Mailbox Monday: Memoir, History, and Historical Fiction

What books came into your house last week? Three interesting volumes came my way:



Stet: An Editor's Life by Diana Athill. This memoir of her life in publishing by legendary editor Diana Athill (alive at 100) is my book club book for November.



A Deadly Wind: The 1962 Columbus Day Storm by John Dodge. This is a new, comprehensive history of Oregon's most famous storm. OSU Press launched a Facebook group, here, for people to share stories and photos from the storm.



The Book of Dirt by Bram Presser. This is Presser’s first novel, inspired by his own family’s history of surviving the Holocaust.

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday, a weekly "show & tell" blog event where participants share the books they acquired the week before. Visit the Mailbox Monday website to find links to all the participants' posts and read more about Books that Caught our Eye.

Mailbox Monday is graciously hosted by Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, and Martha of Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf.

Book Beginning: Without Reservations: The Travels of an Independent Woman by Alice Steinbach

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

Dear Alice, Each morning I am awakened by the sound of a tinkling bell.

-- Without Reservations: The Travels of an Independent Woman by Alice Steinbach. Each chapter of this memoir starts with the text of a postcard the author sent home to herself while she spent a year in Europe, away from her job as a popular Baltimore journalist.

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

Teaser Tuesday: The Girl Inside Me: Poems by Javelin Hardy

There is a little girl inside of me

Trapped, afraid and wanting to be set free.

But I'm 33 now --

What is this little girl doing inside of me?

-- From the title poem in The Girl Inside Me: Poems by Javelin Hardy. Hardy draws on her training and background as a counselor to tell her own story of recovery from abuse in this beautiful book of poetry and historic photographs.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by The Purple Booker, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.

Mailbox Monday: Philip Roth

What books came into your house last week? I filled in my Philip Roth TBR shelf with two of his books I haven't read yet.

Roth is one of my favorites and I plan to read all of his books, hits and misses. I’ve read 12 of 31 so far, according to the list I keep here on the blog (see Favorite Authors tab above or list in right column).

Reading Myself and Others, a collection of essays about reading and writing.

The Dying Animal, the last book in his David Kepesh trilogy. The trilogy starts with The Breast, which I haven't read and is generally panned. I read the second one a few months ago, The Professor of Desire, and thought it was great.

I know a lot of women don't like to read Philip Roth, or the other male writers of his generation. I do. I tend to prefer "mid-century" (20th) authors both sexes because I'm drawn to books with hefty plots, omniscient third-person narrators, and a minimum of experimentation. And I like to read books by male authors because I like men and want to understand them. They don't think the same way my women friends and I do!

Which authors do you love so much you want to read all their books? How do you keep track?

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday, a weekly "show & tell" blog event where participants share the books they acquired the week before. Visit the Mailbox Monday website to find links to all the participants' posts and read more about Books that Caught our Eye.

Mailbox Monday is graciously hosted by Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, and Martha of Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf.

Favorite Author: Benjamin Black

Benjamin Black is the pen name of Irish author John Banville. Writing in his own name, Banville won the Booker Prize in 2005 for The Sea, which I loved, but I've only read one of his other novels and don't plan to undertake reading all of them any time soon.

The mysteries he writes as Benjamin Black, on the other hand, enchant me. In particular, his Quirke series puts me under a spell so I feel like I'm right there in 1950s Dublin. That may partly be due to the audiobook reading by actor Timothy Dalton who does such a superb job on the first three.

Banville's Benjamin Black books are below. In addition to the Quirke series, he has written two stand-alone mysteries and a Philip Marlowe novel. Those I have read are in red. Those on my TBR shelf are in blue.

Quirke series

• Christine Falls (2007) FINISHED
• The Silver Swan (2008) FINISHED
• Elegy for April (2010) FINISHED
• A Death in Summer (2011) FINISHED
• Vengeance (2012) FINISHED
• Holy Orders (2013)
• Even the Dead (2016)
• April in Spain (2021)

The Lemur (2008)
The Black-Eyed Blonde, a Philip Marlowe novel (2014)
Wolf on a String (2017) (published in the UK as Prague Nights)

The Secret Guests (2020)



NOTE: Updated June 24, 2022

Book Beginning: Valley of Genius by Adam Fisher

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

I grew up in what is now known as Silicon Valley. Only in retrospect does it seem like an unusual place.

-- Valley of Genius: The Uncensored History of Silicon Valley (As Told by the Hackers, Founders, and Freaks Who Made It Boom) by Adam Fisher.

This is a fascinating book, even for someone like me who has no connection to the high tech world of Silicon Valley, other than my iPhone.

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

What Are They Reading? Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Authors tend to be readers, so it is natural for them to create characters who like to read. It is always interesting to me to read what books the characters are reading in the books I read. Even if I can't say that ten times fast.

Usually, the characters' choice of books reflects the author's tastes or, I sometimes think, what the author was reading at the time. But sometimes the character's reading material is a clue to the character's personality, or is even a part of the story.

This is an occasional blog event. If anyone wants to join in, grab the button, put up a post, and leave leave a comment with a link to your post.

Katey Kontent, the narrator and heroine of Towles's debut novel, spends a lot of her free time reading and discussing books. Her favorite is Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, which she reads over and over. Katie is the daughter of Russian immigrants, grew up in New York City, and uses her smarts and wit to build a career and find her own place in high society. It is understandable that she would be drawn to Pip's complicated story of personal growth.



When Katey's personal life becomes most confusing, she develops a taste for Agatha Christie. By 1938, when most of the novel takes place, Christie had published 30 books, and two came out in 1938. In one of the best scenes in Towles's book, Katey settles in for Christmas Eve 1938 alone, with a 10-pound ham from her boss, a bottle of bourbon, and the newly-released Hercule Poirot’s Christmas.



The title, Rules of Civility, comes from another book, George Washington's Rules of Civility (& Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation), a list of 110 maxims that Washington had written in his own handwriting as a school boy. Katey finds a well-thumbed copy of the George Washington book in protagonist Tinker Grey's apartment and later buy's a secondhand copy for herself. There is an appendix in the Towles book listing the 110 rules.



I loved Rules of Civility as much as I did Towles's second book, A Gentleman in Moscow. I can't wait to see what he writes next.

Teaser Tuesday: The Storyteller's Secret by Sejal Badani

I remember my own baby pictures where a large black dot figured prominently on my temple.  Mom explained to me once that the black mark was the best way to protect a child against God's eyes. 

-- The Storyteller's Secret by Sejal Badani. The narrator is Jaya, a New York journalist traveling to India to recover after miscarriages and divorce. While there, she learns the story of her grandmother, a school teacher in the 1930s, during the British occupation.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by The Purple Booker, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.

Book Beginning: The Storyteller's Secret by Sejal Badani

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

I was five years old when I begged my mother for a dog.

The Storyteller's Secret by Sejal Badani. Jaya, a New York journalist, has traveled to India to recover from personal heartbreak and uncover her family's past secrets. The story moves between Jaya's present day experiences and those of her grandmother in the 1930s, during the British occupation.

The Storyteller's Secret has all the makings of a Book Club favorite.

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

Teaser Tuesday: I Know Now by Cinda Stevens Lonsway

Something magical just happened. I feel different, altered, changed.

-- I Know Now: A Woman's Healing: Violence to Victory, Trauma to Truth by Cinda Stevens Lonsway. This memoir is the story of Cinda's survival after a violent attack at age 19, her struggle to heal from that trauma when she became a mother, and the "sacred insight" she finally found.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by The Purple Booker, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.

Mailbox Labor Day Monday: Transcendental Concord

My friend Kirsten Rian wrote the concluding essay in a new, hauntingly beautiful book of art photography documenting the Transcendentalists of Concord, Massachusetts. She surprised me the other day with a copy of this lovely new book.



Transcendental Concord, photography by Lisa McCarty, texts by Kirsten Rian and Rebecca Norris Webb, published by Radius Books.

PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION: Transcendental Concord documents the spirit of Transcendentalism, the literary and philosophical movement that arose in the mid-19th century. While the circle of Transcendentalists in New England was wide, at its center was a core group that lived in Concord, Massachusetts. Bronson Alcott and daughter Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau lived within a few miles of each other for nearly 20 years, regularly meeting in each other’s homes and on the paths of Walden Woods to discuss their writings and beliefs. In the course of a year and in every season North-Carolina based photographer Lisa McCarty photographed the sites where these Transcendentalists lived and wrote in Concord. McCarty’s parallel reverence for the natural world is evident in her photographs which point to large and small variations in environment, season and light. McCarty uses long exposures and camera movement in order to capture these variations. Transcendental Concord pays homage to Transcendentalism not only in capturing a shared landscape, but in McCarty’s technique: her keen observation of natural phenomena and openness to experimentation and chance.

What books came into your house last week?

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday, a weekly "show & tell" blog event where participants share the books they acquired the week before. Visit the Mailbox Monday website to find links to all the participants' posts and read more about Books that Caught our Eye.

Mailbox Monday is graciously hosted by Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, and Martha of Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf.

Happy Labor Day!

I wish my Labor Day looked like this! Instead, I'm on a cross country airplane, on my way to a week long conference in Orlando, Florida. There are plenty of nice things about Florida, but its convenience to my home in Portland, Oregon is not one of them.

Book Beginning: The Girl Inside Me: Poems by Javelin Hardy

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

Being raised in a small Southern town has its positive and negative sides. On the positive side, most Southern people I know are the best cooks and lovers I've met. 

-- From the author's introduction, "Minden," to The Girl Inside Me: Poems by Javelin Hardy. In this beautiful collection of poems, Hardy draws on her training and background as a counselor to tell her own story of recovery from abuse.

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

Book Notes: Plum Sauce by P.G. Wodehouse - Aunt Dahlia

It’s dahlia time! As soon as the roses fade away, the dahlias step up and take their place. I love the exuberance of these garden show offs.

P.G. Wodehouse named the nicer of Bertie Wooster’s two aunts, Aunt Dahlia. He described her as “a large, genial soul” built along the lines of Mae West, and praised for “her humanity, sporting qualities, and general good-eggishness,” and ability to put on a “grande dame act” if the situation calls for it. Sounds like her floral counterpart!

Aunt Dahlia is the one who lives at Brinkley Court outside Market Snodsbury and owns a weekly newspaper for women called Milady’s Boudoir. Aside from Jeeves and Bertie Wooster, Aunt Dahlia appears in more Jeeves novels and short stories (14 total) than any other character.

I'm reading Plum Sauce: A P. G. Wodehouse Companion by Richard Usborne, Wodehouse's biographer and acknowledged authority. It compiles sketches of Wodehouse characters, themes, book summaries, and all things Plummy.

Miscellany: Virtual Letterpress from Paperless Post

Here's a break from books for a brief detour to my other hobby, stationery. I love nice stationery -- boxed notes, letterpress cards, French and Italian paper, all of it. I have boxes and boxes and I still use stationery to send personal notes for any excuse I can think of.

And I love to send invitations to parties, small or large: family birthday dinners, brunch with friends, holiday cocktails, backyard bashes, pre-wedding festivities, anything. I used to make them myself, using the fancy stationery I have stashed away. But in the last few years since I started my own law firm, I just don't have time for many DIY projects. I've fallen out of the habit of sending invitations for most things.

So I was more than willing to take Paperless Post up on its offer to make a test run, including their new lines from kate spade new york, Oscar de la Renta, Jonathan Adler, and my favorite Rifle Paper Co., in exchange for a review here on Rose City Reader.

My law firm hosts an annual "clothes swap" event every fall, so I used my coins to make the most elaborate invitation I could come up with.

So what did my invitation look like?

I wanted something feminine, with sort of fall colors, that also looked fun, because this is a casual event. I love the invitation card itself, because the persimmon color is fresh and autumnal and the image is perfect for a clothes swap. The original design said "Put on Your Dancing Shoes," but it was easy to customize the words. You can also change the font itself, the size, or the spacing. And for no additional coins, you can add "letterpress" effect, which I did because I think it makes it look more like paper:

I chose a Rifle Paper Co. background to add flowers and more color:

There were a lot of envelope liners to chose from so I found one in the same persimmon shade with a mottled effect I like:

And, finally, I chose an autumnal stamp:

The design I picked cost "2 coins" and each add on -- fancy Rifle Paper Co. background, adding an envelope, coordinating envelope liner, fancy stamp -- cost an additional coin, for a total of "6 coins" per invitation. We sent the invitation to roughly 120 people, for just about 720 coins. Coins vary in cost, costing less per coin the more you buy. So a batch of 400 coins costs $50, 1,000 coins costs $90. I could send my fancy invitation to all of my guests for $90 and still have close to 300 coins left over to send thank you cards after the event. And, of course, I didn't pay $60 for postage stamps to mail 120 invitations.

I'm not ready to toss my stationery collection in the recycling bin. But I'll definitely be using Paperless Post for more invitations, especially for professional events or when the alternative is that I send no invitation at all.

And now, back to the books.

Teaser Tuesday: The Red Road by Denise Mina

The bloody knife was inches from her nose.
He watched her expectantly but Rose didn't move.

-- The Red Road by Denise Mina. This is the fourth book in Mina's Alex Morrow series, set in Glasgow, and the books keep getting better and better. It's one of my favorite series and I look forward to reading Mina's other mysteries. She has two other trilogies and some stand-alones.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by The Purple Booker, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.

Mailbox Monday: Valley of Genius by Adam Fisher

I got one new book last week, how about you?



Valley of Genius: The Uncensored History of Silicon Valley (As Told by the Hackers, Founders, and Freaks Who Made It Boom) by Adam Fisher

So, I have no connection to Silicon Valley, but I do have a policy of buying books if my friends write them. Or, in this case, if my friend's brother writes one. And now that it's here, I have to say it has captured my attention. It's a real insider look at a world I know nothing about.

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday, a weekly "show & tell" blog event where participants share the books they acquired the week before. Visit the Mailbox Monday website to find links to all the participants' posts and read more about Books that Caught our Eye.

Mailbox Monday is graciously hosted by Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, and Martha of Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf.

Weekend Miscellany: Cocktails and Books

We kicked off the weekend last evening with a home date. Cocktails and snacks and a long-awaited break from the hot weather. We had our favorite "house cocktail" --  tequila martinis, served “club style” this time.

Now after a Saturday morning trip to the farmers market, I'm settling in for an afternoon with a good book before my neighborhood block party.

I’m reading Persian Nights by Diane Johnson and enjoying it very much. Published in 1987, it is set in 1978 Iran, right before the overthrow of the Shah. The main character is the American wife of a supposed-to-be-visiting doctor who goes on to Iran without him when an emergency keeps him in California.

With all the world history that has passed since, I can’t imagine the story being written the same way now.

Any other Diane Johnson fans? I loved her three France books, Le Divorce, Le Mariage, and L'Affaire. Have you read this one? What’s your favorite?

Great weekend!

Book Beginning: I Know Now by Cinda Stevens Lonsway

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

The sound of the squeaking front door makes me turn.

-- I Know Now: A Woman's Healing: Violence to Victory, Trauma to Truth by Cinda Stevens Lonsway. This memoir tells how the author survived a violent attack at age 19, struggled to heal from that trauma when she became a mother, and how she finally found what she calls "sacred insight."

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

Author Interview: Kai Nicole

After her years of dating experience, discussions with girlfriends (and men), and what she read on social media, Kai Nicole realized that she approached dating differently from other women. Her upbringing and personal approach to life gave her the mental freedom she thinks many women do not feel when it comes to dating. So she wrote Date Like a Woman, "key strategies to simply enjoy the art of dating."

Kai Nicole recently talked with Rose City Reader about her book:

How did you come to write Date Like a Woman?

After seeing so many discussions on social media about how women were having problems with their dating lives I decided to sit down and try to address as many of the problems as I could.

You have a law degree and worked in law, entertainment, and high tech. How did your professional background lead you to write a book about dating?

It didn’t. It is totally separate. I think that there is a very real need for women to look at the reasons why they may be having so many problems in dating. The book was a separate undertaking altogether although my experiences helped me in writing the book.

What makes your book different than the many other How To guides to dating?

My book, Date Like A Woman, has a fresh, non-sexist perspective on dating. It is written from a woman’s point of view, not some male guru’s. It teaches women to enjoy dating and is not goal oriented to “landing a husband.”

Who is the intended audience for your book?

Women! Of course, men will read it because they are nosey and want to know what women are thinking.

You have an excellent blog and website, and are also active on Twitter and Instagram. As an author, how important are social media for connecting with your readers?

Social media is key, especially as a first time author. I am proud to say that women who have read my book, love it!

Did you think of turning your dating expertise into fiction and writing novels?

I am currently writing a movie script based on the book.

What did you learn from writing your book or writing your blog about dating advice that most surprised you?

There are a lot of people struggling with dating and relationships, more than I thought. And, a lot of people are lonely, way more than I knew.

What is the most valuable advice you’ve been given as an author?

“Keep going, never give up. People love good books.”

Who are your three (or four or five) favorite authors? Is your own writing influenced by who you read?

I can’t say that my writing is influenced by them, but since I am/was a huge science fiction fan, I of course, love J.K. Rowling. Two more of my big favorites are Isaac Asimov and Barack Obama.

What are you reading now?

Right now I am reading for different reasons, The Last Black Unicorn, by Tiffany Haddish, and The Zebra Murders, Prentice Earl Sanders and Bennett Cohen.

What are you working on now?

I am very excited to be writing a movie script for Date Like A Woman.

THANKS KAI!

DATE LIKE A WOMAN IS AVAILABLE ONLINE, OR ASK YOUR LOCAL BOOK SELLER TO ORDER IT.

Teaser Tuesday: Burglars & Blintzes by Morgan C. Talbot

Ashley leaned forward, putting her elbow in a bit of leftover whipped cream on her plate. "You have to let me come with you."

-- Burglars & Blintzes by Morgan C. Talbot. Pippa Winterbourne owns a B&B for mystery writers on the Oregon coast and, like all good amateur sleuths, finds herself solving mysteries on the side. This second book in Talbot's Moorehaven Mysteries series finds Pippa chasing skeletons and possible pirate treasure.

Read my earlier author interview with Morgan C. Talbot.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by The Purple Booker, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.

Mailbox Monday: Books by Sejal Badani & Cinda Stevens Lonsway

I got a couple of interesting books last week. What books came into your house?



The Storyteller's Secret by Sejal Badani. A New York journalist travels to India to recover from personal tragedy and uncover her family's past secrets. Although it launches on September 1, it is already generating a lot of buzz.



I Know Now: A Woman's Healing: Violence to Victory, Trauma to Truth by Cinda Stevens Lonsway. This memoir of survival and healing looks like a very powerful story.

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday, a weekly "show & tell" blog event where participants share the books they acquired the week before. Visit the Mailbox Monday website to find links to all the participants' posts and read more about Books that Caught our Eye.

Mailbox Monday is graciously hosted by Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, and Martha of Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf.