Happy Sunday, readers! Get ready to read about one of my most anticipated reads of 2022!

May 1, 2022May 1, 2022 momlovesreading01Leave a comment

☀️Happy Sunday readers! I’m excited to tell you about one of my most anticipated books of 2022, coming to bookstore shelves this Tues, 5/3!

🥰I read & completely fell in love with ‘The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek’ last year. Not only did it become one of my top 20 reads of all time, but it’s a book I recommend often to other readers looking to branch out of their usual bookish comfort zone or who love a well-written historical-fiction novel.

🎧If you’re like me & have a hard time getting into historical fiction in physical book format, I implore you to try it on audiobook. It can make all the difference when it comes to bringing the pages alive with atmosphere, especially when it’s read by a great narrator. I listen to audiobooks nearly every single day while going about my usual mundane chores, while driving, exercising, grocery shopping, cooking, & even showering.

✒️Bestselling author Kim Michele Richardson is back w/ the perfect book club read, ‘The Book Woman’s Daughter’ (5/3). The story is about Honey Mary Angeline Lovett, the daughter of the beloved Troublesome Creek book woman, who must fight for her own independence w/ the help of the women who guide her & the books that set her free.

📖In the ruggedness of the beautiful Kentucky mountains, Honey Lovett has always known that the old ways can make a hard life harder. As the daughter of the famed blue-skinned, Troublesome Creek packhorse librarian, Honey & her family have been hiding from the law all her life. But when her mother & father are imprisoned, Honey realizes she must fight to stay free, or risk being sent away for good.

📖Picking up her mother’s old packhorse library route, Honey begins to deliver books to the remote hollers of Appalachia. She’s looking to prove that she doesn’t need anyone telling her how to survive, but the route can be treacherous, & some folks aren’t as keen to let a woman pave her own way. If Honey wants to bring the freedom that books provide to the families who need it most, she’s going to have to fight for her place, & along the way, learn that the extraordinary women who run the hills & hollers can make all the difference in the world.

💕Stunning & profound, ‘The Book Woman’s Daughter’ is a story about women with raw courage, fierce strength, & who are true heroines of the Appalachian Trail. Highly recommend both books! Thank you SourceBooks Landmark for my gift copy!

➡️Click any of the highlighted titles above to add them to your Goodreads lists. Also, visit my Instagram page post HERE & show the author (& me!) your support by giving it some LIKE love!🥰

✒️About the Author:
The NEW YORK TIMES, LOS ANGELES TIMES & USA TODAY bestselling author, Kim Michele Richardson is an multiple-award winning author & has written four works of historical fiction, & a bestselling memoir.
Her latest critically acclaimed novel, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek has earned a 2020 PBS Readers Choice, 2019 LibraryReads Best Book, Indie Next, SIBA, Forbes Best Historical Novel, Book-A-Million Best Fiction, & is an Oprah’s Buzziest Books pick & a Women’s National Book Association Great Group Reads selection. It was inspired by the real life, remarkable “blue people” of Kentucky, & the fierce, brave Packhorse Librarians who used the power of literacy to overcome bigotry & fear during the Great Depression. The novel is taught widely in high schools & college classrooms.
Her forthcoming fifth novel, ‘The Book Woman’s Daughter’ is both a stand-alone & sequel to ‘The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek’ & will be published May 3, 2022. Born in Kentucky, Kim Michele lives with her family there & is the founder of Shy Rabbit.

#historicalfiction #historicalfictionbooks #newreleasebooks #whattoreadnext #booksof2022

Book Reviews · Chick Lit · Family Drama · MomLit · Parenting books · WomensFiction

When several of your favorite mom-com authors blurb on a book, you know you’re going to love it! And I did!

March 28, 2022March 28, 2022 momlovesreading01Leave a comment

💁🏼‍♀️Welcome to Mom Life Monday! If you’re a mom, especially to a daughter, you’re going to love this upcoming 4/5/22 release & want to get it pre-ordered & on your TBR lists ASAP. And the cover is super cute, too!

📚I’m a huge fan of women’s fiction, more specifically “mom-com” or “mom-lit”, which is like “chic-lit’s” cool mom. Like Amy Poehler once said in one of my fave movies, ‘Mean Girls’, “I’m not like a regular mom. I’m a cool mom!” Me, too, Amy. Me, too! (At least I think so…🤔)

🐓’Welcome to the Neighborhood’ by Lisa Roe is a heartwarming & life-affirming story of family dynamics, mother/daughter relationships, & second chances—perfect for fans of Maria Semple, Laurie Gelman & Abbi Waxman. I’ve read & loved all of Waxman’s books, so I was excited to read Lisa Roe’s debut novel after seeing Abbi’s blurb, which I think sums up the book perfectly:

📖As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for…

After years of struggling to make ends meet, Ginny, a single mom from Queens, falls for a hard-working & loving man, & relishes the idea of moving w/ her quirky 11-yr-old daughter, Harri, to his home in an upscale New Jersey suburb. Though she’s never been impressed by material things, she is thrilled that getting a second chance at love comes w/ the added bonus of finally giving Harri everything she never could before.

And then she meets the neighbors.

Ginny is quickly thrust into the complicated realities of a neighborhood defined by the ever-shifting alliances of PTA moms, Real Housewife contenders, & their mean-girl daughters. When the neighbors’ secrets, back-stabbing, & bad behavior take a devastating toll on her daughter & new marriage, Ginny must decide what really matters—& protect it at all costs.

🗣What other authors have said about ‘Welcome to the Neighborhood’ by Lisa Roe:

“We need Lisa Roe’s side-eye on navigating a new marriage, a quirky child and a fresh start for everyone, with neighbors who put it all at risk. Warm, funny, heartwarming, and heartbreaking.”―Ann Garvin, USA Today bestselling author of I Thought You Said This Would Work

“A heartfelt and endearing story about keeping one’s feet firmly planted while simultaneously dreaming big.” ―Kathleen West, author of Are We There Yet?

“A love letter to mothers of tweens everywhere.”—Kelly Harms, bestselling author of The Seven Day Switch

“A must-read. Readers will cheer for Ginny as she stands her ground.”—Jamie Beck, Wall Street Journal bestselling author

Click HERE to visit Lisa Roe’s webpage (which is beautiful!)

Click HERE to add ‘Welcome to the Neighborhood’ to your Goodreads list. (Add me as a friend while you’re there!)

Click HERE to goto BookStoreLink & pre-order/find the book at a local indie bookstore.

Click HERE to visit Lisa Roe on Instagram (PS: Don’t forget to visit me on Instagram, too, & be sure to check out my latest giveaway in a previous post.

After graduating from the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University & spending many years as an advertising creative director & copywriter in New York City, Lisa Roe accepted the tougher job of stay-at-home mom & turned to writing fiction — mostly to entertain her kids, but then to tell her own stories. A classic first born, a reluctant empty nester, & a Dr. Doolittle wannabe, Lisa lives in New Jersey with her husband & three incorrigible dogs. Welcome to the Neighborhood is her debut novel.

About ME · Blog Tour · Book Reviews · Chick Lit · Family Drama · Fiction · WomensFiction

It’s just another manic Monday for this mom, but I do have a fantastic upcoming release to tell you about…

November 1, 2021November 1, 2021 momlovesreading01Leave a comment

My Monday definitely started out as a ‘Manic Monday’, & I’m pretty impressed with myself for even having the minuscule amount of focus to complete a blog & Instagram post today since lately I don’t have them done ahead of time.

As many of you may know, I have autistic twin sons that are in their teens, but possess a lack of fear & knowledge of right from wrong that is mostly seen in toddlers. They are brilliant, to say the very least, but they also keep me on my toes (while they both walk on their toes, literally), & every once in awhile, one of my twins sneaks out of the house in the early morning hours when he wakes up before his brother or I do.

(My twin sons this past summer while taking books to a LFL!)

It is the most God-awful, gut-wrenching, sense of panic & frantic fear when the neighbor calls to let you know your son is just chilling in their family room at 5am while you were sleeping, pretty much cinching the cold hard fact that you will never sleep soundly again & your PTSD symptoms just went next level. That was a few years ago…then came this morning, when it happened again. Nearly 3 yrs of thinking maybe he’s done doing the sneaking out while I’m sleeping thing, & he did it again this morning. We’ve tried many different security measures to ensure his safety & stop him from sneaking out, but the kid is a freaking genius like his brother & for safety precautions it’s not like we can strap him in his bed or lock him in their room. And we don’t inject tagging chips into human beings (…yet…) because of privacy & all that ethical stuff, but I would 100% have it done to my twins because they will always live with us & it would be super beneficial to them, their safety, our security (& sanity!)… I would like to sleep before I’m dead.

In the meantime, like a computer, I pretty much just go into “sleep mode” not that elusive REM state sleep of a typical teenager that I long for, & will once again research until my fingers go numb ways to ensure my autistic children’s safety, not only when they are out in the world (supervised & accompanied by adults, of course), but also at home as they grow bigger & wiser, catching on easily to all other precautions that their parental units have made. Ok, let’s talk book stuff now, shall we?

I’d like to introduce you to Sissie Klein. Sissie Klein was a minor character in Kris Clink’s first novel, released earlier this year in April, ‘Goodbye, Lark Lovejoy‘. I thoroughly enjoyed that delightfully funny, heartwarming novel & was excited to get an advance copy of the 2nd book in The Enchanted Rock Series that releases next Tues, Nov. 9th. Thank you @getredprbooks & #sparkspress for my gift copy of ‘Sissie Klein is Completely Normal‘ by Kris Clink!

‘Sissie Klein is Completely Normal‘ can be read as a stand-alone novel, although I highly recommend reading ‘Goodbye, Lark Lovejoy’ as well, if not first. ‘Sissie Klein is Completely Normal’ is as captivating & relatable as it is heartfelt & poignant.

In Clink’s previous novel, “Sissy offered an opportunity to conduct a deep-dive character study, all while challenging readers to question their assumptions about the people they think they understand,” stated Kris Clink. “Sissie demonstrates how we can be the heroes in our own stories. When Sissie was young, she didn’t know what her power was. Now, it was her turn to claim it. In this book, you get to witness her evolution,” added the author.

About the novel, ‘Sissie Klein is Completely Normal‘:
One mistake can steal your innocence. One promise can plague a friendship. One secret can tear apart a family.

Sissie Klein barely remembers the night that tore her from the carefree life she knew. Not long after the shocked teen is pushed into marriage, she’s rushed to the hospital where a catastrophic delivery seals her destiny.

Sissie is determined to give her daughter the opportunities she forfeited, but some fates can’t be avoided. Tragedy strikes, leaving behind a legacy of deceit—and an orphaned toddler.

Told with heartbreaking honesty and shrewd humor, Sissie Klein Is Completely Normal examines the ties that bind us—some inherited, others chosen—none without their share of agonizing tangles.

Captivating, compulsively readable, & weaving together tenderness, humor, & heartbreak, ‘Sissie Klein is Completely Normal’, by Kris Clink, is on sale next Tuesday, Nov 9, 2021.

Click the highlighted titles in this post to add Kris Clink’s books to your Goodreads lists.
Click HERE to visit Kris Clink’s website http://www.krisclink.com.
Click HERE to visit/follow Kris Clink on Instagram.
Click HERE to visit/FOLLOW (please!) Mom_Loves_Reading on Instagram & while you’re there,
LIKE & maybe SHARE the post about this book!
Click HERE to pre-order ‘Sissie Klein…’ on Amazon.
but…
It’s be much nicer if you pre-order this book & any others from an indie bookstore near you! You can
click HERE to use BookstoreLink.com to find it & others at an Independent Bookstore!

Kris Clink is the author of ‘Goodbye, Lark Lovejoy’ & ‘Sissie Klein is Completely Normal’. Her novels have received praise from Bustle, Midwest Book Review, Kirkus Reviews, San Francisco Book Review, Women.com, Lone Star Literary, Brit + Co, Travel & Leisure Magazine, & Entertainment Weekly, among others. Set in middle America, her novels are laced w/ love, heartbreak, & just enough snark to rock the boat as relatable characters confront transformative challenges.

She’s a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association & The Author’s Guild. Before becoming a novelist, she oversaw business development in medical environments & managed an office of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Since then, her work has been published in Moms Don’t Have Time to Write on Medium, diyMFA, Authority Magazine, Thrive Global, Women Writers Women’s Books, & Accent West Magazine. She is the host of Kris Clink’s Writing Table, a podcast about books & writing where she interviews a variety of publishing professionals & authors including Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler), Zibby Owens, Camille Pagán, & Laurie Frankel.

Calling Texas home for most of her life, Kris now lives in KS, where she & “Hubs” have filled their empty nest w/ two spoiled-rotten pups–a mini-doxie & a rescue who thinks he’s a mini-doxie. When not writing, Kris is playing pickleball w/ friends, riding her bike, counting cardinals in her backyard, reading in the hammock, or searching for an open karaoke mic & an understanding audience.

Blog Tour · Book Reviews · Family Drama · Fiction · Giveaway · WomensFiction

Be one of the first one’s to read today’s featured novel by entering this GIVEAWAY…

September 8, 2021September 8, 2021 momlovesreading011 Comment

GIVEAWAY time! 3 winners! Be one of the first to read ‘Catch Us When We Fall‘, the latest novel from Juliette Fay, that releases on 9/21! Thank you @williammorrowbooks & @getredpr (partners) for the gift copies for the giveaway & me! But first…

& Today is Nat’l Ampersand Day & if you’ve never noticed before, I use ampersand’s all the time, pretty much exclusively when it comes to my posts, text messages, emails, etc. I just love them for some reason.🤷🏼‍♀️😁

Who doesn’t love the fun & functional ampersand? From jotting a shorthand “and” to branding corporate names, this curly, quirky little character is ubiquitously useful. It’s also quite aesthetic, as you’ll see at AmperArt.com, featuring “the ampersand as fun & fabulous art.”

To acknowledge & applaud this great little glyph, National Ampersand Day is observed annually on September 8th. Did you know:

The ampersand used to be the last letter of the alphabet?
It is a ligature of “e” & “t”? That’s “et” in Latin, meaning “and”?
The word “ampersand” is a slurring of “real words” run together over time?
The plus sign is actually an ampersand

Ok, now on to the today’s book feature & giveaway info….

If you love the emotionally complex novels of JoJo Moyes & the dramatic books of Jodi Picoult, you won’t want to miss this newest book about second chances, redemption, & the power of hope from USA Today bestselling author of ‘Shelter Me’, Juliette Fay.

On her own since the age of eighteen, Cass Macklin dated brilliant, troubled Ben McGreavy, convinced he was the smartest person she’d ever known. They partied their way through their twenties, slowly descending into a bleak world of binge-drinking & broken promises, inebriated for most of a decade. Now Ben is dead, & Cass is broke, homeless, scared…& pregnant.

Determined to have a healthy pregnancy & raise Ben’s baby, Cass has to find a way to stop drinking & build a stable life for herself & her child. But with no money, skills, or sober friends or family, the task seems insurmountable. At wit’s end, Cass turns to the only person with the means to help her: Ben’s brother Scott, third basemen for the Boston Red Sox, a man with a temper & problems of his own.

The two make a deal that neither one of them is sure they can live up to. As Cass struggles to take control of her life & to ask for help when she needs it, Scott begins to realize there’s a life for him beyond the baseball diamond.

By turns heartbreaking & humorous, with its message that change is possible, that forgiveness can be freely given, & that life, though imperfect, is worth embracing, ‘Catch Us When We Fall‘ is a story of human connection & hope.

I’d love to send 3 of my followers an arc of the book & maybe even a bonus other book, too. (see details below)
To enter: (click HERE to go to the Instagram post & giveaway, then…)
1-LIKE & SAVE the post.
2-Must be following me on Instagram
3-Tag a couple book lovers (Unlimited entries, 2 tags per com)
4-To possibly earn a bonus book if you win, comment up to 10 books per com that you would love to receive. Past or newer books.)
Bonus 5 entries ea:
5-SHARE to your stories or grid & tag me. Can do daily!
6-Subscribe to my blog (I hope you already are),& comment on giveaway there & comment on Insta that you did so I can confirm.
7-Follow Mom_Loves_Reading on Facebook & comment on giveaway post there.

Be sure to add ‘Catch Us When We Fall‘ to your Goodreads & look for it on 9/21! Giveaway is 9/8-9/11/21, is US only, & not affiliated w/ Insta. Unfollowing after gets you banned from my many giveaways for 1 yr, so don’t risk missing out.🙅🏼‍♀️😉

Juliette Fay is the bestselling author of six novels, including CATCH US WHEN WE FALL, CITY OF FLICKERING LIGHT & THE TUMBLING TURNER SISTERS, a USA Today bestseller & Costco Pennie’s Book Club Pick. Previous novels include THE SHORTEST WAY HOME, one of Library Journal’s Top 5 Best Books of 2012: Women’s Fiction; DEEP DOWN TRUE, short-listed for the 2011Women’s Fiction award by the American Library Association; & SHELTER ME, a 2009 Massachusetts Book Award “Must-Read Book” & an Indie Next pick.

Juliette is a graduate of Boston College & Harvard University, and lives in Massachusetts with her family. Visit her at www.juliettefay.com, Facebook: Juliette Fay author, Twitter: @juliettefay, & Instagram: Juliette_Fay.

Blog Tour · Book Reviews · Family Drama · Fiction · Giveaway · WhatImWatching · WomensFiction

I’m back, blog readers and booksta-fam, and I have a new GIVEAWAY for you!

September 1, 2021September 1, 2021 momlovesreading012 Comments

💁🏼‍♀️I’m back, Booksta-fam & blog readers, after a much needed break from social media, & I feel mentally refreshed! And I have a brand new GIVEAWAY to kick off September & my return to social media for a wonderful recent release that I loved & I know you will, too! And it has a 70+ yr old Instagram influencer in it! So cool!👵🏼🤳🏻

Barbara O’Neal, bestselling author of ‘When We Believed in Mermaids’, returns w/ a tale of two generations of women reconciling family secrets & past regrets.

Life’s beautiful for seventy-something influencer Gloria Rose, in her Upper West Side loft w/ rooftop garden & scores of Instagram followers–until she gets word that her old flame has been arrested for art theft & forgery, &, knowing her own involvement in his misdeeds decades earlier, decides to flee. But that plan is complicated when the nieces she raised are thrown into crises of their own.

Willow, overshadowed by her notorious singer-songwriter mother, has come home to lick her wounds on the heels of a failed album & yet another disastrous relationship. Sam, prickly & fiercely independent, is on the verge of losing not only her beloved video game company but the man she loves, thanks to her inability to keep her always-simmering anger in check.

With the FBI closing in, Willow’s career in shambles, & Sam’s tribulations reaching a peak, each of the three woman will have to reckon w/ & reconcile their interwoven traumas, past loves, & the looming consequences that could either destroy their futures or bring them closer than ever.

This is such a fantastic, well-crafted, heartfelt, & satisfying novel w/ a well-rounded cast of complex characters. Thank you @tlcbooktours for my gift copy! It released on 8/10, so get it on your TBR lists & enter now to win a copy now by going to my Instagram page HERE.

To enter on Instagram: 1- LIKE this post on Instagram, 2- Be following @mom_loves_reading on Instagram, & 3 -Tag a few book lovers!
Bonus entries if you SHARE to your stories on Instagram & tag me. (Can do daily). You can also get bonus entries if you follow my blog www.momlovesreading.com & LIKE/ comment on this blog post.

Giveaway is open to US res only, 9/1/21-9/4/21, & isn’t affiliated w/ Instagram. Please don’t unfollow after or you’ll miss out on a lot of upcoming giveaways, it’s mean, & I do keep track.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

Barbara O’Neal is the author of more than a dozen award-winning, bestselling novels, including the runaway bestseller, When We Believed in Mermaids, which has been published in 20 countries and spent many months on the Amazon Charts, as well as the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Washington Post bestseller lists. Barbara is an avid traveler and passionate cook, and she lives in the beautiful city of Colorado Springs with her husband, a British endurance athlete who vows he’ll never lose his accent. You can find more information on her newsletter and where to find her on social media at barbaraoneal.com.