The Extraordinary Life Of An Ordinary Man - Paul Newman - Top Book Pick!

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The Extraordinary Life Of An Ordinary Man - Paul Newman - Top Book Pick!

Memoir

Rating: 9/10

When Newman sat down with a friend to record his life story, he wasn’t particularly interested in reliving the past, but rather setting the record straight. He wanted his record of it all in his words rather than the mythology created by other people. I have been a fan as long as I can remember and now have at my finger tips a veritable encyclopedia of this actors’ thoughts and motivations. It's revelatory, introspective, and profound and in my humble opinion, not to be missed! P.S. Pair with Ethan Hawkes documentary The Last Movie Stars. You won’t be sorry.

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Happiness Falls - Angie Kim - Top Book Pick!

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Happiness Falls - Angie Kim - Top Book Pick!

Fiction

Rating: 9/10

“We didn’t call the police right away”. And so begins this gripping story of a family whose lives are upended when their beloved father and husband goes missing. Part mystery, part dynamic family drama and part compelling examination into the meaning of happiness. A deeply moving and deliciously brainy story, beautifully told. With a cast of finely wrought characters, bursting with idiosyncrasies and strong opinions. What’s not to love!

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Dead Eleven - Jimmy Juliano - Top Book Pick!

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Dead Eleven - Jimmy Juliano - Top Book Pick!

Horror

Rating: 9/10

In this phenomenal debut, we start off with a dear reader letter. One with a warning. That we won’t believe the story we are about to be told. That evil dwells in the places we least expect it. And that it’s about to be revealed to us exactly the nature and depravity of that evil. The residents of Clifford Island seem stuck in a time loop and have some rather odd superstitions. Everything must be precise and on schedule. The rules must not be broken. Anything that deviates from that will result in dire consequences. And you won’t believe what those might be!

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A Killer's Game - Isabella Maldonado

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A Killer's Game - Isabella Maldonado

Thriller

Rating: 7.5/10

As Dani heads undercover to work with a group of mercenaries and killers, she never expects to be caught in a complex trap. One with a puppet master, Nemesis, who informs her and the other’s that there will only be one left standing. And to get to that point, they must solve a series of riddles and mazes to move forward in the game and unlock the escape to freedom. Reader’s get to solve the puzzles along with Dani, what fun!!

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A Twisted Love Story - Samantha Downing - Top Book Pick!

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A Twisted Love Story - Samantha Downing - Top Book Pick!

Thriller

Rating: 8.5/10

This author always get added to my to be read list. And when I read her dedication, I was knew I would not be disappointed. “For the men who inspired this book…you’re damn right I wrote about you.” What more do you need? The couple at the center of this twisted tale of love are masterful at playing games. The push and pull, the poke and prod, it’s ceaseless. And that results in a mesmerizing and addictive thriller you will be hard pressed to stop reading.

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Listen For The Lie - Amy Tintera

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Listen For The Lie - Amy Tintera

Thriller

Rating: 8/10

What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else believed so too? Does the truth even matter? After Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer. And given that she has no memory of that night, she can’t exactly hold it against them. Things get even more complicated when a podcast about it comes out. Sign on for the story, stay for the banter!

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Book Your Ticket...

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Fiction To Feed Your Wanderlust…

We've all heard it, we've all said it; put one foot in front of the other, keep moving forward. At times, our feet may need a little inspiration. And if that inspiration comes in the form of a literary road trip, tales told from aboard a train, or a luxurious fictional flight, I’m all for it! Whatever path you choose, even if it’s an exploration of the road not taken, I hope the wanderings you find yourself on as an armchair traveler through the reads gathered here invite you to immerse yourself in an adventure. Bon Voyage!

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My Head Has A Bellyache - Chris Harris (Author) & Andrea Tsurusmi (Illustrator) - Top Book Pick!

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My Head Has A Bellyache - Chris Harris (Author) & Andrea Tsurusmi (Illustrator) - Top Book Pick!

Children’s Poetry

Rating: 9/10

Starting with that title, this collection is sweet and silly and full of what the author describes as nonsense. And I think we so called “grownups” could use a bit more of that in our lives. Don’t miss the quirky page numbering, just more to delight in! This is a can’t miss read, you will thank me for it later!

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Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma - Claire Dederer

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Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma - Claire Dederer

Art Criticism

Rating: 7.5/10

I was intrigued by the premise of this work. Where the link between genius and monstrosity is explored and the balance of the two considered. A thoughtful contemplation of whether we can love the creation but dislike the creator. One whose work we love but morals we loath. Ultimately, an account of the fan’s dilemma. The author writes at length about how knowledge of the awful deed can disrupt our enjoyment of whatever greatness was given to us. She never spoon feeds a solution but rather encourages us to separate an opinion based on feeling versus one based on thought.

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Bright Young Women - Jessica Knoll - Top Book Pick!

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Bright Young Women - Jessica Knoll - Top Book Pick!

Fiction

Rating: 9/10

A masterful blend of fiction and true crime that is unflinching and evocative in its writing. Fearlessly taking on the tabloid fascination society has with serial killers and makes the story about the women. Those snuffed out in their prime and those remaining in the wake of the horror. The book opens on a night in 1978, hours before a soon to be infamous murderer descends upon a Florida sorority house, crafting a blistering portrayal of all that went wrong in pursuit of justice.

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No One Can Know - Kate Alice Marshall

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No One Can Know - Kate Alice Marshall

Thriller

Rating: 8/10

“This is what we’re going to do.” That’s what one of the sisters tells her siblings on the night they find their parents dead. Over a decade ago, sisters Emma, Juliette and Daphne left their home and haven’t returned or laid eyes on each other since. Burying the secrets they swore they would keep, telling the story everyone needed to make sense of things. And now that lies are all they seem to be able to live with, they are starting to seep out.

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No One Can Hear You Scream...

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Books Set In Space…

Cascade Failure - L.M. Saga

Ghost Station - S.A. Barnes

Escape Velocity - Victory Manibo

Past Crimes - Jason Pinter

Floating Hotel - Grace Curtis

The Paradox Hotel – Rob Hart

Impositon Of Unnecessary Obstacles - Malka Older

Jumpnauts - Hao Jingfang

The Mars House - Natasha Pulley

The Circus Infinite – Khan Wond

A Long Way To A Small Angry Planet – Becky Chambers

Ready Player One – Ernest Cline

Zero Sum Game – S.L. Huang

Project Hail Mary – Andy Weir

Salvaged - Madeline Roux

Robopocalypse – Daniel Wilson

Mindwalker – Kate Dylan

Atomic Anna – Rachel Barenbaum

Six Wakes - Mur Lafferty

Time After Time...

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Level Up Your Armchair Travel With These Reads…

Ministry Of Time - Kaliane Bradley

Book Of Doors - Gareth Brown

The Time Shelter - Georgi Gospodinov

Recursion - Blake Crouch

11/22/63 - Stephen King

Three Body Problem - Cixin Liu

The Unmaking Of June Farrow - Adrienne Young

A Quantum Love Story - Mike Chen

The Other Valley - Scott Alexander Howard

Oona Out Of Order - Margarita Montimore

The 7 1/2 Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton

All Our Wrong Todays - Elan Mastai

A Love Story For Ricki Wilde - Tia Williams

Time Travelers Wife - Audrey Niffengger

The Kingdoms - Natasha Pulley

Midnight Library - Matt Haig

Timeline - Michael Crichton

This Time Tommorrow - Emma Straub

Big Time - Ben Winters

Tell It Like It Isn't...

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Books With Unreliable Narrators…

The End Of The Story - A.J. Finn

Things Don't Break On Their Own - Sarah Easton Collins

I Need You To Read This - Jessa Maxwell

A Talent For Murder - Peter Swanson

The Confession - Charolette Bigland

Hitchcock Hotel - Stephanie Wrobel

Ink Ribbon Red - Alex Pavesi

First Lie Wins - Ashley Elston

This Story Is A Lie - Tom Pollock

Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides

I Let You Go - Claire Mackintosh

Dear Child - Romy Hausman

Diary Of A Murderer - Young Ha-Kim

Lie To Me - J.T. Ellison

Everything I Never Told You - Celeste Ng

The Good Liar - Nicholas Searle

The Lying Game - Ruth Ware

The Dinner - Herman Koch

Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn

New Books Hitting The Shelves-April 2024

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New Books Hitting The Shelves-April 2024

I’m a planner in every way you could imagine, a particular quirk that benefits my reading life. And now you dear reader, will reap the rewards with my new monthly post that will feature three of the most interesting books coming out in the next month as well as a few extra just for fun. Happy Reading! P.S. Keep an eye out for a special Summer Reading 2024 In The Margins Post…it’s looking good!

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Help Wanted - Adelle Waldman

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Help Wanted - Adelle Waldman

Fiction

Rating: 7.5/10

Every day at 3:55 am on the dot, members of Team Movement clock in for their shift at big box store Town Square. Under the watchful eye of a self-absorbed and barely competent boss, they empty the days truck of merchandise and stock the shelves. When the big boss announces he’s leaving, each of them becomes preoccupied by their lofty, and hilariously intricate, aspirations, but a retail job can only provide so much grandeur. Which is pretty much none.

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The Women - Kristin Hannah - Top Book Pick!

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The Women - Kristin Hannah - Top Book Pick!

Historical Fiction

Rating: 8/10

This novel illustrates beautifully how much this generation lost, youthful hopes and dreams extinguished before life could even truly begin. And how the women struggled with their service being dismissed as “not combat”, as it certainly felt that way as they were mired in blood and death. In this book they have a voice and it’s saying, we were there. An acknowledgement and tribute long overdue.

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The Fury - Alex Michaelides

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The Fury - Alex Michaelides

Thriller

Rating: 8/10

This novel follows a recent trend I have noticed. One where the narrator is speaking directly to the reader. Offering up a perspective that is meant to provide either transparency or obfuscation. You almost feel as if you are sitting in a bar, enjoying a cocktail while an engaging storyteller sets the stage for all that’s about to unfold. My advice? Drink up.

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Fiction & Fairytales...Retold

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Steal Like An Artist…

If you delve deeply enough into the books we choose to read, more often than not you will reveal a connection to something recognizable. That in fact they capture contemporary narratives from the bones of centuries of storytelling. Mythologies, legends, classics and fairytales have all been plundered for plot in myriad of ways and an upon myriad of occasions. So, open the door and take a peek.  A bevy of beauties, an abundance of adversaries, a cast of creatures, kings and queens, hags and ingénues, stepmothers and godmothers, pixies, giants and gladiators; which will you find? And what else might await you…

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The Wishing Game - Meg Shaffer - Top Book Pick!

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The Wishing Game - Meg Shaffer - Top Book Pick!

Fiction

Rating: 9/10

Spoiler Alert! Happy endings are within reach in this utterly charming book! Years ago, Jack, a bestselling and adored children’s book author stopped writing. Suddenly he resurfaces with a brand-new book and a one-of-a-kind competition, offering a prize that will change the winner’s life. And Lucy is desperate for a life change. A wonderful tale of love and hope with sweet parallels to Charlie & The Chocolate Factory.

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