Review: Death of a Billionaire, by Tucker May

28 November 2025 by Melissa

About the book, Death of a Billionaire (a murder mystery novel)

Ever dream of killing your boss? Alan Benning knows how you feel.

The problem: his billionaire boss actually winds up murdered. And the whole world thinks he did it.

When globetrotting tech billionaire Barron Fisk is found dead on the floor of his swanky Silicon Valley office, all evidence points to Alan.

Alan must venture into the glitzy, treacherous world of tech billionaires to clear his name by sorting through a long list of suspects with motive aplenty. If he can’t find the real culprit, Alan’s going down. The clock is ticking.

Who killed Barron Fisk? The truth will shock— and change— the entire world.

Fans of Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club series, Carl Hiaasen’s tales of high-stakes hijinx, or Ruth Ware’s page-turning mysteries will love Death of a Billionaire.

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | Goodreads

About the author, Tucker May

Tucker May was raised in southern Missouri. He attended Northwestern University where he was trained in acting and playwriting. He now lives in Pasadena, California with his wife Barbara and their cat Principal Spittle. He is an avid reader and longtime fan of the Los Angeles Rams and Geelong Cats. Death of a Billionaire is his debut novel.

Connect with Tucker:

Instagram | BlueSky | Facebook

My Thoughts

Tucker May’s debut leaps off the page with confidence and mischievous energy, landing squarely in that delicious space where near-future satire meets classic mystery. Set against a glitzy, tech-obsessed California that feels both familiar and uncannily heightened, Death of a Billionaire reads like a high-speed road trip with mismatched companions – equal parts detour, discovery, and delightful chaos.

The central narrator is a study in contradictions: bold one moment, rattled the next, and completely endearing throughout. He’s joined by a cast that could only exist in a world where ambition and absurdity routinely collide – a widow who could out-dramatic a telenovela star, a cop whose immaturity is both alarming and hilarious, and a parade of oddballs who keep the plot humming.

May has an instinctive feel for timing. The humor lands without undercutting the tension, and the twists snap into place just when you’ve settled into certainty. Every revelation feels earned, surprising, and – occasionally – gleefully unhinged. More than once I looked up from the book only to realize I’d sailed well past bedtime.

For a first novel, Death of a Billionaire is remarkably polished, deeply entertaining, and packed with personality. I turned the final page already hoping this is only the beginning of a long writing career for Tucker May.

Goes well with: Loaded nachos, a chilled craft soda, and a bowl of caramel-drizzled popcorn – the ideal snacks for a story that keeps you up way later than you planned.

Visit the Other Great Participants on This Tour

Review: The Traveler’s Atlas of the World

27 October 2025 by Melissa

About the book, The Traveler’s Atlas of the World

Publisher ‏ : ‎ National Geographic
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 4, 2025
Print length ‏ : ‎ 560 pages

The ultimate traveler’s reference, this gorgeous coffee table book features bucket list–worthy travel recommendations for every country in the world.

Featuring beautiful National Geographic photography and 250 illustrated maps, this big and bold volume offers expert advice for must-see sights and hundreds of must-do experiences.

Pack your bags for the ultimate world odyssey! Curated by the world-savvy travel writers and editors of National Geographic, this breathtaking volume features the ultimate experiences in every country of the world, coupled with iconic photography, more than 50 point-of-interest National Geographic maps, and destination overviews highlighting both tried-and-true sights and lesser-known experiences.
Plus, top 10 lists, highlights of cultural treasures, fascinating histories, and recommended itineraries will inspire you to plan your next adventure.

Spin the globe and find:

The ultimate flavors of India’s spice hub—and the markets where you can taste them all;

Natural beauty worth hiking for, including the Skradinski Buk waterfall in Croatia and El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico;

Safaris big (the Great Migration in Tanzania) and small (lions on Calauit Island in the Philippines);

Tasting tours of the world’s best wine regions from South Africa and France to Germany and Napa Valley;

Historical relics, from the Colosseum in Rome to the Maya treasures in Mexico;

And so much more!

Covering all seven continents and every country in the world, The Traveler’s Atlas of the World delivers essential information, fun road trips (Germany’s great castles, a journey down the Nile, a road trip through the United States’ national parks), and infinite inspiration through more than 300 spectacular photographs with signature storytelling and invaluable traveler’s secrets.

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About the author: National Geographic

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC is one of the world’s leading nonfiction publishers, with an extensive list of titles in categories such as history, travel, nature, photography, space, science, health, biography, and memoir. A portion of its proceeds is used to fund exploration, conservation, and education through ongoing contributions to the work of the National Geographic Society.

My Thoughts

There’s something about a map you can touch — the faint texture of the paper beneath your fingertips, the promise folded between borders and coastlines. The Traveler’s Atlas of the World brings back that tactile wonder, reminding us that exploration begins long before we board a plane.

This is no dry reference guide. It’s a visual feast — a blend of art and information that invites you to linger. Each page pairs National Geographic’s signature photography with maps that feel alive: textured, colorful, humming with possibility. It’s a book that begs to be spread open on a table, coffee in hand, a finger tracing routes you might someday take — or simply dream about.

What I love most about this atlas is the sense of old-school adventure it rekindles. In an age where GPS tells us exactly where to turn, The Traveler’s Atlas reminds us why we travel at all: to be surprised, to get a little lost, to imagine the world not as data points but as stories waiting to unfold. The digital map can get you there; this one makes you want to go.

It’s a celebration of curiosity — of countries we know by heart and those we might never reach, but can visit here, one breathtaking image at a time.

Goes well with: a cozy armchair, a steaming mug of chai, and an evening spent planning impossible journeys.

Review: National Geographic The Photographs: Iconic Images from National Geographic

24 October 2025 by Melissa

About the book: National Geographic The Photographs: Iconic Images from National Geographic

Publisher ‏ : ‎ National Geographic
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 28, 2025
Print length ‏ : ‎ 464 pages

For tastemakers and citizens of the world, this iconic collection features the best of National Geographic’s world-class imagery across more than 250 cutting-edge photographs.

This glorious, large-format photography collection will immerse animal, science, and nature lovers in the unparalleled legacy of National Geographic’s best-in-class imagery. Featuring fan favorites like the Afghan girl and the sunken prow of the Titanic, as well as gems unearthed from the organization’s celebrated archive, THE PHOTOGRAPHS is for anyone passionate about discovering, protecting, and honoring the wonders of the planet.

In these pages, you’ll find dazzling images from every corner of the globe, including magnificent wildlife and human achievements in science, technology, exploration, archaeology, and adventure. Step into the lives of acclaimed National Geographic photographers like Brian Skerry, Anand Varma, and Jodi Cobb, and read interviews with legends and rising stars like Rob Clark, David Doubilet, Erika Larsen, Camille Seaman, and many more.

Both vivid and timeless, THE PHOTOGRAPHS is a must-have for anyone who loves photography, nature, and the human story.

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About the author

JIMMY CHIN (foreword) is a National Geographic photographer, award-winning film director, renowned mountain climber, and bestselling author. His photography book There and Back became a New York Times bestseller in 2021; his documentary film Free Solo won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Nyad, his first scripted feature, starring Annette Bening and Jodie Foster, was nominated for two Academy awards.

My Thoughts

Before I ever learned to read, I learned to look. My grandfather kept neat stacks of National Geographic magazines in his den — golden spines lined like treasure, each issue a portal. I remember flipping through the glossy pages, the scent of paper and ink as much a part of the experience as the photos themselves. Faces, creatures, storms, and ruins — the world felt vast and intimate all at once.

The Photographs rekindles that same sense of wonder, distilled into one breathtaking collection. Across more than 250 images, National Geographic’s legendary photographers remind us what it means to see — truly see — our planet and ourselves. There’s the iconic Afghan girl, her gaze as piercing now as it was decades ago. The ghostly prow of the Titanic resting on the ocean floor. And there — a line of surfers, tiny yet fearless, framed against an impossible blue wave. That image, especially, feels like a heartbeat: humanity poised at the edge of nature’s vastness, daring and small all at once.

What makes this volume remarkable isn’t just its scope — though it spans continents and decades — but its restraint. Each image stands almost alone: no essays, no captions beyond a name, a place, a year. That sparseness lets the photography breathe, invites silence, reflection. The book itself is beautifully made, large enough to do justice to its subjects, and designed with reverence rather than spectacle.

For anyone who grew up tracing the edges of the world through National Geographic, this collection is both time capsule and testament. For newcomers, it’s a revelation — proof that the human eye, when paired with patience, empathy, and craft, can still surprise us.

The Photographs isn’t merely a coffee-table book. It’s a reminder that beauty has always been both fragile and ferocious — and that our world, still, is worth looking at closely.

Goes well with: a strong cup of Ethiopian coffee, a lazy Sunday morning, and a window that catches the light just right.

Review: Irresistible Calling by Sean Mitchell

29 September 2025 by Melissa

About the book, Irresistible Calling

Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 15, 2025
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 302 pages

Sean Mitchell was teaching English at a private school in Ohio when the New Journalism piqued his interest and lured him toward a profession that was much harder to crack than he imagined. After an editor in Washington, D.C. finally gave him a chance, he found a calling that would require and reveal multiple skills: editing an “underground” newspaper in his hometown of Dallas, writing magazine length stories about long distance truckers and Z.Z. Top, serving as the Dallas Times Herald’s first rock critic and then its theatre critic, winning national recognition for his reviews.

Moving to Los Angeles to cover Hollywood for the strangely singular and doomed Herald Examiner and then the Los Angeles Times, he profiled stars like Clint Eastwood, Ann-Margret and his irascible former St. Mark’s School of Texas soccer teammate Tommy Lee Jones. While examining the nation’s preoccupation with celebrity, he wondered if journalists like him were part of the problem or part of the solution?

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About the author, Sean Mitchell

Sean Mitchell grew up in Dallas, where he was editor of the city’s first alternative weekly, then a reporter and cultural critic for the Dallas Times Herald, before moving to Los Angeles to cover Hollywood for the Herald Examiner and Los Angeles Times. A graduate of St. Mark’s School of Texas and Brown University, he has also worked as an English teacher, videographer, and designer of custom wood fences.

My Thoughts

Some memoirs are pleasant enough to skim with a cup of coffee. This one? I devoured it in a single greedy gulp. Irresistible Calling is witty, engaging, and brimming with the kind of lived-in detail that makes you laugh, tear up, and—without even noticing—learn a lot.

Sean Mitchell may technically be a boomer, but his story is timeless. This GenXer found myself nodding along, hooked from page one. He opens in childhood, when a glossy holiday travel magazine inspired his parents to trade a fading Bethlehem, Pennsylvania steel town for the sun-soaked suburbs of Dallas. The 1950s details are spot-on, yet instantly relatable: family yearning for more, neighbors measuring success in conformity, and kids caught in the in-between.

Mitchell’s own path takes him from a prestigious Dallas boy’s school (where he forged friendships with classmates like Tommy Lee Jones) to college during the heyday of the 1960s, and eventually into journalism. His career arc—covering theater, film, and music in D.C., Dallas, and Los Angeles—offers a front-row seat to cultural history. The Hollywood interviews sparkle, but it’s his long, thorny, and wildly entertaining relationship with Jones that steals the show.

Threaded through the anecdotes is a thoughtful meditation on American life: the promise and collapse of the counterculture, the longing of his parents for “something more,” and his own drive to make a mark in the shifting world of newspapers. I especially loved his mother’s journey toward joy and passion, and felt the weight of his father’s quiet disappointment.

Mitchell writes with humor, candor, and a critic’s eye for the telling detail. The result is more than one man’s life story—it’s a cultural time capsule of America from the 1950s through the 1980s.

Verdict: Highly recommended for fans of memoirs, American cultural history, or simply anyone who appreciates a smart, funny, beautifully written life story.

Goes well with: A bottomless diner mug of coffee and a Sunday paper, spread all over the table.

Review: A Madness Unmade by E.K. Larson-Burnett

3 March 2025 by Melissa

About the Book, A Madness Unmade

Publisher ‏ : ‎ E.K. Larson-Burnett (March 3, 2025)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 334 pages

Laurel Rumbroom is the sole living resident of the Underhallow, where dead moths have been showing up at the gates in neatly wrapped packages.

Since the institution of the Revenant Accords, which prohibits ghosts from freely haunting the country, the Rumbrooms have acted as Guardians to the ghosts seeking refuge at their sanctuary. But when Laurel’s father suddenly passes, leaving her orphaned, the Underhallow falls in danger of losing its sanctions.

Bewildered by the mysterious deliveries of dead moths, starting to question her grip on reality, and gradually realizing the precarious position of her home and the questionable circumstances surrounding her father’s death, Laurel begs the help of the Underhallow ghosts animated by her powers, struggling to come into her own and unmake her madness.

With humor, whimsy, and elements of gothic mystery, A Madness Unmade is the first book in the Victorian-inspired Deathly Inheritance Duology, perfect for fans of Charlie N. Holmberg and S.L. Prater.

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

The first book in E.K. Larson-Burnett’s Deathly Inheritance duology, A Madness Unmade, is a refreshing take on magic, ghosts, and the world outside our own perceptions where the latter find refuge.

I read the Kindle version of this book, and was thrilled when I encountered illustrations at the chapter breaks, because they were the icing on a beautifully flavored cake. Each layer of this novel was richer and more interesting than the next: first there’s the barefoot heroine Lauren, and her cat Goose. Then there are the house-ghosts – spirits who take care of her daily needs, including her education – Master Godwin take a bow. And there’s also the dead moths that keep appearing at Lauren’s door.

The final layer of this cake is the world-building. When I read about the first moving portrait, I was worried that this series would be a Harry Potter ripoff, especially since the blurbs all refer to that series. I was pleased to find that the Underhallow and its surrounding village are original, and refreshingly so.

If anything, this novel is most like an Edward Gorey drawing come to life. In fact, the images in my head as I read this were eerily similar to the 1980’s animated opening to the PBS Mystery series – except instead of a swooning woman, there’s Madame Rathert trailing seawater.

I’m not sure I’d want to live (or be un-alive) in the world Larson-Burnett has created, but I definitely enjoyed the visit.

Goes well with: hot tea, lemon tarts, and gingerbread.

Review: Austin Heat – The One Who Undid Me, by Amari Nylix

30 September 2024 by Melissa

About the Book, Austin Heat: The One Who Undid Me

Series: Austin Heat, book one
Genre: Contemporary Romance/ Comedy / Football
Publisher: Temair Media
Pages: 390
Publication Date: September 14, 2023
Scroll down for giveaway.

Rumor has it that Texas just got a little hotter! Fans of Tessa Bailey and K. Bromberg will fall for this sexy story of mistaken identity, electric attraction, and irresistible romance in the first installment of the addictive new series, Austin Heat.

Jake is desperate to rewrite his past with women and leave behind the media storm surrounding his off-the-field antics that cloud his potential. He’s done with the stream of models, actresses, and NFL cheerleaders that have warmed his bed since he made a name for himself as starting quarterback for the University of Texas. He desperately wants to meet a normal girl in his hometown of Austin.

After moving to Austin to be the hired girlfriend of one of her long-term escort clients, Rakell finds herself wishing she could live a normal life with an average guy. Turned off by the billionaire clients she’s been serving for the last five years, she longs to get out of the business and build a life where she doesn’t live in the shadows of her escort persona.

Their worlds collide and the spice is off the charts. “Pretty boy” Jake Skyler has met his match with saucy-mouthed, Rakell McCarthy. Both think they’ve fallen for an average person. Both are wrong! What happens when their physical connection explodes, their hearts take charge and the secrets they are concealing are revealed?

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Amazon | B&N | Goodreads

About the author, Amari Nylix

Amari Nylix (alter ego to author Tara Delaney) tells sordid stories revolving around tempestuous love affairs that are inspired by the secret liaisons of Old West villains, heroes, and the temptress women who lure those powerful men into their webs. Amari delights in sharing her torrid stories of heart-wrenching, epic love that begin with the desires of the flesh and evolve into affairs of the heart.

In the Austin Heat series, Amari works closely with bestselling author of both non-fiction and fiction, Tara Delaney 😉. Tara has been a pediatric occupational therapist for more than thirty years and has extensive professional experience in sensory processing and nervous system development, while also having studied how early trauma impacts our responses as adults. Tara is responsible for trimming back Amari’s numerous spicy scenes, allowing room for all the FEELS.

Connect with Amari:

My Thoughts

There’s something to be said for a slow burn romance – something we don’t feel enough of these ays, and author Amari Nylix has given us that in this book, which is the first of a series (the following three are also available.)

The word “heat” is part of the title, and aptly so. I mean, yes, this book is set in Austin, TX, and I appreciated the author’s attention to detail. I felt like I was on those streets, breathing the sultry southern air. At the same time, there was a more metaphoric heat, in the relationship between Jake and Rakell, and I thought the spicier scenes were well written. It’s more challenging than you think to ride the line between “insert tab (a) into slot (b)” and being too explicit. Nylix straddled it perfectly.

While I have to admit that I didn’t really relate to either character, I still enjoyed the story. I know real women who have worked as escorts, and the connections they sometimes form with clients are real and lasting,while still being business. I thought the author let us glimpse a bit of that life.

I also appreciated the peek at the world of both college and professional football. It’s not a sport I follow (I prefer hockey), but the details felt plausible.

Overall, this is a good introduction to a series, and an enjoyable, relatively fast-paced read with a healthy dose of steamy romance.

Goes well with smoked brisket and Shiner bock.

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Review: Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo

17 September 2024 by Melissa

I’m so pleased to partner with WOW! Women on Writing as part of the blog tour for Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. This book is a perfect cozy mystery readers are excited to get into – and the best news is it’s the first book of a fabulous series!

About the Book, Murder by Milkshake

Genre: Cozy Mystery / Amateur Sleuth / Young Adult/New Adult
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 15, 2024
Print length ‏ : ‎ 220 pages

Life is sweet for high school senior and ice cream slinger Genevieve Winterland. Her father owns Sweet Dreams Ice Cream Parlour, the cutest confectionery shop in their little town of Pinewood, Arizona. Genevieve loves her job, but when her father hires a broody newcomer with a dark past to provide extra security on her closing shifts, Genevieve bristles. Is this part of her father’s plan to send her away to college, when all she wants is to stay in Pinewood and run the family business?

Meanwhile, everyone’s favorite new teacher at Pinewood High, Miss Love, is receiving death threats, and then she goes missing. Genevieve suspects the crabby substitute, Ms. Pierce, who seems murderous about being passed over for the position. Or is the culprit Mr. Garcia, the longtime instructor who Miss Love replaced after he was fired for assaulting a student? Just when Genevieve thinks she knows the answer, she stumbles across the dead body of another missing faculty member.

Can Genevieve find the killer terrorizing the teachers in her beloved hometown—before someone else gets iced?

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Amazon | Goodreads

About the Author, Elizabeth Maria Naranjo

Elizabeth Maria Naranjo is the author of The Fourth Wall, The House on Linden Way, and What Was Never There. Her stories and essays have been widely published and nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best American Essays, and Best of the Net, and her short story, “Windows,” was selected for Best Microfiction 2023. She lives in Tempe, Arizona, with her husband and two children.

Connect with Elizabeth:

Website | Goodreads Author Page | X (Twitter)

My Thoughts

I’ve long maintained that YA/NA titles offer the best storytelling in contemporary literature, and Murder by Milkshake is no exception.

Author Elizabeth Maria Naranjo has given us a cozy mystery set around the ice cream parlor where protagonist, Genevieve Winterland works. When her favorite teacher goes missing, the seventeen-year-old trades her ice cream scoop for a (metaphoric) magnifying glass and decides to investigate. Its the perfect combination of teenaged determination and amateur sleuthing, and the story is both engaging and well-paced. Genevieve is a likeable character, smart without being precocious, and written with dimension. I applaud the author for making her young characters sound age-appropriate without resorting to an over-abundance of slang.

Worthy of note is the friendship between Genevive and Brandon. They’re best friends, and you never get the sense that either is pushing for that to change. I found this quite refreshing.

I also liked that the ice cream shop wasn’t just a throw-away setting. Rather, we see that Genevieve enjoys her job there, even creating her own flavors. (Also, some of her recipes are included, and sound scrumptious.)

Over all, this is a satisfying read that tells a complete story but also whets our appetites for further books in the series. It’s also a fast read – much like the perfect sundae, it’s best experienced quickly. I recommend it to teens and adults alike, because the characters may be youthful, but the story isn’t at all childish.

Goes well with: a banana split with two spoons so it can be shared with a friend.

Visit the Other Great Blogs on This Tour

September 9th @ The Muffin

What goes better in the morning than a muffin? Join us at the WOW blog to celebrate the launch of author Elizabeth Maria Naranjo’s Murder by Milkshake. You can read an interview with Elizabeth and enter to win a copy of the book.

https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/

September 9th @ StoreyBook Reviews

Leslie Storey reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers at StoreyBook Reviews will be dying to learn more about this cozy mystery!

https://www.storeybookreviews.com

September 10th @ Goodreads with Karen Brown Tyson

Stop by Goodreads and find out what Karen Brown Tyson thinks of the latest cozy mystery by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Murder by Milkshake will leave readers wanting more stories by this talented author!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6741483799

September 10th @ Rockin Book Reviews

Lu Ann at Rocking Book Reviews shares her thoughts with readers about Elizabeth Maria Naranjo’s Murder by Milkshake – this is a fabulous cozy mystery readers won’t want to miss!

http://www.rockinbookreviews.com

September 11th @ Book Woman Joan

Joan Nienhuis – known at Book Woman Joan reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers won’t want to miss this opportunity to read more about this cozy mystery!

www.bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com

September 11th @ The Burgeoning Bookshelf

Veronica Joy reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers at the Burgeoning Bookshelf won’t want to miss this opportunity to read more about this cozy mystery!

https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogspot.com/

September 12th @ Life According to Jamie

See what Jamie has to say as she reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers won’t want to miss this opportunity to read more about this cozy mystery!

www.lifeaccordingtojamie.com

September 12th @ Writer Advice

Fellow WOW! Author, B. Lynn Goodwin reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Fellow authors leave some of the most helpful reviews – see how many stars Goodwin gives Naranjo!

https://www.writeradvice.com

September 12th @ Just Katherine

Katherine reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers at Just Katherine won’t want to miss this opportunity to read more about this cozy mystery so they can add it to their own TBR pile today!

https://justkatherineblog.wordpress.com

September 13th @ What is that Book About

In the spotlight today at What is that Book About is none other than: Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers won’t want to miss this opportunity to read more about this cozy mystery by this talented author!

www.whatisthatbookabout.com

September 14th @ Chapter Break

Today’s guest author at Chapter Break is Elizabeth Maria Naranjo who is touring with her latest cozy mystery, Murder by Milkshake. Readers will delight with today’s post titled: YA Cozy Mysteries: A Perfect Pairing!

http://chapterbreak.net

September 15th @ Finished Pages

Renee Roberson is a big fan of Elizabeth Maria Naranjo who is touring with her latest cozy mystery, Murder by Milkshake. Find out what Renee has to say and how many stars she will give!

www.FinishedPages.com

September 16th @ Fiona Ingram Author

Today’s guest author at Fiona Ingram’s website is Elizabeth Maria Naranjo who is touring with her latest cozy mystery, Murder by Milkshake. Readers will delight with today’s post titled: 5 Key Ingredients to Creating a Cozy Mystery.

https://fionaingramauthor.blogspot.com

September 17th @ Bibliotica

Melissa reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers at Bibliotica won’t want to miss this opportunity to read more about this cozy mystery so they can add it to their own TBR pile today!

https://www.bibliotica.com

September 18th @ Frugal Freelancer

Sara reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers at the Frugal Freelancer won’t want to miss this opportunity to read more about this cozy mystery; others are raving about this fantastic read!

https://saratrimble.wordpress.com

September 19th @ Knotty Needle Creative

Judy reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers at Knotty Needle Creative won’t want to miss this opportunity to read more about this cozy mystery! Enjoy!

http://knottyneedle.blogspot.com

September 20th @ Boy’s Mom Reads

Stop by Boy’s Mom Reads and find out what Karen thinks of the latest cozy mystery by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Murder by Milkshake will leave readers wanting more stories by this talented author!

https://karensiddall.wordpress.com

September 21st @ Book Bunnies

Gizem reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers at Book Bunnies will love this opportunity to read more about this cozy mystery! Enjoy!

https://bookbunnies.blog/

September 23rd @ One Writer’s Journey

Sue Bradford Edwards at One Writers’ Journey reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers will delight in this cozy mystery!

https://suebe.wordpress.com/

September 24th @ Author Anthony Avina’s Blog

Fellow author Anthony Avina reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Fellow authors leave some of the best reviews – don’t miss Anthony’s thoughts on this cozy mystery!

http://www.authoranthonyavinablog.com

September 27th @ The Faerie Review

Lily at The Faerie Review reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers will delight in this cozy mystery and won’t want to miss today’s review!

https://www.thefaeriereview.com

September 28th @ Boots Shoes and Fashion

Short and Sweet: The Joy of Bite-Size Books

Today’s guest author at Boots Shoes and Fashion is Elizabeth Maria Naranjo who is touring with her latest cozy mystery, Murder by Milkshake. Readers will delight with today’s post titled: Short and Sweet: The Joy of Bite-Sized Books!

https://bootsshoesandfashion.com

October 1st @ Words by Webb

Jodi at Words by Webb reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Readers will delight in this cozy mystery and won’t want to miss today’s review!

jodiwebbwriter.com/blog

October 4th @ My Beauty My Books

Nikki at My Beauty My Books reviews Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. Stop by and see what Nikki has to say about Naranjo’s latest!

https://mybeautymybooks.wordpress.com/

Review: Sugar on the Bones by Joe R. Lansdale – with Giveaway

23 June 2024 by Melissa

About the book, Sugar on the Bones (a Hap and Leonard Novel)

Genre: Private Investigator Mystery / Noir Crime / Hard-Boiled Mystery / Lawyers and Criminals Humor
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Pages: 317
Publication Date: July 16, 2024
Scroll down for Giveaway

In this holy mess of a case for the “perpetual bad boy” (New York Times) sleuths in the beloved Hap and Leonard series, PI Duo Hap and Leonard investigate the untimely death of a woman whose family stood much to gain from her passing.

Minnie Polson is dead. Burned to a crisp in a fire so big and bad it had to be deliberate. The only thing worse is that Hap and Leonard could have prevented it. Maybe. Minnie had a feeling she was being targeted, shaken down by some shadowy force. However, when she’d solicited Hap & Leonard, all it took was one off color joke to turn her sour and she’d called them off the investigation. Wracked with a guilty conscience, the two PIs—along with Hap’s fleet-footed wife, Brett—tuck in to the case. As they look closer, they dredge up troublesome facts: for one, Minnie’s daughter, Alice, has recently vanished. She’d been hard up after her pet grooming business went under and was in line to collect a whopping insurance sum should anything happen to her mother. The same was due to Minnie’s estranged husband, Al, whose kryptonite (beautiful, money-grubbing women) had left him with only a run-down mobile home. But did Minnie’s foolish, cash-strapped family really have it in them to commit a crime this grisly? Or is there a larger, far more sinister scheme at work?

Pre-order this book:

Bookshop.org | Hatchette Book Group | Amazon | B&N | Goodreads

About the Author, Joe R. Lansdale

Joe R. Lansdale is the author of nearly four dozen novels, including Rusty Puppy, the Edgar-award winning The Bottoms, Sunset and Sawdust, and Leather Maiden. He has received nine Bram Stoker Awards, the American Mystery Award, the British Fantasy Award, and the Grinzane Cavour Prize for Literature. He lives with his family in Nacogdoches, Texas

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My Thoughts

Before I dove into Sugar on the Bones, my only experience with Joe R. Lansdale’s work was his collection of short stories, Things Get Ugly, which I loved. So, even though this novel is the thirteenth in the Hap and Leonard series, I knew I was going to get a well-crafted story.

Lansdale did not disappoint. His private-eye duo of Hap and Leonard leapt off the page and into my imagination, with their down-home language, affectionate banter, and distinctly different personalities, not to mention that one is Black and the other white, one is gay and the other straight. The friendship and history between the two came through in every scene, and while I’m sure I’d have appreciated more backstory, it wasn’t strictly necessary, and this book worked just fine as a standalone.

One thing I really appreciated was Landsdale’s ability to write in first person, and to do so well. I never saw an out-of-synch verb tense or felt that the narrator (Hap in this case) knew more than he should.

I also felt the plot was paced well. It’s a mystery, of course, and if there isn’t a sub-genre called “Texas-noir,” there should be, and this novel should be the flagship title, because it was gritty where it needed to be, but also had the right amount of comic relief to keep tensions from boiling over.

Overall, this novel is a fast – almost reckless at times – read, with characters who will take up residence in your brain and squat there forever. I can’t wait to go back and read earlier works in this series.

Goes well with: a patty melt and sweet tea.

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Book Spotlight: SECOND LIVES: The Journey of Brain-Injury Survivors and Their Healers – Now Available as an Audiobook!

15 May 2024 by Melissa

I’m so excited to be bringing you this spotlight. The authors have brought a personal, informational, deeply important subject to us in an accessible way. And now, it’s also available as an audiobook! Please take a look at

SECOND LIVES: The Journey of Brain-Injury Survivors and Their Healers, by Ralph B. Lilly, MD & Diane F. Kramer, with Joyce Stamp Lilly – Narrated by Loren C. Steffy & Joyce Stamp Lilly

About the book, SECOND LIVES: The Journey of Brain-Injury Survivors and Their Healers

Genre: Audiobook / Biography / Medical Professionals / Neuroscience
Publisher: Stoney Creek Publishing
Listening Length: 6 hours and 21 minutes
Publication Date: February 28, 2024

“Discharged from a hospital just means you’re not dead.” These words of Ralph B. Lilly, M.D., describe his early struggle to recover from a traumatic brain injury. Lilly was a forty-four-year-old practicing neurologist sitting on his motorcycle at a red light when a drunk driver rear-ended him in 1980. In the ICU, after regaining consciousness and being told what happened, he asked, “What’s a hospital? What’s a motorcycle?” This tragic experience transformed his life and his approach to his neurology practice: doctors treat those with brain injury; but loved ones heal them.

Second Lives: The Journey of Brain Injury Survivors and Their Healers is written by Dr. Lilly and Diane F. Kramer. After his death in 2021, Kramer completed the book with the assistance of Lilly’s wife Joyce Stamp Lilly. This memoir weaves together Ralph Lilly’s experience with a collage of stories about his patients and their healers. After his recovery, Lilly retrained in the emerging field of behavioral neurology, which focuses on behavior, memory, cognition, and emotion after brain injury.

His clinical skills and expert witness testimony were sought by physicians, survivors, families, and attorneys to secure the best “second life” for survivors. His many patients marveled at his uniquely compassionate approach: “What doctor gives you his cell number and says call any time?” Lilly’s pioneering career spanned forty years from Brown University’s Butler Psychiatric Hospital in Rhode Island to Nexus Health System and private practice in Houston, Texas. He treated ER and hospital inpatients whose loved ones were in acute quandary, as well as outpatients who’d long given up finding a doctor who knew how to help. Lilly’s memoir is full of heart, not science, and will provide insight to general readers, family, and friends of patients with brain injury, as well as those who treat them.

His narration is unintentionally poignant, often punctuated by wry humor. He generously incorporates the words of his patients and their families in telling their stories. Their gratitude for his care is profound. As one former patient said, “Without Dr. Lilly, I’d be dead or in jail.”

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About the authors, Ralph B Lilly, M.D. and Diane F. Kramer

Ralph B. Lilly, MD

A neurologist for over half a century, Ralph B. Lilly, MD had a passion for learning and teaching. A traumatic brain injury in 1980 shifted his focus from general neurology to behavioral neurology, the study of how brain injury affects behavior. After completing a fellowship in neurobehavior at the University of California, Los Angeles, he served as a clinical assistant professor with the Brown University Program in Medicine in Providence, Rhode Island, consulting with psychiatrists looking for possible neurological causes for their patients’ psychiatric symptoms. In Texas, he worked joined what is now Nexus Health Systems and became a clinical assistant professor at The University of Texas in Houston. Lilly focused his life’s work on treating brain-injury survivors and counseling their families, who were victims in their own right. He saw these “healers” as instrumental in guiding the injured loved one to a “new life.” He practiced in Arizona, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Texas, and wherever he was called to help. Before his death in 2021, Lilly lived in Washington, Texas, with his wife, Joyce, three dogs, six cats, and two horses.

Diane F. Kramer

Diane F. Kramer retired from the counseling and psychology departments of Austin Community College in 2008 and began writing personal essays, family histories, and fiction. As a volunteer with the Brenham Animal Shelter, she wrote a weekly column on animal welfare for The Brenham Banner Press. Her writing has also appeared in Alamo Bay Press anthologies and blogs Peace through Pie and Drash Pit. She currently writes website copy and press releases for Brenham Lifetime Learning and the Read of Washington County. She lives with her husband and their rescue dog and cat in rural Texas.

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Review: Just a Hat by Shanah Khubiar

30 April 2024 by Melissa

About the book, Just a Hat

Genre: Young Adult / Coming of Age / Jewish Fiction / Small-Town Texas / 1970s
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Page Count: 254
Publication Date: July 18, 2023
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Action-packed, humorous, and bittersweet, this 1970s-era coming-of-age novel is more relevant than ever–exploring how a second-generation immigrant kid in a new hometown must navigate bullying, unexpected friendships, and the struggle of keeping both feet firmly planted in two very different cultures.

It’s 1979, and thirteen-year-old Joseph Nissan can’t help but notice that small-town Texas has something in common with Revolution-era Iran: an absence of fellow Jews. And in such a small town it seems obvious that a brown kid like him was bound to make friends with Latinos–which is a plus, since his new buds, the Ybarra twins, have his back. But when the Iran hostage crisis, two neighborhood bullies, and the local reverend’s beautiful daughter put him in all sorts of danger, Joseph must find new ways to cope at home and at school.

As he struggles to trust others and stay true to himself, a fiercely guarded family secret keeps his father at a distance, and even his piano teacher, Miss Eleanor–who is like a grandmother to him–can’t always protect him. But Joseph is not alone, and with a little help from his friends, he finds the courage to confront his fears and discovers he can inspire others to find their courage, too.

Just a Hat is an authentically one-of-a-kind YA debut that fuses the humor of Firoozeh Dumas’s Funny in Farsi with the poignancy of Daniel Nayeri’s Everything Sad Is Untrue.

This book comes with an Educator’s Guide.

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About the author, Shanah Khubiar

Shanah Khubiar is a retired law enforcement officer, and she is now self-employed as a subject matter specialist. She holds a BS and MEd in education from East Texas State University and a PhD in philosophy.

A student of her Persian ancestry, she incorporates (Mizrachi) Middle Eastern Jewry into her fiction, examining the historical challenges and triumphs of a different culture and narrative than what usually appears in literature. Khubiar is a sometime resident and always fan of most things Texas.

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My Thoughts

Shanah Khubiar’s new young adult novel, Just a Hat is a brilliant, sometimes discomfiting, portrayal of what it’s like to be “other” in America.

Set in the Texas of the late 1970s, with the Iran hostage crisis as its background, this story introduces us to teenaged Joseph (Youssef) Nissan, the only Jewish-Iranian boy in his class. We walk with him as he navigates the cultural differences he experiences – he’s brown skinned, so gets along with the Mexican boys, especially Roberto and Mateo who are both friends and defenders, but he’s not Latino. He’s Persian. He’s a piano student but practicing on Shabat is considered “work” and therefore disallowed. And then there’s the whole thing about not being allowed to touch girls, even casually. It’s a lot to handle when you’ve got feet in different worlds – the secular world at large, and the closer, religious world of his family.

As someone who is not Jewish, but sort of Jewish-adjacent (my stepfather was Jewish, and his mother, my Bubbie, was a special person in my life) I found the glimpses of Iranian Jewish traditions particularly interesting. I’m familiar with eastern-European (Ashkenazi) traditions, and have been recently learning more about Iberian (Sephardic) traditions, but it’s my understanding that most Iranian Jews are actually Mizrahi, and the specifics were new to me.

What I loved was the relationship Joseph had with Miss Eleanor – LaLa – the elderly piano teacher whom he helps out by buying groceries and other household tasks. I also appreciated that Joseph and his Baba – his father – managed to work through family history and family secrets and end up with a closer relationship after tackling difficult subjects.

The title can be taken literally – the different hats Joseph wears include his kippah (yarmulke) and his football helmet. But it also works as a metaphor, representing the different “hats” we all wear, – the roles we have in life – including those we use in order to hide our true selves for whatever reason.

Overall, I found this to be a very moving story, with interesting characters, and a well-paced coming-of-age plot. At times very serious, because it deals with fear, racism, and antisemitism, it’s also heartfelt and full of humor – the kind that comes from real life.

Goes well with: peach sharbet.

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FictionAdvent 08: Elves

Her husband—“Santa” to the winking masses—sits in his study polishing spectacles, pretending not to hear. He hates this part. Always has. Kindness comes naturally to him. Old power does not.

FictionAdvent 07: Wander

One by one, they step into the starlit desert. Their glow grows brighter as they move away, pale lights bobbing like will-o’-wisps across the dunes. She watches until they’re only a constellation of tiny sparks at the edge of sight.

FictionAdvent 06: Ember/Spark

The circle widens, ripples spreading, and the two species drift into a shared rhythm — some with hands, some with arms, all with joy. In their mingled glow, something ancient rises, older than language or gravity: the understanding that warmth is not bound to flame, and family not bound to form.