⛱📖☀️Do you have books that you saved for spring/summer reading? Or maybe some books that are releasing soon & are going on your TBR, summer reading list? Today’s featured book is one you’ll want to add to that list for sure!
🎉Happy Pub Week to @catherinedrakewrites & her gorgeous new novel, ‘The Treeshouse on Dog River Road’, with a cover that practically screams “perfect summer read”! Thank you @booksparks for my gift copy of the book!😘
💁🏼♀️You won’t have to wait long to get this one in your hands! Releasing on 5/10, ‘The Treehouse on Dog River Road’ by Catherine Drake is about a young, determined woman trying to figure out life & love while staying true to herself. It’s a whip-smart, atmospheric, entertaining, & genuinely witty debut w/ wonderful characters you’ll love getting to know.
📖Twenty-eight-year-old Hannah Spencer wants nothing more than to change everything about her life. After ten years of living in cities, Nathan Wild has just moved back home to Vermont & doesn’t want to change anything about his.
📖Recently laid off from her depressing job in Boston & ready for a challenge, Hannah heads to Vermont for the summer to take care of her sister’s kids & do some serious soul searching. There, against the stunning landscape of the Green Mountains, she embarks on an ambitious project: building a treehouse for her niece & nephew.
📖As she hammers away, she formulates a plan to jump-start her life w/ a new job out West. But will Nathan-next-door complicate her desire to change course? A humorous, romantic, & inspiring story of a young woman taking control & making tough choices about love & work to build the life she wants, ‘The Treehouse on Dog River Road’ will have you rooting for Hannah every step of the way.
🌳🏠The treehouse sketch above, ‘Hannah’s Treehouse’, is from the book, ‘The Treehouse on Dog River Road’, & is original artwork by Bridget Phillips that I used as a Photoshop backdrop with the book as the top layer.
You can click on any of the highlighted book titles above to add them to your Goodreads lists. You can also click HERE to visit my Instagram post & show the author (& me!) your support by hitting that ♥️ , maybe even SHARE the post to your stories.
✒️📖Catherine Drake enjoys life with her husband, dog, and extended family in Vermont. ‘The Treehouse on Dog River Road’ is her first novel. To learn more follow her on Instagram @catherinedrakewrites or www.catherinedrake.com
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 highlightedtitles 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.
🎉GIVEAWAY & new book alert!🎉 . I don’t have any sugar cookies to celebrate National Sugar Cookie Day today (which, btw, is my FAVE cookie), but I DO have another kind of SWEET, fun treat for you that releases 8/1 & (1) copy to give away! Thank you @tlcbooktours & @amazonpublishing for my gift copy of ‘The Magic of Found Objects‘ by Maddie Dawson!
Angela, is this an AWESOME blog?
From the bestselling author of ‘Matchmaking for Beginners’ comes a feel-good story about becoming who you were meant to be all along… . Phronsie Linnelle was conceived at Woodstock in a serendipitous liaison between a free-spirited hippie & a farmer’s son & was born w/ magical wonder flickering in her DNA & rationality knit into her bones. All her life she’s been torn between the two. But now that she’s been betrayed by both love & the mother she once idolized, her rational side is winning. . So when her best friend from childhood proposes that they give up on romance & marry each other, Phronsie agrees. Who better to spend your life w/ than your best friend? Maybe the connection they already have is love. Maybe there’s no falling to be done. But immediately after they announce their engagement, she encounters someone who makes a very charming & compelling argument for revisiting romance. While her even-keeled stepmother argues for the safety that comes w/ her new engagement & her mother relays messages from the universe to hold out for true love, Phronsie must look to her own heart to find the answers that have been there all along.
I adored this uniquely original, super cute, captivating, & wholly entertaining adult coming of age novel! Maddie Dawson is such a great writer & creator of charming characters! ‘The Magic of Found Objects‘ releases 8/1 & I have 1 copy up for grabs now. (US/CAN res only)
To enter: Click HERE to go to the Instagram giveaway. The following info is for the giveaway there. You can comment HERE on this blog post for a BONUS entry though. *LIKE this post *Must be following @mom_loves_reading *Comment w/ your current read & tag a couple book buds. (Unlimited, 2 tags per com)
Giveaway is 7/9-7/12/21 & isn’t affiliated w/ Instagram. Please don’t enter if you plan to UNfollow after, it’s totes rude & I keep a naughty list like Santa.
Maddie Dawson grew up in the South, born into a family of outrageous storytellers. Her various careers as a substitute English teacher, department-store clerk, medical-records typist, waitress, cat sitter, wedding-invitation-company receptionist, nanny, day care worker, electrocardiogram technician, and Taco Bell taco maker were made bearable by thinking up stories as she worked. Today Maddie lives in Guilford, Connecticut, with her husband. She’s the bestselling author of seven previous novels: A Happy Catastrophe, Matchmaking for Beginners, The Survivor’s Guide to Family Happiness, The Opposite of Maybe, The Stuff That Never Happened, Kissing Games of the World, and A Piece of Normal. For more information visit http://www.maddiedawson.com.
🎉GIVEAWAY time & I’m calling this one the ‘7-7-7’ giveaway featuring ‘The Seven Day Switch‘ by Kelly Harms! (pub 7/1/21)
❓Q: If you could switch places w/ your neighbor for 7 days by having a glass of magic sangria, would you? My answer is NO. I’ve never had sangria before [sounds too sugary for me], but I do find a glass of cabernet or chardonnay to be quite “magical” at erasing my stress some evenings.😉🍷
📖Today is 7-7 & I’m holding the giveaway for 7 days! And a big Thank you to @tlcbooktours @amazonpublishing for my gift copy of ‘The Seven Day Switch‘ & for sponsoring this giveaway! (partner) After you’re done reading this blog post, be sure to check out my Instagram post as well & show the author (& me!) your support by giving it a LIKE & maybe even a SHARE. (Please & Thank you!)
What a difference a week makes in this heartfelt, laugh-out-loud novel about two moms as opposite as a Happy Meal & a quinoa bowl, from the Washington Post bestselling author of ‘The Overdue Life of Amy Byler’.
Celeste Mason is the Pinterest stay-at-home supermom of other mothers’ nightmares. Despite her all-organic, SunButter-loving, free-range kids, her immaculate home, & her volunteering awards, she still has time to relax w/ a nice glass of pinot at the end of the day. The only thing that ruins it all is her workaholic, career-obsessed neighbor, who makes no secret of what she thinks of Celeste’s life choices every chance she gets.
Wendy Charles is a celebrated productivity consultant, columnist, & speaker. On a minute-by-minute schedule, she makes the working-mom hustle look easy. She even spends at least one waking hour a day w/ her kids. She’s not apologizing for a thing. Especially to Celeste, who plays her superior parenting against Wendy whenever she can.
Who do Celeste & Wendy think they are? They’re about to find out thanks to one freaky week. After a neighborhood potluck & too much sangria, they wake up—um, what?—in each other’s bodies. Everything Celeste & Wendy thought they knew about the “other kind of mom” is flipped upside down—along w/ their messy, complicated, maybe not so different lives.
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👭I loved this super fun, relatable, utterly delightful, ‘Freaky Friday’ for Mom’s story & hope to see it on the big (or small) screen someday! I can see a bit of both Celeste & Wendy in my own personality, too. This is one of those books that you just don’t want to end since you become so invested in the lives of both women. It’s heartwarming, spellbinding, thought-provoking, & a bit emotional at times, & I loved every second of the book!
📖It’s available for purchase now & there are links below for your convenience & I also have (2) copies up for grabs via the giveaway on my Instagram account. And, as an added bonus, I’m allowing entries here on my blog, too! Just make sure you are subscribed to momlovesreading.com & LIKE & comment on this post to enter. You can enter on Instagram for extra entries as well. Click HERE to go to the giveaway post.
(Giveaway is 7/7-7/13/21, US 50 states/CAN residents only, is not affiliated w/ Instagram. Please don’t UNfollow after or you’ll miss out on & be excluded from all future MLR giveaways & there are lots!)
USA Today, Amazon Charts, & Washington Post bestselling author KELLY HARMS is the author of five novels including The Overdue Life of Amy Byler, one of GoodReads’ top ten fiction books of the year & a WFWA Star Award finalist. Her works have been translated into a dozen languages throughout the world. Before becoming a writer herself, she was a New York editor & literary agent & worked w/ a wide array of bestselling & award-winning authors. She now lives in Madison, Wisconsin w/ her clever son Griffin, charming Irishman Chris, & Scout, the best dog in dogtown. Kelly loves meeting her readers virtually & in real life, & can be found at http://www.kellyharms.com for the former.
*GIVEAWAY time!* Even though we still have our heat on here in N Ohio, w/ night temps still in the 30’s, summer reading is just around the corner.
Thank you @atriabooks for my gift copy of ‘That Summer‘ by Jennifer Weiner, a timely, deliciously twisty novel of intrigue, secrets, & the transformative power of female friendship, set on beautiful Cape Cod. (available 5/11/21)
📖Daisy Shoemaker can’t sleep. With a thriving cooking business, full schedule of volunteer work, & a beautiful home in the Philadelphia suburbs, she should be content. But her teenage daughter can be a handful; her husband can be distant, her work can feel trivial, & she has lots of acquaintances, but no real friends. Still, Daisy knows she’s got it good. So why is she up all night?
📖While Daisy tries to identify the root of her dissatisfaction, she’s also receiving misdirected emails meant for a woman named Diana Starling, whose email address is just one punctuation mark away from her own. While Daisy’s driving carpools, Diana is chairing meetings. While Daisy’s making dinner, Diana’s making plans to reorganize corporations. Diana’s glamorous, sophisticated, single-lady life is miles away from Daisy’s simpler existence. When an apology leads to an invitation, the two women meet & become friends. But, as they get closer, we learn that their connection was not completely accidental. Who IS this other woman, & what does she want with Daisy?
📖From the manicured Main Line of Philadelphia to the wild landscape of the Outer Cape, written w/ Jennifer Weiner’s signature wit & sharp observations, ‘That Summer‘ is a story about surviving our pasts, confronting our futures, & the sustaining bonds of friendship.
Described as an engaging, thought-provoking, emotionally charged drama w/ secrets, complicated female friendships, & captivating w/ atmosphere & suspense filled, I’m saving ‘That Summer‘ for THIS summer & some poolside reading. I really enjoyed ‘Big Summer‘ LAST summer & I have an extra copy of that & Weiner’s essay collection, ‘Hungry Heart‘ up for grabs for one lucky reader. (I’ve said SUMMER so many times, it reminds me of that 80’s song by The Cars, ‘Magic’…”Summer, summer, summer, It’s like a merry-go-round.“
To enter: (***Please be advised, the following info is for info sakes ONLY & giveaway can only be entered on Instagram. Click HERE to go to that post now & be sure you are following me on Insta, too!) 1-LIKE this post. 2-Must be following @mom_loves_reading 3-Tag some friends (Unlimited, up to 3 per com) Bonus 5 entries- Share in stories & tag me. (Giveaway is 5/10-5/13/21, US only, isn’t affiliated w/ Instagram. Please don’t UNfollow after giveaway or you’ll be excluded from my MANY future giveaways, & it’s rude.)
Jennifer Weiner (pronounced WINE-er) is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of sixteen books, including Good in Bed, The Littlest Bigfoot, and her memoir Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love, and Writing. A graduate of Princeton University and contributor to the New York Times Opinion section, Jennifer lives with her family in Philadelphia. Visit her online at JenniferWeiner.com
To add ‘That Summer’, ‘Big Summer’ or ‘Hungry Heart’ to your Goodreads lists, click on highlighted titles in this blog post. ‘That Summer’ is available on May 11th from Atria Books.
*Mom Loves Reading* 