. Sampson, the man who’d hired her, said they performed “discreet pest control” for the sort of people who didn’t want their neighbors knowing they had roach issues. “It’s a status thing,” he’d said… She glanced at the machine, noting a giant cockroach skittering across the yellow Formica counter off to the side of the room. It stopped, turned in her direction as if warning her off, and then disappeared down the rust-stained sink at the end. She lifted a brow. Pest control, huh? Well, if that was really Mr. Sampson’s business, he sucked at it.

 

Ubering to a gunfight. What could possibly go wrong with this plan?

 

“So how will the jobs come in?” Was there a Craigslist for criminals? she wondered.

 

They’ve all experienced some sort of personal loss, and when you’ve spent a significant part of your adult life being trained to protect and kill, it’s a skill they’ve chosen not to waste. Also, the money is really good.

 

My Review:

 

Aspiring authors should take note – this is the way to launch a new name and ignite a new series. I hit my groove with this cleverly penned tale – it was as snarky and amusing as it was tautly edgy and intriguing. I gleefully inhaled this book in an afternoon; it was a fun read although there were deathly serious issues at hand. The characters were uniquely compelling and tickled my curiosity while the storylines kept me itchy for more. A battered wife on the run takes an odd job from the want ads and after sitting in a filthy office for a week by herself realizes she has been employed by an enigmatic assassin who is full-on about “the rules” and instructs her not to ask questions as, “It’s considered rude in our line of work.” I adored this witty and humorous missive and can’t wait for the next installment.

.
Obviously, M.O. Mack is a cover. Don’t bother looking for the author’s true identity. He/she must remain secret due to the sensitive information written in his/her stories…

Okay, most of all that is total rubbish! M.O. is a full-time author from the great state of Arizona, who loves making stuff up and hates a slow story. The faster the better! Most days, M.O. tries to avoid the news (too violent) so it doesn’t interfere with writing funny, but quasi-violent stories.

 

Posted on

Book Review: The Shore House (Dewberry Beach #1) by Heidi Hostetter

The Shore House
(Dewberry Beach #1)
by Heidi Hostetter

 

When the Bennett family arrive at the shore house to spend the summer together, they bring more baggage than just suitcases…

When Kaye Bennett, matriarch of the Bennett family, summons her adult children to the shore house, she anticipates a vacation full of nostalgia. It’s a chance to relive the carefree joy of summers past: basking in the hot sun, cooling off in the surf, and enjoying long, relaxing evenings watching fireflies on the deck. But when Kaye’s son and daughter arrive, late and uncooperative, it becomes clear the family desperately need to reconnect.

Kaye and her daughter Stacy have been quietly at odds for years and resentment has grown around words unsaid. Faced with spending the summer months in such close quarters, Kaye is determined to remind Stacy of happier times and why she once loved their beautiful beachside home.

But both Kaye and Stacy are holding something back. And only when a heart-stopping accident on the beach puts what Stacy most loves at risk are the two women finally able to set free the secrets in their shared past.

Will opening up to each other about what’s in their hearts allow the Bennett family to finally heal? A story of love, forgiveness, and the power of family bonds, The Shore House is a heartfelt summer read, perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand, Pamela Kelley, and Nancy Thayer.

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

 

… the master bedroom was directly above the kitchen, which was where Brad and Iona chose to settle their differences. Chase slept through it, oddly enough, but Kaye did not. She listened, like a Cold War spy, straining to hear and not at all proud of her curiosity.

 

My Review:

 

I giggle-snorted, smirked, and thoroughly reveled in this cleverly penned tale from start to finish. I was quickly drawn into the characters’ tangible vortex of complicated family dynamics and was dazzled by Ms. Hostetter’s effortless, crisp, wily, wryly humorous, and cunningly insightful writing. Her word voodoo was so strong I could smell the sea, hear the waves, and feel the sunburn. I want to know all about her curiously compelling yet deeply flawed characters; they intrigued me and left me with a taste for more.   This was my first time wading into Ms. Hostetter’s pool but I am feeling the intense desire to splash further into her listings with a cannonball dive.

Heidi Hostetter grew up in New Jersey and spent summers at her grandparents’ house on the shore. Every magical thing was there, from sparklers and fireflies at night to whole days spent swimming in the ocean and exploring tide pools. She and her family have recently moved back to the DC-area and live in a one-hundred-year-old house that’s definitely haunted.

When she’s not writing – or reading – you can probably find her digging in her garden, ripping back a knitting project, or burning dinner. Her writing partner, a labradoodle named Emmett shares her office, keeping a careful watch for errant squirrels and neighborhood shenanigans.

Posted on

Book Review: THE BITTER AND SWEET OF CHERRY SEASON by Molly Fader

THE BITTER AND SWEET OF CHERRY SEASON
 by Molly Fader

 

For fans of Robyn Carr, commercial women’s fiction about three generations of women who come together at the family orchard to face secrets from the past and learn to believe in the power of hope and forgiveness.

 

In cherry season, anything is possible…

Everything Hope knows about the Orchard House is from her late-mother’s stories. So when she arrives at the Northern Michigan family estate late one night with a terrible secret and her ten-year-old daughter in tow, she’s not sure if she’ll be welcomed or turned away with a shotgun by the aunt she has never met.

Hope’s aunt, Peg, has lived in the Orchard House all her life, though the property has seen better days. She agrees to take Hope in if, in exchange, Hope helps with the cherry harvest—not exactly Hope’s specialty, but she’s out of options. As Hope works the orchard alongside her aunt, daughter, and a kind man she finds increasingly difficult to ignore, a new life begins to blossom. But the mistakes of the past are never far behind, and soon the women will find themselves fighting harder than ever for their family roots and for each other.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Hank had been able to throw around compliments and kindness like he had them coming out his ears. But Peg was always so stingy with hers, like she only had a tiny, meager supply to get her through life and she meant to take some with her to her grave.

 

Tink was glaring at her like she would start a fire in her hair, if she could.

 

She did not like this one bit. She liked all her emotions separate. Her anger with her anger. Her guilt with her guilt. Nothing touching.

 

It was like when your ears pop, and everything goes from distant and removed to loud and present. Life, right there in the kitchen.

 

My Review:

 

This was superbly written and exceptionally well-crafted. How have I never read this talented wordsmith before? I was consumed by this maddeningly paced and striking tale and well and truly sucked into a compelling vortex of tautly held family secrets that were tucked away on a fruit farm in rural Michigan. The original storylines were shrewdly constructed and sneakily emotive with stealthy and unexpected hits of the feels. This underhanded author was wily and cunning in ruthlessly plucking, squeezing, and pulling on my overworked coronary muscle. This sly she-devil was also guilty of stinging my eyes and putting hot rocks in my throat more than once. The nerve! I was stunned and loved it; her word voodoo is strong! I most do further research on this phenomenon by amassing and perusing all her clever words.

 

Molly Fader is the author of The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets. She is also the award-winning author of more than forty romance novels under the pennames Molly O’Keefe and M. O’Keefe. She grew up outside of Chicago and now lives in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter, @mollyokwrites.
Posted on

Book Review: The Subway Girl by Lisa Becker 

The Subway Girl
by Lisa Becker 

 

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU

A hopeless romantic.
A cynical web show producer.
An unscrupulous cameraman.
A sleazy businessman.
An aspiring actress.
A womanizing best friend.
A scheming ex-girlfriend.
A commitment-phobic roommate.
An unlucky-in-love buddy.These lives intersect when an average guy is awed by a gorgeous mystery woman on a New York subway and vows to meet her.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“Three G-er?” asked Diego. “You know. Like Luke here,” Ryan said. “Get in. Get off. Get out.”

 

There’s the telephone. The telegraph. And the tell Edna.

 

I also cut the crotch out of his favorite Tom Ford suit. Figured since he couldn’t keep it in his pants, I would make sure he wouldn’t be able to keep it in his pants.

 

“Sometimes, I wonder just how well I really know you,” Ryan said. “I’m an enigma.” Luke shrugged. “That is true,” said Ryan. Diego quietly chuckled to himself. Luke scowled. “I said enigma, not enema.”

 

Okay, here’s the plan. We’re gonna spend five minutes sharing our feelings like a bunch of teenage girls, and then we’re gonna go do a bunch of manly shit like chop down a tree with a crosscut saw…

 

My parents have been married so long that Mom finishes most of Dad’s sentences. She also starts most of them and fills in the middle, too.

 

“If he ever hurts you,” she said, gesturing to her brother, “tell me, so I can kick him in the balls.” Ryan winced and shook his head. “No worry,” said Angie. Ryan sagged in relief. “I’ll cut them off well before you would ever get the chance.”

 

My Review:

 

This was smirk-worthy good fun with lots of clever humor, witty banter, amusing scenarios, vile villains, and a few side orders of sensual steam that had me breathing funny. The characters were endearing and likable although Angie’s professional choices weren’t admirable in the least. I vastly enjoyed the levity provided by banter and exchanges of Ryan, Luke, and Diego and look forward to more of their interactions in subsequent installments.

 

About the Author

Lisa Becker is an award-winning romance writer who spends her time like she spends her money – on books and margaritas. As Lisa’s grandmother used to say, “For every chair, there’s a tush.” Lisa is now happily married to a wonderful man she met online and lives in Manhattan Beach, California with him and their two daughters. So, if it happened for her, there’s hope for anyone! You can share your love stories with her at www.lisawbecker.com.

Author: Starfish, Links, and Clutch

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Web