**Bookish Happenings**

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It’s that time again for bookish happenings! Today I am sharing a few things that have been going on in the world of blogging and at indieBRAG. We are completely drawn into the world of stories and the people who write them. Our passion is to share our love of reading, good reads and our hunt for them. Daily we are exploring social media and various book sites for the next great read.

This week at Layered Pages I have created several posts but would like to highlight my All in A Day of Reading. In the post I mention and share several ARC’s I have been approved for and I am really looking forward to reading soon. Be sure to check out my other posts for the week! Lots of great books mentioned.

Currently I am reading several books! As usual. Ha! I can’t help myself. I am almost finished reading; I see You by Clare Mackintosh. What a fantastic read! When I think I’ve got it all figured out, there is a new twist! I have posted the book discretion below. I am still buddy reading Girl in Disguise by Greer Macallister and hope to start The Typewriter’s Tale by Michiel Heynes this weekend.

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i-see-you-iiKindle Edition, 372 pages

Expected publication: April 4th 2017 by Sphere

You do the same thing every day.

You know exactly where you’re going.

You’re not alone.

When Zoe Walker sees her photo in the classifieds section of a London newspaper, she is determined to find out why it’s there. There’s no explanation: just a website, a grainy image and a phone number. She takes it home to her family, who are convinced it’s just someone who looks like Zoe. But the next day the advert shows a photo of a different woman, and another the day after that.

Is it a mistake? A coincidence? Or is someone keeping track of every move they make . . .
I See You is an edge-of-your-seat, page-turning psychological thriller from one of the most exciting and successful British debut talents of 2015.

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Here is a few of my fellow book bloggers highlights for the week! Be sure to check them out. These bloggers are so dedicated to their craft of sharing stories and a big support to the book world. I highly recommend you follow their blogs as well.

Let Them Read Books has a marvelous guest post with Annelisa Christensen. Author of, The Popish Midwife here

A Bookaholic Swede has a Cover Crush this week that I am absolutely wild about! I must get my hands on a copy of the book! Check out the post here.

2 Kids and Tired Books shared with us this week a post about books she has forgotten. Check out this great posts here

A Literary Vacation shares with us a spotlight on Roman Rescue by Michelle Gilliam and a book giveaway! Be sure to check that out here and enter that giveaway!

The Maiden’s Court share with us a wonderful book review of the Mail Order Brides of the West: Evie by Caroline Fyffe here.

Flashlight Commentary shares with us a Cover Cliché: The Painted Veil here. She has some really interesting things to say about this so be sure to check it out!

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Be sure to check out the indieBRAG Home Pages for the latest B.R.A.G. Medallion Honorees and please visit the B.R.A.G. blog as well! Lots of great posts from award winning authors!

**Bookish Happenings**

book-open

Today, I’m sharing a few bookish things that have been going on this week from my fellow book bloggers, indieBRAG and myself at Layered Pages. We are completely drawn into the world of stories and the people who write them. Our passion is to share our love of reading, good reads and our hunt for them. Daily we are exploring social media and various book sites for the next great read. In this post, I will share some posts highlights and events happening this week from the people I mentioned above.

This week at Layered Pages, I have created several posts but I would like to highlight my Wish-List 5: Dublin Murder Squad. Take a look at the post here and be sure to check out my other post this week! Lots of great books mentioned.

Right now I am reading several books. One of them is a buddy read and I wonder if we are ever going to be able to finish it! The book is, To Capture What We Cannot Keep by Beatrice Colin. We recently finished buddy reading, The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (I have LOTs to say about this book!). I am still reading Lincoln’s Autocrat (The Life of Edwin Stanton) by William Marvel, The Civil War Source Book by Philip Katcher (I’m having issues with some of the content but it’s interesting), Yesternight by Cat Winters (almost done) and recently started, The Good Sisters by Helen Phifer. This latest book I started is for review and I will be through with it this week. I know, it’s a lot of reading material to read at once but I am able to keep up with it and I can’t help myself.

the-good-sisters

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Here is a few of my fellow book bloggers highlights for the week! Be sure to check them out. These bloggers are so dedicated to their craft of sharing stories and a big support to the book world. I highly recommend you follow their blogs as well.

A Bookaholic Swede’s Post highlight this week: Wish-List October: Most Wanted Mystery Books of 20017

Flashlight Commentary’s Post Highlight this week:  Cover Cliché: Old Hollywood Glamour

A Literary Vacation’s Post Highlight this week: Spotlight on Fill the Sky by Katherine A. Sherbrooke + Giveaway!!

The maiden’s Court’s Post Highlight this week: Wish List 5: Microhistories

2 Kids and Tired Book’s Post Highlight this week: Duty to the Crown…Review

there-is-still-time-indiebrag-event

indieBRAG is holding a month long Halloween event here! The event ends Monday the 31st. Be sure to check out all the great posts by some our B.R.A.G. Honorees, book deals and enter your chance to win a $20.00 Amazon Gift Card!

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Thank you all for visiting Layered Pages today and checking out what is happening with my fellow book bloggers, indieBRAG and I! We greatly appreciate your support and enthusiasm for great reads! Check back next week with all of us for more great bookish happenings!

Cover Crush: Glory, Passion, and Principle by Melissa Lukeman Bohrer

The heroism of the females of the American Revolution has gone from memory with the generation that witnessed it, and nothing, absolutely nothing, remains upon the ear of the young of the present day. — Charles Francis Adams

glory-passion-and-principleThe Story of Eight Remarkable Women at the Core of the American Revolution:

John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin — these are the names we typically associate with the American Revolution. But was American History solely written by men? Were there no influential women? No women who had an impact on the founding of America in its crucial, formative years, in its fight for independence? Indeed, there were — although their contributions have been overlooked or ignored for over two hundred years. Until now.

Glory, Passion, and Principle is an extraordinary journey through revolutionary America as seen from a woman’s perspective. Here are the lesser-known stories of eight influential females who fought for freedom — for their country and themselves — at all costs. Whether advising prominent male leaders in political theory (Abigail Adams), using their pens as swords (Phillis Wheatley, Mercy Otis Warren), acting as military spies (Sybil Ludington, Lydia Darragh), or going to battle (Molly Pitcher, Deborah Sampson, Nancy Ward), these women broke free of the limitations imposed upon them, much as our forefathers did by resisting British rule upon American soil…and laying the groundwork for the United States as we know it today.

My thoughts on the premise, title and cover jacket:

Often times throughout history, women were overlooked in the roles they played and the impact they had. It’s writers like, Melissa Lukeman Bohrer who bring to light strong women in our history. For those of you who have studied in-depth about the American Revolution, you know the part many women were involved in. Which was a big part! Glory, Passion, and Principle honors women mentioned above in the book description.

The title of the story REALLY stands out to me. Glory, passion and principle were among the strong traits of people during that time who had a belief in freedom, a pursuit of happiness of faith, family, and their country.

What can I say about the cover? It speaks for itself in many ways. Look how the woman is standing strong and showing her fight for the cause she believes in. I love the richness in the colors used and dramatic feel. The cover really gives you a sense of the period. Nicely done.

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Cover Crush is a weekly series that originated with Erin at Flashlight Commentary.Be sure to check out her latest cover crush by clicking on the link provided.

Take a look at these other great book bloggers who cover crush:

Heather @ The Maiden’s Court-Coming soon

Magdalena @ A Bookaholic Swede

Holly @ 2 Kids and Tired Books

Colleen @ A Literary Vacation -Coming soon

More cover crushes over at indieBRAG!

Wish-List 5: Dublin Murder Squad

me-iiI have a strong interest in crime thrillers, and mystery. It’s not often I have the time to really dive into the genre. Though I must admit, this year I’ve read more crime thrillers than I have in recent years. There have been some truly great ones that have been published of late. I believe I came across this crime thriller on Facebook. I have seen, In the Woods quite often and never really looked into it. Until now.

Be sure to take a look at these fabulous books and check below for my Wish-List 5: A Bookish Halloween and other great Wish-List from my fellow book bloggers.

in-the-woodsIn the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad #1) by Tana French

As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers, and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.

Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a twelve-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox—his partner and closest friend—find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.
Richly atmospheric and stunning in its complexity, In the Woods is utterly convincing and surprising to the end.

Look for French’s new mystery, The Trespasser, for more of the Dublin Murder Squad.

the-likenessThe Likeness (Dublin Murder Squad #2) by Tana French

Tana French astonished critics and readers alike with her mesmerizing debut novel, In the Woods. Now both French and Detective Cassie Maddox return to unravel a case even more sinister and enigmatic than the first. Six months after the events of In the Woods, an urgent telephone call beckons Cassie to a grisly crime scene. The victim looks exactly like Cassie and carries ID identifying herself as Alexandra Madison, an alias Cassie once used. Suddenly, Cassie must discover not only who killed this girl, but, more importantly, who is this girl? A disturbing tale of shifting identities, The Likeness firmly establishes Tana French as an important voice in suspense fiction.

faithful-placeFaithful Place (Dublin Murder Squad #3) by Tana French

Back in 1985, Frank Mackey was a nineteen-year-old kid with a dream of escaping his family’s cramped flat on Faithful Place and running away to London with his girl, Rosie Daly. But on the night they were supposed to leave, Rosie didn’t show. Frank took it for granted that she’d dumped him-probably because of his alcoholic father, nutcase mother, and generally dysfunctional family. He never went home again. Neither did Rosie. Then, twenty-two years later, Rosie’s suitcase shows up behind a fireplace in a derelict house on Faithful Place, and Frank, now a detective in the Subline Undercover squad, is going home whether he likes it or not.

Getting sucked in is a lot easier than getting out again. Frank finds himself straight back in the dark tangle of relationships he left behind. The cops working the case want him out of the way, in case loyalty to his family and community makes him a liability. Faithful Place wants him out because he’s a detective now, and the Place has never liked cops. Frank just wants to find out what happened to Rosie Daly-and he’s willing to do whatever it takes, to himself or anyone else, to get the job done.

broken-harborBroken Harbor (Dublin Murder Squad #4) by Tana French

In Broken Harbour, a ghost estate outside Dublin – half-built, half-inhabited, half-abandoned – two children and their father are dead. The mother is on her way to intensive care. Scorcher Kennedy is given the case because he is the Murder Squad’s star detective. At first he and his rookie partner, Richie, think this is a simple one: Pat Spain was a casualty of the recession, so he killed his children, tried to kill his wife Jenny, and finished off with himself. But there are too many inexplicable details and the evidence is pointing in two directions at once.

Scorcher’s personal life is tugging for his attention. Seeing the case on the news has sent his sister Dina off the rails again, and she’s resurrecting something that Scorcher thought he had tightly under control: what happened to their family, one summer at Broken Harbour, back when they were children. The neat compartments of his life are breaking down, and the sudden tangle of work and family is putting both at risk . . .

the-secret-placeThe Secret Place (Dublin Murder Squad #5) by Tana French

The photo on the card shows a boy who was found murdered, a year ago, on the grounds of a girls’ boarding school in the leafy suburbs of Dublin. The caption says, I KNOW WHO KILLED HIM.

Detective Stephen Moran has been waiting for his chance to get a foot in the door of Dublin’s Murder Squad—and one morning, sixteen-year-old Holly Mackey brings him this photo. The Secret Place, a board where the girls at St. Kilda’s School can pin up their secrets anonymously, is normally a mishmash of gossip and covert cruelty, but today someone has used it to reignite the stalled investigation into the murder of handsome, popular Chris Harper. Stephen joins forces with the abrasive Detective Antoinette Conway to find out who and why.

But everything they discover leads them back to Holly’s close-knit group of friends and their fierce enemies, a rival clique—and to the tangled web of relationships that bound all the girls to Chris Harper. Every step in their direction turns up the pressure. Antoinette Conway is already suspicious of Stephen’s links to the Mackey family. St. Kilda’s will go a long way to keep murder outside their walls. Holly’s father, Detective Frank Mackey, is circling, ready to pounce if any of the new evidence points toward his daughter. And the private underworld of teenage girls can be more mysterious and more dangerous than either of the detectives imagined.

Book six: The Trespasser was recently Published-October 4th 2016. Hardcover, 449 pages.

Be sure to check out my Wish-List 5: A Bookish Halloween -A great selection for this season.

Here are some of the wish lists from a few of my friends this month:

Colleen @ A Literary Vacation-Coming Soon

Heather @ The Maiden’s Court

Magdalena @ A Bookaholic Swede

Holly @ 2 Kids and Tired-Coming Soon

Erin @ Flashlight Commentary

 

**Bookish Happenings**

book-open

Today, I thought I would share some bookish things that have been going on this week from my fellow book bloggers, indieBRAG and myself at Layered Pages. We are completely drawn into the world of stories and the people who write them. Our passion is to share our love of reading, good reads and our hunt for them. Daily we are exploring social media and various book sites for the next great read. In this post, I will share some posts highlights and events happening this week from the people I mentioned above.

First, I would like to mention a few things that are happening at Layered Pages and what I have been posting about this week. I’ve had several posts: About the indieBRAG Halloween Event that is going on. (more info about that below or just click on the link to find out more), An Oldie but Goodie Book Review, A post on a Book Hangover and cures for it, and my cover crush for the week! My highlight for the week is my Oldie but Goodie post. I love reading my older reviews! I learn a lot from them and how my writing has developed.

Right now I am reading several books. A couple of them are buddies reads: To Capture What We Cannot Keep by Beatrice Colin. (the discussion on that is really good!), The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (I have LOTs to say about this book!), Lincoln’s Autocrat (The Life of Edwin Stanton) by William Marvel, The Civil War Source Book by Philip Katcher (I’m having issues with some of the content but it’s interesting), and this weekend I am starting, Yesternight by Cat Winters. I know, it’s a lot of reading material to read at once but I am able to keep up with it and I can’t help myself.

yesternight

Here is a few of my fellow book bloggers highlights for the week! Be sure to check them out. These bloggers are so dedicated to their craft of sharing stories and a big support to the book world. I highly recommend you follow their blogs as well.

strong-cold-deadA Bookaholic Swede’s Post highlight this week: Blog Tour: Strong Cold Dead by Jon land.

Flashlight Commentary’s Post Highlight this week:  Cover Cliché: Portrait d’une negresse

A Literary Vacation’s Post Highlight this week: Audiobook Review: The Girl in the Ice by Robert Bryndza

The maiden’s Court’s Post Highlight this week: Book Review: Pox Americana by Elizabeth Fennpox-america

2 Kids and Tired Book’s Post Highlight this week: Childhood Favorites…Little Mommy

Let Them Read Book’s Post Highlight this week: Review: Mission: Improper by Bec McMaster

indieBRAG is holding a month long Halloween event here! Be sure to check out all the great posts by some our B.R.A.G. Honorees, book deals and enter your chance to win a $20.00 Amazon Gift Card!

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Another great event indieBRAG had this month was a Teen Event of great books and blogs from our authors who write books for our teen audience. Please be sure to check out those great post at the indieBRAG Blog here.

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Thank you all for visiting Layered Pages today and checking out what is happening with my fellow book bloggers, indieBRAG and I! We greatly appreciate your support and enthusiasm for great reads! Check back next week with all of us for more great bookish happenings!

**Book Hangover **

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Is there a definition for a book hangover? Though book enthusiast know exactly what it is. For the fun of it I decided to google the meaning and see if there was an official one. Low and behold there is a lot on this subject. Here is a blog I discovered who posts about the subject which pretty much sums it up.

“A book hangover is condition in which attachment to a book or series that has ended causes the reader traumatic emotional distress. It usually lasts for one to two weeks, or until a new book of higher-than-average quality enters the reader’s life.” –Epic Reads

While Epic Reads list great treatments for a book hangover, I have come up with my own. They are as follow:

  1. Though you probably have thousands of books on your shelf to read. Don’t let that stop you from heading to your local bookstore! I find browsing the shelves helps inspire fresh and new stories to read.
  2. Check out what your fellow readers or book bloggers are reading.
  3. Watch a TV series or movie in your area of interest and that might give you a light bulb moment as to what to read next! Netflix or Amazon Video is always helpful in that area.
  4. Pick five of your already owned books and read the first two chapters of each book. See what grabs you.
  5. A good rant to your bookish friends might do the trick.
  6. Eat large quantities of your favorite chocolate. How does this help, you ask? Well, it’s chocolate. It cures everything. Need I say more?

What are your remedies to cure a Book Hangover? Please share!

Stephanie M. Hopkins

I Blame Flashlight Commentary: For What, You Ask?

Gah! Erin with Flashlight Commentary has just sent me back over to the dark side! Ha! I have been very careful NOT to click on NetGalley and search for titles. I am in the middle of research for my WIP thriller about the Reconstruction of the South. While doing that I am trying to get through my remaining books I need to review. Leave it to Erin to entice me with books! Though I have to admit, it’s a book bloggers lot in life. We can’t help ourselves when it comes to books. Sigh. I will say that these titles look so good! AND check out the covers. Beautiful!

The 9 45 to BletchleyIn the midst of the Second World War, and charged with taking vital equipment via the 9:45 train, Ena Dudley makes regular trips to Bletchley Park, until on one occasion she is robbed. When those she cares about are accused of being involved, she investigates, not knowing whom she can trust. While trying to clear her name, Ena falls in love.

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All Because of You by Isobel Blackthorn

Infused with gentle optimism, eleven uncompromising stories explore, each in its own way, the nature of sacrifice.

Mum and Nan struggle to contrive a sense of normal family life in the emotionally charged environment of a women’s shelter. A visual artist faces the return of her wayward daughter, who brings home her new boyfriend, the lumbering behemoth, Zol. A bereaved woman lies restless and alone in bed, her thoughts troubled by the plaintive cries of the dog locked in next-door’s laundry.

At once dark, poignant and witty, Isobel Blackthorn’s first collection of short stories depicts intimately and honestly the travails and heroic responses of women and men confronting the pith of their lives.

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The Light of Paris by Brown, Eleanor

From the bestselling author of THE WEIRD SISTERS comes an enchanting tale of self-discovery that will strike a chord with anyone who has ever felt they’ve lost their way.

Chicago, 1999.

Madeleine is trapped – by her family’s expectations, by her controlling husband – in an unhappy marriage and a life she never wanted. But when she finds a diary detailing her grandmother Margie’s trip to Jazz Age Paris, she meets a woman she never knew: a dreamer who defied her strict family and spent a summer living on her own, and falling for a charismatic artist.

When Madeleine’s marriage is threatened, she escapes to her hometown to stay with her disapproving mother. Shaken by the revelation of a family secret and inspired by her grandmother’s bravery, Madeleine creates her own summer of joy. In reconnecting with her love of painting and cultivating a new circle of friends, the chance of a new life emerges – but will she be bold enough take it?

Wish-List 5: The American Civil War

As an American and a Southerner I have always been drawn to my countries history. Like all history there is good and the bad. I live in a state that is extremely rich in Civil War History and Southern Heritage. I have always been interested in the families of the south that live during the war and how it affected their lives. Recently my interest has deepened. I think it’s because I came across some documents or memories-if you will-that was written during the Reconstruction Period of the South. Since then that era has been on my mind. Then I was looking through some pictures of Madison, Georgia. A town in Georgia that Sherman and his army did not burn down on their march to the sea. Low and behold, a story of the south began to develop in my mind. So begins my research and reading of every novel and non-fiction book I can get my hands on about the civil war and the reconstruction.

Today, I share with you five historical fiction books of the era that is on my wish-list. Enjoy!

A Separate Country by Robert HicksA Separate Country by Robert Hicks

Set in New Orleans in the years after the Civil War, A Separate Country is based on the incredible life of John Bell Hood, arguably one of the most controversial generals of the Confederate Army–and one of its most tragic figures. Robert E. Lee promoted him to major general after the Battle of Antietam. But the Civil War would mark him forever. At Gettysburg, he lost the use of his left arm. At the Battle of Chickamauga, his right leg was amputated. Starting fresh after the war, he married Anna Marie Hennen and fathered 11 children with her, including three sets of twins. But fate had other plans. Crippled by his war wounds and defeat, ravaged by financial misfortune, Hood had one last foe to battle: Yellow Fever. A Separate Country is the heartrending story of a decent and good man who struggled with his inability to admit his failures-and the story of those who taught him to love, and to be loved, and transformed him.

The Outer Banks House by Diann DucharmeThe Outer Banks House by Diann Ducharme

As the wounds of the Civil War are just beginning to heal, one fateful summer would forever alter the course of a young girl’s life.

In 1868, on the barren shores of post-war Outer Banks North Carolina, the once wealthy Sinclair family moves for the summer to one of the first cottages on the ocean side of the resort village of Nags Head. Seventeen-year-old Abigail is beautiful, book-smart, but sheltered by her plantation life and hemmed-in by her emotionally distant family. To make good use of time, she is encouraged by her family to teach her father’s fishing guide, the good-natured but penniless Benjamin Whimble, how to read and write. And in a twist of fate unforeseen by anyone around them, there on the porch of the cottage, the two come to love each other deeply, and to understand each other in a way that no one else does.

But when, against everything he claims to represent, Ben becomes entangled in Abby’s father’s Ku Klux Klan work, the terrible tragedy and surprising revelations that one hot Outer Banks night brings forth threaten to tear them apart forever.

With vivid historical detail and stunning emotional resonance, Diann Ducharme recounts a dramatic story of love, loss, and coming of age at a singular and rapidly changing time in one of America’s most beautiful and storied communities.

Morgan_NorthStar_jkt_HC_FINAL_PRNT12_22.inddChasing the North Star by Robert Morgan

In his latest historical novel, bestselling author Robert Morgan brings to full and vivid life the story of Jonah Williams, who, in 1850, on his eighteenth birthday, flees the South Carolina plantation on which he was born a slave. He takes with him only a few stolen coins, a knife, and the clothes on his back–no shoes, no map, no clear idea of where to head, except north, following a star that he prays will be his guide.

Hiding during the day and running through the night, Jonah must elude the men sent to capture him and the bounty hunters out to claim the reward on his head. There is one person, however, who, once on his trail, never lets him fully out of sight: Angel, herself a slave, yet with a remarkably free spirit.

In Jonah, she sees her own way to freedom, and so sets out to follow him.

Bristling with breathtaking adventure, Chasing the North Star is deftly grounded in historical fact yet always gripping and poignant as the story follows Jonah and Angel through the close calls and narrow escapes of a fearsome world. It is a celebration of the power of the human spirit to persevere in the face of great adversity. And it is Robert Morgan at his considerable best.

Sisters of Shiloh by Kathy & Becky HepinstallSisters of Shiloh

In a war pitting brother against brother, two sisters choose their own battle.

Joseph and Thomas are fresh recruits for the Confederate Army, daring to join the wild fray that has become the seemingly endless Civil War, sharing everything with their fellow soldiers—except the secret that would mean their undoing: they are sisters.

Before the war, Joseph and Thomas were Josephine and Libby. But that bloodiest battle, Antietam, leaves Libby to find her husband, Arden, dead. She vows vengeance, dons Arden’s clothes, and sneaks off to enlist with the Stonewall Brigade, swearing to kill one Yankee for every year of his too-short life. Desperate to protect her grief-crazed sister, Josephine insists on joining her. Surrounded by flying bullets, deprivation, and illness, the sisters are found by other dangers: Libby is hurtling toward madness, haunted and urged on by her husband’s ghost; Josephine is falling in love with a fellow soldier. She lives in fear both of revealing their disguise and of losing her first love before she can make her heart known to him.

In her trademark “vibrant” (Washington Post Book World) and “luscious” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) prose, Kathy Hepinstall joins with her sister Becky to show us the hopes of love and war, the impossible-to-sever bonds of sisterhood, and how what matters most can both hurt us and heal us.

Red River by Lalita TademyRed River by Lalita Tademy

From the New York Times bestselling author of Cane River comes the dramatic, intertwining story of two families and their struggles during the tumultuous years that followed the Civil War.

Here are some of the wishlists from a few of my friends this month:

Heather @ The Maiden’s Court

Magdalena @ A Bookaholic Swede 

Holly @ 2 Kids and Tired 

Erin @ Flashlight Commentary – To Come

Colleen @ A Literary Vacation 

Confessions of a Book Blogger

Keep calm and blog on II

On February 2nd I blogged about how Authors should support Book Bloggers and gave some tips of the trade. Blogging isn’t always easy and takes a lot of time and effort. I am a firm believer it takes both the author and the blogger to work together for support of each other’s medium on social media.

Today, I am going to talk about how book bloggers should support authors in their endeavors. Bloggers and Authors lead such busy lives and it’s not always easy to be in contact with each other. We are always pulled in so many different directions. In many ways, I like to think that bloggers and authors have like minds in creativity and structure. We are in constant need of nurturing that creativity. But before I get carried away on that thought, let’s get back to bloggers supporting authors.

Check list for supporting authors:

  1. This is the most important so I’m adding this first. DO NOT troll an author. Do NOT. I’ve seen bloggers use their platform to bash and harasses authors-for whatever reason-and I have zero respect for that. Like I said on my other post to the authors, if you have a disagreement, do not further engage. And that means, do not smear their name on a public platform. Now, I don’t need to go into the reasons why you should not harass authors. You should be smart enough to figure out why. I hope.
  2. When an author sends you books or bookmarks, be sure to give them your thanks. I even blog about it at times or share on Facebook what I received. Not only do authors like that but so do readers!
  3. I get flooded with so many request from authors to be featured on Layered Pages. Sometimes, emails get lost or there are just too many to get to. This year I made a promise to myself that I would do my best to respond to everyone. Now, I know there are authors who send out spam emails and we have learned to ignore those. But really try to be gracious in answering emails.
  4. Reviews: It’s a bloggers job to give an honest analysis of books we review. It does not mean that you down right insult the author. Give constructive reasons why you did not care for the book. Don’t just say, “I did not like this book, I don’t recommend it.” If you are going to write a review stating you did not care for the book, state why but be respectful.
  5. I like to come up with creative ways in supporting authors on Layered Pages. Every year you blog, try to come up with some new ways to feature the authors you love. This year, I have come up with a few new series. Stay tuned for those. Authors are jumping on them! Its going to be exciting!
  6. Follow and interact with your favorite authors on social media. This helps attract more attention to their books and what can be more exciting than getting to know the writer of your favorite stories?!
  7. We are not the author’s every day readers. We are a book reviewers and professional readers. Most of us are anyways… Let’s behave accordingly.
  8. Authors put their heart and soul into their stories, lets show them our gratitude and keep encouraging them to bring us more wonderful stories. Without them, we would be lost.

Check out my good friend and fellow book blogger’s post on The Author/Blogger Relationship!

Stephanie M. Hopkins