What Have We Done - Alex Finlay

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What Have We Done - Alex Finlay

Thriller

Rating: 8/10

A stay-at-home mom with a past she can’t escape, no matter how hard she tries. A has been rock star with a drinking problem prone to making poor decisions. A reality TV producer who owes a lot of money to the wrong sort of people, for all the wrong reasons. They have been keeping a secret for twenty five years, one someone is threatening to reveal to the world and now they must come together, no matter how much they don’t want to!

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Congratulations, The Best Is Over - R. Eric Thomas

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Congratulations, The Best Is Over - R. Eric Thomas

Humorous Essays

Rating: 7.5/10

I have news for you. Are you sitting down? Maybe grab a cocktail. If you are in your forties, you have reached middle age. It’s a mathematical fact that cannot be disputed. You can smooth out the edges by adding the word “early” in front of it, but facts are facts my friends. This hilarious book brings it all front and centre in the best possible way!

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The Fake - Zoe Whittall

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The Fake - Zoe Whittall

Fiction

Rating: 7.5/10

When Shelby and Gibson join two separate therapy groups, they instantly connect with the same woman, Cammie. She’s perfect, giving them both exactly what they need at this point in their lives. Only she is not what she appears to be, seemingly not the same woman at all. A brilliant and irresistible novel that bravely casts a morally bereft character and upends the expected scammer narrative.

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To Catch A Storm - Mindy Mejia

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To Catch A Storm - Mindy Mejia

Thriller

Rating: 8.5/10

An immersive, outstanding thriller that will sweep you away from its action packed first page to its last. When her husband’s car is found abandoned and burned out, physicist Eve becomes suspect number one. When Jonah, a psychic, appears on her doorstep with an offer to help, she is just desperate enough to accept. I loved the dichotomy of these two characters, not to mention their chemistry!

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Just Another Missing Person - Gillian McAllister

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Just Another Missing Person - Gillian McAllister

Thriller

Rating: 7/10

Olivia has been missing for one day and counting. Last seen entering a dead-end alley and not coming out again. Julia, a veteran investigator, expects the pressure of the ticking clock she is up against. What she doesn’t expect is to find a masked man in her backseat, threatening to expose a secret that could blow up her entire life unless she plants evidence. And not just her own life either.

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Red River Seven - A. J. Ryan

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Red River Seven - A. J. Ryan

Speculative Horror

Rating: 8/10

A group of strangers wake up on a blood soaked boat with a dead guy, and none remember who they are or how they got there. When a phone rings with certain instructions, they realize they are on a mission of some kind. One that they volunteered for. One that requires that they eradicate an infestation of some sort. One that will likely cost them their lives. If you are feeling Last Of Us vibes, you are not wrong!

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The Continental Affair - Christine Mangan

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The Continental Affair - Christine Mangan

Fiction

Rating: 8/10

Henri and Louise are two strangers at a crossroads in their lives when they meet on a train travelling across Europe. The thing is, this isn’t the first time they have met. Yet there seems to be an unspoken agreement between them that for this moment, in this place, the past does not exist. Pretending that their fates are not inextricably entwined. I loved the untangling of their story.

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Pull Of The Stars...

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Explore Spectacular Worlds…

Paradox Hotel - Rob Hart

Lexicon - Max Barry

Dead Silence – S.A. Barnes

Dark Matter - Blake Crouch

Station Eternity – Mur Lafferty

Mindwalker – Kate Dylan

Echo Wife – Sarah Gailey

Frankenstein – Mary Shelly

Neuromancer – William Gibson

The Three-Body Problem – Cixin Liu

Company Town - Madeline Ashby

Ready Player One – Ernest Cline

Atomic Anna – Rachel Barenbaum

The Impossible Us – Sarah Lotz

Night Shift – Natalka Burian

The Martin – Andy Weir

Yesterday – Felicia Yap

Tell Me An Ending – Jo Harkin

Zero Sum Game – S.L. Huang

A Gut Feeling...

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Fiction For Foodies…

Marrying The Ketchups - Jennifer Close

Hot Mess - Emily Bleden

Mastering The Art Of French Murder - Collen Cambridge

Recipes Of Love & Murder - Sally Andrew

Miss Cecily’s Recipes For Exceptional Ladies - Vicky Zimmerman

The Kitchen Front - Jennifer Ryan

Sourdough - Robin Sloan

Kitchens Of The Great Midwest - J. Ryan Stradel

The Kitchen God’s Wife - Amy Tan

The Particular Sadness Of Lemon Cake - Aimee Bender

The School Of Essential Ingredients - Erica Bauermeister

Serving Crazy With Curry - Amulya Malladi

The Kitchen Daughter - Jael McHenry

The Hundred,Foot Journey - Richard C. Morais

Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle Stop Cafe - Fannie Flagg

The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe - Mary Simses

The Coincidence Of Coconut Cake - Amy E. Reichert

Chocolat - Joanne Harris

Dinner At The Homesick Restaurant - Anne Tyler

Master Mind Games...

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Its Playtime…

Speak Of The Devil - Rose Wildling

Blood Sugar - Sascha Rothschild

No One Will Miss Her - Kat Rosenfeld

Theives Gambit - Kayvon Lewis

Gaslight - Femi Kayode

How To Kill Your Family - Bella Mackie

Hurricane Blonde - Halley Sutton

The Trap - Catherine Ryan Howard

Girl In The Eagles Talons - Karin Smiimoff

To Catch A Storm - Mindy Mejia

Twisted: A Love Story - Samantha Downing

The Viper - John Verdon

Bright Young Women - Jessica Knoll

The Confession - Charlotte Bigland

The Fury - Alex Michaelides

After That Night - Karin Slaughter

The Spider - Lars Kepler

This Is How We End Things -R.J. Jacobs

Woman In The Window - A.J. Finn

My Murder - Katie Williams

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My Murder - Katie Williams

Speculative Crime

Rating: 8.5/10

What if the murder you had to solve was your own? Lou is a happily married mother of a cutie pie baby girl. She is also the victim of a serial killer. Recently resurrected by a secret cloning project, she is struggling to reconnect. I inhaled this speculative and smart twist on the crime novel, one with an ending I never in my wildest dreams, even the darker ones, could have imagined.

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The Echo Wife - Sarah Gailey (Replay)

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The Echo Wife - Sarah Gailey (Replay)

Sci-Fi/Thriller

Rating: 9/10

What if you discovered your husband was having an affair with his wife? Yes, you read that properly. The author spins the extramarital and domestic strife tropes in some intriguingly unique directions. This book has a lot to love; weird science, murder, bad romance and the unspooling of enough twists to leave the reader with a serious case of whiplash.

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The Book Case...

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The 5th Anniversary…Books For The Bookish!

Books have been a constant in my life in ways nothing else ever has been. They have given me the world, imparted upon me a sense of wonderment, ignited bone deep fire and incurable curiosity, provided pleasure as well as nourishment, indulgence as much as wisdom, inspired empathy, transcended my wildest imaginings, encouraged me to think before I speak and how to use my voice when I did so. And most importantly, reminded me I was not alone. That I never have been, and never have to be. Happy Anniversary to Cracking The Spine!

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The Book That Wouldn't Burn - Mark Lawrence

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The Book That Wouldn't Burn - Mark Lawrence

Fantasy

Rating: 8.5/10

This ambitious and meticulously crafted book is a celebration of stories that outlive the paper they are written on and the libraries where they rest on shelves to be read. Unquestionably a love letter to books and the buildings that house them, this has a far greater reach to be explored for the reader. Beautifully woven with magic, adventure, intrigue and even love.

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Pitch Perfect Reads...

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Books With A Musical Spin…

We Sold Our Souls - Grady Hendrix

High Fidelity - Nick Hornby

Girl - Blake Nelson

Space Opera - Catherine Valente

Signal To Noise - Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Songs In Ursa Major - Emma Brodie

More Than Maybe - Erica Hahn

Fever House - Keith Rosson

The Farewell Tour - Stephanie Clifford

The Vinyl Underground - Rob Rufus

This Song Will Save Your Life - Leila Sales

The Music Shop - Rachel Joyce

A Song For A New Day - Sarah Pinsker

Guitar Notes - Mary Amato

Spin - Colleen Nelson

Impossible Music - Sean Williams

How to Kill A Rock Star - Tiffanie DeBartolo

Stone Arabia - Dana Spiotta

Bootleg Stardust - Glenn Dixon